A/N: AN: I'm back! Cutting it a little close. I'm sorry about that, but I've been very distracted by the Fallout franchise. Couldn't get it out of my head which makes writing this difficult. I hope you enjoy it anyway!
I want to give a big thank you to you all, especially my readers on FFN if you can see this (because of course the notifications are down again). On last chapter, we crossed over 1000 reviews on Hearthfire on FFN! I love it and you! Thank you so much!
Your comments and reviews mean so much to me. They're my main source of motivation to keep writing so I really appreciate it if they keep coming. Thank you all so much. On to the chapter!
Hearthfire
Chapter 41
Torrhen
Torrhen whistled lightly to himself as he walked through the rebuilt streets of Rivira. The town within the Dungeon was very different to how it had been before the battle on the 18th Floor and yet totally unchanged. Like before it was covered in ramshackle buildings that looked like they were put together using scraps of whatever was lying around. Unlike before, it was laid out in an organized fashion.
Nice, wide roads streets the town like rivers and there were clearly defined districts. The central road through the town was the merchant's street. Stalls, carts, shops, and tents lined the main road where the merchants of Rivira could ply their trade. It was quite literally impossible to enter the town without walking by the merchants, making it easier for them to catch the eye of the gullible or wealthy that passed through.
Another section of the town was dedicated to the few craftsmen who made their living on the 18th floor and yet another was dedicated to the housing of full-time residents. Lastly, there was the inn and restaurant districts. Places for visitors and residents to eat and drink or for visitors with more money than sense to find a place to stay for the night.
Speaking of which, Torrhen was rather impressed by Welf's negotiating skills. His young enchanting apprentice had managed to secure them all lodging within the town for the night at one of the nicer inns and only had to give away a few rather exceptional pieces of enchanted armor. Well, exceptional for Welf's skill. Not Torrhen's.
The boy was learning quickly. His family's special connection to smithing and enchanting had transferred to the Tamrielic style, making it easy for the young redhead to learn and pick up on what Torrhen was teaching him. It would be a long time before the kid could be considered a master, but he was more than skilled enough to hold his own. If this were Skyrim, then he would be good enough to have his own fairly successful shop if he set up outside of a castle town.
Back in Tamriel, the best of the best would either strike out on their own or find work with powerful entities. Jarls, kings, the Legion or various lords within the Empire would all eagerly seek out those with even a modicum of talent in the enchanting arts. Those who did not want to work for anyone but themselves would set up shop in a town or a city and try to make a living that way. The ones who were more dedicated to research than to making money would be more likely to either join or stay with one of the magical organizations like the Synod or the College of Winterhold so that they could continue their research without having to foot the entire bill for their research materials.
Turning his thoughts to his other students, Torrhen couldn't help but smile with pride at how fast Bell and the others were progressing. Bell, his white-haired protege had performed beyond all expectations during this recent expedition. He'd been able to give clear, concise directions to his team and led the group through every encounter without managing to panic or lose his head. Though, given how the boy had risen to the challenge during the battle on the 18th floor, Torrhen wasn't surprised that he could lead his group in what amounted to a much more controlled environment.
Speaking of Bell, he'd decided that he wanted to explore outside the town and taken Ouka, Chigusa, and Daphne with him. Mikoto had shown Cassandra and Haruhime to the spot where the Loki Familia had been camping after their expedition. If he understood them correctly, the pair were planning on practicing a few spells and wanted an open space so that they could avoid any unnecessary destruction.
Welf, Lili, Aisha, and Torrhen himself were the only ones who'd chosen to stay in the town. Aisha had gone straight to the bars and the Nord had a feeling he wouldn't be seeing her till morning. As for Lili and Welf, the two of them were browsing the market stalls. Welf in the hope of selling off the stock he'd brought and Lili to help keep an eye on the redhead. Given her skill with money and haggling, the young Crozzo was happy to accept her advice even if he had to put up with her teasing him.
As for Torrhen? Well, he didn't really have a plan per-se. Mostly just to wander the town and take a look at the reconstruction. After the Dungeon was reopened, the adventurers of the town wasted no time in gathering materials and marching straight back down to rebuild. Apparently, it hadn't taken more than a week for the efforts to be well underway and the town to be almost back to normal.
The Dragonborn supposed, since he was here, that he should check in with Bors. The defacto leader of the town. Heading towards the central building that served as a meeting place of sorts, Torrhen kept his head on a swivel, searching for the gruff one-eyed human. It didn't take him long to find the loud man.
"I don't care if you're not getting any business, Gunter!" The large, short-haired Bors was shouting to a slimly looking Racoon that was cowering before him. "If you charge the highest prices in town, then your place should be the BEST inn in town! And yet somehow, your freshly rebuilt inn has managed to become the most disguising place in Rivira! It's not my problem if you don't give a rat's wet fart about cleaning the damn place, now get out of my sight!"
With a savage kick, Bors sent the slimy man flying back into the dirt. Picking himself up, the Racoon scrambled away in fear. Torrhen could see the man grumbling to himself as he approached. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Bors looked up. His one eye met Torrhen's and the man smirked.
"Well, now." He said, gruffly. "Wasn't expecting to see you down here." Bors walked up to Torrhen and stuck out a hand, which the Nord shook. "I figured our quaint little down was too far beneath the notice of a Level 10." He teased.
"Not at all." Torrhen smirked at him. "Your rebuilding efforts have been rather impressive. Since my Familia are here, I thought I'd take a look at how things have progressed. Though, I can see you're already dealing with local domestic issues…" He glanced towards the alley the Racoon had scurried down.
"Pfeh." Bors spit into the dirt. "Gunter's always been a piece of shit. Best to let him rot. As for you, if you want to talk, we might as well have a drink."
Torrhen followed as Bors led him into the central building which, of course, had a bar in it. Though, it was mostly deserted. Stepping behind the counter, the gruff human poured a strong-smelling liquid into two mugs and plonked one down in front of Torrhen. Taking a swig, Torrhen nearly grimaced. It was a foul moonshine-like concoction, but very strong. He supposed it was a drink that summed up the town of Rivira perfectly.
"Gotta admit." Bors took a swig. "When you showed up with Finn at that battle, I never expected you to be Level 10. The Braver vouched for your strength, so I thought maybe you were Level 5 or 6." He scoffed. "Guess I was way off."
"Everybody was." Torrhen commented lightly. "I believe Loki and Finn thought the same as you initially. After our first spar, Finn seemed to think I was Level 8. His face was quite comical when I told him how strong I really am." His face morphed into an amused grin.
"Heh." The one-eyed man laughed. "I'd have paid to see that. Still…" He paused. "I guess that means the thing you fought that day was strong enough to require a Level 10… wasn't it?"
Torrhen sighed at the obvious attempt to coax information out of him. "I can't talk about that, and you know it. You were at the after-action meeting where the Guild representative told us that any information about the creature was to be restricted."
"Mrhgmmfh." Bors grumbled unhappily. "Damn guild. Not matter what weird shit happens down here, they never tell us anything."
"I take it there's been more than just the one incident then…" Torrhen said, clearly fishing for more. Thankfully, Bors obliged.
"Too many to count." He scoffed. "Fights and brawls are normal down here, but it seems like odd shit happens at least once a month. It wasn't long, maybe a few weeks before the battle, that we had a murder down here over at Villy's Inn. Though, thankfully Finn and a few of the members of the Loki Familia were here to help figure things out."
Torrhen nodded along. He knew about the incident, of course. His Pallum friend had mentioned that shortly before their last expedition he'd been involved in a murder investigation that'd devolved into a fight of some kind.
"Fuckin-ell." Bors continued to rant. "Just last week we had a total nutjob come through spouting all sorts of nonsense!" Bors complained. "Damn fool nearly caused a riot."
Torrhen raised an amused eyebrow. "What did he do to cause such a ruckus?"
"He came stumbling up from 19 spouting some bullshit about fighting a Mad Beetle that was talking to him!" Bors scoffed. "He was half dead when he wandered up from down below and his whole team was wiped out so it's no wonder he'd lost his damn mind. Didn't stop the whole town from hearing about it and demanding information."
"A talking monster, eh?" Torrhen asked, keeping his thoughts about Daedra to himself.
"Tch. Yeah. Poor fucker totally lost his marbles. The Guild sent a few people to bring him back to the surface pretty damn quick, so hopefully the nut can get some help fixing what's left of his sanity, but they won't tell us a damn thing."
Torrhen sat quietly for a moment, listening to the rant. If the poor man was truly crazy, then the Dragonborn pitied him. Losing your entire team is a truly heartbreaking experience. If, however, he was telling the truth? Well, that would make things very… interesting.
Ais
Ais nervously stepped around the boulder, feeling a little self-conscious about her attire. She and the other ladies of the Loki Familia were clustered together in a shaded alcove adjacent to the shores of Lolong Lake. To be more specific, they were in a secluded inlet just off the bank. Tall cliffs of pale stone rose on either side while the alcove itself was covered in trees and giant boulders.
The bank of the lake itself was covered in a beautiful white sand beach that was totally devoid of life. Truly, it was a beautiful spot. Ais was certain she'd love to come here just to relax. Maybe with a few… one… specific person. Her face turned a bright red and she shook herself, vigorously trying to get the image of the white-haired boy out of her head.
"Aw. What's wrong, Aisypoo?" The redheaded goddess Loki teased from her perch on a boulder. "You don't like your outfit?"
Glancing down at the reminder, Ais once again felt self-conscious. Her clothes were a far-cry from her usual getup. Instead of her white and blue ensemble, she was now wearing a deep blue bikini that felt like it was a size too small.
Practically the moment they arrived at the hidden alcove, Loki produced the swimsuit from her bag and gleefully handed it to Ais. Not just her though. The redheaded pervert had prepared a suit for each and every member of the group and all but forced them to change into the revealing swimwear.
"It is a little embarrassing…" Lefiya admitted, coming up beside Ais. She too was wearing a tight bikini and was using her arms to cover herself as best as possible. Ais nodded along with her.
"Oh, come on." Tiona laughed. "It's not that bad." The amazon was laid out on top of a rock, stretching. Her long, bronzed legs flexed in the air while her scantily clad torso arched delicately across the warm stone, accentuating what assets she had.
"You're always wearing stuff this revealing!" Lefiya retorted.
"She's right." Ais added. "I don't like wearing so… little… in public."
"Oh?" Tione smirked, peering closely at Ais' face. The older of the twins was practically spilling out of her top, causing Loki to drool. "You sure about that? Maybe it's just the company. I have a feeling you'd be very happy wearing this if a certain white-haired captain we know was here."
Once again, Ais' face was on fire. She looked away, flustered and unable to meet Tione's eyes. "I… I don't…" she stammered. She really didn't know what to say. Yes, she found Bell attractive. Yes, he was the first person she'd really felt that way about. Yes, she liked to spend time with him but that didn't mean she should feel so… weird about it! She'd never felt anything like this before and didn't know what to do! She didn't even know what this was!
"White-haired?" Lefiya asked, confused. Then she gasped, hands going to her mouth. "Bell?!" She all but shouted. "Ms. Ais, you like Captain Cranel?!"
"I…" Ais froze, her mind going blank. She'd never encountered this before! The blonde swordswoman was used to killing monsters, not dealing with feelings about boys!
"That's enough." Riveria said, calming the others down.
She alone was still clad in her normal attire. Even Loki had changed into a bikini, but the green-haired elf refused to do so point blank. Going so far as to bash their goddess over the head with her staff when the redhead tried to get handsy. She might be a massive pervert, but even Loki knew to back off if someone said 'no' and really meant it.
"We are here for a job and while I agree this is a good place to relax, it is unfair of you to tease Ais like this. We have more important things to worry about."
"Right!" Loki shouted and jumped off her bounder onto the sand. "We're here to check the seal but before we do that, we should test out the water-breathing rings! Everybody got theirs on?"
Glancing down, Ais used her left hand to spin the simple golden band around her right index finger. It was hard to believe that such a small object would allow her to overcome her fear of drowning, but this was Torrrhen's work. He had a habit of making the impossible a reality.
"Got it!" Tiona shouted, springing up and seizing Ais' hand. "Come on, Ais! We should teach you how to swim before we go investigate!" The blonde nervously let herself be dragged along behind the other girl until they reached the edge of the water. Luckily, it was calm. Barely any waves disturbed the surface and there was a very shallow decline leading away from shore.
"Take it slow." Tione came up from behind and put a hand on her shoulder, carefully guiding Ais into the water. She, Lefiya, Loki, and Riveira had all followed them to the edge of the water. Letting her friend guide her, the nervous girl let herself be pulled deeper into the lake until the waterline was just beneath her chest. Further out in the lake, Tiona was already diving in and out of the water.
"It works!" She cackled, holding up her ring hand. "I can breathe underwater!" She backflopped under the water again and didn't resurface.
"Take my hand." Tione said, pulling Ais' hands into her own and drawing her attention away from the frolicking girl. "We'll go under together, right?"
With a gulp, she swallowed her nervousness and let her friend's gentle voice soothe her pounding heart. She'd been utterly terrified of the water since she was a little girl, and this was her best chance at overcoming that fear. It was reassuring to have her… family there with her.
"Ready?" She nodded. "Okay. 1. 2. 3." Ais took a deep breath, shut her eyes tight, clamped her hands down onto Tione's and bent her knees, dropping below the surface of the water. A feeling of panic took over the instance the water covered her nose, and the blonde was forced to fight the instinct to immediately rise back to the surface. Only Tione's grip on her hands kept her grounded.
After a moment, she tried to open her eyes. An immediate burning sensation filled her eyes and Ais was forced to violently stand back up, releasing her grip on Tione. Her hands flew to her face, trying to rub away the burning pain.
"Aarh" She groaned in discomfort.
"Ah, crap." Tione grimaced, coming back up. "I'm sorry, Ais. I should have considered that you aren't used to opening your eyes under water."
"It's alright." Ais muttered, the pain fading. At the very least, it hadn't lasted long.
"Maybe this'll help." Loki said, wading into the water. She held out what looked like a pair of bulky glasses but covered in leather of some kind. It looked like they were designed to completely enclose the eyes and attached to the head by means of a leather strap.
"What is it?" Ais asked, taking the contraption.
"Goggles." Loki shrugged. "They're designed to keep dust out of your eyes in places like deserts or in really windy areas. A few smiths I know use tinted ones to keep sparks out of their eyes when they work in the forge. I asked Tsubaki to modify these, so they'd be waterproof. Should make it easier to see underwater. And yes, Lefiya." She turned to the elven girl, anticipating the question. "I have more than one pair if you want one."
"Thank you, Loki." Ais muttered in gratitude. Placing the goggles on her head, she slid the eye pieces over her own. There was an odd suction feeling but it seemed that they would stay put. Turning to the patiently waiting Tione, the blonde steeled herself. "Let's try again."
Taking her hands once more, Tione counted down from three and the two plunged beneath the surface of the lake. After a moment, she opened her eyes again. There was no water inside the goggles. Her eyes felt dry. Gazing out of the glass lenses, Ais marveled at what she saw.
The world was filled with a strange blue haze that tinted everything around it. She could see hazy beams of light splashing across the surface of the water above her. Directly in front of her was Tione, eyes wide and grinning at her. Glancing to her left, Ais looked over towards the drop-off and the deeper part of the lake. The blue color got darker and blacker the further out she looked. After a moment she saw Tiona swim back up over the top of the drop-off, grinning happily.
Ais was so distracted by the beauty of it all she didn't notice that she was running out of air until her lungs started to burn uncontrollably. With a savage gasp, she tried to rise back to the surface, but Tinoe held her tight. Instead of taking a lung full of water, she felt only slightly cool air enter her lungs. It was a very… odd sensation to be sure. It was like the water was entering her mouth but the moment it hit the back of her throat, where it should have started to choke her, it was transformed into clean, cool air.
Experimenting, she took several deep breaths, grinning happily. A muted "thwish" sounded to her right. Glancing over, she saw a goggle-clad Lefiya now underwater, smiling at her while she too tested out their new ability to breathe underwater. Looking at Tione, Ais gestured upwards and stood, dragging the amazon with her. The moment they were out of the water, the blonde pulled the other girl into a hug.
"Thank you." She whispered. Tione just hugged her a little tighter. After a moment, they pulled away.
"Right. You can breathe now, so lets teach you how to swim." Ais grinned in eager agreement.
Riveria
"It's nice to see her having so much fun." Riveira near-whispered to herself. She was standing on the banks of the lake watching as Tione carefully taught Ais how to swim. Next to them, giving the young blonde human encouragement was Lefiya, the elder elf's apprentice. Occasionally, she could see Tiona, the younger amazon twin surface deeper out into the lake and shout encouragements back towards the group in the shallows.
When they'd first found Ais, it was Riveria who'd taken charge of caring for the scared and angry little girl. She'd taken on the role of pseudo-mother to the poor child and admittedly missed the days when Ais was small.
"Heh. Mama Riveria strikes again." Loki cackled, cutting off her reminiscence. Riveira turned to glare at the goddess but stopped short. There was an almost pained expression on the redhead's face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, softly.
"Tione's not wrong, is she? Ais is all grown up and now she's falling for the kid."
Riveria sighed. Relationships between members of different Familia were always… difficult. If they progressed towards the idea of marriage or kids, then one of the partners would nearly always be forced to leave their Familia to join the other. It didn't happen every time, but that was the norm. Neither Riveria nor Loki would ever want to let Ais go but if their relationship progressed, then they may not have a choice.
"Yes. I think she is. I know for a fact that Bell is head over heels for her. The real question is if you and Hestia will allow it." That was, admittedly, the biggest obstacle facing inter-Familia couples. Did the gods they served allow the relationship to progress?
"We've… already discussed it." Loki admitted, to Riveria's shock.
"What did you decide?" she asked, hesitantly and in no way hopeful for a positive answer because of the machinations of her own heart. No. Her definitely non-existent (100% real) developing feelings for Torrhen did not affect her hopes for a positive answer. Nope.
Loki gave a heavy sigh. "Now that her Familia is number 3? I can't argue against it. They're our allies and I just… can't do that to Ais. IF it happens, we've agreed to let it happen. With Ais, Bell, and any other members who want to try something." She glanced sidelong at Riveria, who turned her nose up at the knowing glance.
"I don't know what you mean. Are you finally admitting you find Lady Hestia attractive?" The elf countered, trying to turn the accusations back at Loki.
"Fuck, yes." Loki breathed out. Riveria's jaw dropped. "Oh, don't look at me like that!" The redhead snapped. "I love boobs and Hestia's are the biggest I've ever seen! I thought she was hot even when we fought like cats and dogs. Now that we're friends, I even get to tease her about it." And cue the lecherous grin. Riveria hung her head in shame at the perverted giggles coming out of her goddess.
Hestia
"I must admit… you're probably the last person I'd ever expect to be sitting on the other side of this desk." Hestia said, cautiously. She was in her office within the mostly vacant Hearthfire Hall. Sitting at her desk with various papers scattered across it, she'd been spending the last hour working on going through her usual daily paperwork when the doorbell rang.
Her… surprise visitor was most certainly NOT the person she'd been most expecting to show up out of the blue. Indeed, it was hands down the last person she expected to drop in unannounced. Silver hair cascaded down the back of the chair while the woman straightened her red and black… dress… thing. Whatever it was, it barely covered the skin of the goddess Freya.
"Yes, well… I thought it best to be as sudden and… discreet as possible when coming to see you. Best not to let the guild get wind of anything that might make them panic." Freya replied, softly. Indeed, she'd shown up draped in a concealing cloak that was now laid across the back of her chair. Clearly trying to ensure nobody knew she'd come to visit.
"Are you expecting the outcome of this conversation to result in some sort of panic?" Hestia asked, defensively.
"No." Freya shook her head. "In fact, I feel that it will go a long way to soothing a few of their concerns. It's just that the guild is so… jumpy right now. Best not to let them know we're speaking at all, you know?"
"Hmm." Hestia hummed, noncommittally.
She couldn't figure out Freya's angle. The Norse goddess of beauty had been a thorn in her side since nearly the beginning. In fact, she'd nearly gotten Bell killed with her little minotaur stunt. Yet, she'd also defended Hestia at more than one Denatus. The silver-haired goddess was an enigma she just couldn't figure out.
"Well," The goddess of the hearth sighed, "out with it. You clearly want something, so what is it?"
"Oh," Freya put a hand over her amused smile, "dear Hestia, I want a great many things. But, for the purpose of this visit, you could say that I want peace. A… mutual non-aggression pact."
Hestia's eyebrows disappeared into her hair in surprise. "Peace? Really? You expect me to forgive the fact that you nearly got my captain killed?" There was a slight hint of venom in the protective goddess' voice.
Freya all but pouted. "No," she admitted. "I do not. However, I am very aware that while you are technically the third most powerful god in the city, that power rests on the shoulders of just one man. If you wish to secure your position, you need time to build up your numbers and the strength of your other members. I am suggesting nothing more than a stay of any aggression to allow you that time."
Hestia grimaced. "Time which you will use to bolster your own forces."
"But of course." Freya admitted, waving a hand. "In truth, the only reason I… tested young Bell was that he caught my eye. Such a pure soul. As for Torrhen, well… who could resist?" There was a lecherous gleam in her eye that sent a shiver of unease through Hestia's spine. "Still, I must put such interests aside for the moment. Loki's recent… impressive gains mean that my position as the most powerful goddess in the city is in jeopardy."
"And you want the time to gather strength and secure your place as number 1." Hestia nodded in understanding. She glared at Freya; eyes narrowed. "You are aware that Loki and I are allies, right?"
"I am aware." Freya nodded. "Indeed, I suspect half the city knows your Familia and Loki's are close by now. Your young Cranel and Loki's Ms. Wallenstein have been seen being quite friendly with each other on multiple occasions since Apollo's defeat. Not to mention the fact that high ranking members of the Loki Familia are near daily visitors to your home."
"Then why would you ask me to do this? You know I can't agree if it means putting Loki, my ally's position in danger." Hestia asked, hotly. "Not to mention the fact that you started the aggression when you tried to get Bell killed!"
"I was trying to test him," Freya defended herself, "not kill him." Hestia didn't quite believe her and made sure it showed. "And I don't expect you to simply sit back and let me fight Loki. I told you; I want to avoid riling the guild. My intention is to propose a period of non-aggression with Loki as well once she returns. My members will avoid antagonizing any of yours or Loki's so long as yours and hers do the same. And I will, of course, refrain from interfering with your people like I did during the minotaur incident."
"So, you're suggesting that we ignore each other? All" Hestia asked, seeking clarification.
"Yes." Freya nodded. "Similar to the situation with Loki before Torrhen arrived in the city except this would be a formal agreement. It used to be that if our members met inside the Dungeon, mine and Loki's would likely fight each other but would remain mostly peaceful on the surface. I will order my people to avoid being so antagonistic both on the surface and in the Dungeon, if you and Loki will do the same."
Hestia sat in thought for a moment. Ever since the minotaur incident she'd known, in the back of her mind, that she and Freya would one day butt heads. Freya's dominating and controlling nature would not allow anything that caught her interest to escape for long. Yet, it was that same nature that was now working in her favor. The silver-haired goddess was forcing herself to put her personal interest in Bell and Torrhen aside in favor of ensuring her position as strongest remained unchallenged.
The only way to do that was to have a force strong enough to stand up against Torrhen and probably the Loki Familia's combined power. Hestia didn't think that was possible though, so there must be another angle. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at the other goddess.
"And that's all you want? Just mutual non-aggression?" she asked, suspiciously.
"Well, I wouldn't object to begin allowed to purchase enchantments from your members." Freya replied with feigned nonchalance. "Hephaestus' dear Tsubaki is good, but she is clearly far behind Torrhen and your young Crozzo boy."
"The members of the Freya Familia are more than welcome to purchase from Welf's shop." Hestia told her with a deadpanned voice.
"That will work just fine for some, but we both know the boy is not good enough to equip someone like my Ottar. I want access to Torrhen's services." Hestia sat back and sighed.
"Torrhen works by commission and contract only. It's entirely up to him if he makes anything for your people. I cannot and will not order him to do so."
"No." Freya smiled. "Nor do I expect you to, which is why I intend to ask him personally. If you'd allow that, of course." She bowed her head in false deference.
Hestia glared at the other goddess, eyes glowing.
AN: There we go! So, what did you think? Like it? Nothing too strenuous this episode but a few interesting conversations. Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments! I'll probably have a single chapter soon dedicated to the events in Melen, cause they need to progress. Maybe next chapter. I'm not sure yet.
I realized thanks to some comments that I'd actually introduced a new OC/Reference character every chapter for the last 5 or so chapters. That's difficult to avoid with the direction I'm taking things but I wanted to avoid introducing anybody new for the time being. Likely not until the recruitment chapter just so you're aware.
I do want to re-stress though that they are REFERENCES only. Penny isn't just magically there from the RWBY world. This is technically an OC who uses her face and general personality but grew up and has a background in the Danmachi world. Even so, they will be background characters. The only ones that will get real spotlight will probably be the ones in the Miach Familia so don't worry. This story won't suddenly turn into a focus on OC's and reference characters. They're just there to add a bit of excitement and fill out the world.
Answers to Questions
On FFN
Walkmanapprenticewordsmith: Glad you liked my choices! I'm also glad you're ok with me going off book.
Christalm: Thank you! I"m glad you liked it. About Sword Oratoria, I'll try to keep up with it, but it is difficult when I have other things I want to do. I've gotten a few audiobook versions to try and help but they only go so fast when I'm watching/listening to other stuff as well.
Frostwolf3227: Well that's a very interesting idea. I hadn't considered having Astraea know Jyggalag. I didn't know the thing about Revis. As for the Skyirm perk thing, I kind of already gave one to Welf and Tsubaki. Techinically the enchanter skill is a Skyrim perk.
NinjaFang1331: Thanks!
Monkey D. Conan: I'm glad you liked it! Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the reference characters. They're so much fun to work with.
Vmage2: Definitely not crying.
Blueassassin996: We'll get back to them soon!
LionLordEscanor: Thank you! I'm glad you like it! If I do have to go off script or use info that doesn't exist, I'll try and make sure I leave a notice about it at the end of the chapter.
Haziq Saffari: Thank you! I couldn't find any information on her appearance! And yes, thats Erza from Fairy Tale and Pyrrha from RWBY.
Neo Juubi no Ryu: I'm glad you like what I did! We will be getting to see more of Pyrrha and Erza later. I have a few ideas in mind but nothing set in stone yet. As for magic bolts, Lili already has access to the basic enchanted bolts from the Dawnguard DLC.
Lost Dingo22: Having an elf join would be interesting but I doubt Riveria is the jealous type. As for Leafa, maybe. I liked early SAO but dropped it later. It just felt like it went on too long.
Kharlsonn123: That's comment 1000!
BauxiteGlue: Thank you so much! About Ryuu's level, we will see that soon enough! I'll go back to her in a few chapters and we'll get to see what she's up to.
The Disquieting One: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and thank you for adding this to TV tropes! I appreciate it! We'll get back to Miach in a chapter or 2.
Jamerz06: I hope you liked it!
AvirRapter: If you're caught up, I hope you enjoyed the story!
On Ao3
MagnustheRed: We'll see who gets added and who doesn't soon! As for Naaza x Airmid, I'll admit the idea is growing on me. No promises though.
RoAKingofShadows: I'm not the biggest fan of horror games so I admit I haven't heard of Poppy Playtime. I'll take a look at it though.
Phoenix_Warehouse_Producitons_2: Absolutely love that song! Miracle Of Sound is one of my top 5 favorite artists. Skal is more of a Nord song though. I'm not exactly comfortable with putting lyrics into my work because I don't know the rules but I would love to include that in a Skyrim flashback more than anything else. I doubt there would be singing at the drive though.