Chapter 15: Symposium

Hit had very rarely ever saved someone's life, constantly having to rush to faraway galaxies and eliminate elusive targets. It always made him feel warm inside whenever they thanked him, although he wasn't too used to the affection.

"Just my luck..." Hit clicked his tongue at the darkening sky. The entire city was in an uproar as adventurers disposed of monsters bounding throughout its interior; apparently, they had managed to escape the monsterphilia 'monster taming event'.

'That must be what those cages were for. The colosseum serves as a circus or arena to show civilians a glimpse of 'adventuring life'.' Hit scoffed, had these people never heard of Murphy's law? 'What a joke... this was obviously bound to happen.'

Thankfully, there were no casualties, only minor to severely wounded civilians and novice adventurers. Frustratingly, access to the Tower of Babel had been barred, making his trip to the Freya familia impossible.

Another troupe of ganesha familia guards rushed past him, intent on fixing any damages and finding any missing persons.

"…At this point, I'll just head to the Loki familia. I can't blend in as a customer during these extenuating circumstances, and I must collect my reward, or else I'll be living on the streets." Another part of Hit just couldn't be bothered to walk up all those stairs; it was also getting late, past shop opening times.

Hit shivered as the goddess' stare was still fresh in his mind. He was not exactly keen on meeting his stalker either, not when she had such powerful bodyguards. In addition, her apparent obsession reminded Hit of Apollo, a type of person that Hit abominated. High up on her throne, she likely looked down on mortals as if they were ants, just like all gods Hit had dealt with in the past... Loki was still up in the air, he supposed.

Hit's aloof nature contributed to this indecisiveness. He had never really worked in a team before, apart from that short battle with a god-ki infused Goku, when the two faced off against Dyspo and a blue goblin-like man, that Hit honestly couldn't remember the name of. Hit smiled lightly. 'Always butting in, weren't you.'

Streetlights shimmered as Hit approached an immense construct: the Twilight Manor. It was a sight straight out of a fairytale: tall towers overlapped and supported each other, as they embraced a slightly shorter, but still ridiculously high, mansion. Hit couldn't be certain, due to the poor light, but it seemed to be constructed out if marble, contrasted by reddish-brown rooves.

'If this falls through, I'll just have to proceed to Freya...' An albino boy flittered through Hit's mind, his untrained stance very much an eyesore.'... or consider joining that brat.'

A pair of guards tensed as Hit approached, likely on edge due to the day's harrowing events.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A young human man thumped his spear down and called out to the approaching potential threat.

Hit stopped a few meters away. All these barriers were wearing thin on the former assassin; he had forgotten how frustrating it could be to navigate the world without time skipping. "I have an appointment with Loki. Tell her that Hit is here to collect his compensation."

The guard relaxed and took on a friendly expression. "Oh! We've been expecting you. ...She did say you looked suspicious." The last part was said under his breath. His partner opened the gate and stepped aside. "Please, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to your destination. Let me know if I can be of any assistance on the way. Anything at all!"

'Buttering me up, eh? Not going to work.' Hit replied in his usual monotonous voice. "Just get me there without us running into any nuisances."

"Gotcha! Just stick with me and you'll be fine." The guard then nodded to his partner and began walking towards the manor.

As they approached, Hit noticed several beautiful flower gardens, illuminated by glittering monster stones. Buzzing insects flittered around them, radiating pulsating shadows over the surrounding vegetation.

His escort stopped near the grand entrance to the mansion and pointed a hand towards it. "This is the main building. Inside you'll find people's quarters and dining rooms." He pointed to one of the towers next. "On our left you can see..."

Hit interrupted him, tapping a foot impatiently. "I didn't come here for a tour, just take me to your leader."

"S-sure". The man's smile strained a little as he opened the door for Hit. "Please, after you".

Hit strode in and was greeted by a glamorous entrance hall. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and oil paintings were fixed to the walls. Expensive furniture flanked the room, a range of antiques gracing their surfaces. Stairs stood on his left, leading to the first floor, and various doorways led to rooms throughout the mansion. A familiar pallum and dwarf were conversing at the base of the stairs.

"Sir Finn, Sir Gareth, I have brought our guest." The guard took on a formal stance as he approached them.

"Ah, thank you Pitch. We'll take it from here". Finn thanked the guard, who promply bowed and left the way he came. He walked much more quickly this time, likely eager to get away from the stern Hit.

"Thank you for coming, Mr Hit. Welcome to our illustrious home." Finn smiled at him, kindly.

Hit did not return the gesture. He would act the always had; no 'familia' would shackle him. "Yes, very humble. Although, it's not like I had a choice in coming here, you people owe me money".

Gareth guffawed. "He doesn't beat around the bush does 'e? Hahaha!"

Finn chuckled. "Yes. Although, he is quite right. Besides, even I tire from formalities sometimes." The pallum directed a palm to the stairs. "If you'll follow us, we'll take you to Loki's quarters. Is there anything you would like to ask before we leave? Perhaps we could offer you a grand tour?"

"NO." Hit looked down at him menacingly, he just wanted to talk to the damned deity, for Zeno's sake.

Finn snickered to himself. 'I told her that he wouldn't care about our illustrious estate.'

"Of course, right this way" The captain turned and walked towards the stairs.

With that, the silent trio made their way up the stairs and through a series of corridors. The dazzling sights had already begun to bore Hit, for he was someone who cared very little for physical possessions. ...Money was an exception for him due to its wide array of uses. Information was also often restricted to the richest donors.

They stopped at a golden door engraved with a beautiful woman, dancing merrily. 'Loki' was written above her head.

Hit quirked a brow. 'Looks nothing like them. Hold on... does that mean Loki is a woman?'

"Here we are, Loki is waiting for you inside, along with our other executive, Riveria". Finn opened the door for the quiet boy.

Hit nodded and walked in.

Inside, was an equally grand room. A large king-sized bed sat at the far centre, whilst several chairs rested on the right, surrounding an elegant table. Riveria sat atop one, sipping a glass of tea, whereas, Loki was standing, looking at him with a wide grin. "There y'are! I knew you'd come!"

Riveria set her cup down and addressed him. "Hello again, Mr Hit. A pleasure to see you, once more."

Hit nodded at the royal elf. "Likewise."

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Loki marched forward and stared up at him.

Hit groaned. "Can't you skip the part where you annoy me, and just hand over my money".

Loki giggled and pranced back to her chair. "Fufufufu. No can do Hit! Come on, sit, and have some tea... there's no booze, sadly, because of the big fat meanie...".

Riveria cast a withering glare at her. "Need I remind you of what I will do to you, should you inebriate yourself again this week?"

Loki gulped and laughed nervously, pulling at her collar.

Hit diverted Riveria's attention, as he sat between them and crossed his arms. "Let's begin our meeting."

Loki perked up right away and Riveria took over. "Of course. As we discussed previously, we will be paying you 50,000 valis for the magic stone, and 20,000 valis as an apology for our negligence. We hope you can forgive us" Her green hair flowed past her ears as she tilted her head.

Hit rubbed his hands together in his head, thinking of all those lovely coins. A chibi version of him dive-bombed into a pool of the shiny objects and created 'money' angels on its surface. 'Excellent! I won't be having any money issues for a long time to come.'

He underestimated how satisfying it was to have physical currency. The only issue was how to store it. "We all make mistakes, and no one was harmed. Consider the matter resolved". Hit nodded with a minute smile.

Loki raised her arms up and waved them about. "Great! We can get ya the money right now! Or we can keep storing it for you if ya join us!"

Hit closed his eyes and hummed to himself. This truly did seem like the most welcoming familia he had encountered thus far. The executives were mature, and the god seemed a little childish, but not threatening. All he needed was to make his demands. "I will join your familia...", Hit began his condition.

Loki beamed.

"... but only if you abide by my demands." Hit's face was stony, signifying his immovable resolve.

Loki didn't seem fazed and smiled even more brightly. "Sure! Demand away!".

Hit interlocked his hands. "First, I will be allowed to work independently within the dungeon. I will delve down alone and will not be forced into a party."

Loki nodded, whilst Riveria scrunched up her face. However, she did not interrupt him out of courtesy. Hit continued. "Second, you must grant me access to your texts and Tomes, particularly those discussing magic. I must also have access to your training grounds and not be disturbed when meditating in seclusion."

Loki nodded quickly. "Of course! Ya get access to all our facilities!"

Hit's face darkened as he reached his final ultimatum. "Third, I am not your slave or puppet. I will not be chained down, nor kill anyone under your orders. I will not be forced to fight against any other, mortal or God. If I wish to ultimately leave, I must be allowed to do so."

The two listeners looked stunned.

Loki nodded hesitantly; she was quite perplexed. "Uh... of course. I would never do anything of the sort to ya. As long as you pay your familia tax and fill your dungeon quota, ya can do whatever ya like, within reason. You might also have to take part in mandatory guild missions, like in all familia."

Riveria could not hold in her dissent. "Lady Loki, this is just too much. I can't honestly allow a rookie adventurer to delve down on his own. He must receive guidance and training."

Hit looked at her resolutely. "These are my demands. If you cannot abide by them, I will simply find someone else."

Loki tried to lighten the mood. "Relax mama! He took on a Minotaur and won singlehandedly! Imagine what he'll be like after some time with a falna." The little deity lost her bubbly personality as she opened her eyes a little. "Now that that's outta the way, we've got some questions for you too."

At Hit's nod, she began. "Who are you, really? Where did you come from? Lastly, do you mean our familia any harm whatsoever?"

Hit answered, completely honestly and unphased. "I am Hit, nothing more, and I came to Orario from a nameless village. I will not harm any of you, if you do not harm me. All I intend to do, is to grow stronger for the sake of strength and self-betterment; I don't care about anything else."

Hit was no longer an assassin, nor was he an adventurer or warrior; he was a completely blank slate. Loki registered his statements as truths, except for the last one.

"Really...?" Loki's eyes glittered. "Hmm. By the way, Hit, I've been meaning ta ask ya, what's with your shirt? Is it an interesting fashion choice?"

A long slash still marred Hit's simple shirt, a parting gift from his insectoid opponent. "It's nothing, just wear and tear."

Loki tapped her fingers on the table, generating an annoying tune. "Oh really? A little birdie told me that someone fought a dangerous monster on the surface today: a crystal mantis. Ring any bells?"

Hit remained impassive. "I have no idea what you're talking about".

Loki giggled cutely. "Hihihihi. Ya forget I can tell when yer lying?"

Hit sighed out and closed his eyes. "A very troublesome ability".

"Haha! And super useful too! You know... they also said the person who won used some strange attacks: beams of purple light, strangely fast punches... sorta matches what Tiona said, at least the energy part..." The goddess put a hand to her chin, faking deep thought.

Hit waved her accusation off. "Mass hysteria."

Loki held her stomach as she laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Mass hysteria, eh? I wonder... One lady was particularly grateful, saying how a purple haired angel saved her child. So, Hit. Why did ya save them?"

Hit frowned. "I was eliminating my target, nothing more."

The redhead held her arms in a cross. "Beep! Wrongo! Try again!"

Hit huffed and allowed the little god to peer into his true self, if only a little. "...I want to live a life that I can be proud of, with no regrets. If I sat back and let them be needlessly killed... I couldn't live with myself. Those monsters were my enemies, not theirs. It's that simple."

"Yer just a big ol' softie; a very shy one. I can tell". Loki nodded to herself.

Suddenly, her aura changed; her grin flattened as she became more solemn.

"We actually ran into some trouble today as well... one of my precious children was nearly killed." The goddess pulled out a sizeable magic stone, an odd green sheen to it. "Do ya recognise this? Was the stone from yer crystal mantis a similar colour?"

Hit's eyes widened, not in recognition, but in remembrance of something he forgot. In his joy at enhancing his time skip, he had completely forgotten about the stone. "I...actually forgot to collect it." Hit's eyes unfocused and storm clouds formed over his head.

Loki's seriousness was blown away. "Pfft...fufufufu! What kinda adventurer does that? It's definitely been stolen, by now. No worries, forget about it. It must not have been abnormal, or else you'd be dead."

Hit shook his head and got them back on track. "So, regarding your offer, you will abide by my rules?"

Loki waved a hand. "Sure...sure. You were eligible to join from the start."

Hit finally gave in; He felt relieved, having finally decided. "Good, then I accept your invitation." His face darkened next; eyes boring into the diminutive girl. "However, if you attempt to molest me, like your subjects, you will be losing a few body parts."

The two women's eyes bulged.

Loki was especially surprised. "Wha...wha…WHAT!? I don't molest anyone! ... I-I mean..."

Riveria glowered at her, it was the most terrifying stare she had ever given her god.

"A-alright. I promise I won't touch ya inappropriately. But I really don't treat anyone badly! Honest!" She looked over to Riveria, uneasily; the elf eventually sighed and smiled, exasperated.

Riveria brought up an interesting topic next, more relaxed than before. "By the way, Mr Hit, those lights... was that your magic?".

"Oooooohh, yeah! What about tha light show!? Everyone was saying how beautiful it was!" Loki stood up on her seat and leaned into the boy.

'Just how many people were spying on me? From now on, I must not fight in the open, outside the dungeon.' Hit retreated from her and gave a vague reply. "Who knows..."

Hit was not forthcoming with his abilities, unsurprising as this is how he proceeded for the duration of his past life. Only a handful of people, in all the multiverse, knew that he could skip time, vital, as the technique wouldn't be nearly as effective if his targets knew about it.

Loki tilted her head. "I'll be able to see, if ya join, you know? No point in hiding it..."

Hit deadpanned at her and took on a gloomy look. "...Huh?"

"HAHAHA! That face! Ya really have no idea how this works do ya?" The goddess laughed merrily, almost falling over. "I can read yer status and see very, very small snippets and glimpses of your adventures. More like yer feelings".

Hit grumbled and deliberated over his choices, before huffing. "I will tell you, and only you. You must promise to never reveal my abilities to anyone without my consent. Swear on your divinity."

Loki waved off his concern. "Sure! Members' skills and magic are kept secret from other familias anyway, so no need ta worry. And I swear on my name as Loki not ta tell anyone."

Riveria got up elegantly and picked up her staff. "Then I shall leave you two to it. Welcome to the familia, Mr Hit. I look forward to working with you in the future".

Hit nodded, although he wasn't very keen on working together. "Perhaps we could discuss magic when you are free?" He was still curious about the ability; this 'Riveria' seemed easier to approach than the crone.

Riveria smiled at him, ears twitching. "That would be lovely. However, I recommend you first gain experience within our familia, and delving in the dungeon." The elf turned to her goddess. "I will meet you after the indoctrination." Riveria then nodded to the two and left them alone, closing the door quietly behind her.

Hit liked that the high elf wasted no time. 'A respectable woman.'

Loki decided to tease the poor boy, grinning. "Bad luck, Hitto, looks like ya didn't get that date. Yer too young for her. Hahaha!"

Hit clutched his face. "Are you and Mia Grand related?"

Loki looked confused, before recognition struck her. "Huh? Oh, Mia! Nah, us gods can't have real children, but we sure are alike!

Hit thought this was quite strange. It was uncommon for the gods of his universe to have heirs, due to their reclusive nature, but it certainly was possible. 'Odd. Perhaps the gods of this world are like the monsters: not true living creatures. They descended from the heavens and locked their true selves away. The body I see before me is likely just an energy container.'

Hit felt a tugging at his sleeve. "Oi! Hit! Why are ya spacing out? I know I'm a beautiful woman, but come on!"

Hit looked confused. "You're a woman?"

The female deity clutched at her heart, as if having a heart attack, and gasped. "Uuuughhh! OF COURSE I'M A LADY, YA BONEHEAD! IT'S LADY LOKI. LADY! AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!" She jabbed him in his stomach a few times; although, Hit did not feel anything.

"Right..." Hit squinted down as his ears rung. 'Was it really that obvious?'

"Well, that put me in a bad mood... So, to make up for it, let's hear what tha ability of yers is!" Loki crossed her arms, but soon recovered from her stupor as she beamed up at him.

Hit needed to be crafty here. 'First, let's see what this falna system reveals about me. I'm only harming myself if I reveal details not listed on it. Once I know what my status looks like, I can give out the minimum information necessary.'

"Shouldn't you bestow the falna first? Even I do not know what my ability has awakened as."

"Good point!" The girl rubbed her hands together; she was eager to solve the puzzle that was Hit. Loki then cried out in joy and lifted her hands up.

"Now, STRIP! Take off ya clothes and get on the bed!"

...

...

...

Hit scowled, ruefully, and raised his dagger-like palms. "I should have known." Killing intent flooded the room as he looked at her with blood red eyes. "Your arm or your leg; which one do you want to lose first?"

Loki's face was drenched in a cold sweat as she flailed about. "H-hold on! W-wait! Wait! I-it was just a joke! A bad one!"vShe had never felt an aura quite like it. 'Hit and nothing more, huh? You're hiding something big. Jeez...he's even scarier than Riveria.'

"I need ta get access to yer back to give you the blessing! People usually lie down, topless" Her cheeks flushed, and she drooled a little, remembering past status updates with her favourite members.

Hit relaxed and took on an exasperated look. "Why didn't you just say that, pipsqueak? Just perform it while I'm sat down" Hit took off his shirt and began to sit on a nearby chair.

"WHAT DID YA CALL M... w-wow" Loki's eyes widened.

Hit's shirt did a good job at hiding just how incredibly muscular he was. He was never too bulky, like Jiren and his moustachioed... friend? Instead, he focused on efficiency and balance.

Hit grumbled. What was the little imp doing? "What are you waiting for?"

"N-nothing!" The surprised goddess scampered up behind him and got to work.

Hit made sure to keep an eye on her, as Loki picked up a knife and cut her own finger. He felt a cool sensation as she dabbed it on his back and drew an intricate design.

Ticking and whirring resounded behind Hit as a complex network of cogs and gears materialised. Strange hieroglyphs zipped by as they formed his status. Loki's ruby eyes blinked at their colour: rather than the usual ethereal white, they were a deep purple.

...

"HOLY SHIT!?"

Loki screamed, the loudest she likely ever had. Her cheshire grin returned as she shook and breathed heavily. "T-this is insane! Batshit crazy! What's with this broken skill!? How did ya ever, ever get this?" She grabbed a nearby piece of paper, knocking over a few ornaments, and shoved it on Hit's back, forcefully.

"Take a look a' this!" The lithe goddess held the page for her newest child to see, eyes twinkling.

Hit took the sheet from her and gazed at his status for the first time.

Name: Hit

Alias: NA

Level 1

STR – H0

END – H0

DEX – H0

AGL – H0

MAG – H0

Magic-

Skills-

Time Skip: Allows the user to skip time. Upon activation, they diverge from the main flow of time and pass into a parallel, time energy dimension where they can act freely. Their position must be transported into the immediate future, following a maximum of 0.5 seconds.

'So, this is a 'status.' Hit frowned. 'There's nothing about my more advanced techniques, but it's still far, far more informative than I would have liked. Is that 0.5 seconds locked? It was certainly 0.1 at the start.'

"My status is zero? Surely that cannot be correct."

Loki was still flabbergasted. "Yer upset? You've got one of the strongest skills in existence! I've never heard anything like it! Most of us gods can't mess with time, not even with our full power!"

She shook her head, exasperated. "It's how everyone starts out. Ya have to gain excelia in the dungeon first! It'll reset every level up, but the status from before is still there, you're just adding to it. It goes from H to S, or 0 to 999. Very few get ta' S rank in anything, usually the highest stats are As or Bs."

Hit felt an itch and stretched to look at his back. Some sort of black marking was imprinted on his skin. He stuck a thumb towards it. "You didn't tell me that I would gain such an unsightly mark on my back. Can you make it go away?"

Loki spluttered; Hit had not reacted anything like her other children! It was like this was just a normal occurrence for the strange boy. "Rude! That's my familia emblem! If ya really want to hide it, then I'll lock it." She passed a hand over Hit's back, and the laughing clown tattoo disappeared.

Hit sighed, a distinct marking would make tracking him down far easier. 'This better be worth it. Feels more like a disease than a blessing so far.'

He rolled an arm and felt around himself; nothing felt any different. "This isn't some sort of scam, or pyramid scheme, is it? I know it's supposed to unlock my potential, but there's no current proof."

Loki's hair tussled as she straightened and put her hands on her hips. "Ya really are weird, ya know that! You'll gather excelia and get stronger, simple as that! Ask any of the other members, they'll tell ya the same thing."

Hit would have to trust her for now, a few dungeon dives would clarify matters. "Fine. Speaking of other members, what kind of skills do they possess?"

The god snickered at him. "A bit hypocritical don't you think, Hit? You wanted to keep yers a secret didn'tcha? Even though I very much doubt you'll be able ta." At his impassive gaze, she continued. "Some boost their abilities and magic; others have utility functions. I can only give ya vague details, but if you want to know the specifics, talk to the others. Sorry, you made the rules..."

"Oh yeah... I'll get right on that." Hit rolled his eyes.

Loki ran to the bed and patted beside her. "Let's chat a bit!"

"Alright, but no funny business". The bed creaked as the much heavier boy sat down.

"So, do ya really alter time? Does time pass more slowly for everyone else?". Loki had a dreamy look in her eyes, marvelling at her newest child.

Hit shook his head and gave a similar explanation as his falna. "I do not; It is called time skip for a reason. Time passes for everyone else as it always has; I simply jump into the future, to a more favourable position." 'There is only one race I know of that can truly manipulate time, within a single universe at least. According to her, some gods here can as well.'

Loki bounced up and down, creaking the bed some more. "Oooooh! Show me, show me!".

*Shing* *Boop*

Loki blinked as she felt an invisible force flick her nose. "W-what was tha'!?"

Hit decided to give her another demonstration as he put his hand out in front of them.

*Shing*

The arm seemed to teleport to different positions at random. Loki gasped; she could not see any blurs of movement whatsoever. "Amazing!" Loki kicked her feet and clapped. She bounced closer to him, a mischievous grin returning to her face. "So, why do you get ta touch me and not the other way around, hm?"

"Oh, shut up." Hit smiled, minutely.

"Hihihi! So, you're officially a Loki familia member! Well done! If you're ready, ya can do some sightseeing and visit yer new room." Loki leaned into Hit, batting her eyelids. "...or... we can have some fun here..."

Hit looked away. "I'll pass"

Loki rolled around on the bed. "Hahaha! So serious! I was just kidding; I told ya, I don't swing that way!"

Hit got up and turned towards the bouncy girl. "One last thing... can skills evolve? I can state with certainty that I was weaker, prior to the battle against that bug."

Loki looked up at him, upside down. Her hair fluffed up in some places, making it look like a roaring fire.

"Huh? Really? That's pretty rare as well! Yer just full of surprises, aren't you? Sure, they can evolve, usually at level ups. So, your skill boosts your basic abilities as well?"

Hit shook his head. "No. I do not have the luxury of cutting corners, I just have to get stronger the old-fashioned way. Skipping further in time facilitates matters."

Hit thought back to his first fight against Goku. A technique that multiplied one's attributes was nothing new to him, but that 'kaioken' technique of his certainly left the user vulnerable after its use. There always seemed to be a drawback to such extreme power ups. The saiyan's newest power intrigued him the most: ultra instinct. It was the true, ultimate power of the divine realm; an almost mythical technique that even beings who had lived for hundreds of millions of years struggled to master ...And that naïve simpleton managed to achieve it. Hit smirked at the memory of the goofy saiyan. 'Would my time skip have been of any use against him, I wonder? Would his body be able to dodge my attacks, that technically did not exist for him until they were at point-blank range? After honing my skills for over a millennium I was never close to achieving such an elusive technique. What is so special about him? Is it his simple desire to solely seek out, and fight, strong opponents? Perhaps I should try following in his footsteps...'

Dyspo, who was able to increase his velocity thousands of times over, for a fraction of a second, showed that his technique was flawed. It clearly demonstrated that Hit over-relied on his gimmick, and should branch out. He would need to seek out any novel sources of power he could, and evolve his technique, moment by moment. It was a relief to hear that skills were not fixed in stone; it would be a travesty if he was now locked to 0.5 second time skips. He was a fast learner, possibly even faster than the two saiyan rivals. It was for this reason that Jiren eliminated Hit so quickly from the tournament, recognised as the first true threat to universe 11.

"Do you know about any good sources of rare information. Surely, the guild is not to only place." Hit tapped his feet, readying himself to leave.

Loki twirled around onto her front and kicked her legs back and forth, making it look like the two were having a sleepover. "Want to get some dirt on someone, hm? There's always our personal library, which is one of the best in Orario. If you want something shadier, there's the secret Gnome library. They hoard ancient texts and forgotten information, all locked behind an eye-watering fee."

Hit nodded. 'So, there was somewhere else. It must be expertly hidden, or behind a veil of some sort. And what are gnomes? ...Something to research.' "Thank you. I'll be off then."

His new Goddess waved him away, bouncing around. "Don't forget ta come back, whenever ya want to update your falna!"

"Ugh" He'd have to deal with this annoying brat often, wouldn't he.

Riveria closed the door behind her, still a little worried about their newest member. He seemed polite, but certainly had an air of danger around him.

Gareth and Finn had returned to chatting at the base of stairs and welcomed her as she descended, gracefully.

"Ah, Riveria. How did it go? Well, I presume?" Finn was able to read the emotions of the stern elf, after fighting for so long together. She seemed relaxed, if a little perturbed. Loki's shout had been a little concerning; however, it was likely a reaction to the boy's skill or magic that he obviously possessed.

"Yes, our discussion was very fruitful. He agreed to join us and is satisfied with the compensation." Riveria's ears twitched next, this time as a sign of her anxiety. "However, he stipulated certain conditions: one was to work alone within the dungeon, without a party."

Finn scratched his chin. "Not very surprising, to be honest."

Gareth stepped up to her, a knowing grin on his face. "The lad's obviously not a people person. Besides, we know that he's no average beginner. We'll give 'im advice along the way and monitor his progress. If ya ask me, he's much less of a handful than the usual greenhorns."

The dwarf became more serious next and faced Finn. "Your thumb's not acting up, is it?"

The pallum rubbed his thumb, a manifestation of his strong intuition. "No, he hasn't set it off during any interaction. He seems like a decent, if a bit antisocial, person."

*spring* *spring* *spring*

The trio looked up as they heard odd springing noises from above.

Gareth looked up, uncertainly. "Uh... that's Loki's bed, isn't it?"

The trio grew a little nervous as the sounds went on and intensified. Cheering from Loki added to the suspicious noise.

"T-they wouldn't... would they?". Finn sweated and looked at his thumb, as if he couldn't believe it wasn't throbbing.

A round of clapping then resounded from the same position.

*cough* "I-I'm certain that she's just congratulating him on becoming a member." Riveria's ears gained a rosy colour.

"You can say that again, HAHAHA! I sure didn't get that kinda reward when I joined! GAHAHA!" Gareth's laughter boomed out.

"D-don't be ridiculous. He seemed incredibly withdrawn, and... another of his conditions was for Lady Loki... to not molest him." Riveria blushed as she stammered out the last part.

"...Hehhehheheh..."

"...HAHAHAHAHA!"

Her fellow executives couldn't hold in their amusement, whilst Riveria sighed and her ears drooped.

Hit rounded a corner and looked down the stairs; the three executives were looking up at him. Oddly, the dwarf was shaking a bit; the pallum was smiling and biting his lip; and the elf was blushing.

"Well, that's that taken care of." Hit ignored their oddities and took on his usual relaxed stance as he approached.

It seemed that Riveria was the only one capable of speech as the others stammered a bit. "Y-yes. Welcome to the familia, Mr Hit. I'm glad you had a positive experience tonight."

"Pfft!" The dwarf clutched at his mouth as laughter threatened to claw its way out.

Hit glanced over at the man and replied to her. "...yes... everything is taken care of. She seemed quite surprised at my skill."

"Pfft!...Gha!" Finn held a shaky palm to his mouth and elbowed his dwarf friend.

Hit quirked a brow, what was going on? 'Are they drunk?'

"Fufu..." *cough* "O-oh, so it wasn't magic. A shame. However, s-skills can be more versatile." The elf also shook a little, smiling much more now.

"...yeah..." Hit wasn't very impressed. 'Is there a gas leak in here?'

"Lady Riveria, Lords Gareth and Finn. You called for me?" The guard from before entered the mansion and bowed to his executives.

"A-ah, Pitch! Perfect timing! P-please show our new member around the manor, and his new room." Finn looked incredibly grateful to have received the diversion.

"W-We'll discuss more tomorrow, Mr Hit. Have a n-nice night". Finn nodded to their newest member and walked down the hall, grinning. The shaky duo followed him as they speed walked away.

Hit stood there, dumbfounded. 'Is it my shirt? No, they didn't mention it before. I guess they must have started partying. Although, they seemed fine when they were at the hostess... Was it a way to get me to lower my guard? Clever…' He turned around to face his troubled tour guide.

The man laughed nervously and scratched his head. "W-We meet again...haha...".

"...Let's just get this over with." Hit yawned; he needed to be back to the hostess soon.

"R-right, follow me". The two proceeded to have an incredibly long and awkward tour.

Author's Notes

Thank you for reading :) How are you finding it so far? It's getting late so I will continue to upload later, likely tomorrow.