I need to address something. There's somebody posting what is essentially my story on Wattpad without my permission. BTW, I'd like to say thanks to the Guest who told me about it. -Shadow_Monarch- -Lord_Of_Tuna- has been copying entire blocks of text. Essentially whole chapters and changing just enough to make it a Minecraft x Danmachi story with a Female Bell. Entire paragraphs, story beats, and sections of dialogue are my work that this writer has copied and posted as their own work. They even admitted to copying my work in the comments!
So, -Lord_Of_Tuna-, since you're clearly reading my story, I'd like to address you. Part of me is flattered that you like my story enough to copy it. I wouldn't mind if you wanted to write something similar to it, or even use some of what I'd written IF you had gotten my permission. One person even did that, double checking with me before they started because they got inspired by my work and wanted to make sure they had permission. If you'd just wanted to take inspiration and had asked me for permission to use parts of my story or dialogue, I probably would have said yes.
The fact remains though, that you are basically taking my story and posting it as your own with minimal changes. I've looked at it. You didn't get my permission. You didn't acknowledge me or give me credit. You even admitted to copying from me in a comment when a reader called you out on it. So, I am asking you to stop. Remove my work from your posted story, and in future, actually write your chapters yourself. Plagiarism is theft. Asking permission is a sign of respect, therefore, please respect my work just as you would expect anyone to respect yours.
Well, I am sorry about that everybody, but I felt like it needed saying. On to the updates! First, I have started a new job, so my hours are going to be a bit weird. My updates shouldn't be any shorter and I'll still get at least one chapter out a month, but don't expect me to do any double uploads anytime soon. I'm not saying they'll never happen again! Just not likely while I'm getting used to my new hours.
That said, I greatly appreciate all the comments I've received since the last chapter. Your reactions were a lot of fun to read. I hope you'll keep the comments and reviews coming!
Also, 30 chapters! Holy crap! I can't believe I made it this far. Thank you all, so much for your support!
WARNING: There's a decent amount of talking about sex and prostitution in this chapter.
Hearthfire
Chapter 30
Torrhen
Orario, as Torrhen was coming to understand, was a city designed around disasters. From the timing of the first responders, to the speed of the investigators, efficiency of the clean-up crews, and how the people banded together until any given crisis was over; each and every one had impressed him. When monsters from the Dungeon had run wild in the streets after Monsterphilia, things had been back to normal in barely two days. When three Irregular Monster Rexes had appeared on the 18th floor, the adventurers had banded together, and things were set to be back to normal within a week.
It was no different in the aftermath of Phryne Jamil's rampage. The damage had been light, so there wasn't really a need for the cleaning crews. As Hestia had explained it, the powers granted by a Falna faded quickly, near instantaneously, after the god who created it 'dies' or rather, is sent back to Tenkai. Because of this, a scant second or two after Ishtar died, Phryne no longer had the strength she'd boasted as a Level 5. While this had seriously mitigated the damage she could do on her rampage, she didn't lose any of the strength built up in her actual muscles.
Even without her Falna, she was strong enough to seriously injure those who didn't have a Falna, or perhaps a few Level 1's. This, of course, included her fellow Ishtar members, all of whom had been stripped of their Falna by their goddess' death. Frenzy poisons also overrode the brain's own limitations on physical actions. Experimenters back in Tamriel had discerned that the brain only allowed for the conscious use of about a third of a person's true physical strength. Frenzy potions removed that limitation, so for a normal mortal, Phryne had still been fairly strong. Strong enough to do some damage to her surroundings and the suddenly unblessed followers of Ishtar around her but, not strong enough to be more than a minor, if disgusting, annoyance to Torrhen. Not by a very long shot.
The morning following the events in the Entertainment District and the death of Ishtar had been filled with uncertainty for most of the city. Rumors had run wild, and the investigators were still trying to piece together everything that had happened. They'd started with interviewing Aisha, while others went to gather the scattered members of the Ishtar Familia and medical teams treated the wounded. Only one person had been very close to death, a young Level 1, who Aisha said had been the one to hand over what had to have been poisoned wine to Phryne. Thankfully, he and all the other injured people survived.
From the sound of things, the boy wasn't to blame. He'd confessed to being run ragged by Phryne in preparation for a banquet and couldn't remember anything about someone slipping something into the captain's drink. He was experiencing some memory loss though, which, given the head-wound he'd sustained, wasn't too surprising. Torrhen suspected that the entire barrel of wine was poisoned. Interestingly, Aisha had mentioned that Ishtar had been livid about the barrels shortly before Phryne drank the poison. The goddess had apparently claimed that they had been marked for her own 'personal use.'
This, of course, was a major clue which set the investigators buzzing. Torrhen suspected they were eager to pin the blame of stolen potions on someone else. A volatile goddess who was known to mind-control mortals using that power to steal forbidden items from the guild vaults? That was a quick and easy conclusion and took the blame off of the Guild's shoulders. In their eyes at least. They were not entirely blameless though, not in Torrhen's book. The Guild had screwed up, badly, and Torrhen was not going to forget it. They'd continued to investigate and although Torrhen hadn't been allowed to see it, he did hear that the Guild Investigators had discovered more evidence that corroborated the theory of Ishtar's guilt. Something gnawed at Torrhen though. It was too easy.
Having been a thief, and an assassin, Torrhen knew a thing or two about evidence. He knew how to hide it, find it, and destroy it. For the investigators to find what they called 'conclusive evidence' within the first few hours of the investigation meant one of two things. Either Ishtar was very, very sloppy, or the evidence was planted there. If it had been planted though, who would have done it? Phryne? Unlikely. The Vice-Captain, Tammuz? Possible, but Aisha said he was seemingly devoted to Ishtar. Another god? More likely, but which one?
When he'd asked Hestia, she'd responded that the only gods Ishtar was openly hostile to were Loki and Freya. The events of that night though, were not Loki's style. Plus, Loki had been aware of their plans and would have warned them about any plots she had in motion. As for Freya, Hestia said she wasn't sure if the goddess was even aware of Ishtar. Freya had barely ever acknowledged Ishtar's existence, in public at least, so there was some doubt that she'd even bother dealing with Ishtar.
Still, poisoning a captain was closer to Freya's MO as far as Torrhen understood it. He couldn't be sure though, and the investigators were adamant that they'd already solved the case of how the poisons were stolen. Evidence apparently suggested that Ishtar was planning to use the potions AGAINST Freya, and the investigator didn't want to hear any of Torrhen's theories. Besides, Aisha confirmed that using poison was right up Ishtar's alley and, given her failed plans for Haruhime, he had to agree with that at least. The conclusion made sense, but something still didn't feel quite right to Torrhen.
He did have other things to worry about at the moment though. All of the members of the Ishtar Familia had been temporarily detained. Not arrested, just asked not to leave the city or join another Familia until the investigation was complete. Judging by how fast they were moving, it wouldn't be long until they were released. The investigators just wanted to make sure they found out if any of the adventurers had been involved in the theft or plotting before they escaped their clutches. Either by leaving the city or gaining the protection of another god.
Phyrne herself had been remanded to the custody of Dian Cecht's hospital, given her current state. The grotesque captain was poisoned and had been stripped of her Falna while the poison was ravaging her body, so she was in a bad way. She'd likely survive, Frenzy poisons usually weren't fatal on their own, but Dian Cecht and his members didn't have any experience dealing with Tamrielic poisons or their effects. She was in for a rough recovery given Dian Cecht was likely to stubbornly and bitterly refuse to ask Miach and Naaza for help. Not that they'd give it if he did ask.
Since Phryne wasn't in control of herself when she killed Ishtar, she wasn't likely to receive the ultimate penalty for killing a god, that being torn apart atom by atom, but she was probably in for a punishment of some kind. It was kind of a gray area since, from what they'd been able to determine, Ishtar had stolen the poison and Phryne had drunk it by mistake. This made her possibly complicit with the theft, which they couldn't determine until she was awake and coherent enough to speak, but at the same time she wasn't truly guilty of killing a god. For the time being, they'd settled on keeping her detained in the hospital while she recovered enough to testify.
As for Haruhime and Aisha, they were still living in the Ishtar Familia home, along with the rest of the currently detained members, until the investigation was complete. That was where Torrhen was headed, along with Mikoto. It was only mid-afternoon the day after Ishtar's death but the night before, the dark-haired girl had been reluctant to allow Haruhime out of her sight, let alone to go back into the Ishtar building. It had taken a while, but she eventually had been convinced to allow it by Bell, Chigusa, and Haruhime herself. Haruhime would be fine, and it would only be a day or two before she was safely living at Hearthfire Hall. For the moment, Mikoto wanted to visit and Torrhen had decided to accompany her so that he could properly meet the young Renard girl.
They gained entry easily enough and made their way up the stairs to Haruhime's room. Torrhen remembered the way from when he'd been sneaking around the building, trying to find her. The blonde Renard smiled brightly as she let them in, immediately glomping Mikoto once her fellow Far-Easterner had crossed the threshold.
"Are you alright?" Mikoto asked, worriedly as they separated.
"I'm fine," Haruhinme replied with a small smile. Her voice was quiet, and she seemed rather timid, but the joy on her face when she spoke to Mikoto was genuine. "It's not even been one day."
"I know, but I was hoping you'd be out of this place last night, not stuck here indefinitely" Mikoto said, exasperatedly.
"I don't want to be here either," the blonde admitted, "but at least for now, I have to be. I am looking forward to leaving though." She glanced at Torrhen, who gave her a small smile and a nod.
"Oh!" Mikoto started, appearing to suddenly remember that he was there. "Right, Haruhime, this is Master Torrhen. He is the Mentor of our Familia."
Haruhime's eyes went wide, and she smiled. "You're the one who freed Aisha from Ishtar's control?"
"I am." He nodded.
"Thank you," the Renard said, genuinely. "Aisha has been through so much, trying to protect me. I've never been able to do anything to help her, but I'm thankful you were able to free her."
"You are all free now," Torrhen replied. "Free of Ishtar at least. If you wish, as I know Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa do, you would be welcome to join the Hestia Familia." Mikoto nodded vigorously, seizing Haruhime's hand. "Though, if you would rather not, you are also free to go wherever you may wish to," Torrhen continued, drawing a confused look from Mikoto and a curious one from the Renard. He explained. "I know that you may be… adverse to the life of an adventurer after being forced to work for Ishtar so I would understand it if you wanted to leave that life behind."
Haruhime shook her head and grinned brightly. "I would be delighted to join the Hestia Familia," her smile faded, "but… what about Aisha? She's been my only friend here and I don't want to abandon her."
Mikoto and Torrhen glanced at one another. This had not even been discussed. Torrhen was not… against Aisha joining them, per-se, but it could cause complications. She was considerably stronger than Bell, their Captain. So was Torrhen, but he was retired and officially, he was just a teacher. She would be an active adventurer. Now, it was not a requirement that the captain be the strongest, but it was common enough to be expected. Easy to fix in the long run, Bell's growth was exponential, but it could look strange from the outside.
There was also the matter of Aisha's… other profession. Torrhen did not hold it against her, she clearly enjoyed what she did, but if she joined Hestia, it would have to stop. She could be as promiscuous as she liked, provided she caused no problems in the Familia, but prostitution was out. Hestia and most of their members were far too innocent for him to accept any hint of their members whoring themselves out. Aisha could sleep with whoever and as many people as consented, but it would be for fun. Not money. He was about to give voice to his thoughts when Aisha's voice interrupted him.
"Don't you worry about me, little one," she said from the door, where she was leaning against the frame. "I'll land on my feet."
Torrhen turned and smiled at her. "I have not discussed it with Goddess Hestia, but I personally do not have any objections to your joining the Hestia Familia. Only a few… concerns."
Aisha raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"
Torrhen nodded. "You have proven yourself to me, at least, in how you have defended Haruhime. That alone speaks enough to your character, that I have no objection."
"But you do have concerns?" She asked.
He nodded. "Not about your personality, abilities, or anything like that. Still, perhaps you and I should speak with the goddess? That is, if you are interested in joining the Hestia Familia at all."
Aisha stood in silent thought for a moment while Haruhime beamed hopefully at her. Finally, she looked up and met the blonde's eyes. Smiling, she nodded. "Alright," she said, "I'll meet with your goddess. I'd like to stick close to the kid if I can and I don't exactly have much to lose, do I?"
"Thank you, Lady Aisha," Mikoto spoke up. "For protecting Haruhime."
Aisha smiled. "Don't thank me." She glanced at the blonde. "She grew on me. Of course I'd protect her." Haruhime beamed.
"We could head over there now, if you'd like." Torrhen told them. "Both of you have been interviewed and cleared of suspicion so you are not forbidden from leaving the building, only the city. As long as you do not accept Hestia's Falna before the investigation ends, you will not break any rules."
"That's true!" Mikoto grinned. "Please, come with us!" She grabbed Haruhime's hands again. "I can show you around and introduce you to everyone!"
"Perhaps you should also fill her in on a few things?" Torrhen said, sternly. "After all, there are things we will be doing soon that she might not want to get involved in. Perhaps it would be best if she waits to officially join us until after?"
Mikoto nodded in understanding while Haruhime and Aisha looked on, confused.
"I'll explain later," Mikoto whispered.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Aisha asked. "Let's head on over."
It didn't take them long to make it across the city to Hearthfire Hall. Aisha whistled appreciatively as they walked through the gate. Haruhime was looking around wildly, trying to take everything in when Mikoto seized her hand and dragged her off, deep into the Hall.
"This is nice." Aisha admitted as they walked up the stairs. "All bright and homey."
"Well, Hestia is the Goddess of Home," Torrhen said, wryly, getting a chuckle out of the amazoness.
At the present moment, Bell was likely to be in his office dealing with paperwork of all things. With growing numbers came the need for reports and paperwork, something Torrhen greatly relished dumping on the poor boy. All things related to a Captain's duty were Bell's responsibility, paperwork included! Besides, Torrhen had his own work to do, tracking the growth of their members and helping create or tweak their training regimens.
Welf was likely in his forge or in the training yard with Ouka. Chigusa could never be found far from Ouka. Lili was also likely to be in her office, and Torrhen knew Hestia was in hers. So, he led Aisha through the building to the upper floor and knocked on Hestia's door. Hearing her voice from inside, Torrhen slipped in with Aisha just behind him.
Hestia
Hestia observed the amazon woman sitting in front of her. Dark haired, as all Amazon's were and scantily clad. She wore only a slim purple binding to cover her breasts, along with a few gold chains. She was wearing pants, but they were made of a completely transparent purple material, meaning that she was pretty much only covered by her underwear.
Aisha Belka sat, comfortably, in a chair in front of Hestia's desk, seemingly unconcerned with the environment and situation. If nothing else, Hestia could admire the woman's comfort in her own skin. Torrhen stood nearby, leaning against a wall while Bell and Lili were seated on a small couch and chair in the corner of the office. Secretly, Hestia used that couch to lounge around in her office, pretending to work, but nobody needed to know that. She got the work done! It just… involved more goofing off than she let on.
Back to the matter at hand though, this Aisha Belka was interested in joining her Familia and Hestia was torn. She wanted to immediately say yes. This woman was bright, strong, caring, and kind. She had likely endured horrific punishment at Ishtar's hands, just to protect Haruhime, and had been mentally enslaved for months, fighting to save the girl all the while. That was the kind of person Hestia wanted in her Familia. Torrhen was right to have concerns though. Finally, she gave voice to her thoughts.
"I'm with Torrhen," she said. "On nearly all levels, I have no objection to you joining my Familia. In fact, I would happily welcome you with open arms. We just need to manage his, and my, concerns first. Still, I want to assure you," She smiled, brightly, "that whether we can work them out and join us or not, you will always be welcome in my home."
Aisha smiled back at her. "What exactly are your concerns?" She asked.
"Firstly," Torrhen spoke up, "is the matter of your level." Hestia nodded.
"You are two levels higher than Bell, our captain." Hestia gestured to Bell, who smiled. "It is not required that the strongest member of a Familia be captain, but it is expected."
"Wouldn't that be Mr. Torrhen then?" Lili asked.
"Officially, I'm not on active duty, so I can't be captain," Torrhen told her. "I'm not interested in it either."
"My concern," Hestia continued, addressing Aisha, "is whether or not you would be able to accept orders from someone who is not only a lower level, but far less experienced than you."
Aisha sat for a moment in thought. Bell fidgeted anxiously, watching her.
"I spent years taking orders from that toad, Phryne" Aisha finally said. "She might have been stronger, but I hated following her. Still," she sighed, "I'm not interested in leading. I would be more than happy taking orders from someone I can respect. I've heard of the Rabbit Foot," she grinned at Bell. "People say he's quite the leader and his growth is supposed to be insane. It shouldn't be too long until he's stronger than me, so I can take orders from him." Her grin turned lecherous. "It helps that he's easy on the eyes."
"That, brings up my other concern." Hestia cut in, bringing Aisha's attention back to her. Bell's face had turned a shocking shade of crimson. Hestia sighed. "In truth, Aisha, I have no qualms at all with your lifestyle. It's not for me by any stretch of the imagination but you clearly enjoy it. At the same time, I don't think I can accept having a working prostitute in my Familia."
Aisha grimaced but nodded in understanding.
"That being said," Hestia continued. "I don't give a damn about who you sleep with." Aisha's grimace transformed into a look of confusion.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I am a virgin goddess," Hestia admitted. "A title given to me and a few others by the male gods of my pantheon who couldn't accept that we were not interested in men. Or women, in a few cases. It doesn't mean I or my fellows are actually virgins, nor bound by oath to remain one. Though, the title has kept at least some of the attention of men off of me. Still, for one known as a virgin goddess to suddenly have a working and thriving prostitute join as one of the more powerful members of the Familia would look… strange."
"I think I get it," Aisha nodded.
"However," Hestia continued again, "I have no intention of telling my children who they can or cannot date. I will not control their sex lives. So long as they are not doing harm to themselves, others, or the Familia, my members can sleep with as many people as they want."
Aisha tilted her head, listening carefully.
"With that in mind, this is what I think." Hestia laid out her idea. "If you join us, you can no longer act as a prostitute but, if you want to continue sleeping with anyone who consents, it's entirely your business. My only request is that you be VERY careful about who you approach within the Familia. I don't want conflict between members over something like this."
"It's more about the reputation of the Familia than anything else." Lili cut in. "Being known for having members actively involved in sex work isn't something we want. It just doesn't match with the image we've been trying to build, but having a member or two who like to sleep around is pretty common among the Familias in this city. It's the definition more than anything."
"So," Aisha spoke up, "you don't mind if I keep looking for strong men to sleep with; something I greatly enjoy, you just don't want me to do it for money?"
"Pretty much," Hestia nodded.
"Hm…" Aisha looked to be mulling over the idea in her head before grinning, lecherously. "To be perfectly honest, the money was just a bonus. I like having sex with strong men and I don't typically sleep with just anybody who has an open purse. They need to be strong too. Or at least interesting. I can live with your conditions, and I don't mind taking orders from the Rabbit Foot so, if you'll have me, I'd like to join your Familia, Goddess Hestia."
Hestia smiled at Aisha, relieved that things had been resolved so easily. "Once the current investigation is ended," she said, "we will welcome you and Haruhime with open arms."
Aisha grinned and nodded.
"There is one thing we should discuss though, before you join." Torrhen said.
"Another?" Aisha looked exasperated. "What now?"
"The fact that we are likely, within the next few days, to be at war." Torrhen said, bluntly.
Torrhen
"So, you don't really wear any armor when fighting?" Torrhen asked. It was the day after Aisha had met with Hestia, only two days to go before Apollo's party, and he was sitting in his forge talking with Ais, Tiona, and Tione about his enchanting services. They were the first of the Loki executives to come to see him about it. His question was directed at the twins.
"Not really," Tiona said, honestly. "We're Amazons. We don't like covering up too much, even if it leaves us a bit more vulnerable in a fight."
"That's partially why we're hoping you'll have a solution with your enchanting." Tione added.
Torrhen 'hmmmd' thoughtfully. He could easily enchant their gear, but armor enchantments only affected armor or, in this case, clothing. If the clothing itself offered no protection, the enchantment would be worthless.
"There's no way for me to increase the protective abilities of your normal clothes," he told them, honestly. "Armor enchantments kind of require there to be armor to work with. They don't work on uncovered areas."
"Aw, man." Tiona whined, disappointedly.
"What I can do, is enchant them with things like health or stamina boost and regeneration," Torrhen continued, causing the twins to perk up. "It'll give you some extra vitality or allow your wounds to heal themselves slowly while you're in combat. That or just give you more energy to move around, depending on what you choose."
"That could work," Tione admitted. "We don't really want to cover up more."
"I could," Torrhen told them, "remake your clothes for you out of better materials. Give them a bit of armoring. They'd look identical but would be more protective of the areas they cover. Slightly heavier though."
"That's not a bad idea," Tiona mused, looking at her sister. "You sure you'd have enough materials to make something that'd cover her, though?" She gestured at her twin's sizeable chest.
"He can use the scraps from mine to make yours, No Tits," Tione retorted.
"What?!" Tiona screeched, practically diving at her sister.
"I'm sorry about them," Ais said, quietly as she moved around the now arguing twins. "They always end up fighting, especially when clothes are involved."
"They're not the first I've met like that, and I doubt they'll be the last," he deadpanned.
It had been beyond traumatizing for him to overhear his own daughters fighting about which of them had a bigger bust. Not a conversation he'd ever wanted to hear coming out of the mouths of his little girls and it was not the worst he would overhear them having. Torrhen gave a mental shudder and refocused on Ais.
"Since they're distracted, what were you looking for?" He asked.
"You know how I fight by now," she replied. "I use speed mostly, so I'm hoping for some extra stamina, as well as some armor enchantments. I'm not opposed to getting entirely new armor, but I know that would likely be expensive."
Torrhen nodded. "Likely so. More expensive than your sword, but I could make sure it's unbreakable."
Ais stared at him in horror, causing Torrhen to laugh.
"The price goes down if you bring me the materials you want used," he told her. "If you've got them lying around or can get them on your next deep dive, just bring them to me. What about your sword? Any idea's for a weapon enchantment?"
Ais hesitated. "I have a contract," she admitted, "for my sword at least. I don't know how he'd feel about letting someone else work on it."
"Hmm." Torrhen hummed in thought. "All you can do is ask him about it. I can give you an example of my work to take to him so that he at least knows what you're talking about. Perhaps we could connect! I'd love to get to know a few of the other craftsmen around here. Tsubaki and Welf are the only other smiths I know in the city."
"I'd appreciate that," she told him, gratefully. Torrhen pulled out a rather nice frost enchanted sword and handed it to her.
"Take that to him as an example. If he's concerned, tell him I'm willing to show him what needs to be done to work on an enchanted blade without ruining it."
"Thank you," Ais smiled. She'd come a long way in the time he'd been working with her. In more ways than one.
She was much more open and friendly than she had been when she'd first shown up with Bell. At first, she had clearly only worked with Bell and Lili as a way to get him to spar with her, her all-encompassing drive to improve motivating her, but now she was a happy and willing participant. He'd often see her working with Bell and the others with a little smile of content on her face. Or, in some cases, confused blushes when she was watching Bell. More than once, he'd caught her just standing there, staring at his protégé, a look of confused interest on her face, like she wasn't quite sure why she was watching him.
Thinking of training did remind him though, that he had promised to teach her about fighting dragons. He had an idea about that, but needed to run it by Hestia, Loki, Finn, and Ais herself.
"I have an idea in the works," he said, causing her to look at him, instead of watching the twins, who were still arguing. "Something to do with the training I promised you."
Ais' eyes sharpened; laser focused on him. "What is it?"
"I still have to run this by Hestia, Loki, and Finn," he told her, sternly, "so don't get your hopes up." Then he sighed and explained. "There is a realm outside of Nirn or Genkai known as the Soul Cairn. It is an evil place which has ensnared many, both unsuspecting and foolhardy. One such being made a deal with the Ideal Masters, the lords of that realm, and became trapped there when they tricked him. By happenstance, I came across him when I was forced to journey across the Soul Cairn. I bested him in battle and was given the right to summon him as an ally in battle, no matter where I may be. The only condition being that once the battle I summoned him for was over, he would be free to explore the mortal plane once again. At least, until he was forcibly summoned back to the Soul Cairn."
"What does this have to do with my training?" She asked, somewhat impatiently.
"The being I encountered," Torrhen explained to her, "is named Durnehviir. He is a dragon."
Ais' eyes went wide. "You can summon a dragon?" She asked, quietly. "One you'll let me fight? Train against?"
Torrhen nodded. "If I can summon him here. That's why I need to check with Hestia and Loki first. Not to mention finding a secluded place to summon him where we won't attract attention. I have other ideas, if this doesn't work, but I thought I should let you know. I haven't forgotten my promise. I will teach you how to fight dragons, so long as you continue as you have. Spend time with your friends and family, don't drive them away. I'll work on figuring out if summoning Durnehviir is even possible in this world. Until then, we'll keep training the normal way."
"Thank you, Torrhen." Ais said, happily.
"My pleasure, Ais." He replied, before wincing as a horrible crash sounded from the other room. The twin's argument had spilled out in the hallway.
"If that's broken, you're paying for it!" He heard Welf shout.
There we go! Events with Ishtar wrapped up, Haruhime and Aisha will join the Hestia Familia, we're looking at enchantments for the Loki executives, and a mention of Durnehviir! What did you think? The voting for Aisha was overwhelmingly Hestia so that's what I went with.
Speaking of thinking, I have a question for you all! After the war games, what are you looking forward to most? Should I bring more Oratoria in or leave it out? Any guesses on the Xenos? Recruitment? Possible expeditions? Level ups? I'd love to find out what your thoughts and guesses are.
Another question. Should Aisha and Haruhime join before or after the War Game? I'm open to both options.
About Aisha. I just can't rationalize having her be a prostitute and be a member of a virgin goddess' Familia. It would just look too weird! But if she just likes to have sex then it's no problem. Like Lili said, it's about the definition, not the actual action. I'm sorry if this bothers people, but I hope the way I put it in the chapter makes sense! She's still
Aisha, and honestly the Aisha of canon didn't give a rat's ass about the money. She was a prostitute for the sex, not the money.
I'd still like suggestions on pairings for Haruhime. I like the idea of Haruhime x Mikoto, but I'm not sold on it if you all don't like it.
I'd also like suggestions for new armor for the twins and Ais. Any ideas out there?
Answers to Questions
Just as a blanket response: I love how many of you I surprised! I was honestly expecting most of the comments to say you saw that coming!
Also, to those of you who commented about Nazeem's death, I'm glad you liked it! I was trying so hard not to laugh while I was writing it!
On FFN
Bakapervert: I think I covered your concern well enough in this chapter, but just to clarify. She was rampaging with just her physical strength. She looks like she'd be all about brute strength even without the falna, so that's what I did.
Dactylis: I'm sorry, but the Drunken Hunstman is better as an archery shop than a tavern. I do like Elrindir though. Anybody who can put up with Nazeem and not kill him has the patience of a saint.
Phoenix Warehouse Productions: That is exactly the dynamic I'm going for! I am trying to show the Hestia Familia as being more like an actual family, if a slightly odd one. I'm glad you noticed, and I'm thrilled that you like it!
Marcii Winters: Those are some of the most enthusiastic comments I've seen in a while, and I love it! Thank you!
philipfry322: I've seen a few comments about that, but lest just say… I have an idea. It may not go the way you expect.
Backpack Bandit: Thank you very much! I hope you enjoyed this one too.
On Ao3
Blackenergy666: As to who gets the Barbarian Armor. Any suggestions?
RoAKingofShadows: Herma Mora is a possibility, but probably not in a human form. I'm not sure how I feel about daedric cameos just yet.