A/N: WARNING: Language and mentions of prostitution.

So…. I'm back! After a month. All I will say is, I hate the month of May. It's total chaos. I'm really, really sorry it took me so long to put this out though. Also, I think I can safely say that I will try to get back on a decent upload schedule and I won't go more than a month without putting out something.

Now, its time to get into the chapter! I hope you like it. There's actually quite a bit done in this one but I'm trying to get back into my writing stride.

Thank you for all your reviews and comments! I really appreciate it and please leave me a comment or review to let me know what you thought of it!

Hearthfire

Chapter 26

Torrhen

"It seems they're starting to settle in well," Torrhen thought to himself as he passed by the armory. Standing inside were Welf, Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa, who were looking at the various armor sets he and his student had displayed there in the hopes of determining what kind of armor and weapons they were looking to use. Torrhen contemplated the three newest members as he continued out of the Hall and towards the forge, book in hand.

It had been three days since the meeting with the Loki Familia and the group had been rather depressed. Understandable, considering Takemikazuchi had left the city the morning after their meeting. The god, who Torrhen had come to respect, could not delay his departure any longer. He had already sent a letter back to the Far East announcing his return to take over the shrine, but he still needed to make all haste back if he wanted to save it.

The three who stayed behind had given Take and their friends a long, heartfelt goodbye. Accompanied by many promises to send them letters and money as they were able. Not wanting them to worry too much, and personally wanted to help Take, Torrhen had made a personal donation of 1 million Valis to Take. The god was too proud to accept more, in fact it was a fight just getting him to accept that much, but Torrhen knew he was grateful. The money would go a long way to restoring the shrine and getting the orphanage back on its feet. It wouldn't last them long afterwards, but it would get them started.

Still, judging by how animatedly they were talking when he passed them, it seemed the three had begun to snap out of their depression and start looking forward. Torrhen's thoughts moved away from the three as he entered the forge and strode into the enchanting lab. Standing near one of the enchanting tables, examining the symbols carved into it, was Tsubaki. The Half-Dwarf Captain of the Hephaestus Familia. She'd come by that morning to discuss enchanting, specifically for Gareth's armor, but it had turned into an impromptu lesson. To that end, Torrhen had briefly retreated to his office to grab the book in his hand.

"Here," he said, handing Tsubaki the book. It was a copy of the Enchanter's Primer. One of Tamriel's best introductory books on the enchanting process. Torrhen only had three copies, one of which he had given to Welf. The budding enchanter had torn through the book with unmatched fervor and had been seen more than once reading it while lounging on a couch during the evening. He'd also been given access to Torrhen's copies of the weapon and armor enchantment catalogues, learning everything he could from both.

"What's this?" Tsubaki asked as she took the book from his hands.

"The Enchanter's Primer" Torrhen replied. "It's basically the definitive introductory book for Tamrielic enchanting. I'll help you get started but since you're going to be busy, reading this will help considerably more. I'd rather not just give you an enchanting table until you're proficient, but you can have access to these whenever you need. Just ask."

"Thanks" She said with a grin. "You mind giving me a demonstration now? I'm really curious."

Torrhen just laughed. "Of course," he said. "In fact, I have just the thing." He stepped past Tsubaki and pulled out a brand-new leather adventurers pack. "You said you wanted one of these, so I might as well make it for you now."

Tsubaki's grin got even wider. "Hell yeah!" She said, happily.

Torrhen stepped towards one of the tables, pulling out the box of magic stones as he did so. What followed was a detailed explanation of how the table worked, similar to the one he'd given Welf just after he had joined. Torrhen then placed the bag in the center of the table and set the stone in the proper slot. Having made quite a few of these magic bags over the years, Torrhen could practically enchant one in his sleep. Still, he took things slowly, explaining every step to Tsubaki as he went until finally, she had an enchanted pack of her own.

"Now it's your turn," Torrhen said as he handed the pack to a grinning Tsubaki. "Welf and I keep a few low-quality knives and other things in the lab for experimentation and I have a fire knife you can disenchant. Just take it slow."

Tsubaki nodded and stepped up to the table. Torrhen handed her a small goblin stone, the weakest magic stone produced by the Dungeon and watched her as she began to work. It took the Half-Dwarf considerably longer to disenchant than it had taken Welf but in the end, the small knife she was using disintegrated with a soft tinkling sound. Grinning, Tsubaki picked up one of the scrap knives and set to work on copying the enchantment. Once again, she was far slower than Welf had been, but Torrhen wasn't going to say anything. He just smiled at her as she raised up her first enchanted knife, grinning like a loon.

Welf

Welf grinned to himself as he led the three newbies into his section of the forge. They'd just spent about an hour in the armory looking at the various armor and weapon styles that Torrhen had put on display. Welf had personally spent more time in there than he'd care to admit studying the different types and styles of armor or weapons. He even had a few on display there himself! Torrhen just had so many different kinds of armor, it was hard not to be inspired by their designs.

He'd seriously come to appreciate the idea of matching aesthetics. Making sure your armor and weapon conformed to a chosen style. Many of the lower-level adventurers looked very… patchwork in their choices of weapon and armor and while it occasionally gave off a certain roguish appearance, it usually just looked cheap.

The three new people had been a bit down in the dumps for the last few days, understandably, but they seemed to have snapped out of it at the prospect of new armor and weapons. If nothing else, joining the Hestia Familia had opened up quite a few avenues for working on new types of armor and weapons. He already had plans for Bell's, Lili's, and his own new armor, as well as their measurements, but he still needed to measure the newbies and pick out the materials for their new gear.

Bell's armor was probably the easiest for him to make because it wouldn't be all that different from his most recent set. All their gear would be unenchanted for now, to make sure they liked the style before they wasted enchanting materials. Lili's was going to be interesting though. It was inspired by one of the armor sets Torrhen had brought with him. Having explained his own history to them, Torrhen revealed that the armor was actually the uniform of the Thieves Guild he had once belonged to.

It wouldn't be exactly the same, being a slightly paler leather and missing the pauldrons. Torrhen did show them the black variant, but Lili preferred the look of the basic leather one. Ouka, Mikoto, and Chigusa had also chosen styles based on armors Torrhen had put on display. They were all based on a single culture from Torrhen's world called the 'Akaviri' which had a similar aesthetic to the armor of the Far East.

Ouka's choice, aside from shrinking the oddly large pauldrons near the neck, was identical to the armor Torrhen said belonged to an organization called the Blades. An order of warriors charged with defending the Emperor of Tamriel and killing rogue dragons. They'd been both a help and a hindrance to Torrhen. Apparently, their remnants helped him initially with the whole World Eater thing but then had turned around and tried to blackmail him into killing this really old dragon who'd been teaching him to use Shouts.

Torrhen had called them both 'cowardly and incompetent,' knocked them out, stripped them, and then dragged their unconscious bodies up to the top of the mountain where the dragon lived. Welf had found the story hilarious because after Torrhen had woken them up and told them in no uncertain terms that he wasn't their errand boy, he'd dropped a couple swords at their feet and told them they were welcome to try doing their own dirty work.

The woman named Delphine had 'fervently denied pissing herself in fear' when the dragon walked up to them and invited them to either talk or try killing him. By the end, she'd been thoroughly chastised and slightly singed while the old guy, Esbern, had somehow befriended the dragon. He'd asked to visit again properly so that they could discuss some historical event or other.

Torrhen had then taken full command of the Blades and started training new recruits, all while fighting dragons. Paying special attention to ensuring they weren't 'a bunch of idiots with a death wish who throw tantrums and try to kill allies they don't like.' After they'd been rebuilt, Torrhen had transferred command to some guy named Erik and they took back their old post as the emperor's guards.

The armor Mikoto had chosen was essentially a leather version of the Blades armor used by their scouts. Though, since she preferred darker colors, Welf would be using monster hide to give it a dark purple, almost black look. As for Chigusa, she'd chosen a much older design. It was still from that culture, but it was considerably lighter. She'd been hoping for a nice dark red with grey trim and Welf thought he could accommodate her.

As for himself, preferring to be light when fighting but not unprotected, Welf had chosen an old Breton style of leather armor, with a few steel plates in strategic places. It fit his preferred style and was sturdy enough to serve his purpose as a front-line fighter in the Dungeon.

"Right," Welf said as he sat on his stool. "I've got some ideas for your armor now, but we need to decide on your new weapons. I also need to get your measurements for the armor. You wanted a large axe, right Ouka?"

"I do," he nodded.

"Two handed?" He nodded again. Welf already had a few preliminary ideas, but he'd need to sketch them out first.

"What about you, Mikoto?"

"I would prefer a Tachi, like my old one, if possible," She said.

Welf nodded, writing down her request in the notebook he kept near his anil. It was typically used for quick calculations or jotting down notes he thought about while he was working. Welf had made a few Katana style swords before, so it shouldn't be a large problem.

"I'd like a bow," Chigusa said. She was the quietest of the group and it was obvious to everyone that she was totally smitten with Ouka. Hell, she was literally standing as close to him as she could without touching him. Even Bell, the densest member of their Familia, could tell the two were smitten with each other.

Welf nodded to her and grinned. "Then its time to take your measurements. Ouka, I'm going to do you first so the girls can see. Girls, if you're not comfortable with me doing the measuring, just pay attention to what I do so you can measure each other."

It wasn't long, perhaps an hour, before he had all the measurements and information he needed to begin the forging. Welf grinned to himself as he opened up the storage shed and began to procure the materials he needed. He had quite a bit of testing to do before he could really get into making the new stuff and was eager to begin. Welf could barely contain his excitement over having so many new projects! Joining the Hestia Familia really was the best decision he'd made in years.

Torrhen

Torrhen unleashed a mighty kick as he spun through the air, sending his opponent crashing to the ground with a cry. His other opponent charged him, daggers flashing. With a quick motion, Torrhen let his sword drop, point first into the ground and grabbed both her wrists before the knives could make contact. With a heave, he lifted the girl over his head, spun, and slammed her into the ground, back first.

Retrieving his sword, Torrhen turned to look at his opponents. Tiona and Tione, the amazon twins of the Loki Familia both lay on the ground of the training yard, groaning. Their weapons were scattered on the ground next to them. Torrhen looked up at the other people moving around the yard.

Standing nearby, watching the fight, were Ais and Bete who were both looking a little worse for wear. Ais had all but demanded the first spar of the day. She was doing very well, having fully adjusted to her Level 6 ranking. She still wasn't as good as Finn had been during their first spar, but she was making progress. As for Bete, the werewolf had asked that Torrhen go at him with full strength. Torrhen had, mostly, obliged and effectively curb-stomped the wolf. He, like the twins, was still adjusting to the newfound strength he'd gained as a Level 6 but it was nowhere near enough to face Torrhen at full power.

In another corner of the training ground, Gareth was speaking with Welf and Ouka. In the Dungeon, the two typically played the role of the tank. That being, the fighter who drew the most attention from enemies, giving the other members the freedom to maneuver. Since Gareth was a tank himself, he'd taken the two under his wing to explain the best way to operate in that role while Dungeon diving.

In a similar vein, Bell had approached Finn not long after they'd arrived and the two had sequestered themselves in a corner of the grounds. The boy still harbored some doubts about being a Captain and had all but begged Finn for advice on how to be a proper Captain. Having experience in being the Captain of an up and coming Familia, Finn was all too happy to oblige.

Torrhen was distracted by the sight of Lili, Riveria, and Lefiya coming out of the Hall and making their way towards the group. Hestia and Loki were likely still inside. "Right," he said to the twins, "get a potion if you need one and take a few minutes. Then I want the four of you to start a free for all. Three of you are still adjusting to your new strength and it'll be good for you to experience fighting multiple people close to your own strength." The last part was directed at Ais.

The twins nodded, groaning, and moved over to the nearby chairs. Torrhen himself turned to meet the people approaching them. As promised, he'd provided Lefiya and Riveria with new spell books, which he had made earlier that week. Riveria had opted out of learning Destruction magic, at least for the time being. Instead, Torrhen would be making a Staff of Chain Lightning for her to use in conjunction with her normal staff. It would be specially made; smaller. Almost like a wand, so she could wear it at her waist in a holster. As for the spells she had been given, Rivera had chosen Lesser Ward and Oakflesh. They would serve her well in defending herself until she could unleash a powerful, chanted spell. Torrhen doubted it would take her long to progress in her new Restoration and Alteration skills.

During their expedition, Lefiya had used the Lesser Ward spell so much, that her Restoration skill had easily gotten into the Apprentice zone. At Restoration 39, she was more than ready for a new ward spell. To that end, he'd given her the Steadfast Ward and, per her request, the Destruction spell, Sparks.

As for Lili, she had requested a spell that would help give her some utility in battle. She didn't have the aptitude to be a battle mage, so he'd decided to have her learn some conjuration spells, allowing her to summon an ally during her fights. Atronach summoning would potentially be… problematic, given their similar appearance to monsters in the Dungeon. Torrhen wasn't against it, but it would be a while before Lili was ready for it. Instead, he had given her the Conjure Familiar spell, letting her summon a spectral wolf companion.

Torrhen approached the group who, after being given the books, had holed up inside the Hall to read them and get their statuses updated. "Did it go as expected?" He asked.

"It did," Riveria replied, "we were able to learn the spells without issue. Now, we simply need to practice." She smiled, wryly. "I must admit, it is amusing for Lefiya to currently be ahead of me in skill with Restoration. I will catch her soon enough, though." The other elf just blushed, grinning happily.

"Given your high aptitude for magic, I don't doubt you'll progress quickly. At least until you hit the Adept rank. Your improvement will likely slow down there." Riveria nodded in agreement with his statement. "Shall we begin?"

"Of course. What should we do first?"

"You should start the same way we had Lefiya practice when she learned Lesser Ward. Try summoning and holding it for increasing periods of time. As for you," he turned to Lefiya, "I want you to practice using Sparks on the dummies," he pointed to the target dummies set up at one end of the yard. "Using Steadfast Ward is not too different from Lesser Ward so for now, you need to practice with Destruction more." He turned to Lili. "As for you, I want you to practice summoning your familiar and commanding it to attack one of the dummies. You can start with verbal commands, but I want you able to control it mentally, and in combat, before I let you use it in the Dungeon." The young Pallum nodded, eager to begin.

The group separated, though not far. Riveria and Torrhen stood near enough to the other two that he could still give them pointers or instruction as he helped Riveria get a feeling for holding the spell. Lili struggled a bit, but eventually succeeded in summoning the spectral wolf. She giggled happily as the wolf companion bounded around her, perfectly imitating the mannerisms of a tamed canine. Visibly steeling herself, Lili commanded the wolf to charge the dummy in front of them. With a bark, the wolf charged and sunk its teeth into the dummy.

"Well done, Lili." Torrhen said with a smile. "Keep practicing. Try giving it commands mentally." She nodded as he turned back to Riveria. There wasn't much visible strain on her face as she held the spell. The silvery, shimmering effect of the spell rippled in front of her as it dropped.

"It's a strange sensation, but not uncomfortable." She mused. "Was magic like this common among your people?"

Torrhen nodded. "It depended on the region, but most everyone knew at least a few basic spells. Many of the Nords distrusted magic, but nearly all of them learned at least one spell. Much of Skyrim is covered in snow for most of the year, so learning the Flames spell was essential to survival. The only school of magic in Skyrim was the College of Winterhold, and it was not well regarded when I was young."

"Why not?" She asked, curiously. She listened attentively as she raised the spell once again. Off to the side, Torrhen could hear Lefiya grunting with effort as she shot Sparks at one of the training dummies.

"There was a cataclysm that caused much of the city of Winterhold to sink into the Sea of Ghosts. The Jarl, a stubborn Nord who despised magic, blamed the College because it survived mostly intact. They had nothing to do with it, but the blame still rested with them for a long time. It didn't help that the Archmage of the time, a Dark Elf named Savos Aren, was totally uninterested in helping restore the city."

"He turned his back on them?" She looked at him.

"Essentially," Torrhen shrugged. "He was still Archmage when I joined the college but was killed while I was attending. I was eventually named his successor, though I wasn't able to take up my post for several years."

"You served as Archmage? The head of the school?" One of her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Torrhen nodded. "I did. Tolfdir, the man who was my primary teacher, served as my right hand. He ran the college while I was off dealing with dragons, vampires, and the war with the Aldemeri Dominion. My own successor was my daughter, Sofie. Between the three of us, with the help of my classmates, who themselves became teachers at the College, we restored both its reputation and the city of Winterhold."

"Impressive." She said. "You say your predecessor was killed? How?"

"His own disinterest in the goings on of the College." Torrhen grimaced. "Well, not entirely. It was a period of cold war between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion. The Dominion were controlled by High Elves and had begun to advocate for the total extinction of humans. The worst of them were the Thalmor, who were essentially the Dominion's inquisition. They had agents 'observing' practically every institution in the Empire. Including the College. The agent there, a High Elf named Ancano, was doing everything he could to run roughshod over the students at the college and only the Master Wizard, Mirabel, had the authority to stand up to him. Savos also had the authority but couldn't be bothered to deal with the 'petty squbbles' of his students and staff."

"During my time as a student, we were excavating Saarthaal, the oldest Nordic settlement in Skyrim and discovered a strange object. It was an orb, filled with magic power. That finally caught his interest, but if he had been paying more attention, he'd have noticed Ancano becoming more and more unhinged as our study of the orb began. He was making all the other students and staff nervous, but there wasn't much we could do to remove him. Eventually, the fool went mad and tried to use the power of the orb to take over. He killed Savos and Mirabel, and nearly destroyed the city before Tolfdir and I could stop him."

"It is a shame to hear of a High Elf acting in this way. I know we are not related to the Elves of your world, but it is still shameful." Riveria shook her head, sadly.

"If what I've heard is true, many elves here would get along with Ancano and his ilk. Is it true that most Elves in this world shun the touch of others because they are 'lesser' beings?" Torrhen glanced at her as the two moved out of earshot of the others, trying to gauge her reaction. She didn't strike him as one of those elves who would disparage others, given her close friendship with Finn and Gareth.

Riveria looked down in shame. "Unfortunately, it is true. That's partially why I left home. I found my father's attitude towards the outside world and those who live in it… distasteful. The longer I have spent out here, the more certain I am that most of my race are undeservedly arrogant and dismissive of other races. We are nowhere near as… genocidal, as you describe this Dominion to be, but most of my kind are extremely arrogant. Sadly, some of our bad habits have stayed with me. Even now, I do not like to be touched by those I am not close to. Many of the other elves in the Loki Familia feel the same, and yet become offended at the very idea of being touched by a non-elven being."

Torrhen hummed in thought. "I suppose the… superiority complex displayed by most elves here can be attributed to natural abilities. Your lives are considerably longer, your power in magic is second to none, and to my knowledge there has never been an elf who could be described as anything but beautiful. The… arrogance that comes with such advantages is perhaps understandable, though not excusable."

"You're not wrong," Riveria nodded. "There are times where, even after all my years in this city, I find myself inadvertently thinking or behaving as though I am superior."

"In a way, you are not dissimilar to the Dovah," Torrhen said, thoughtfully.

"What do you mean? she asked, curiously.

"The Dovah possess power unrivaled by any save for the gods themselves. Their lives are eternal, unless slain by another Dovah. These advantages, combined with an ingrained need for domination, led the Dovah to become arrogant and dismissive of other races. The Dovahkiin are not exempt from this. Miraak fell prey to our natural need for domination. Even I am not immune. For much of my early life, I felt as though I was… superior. The lives of others simply did not matter to me, save for those who raised me. It took meeting my wife and then losing nearly everyone I had ever cared about to realize that, perhaps, I had been wrong."

"Do you still find yourself occasionally feeling as though others are lesser?" Riviera asked, softly.

"On occasion," Torrhen admitted. "It is something I have strived to control, and I believe I have succeeded. My mentor in this was Paarthurnax, He was the first of the Dovah to deny our nature. To abandon the need to dominate. The feeling grows as our strength in the Thu'um grows, so it took great effort on both our parts to overcome it."

"Perhaps you are right then," Riveria mused. "In that regard, we are not dissimilar."

The elf turned back to her spell practice, and Torrhen turned to observe the others practicing in the yard. Thinking of Paarthurnax made him think of another… unique dragon. With Ais and her friends' desire to learn how to fight dragons… He'd need to consult Hestia and find a very secluded place outside the city but… if he could arrange it, perhaps they could get practice with an actual dragon. It had been far too long since he'd summoned Durnehviir.

Lili

Lili smiled to herself as she slipped in to the Pallum's hidden tavern. She'd spent most of the day practicing her new spell in the yard, but now she was beginning her reconnaissance on the Apollo Familia. Luan, specifically. Torrhen had been adamant that they determine who they should direct their anger to. He didn't want to punish those who were not involved or were directly against the actions of the party that had pass-paraded her own party. Bell and Goddess Hestia had agreed, but Lili was more inclined to just punish all of the Apollo Familia and be done with it.

Still, she would do what was asked of her and investigate. She quietly sequestered herself in the back corner, ears listening for gossip. As one of the few Pallum adventurers in the city, Luan was usually a topic that came up fairly frequently. Nowhere near as often as Finn, who most of their kind saw as a hero, but often enough. Not in nearly as favorable a context though. Luan had a reputation for being rude and arrogant, which tended to piss off other Pallum.

Right now, Lili was looking for information that would tell her anything about his movements. Was he hiding? Was he bragging about what he'd done? Had he been punished by his Familia for his actions? Hopefully she could find out something through rumors. Her attention was pulled when she heard a group near her mention… HER name?!

"Did you hear about Arde?" One brunette Pallum asked another, blonde one.

"The supporter from Soma?"

"Not anymore!" The first said. "Apparently she's joined up with the Hestia Familia and just hit Level 2!"

"What?" A third one cut in. Another brunette. "Isn't that the Familia that everybody's been talking about?"

"Yeah! The one with Rabbit Foot as Captain. Arde joined his Familia a couple months back and was with him during the fight on the 18th floor and leveled up afterwards!"

"Woah… wait, weren't they pass-paraded? That's how they wound up on the 18th floor, right?"

"That's what I heard too." The blonde spoke up. "They got pass-paraded by the Apollo Familia!"

"Seriously?"

"That's not all," the blonde continued, "I heard the party leader was Luan! If Arde was with the Rabbit Foot's party, then that means he pass-paraded another Pallum!"

"Ugh," A fourth scoffed. "That's disgusting."

"Is he being punished at all?"

"Nope!" A fifth joined the conversation, this one a dark-haired girl. "I work at a tavern that the Apollo people go to fairly often. I heard that he got punched out by one of their executives for what he did but that the captain let him off the hook."

Now that was what Lili had wanted to hear. Sure, her ears were burning from them talking about her, but she'd gotten some information on Luan and Apollo! It sounded like one of the executives had wanted to punish him but that their Captain was letting him off. That meant Torrhen had been right. There were members who didn't approve, but they were being overridden by the captain. She listened for a little while longer before quietly slipping back out. Lili needed to get back to the Hall and let Torrhen know what she'd heard.

Torrhen

While Lili was investigating Luan at the Pallum's Hidden Tavern, Torrhen was doing a little reconnaissance of his own. It was well past midnight and, dressed in his Nightingale armor, Torrhen had been silently and invisibly moving through the city following a group of Apollo Familia members for a few hours. So far, he hadn't heard anything about Luan or the pass-parade. They were just too drunk and enthused about their… destination.

He had heard a few interesting things though. One was that Freya was prepping for an expedition to begin the day after the Dungeon reopened. Likely to try and catch up with Loki's massive power jump. Hopefully it would give Naaza some more business. With Miach's new publicity, she'd already recruited three new people. Two young women and an older man, who had been fascinated by the new potions and process.

The thing that had caught his attention most though, was a pair of amazon prostitutes they had just passed griping about one of their executives. She had reportedly punished one of them for teasing another of their members. A 'stupid Renard' according to the aggravated Amazon. Considering Mikoto's request for information on her missing Renard friend, who she was certain she'd seen with an amazon in the city, Torrhen moved closer.

"I don't even know why Lady Ishtar keeps her around!" The Amazon continued to gripe. "Belka pretty much never lets her have clients and it's not like she's making us much money!"

"She's pretty useful in the Dungeon is what I hear." The other said. Both were clearly 'on duty' at this particular corner.

"How? She's totally weak! What could she possibly do?"

"I don't know," the second one griped. "We aren't dungeon divers. We don't know what happens down there. You shouldn't question Lady Ishtar's decisions anyway."

Torrhen moved away from them, deeper into the red-light district. It seemed the group of Apollo people he'd been following was a bust, so he might as well make progress on Mikoto's investigation into her friend. It didn't take him long to find the main Ishtar Familia building. He only needed to follow the trail of amazons on the corners and listen to the words of the people hoping to sample the 'services' of those who dwelled within.

Silent and invisible, Torrhen slipped into an open window on the second floor. There was an amazon snoring softly in the bed at the far corner of the room. He padded silently into the corridor, ears listening out for any approaching sounds. There were quite a few people wandering the halls, making evasion difficult but he eventually managed to find the executive the two earlier had been complaining about. She was standing in a room whose door was partially cracked open, arguing with what had to be the ugliest woman Torrhen had ever seen.

"Belka!" The ugly woman shouted. "You can't protect her forever! Keeping clients away from her is just wasting money!"

"She passes out before anything can happen! All that happens when we give her clients is that we piss them off!" The one named 'Belka' replied. This was the executive who was protecting the Renard. She was dark-haired and scantily dressed, like most of the Amazons there.

"She doesn't need to be conscious! Some men like that." The ugly one said, with a truly horrifying, lecherous grin.

"We aren't that kind of place, Phyrne!" 'Belka' practically growled.

"We are what I say we are!" The ugly Phyrne, countered. Torrhen deduced she was either delusional about her power or was actually the captain and had authority. Likely both. "Ishtar couldn't care less about her outside the Dungeon, so I say she's a whore, and she better make us money as one!"

The fight continued on for quite some time, with neither convincing the other of anything. Though Belka had earned a modicum of respect from him for how fiercely she was protecting this person. Presumably the Renard he'd initially heard about. As the two separated, Torrhen followed Belka through the halls, occasionally recasting his invisibility spell whilst hiding in the shadows. Eventually, she came to a door on one of the higher floors and headed inside.

Torrhen slipped though the door before it could close and hid himself in a shadowy corner. Sitting on the lone bed in the room, staring out the window, was a young girl with vibrantly blonde hair, fox ears, and a large tail. A dead ringer for the description Mikoto had given him of her friend.

"Phyrne is such an ugly bitch." Belka snapped as the door swung closed. The girl's ears drooped.

"You got in trouble because of me again, didn't you Aisha?" She said, sadly.

"Hah," Belka scoffed before her voice softened. "I'm not in trouble for anything, Haruhime. I just worry about you. I know you had a client earlier thanks to that bitch."

The poor girl's ears drooped even further. Torrhen clenched his jaw in rage. He had worked with Elisif and later the Emperor to enact better laws and keep young women from being forced into this profession. They hadn't completely succeeded, but as the father of two girls, seeing this kind of situation never failed to piss him off. Torrhen watched as the two talked, the young Renard slowly drifting off to sleep. Aisha sat with her for a moment, stroking the girl's hair.

"I'm just glad he didn't try anything after you passed out," she scoffed, "like every other client you've had." That was intriguing. "I just wish I could save you from Ishtar." There was more here than meets the eye. He needed information.

Slowly, Torrhen rose from the shadows, allowing Aisha to see him. She stood quickly, raising her fists and dropping into a combat stance. It was good. She was likely quite skilled, though not anywhere near Finn or Gareth. Torrhen raised his empty hands in front of him, the universal sign for being unarmed. He kept his voice quiet as he spoke, hoping not to wake the sleeping girl.

"I mean no harm," he whispered. Aisha stared at him, suspiciously.

"Who are you?" She demanded, quietly.

"I am here at the behest of an old friend of hers," he gestured to the girl. Aisha's eyes narrowed.

"She doesn't have any friends in this city. Except for me."

"But she did back in the Far East. That is Sanjouno Haruhime, isn't it?"

"She is…" Aisa relaxed slightly.

"Some friends of hers from the east moved here not long ago. They caught sight of her during the Monsterphilia chaos and asked me to investigate. I must admit, it is encouraging to see that she has a protector. Your last statement piqued my curiosity though. Why does she need saving from Ishtar?"

"These 'friends' of hers. What are their names?" She countered, without answering.

"Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa."

Her eyes widened. She clearly recognized those names, but something seemed to be physically holding the young woman back. Eventually, she relaxed and stood. "I can't tell you why she needs saving." She said, bitterly. "Ishtar lets me protect her as a prostitute or in the Dungeon, but there's nothing I can do to change her plans for Haruhime. I can't even talk about it."

"Some form of mind control?" Torrhen asked. He'd encountered mind control a few times over the years. Aisha only nodded. He could try the Shout he had used to cure Soma but… it was very loud. They'd attract attention. Instead, he settled for asking, "is there anything you can tell me?"

Aisha seemed to be fighting herself, trying to get something out. Eventually, she spat "Hermes. Ishtar. K.S. That's all I can say."

Torrhen nodded. "It is enough. Thank you." He moved to the window, intending to leap out.

"Ishtar might sell her," Aisha spoke up from behind him. "If her friends can get enough money."

"How much?" He asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

"…millions." She admitted. Torrhen simply nodded. He would need to speak with Hermes, Mikoto, and the others.

With a whispered 'Feim,' he leapt from the window down to the street below.

A/N: Haruhime! And Aisha! How did I do? Did it all seem ok? What about my choices for armor? I'll be talking about what I've picked for Finn, Riveria, and Lefiya I think in the next chapter.

Also, Conjuration! Finally, I have given someone else a conjuration spell! I'm still debating on giving out bound weapon spells, but I think I might give them to a few people.

What did you think of the little scene with Torrhen and Riveria?

I'm sorry I had Takemikazuchi leave off screen, but that scene just didn't fit with the rest of the things I was trying to put in this chapter.

I know I'm taking liberties with Aisha, Haruhime, and the whole Ishtar/Killing Stone situation. I hope you like where I'm taking it.

For any who are confused, I'm trying to show Aisha being a bit more protective of Haruhime than in canon. I'm doing this by having her try to convince Ishtar that, since she is constantly fainting, she's not worth much as a prostitute and should just be kept around for Dungeon diving, thanks to her special spell. Also, by keeping potential 'clients' away from her unless she has no choice.

Armor Changes:

Ouka: Blades armor without larger ringed section at the top of the pauldron. No helmet. His Axe will be the one he gets from Welf in canon.

Chigusa: ESO Light Akaviri armor w/pants. Deep red with grey trim. Her new bow is the Akaviri Ruby Ash Bow. No helmet.

Mikoto: Scout Armor Mod but dark pruple, almost black. Her new sword is a Tachi with a dark purple grip. No helmet.

Welf: ESO Breton style leather armor. Dark brown leather. No pauldron. No helmet.

Lili: Thieves Guild armor but without the bandolier or the larger pauldron sections, on top of the shoulder. Hood down.

Answers to Questions

On FFN

Zappy Turtle: I think their meeting was probably coincidence.

Br2nd66: To be honest, I haven't fully decided what will happen to him if she uses it on him. Nice theory though.

Lohith: Thank you!

Alasiir The Ranger: It took me a bit, but I updated like you asked! Also, Thank you!

Spedyalarm: I love seeing it when someone new binges the story and leaves comments. Thank you! I'm debating on the use of Bound Sword spells for some people but haven't made a final decision.

On Ao3

Moiramain2k: I'm glad to see you liked it!

Bigtime12: I think Torrhen totally understands revenge so he wouldn't condemn her for it. He just wants to make sure she isn't' consumed by it.