Second to last chapter people, hope you enjoy it. Finally time for the good stuff. Onto the story!
Ais looked down at her status sheet with discontent in her eyes.
Status:-
Level: 1
Strength: 591(D)→593(D)
Endurance: 559(D)
Dexterity: 788(B)
Agility: 800(A)→801(A)
Magic: 0(I)
Magic: N/A
Skills: Avenger
Development Abilities: N/A
What the hell was this? It had been two whole weeks since she last had a status update, and she had killed a lot of monsters in the Dungeon, and yet this was all she had to show for it? 'It's too low...' she thought, wondering why her status wasn't growing as fast as it normally did.
"Ais, this is the same path that everyone has followed. Don't take it too hard..." said Riveria, knowing exactly what the girl was thinking. Plateauing was simply a part of being an adventurer, to reach the pinnacle of where developing skills and stats are easier. She had experienced this herself years ago, and had just recently risen her Magic stat to 999.
Finn nodded along with his friend. "As you master your ability, your rate of development naturally decreases. It's not like you have no more room to grow." he taught, hoping to ease the mind of the young girl just a bit.
Loki smiled at Ais. "Yeah, that's just how Status works." she said in a much more serious voice than her usual mischievous one, but still casual enough to not give Ais any reason to worry.
That did not work, however, as Ais became more desperate. Desperate enough to do anything. "Rank Up." she muttered to herself, but Riveria heard her. Not needing to hide it anymore, she turned to the group. "What do I need to do... to Rank Up?"
Riveria sighed. "Rank Up is not something that an adventurer simply just does. There are steps you have to go through." she informed the girl.
Gareth nodded. "You just need to keep going through the Dungeon like you have been. I know it's frustrating, but that's the fastest way." he said.
Riveria piped up again. "We have all seen countless adventures like you self-destruct when they could not control their impatience. So just calm yourself, Ais." she said.
But that wasn't good enough for Ais.
'What are you saying?' she thought as she looked amongst them. 'This isn't a joke. I need to get stronger. I don't have time to be standing still!' she thought, before turning and sprinting out of the room.
After a moment, the goddess of trickery turned to her Vice Captain. "Riveria, about telling Aisuu how to Rank Up..."
"I won't tell her." sternly said Riveria, looking at the door the young girl had fled through. "There's no way I could."
"Yeah, I guess so." responded Loki, looking down. "Ranking Up requires high quality Excilia."
Finn nodded. "Yes, that means a great accomplishment... something you can only achieve by adventuring." he said, thinking back to all his accomplishments that lead to his Rank Ups.
"Defeating an opponent far stronger than you, facing death deeper in the Dungeon... it's the last thing we should be letting Ais do." said Gareth, thinking about all the possible scenarios in which Ais gets killed.
Loki nodded before bringing up another point. "We can't let things stay this way, you know? Aisuu's just building up more stress and might just blow as it is. So what are you gonna do?" she asked her three executives.
"We should not give her special treatment. She can target stronger monsters in a Party, even if that takes more time and effort." said Riveria, as she thinks back to all the unsuccessful attempts they had to include Ais into a party, only for the girl to rush off and do her own thing.
Gareth nodded. "We can't do much regarding the 'great accomplishment', but we can make sure she adventures 'safely', for lack of a better word."
Loki nodded, before turning to another matter. "Finn, when's the deadline for the expedition mission again?" she asked
Finn looked at her confused for a moment. "Mm, with an extension, maybe one month? Royman was bugging me about it yesterday."
Gareth sighed. "The Guild is asking a bit much. We have to face down those Evilus bastards, protect the peace, and don't forget about the expeditions." said the dwarf, thinking about how much they had on their plate.
"They want a successor for Zeus and Hera as soon as possible. Someone with the influence and power to end this period of chaos." said Finn, thinking back fondly for a moment to his time learning under the two former powerhouses of Orario. "And now that Alfia is completely independent and won't listen to the Guild anymore, it has to be us."
"What do you intend to do about Ais?" asked Riveria, looking at her blonde friend. "Will you bring her along, Finn?"
"... We'll see." said Finn, looking at the door. "There's the question of whether she's strong enough, but even before that, if she stays like this, I'm leaving her behind." he said, looking back at his friends. "If we took her deeper into the Dungeon in this state, we might as well just perform her last rites now."
There was a knock at the door that snapped them out of their talk. "Loki, can you update my Falna?" asked the voice on the other end. The others smiled at the voice, their less problematic problem child behind the door.
"Come in Akihide." said Loki, as they sat back as the young boy came in. He looked around, noting everyone inside, before smiling warmly at his parental figures. Riveria felt her heart melt a little at the cute smile, never getting tired of seeing it. Loki broke the small silence. "Another busy day in the Dungeon?"
Akihide nodded his head tiredly. "Yeah... we basically soloed the entirety of Floor 17, not a single other adventurer to be seen. Weird, considering how packed Floor 17 has been lately." he muttered to himself at the end. It was unusual for a Dungeon Floor to be completely empty of adventurers, apart from below Floor 27 that is, being reserved for mainly expeditions.
Loki smiled at him. "That just means more Excilia for you." she said, before picking up her knife. "Now come on, you know the drill." she said, Akihide nodding and lifted up his undershirt. Loki pricked her finger once more as Akihide laid down on the bed, completely topless. Loki let the blood drip down onto his back, as she felt his status change, looking at all the recent memories from the Dungeon over the last two weeks.
With the change concluding, Finn, Gareth and Riveria all noticed the smirk of mischief on Loki's mouth, but also one of pride. "Man, you really are something else..." she said, as the process of updating his status came to an end and she applied the paper to his back. She took a few moments to allow the paper to properly ink, and then handed it to the boy with a smile. "Looks like you're almost ready for level 3 now."
Status:-
Level: 2
Strength: 791(B)→ 801(A)
Endurance: 722(B)→ 743(B)
Dexterity: 989(S)→ 999(S)
Agility: 999(S)
Magic: 997(S)→ 999(S)
Magic: Kaizen no Mon
Tsudzurao-ō no Sējifaia
Skills: Mico Grandus
Reiður Styrkur Tamamo
Development Abilities: Hunter (I)
"That's my Akihide!" yelled out Loki in glee. "Three stats maxed out at level 2 is amazing! You're definitely ready to Rank Up now!"
Akihide looked down at his paper with no small amount of pride. Thanks to his skill, though he had no idea about the Excilia boosting aspect, he had gained so much Excilia that he was set to accomplish a new record for a level 2 to level 3 Rank Up. Not to say that the others weren't as good. Airmid had maxed out her magic stat around 2 months ago, since she was constantly using her healing magic both in the Dungeon and in her pharmacy/hospital, even if most of her other stats were nowhere near as impressive. Ryuu and Ardee had around 2 or 3 stats in S, but had yet to max one out, and it was still far too soon for Lili to be anywhere close to a Rank Up, but her skills and stats made her an impressive addition to the party.
Kiddy Party was slowly being recognised as a collection of once-in-a-generation prodigies. Everyone was expecting fantastic things from them.
Finn smiled at the boy. "We'll include you in the Goliath Subjugation team along with the rest of Kiddy Party for your level 3 Rank Ups when we head on the expedition in a month's time." said Finn, nodding amongst Riveria and Gareth that it was time. "Use this time to perfect your skills and techniques. Try and spend the rest of the month only focusing on Concurrent Chanting, try and learn that new skill before your Rank Up."
Akihide nodded, before taking his paper and running out of the room, very much giddily.
Suck it, Ais.
Ais was pissed.
Which was not a weird thing to be for the girl, who seemed to only have 3 moods, pissed, disobedient, whiny, or a combination of the three.
She was lagging behind on her dream, on her mission. She had to save her from that retched beast, even if Loki and the others didn't get it. She had to kill the monster that tore her family apart, and save the only person that mattered. It didn't matter what had to be done, all that mattered was that she got there as quickly as possible.
She had to kill the One Eyed Black Dragon.
She had to save her mother.
And she can't do that as a level 1 adventurer.
Ais looked around the reception area of The Pantheon, the main headquarters of the Guild. If there was any way of finding the necessary information on how to Rank Up, it was definitely going to be here. She had to find out what she was missing, and then do what she needed to do to Rank Up.
She spotted her target, the only person she actually kind of knew at the Guild, and made her way over to the fiery red hair of the werewolf woman. "Excuse me..." she said, trying to get the woman's attention.
"Yes, how may I hel-" began Rose, before looking down at the girl. "Wait... aren't you... Ais Wallenstein?" she asked, smiling at the small girl. "It's been a while, hasn't it. You've sure become something. You're the best of the best among the low class adventurers. If I got to be your advisor, I'd probably have gotten a raise by now... tch, missed my chance." she muttered under her breath.
Ais' mood continued to sour at the werewolf's words.
Best amongst the low class adventurers?
So among all the trash in Orario, she just happened to shine a little brighter?
That wasn't going to do for the young blonde girl. It only affirmed her desire to achieve Rank Up, and kill the One Eyed Black Dragon.
"I thought the monsters would get you before long..." said Rose, looking nostalgic as she thought of the first time Ais came into the Pantheon last year. "But I guess Riveria did a good job protecting you. Must be nice to be so loved." she said, looking down at the girl with another smile, although it didn't seem to do much, as the stare from Ais only intensified. Rose sighed, returning to her normal, work focused demeanour. "Okay, okay, I got it. So what do you need?"
Not breaking eye contact, Ais asked what she came for. "Ranking Up... how do I do it?"
With the practice of many years of being an advisor to overconfident adventurers with no sense of survival instincts, Rose kept a perfect poker face and didn't hesitate for a single moment as she responded to the young girl. "Isn't that something that eventually comes from going down into the Dungeon?" she asked, not breaking eye contact with the girl, hoping she would believe the bullshit she was feeding her.
Her hopes went unanswered as Ais glared at her in hatred. "Liar!" she exclaimed, drawing a few eyes to the two. "Just tell me!"
Rose was unmoving in the face of the temper tantrum of a child seemingly looking to die. She was a seasoned advisor who knew exactly what she was doing. "I'm not lying. It's the truth. That's what all the other adventurers do." she said, glaring at the girl herself. "And even if I did know more, I wouldn't tell you as you are now." she said, looking at the enraged eyes of the blonde child.
"I don't want your blood on my hands."
Ais continued to glare at the woman. Thoughts began to spring into her head at rapid succession. Why was no one helping her? Did they not understand that she had to do this? That she had to save her mother from the abomination that was the One Eyed Black Dragon? She needed to get strong quickly, but no matter where she turned to, all she got were obstacles. She needed to figure out how to Rank Up.
"Ahh, I've finally come back after my long journey! Were you lonely without me, Sophie?!" sang a voice a little further down the counter. Ais and Rose turned to see a certain orange haired god in a hat trying to flirt with a white haired elf receptionist.
Without even looking up from the paperwork, the elf responded harshly. "I didn't even notice you were gone. I'd have been fine if you never came back, honestly." she said, reading through some reports.
Seemingly only encouraged by this behaviour, the god hugged his shoulders. "Ahh, yeah, I love it when a lovely elf gives me the cold shoulder! How about we go on a date now?" he asked with a flirtatious smile.
Still not even looking up, the elf responded again. "I've got work to do here, and you're getting in the way, so if you could just go back to wherever you just came back from, I'd greatly appreciate it." she said, seemingly to only entice the god to hug himself harder.
Not believing what she was seeing, Ais asked subconsciously, "Is he actually a god?"
Rose sighed. "Yeah, that god's always like that. Don't pay him any mind." she shrugged off before returning to the topic at hand. "Anyway, if you don't need anything else, head back to your Familia. Lately, Evilus has been acting suspiciously, so you shouldn't be loitering around by yourself." she ordered, looking to flag down the next adventurer to et Ais away from her, and any discussion about Rank Ups.
Ais glared at the werewolf one last time before she turned around, taking her loss and exiting the Pantheon as another adventurer went to talk to Rose. She left and stood across from the building, on the other side of the small square, thinking of her next move.
However, all her prayers were about to be answered.
"Are you the Doll Princess?" asked a familiar voice, and Ais turned her attention to the god walking towards her. The very same god that had been coldly rejected by the elf in the Pantheon. He wore a smile on his face, reassuring, but much like Loki's filled with mischief. "I'm not totally up to date on things happening in Orario after being gone for so long. To think a rookie like you would've shown up." he said, looking at the girl inquisitively, as if searching for something. "Weren't you asking about Ranking Up earlier? By chance, are you worried about growth after your Status hit it's limit?"
Ais looked at the man in shock, not believing what was coming out of his mouth was hitting the nail directly on the head. He smiled. "And no one will tell you how to Rank Up, despite all your worries. Does that sound familiar at all?"
"How did you..." began Ais, looking at the god in wonder.
"Mhmm." he hummed looking at her. "Looks like I'm onto something... Are you the one Zeus..." he began, before trailing off for a second, and turning to her. "Shall I tell you how to Rank Up?"
Ais looked at the god suspiciously.
The god smiled. "I'd rather you not look at me so suspiciously. Guiding children is a god's duty. That's just common sense, isn't it?" he asked, smiling at the girl. "You know, I did the same thing for another child just before he hit level 2, my advice has worked like a charm in these sorts of situations."
Ais looked at him once more, but more in desperation than suspicion. "Will you really... tell me?" she asked the god.
"I swear over all the things I preside over, I won't lie." said the god, smiling at the girl.
"Please tell me."
"Sounds good." said the god, looking at the girl. "The hero who will bear the Era of Promise... It's best to raise the odds as much as possible, even if it's only a little bit." he said, before placing a finger to his chin. "As for my name... Well, maybe not. It would probably be a pain if Loki found out." said the god. Ais could relate, not wanting Loki, Riveria or any of the others finding out about this if she was in his shoes.
With a heavy and serious look, the god spilled the secret to Ranking Up.
"The condition for sublimating our Blessing... is accomplishing great feats."
Akihide was not at all happy that he had to help the others in the Familia search for Ais. When her room had been found empty, the Familia was quick to go looking for the girl. Evilus had been acting up in the recent weeks, and that put everyone on edge that maybe something had happened to Ais.
Akihide ran through the streets, looking to catch up with Riveria. "Mama!" he called out as he ran though the streets, finding her in a few minutes as he hair stood out against the dark colours of the night, the walls of stone and the rain. "Rose said Ais was in the Pantheon earlier today asking about Ranking Up. She said she refused to tell her how."
Riveria smiled. "That's good, at least." she said, as she rubbed Akihide's head affectionately. "Thank you for doing this, Akihide. I know you and Ais don't exactly get along-" she said, as Akihide muttered something under his breath that she didn't quite catch. "- but it means a lot to me that you're willing to come and help us search for her."
Akihide sighed. "I just don't want her dead." he said, looking at his mother. "I want her to be alive so I can make her regret all the trouble she's caused us over the last year." he said, thinking back on all the times that Ais had managed to piss him off, such as the food fight, stealing and breaking his sword, the constant insults, and forcing him and everyone else in the Familia to run around looking for her.
As they said that, rain began to pour over them. "Just perfect..." muttered Riveria, looking back at Akihide. "You can head back if you like. I don't want you catching a cold." she said.
Akihide shook his head. "I'll keep looking for a bit longer." he said, turning away from his mother. "I'll head down this way, you keep looking around here." he said, rushing off before Riveria had a chance to talk back to him.
He searched for an hour, in the pouring rain, hoping that the Dungeon team would have found her by now. Hoping that it was all over, he returned to where he had last seen Riveria, and began looking for her. He looked around the area, searching for Riveria.
As he searched, a scream pierced the air. A familiar voice, an annoying one, the voice he had been searching for.
"YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!"
Akihide looked to where the sound had come from, and ran off towards it. His fist were clenched as he ran, picking up as much speed as possible, hopeful that he could get enough of a running start to punch Ais' head clean off her shoulders for what she had just said.
He turned a corner and found the beautiful green hair of his mother. She was standing, clothes wet from the rain, hair drenched, and her face filled with rain. He hoped it was rain.
Because if Ais had made Riveria cry, he was going to kill her.
"Mama!" he called, getting a shocked look from Riveria, as he jumped into her arms. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Akihide hugged her tighter. "I heard the scream and came running. Did that heartless doll do this to you? I'll make her pay!" he screamed.
"Akihide..." muttered Riveria, looking at the boy. "What... should I do?" she asked the boy. "I'm so lost."
Akihide looked down. "I don't know..." he muttered, "I'm just a kid. I don't really get all these complicated situations very well." he said.
He thought for a moment, before looking at her. "Mommy always had a saying back home to make me and my sister feel better whenever we were upset about something." he said, getting the woman's attention. "'Don't worry about today, focus on tomorrow.' I don't really know if it helps, but it's something she always said."
Riveria looked down. "It's the same for you..." she muttered. "I can't replace your mot-"
Akihide immediately interrupted her. "But my mama... she does all sorts of things to cheer me up." he said, getting a look from the elven princess. "She lets me sleep in her bed sometimes, she sings me songs, she always know what to say." he said, looking at the elf and hugging her tight.
"When I grow up, I want to be just like my mommy and my mama." he said with a bright smile.
Riveria smiled at the boy. "Who are you calling mama?" she asked him, pulling him into a deep hug.
At that moment, Finn and Gareth appeared. "Looks like we're interrupting something." said Finn apologetically. "Are you okay, Riveria, Akihide?"
Akihide nodded. "I'll be better after I kick Ais' ass, but I'm fine for now." he said, looking at the two. "I heard her shout something mean to mama, so I'm going to get my revenge and knock some sense into her!"
Gareth laughed. "Well that's some fire! What about you, dumbass elf?"
Riveria looked at him with a small amount of annoyance. "I was lost, but I'm feeling better now. I just need to find that girl."
Gareth nodded. "Ai, the lass is mighty lost herself right now. This is what you get for being afraid of hurting Ais, keeping up that dignified and picking your words carefully to avoid hurting her. You haven't said how you really feel. And if you don't know the words, just pull her in for a tight hug."
Finn sighed. "Gareth... is right. Treasure the time you spent by Ais' side, and don't belittle that time by worrying about your 'place'."
Loki took that time to jump in from seemingly nowhere. "That's right! The young girl has run away from home. It's a mama's job to track her down."
Riveria sighed, and looked up with a smile. "Who are you calling mama?"
In the rain storm of Orario, there was a roof. That roof was over some building, a house perhaps, maybe a restaurant or some other form of store, it didn't really matter. The roof did it's job, protecting the building under it from the rain.
But not the people on it.
"Hey Valletta, Vassago, do you two know the Doll Princess?" asked a god, looking at his two followers. Dressed in a black and purple cloak, with bright purple hair reaching past his shoulders, he looked back at his Captain and Vice Captain.
Valletta, his Captain, a woman with pink hair and amber eyes, sporting a ripped set of a crop top and jeans, with a wool lined coat over it, looked back at him with a small level of confusion. "What are you talking about Thanatos? Of course I know her." she said.
She's the little girl Finn and the others are raising. A cheeky rookie who's gotten stronger at a crazy rate... real piece of work."
"Yeah, I've seen her once or twice." responded the Vice Captain, Vassago. "Eyes lifeless, like she's a killing machine for monsters. Doesn't give two shits about her comrades either. My kind of subordinate. Why so interested?"
"You see, I happened to lay eyes on her one time, and I've been interested ever since." said the god. "You can see it smouldering in her eyes, even from a distance - the dark black flame."
The two mortals on the roof looked at each other, a silent message passing between them.
'Our god is a fucking weirdo.'
"She's got the scent of death to her, and it's strong." explained the god. "Strong enough I can't just leave it alone. I am the god of death after all." he said, looking at the city. "Hey, can we change our plans for today?"
"Huh?" asked the two mortals.
"Go a little wild, show off, ya know? Make it so Loki Familia - or anyone who'd get in my way actually - won't come near the Dungeon."
Valletta sighed. "We can't order the gods of other Familias. If you want to change the plan, then talk to them."
"Laughing Coffin can move out if you give us a minute to equip ourselves..." muttered Vassago. "Johnny Black and Xaxa are itching to test out their new abilities since their Rank Up. Still doesn't change that the other Familia might not get invo-"
"It'd be a nice way to mess with Loki Familia's Braver though..." muttered Thanatos.
Valletta and Vassago had the same thought at once. "You pervert." said the woman. "You're after the brat."
"You've got it all wrong. There's no ulterior motive here." said Thanatos with a laugh, before looking down at Orario.
"Helping lost children is a god's job, after all."
Hope you guys enjoyed. Take a small omake that is set three months before this chapter.
Omake: Trust Fall
"Loki... are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Riveria, looking onward as Loki tied a blindfold around Ais' eyes, Akihide sitting back and watching.
"It's fine!" waved off Loki, completely unconcerned with the idea she had. "Trust falls are a great way to start building trust between two siblings who hate each other." she said, before turning back to Ais. "Now, Ais, all you have to do, is trust Akihide and fall into his arms." she said, smiling.
Ais was sceptical. "He's gonna drop me." she said, accusingly.
"If she keeps this up, then she'll be right." responded Akihide with his arms crossed.
Loki snickered. "Very funny you two. Take this seriously though. Could you imagine the two of you working together in the Dungeon if you could just trust each other? You'd be unstoppable."
The two children tried to picture it in their head. Working together, white and blonde hair, destroying everything in their path in the Dungeon.
They just couldn't see it.
Loki egged them on. "Come on, just give it a try!" she shrieked. The two kids turned to each other, sighed, and got into position. Loki smirked as she set them up. "Alright, Ais, on the count of three, just fall into Akihide's arms, and he'll catch you."
"He better..." she muttered, before crossing her arms, and stood in position. Akihide held out his arms, and Loki began counting down. At one, Ais leant back, waiting to fall into his arms.
"For Hachiman."
Akihide slipped his arms out at the last moment, and Ais went tumbling to the floor. She banged her head and began rolling in pain, gripping the part of her head that hit the ground. "WHAT THE HELL?!" she demanded, taking off her blindfold and staring at him.
"That was for Hachiman." said the boy, glaring at her.
The two began fighting immediately, that escalated into a brawl. Riveria began getting between them, glaring at Loki all the while.
"Why do my ideas never work?" asked the goddess, as Akihide pulled Ais' hair, who responded with a sharp kick to the shin.
Hope you enjoyed that, next chapter will be the final one for Arc 3. But for now, this is Striker777, over and out.