Time to finish off Lili's small introductory Mini-Arc. Onto the story!
Lili was forcefully shoved into on of the cells of the Dungeon by Canoe. She grunted as she hit the floor, glaring at her captor with a confidence she wouldn't have possessed a year ago. Canoe simply smirked at her, looking down at the girl. "Now, ain't that just too damn rude..." muttered the man, if one could call him that after he and his goons had kidnapped a single girl using such underhanded tactics. Not that the opinions of others mattered to him, as he saw himself as a 'Top Dog' when addressing someone he perceived to be weaker than himself, such as Lili, which was due to her race and nothing else. He implemented his position as the stronger of the two and the one in control by kicking the downed, chained and exhausted child, you know, like an 'Alpha' would.
Lili glared at him more. "Fuck off Canoe. Do you have any idea what you've done?" she demanded of the older man. "You've just simultaneously pissed off the Loki, Astraea, Ganesha and Dian Cecht Familias with what you pulled on my friends! You'll be lucky to ever see the light of day again after they catch you!" yelled the girl, both as a way to drive in the message to the stupid adult in front of her, and hopefully to alert someone that she wasn't there willingly if she yelled loud enough.
But she knew it was impossible given her location. That didn't stop the girl from desperately trying though.
Canoe scoffed. "They'll never know it was us. All they need to know is young, poor, sweet Liliruca was kidnapped and killed by Evilus. It's why we used the Skull Sheep Robe we stole from that noble a few years back, to frame them and to stop monsters from eating us. How's that for smart, huh?"
As much as Lili hated to admit it, she had to give Canoe points for his line of thinking. Pass Parades were a common tactic used by Evilus, so it wouldn't be too hard to presume that the evil organisation would simply use Monster Lures instead of people for once, and using the cloak was a safe and smart idea as to frame Evilus as well as ensure to monsters targeted them whilst the rest of the party was taking care of them. Not to mention the Skull Sheep Hide was a popular drop item sold to many of the adventurers in Orario who could afford it, but also nobility of other nations who travelled, with the chance of encountering monsters. All in all, it was a well thought out plan.
Too well thought out for Canoe to come up with.
However, before that particular train of thought could go any further, the door to the Dungeon flew open with a thunderous smack against the wall, and footsteps began to descend the staircase. She didn't even need to turn her head to know who it was, as the enraged Captain of the Soma Familia appeared.
Level 2 adventurer, Zanis Lustra, also known under the alias Gandharva.
Zanis marched right up to Canoe, before punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground. "What the hell were you thinking?!" he demanded, pointing at Lili. Lili held no hope he was talking about the moral wrongdoings of kidnapping her though, she knew him better than that. "Do you realise that the Loki, Ganesha, Dian Cecht and Astraea Familias are going to be looking for her?! What the hell could have possessed you enough to think this was a good idea, you fucking idiot?!"
Canoe looked at him with shock, before looking down. "We know she's been hording money... we just want to know where..."
Zanis raised an eyebrow at this. "And you thought kidnapping her in the Dungeon was the best idea?! What about simply taking her when she came home, or did your greed get the better of you as well as you lack of brains you fuckwit?!" Canoe jumped back in shock, obviously not thinking about that idea. Zanis sighed, kicked him once more for good measure, before turning to Lili. "So you've been holding out on us, Liliruca Arde? My, how shameful of you." he said in his usual, condescending tone.
Lili simply looked away, feeling powerless in her cage. She wasn't going to tell him anything, especially not about the mountain of gems she was saving in the Gnome Shop. There was no way that Zanis could know about that, or she'd have to start saving all over again.
Zanis smirked at her. "You know, I bet that's not the only shameful thing you've done, is it?" he asked, getting her attention. "I know you've been stealing from your party to get more money." he said, causing Lili to flinch. He smirked even harder. "Well, truth was I had my suspicions, but thank you for confirming them. I have no doubt though that Kiddy Party would've noticed though, and how you've been cashing in your magic stone using your nifty little magic."
And there was the crux of the problem, Liliruca Arde's magic, Cinder Ella. A unique magic that allowed her to change her appearance and even her voice. She used this magic to transform into the counterpart that cashed in the stolen magic stones that she had stolen from Kiddy Party.
Liliruca bit her tongue to keep herself in check as Zanis started laughing. "You have no future now! Kiddy Party's certainly not going to look for a rotten thief like you, they'll find some other supporter and forget all about you! And we can make the rest of your life a living hell unless you cough up the money!" he said, determined to completely shatter the girl's confidence.
But Liliruca was stronger than that.
Despite her resolve being shaken, Lili was not willing to give up her money that easily. Even if she never worked with Kiddy Party again, the imps had shown her she had become quite a capable adventurer in her own right, and she was confident that she would be able to gather the rest of the money herself, even if at a much slower rate. And she knew Zanis wouldn't rough her up too much as to keep her magic for as long as he could.
All she needed to do was get the money, convince her shitty god when Zanis wasn't around, and leave.
And so, Lili remained silent, looking at Zanis with eyes filled with determination. She wasn't going to give up her money.
Zanis kicked the cell bars in anger, and turned around. "Tell me when she decides she wants to talk, but don't rough her up too much, she still has roles to play in this Familia."
With that, he turned and left, leaving Lili at the mercy of Canoe and his goons.
And the hell she was about to experience.
The group ran straight out of Babel the second they got to the surface. Luan had offered to inform the Guild of the matter of Lili's kidnapping whilst Kiddy Party gathered their forces, but the group of four had asked him to wait for two hours as to get their forces in position before the Guild tried to stop them. With that sorted, the group of 4 rushed to the Stardust Garden, flying through the door with gusto, finding Lyra, Alise and Kaguya having a meeting with Astraea in the living room.
"Woah! Where's the fire?" called out Lyra, looking at the three children.
"Yeah, what's happening?" asked Alise, with her confident smirk.
"The stupid elf must've fucked up som-" began Kaguya, before she was interrupted by Akihide, pulling out the medallion and showing it to the Familia of Justice.
"Lili's been kidnapped by the Soma Familia! We need help!"
That got the undivided attention of the four in the room, looking at the kids. Astraea was the first to act. "Tell me what happened." she said, as she pulled the four kids over to the couch. There, in her comfort, they told her all about the monster lures, the monster party, and Lili's abduction, followed by the discovery of the Soma Familia Medallion that belonged to the kidnapper. By the end of it, the normally graceful face of Lady Astraea was contorted with furious anger, teeth clenched and fists shaking. The other three in the room were no better, their own anger on plain display.
"Bastards!" yelled Lyra, punching the wall, before heading to the hallway. "I'll get the girls armed, we need to leave soon!"
Kaguya nodded, completely serious. "I'll gather the supplies. Lili might need potions." she said, running down another hallway.
Astraea turned to her Captain. "Alise, fetch my sword." she ordered, as she looked at the door. "Liliruca needs our help, and I won't stand by and do nothing. I will deal with Soma personally."
Alice nodded and left, and Astraea strode forward, as her children began to funnel out of their room to her side. "Today, we save one of our own. Not by blood, or even by Familia, but by heart! Liliruca will return to us, as a member of the Astraea Familia!" called the goddess, enticing a roar of approval by the girls and Akihide. Alice returned with the Sword of Justice and her own blade, ready to march.
Astraea pointed her sword forward. "To the Soma Familia! Charge!"
Lili coughed up blood as Canoe threw her back on the floor. "Where is the money?!" he demanded, kicking her in the stomach, causing the girl to throw up blood and stomach acid, having thrown up her food a while ago. She was bloody, bruised, and broken, her arm and both her legs having been snapped in weird directions, agonising pain coming from the injuries.
And yet, she said nothing.
She didn't give into despair as the older man had hoped she would, but glared at him all the way. Thinking back on all the good times, where she had seen the bravery of her friends, it made her want to experience it herself. To be brave. So all she did was glare, never letting her mouth give off any sound.
Canoe was angrier now, having been beating the girl for close to an hour at this point. "So help me, I will end your miserable existence if you don't start talking!" he said to the girl, kicking her in the face, causing blood to start running down her nose again. "Talk, damn it! Give me my money!"
Lili couldn't hear him, her ears were ringing from the kick, and it became harder to breathe. She coughed again, with a heavy pain in her chest, and an even heavier thought on her mind.
'A-Am I gonna die here?'
The young girl was horrified at the concept, she was seven years old now, but she had so much more to see with the world. She wanted to keep living, to eat more food at the Hostess of Fertility, to explore the Dungeon more and push herself.
No...
That wasn't quite right...
Her mind drifted off to her friends, Ardee being the cheerful airhead that she claimed to be, a smile on her face at all times and a chuckle always up her sleeve. Airmid, the nurturing older sister type, always looking out for her and making sure she was okay, a kind and nurturing soul that sometimes hid behind a medical professionalism that rivalled most adults. Ryuu, the dependable older girl, her leader, who everyone looks to for guidance in hard times, much like Lili would be now. And Akihide, the hero who always put her needs before his own, a smile on his face and a warmness in his heart. She even thought to the hellish training under Riveria and Alfia.
She wanted to keep having those moments with her precious people.
A tear escaped her eyes, as she thought of her closest friends in what could be her final moments. 'I'm so sorry...' she thought, as she saw Canoe grab her by the helm of her shirt and prepare to throw a punch at her. 'I'm sorry for stealing, and for getting taken... I wanted to spend more time with you all...' she thought, as she braced herself for pain.
A fist collided with a face.
"GET OFF OF HER!" screamed a familiar voice, one that had Lili opening her eyes again, only to lay her pupils on her friend, Ardee Varma, punching Canoe in the face. No sooner had her fist connected, she saw another, Noin she believed her name was, slam the sheath of her sword into the side of one of the other guy's stomachs, and a third member of the Astraea Familia, Iska if she remembered right, slamming her foot into the face of the third guy. "LET MY FRIEND GO, YOU FUCKING DISGRACE!" screamed Ardee in an anger Lili had never seen from her before.
"LILI!" called out another voice, Airmids, as the girl slid down next to her, and began casting Dia Fratel. "Healing droplets, tears of light, eternal sanctuary! Compose a medicinal hymn-three hundred, sixty, and five! The melody of the healer's almanac saves all things! Come, destruction of evil! The burial of wounds, interment of disease! Curses be gone in the light of vitality! In the name of all that is holy - I heal you! Dia Fratel!" she yelled, encasing Lili in her magic circle, as Lili's wounds began to heal, and her pain began to fade.
"Airmid..." she muttered, turning back to the others, seeing both Ardee, Ryuu and several other members of the Astraea Familia, all with their goddess behind them. Lili couldn't take it, her emotions out of control, as she began to cry and sob. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!"
Ardee dropped down and wrapped her in a hug. "No! You have nothing to be sorry for! This isn't your fault!" she screamed at the girl, feeling her own tears start to fall.
"Nooooo~" cried Lili, hugging her back. "I stole from you... I needed money to leave... I'm sorry!" Lili said, continuing to cry. "I needed to leave... I had to steal... but I- I wanted..."
Ardee wrapped her arms around Lili tighter. "Who gives a shit about that?!" she said with tears in her eyes and a quiver of the lips. "You're okay, Lili! We'll never let you go!"
That was all it took, as Lili let go of all her pent up emotions, crying harder than before. Unable to move her arms and legs as they were still being healed, she simply pushed her body into Ardee's as closely as she could, and cried as hard as she wished. Airmid, unable to take it either, wrapped her arms around Ardee and Lili and hugged the younger girl from behind her, crying as well.
Astraea smiled at the scene before her for a single moment, before turning her attention back to the top of the stairs. "Neze, Iska, you two come with me, Noin, Asta, Celty and Ryana, you four stay with them." said the Goddess, as she began walking towards the stairs.
"Where are we going, Lady Astraea?" asked Neze, climbing up the stairs behind her goddess.
"I'm going to have a very firm chat with Soma." said the goddess, with a smile on her face that contradicted her current feelings. "And as a merciful goddess of justice, I need you two to take matters into your own hand when I cannot."
The two followers of Astraea turned their heads to each other, before nodding and following their goddess.
As for the rest of the Soma Familia...
They simply had to place their faith in Alise and the others.
Zanis looked at the scene before him, as six members of an attacking Familia were making quick work of his Familia, numbering at least 30 people. Most were level ones, but there were seven level 2s, himself included.
However, he was no fool. He knew that the Astraea Familia had begun to fill their ranks with level 3 adventurers with the help of the Loki Familia. Alise and Kaguya, the Captain and Vice Captain respectively, had been level 3 for well over half a year by this point, but to think the gap was so big that Alise Lovell could take down a trio of level 2s in a single swing of her sword. Not to mention that the rest of their attack group consisted of level 2s or higher, with Akihide of the Loki Familia as well as Lyra, Ryuu Lion and Maryuu of the Astraea Familia being the only other level 2s, yet they were accompanied by the level 3s, Alise Lovell and Kaguya Goujono.
Zanis took a step back. "What the hell is happening right now?!" he demanded, knowing that it was definitely Canoe's fault for kidnapping Lili. "We're not the ones who took her! Why are you attacking us?!" he demanded.
He only noticed his mistake after Akihide turned to face him. "You knew she was here and didn't release her?" he asked, causing Zanis to curse his own tongue for being as loose as it was. "I will make you regret that!"
Akihide charged the young man, who swung his sword at him with all the strength his level 2 body supplied him with. Akihide, who had practice against the likes of Kaguya and Alfia in melee combat, ducked the swing easily, before driving his foot into Zanis' chest, sending the man to the ground. Quickly recovering himself, the two locked blades once more, evenly matched.
Which only pissed Zanis off as he was standing toe to toe with a literal child.
Angered, the man pushed back, but Akihide was quick in jumping back and controlling his position. The young boy landed safely on his feet and rushed at the man again.
"STOP!"
A loud and familiar voice sounded out, as Akihide's and Ryuu's eyes turned to the voice, ecstatic to see their lost friend standing before them.
But yet something was different.
Lili's eyes, usually a beautiful chestnut brown, had turned entirely blood red, not unlike Finn's eyes whenever he used his magic, Hell Finnegas.
Lili's eyes locked with Zanis. "No, you're mine."
A few minutes earlier, Astraea opened the door to the workshop of her fellow god. "It's been a while, Soma." she greeted, getting nothing, not even an acknowledgement of her existence by the god of wine. He did not look back to see who it was, return her greeting, or even stop stirring his drink. "Now Soma, it's quite rude not to address someone when they're talking to you."
Soma looked up from his winemaking for only a moment. "Hello Astraea, now let me mak-"
He watched as his cauldron of booze was spilt all over the floor when the werewolf girl kicked the pot he was making it in. "Forget it buster. You'll talk to Lady Astraea now." Soma spared his wasted wine one final look, before he turned and sat at his desk, and began grinding ingredients with a mortar and pestle. "Bastard..." cursed the werewolf, going to knock over his tools as well.
Astraea stepped forward instead, and stood in front of his desk. "Do you not hear the cries of your children, Soma?" asked the goddess of justice. "They need their god, Soma. They need you."
Soma looked into the goddess' eyes, his own dull and lifeless. "What is the merit of cries of children so easily consumed by a lust for wine?" he asked the goddess, turning back to his work. "So consumed, oh so very consumed by wine. So much so that there is no worth in those children."
Astraea, the kind and gentle goddess, almost lost her cool when facing Soma. "That's enough." she ordered, both elegantly yet stern. "It is our responsibility to ensure the prosperity and safety of our children, to guide them to be better, and it seems to me that you have failed spectacularly at that."
"There was nothing to guide, only wine to lead their actions." said Soma, continuing to ground the ingredients. "They're worthless, all of them. All too consumed by wine."
Iska went to step forward and deck the god in the face, yet Astraea held out her hand, stopping her. "This is wrong, Soma." said the goddess, looking down at the god of wine. "If you don't do something about your children, lead them to be better, I will have to take drastic measures, whether that is reporting this to the guild and forcing your children to pay a hefty fine, to maybe even getting you exiled from Orario. All it would take are some simple words to Freya or Loki, and then no more Soma making for you."
If the threat phased Soma, he didn't show it as he continued his work. "Do as you wish... as long as I can make my Soma..." muttered the god, as he stood up, and tipped the cauldron he was previously mixing back upright.
Before Astraea could respond, there were footsteps behind them. Iska and Neze prepared for combat, but they did not expect an exhausted but freshly healed Lili to storm in, the others apparently right behind her. "Lord Soma!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the god of wine and dropping to her knees. "Please, stop the fighting!"
Soma spared a glance at the girl. "Did I... put my blessing on your back?" he asked, looking down at the girl.
Lili nodded. "Yes, from the moment I was born, I have been a member of your Familia, but this is hell!" she screamed, and before she knew it, she had stood up and jumped up, grabbing the god by his robes and placing her feet on his chest. "You shitty god! You lost control of your Familia to that shithead Zanis, and he's been doing anything he wants since you won't keep him in line! He's been using us to make money and live a comfortable life whilst the rest of us suffer under him and your accursed wine!"
And then, Lili did something no one expected.
She drew her head back, and slammed it right into Soma's nose, breaking it and sending the man tumbling down to the ground. Soma gripped his nose as blood dripped down onto his robes, staring at the girl in disbelief.
Lili simply looked down at his, her forehead bruised from the headbutt. "Let me out of your shitty Familia, you shitty god."
Soma looked at the girl, before turning around and grabbing something. Lili tensed as she saw a goblet and a small barrel of Soma wine. "Drink this, and if you make the same request, I'll honour it." said the god, pouring the drink and handing it to the child.
Lili took one look at the drink.
And threw it back in Soma's face.
"I don't give two shits about your wine. Let me out." she said, glaring at the god.
Soma, for the first time in his immortal life, was taken completely aback. Not once, not ever before, had someone, god or mortal, who had tasted his divine Soma wine, ever rejected it before. And yet, standing before him, this girl had done just that.
Soma nodded absently. "Very well, take off your shirt."
Lili nodded, taking her shirt off in front of the others. Astraea stepped up. "I'm willing to take you in, if you would join the Familia of Justice, Liliruca Arde." said the goddess.
Lili nodded her head. "It would be an honour, Lady Astraea."
Astraea nodded her head, as she and Soma began the process of transferring Lili to the Astraea Familia. But as they did...
Something unexpected happened.
Lili stared down the man who had made her life a living hell for all six years of her life. Even as a small child, staring down the man in front of her was nothing. "If anyone is going to stop you, it's gonna be me." she said, glaring at him with her new, red eyes.
Zanis looked at her in shock. "How?! I know Canoe was breaking you! How are you standing, much less holding that spear?!" he demanded of the girl.
Lili simply offered the man a confident smirk. "What's the matter, Zanis? Too scared to deal with the child yourself, leaving it to that idiot Canoe? What a coward you are." she said, before pointing her spear at his crotch. "I guess the rumours are true, that thing between your legs is smaller than my pallum spear."
There was a stunned silence, before Akihide started snickering at the crude joke. Zanis was far less happy with it. "THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!" he demanded, glaring at Lili hatefully. "Know your place!" he yelled, swinging his sword at her.
Which Lili dodged effortlessly.
Unsure of what had happened, Zanis swung again, Lili deflecting the blade with her spear. "What is this?!" demanded the man, swinging at Lili again, only to be deflected once more. "Why won't you just go down?!"
The truth was the status that Lili had just received from her transfer. When she had made her transfer, Soma had instantly regretted his decision, and Astraea was absolutely ecstatic about it. Not only had Lili Ranked Up to level 2, but she also had gotten a new skill.
And became the fifth person in all of Orario to possess a Broken Skill.
Even if Lili's overall stats were higher than Zanis' when he ranked up, Zanis had been a level 2 for 2 years now, and had accumulated more status over time, even if he stopped going into the Dungeon recently. In terms of overall stat numbers, Zanis was still stronger than a fresh level 2 Lili.
However, Lili's new skill accommodated that perfectly.
Astraea watched the battle between the two, very clearly showing Lili as the dominant force of their scuffle, as she held the paper in her hand about the new girl to her Familia. Inscribed on it was the status of her new follower, as she bought it up to read it again.
Status:-
Level: 1→2
Strength: 635(C)→0(I)
Endurance: 412(E)→0(I)
Dexterity: 901(S)→0(I)
Agility: 781(B)→0(I)
Magic: 697(C)→0(I)
Magic:
Cinder Ella
Skills:
Artel Assist
Bloodfury Spear
Development Abilities:
Abnormal Resistance (I)
Astraea smiled at the sheet of paper. "Bloodfury Spear, the skill of Fianna the Pallum Saint. Her anger at the world and others increases her stats, not to mention giving her the Spearman development ability. Zanis is just simply outmatched."
As Zanis was at the lower end of a mid level 2 adventurer, Lili was much stronger, with her skill making her equivalent to a level 2 on the edge of hitting level 3. Her unbridled rage at Zanis was the catalyst to making her exponentially stronger than him, even at only 6 years old.
Liliruca Arde had stepped into the realm of hero potential.
Zanis continued to swing his sword at Lili, rusty, unrefined and sloppy, and the girl just managed to keep pushing him back. Zanis grew more and more frustrated as the fight continued, finding himself constantly being pushed back and embarrassed by the girl. "Don't fuck with me!" he yelled as he swung wildly again.
Lili simply parried his sword with her spear and held the blade to his throat in a single motion. Zanis dropped his sword in shock as Lili glared at him. "This is the end, Zanis. You're going away for a long time."
By the time the Guild had arrived, the fighting had finished and Zanis was neatly tucked away, tied with rope to prevent his escape. Astraea was there to explain the situation to Royman, who came personally, as the members of the Loki Familia and Ganesha Familia came to ascertain the situation. With the testimonies of all members involved, both Soma and Astraea were slapped with huge fines, Lyra actually fainting when she saw all the zeroes next to the fine.
However, with Lili safe and accounted for, her conversion completed and Zanis, Canoe and their cronies taken into custody. That was all that mattered to most of the people present.
And with that, the Soma Familia incident came to an end, with a sound conclusion for all parties involved.
Except the ones that ended up going to jail or the Guild's new stack of paperwork that had to be sorted.
But that was inconsequential to everyone else at the scene.
A week later, Lili walked with Ryuu, her Familia member now as opposed to just her party member, down towards Babel. It had taken her a full week of full bedrest before her new healer, Maryuu, had given her the all clear to go back into the Dungeon with Kiddy Party. It was an exciting feeling to be back, back to doing what was best for them, carrying her new spear and all.
Apparently, a member of the Goibniu Familia had made her a spear for some unknown reason, and no one in the Familia told Lili who. Suspicious at first, Akihide took it to Tsubaki to check out, who was so thoroughly impressed by the craftsmanship that she claimed the god had forged it himself. No one believed that a god would forge a weapon for a random girl in a different Familia, least of all Lili, but it was fun to imagine.
The spear had been named 'Saint's Return', by the blacksmith who forged it. She had no idea who had forged it, but she was grateful. A blue handle, with a much bulkier spearhead that appeared to be capable of both slashing and piercing strikes, slashing being something she wasn't as practiced at since her last weapon was primarily a piercing spear. All in all, a top tier weapon, one that was more worthy for the hands of someone like Braver Finn, not her.
And yet, it was hers.
As they turned the final corner, there stood the other three members. Akihide, Ardee and Airmid turned to look at them, almost as if sensing their presence. Lili smiled at them, nervous yet full of excitement at seeing her party after the incident.
Akihide ran over and hugged her. "Good to have you back, Lili." he said, smiling at the girl. "How's Ryuu and the others treating you?"
"Better than Soma Familia, which doesn't set a high bar really." she joked, getting a small chuckle from the boy and Ardee. "In all honesty, it's amazing being in Astraea Familia. It makes me so much happier."
Akihide smiled. "That's good." he said, before taking the bag from her back. "You and I will be swapping as supporters now on Floor 14 now, so you can train and gain Excilia from other monsters. Take good care of us now."
Lili's eyes flashed red as she smirked. "Leave it to me.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Next two chapters will wrap up Arc 3, so be ready. But in the meantime, enjoy this small omake!
Omake: The Fine
Astraea looked down at the fine with hindsight the day after the Soma Incident. "Thats a lot of zeros..." she muttered.
"No offence, Lady Astraea, but this is one of the biggest clusterfucks we have ever experienced..." muttered Lyra, looking down at the bill once more. "This is going to take us years to pay off on our own."
Kaguya looked at her smaller companion. "Oh. Is that to suggest we have an option outside of doing this ourselves?"
Lyra sighed. "Yeah... if we can somehow convince Loki Familia to allow us to accompany them on their next expedition, we could probably pay this back in one fell swoop with items from lower levels of the Dungeon we can't explore on our own."
That left the question...
How could they get Loki Familia to allow them to go with them.
Astraea sighed. "I have a bit of money saved..." she muttered, standing up to walk out the door. "I'll buy some nice lingerie and let Loki do as she wishes to my-"
"NO!" demanded every single child of Astraea.
Astraea sat back down with a teasing smile. "I'm joking, of course I'm not going to let Loki do anything to my chest." she said with her usual smile, whilst many of her children glared at her. "Anyway, what options do we genuinely have to get into Loki Familia's expedition?"
"We could ask for their assistance again in letting some of our members Rank Up to 3. Iska, Noin and Asta are all ready." said Kaguya, looking at the three in question. "Perhaps even Neze and Maryuu as well. We can ask for their assistance in a safe Rank Up."
"Perhaps, but last time they did that was to apologise for Akihide breaking your sword." said Alise, looking up to try and think of anything else they could do. "I'm not too sure if we can make that same request under these circumstances."
It was at that moment that Kaguya had a brilliant idea.
"What if we're not the ones making the request?" she asked to the group, getting a confused look from the rest of her Familia. "What if we can manipulate Akihide into asking for us, make it seem like we're in big trouble and that going on another expedition with his Familia would save us, and he goes and asks in our stead?" thought the girl aloud.
"I don't know..." muttered Alise, looking at her Vice Captain. "It seems a little wrong to use Akihide like that."
Lyra swung an arm around Alise's hip, since she couldn't reach her shoulder. "But... this will free us up so we don't have to worry about our debt and we can keep protecting Orario. Not to mention, if the others can Rank Up as well since they'll be dealing with stronger monsters, we'll be able to deal with Evilus easier and take some pressure off the Loki Familia's back, so really, it's a win-win situation for all parties involved." she said, sounding absolutely confident in her logic.
"I guess that make sense..." muttered Alise, running her chin thoughtfully. "So I guess that makes it okay, if we're just trying to help everyone."
Lyra smirked. "Right, and if we help ourselves along the way, then that's just an added bonus." she said in her wickedly sweet smile.
The other members of the Astraea Familia watched on in discomfort about how easily their Captain was to manipulate. They glanced at the evil smirks of Kaguya and Lyra, before the sweet smile of Astraea who looked as if they had done no wrong.
Lili shuddered as the thought of joining the Astraea Familia had become a reality and that these were her Familia members.
'D-did I make the right choice in joining this Familia?'
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. This is Striker777, over and out.