A/N: WARNING: Language.

I really am sorry, once again, about the long delay. I do have a reason this time! I'm sick. Yesterday was the first time in a week I've been able to get out of bed and not feel exhausted in about 5 minutes. Still, I'm finally on the mend and can get to writing!

This chapter has what is basically a recap of what Tamriel, dragons, and dragonborn are, just so you know. In context, it kinda needed explaining. Still, I hope you like it!

Oh, and I'd still like suggestions for changed armor/weapons and your recommendations/guesses about how the War Game should go! Aliases too!

Just so you know, the first part, with Naaza, takes place on the same day as the Hestia conversion and the Loki banquet last chapter. Everything else is the day after that. The same day as the segment with Daphne last chapter.

I love reading your comments and reviews and I hope you will continue to leave more!

Hearthfire

Chapter 25

Naaza

Naaza sat behind the corner of the Miach Familia shop, staring at the door in silent contemplation. Torrhen had come by a few hours before and dropped quite the bombshell on her. Not only were the Loki Familia beyond satisfied with the potions she had given them, especially since they apparently saved the lives of both Nine-Hells and Elgarm, but there had been a huge battle on the 18th floor. A battle in which her potions had been used to save the lives of dozens of other adventurers. Adventurers who were now praising them and passing word of her Familia throughout the streets of Orario. Needless to say, Naaza was not expecting such publicity so quickly.

She already knew from Torrhen that the Loki Familia members would be placing orders rather frequently, but now there was a good chance she'd get orders coming from other places in the city as well. Although absolutely thrilled by the publicity and glowing reviews, Naaza was starting to panic slightly. There was so much that needed to be done! They only had two copies of the catalogue, so that could cause a problem. They needed more ingredients and to expand their supply lines so they could keep up with demand. The biggest issue she was wrestling with in her head though, was manpower.

It had nearly killed her and Miach to deliver all those potions to the Loki Familia on time, and if they became swamped with orders thanks to the publicity they would be quickly overwhelmed. Now, most would think that the issue of manpower was simple to solve. Just start recruiting. Naaza however, knew that it was not so simple. Alchemists were nowhere near as common as normal adventurers, and the majority of the ones in the city were members of Dian Cecht. Now they could recruit explicitly from the city's new arrivals, but they would likely all need to be trained. Having someone join who didn't know the first thing about alchemy would not do much to help with their manpower issue in the short term.

She was sure that there would be a few people who would look to transfer over to her Familia, but they would need to be wary of them. If they were in any way affiliated with Dian Cecht, they ran the risk of the potion formulas getting out. Legally, the Miach Familia had full market rights. Even if Dian Cecht got his hands on any of their new techniques or formulae, he couldn't sell them. But that didn't mean he couldn't change the recipe a bit and then sell that version. No, they needed to keep things as secret as possible and that created a trust issue. Still, since mortals couldn't lie to a god, they just needed Miach to ask the right questions and it wouldn't be a problem.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the front door opening. In stepped two women. One looked to be around 18, the same age as Naaza, with black hair that hung down just past her chin. She was dressed in a casual, sleeveless, black kimono with white trimmings and a red obi. The other was much younger, around 13 or 14, with long brown hair and wearing a red and white dress.

"Excuse me," the older said as they stepped into the shop. "Is this the Miach Familia store?"

"Yes, it is" Naaza replied in her usual, slightly sleepy sounding voice. "I'm Naaza Erisuis, Captain of the Miach Familia. How can I help you?"

"Oh, good." The woman muttered under her breath. "I was just wondering, are you recruiting?"

Naaza's brain short circuited. The adventurers who had participated in the battle had only come back up a day ago! Had word spread so far that people were already looking to join?

"We are," she said, barely keeping herself from stuttering in her surprise. "Are you wanting to sign up?"

"We are, yes." The older woman said. "I'm Shizune, and this is my cousin, Sei." She gestured to the younger girl, who waved. "We've only been in town a week, but I heard someone mention your Familia in a tavern last night."

"Do you have any alchemy experience?" Naaza asked.

"I trained under some of the best healers and alchemists in the Far East," Shizune replied. "Unfortunately, we were forced to leave after my uncle died. I've tried to teach Sei what I could, but it's difficult to teach alchemy on the road."

"If you had training like that, why not join a Familia like Dian Cecht?" Naaza asked, suspicious. "You do know that I'm the only member of the Miach Familia, right?"

"Actually, I didn't but the thing is, we did try to join Dian Cecht just after we got to the city." The woman said, sheepishly. "They were perfectly willing to accept me, but they didn't want someone as young and inexperienced as Sei joining. I don't want us to separate, so I was hoping another Familia would accept us both."

"Bunch of jerks," Sei muttered under her breath.

"I didn't even know there were any other Medicinal Familia in the city until I heard about you last night." Shizune continued. "If what I heard was true, then it sounded like you would be recruiting. So, I guess the question is, can we join your Familia?"

Naaza looked at the two for a moment. She didn't have any issue with them joining. Sei could be trained and Shizune would only need to learn the new formulae and system before she could help fill orders. It wasn't her decision alone, though.

"I have no problem with you both joining," Naaza said, causing the two girls to smile, "but the final decision is up to Lord Miach. If you can wait a moment, I'll go get him." She turned away from the counter and headed into the back to retrieve her patron.

As the two returned to the main shop area, she whispered, "please make sure they are being genuine and won't sell our secrets to anyone. That's all I ask."

"Not to worry, Naaza," Miach smiled, nearly causing her heart to melt. "I know what to do."

Miach introduced himself to the two girls and invited them to come closer to the counter. What followed was a series of questions both about their background and training that was more extensive than Naaza remembered answering when she first joined. Still, in the end, it became clear that the two girls were trustworthy.

"Well, I suppose all we have to do now is give you your Falna," Miach said with a smile, and receiving grateful smiles from the two girls in exchange. "If you'll come into the back with me, we can get that done. Afterwards, I'll have Naaza show you around and explain how we do things. I can manage the store while she shows you around."

Finn

Finn could hardly contain his own excitement as he walked through the streets of Orario. He had to keep a lid on things though, because if he let himself be too excited, it would just make Loki worse. They, along with Riveria, Gareth, Lefiya, and the Executives were all making their way towards Hearthfire Hall, the home of the Hestia Familia. They'd had a bit of a late start that day since their banquet to celebrate their expedition and rank-ups had lasted well into the early hours of the morning.

Still, their meeting was set for mid-afternoon, so it wasn't an issue that they'd all slept in a bit. They were all bursting with curiosity about Torrhen's true strength and were looking forward both to getting answers, and to formalizing an alliance between their two Familia. Finn smiled as they rounded a corner and Hearthfire Hall came into view.

"Well, isn't that pretty!" Loki whistled as she took in the sight of the manor. "Lil Hestia's done well for herself."

"It's small compared to Twilight Manor, but it's quite homey." Finn said with a smile. "I haven't been inside the Hall itself, but it seems to be a very welcoming place."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Gareth grinned. "Let's knock!"

They continued down the street until the closed gate came into view. Standing just on the other side of it was Bell Cranel, the young Captain of the Hestia Familia. He quickly pulled the gate open when he saw the group approach.

"Hello!" The boy said. "Goddess Loki, Captain Finn, Ms. Ais, everyone. Welcome to Hearthfire Hall."

"Thank you, Bell" Ais smiled at him.

"Nice ta meetcha, kiddo!" Loki addressed the kid.

"It's a pleasure, Goddess" Bell bowed. "Please, come this way. Goddess Hestia is waiting for everyone inside." The group made their way through the gate and into the walled yard that surrounded the manor. The wall that surrounded the property was far larger than necessary, but that was likely to accommodate further expansion of the manor itself. They had barely entered the courtyard, with young Bell shutting the gate behind them when a voice called out to the group.

"Hello there!" Torrhen said as he walked up, accompanied by Tsubaki and his apprentice, Welf.

"How's it going?" Tsubaki added.

"All's good!" Gareth grinned. "What are you doing here though, Tsubaki?"

"Torrhen invited me to take a look around his forge and enchanting setup before we get into working on your gear."

"I was also hoping you'd be alright with her and Hephaestus sitting in on our meeting. They'll need to know a decent amount of what we're going to tell you." Torrhen added.

"I have no issue with that," Finn replied. They were on completely friendly terms with the Hephaestus Familia and after their expedition, Finn personally considered Tsubaki a friend. "Loki?"

"No issues here!" She grinned. "Let's head on in!"

The group followed Bell into the entrance hall and up the stairs to a large lounge area surrounded by offices. Sitting on the various chairs and couches were the remining members of the Hestia Familia, including their new additions. Goddess Hestia and Goddess Hephaestus were both standing near the fireplace and looked up when the group entered.

"Loki!" Hestia smiled as the group walked in. Finn was aware that the two were notorious for teasing each other, but it seemed that they were both taking this meeting very seriously.

"Yo! Hestia, Phai-Phai." Loki replied as she flopped down onto a couch.

What followed was a series of introductions as they made sure everyone at the very least knew everybody else's name while the members of the Hestia Familia gathered drinks for those who were interested. Finally, they were all seated. The members of the Hestia Familia sat in chairs and couches on one side of the central coffee table while the members of the Loki Familia sat on the other. Hephaestus and Tsubaki were seated to the left at the head of one end. As they got comfortable, Goddess Hestia began the meeting.

"Originally, this meeting was going to be just Loki, Torrhen, and myself meeting to answer her questions about Torrhen. Now, though, I think we all understand that it is more about forming an alliance between our two Familia."

"That is correct, Goddess Hestia." Finn nodded.

"Still," she continued, nodding back at him, "I believe it would be best to answer Loki's questions first. The answers may change how some of us see this alliance, going forward."

"Well," Loki leaned forward, "I'd like to start by confirming a few things I've deduced." She looked straight at Torrhen. "You're from Nirn, aren't you?"

Finn was confused and, looking around at the others, he could see they were just as perplexed. What was Nirn? A country? He'd never heard of it and judging by the expressions of the others, they hadn't either. Torrhen just smiled.

"I am." He said. "Specifically, I am from Falkreath Hold in Skyrim, on the continent of Tamriel."

Now Finn was even more confused, while Loki just grinned happily.

"Tamriel…" Riveria muttered beside him. Lefiya had also perked up. Wasn't that the type of spell he'd given her? Tamrielic?

"What's Nirn?" Tiona spoke up, asking the question on everyone's mind.

"It's another realm," Goddess Hestia said. "One beyond Genkai. A mortal plane created by the hand of Lorkhan and the Aedra."

Torrhen

Torrhen watched as Finn and company's eyes went wide at that revelation. He almost chuckled. His being from another world was only the tip of the iceberg. Their reactions to his true identity and power would be priceless.

Loki was grinning at him. "I knew it!" She said, happily. "Now, I have a guess on how strong you are, but I want to hear you say it. What Level are you?"

Torrhen smiled back at her. "Level 10," he said, simply. The members of the Loki Familia were silent for a moment as their brains processed that information, save for Bete who just choked on his drink. Then they exploded.

"What the fuck?!"

"10?!"

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Fight me again!"

"Impressive."

"I didn't even know that was possible."

Their reactions really were amusing. The twins had both stood, sporting looks of total disbelief. Poor Lefiya's jaw was scraping the floor. Finn and Riveria, seemingly, had expected something like that and Gareth's request for a spar was unsurprising. The Werewolf was still coughing and staring at Torrhen with wide eyes. It was Ais' reaction that was most intriguing to Torrhen though. His blonde student was staring at him hungrily, a wide grin spread across her face. Of all the group, she was the first to shake off the shock and ask a question.

"How?" She asked. "How did you get so strong?!"

"I'm not even surprised!" Loki cut in. "Afterall, you're one of Akatosh's kids. A Dragonborn. Aren't you?"

Torrhen just smiled at her. She really had figured it out just from a few clues. "I am indeed." He nodded at her.

"Ha! I knew it! You're a fucking demigod!"
"What?!"

"No!"

"Shit, really?"

Bete had choked again and Lefiya's brain seemed to have shut down. Even Finn, Riveria, and Gareth were speechless after that particular revelation. Torrhen decided to take pity on them.

"Perhaps I should explain before the shock kills them," he said to Loki with a grin.

"Go ahead." She grinned back, "but you better explain how and why you came to Genkai."

Torrhen nodded to her in acknowledgment before addressing the stunned members of the group. "As was revealed earlier, I was not born in the realm you call Genkai. I was born in Nirn, a real created by a group of gods separate from those you know. We call them the Aedra or the Divines. Nirn has several different continents but the one I come from is called Tamriel. Rather like Genkai, Tamriel is divided into nations and is populated by a myriad of different races. Several varieties of humans and elves are the majority but there are lizard people called Argonians, cat people called Kahjiit, as well as a few others."

He observed his audience as he spoke. The group was listening with intense fascination although there was something he wasn't quite sure of that had appeared in Ais' eye after the word 'Dragonborn' had been said.

Torrhen continued on. "We also had semi-divine beings similar in power to your Great Spirits. They were the direct children of Akatosh, the chief of the Divines. In their own tongue, they are the Dovah. The most common word for them though, is Dragon."

"Like the ones in the Dungeon?" Tione asked.

Torrhen shook his head. "No. Those are mindless beasts. The Dovah of Nirn are immortal. They can speak, think, and reason. Unfortunately, they also possess a powerful drive to dominate. They ruled over the mortals of my world for centuries, all while being led by Alduin. The first and most powerful of their kind. The eldest son of Akatosh, destined to devour the world at its end."

Several members of the audience looked quite disturbed by that revelation.

"Eventually the gods decided that the actions of the Dovah could no longer be tolerated and grated mortals, specifically the Nordic Humans, the ability to utilize the power of the Dov. The primary strength of the Dovah is the Thu'um. The ability to warp reality with only a few simple words in the language of the dragons. A spirited debate between Dovah would look like a duel to the death to most mortals."

That actually got a snicker out of Gareth, who was amused by the concept.

"As part of this, Akatosh created a mortal with the blood and soul of a Dovah. This being would be a demigod known as the Dovahkiin, or the Dragonborn. The ultimate dragon killer. Unfortunately, there was a problem. The first of the Dragonborn was named Miraak; a man who had actually served the dragons as one of their priests. He rebelled against them but when the Tongues, that being the mortals who had begun to learn the Thu'um, came to him for help in their rebellion, he rejected them. Miraak wanted dominion for himself and he would try to take it. He turned against both Akatosh and the dragons and was eventually defeated, though not killed."

"Still, even without him, the Tongues were able to defeat Alduin and cast him adrift on the currents of time. Mortals then began to hunt down the Dovah until they became quite scarce. Despite the failure of Miraak, Akatosh did not give up on the concept of the Dragonborn. Whenever a major crisis arose, he would either bless a living human with the powers of a Dragonborn or create one directly. Some would still turn away from the path he chose, what with free will and all, but most would choose to serve him. Like the Dovah, most of us would call him Bormahu. Father."

"The most powerful of our kind was Tiber Septim, who would unite the continent under a single banner and go on to become a god himself. Talos, the god of humanity."

Finn looked particularly interested in that. It was widely believed in Genkai that by hitting and surpassing Level 10, a mortal could become a god themselves. Torrhen didn't know if that was true, but hearing about a mortal who actually became a god was undoubtedly exciting.

"Eventually though, Alduin would return. Once Akatosh was certain of when he would reemerge, I was created. After all, the only thing that can truly kill a Dovah is another Dovah. I was intended to be the last of my kind so Akatosh wanted me raised right. Unfortunately, my upbringing was… not exactly what he intended. Still, eventually Alduin did return and I discovered the truth of my existence."

He paused for a moment and sighed. "I was not exactly a good person in my youth, but even the most evil of beings rarely would wish for the total destruction of the world. I was on the path to redemption when I discovered my identity, so I threw myself into my new duty. Alduin was constantly on the move, resurrecting those Dovah who had been killed by mortals after his fall. They would, in turn, begin attacking mortal settlements. I and my companions would travel around Skyrim hunting down these hostile dragons."

Torrhen grimaced. "When one Dovah slays another, they absorb both their knowledge and power. Their very soul. It is the only way to permanently kill a Dovah. That is how the Dovahkiin is supposed to grow in strength. By killing and absorbing their winged brethren. It increases our strength, expands our knowledge of the Thu'um, and lengthens our lifespan." Several members of the audience looked a little green as he explained.

"Aside from Miraak himself, I have slain more dragons than any Dovahkiin in history. In fact, most went their entire lives and never even met a Dovah. Still, I eventually was powerful enough to face Alduin. I even learned Dragonrend, the only Thu'um to be created by mortals and used by the Tongues to knock a dragon from the sky. I fought him twice and eventually bested him."

Torrhen leaned back in his seat and sighed. "With Alduin defeated, never to return until my world had truly ended, I thought I was done. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Shortly after Alduin's defeat, Miraak returned to Tamirel. He'd been hiding in Apocrypha, a realm watched over by a god name Hermaus Mora. So, the First Dragonborn and the Last Dragonborn faced each other at the summit of Apocrypha and I cast Miraak down."

"And shortly after that," Torrhen groaned, "I learned that a powerful Vampire from the dawn of time was planning to black out the sun and take over the world." He grimaced. "You'd think that, after defeating him and saving the world for the third time, I'd be done, right?" Funnily enough, Tiona actually nodded in agreement with him.

"Sadly, not. It wasn't long after Harkon was killed that the entire continent went to war! Seeing as the aggressors, the Aldemeri Dominion, had been a thorn in my side for years and were all too happy to wipe out humanity if they could find a way to justify it, I sided with the human Empire. Which Skyrim, my home province, was a part of. I became our primary general in the field, aided by the few Dovah who had chosen to follow me."

Torrhen sighed. "It was only after the war was won that I was able to settle down. I'd gotten married shortly after Harkon was killed, so I settled in the city of Whiterun with my wife and we adopted two kids. Still, the longevity I gained meant that eventually I outlived my friends, my wife and my children. Without them, I was surrounded by generations of people who'd grown up on stories of my adventures." Many of his audience, Riveria especially, gave him sympathetic looks when he mentioned the death of his family.

"To the common folk, I was a living legend. To the leaders of the people, I was either a dangerous threat or an asset they wanted to control. Nobody remembered the fact that I really am human. So, I retreated to the peak of a remote mountain to live out my days in solitude."

He grimaced again. "It was there I discovered that I had underestimated just how long my lifespan has become. Even before I was given my Falna, I'd deduced that I had a couple centuries left to go and I didn't want to spend them all alone atop that mountain. That was when Akatosh offered to send me here."

Loki perked up as he finally got to the answer to her question. "My coming here was his way of offering me a retirement. I am not a prophesied hero here. Nobody even knew I existed. The fate of this world does not rest on my shoulders. He did say that I could involve myself if I wish, but that there was nothing to control my destiny here. I could find new students," he looked at Bell, Lili, and the others, "new friends," he looked at Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, "maybe even start a new family. I am not a threat to this world, nor am I its savior. I have retired from saving the world."

"I have a long life yet to live, so I'm not going to spend the whole thing being lazy. I'll eventually become an active adventurer and start exploring the Dungeon. Maybe even leave the city and explore the world a bit. For now though, I want to spend my time helping to train and build up my Familia. And yours, if you'd like my help." He gestured to Loki and her children.

"So, that's my story. Do any of you have any questions?"

Finn spoke up. "The way you describe these… Dovah, makes them sound comparable in power to the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Is there any chance it could be one of them?" Ais' head whipped around to Finn before whipping to face Torrhen, her gaze intense.

Torrhen shook his head. "When I first heard of it, I actually feared it could be Alduin himself," Finn's eyes widened, alarmed. "Based on the description, they are very similar in appearance. Still, Hestia has assured me that it is not possible for the Black Dragon to be a Dovah. It has never even been reported as speaking or using the Thu'um. It's strength is comparable though."

Ais was still staring at him, intensely. She eventually spoke, her voice filled with more emotion than Torrhen had ever heard her use before. "The Black Dragon is my drive," she said. "When I was little, my parents were forced to fight it. That monster killed my father and my mother disappeared. My one goal in life is to destroy the Dragon and avenge them." This was met by the shocked exclamations of nearly everyone in the room. Only Loki, Riveria, Finn, and Gareth had apparently been aware of that particular piece of information.

Torrhen stared into her eyes. He knew what she wanted. "Let me guess," he sighed, "you want me to teach you how to fight a dragon that powerful?"

Ais nodded so violently it looked like her head might fall off. Riveria put her hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to calm her and spoke up. "She will go after it whether you help or not. Still, you clearly have more experience fighting dragons than anyone living. Certainly, the most experience in fighting ones that powerful. Will you help her?"

Torrhen leaned back and watched Ais for a moment. The look in her eyes, the desperate need for vengeance, was one he knew all too well. Riveria was right though, she would go after it no matter what.

"I will help you," he said, causing Ais to smile almost ferally. "On one condition," her smile dropped, listening as he continued. "I have seen more people like you than you may think. The need for revenge, even if you call it justice, is a powerful motivator. It can drive you to heights of strength that you never dreamed possible. It is also dangerous. You could achieve what you seek, but it will consume your life and alienate you from your friends and family."

He leaned forward and gazed into the girl's eyes. "I will help you on the condition that you do not allow yourself to be consumed by revenge. You have a good life. Good friends and a loving family. If you allow yourself to become obsessed by strength and revenge and begin to push them away, I will stop teaching you. No vengeance is worth the cost of everything you love."

Ais stared at him as they looked into each other's eyes. Although it was only moments, it seemed as though an eternity passed between the two of them. Eventually, her eyes closed and she nodded. "Agreed."

Torrhen smiled and sat back. "Good." He looked around at the others. "Does anybody else have questions?"

"I do!" Tiona shouted, her hand in the air. "Will you teach me too?"

Ais' head whipped around to stare at the girl.

"Ais is my friend. I don't want her facing that thing alone. Plus, who wouldn't want to learn from someone as strong as you?" Ais was smiling as she looked at her friend.

"Me too!" Tione added.

"I would like to learn as well," Lefiya spoke up.

"Perhaps this is a good time to transition over to talks of an alliance," Hestia cut in before anybody else could join in. "Joint training can be a part of the agreement."

Torrhen nodded to her. "Good idea." He turned his attention to Finn and Loki. "I'm more than willing to help train your members, although I would put a condition on them being executive level before they train with me. Aside from Lefiya, of course. In exchange, I'd like you to teach our members. I can help them with strength and battle tactics, but you know far more about the Dungeon and how to explore it than I do. I'd like you to work with them on that, in exchange for me helping your members grow in strength."

"Sounds more than fair to me," Finn said with a smile. "I'd be happy to help, and quite frankly, it should be fun. I do hope to be one of the ones who you help train though," he smirked.

Torrhen laughed. "Not to worry, Finn."

"Is there anything else you'd like to see from us in this partnership?" Hestia asked, addressing Loki directly.

The redheaded goddess sat for a moment in contemplation before answering. "The big things for us are access mainly to Torrhen's skill with enchanting and smithing. Not to mention the spell books he has. He's already promised to provide gear to Finn and Riveria, as well as enchant Gareth's new stuff, but I'd like a discount on those services to be part of the deal."

"Hmm." Hestia hummed. "I have no issue with that. Torrhen?"

"I have no objection, but again, I would put a limit on this. My work is simply too powerful for anyone under a certain level. Instead, I would recommend that only members at Level 6 or higher work with me. Meaning only your leaders and executives. Everyone else will see Welf for their enchantments. Welf has picked things up quickly and is improving fast. Tsubaki will be learning what she can, but doesn't have as much time to dedicate to the art."

Welf certainly perked up at the recommendation, beaming happily. "I'm more than willing to do that," he said.

"Sounds good to us," Finn added. "The only question is, what do you want in exchange?"

"For this, I'd ask for political protection," Hestia said, looking at Loki directly. "Since this will not be a public alliance, I can understand not doing anything overt. I'm only asking for passive political protection. Support in case of any incidents. I know you can't help if we're directly challenged, but defending us from attacks, like you did at Denatus would be possible."

Loki nodded. "I was expecting something like that. I have no problem with helping keep you out of trouble while you build your strength. Though, if you are directly challenged, I can't do anything. Which is likely, once Apollo hears the rumors about the pass-parade."

"We'll deal with Apollo if that happens," Hestia said, determined.

"With regard to the spell books," Riveria spoke up. "Now that we know there are no adverse effects, I was hoping you'd be willing to sell us more. In exchange, I and my mages would help any of your current or future members to improve their skills with the more… traditional magic of Genkai."

Torrhen nodded in confirmation. "I can agree to that. I'll even teach them how to use it, but we need to keep this in moderation. Let's start with just you and Lefiya and expand from there. As for us, only Lili and Mikoto have a more traditional spell in their arsenal but we will be recruiting soon so we'll ask for your help once we have some dedicated mages."

"Gladly," Riveria smiled.

"When do you think you'll become active, Torrhen?" Gareth asked. "I'd love it if you came on expeditions with us."

Torrhen sat and thought for a moment. "To be honest, I'd like us to be on a bit firmer ground before I do. We've started to develop a reputation thanks to the incident on the 18th floor, but I'd rather not upset the balance of power until that reputation has grown a bit. Still, if Apollo does challenge us directly, I will move to active status. If only to see him realize just how badly he fucked up." The two men chuckled evilly together, joined by the amazon twins and Ouka once they realized what the two were talking about.

The meeting continued on for a little while longer, discussing the more finicky details of such an alliance but eventually the group began to break up. Ais and the twins were quick to drag Bell outside for some sparring practice, followed by Welf, Ouka, Mikoto, and Bete. Riveria, Finn, and Lefiya were speaking with Lili about her transition from supporter to adventurer and the three goddesses had adjourned to Hestia's office to discuss 'godly' things and draw up the official contract. As for Torrhen, he happily led Gareth and Tsubaki down to his forge so that they could begin work on the Dwarf's new armor.

A/N: There we go! Hestia and Loki are allies and we have set the stage for future events. I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment or question to let me know!

About Ais' mom. I know that she was taken by the OEBD in canon, but with it being Alduin here, that doesn't make sense. I also know that people like Revis are aware of Aria though, so I'm not entirely certain on how to handle her. I'm just saying she disappeared until I have a better idea of what to do. Sadly, I doubt we'll get an answer about her in canon any time soon. What do you all think? Is Aria dead or is she alive somewhere?

About the introduced characters. They are REFERENCES only! Not the actual characters. I hate it when crossovers start pulling the actual characters of multiple franchises into their work for no reason. A reference is one thing, but having the actual Shizune from Naruto running around would make absolutely no sense and I'm not doing it.

About Miach's new members. Shizune is, of course, a reference to the Shizune of Naruto. She is not ACTUALLY that Shizune. She's just a reference. Totally different background/backstory. She is wearing Shizune's outfit from Boruto but let me know if I got the terminology wrong. I like it better than her outfit from Naruto. Sei is a reference to Sei Takanashi, the main character from 'The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent.' She is younger though. She is dressed similarly to the show character, but without the gold trim and lab coat.

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Answers to Questions

On FFN

DALucifer3: Torrhen will likely not level up. He's already at the pinnacle. If he levels up it will really mean becoming a god, and that's not something he wants.

Rider126: I am deliberately changing things up for Freya. Making her a bit more of a control freak. She doesn't like having her power contested. She's also so used to being on top, she's out of touch.

Sebastiean: Torrhen will not be in a romance with an OC. It will be a canon character.

toladeari: Freya will be more of an antagonist. Her obsession with Bell has been sort of overridden by the discovery of Torrhen's strength and existence. It's still there, but she's got more important things to think about, what with the power balance shifting. As for Welf, I hadn't even considered scrolls. That's an interesting idea though. Thank you.

On Ao3

Bigtime12: Likely trying to give her support and apologize for the Minotaur incident. We'll see though.

GUTS: Sadly, Torrhen doesn't have Auriel's bow. He was forced to leave all Aedric and Daedric artifacts behind when he left Nirn.

Banger 'n Mash: Now that we are going to get more into magic, me might see some Atronachs.