The Cursed (Capped)
Trickster
I don't enjoy lying. Yeah, I'm the trickster god and everything, but that doesn't mean that I like it. Sure, sometimes screwing with people and lying to them can be fun. Super fun. But, there are definitely times when I hate it with my entire being, doesn't help that when those times come I can't lie for shit! I knew I was lying to myself the moment I met Angra's kid. I hoped that he knew about what had happened to him or that Angra at least was honest with all of his adventures. I shoulda known better when it comes to that dumbass. So, when the kid asked me about his status, I clammed up. "Huh? Oh, uhhh, no reason! Ya know, I musta drank a little too much! Anyway, head back to that cute girl, you don't want to make her lonely!"
"But, last time- hey! Don't push me!" I couldn't let him keep pushing, so I threw him out of the room, slamming the door behind me. Phew! If he asked any more, I'd been screwed! This isn't going to last long. Especially if he's got even a fraction of his dad's smarts.
My office door swung open. Fearing the worst, I cowered- I mean hid- I mean... okay. I hid behind the couch in case he decided to come back. Thankfully, it was just a cute little Riviera! "This isn't going to last, Loki." Oh come on! The elf princess walked in and glared at me. "It won't be long until Keres realizes something's wrong with his status. He's also growing faster than his Father."
Jumping from my spot, I waved her off before going to grab some wine. "Status, mattus. I'm sure it'll work out!" Yup! He hasn't said anything before and he even made a friend now! If I keep skirting around the question I'm sure he'll give up. He's not that stubborn, is he?
"What will you say when he asks why he can't level up? Or when his stats roll over?" Fuck. She took a seat on the couch with a sigh. How can she be so adorable with just that one act~ "You can't keep coddling The Fool's son like this."
A chill ran down my spine along with an unbearable feeling of hatred and anger... that name. I hate it so fucking much. "Never thought you would call him by that name. Don't you dare say that in front of me ever again." I felt guilt come over her, but her face showed nothing. If you feel like that then be honest, dammit. He was important to you too. I decided to forgive her for that, just this once.
"Loki, all I'm trying to say is that you can't hide this forever. If you want to do better than you did last time, then don't make the same mistakes." Even if she was right, that doesn't mean that I couldn't hate it. "He's already going down that path. The best we can do is slowly push him away from it. Not ignore it and hope he changes his mind."
This is why I hate lying. Because when the truth comes out, things only get messier. Only a well crafted lie never falls into this. I knew I should have thought more about this. I just never thought the kid would show up and I didn't have any time to prepare. Ugh, this is all Angra's fault for dy- no. Even I'm not messed up enough to joke like that. "Fine, I'll tell em tomorrow." Better to just yank the bandage off. Falling into my desk chair, I didn't even have the energy to drink. "You know, I liked you better when you were a cute little elf."
"Aiz as well." Huh? Standing up, my kid walked over to the door and opened it. Just before she left, she looked back at me. "You know why."
Finally alone, I stared at the now empty doorway. "Tch." Angra, why'd you have to leave?
F-Rank
The first thing I wanted to do was to jump out of my window, run to the closest bar and hide out there for a week. But, knowing Riviera and Finn, they'd find me in less than an hour. Maybe I used that trick a few too many times... Oh! I know! They'd never find me if I went to an alcohol free restaurant! But one does not exist in Orario! FUCK! Before I could come up with any other plan to get out of this, morning came and Riviera showed up in my office, wordlessly staring at me. "FIne. Go get them. I won't run." Ugh, this is gonna SUUUUUCK!
It didn't take long for the group of four to show up at my doorstep. Riviera stuck to the back while Aiz, Viole and the Pallum entered my room. Great! I gotta talk to her too?! "Good morning Lady Loki. How may we be of help?" The short cute girl said with a deep bow. Oh yeah, guess she is in my debt for keeping her here. She's just lucky she's adorable! "Is something amiss?" Ugh, can she stop with the formal talk?
I was about to groan and complain, but Vi's serious stare told me I better not. And she's made an impression on him. Great. "Look, there's something I need to talk to you three about. Sit your asses down." They all took my order seriously. No doubt Vi and Lily were anticipating something serious, but Aiz looked like she couldn't care less. Eh, she always looks like that. It's why I like her so much! But, I couldn't stay distracted forever. AHHH! FUCK IT! "Viole. You're Capped." At my words, Aiz and Lily's eyes widened. While the man in question... just tilted his head. Huh?
"Am I supposed to know what that means?" Gods dammit Angra! "Are you pulling a prank?" Frustration was practically washing over him. No doubt, he just wanted to get this over with so he could go back into the dungeon. All because of...
The cute pallum stood out of her seat, and turned her attention to him. "V-Viole, did... did you-"
"It means that you'll never be able to level up." I interrupted her before she could ask the question I needed to ask myself. She sent a glare but I ignored it, because Viole's reaction was what actually concerned me.
He looked like he was processing it. His eyebrows furrowed before he pulled the scarf he always wore closer to his face. "Loki, you better be joking." Couldn't blame him for being mad. After all, for someone who has been so far away from adventures his entire life, this has to be something impossible. Unfortunately, it isn't.
"Viole, before I explain. Please tell me something. Why did you come to Orario?" Of course, he froze at the question. Dammit. If only. He stayed silent, refusing to even move. He knew that I knew. But, he must not want them to know. "Viole, who killed Angra? Who-"
"Loki-"
"I have to." Of course Riviera interrupted me. Even now, she's still that kid, huh? Hey, you told me to do this. Shifting my gaze back at the silent teen, it hurt to see him clutch at the scarf so tightly. "Who killed your family, Viole?"
After the question was asked, he gently took off his scarf and placed it on his lap. He still had that blank look on, so maybe. Maybe his answer wasn't like every other one. Maybe he was saved from that curse. I could see that false hope in everyone around, even Riviera. But even so, that isn't the world we live in. Looking up at me, he spoke.
With a snarl and with a hatred that I'd only seen in his own father, he spoke. "I came to Orario to kill a god. To kill... I'm going to kill Susano'o."
"Dammit..." I was surprised it wasn't myself who whispered that. Even more so when I realized it was my beloved Aiz.
Capped
Revenge will never fill the void, nor will it bring back those lost. I know that, of course I do. Were the world that merciful, then revenge wouldn't be a concept in the first place. Even if this is a self destructive path that will only end in me bloody in some unknown corner of the dungeon, this is the path that I must walk. After that day, there is no other path that is open for me. Not after what I had seen.
I grew up in a village by the name of Nia Khera. It's a small village, and it's extremely far from Orario. So far in fact, that the only adventurers we'd ever seen were my mother and father along with the Dia familia whenever they came around. Other than their occasional visit, Nia Khera was a very boring place. But, it was fun in its own way. A small farming village with no more than a hundred villagers. It was my home. Was... until a little over a year ago, it was burnt to the ground by Susano'o. The God of Destruction.
Nia Khera's corn festival was within a few days, and my family were heading it that year. Of course, it was a lot of work, but the festival was also always an amusing time, even if I always ended up away from the others. Nevertheless, I had to work hard, being the one in charge of organizing all of the food. It was as I was rolling in a barrel of vegetables into our barn that my life began to unravel. One moment, I was doing my job. The next moment, the sound of an explosion rocked the ground beneath me. The force of the blast was so strong that I was thrown from my place at the entrance and flew deep into the barn. Luckly, I was saved by a pile of hay. The hell?! Did a monster attack?! That line of reasoning was impossible. Monster sightings were rare within our village. And there was no way in hell that a monster was strong enough to do that much damage.
Forcing myself to get up, I groaned as I noticed that I had injured my leg in some way. Ignoring it, I limped my way to the entrance once more. When I did... I still wish I never saw what I had. Vomit flew out of my mouth when I saw the blown up building that I used to call home. Fallen on the burning porch, lay my mother's corpse. Her black hair was stained by the pool of blood that was slowly enveloping her. "...what? Mom?" My mother... the woman who birthed me and taught me everything I know. The image of her that I had in my head, her smiling down at me, was slowly being drawn over by this red tragedy. Why? Why is this happening? I attempted to stumble my way towards her, only for the building to completely collapse in on itself. Taking my mother into a fiery grave. "..." I don't know what compelled me, but I shut my eyes and began walking past the home. Towards the burning farmland. Dad, Dad will save us. And Abby! Swallowing the pain, I accepted the cowardly excuse to walk past my mothers grave. It hurt. It had to have been the most painful thing that I've ever done. But I had to press on if I wanted to live. At least, that's what I told myself.
Walking into the farmland, I spotted two figures standing at the center. The wheat and vegetables were burning down, yet the two warriors still stood ready to fight. No, to kill each other. I recognized my father, even past the heat. However, what he was standing apart from, I did not. Perhaps because of my weak self, I could not even comprehend what he was facing. All I could see was a strange black blob that ozzed a feeling of strength. It was so potent that I struggled to even stay conscious. "Dad..." I attempted to limp forward, however I was pulled to the ground. Fear and panic made me turn the culprit, only to see my little sister. Covered in dry blood and dirt, the small blond girl looked at me with tears in her eyes. Abby... Abby! How could I forget about her?!
"Don't leave me..." Pulling her into my grasp, I hugged the little girl and made sure she could not see what was going on. No doubt, what would happen would be a bloody fight. There was no way in hell that my dad would let the bastard who did this get away with-
"Here I thought that he would have gotten stronger over the years. What a disappointment. He got soft." A strange garbled voice dashed my hopes. Looking up, I was met with a strange being. He looked like he didn't even exist in this world, but he must have, right? Was I just too weak to comprehend his immense strength? Whatever it was, it didn't matter to me. After all, my sister and I were about to die. Before we even grew up. Before we even knew what we dreamed of doing. Before I could see the one who saved me once more. "Oh ho~ so that's where you two ended up."
"BASTARD!" Throwing myself at the monster, I wanted only to get a single hit in. Even if I died, at least I punched the bastard in the face! But, of course I failed to even do that. He effortlessly dodged my weak attack before grabbing me by the face and lifting me off the ground. "AGHA!AAAAAAAA!" Blood dripped onto my face. My fathers blood was still on the monster's hands. His grip covered my eyes, so I couldn't see what had caused my sister to yell out in pain. My mind barely even registered it from all that was happening. My world was destroyed in no more than ten minutes. My mother was killed, my father and even... Why couldn't I just die first? The beautiful world that I was living in, even if I was a little lonely, it was still mine. And now, it was stained RED because of him... HIM! Through sheer force of will, I lifted my hands and gripped at the monster's hand. My grab did nothing, but at the very least I tried. I had to! "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
What I could only assume was a chuckle came from the bastard. "That so? With what? You're nothing more than a summer ant to me. Hell, killing you would be just a waste of time to me. A fun one, admittedly." Was that all this was to him? He destroyed everything, killed the people I love. And it was just the equivalent of reading a book on a lazy afternoon. Why? WHY?! JUST BECAUSE?! Just because he was strong, he decided to walk all over us. Is that all that strength is? Is that all that it can be used for? To kill the weak? To flex your strength? Fine. If that is how it is, then I will gain it. I promised myself at that moment, I'll make this piece of living shit feel the same feeling I was feeling right now! "Oh... I like that! I like that look in your eye! KYAHAHAHA! Oh, yes! Another one!" With his grip holding me over the ground, there wasn't anything I could do as he placed his other fist over my chest. "You better not disappointment me, Keres!" For a moment, the choking feeling of strength that constantly wafted off of him disappeared. Replacing it, was a feeling of pure delight. As if he was a child that found a new toy to play with. No, that's exactly what I am to him. "Yes! Come at me then, son of The Fool! Will you be the one to finally kill the God of Destruction, Susano'o!?"
After his declaration, he pressed into my chest. A strange feeling overcame me before it all went black.
E-Rank
After spilling my story to everyone, I coughed into my hand. While it was a little hard to speak for so long, I did it in an attempt to calm my nerves. Feelings swirled within my chest that I couldn't let burst through. I survived that day alone, so I didn't have the right to break here. Taking in a deep breath, I was able to keep the feelings at bay. Looking up at everyone, I was a bit taken aback by everyone's reactions. Loki's usually closed eyes were wide open, but looked empty. Lily had been gripping onto my sleeve the entire time and keeping her eyes on the floor. The only ones who looked unaffected were Riviera and Aiz. However, I did notice that the Elf was clutching onto her staff as if she was attempting to break it in two. And Aiz... I don't know. Her usually blank stare and expression seemed even more detached than usual. "That is what happened." With my free hand, I pulled the scarf up from my lap. "Thankfully, the Dia familia was able to find this before it got damaged. They were the ones who had found me, all alone in that burnt hell."
"Dia... guess I owe her a thanks." Standing from her seat, Loki walked over to her desk. Grabbing her desk chair, she lifted it over her head and threw it out of the window. What? "THAT BASTARD!"
"Loki!" The shattering glass pulled Riviera from her stupor and forced her to stand up. "Calm down!"
"Don't tell me what to fucking do! He killed... FUCKING SUSNAO'O!" On que, the door to Loki's office burst open, Finn running in completely confused. Before he could get a word in, our Goddess pointed her finger at him. "Find him! I'll kill that bastard myself if I have to!"
Dammit, I- As all hell was breaking loose, Lily let go of my sleeve and launched up off of the couch. "STOOOOOP!" Yelling at the top of her lungs, everyone froze in place and stared at her. As a result, the chaos stopped. "Can we calm down here?! It was Viole's family that was..." Grimacing, she shook her head before continuing. "You can be angry, but not at his expense." Her point went across well, seeing as she waved off Finn before taking her seat back on the couch.
"Sorry... it's just... I knew he was dead. But-"
"Hearing it is different. I know." Lady Dia and Gretel reacted in the same way. It wasn't just my family that died that day however... Nia Khera was wiped off the map. Leaving me as the sole survivor. But, Dia was close to our family. I didn't think that Loki would take this so badly. "...the past is in the past. However, you still haven't explained what being 'capped' means, Loki. Nor what it has to do with Susano'o." If being capped truly means that I won't be able to level up then... What should I even do with this useless life? With this life that should have ended that day.
She seemed to have forgotten that topic even came up earlier. "Oh, right. Well, to put it simply. You'll never go above level one. That means no level skills, no sub-skill nor will you gain anything through grimoires." Shit.
Before I could fall into despair, Riviera tapped her staff into the ground and caught my attention. "That doesn't mean that you are powerless however. Being Capped comes with advantages, however few. For one, your stats are easier to raise and have no limit, meaning they will roll over into the next 'level' per say. As for magic and skills, every capped is stuck with the skills that they gained when they were given their affliction. As for magic..." She stopped for a moment. Her face contorted for a moment before she continued. "To put it simply, because you were capped by Susano'o, you have magic that is trapped within you."
That's not simple at all. The hell does that mean? Loki, finally becoming completely calm, lay back on the couch. "Well maybe cuz you're traumatized."
"I don't have trauma."
"Viole..." My body flinched when I heard Aiz whisper that. Don't you dare take pity on me.
"Don't-"
"Sure, you don't. You're the only person in the entire world to see their family die before their very eyes and come out of it a-okay." Her snark was starting to get on my nerves. Holding the scarf didn't help in any way either. "Whatever. But, just keep in mind that most capped who experienced something similar to you, they're magic is linked to their experiences. Don't know how it happened or what unlocked them, but when you do, you gain new spells. See? Maybe it ain't that bad."
"Loki..."
"Lady Loki..."
"..." All of the guests didn't like the way she put that.
But, I couldn't care less. As long as I get stronger. "Fine. I still gain magic but randomly. That still doesn't explain how the hell this happened. What, did the asshole do it himself?"
"Basically." Great, add that to the list of reasons to snap his neck. "Riviera, would you explain? I'm parched!"
And with that, she went to her desk and took a huge swig of wine. Sheesh, she really took that all pretty badly, huh? I couldn't help but wonder, however. Was she this upset because one of her Familia was killed? Or was it because it was Dad? Just how much did you not tell us about your days here, dad?
"Fine. It's quite complicated, but from what you told us it was when he placed his fist onto your chest. He had awakened your flana, made you a part of his familia for a moment and capped your level before forcing you out of his familia. It is because your flana was awakened on that day that you gained the experiences for the stats that you earned when Loki updated you for the first time." I see. Well that gets rid of one mystery. "Capping was an old punishment that the gods used, however it did little to stop criminals. Susano'o does it for his own amusement and a way to brand his victims." So it's just a way to say that he let me live. Ha, what a fucking joke. I'll make him fucking regret it.
I leaned back into the couch. Fine, I was capped. All it did was add just a little difficulty to my already impossible task. So what? I already knew I was a pebble facing a mountain, what's adding a few more feet to that mountain going to do? But, there is an issue here. The more I thought about it, the more something just didn't make sense. I was in the city of Orario. A city filled with gods and their extremely powerful familia. Not to mention the countless gods that have yet to descend into our world. So, "Why the hell are you all allowing him to live?"
It makes no sense. It'd be one thing if Susano'o was a rogue god like I had assumed. But, it seems like everyone knew what a Capped was other than me. And he's the only one still using the outdated system. So, Susano'o is a known threat that has been doing this for a long, long time. How many people has he killed? How many families has he broken? How many worlds has he painted over? And yet, no one in this city has done anything? That's... that's worse than what he has done.
Silence filled the room after my question was asked. Had it truly never occurred to them? "Because we're scared." Loki answered before gently placing her empty wine bottle on her desk. "Susano'o is the only god to have ever been banished from heaven. The reason being, he's the only one to truly 'kill' a god." What? What the hell did that mean? I thought when you killed a god, they returned back to heaven? Turning back to us, Loki gave us a sad smile and leaned against her desk. "Have you ever heard of the god Izanagi?"
To be fair, I didn't know of most gods. So, I glanced over to Aiz and Lily, but the two of them simply shook their heads. "That's because Susano'o found a way to erase a god's very existence. No mortal has ever heard that name, even though Izanagi was responsible for the land of the east." A being that could erase even a god's existence? That mountain that I was facing was starting to look taller and taller. "We never found out how he did it or why. So, we banished him to this world while stripping him of his godhood. He... he seemed to have found a way to regain it however, or more accurately he gained new godhood. Little Susan used to be the God of Storms."
"But now he's the God of Destruction." How? Is it even possible for a mortal to gain godhood? Wait, he erased a god from existence. What's to say he doesn't have more forbidden knowledge about gods. "How the hell?"
"Beats me." Our god said with a shrug. "He's the only being on this world that has access to god-like power, add on the fact that he can erase us from existence and there's little we can 's only because of the effects of his punishment that the world is still intact, I'm sure. We had written onto his soul three restrictions. One, he is not allowed to go near or within Orario. Two, he must always tell the truth and finally he can't cause considerable harm to this world."
"C-Considerable harm?!" Unexpectedly, it was Lily who got angry for me. "He goes around burning villages! Is that not considerable harm?!" Looking at the girl, I noticed that her fists were shaking in anger. All for me. Just a few weeks ago we'd never even known of each other's existence. Hell, I'm sure she hated me until she started living here. And now...I hate seeing her get so angry just for me. Gently, I grabbed her hand. "Ah!" Her shaking almost immediately stopped.
"It's alright. If I had to guess, it's because it's not enough. What's a hundred human lives a year, after all..."
"Viole, that's-"
My answer earned me a sarcastic clap from the trickster. "Ding, ding, ding! We gods sure did fuck up! We... ugh." Her fake enthusiasm quickly fell away. "We are the reason why he continues to exist, yet we're too scared to do anything about it. I... I'm sorry, Viole."
I see. No wonder she feels so guilty. From her perspective, she's got just as much blood on her hands as he does. And I don't even know if she's right or not. I need to think. Letting go of Lily's hand, I stood up. Staying in the room, with Loki's guilt and everyone's pity, was becoming suffocating. "I'm going to take a walk." I didn't bother looking at any of them as I left the room, not wanting to see their reactions.
D-Rank
What does it mean to have a goal? Of course, it means to have something to aim towards. Something to attain and one day progress past. But, what if that goal is impossible? I already knew that my revenge was a long shot. I was facing a god after all. But, a god that can erase beings from existence? A god that actually had all of his power? A god that even my dad couldn't beat? It's impossible. It's unattainable. I'll never reach the peak of that mountain. If I don't die in the dungeon, then I'll simply die by his hand. The same hand that killed everyone that was ever important to me. The same hand that killed who knows how many? Both normal people... and capped like me.
"Sir, would you like to order something?" A young woman with black hair in an orange maid outfit had come to me with a notepad in her hand. I was sitting in the center of Orario, right next to the potato croquette cart.
"No thank you." She gave me a polite bow before moving back to her cart. After she had left me to my devices, I gripped onto my scarf. The only thing that I had from before my life was destroyed. This scarf was given to me by someone who had saved my life. That person...why can't I remember them? They were important to me, yet their image was blurry within my mind. In fact, I don't even remember when I was in so much danger that my life had to be saved. That girl, where is she? Is she alright? Would she... save me again?
Hearing footsteps coming closer to me, I looked back up. I expected to see the croquette girl, not Aiz. "Viole." She had a basket of croquettes in her hand, and the same blank stare that she usually wore. "May I sit?" Waving at her to do so, she sat right across from me. Why's she here? I don't get it. It'd be one thing if it was Lily, or Loki. Hell, even Riviera would make more sense. But why was Aiz here? Why does she always help me? Why does she even care about a weak capped like myself when she's already on her own mountain?
She and I sat in silence for a few minutes. She ate her snacks, and all I could do was stare at her. Trying to piece in my head why she's even here. "...I'll help you."
"Why?" It makes no fucking sense, and it pisses me off to no end. The only thing that makes sense is... "I don't need your pity, Aiz."
"It's not pity."
"Then what the fuck is it?" That came out far more angrier than I wanted it to. But I wasn't going to take it back.
She turned her amber gaze towards me. I found no pity within her eyes. No anger, nor grief. Only... something I couldn't pinpoint. "I want to help... because you're you." The hell does that even mean? No, it makes sense. After all, it's the same reason why I want to protect Lily. It must be the reason why her being here is somehow a relief. I don't know what kind of connection we share, but every time I look at her I feel something. Maybe it really is trauma that isn't letting me recognize what it is. Bullshit.
But, Aiz is Aiz. She's... she's something to me. A weirdo. But she's something. "...thank you Aiz. I'll... I'll rely on you then." The blond haired woman gave me a swift nod, as if to say she was gonna do it whether I wanted her help or not. I may have lost my family, but... maybe my world isn't as lonely as I thought it was.
?
Orario held many high storied buildings. At The top of one of them, stood a man in a black suit and a short being covered in a black cloak. The man was staring down at the town, his eyes glued on a certain table in Orario's center. Grinning to himself, he rested his chin on his arm and leaned against the railing of the building. "My, my. Aren't those two getting along? They make a good couple, no?" His voice had a soothing, almost jovial tone. Yet, there was this strange feeling of emptiness within it as well.
The short figure, on the other hand, didn't seem to care for what the man was interested in. Instead, they were much more interested in the apple that they had in their hand. "Oh come on now! The silent treatment? And after I went through the trouble of bringing you here. Can't I at least get a thank you~?" Once again, he got nothing from his companion. "Aw well." Ruffling his own gray hair, he looked back down at his interests. "Oh, how I can't wait to play with you..."
"Lucy will get mad." The figure's voice was monotone and emotionless, yet her words were stern. "Remember the plan."
"I know, I know. But would it really hurt to push the opening act a little earlier?" Once more, no reaction. How boring can an actor be? The man thought. Deciding that they'd better get going, he took one last glance down before moving away from the railing. "I must say, this play is starting to look like one of our better ones. I just hope their script won't end as early as The Fool's." A creepy grin found its way onto the suited man's face.
As the two strangers left the building, the small figure finally took a bite out of the apple she was staring at. Only to spit out the contents. "It's rotten." Yet, they went to take another bite.