A/N
Hey everyone. In the spirit of the new year I decided to post this here as another bonus release. Before anyone gets annoyed that I am not updating more of PFTG or anything, I wrote this over the last few months, a few hundred words at a time when I had a few moments and felt like adding to it. It's actually been finished for weeks, but not enough people voted for it to be published. And seeing as it was finished and the new year is here, I thought I would publish it for you as a thanks for your support. You all mean the world to me.
If you want to read ahead on Plan for the Galaxy, the next four chapters are available on my pat-re-on. If you want to vote for this story to be updated in the monthly poll, you can also find them on pat-re-on. Look up Bored Peasant's Written Works.
Special thanks to Arrimar26, Ben wanless, BuzzGrave, Ezoz, FallenMetalGod, Cesar Montemayor, Doglore63, EndlessWaltz00, GoshawkTheBird, joshua scruggins, Kushtacah, liam darrell, MathTheOriginal, r4p16, Ranger and sonic for all your support. It means so very much to me.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
…
CHAPTER 2 – MEETING THE GODDESS
Walking through the streets of Orario was an interesting experience as it started to get dark. There were none of the electric lights that I was used to, nor electricity of any kinds. Instead, lamps would have a cover slide off them to reveal a glowing magic stone underneath, providing all the light for the streets.
It was not as bright as the streetlights I had always had individually, but they were closer together to provide roughly the same brightness you would find walking through a night market somewhere. At least on the main streets. There was no light provided for alleyways, and only a small smattering of side streets had any form of lighting, and it certainly wasn't anywhere near as bright.
There were plenty of people milling around or marching with purpose towards the southeast, which was the pleasure district, if I recall the map I saw at the guild hall earlier. Ishtar territory. Something to know for later, but not for now.
Really, it was more obvious than ever that I had been sent to a world that didn't exist with modern technology. I felt a little out of my depth here. None of the modern comforts I was used to. No wifi, no TV, no radio… it was going to be a learning curve, that was for sure. Mostly in patience, I guess.
Now that I thought about it, it wasn't too bad. I would likely be busy in the dungeon so often it would be like being on a mission in the field, sans guns and radio. You didn't go high tech entertainment when performing advanced recon in enemy territory, which meant finding other ways to pass the time. Counting stars became a long habit of mine during such missions or thinking up new recipes or songs. Others wrote poetry or painted, though in the field they would mostly stick to drawing or doodling. It made a person learn how to make their own entertainment on those missions, without internet or Wi-Fi.
That was my approach to this. No tech available, just me and my skills. Travelling in a new world.
I made my way through the streets, occasionally asking for directions. Anyone I asked either looked derisive or like they pitied me, but they all gave me the location of my goal regardless. Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of walking, I reached my target. A quaint house.
The house was a simple townhouse, matching the other dwellings around it, three on either side, perfectly. Two stories tall and made of a combination of stone for the lower level and wood for the upper level. They looked cozy and if I was to guess the architecture then I would say that they could have been found in country cottages in England, with a modern suburban twist.
I looked around, noting that it was actually very quiet. The whole place seemed dead, except for the light that was coming out of the one house in front of me. None of the other houses had a single light or noise coming from them. It was early enough in the evening that it wasn't because everyone was in bed and it was late enough that people should be home having dinner.
I guess I underestimated how much people didn't want to be anywhere near the Tyche Familia.
I didn't care though, so I strode forward and knocked on the door.
There was a long pause before the sound of feet on wooden floorboards could be heard, moments before the door opened.
The young woman, or goddess I supposed, looked like she was about twenty years old. She was very beautiful, exceptionally so as a matter of fact, with golden blonde hair that fell over one shoulder, wide green eyes, a perfectly symmetrical face and full, pouty lips. Honestly, she looked like she was an AI made picture back in my previous life. Not only that, you could feel that there was something else there, a presence or power that was hidden or locked away but not truly gone. It was what made it easy to tell that the woman in front of me was the goddess I was looking for.
She was shorter than me too, her head only coming up to my shoulder. And while she was wearing a loose toga-inspired dress that ended mid-thigh, it was easy to see that her body was just as attractive as her face, a decent cleavage, at least a C-cup, if not a full D, and nice legs completing the package.
Still, after a few seconds of being surprised at how beautiful the goddess was, I took a closer look and saw that she had puffy bags under her eyes, clueing me in to a lack of proper sleep and maybe even some crying. Her overall demeanour was slumped over and depressed. Even now, she was looking up at me with a resigned expression, like she was expecting me to act in a certain way and just wanted me to get it over with so she could go back to whatever she was doing.
"Yes?" she asked softly. "Can I help you, sir?"
I mentally shook off my observations and focussed on the goddess. "Yes, hello," I said with a soft smile. "Are you the goddess Tyche?"
The sadness in her gaze, the sheer tired resignation, deepened further. "Yes," she muttered. "You are correct."
"Oh great," I said cheerfully, trying to counter the depressed mood that she was giving off. "I was wondering if I might have a few minutes of your time. Might I be able to come in and talk with you?"
She gave off a sad sigh. "I'm sorry, but if you just want to be another person that makes fun of me, I really don't want to hear anything else." She started to close the door.
"No, please!" I said quickly before she could shut it completely. "I'm not here to make fun of you or mock you. I really do want to talk."
She stared at me for a long moment through the gap in the door, probably using that ability that all the gods had to be able to tell when someone was lying to them. Finally, she opened the door wider and straightened up slightly, probably a little relieved I wasn't here to mock her. It did wonders for her posture, and made her chest stick out a little further. Not that I was looking.
"Very well," she said softly. "Please follow me."
She led the way inside, letting me follow her into the house. I closed the door behind me and looked around. It was a tastefully decorated sitting area, clearly designed to meet with guests without letting them come further into the house. There was a doorway on the back wall that led further into the house, but it was closed, blocking any view that I had of the area beyond.
Striding over to a nice, but slightly worn two-seater couch, Tyche took a delicate seat and gesture for me to take a seat opposite on an identical couch. I sat down to realise pleasantly that it was one of the most comfortable couches I could remember sitting on.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Tyche asked tiredly, her face looking like she was just wanting this conversation to be over already.
I tilted my head at her, consideringly. "Well," I said slowly, "I came here because I am looking to join a familia, and according to the guild, you were willing to accept new people."
She stared at me for a long moment like what I had said wasn't completely registering. Then, slowly, what I had said seemed to sink through the depressed haze surrounding the goddess and she gaped at me incredulously.
"Wait," she stammered. "You want to join my familia? Really?"
I gave an amused nod. "That is what I said, yes," I confirmed with a lopsided smile.
Her gaping expression firmed into a suspicious glared. "This isn't a joke, is it?" she demanded. "I will not sit here and listen to another person coming to laugh at my misfortune."
I raised my hands to stave off any suspicions. "No it is not a joke," I assured her. "I arrived in the city today and made my way to the guild. When I was told that I had to join a familia before I could register as an adventurer, I asked for a list of all the gods that were accepting new members. Your name was on the list and is my first choice."
A scared expression flittered across the goddess's face. "This isn't a dream, is it?" she whispered to herself, loud enough that I could hear it. "I'm not imagining this, am I?"
I raised an eyebrow as I stared back in mild amusement at her byplay, and a little sympathy. She looked like she wanted to hope that it was real but was afraid that I was about to snatch it all away from her. Despite my dislike of the Danmachi gods in general, I couldn't help feel sorry for her, seeing the genuine pain that she was going through and the vulnerability that she was showing in this moment.
"It is real," I confirmed again. "I want to join the familia of the goddess Tyche."
The blonde goddess looked at me, a tinge of desperation marring her features. Then, seeing that I was serious, an ecstatic smile broke out over her face and her entire countenance lightened up in response.
"But," I continued, "I have some conditions."
Her smile faltered and she looked a little crestfallen, before she squared her shoulders and looked at me seriously. Honestly, she looked like I was about to pronounce a judgement against her. "And what conditions are those?" she asked solemnly.
I nodded. "First," I began, "I am aware of the tendency of gods to treat their familias as toys or objects, things that can be traded at their whim. You will never trade me without my permission, nor will you trade anyone who joins this familia from this time forth without their full and complete consent, and you will not manipulate, pressure, or attempt to trick anyone into giving their consent. We are all people with our own free will and I will not have you treat me or anyone that joins us as an item or a slave to be given away at will."
"Agreed," Tyche said quickly, looking relieved at the condition.
"Secondly," I said, raising a second finger, "I will not be forced to obey any of your commands. I will listen to council, but if I choose to go against a plan that you have made, I will do so and without penalty or punishment to myself. That means if you make a deal that has anything to do with me, without consulting me and getting my agreement first and I don't agree to it, then you will suffer the embarrassment and consequences of breaking the agreement and I will not comply with it."
A small thoughtful frown crossed her face for a moment as she stared at me, before she nodded. "Agreed."
"Thirdly," I held up a third finger, "I will not be underneath anyone of this familia. Whether or not you appoint me as captain or get someone else to do it when we get more members, I will not be subject to them and will be able to ignore any directions that they give if I so choose."
This made her blink for a moment. "I think you are overestimating how many people want to join my familia," she said a little confused. "Most people don't want to be associated with me."
"Nevertheless," I replied sternly, "I don't care if it stays as you and me, or if we get a hundred new members, I will not be ruled by anyone. That is non-negotiable."
She looked at me for a long moment. "You have very real concerns about being controlled, don't you?" she asked.
I shrugged. "This world has gods that can cause your mind to be lost, like with Freya and Ishtar and their charm abilities. And having been in the military I have seen far too many people that were charged with disobeying orders when those orders were likely to get themselves or others killed. I refuse to be caught in a situation where I am expected to blindly obey people or follow orders I don't agree with. And I will not be controlled by anyone or treated like a toy you can just give away."
She stared at me for a very long moment before she finally gave a slow nod. "I can understand and accept those conditions," she conceded. "Anything else?"
I considered for a minute. "A flat rate of five percent of all valis made in the dungeon is to be given to the familia by any and all members. That five percent is to be used for the benefit of the familia, and not your personal expense account."
She grimaced. "What if I need to go to get clothes for a meeting with the other gods?" she asked. "I can't look like a slob or it will make the familia look bad."
I considered, then nodded. "Very well," I said. "If you need formal gowns or clothes then I can agree to you using the money for that. But if you start lavishly spending our savings on your own selfish interests, then I am gone."
She gave a much happier nod. "Of course. I wouldn't do anything like that." She shook her head. "This all feels like a dream," she confessed with a small, relieved smile. "I was so lost after all those fines from being wrong about Ishtar and her familia. I thought that I would never have a familiar again. I was going to be returning to heaven in the next few days."
I hummed. It seemed like I was just in time to get a fairly acceptable goddess. I could almost shudder at the thought of being left with Xolotl.
"That's good to know. But I think you should know, you weren't wrong about Ishtar," I replied.
Tyche frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked quizzically.
I shrugged. "I mean, you were wrong, but technically you were also right. She has a renard in her familia. Though, admittedly, the young girl is actually a slave and was bought from someone after her own father sold her." As a modern world man, that little nugget wasn't sitting well with me. I realised that this world ran things differently but like hell was I ever going to condone slavery. I might not be able to change the world yet, but I can do a little about it in Orario, once I get strong enough. That was if I wanted to draw a lot of heat to myself. I was currently undecided if it was worth waging a one-man war for that yet. But I could at least do something about the one I knew of.
Tyche froze as she seemed to realise the implications. "Renards have their own magic," she whispered, clearly working it through for herself. "Pure sorcery. And one of their spells is that they can briefly level up another person."
"For about fifteen minutes," I agreed. "In a pinch, they could get a quick boost and fight like a higher level, but when they were inspected by the guild, that powerup had long since faded, returning them to their actual level. I imagine that your people encountered the Ishtar Familia in the dungeon or somewhere else that they needed to fight and they saw them fighting above their reported levels. Then they told you and you reported it to the guild."
As I spoke, Tyche's face got paler and paler as it sunk in what had really happened. Her delicate hands clenched into white-knuckled fists and I am sure that if her nails were longer they would have cut into the skin on her palms.
She slowly brought her hands up in front of her, then thrust the sharply down to her sides.
"THAT BITCH!"
I could swear that I almost heard her voice get multilayered as she screamed so hard her voice shredded. The blonde goddess jumped up from her chair and started pacing furiously in front of me.
"She knows that there's no rule against temporary power ups by spells," she hissed. "She could have said at any time that she had a renard. She was happy to sit and watch as my familia ran itself in circles, scrambling to find evidence as the guild turned up nothing. Watching as my members left to find somewhere that could afford to support them. Stealing two of my best girls and forcing them to whore themselves out just to rub it in my face. I bet she thought it was so funny to be able to pull that over me, forcing me to know that they are doing that to themselves."
I let her ramble as she built up a head of steam. The fact that Ishtar took her girls and had them whoring themselves out, somehow didn't surprise me. It showed a level of viciousness and vindictiveness that I would expect from the hedonistic goddess who owns child sex slaves.
Yeah… that one deserved something painful. Not sure how I can implement anything to Ishtar yet, but I am definitely on board with the idea of getting her to jump off the planet, preferably sooner rather than later. There are obvious issues with that though. Such as my piddly level one status.
"Can you prove it?" she turned to me, looking frantic. "Do you have anything we can take to the guild to get justice?"
I shrugged. "Other than the fact that they have the poor renard sitting in a display window every night to entice customers, no. But even if I did, I don't think that would help you. Ishtar may be a morally corrupt person for letting you suffer but you did make a wrong accusation against her. Her suing you was dirty and wrong when she could have corrected you but that won't undo the damage that has been done, seeing as the members are actually at the level they claimed to be."
The blonde goddess deflated at my words, seeing as they were true.
"But," I continued as her head shot up so fast that it would give a normal person whiplash, "that doesn't mean that we can't find a way to get Ishtar back, and gain a few new members at the same time." I gave her a small vindictive smile. "How would you like a renard in the familia?"
Tyche blinked, before her face transformed into a vicious smile of her own. "Oh, I like it," she said harshly. "Take hers like she took mine." She looked at me intensely. "DO you have a plan?"
I shrugged again. "A vague one," I admitted. "Ishtar is being a naughty little goddess and has a major jealously hangover for Freya. So much so that she doesn't really value the renard in her familia. In fact, she wants to perform the Killing Stone ritual."
Tyche blinked before frowning, putting a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "I don't think I know that ritual. What does it do?"
I pursed my lips distastefully. "It transfers the soul of the renard into the killing stone, which then lets someone else use the power of the renard boost their own and give the user access to the renard's abilities. If kept whole, then it is possible for the soul to be returned to the renard's body but if you smash the stone into pieces, it gives everyone who has a piece of the stone the same abilities as everyone else. And of course, the soul of the renard is also smashed beyond repair and unable to pass on to the next life. She wants to do the ritual, then smash the stone so that everyone in her familia gets a power boost before they challenge Freya."
Tyche's face got more and more horrified the longer I explained what the ritual was, her hands creeping up to cover her mouth. She stared at me for a long moment, before lowering her hands to her throat. "That's despicable!" she whispered, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Why would anyone stoop to that level?"
"Like I said," I replied grimly. "She has such a strong hatred and jealously of Freya that she is willing to condemn an innocent soul to being erased, body and soul, just so she can get one over on her rival." I shook my head. "Is it any wonder that I gave you my conditions for joining?"
Tears streaked down her face and she shook her head, staring at the floor. Eventually, she sniffled and looked up.
"How do you know this?" she asked. "And can you prove it?"
I shook my head. "I can't prove it," I said sadly. "Not without one of them confessing to it and if anyone of them tried, Ishtar would just charm them and they wouldn't be able to go against her. I did hear them talking about it though. Luckily for me, they didn't know I heard it."
"How did you do that?" she asked.
I just smiled. "I can't go giving away all of my secrets today, now. Can I?" It's not like I could honestly tell her that I watched it in a cartoon.
She gave me a mock glare and a pout as she crossed her arms. "Fine," she grumbled. "Be that way. See if I care."
She sat back in her chair and clasped her hands together. "Still," she continued normally, "we know what they are planning and that gives us time to sort things out. I don't imagine there are many places to get this killing stone and I don't expect Freya would just take this lying down if she knew about it. She might even have the young renard killed, which I wouldn't want to do but it would be a mercy compared to having their soul shattered that way."
"I would still prefer that we don't let that happen, if at all possible," I said dryly. "It's pretty hard to recruit the dead."
"I know, I know," she said, raising her hands in a surrendering way. "I'm just pointing it out. We won't tell Freya until there is no other choice." She stood up and started pacing. "Still, it is something that we need to plan for. Ishtar cannot be allowed to complete this Killing Stone ritual and hurt this poor renard. If this renard really is a slave then I doubt she has much say in being used for the ritual. If Ishtar manages to complete the ritual then she would be able to use this killing stone to cause untold damage to the balance of Orario and potentially forcibly take over a lot of other familias. We will need to stop this."
I hummed in agreement. "But before we get involved in all of that," I cut her off, "you are forgetting what needs to be done first."
She stopped pacing and looked up at me in confusion. I gestured towards myself and her face cleared up.
"Of course!" she cried in excitement. "I need to make you a member of my familia." Her face froze and she seemed to lose a lot of confidence. "That is, if you really are sure?"
I gave her a small smile. "I wouldn't still be here if I wasn't."
Her eyes started to glisten with unshed tears. "Thank you!" she whimpered and threw her arms around me in a desperate hug, surprising me a little. "Thank you so much!"
I took pity on the goddess and returned the hug, while I felt my shirt dampen on my chest as she silently cried tears of released frustration. It took a few minutes but she finally settled down and let go of my, wiping at her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she chuckled wetly. "It's just been… a lot for the last year or so."
I nodded. "I imagine so," I said. "But that doesn't mean that Ishtar and those who get their jollies off causing pain and suffering won't get their due soon enough."
She gave a wet cough in amusement. "You use weird expressions," she said. "But yes, I am looking forward to that day. I hope you have plenty of ideas though, because if I knew how to do it on my own, I would have done it by now."
I gave her a smile. "Sure do," I said. "But for now, let's get this falna business underway."
"Hey!" she objected. "Don't demean the blessing of the gods!"
"Sure, sure," I said, a little dismissively. "How do you want me?"
She gave me a long pout before gesturing to the longer couch. "Lie down on your stomach and I will give you my blessing," she ordered.
I took my shirt off, showing my slim but not overly toned stomach. I was going to have to work on that. While this looked like my body from my original life, I didn't look as muscular as I had before. I worked hard to have a good body. Now I was going to have to get back to that.
When I was face down, Tyche took a seat on the cushion next to me, not straddling me like Hestia would do in the anime. Pity, dislike of the gods or not, she is very attractive.
Tyche pulled a needle from somewhere and pricked her finger. Then she squeezed it and let out three drops of blood on my back. From the point the drops landed, a warmth spread through my whole back, feeling comfortable and welcoming, like a hot towel or massage oil. I couldn't exactly see what she was doing, but the room gained a white glow, which I guess was the same glow that was seen in the anime whenever a god was touching up their familia member's status.
Thirty seconds later, the warmth receded. A few moments later, a piece of paper was placed against my back. "Congratulations," Tyche said happily. "You are now officially a member of the Tyche Familia!"
The piece of paper was taken off and I could see that there were tears forming in the goddess's eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked. Seeing as I was now a member of her familia, I supposed that I could be more polite.
She gave a watery but sincere smile. "Yes," she said. "I'm just so, so happy. I was so close to just going back to heaven, I had given up faith. But now I have you! Thank you so much!" she threw her arms around me and gripped me in a tight hug.
I reached around and patted her on the back, not quite returning the hug. "Well, it worked for me too," I said easily. "Now, let's see what that piece of paper says."
"Ok!" she said, reaching down to pick it up from the floor. "But for new people it really just shows your name and your stats being… zero…" She faded off as she stared at the sheet of paper.
I raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" I asked.
"A skill," she said softly. She looked up at me. "You got a skill when I gave you your falna. I've never seen anyone get one on their first day before."
"Really?" I asked, extremely interested in hearing that. "May I see?"
She handed me the sheet of paper and I took a look.
Name: Albert Jacka
Level: 1
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Skills
Invictus
Magic
I looked over it. Invictus, huh. Like the poem?
"You seem to know what it's about then?" she asked. I guess something in my expression gave her the idea that I was familiar with it. "Because I haven't ever heard of this skill before."
"Maybe," I replied slowly. "There is an old poem from my people that is called Invictus that I heard years ago. I would repeat it from time to time because I liked the message in it."
"Really?" she asked. "How did it go?"
I took a moment to think, making sure I could remember the whole thing.
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.
"In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
"Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
"It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul."
"Huh," she said thoughtfully. "That certainly would fit with the conditions you gave me before you joined me. You really don't like the idea of someone controlling you. I will need to look into this, to see if this skill is related to that in any way." She shivered. "First day with a new recruit and we already have a mystery. This is so exciting!" She threw her arms up in the air in a surprisingly youthful cheer.
I gave her a lopsided smile. Well, at least when I aim to break records, she was going to be in my corner waving my banner.
"Now!" she said, turning to business again. "I don't own any of the other townhouses here anymore. They are all owned by the guild. This is the only one right now and I had it listed for sale yesterday, but because of the whole Ishtar situation, no one is offering to buy, just like they didn't want to buy the other buildings. I am going to take it off the market tomorrow when we can go and get you registered as a member of my familia. If we can, I will look at buying a house or two back from the guild so that we can have some space to expand."
"Can we afford that?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.
She beamed at my mention of 'we'. "I can get one, maybe two," she replied. "I might have to take a loan off the guild but it will work. Most likely, everyone that would buy these houses was just going to wait until I had left when they could then go buy it from the guild at a much-reduced rate. Vultures." She spat the last part.
I nodded, suspecting that there were plenty of other gods that would no doubt look eagerly towards a goddess down on their luck and be willing to scrape whatever they could get out of the deal. It sounded like the narcissistic thing that most of them would do. There might be some good ones out there, but I don't know them. Maybe Miach and Hestia, but I had no idea if Hestia was around yet and Miach was a medical familia. Maybe good for allies but not one I was looking to join.
"Still," she continued, "it is a place to start and I promise you, I will work hard to make sure that your trust in me as your goddess is not misplaced! I will do whatever I need to do to earn your confidence and we will make this the best familia ever!"
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. She certainly was adorable, made more enjoyable by the fact she was attractive. I could see myself letting this whole familia thing work.
"Good to hear," I replied. "For now, it's been a long day and I want to get started early tomorrow. You have a spare room I can sleep in? Or a couch?"
Her eyes widened and she grinned. Sounds like it was the correct question to ask. I guess after everything else she had been through, she was easily pleased. That made my new life easier and anything that made life easier for now was alright with me.
