Fair warning near the end today guys, I break up Akihide's skill Styrkur Tamamo and explain how it works exactly, be warned, it will be a bit yappy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, now onto the story!
The streets were quickly in chaos. An earthquake had just rocked Orario, and caused every god's hairs to stand on end.
Gareth looked down the street. "Was that an earthquake just now? Oi, Loki, what was that?" he asked the trickster god.
"Which one of those dumbasses did this?" she asked herself, looking towards Babel. "The timing is too perfect..."
Before Loki could continue, Kalos appeared. "Captain! Evilus has appeared!" he cried, getting the attention of all five members of the Loki Familia. "It seems they're attacking the Industrial District, and the Laughing Coffin group has been spotted nearby killing the workers! Ganesha Familia is requesting immediate support!"
Gareth looked at the elven boy in anger. "What?! At a time like this?!" he demanded, angry at the Evilus bastard causing trouble, but also understanding the implication of the timing. "Finn!"
Finn nodded. "We can't have them attacking factories or the workers. Gareth, get a squad of the fastest people and head out first. I'll take overall command." he ordered, looking to the industrial district. Gareth nodded and ran off to gather his forces. Akihide began to run after him, but Finn put a hand on his shoulder. "Akihide, I have another job for you."
"Finn..." muttered Riveria, looking at her Captain and old friend.
"Riveria, take Akihide and keep searching for Ais." ordered Finn, getting surprised looks from them both. "I have a bad feeling about this. Make sure the two of you bring her back. You have to go get her." he said before he rushed off towards Evilus' location.
Loki walked up to the two of them next. "The Dungeon, you two." she said, looking between her second youngest Familia member and her Vice Captain. "Ais is definitely in the Dungeon. No, there's no place else she could be." she said, turning her attention to Babel once more. "If my instincts are right, Ais is in a reeeal bad spot right now." she said, before returning her gaze back to the two. "Go, Riveria, Akihide. You don't have time to be wasting. Go help her."
Akihide groaned. "Oh fine! But she's in for it when we get back!" he exclaimed as he began running towards the Dungeon. "Hear that Ais?! You're gonna regret this!" he shouted as he ran off.
Riveria sighed. "Sorry, Loki. I'll be back." she said, before she too began making her way towards the Dungeon. 'Wait for me, Ais... I'm coming.' she thought, as she ran towards the young blonde haired girl.
All the issues began approximately 10 minutes earlier than the initial earthquake that was felt in Orario. All the way down on Floor 12 of the Dungeon, it began with the blonde haired girl named Ais. Exhausted from her trip down through the Dungeon (for the second time that day), she looked upon the thick landscape that she had traversed many times before. "Ha... ha... ha..." she panted, looking around. "This is... the 12th Floor?" she asked no one in particular, trying to get a firm grip on her surroundings and recollect herself. She looked around, seeing not a single monster nearby. There were no Imps or Orcs, and most certainly no Infant Dragons.
A voice other than her own pierced through the fog. "Is it painful, o lost child?" it asked, grabbing Ais' attention as she swung her head to the right, looking directly at the one who spoke. A man, no, a god, wrapped in a black robe, hooded with purple fabric, long sleeves, and seemingly with a chest made of bone. "A god?" asked Ais, looking at the man whose face she couldn't see, only the faintest bits of purple hair hanging out of the front of the hood. It was then that she also noticed the god's 2 followers, two other hooded figures standing beside him in familiar clothes that even Ais knew. "Could it be... Evilus?"
The god stepped forward towards her. "Do you hate monsters, little girl?" he asked the young blonde, getting a shocked gasp from the girl. "You can't forgive your own weakness... your heart has been lead astray by the world that has allowed you to remain weak. You are an apostle of revenge seeking power... a pure swordsman starving for strength. Your heart will never be healed..." he continued, before looking directly into the girl's soul through her eyes. "You don't know the method for containing that black flame of destruction hidden inside you."
"That's..." muttered Ais, looking at the ground in a small gesture of acceptance and recognition.
The god smiled with all the feelings he could muster, a sinister smile stretching across his face. "Shall I release you from your suffering?" he asked, getting another shocked gasp from Ais, as he stepped right next to her. "I think one who has fallen in love with death as she fights and fights is a lovely thing. I want to save you." he said, looking at the girl with his smile still plastered across his face. He approached her, still talking. "I will give you power, the ability to get stronger, a place to fulfil your wish. A place where you don't have to be lost. The world of swords and flames you desire." He said, finally standing in front of the girl. "Entrust yourself to the flames blazing in your eyes. If you do, the world around you will change. It will bless you. Come with me. Everything you desire, I can grant you." he said, holding out a hand to the young girl.
Ais thought to herself. 'If I take his hand... will I really get stronger? Will I be able to go on not feeling anything... even if I'm alone? Can I pursue my goal as a simple sword?' she thought, contemplating the offer.
But whilst her brain contemplated, her heart rejected.
Images of the others flashed in her mind. Loki at the bar, giving her a 'peace sign', Finn smiling down at her from behind his desk as they talked, Gareth taking her to the Dungeon, and teaching her to take care of herself.
Then Riveria. The woman who was taking care of her ever since the moment she got here, and the stupid boy that had been fighting her ever since she got there.
It was at this moment that the brain, still undecided, completely lost to the heart.
"I..." began Ais, looking down at the floor, her bangs covering her eyes. "I want power. But... joining you is wrong!" she exclaimed, causing the gods smile to turn into a frown. "Even if I end up alone, betraying them... would be wrong! So I won't take your hand!" she screamed, slapping away his hand and forcing the god to step back.
The god sighed. "Toooooo bad." he exclaimed, lifting his head for Ais to see the rest of his face. "And I thought I was going to win over the rumoured Doll Princess. If you could have developed a little, you would have sent who knows how many people to the heavens as one of the followers of my beloved death." he said, causing Ais to step back in confusion. "Man, I really screwed this up. You were a lot stronger than I thought you'd be."
Ais levelled a glare at the god. "Who are you?!" she finally asked, looking for the god's name.
"I'd love to tell you more about myself, but I can't now that you turned me down. Evilus can be suuuch a pain!" complained the god, before shrugging and looking at the girl. "Well then... unfortunately for you, I promised Valletta and Vassago that I'd clean up the loose ends if the invitation was rejected." he said, as the two flanking Evilus members stepped forward.
'Two on one, can I win?' thought Ais to herself as the two men approached her. However, her attention was stolen as the god snapped his fingers, causing the two men to stop.
"Ah, I just thought of something interesting." said the god, smirking as he looked down at Ais. "Little Doll Princess, let me give you a present." he said, getting a confused look from Ais. The god simply smirked. "I always wanted to try this once. Just for you." he said, before he began releasing his energy.
Ais was not aware of what the god was doing, but then felt an earthquake rip through the Dungeon. One so large that the surface definitely felt it too. She looked back at the god as the room turned a bright red as opposed to its usual white.
This god had done something to the Dungeon.
"Ah- so this is what happens." said the god, looking around Floor 12 with a look of wonder and excitement.
Ais looked around, before noticing a crack form in the ceiling, resembling a monster spawning on the open field that was Floor 12. From it came a dragon's claw, before a head came out, red eyes glaring down at those who dared to enter its home.
"That's... a dragon!" yelled Ais, glaring at it dropped to the ground near the four.
The god smiled. "Well then, Doll Princess, have fun. I'll be leaving before I get torn to pieces." he said as he and his followers began to flee. "You'll have to return to heaven one sort ahead of me, my beloved girl."
Ais looked at the dragon, forgetting the god entirely as he retreated. "Claws... fangs... scales... wings..." she listed off. "That- that black dragon is..." she thought, as she looked at the dragon, who roared at the girl. "... a monster. I hate it. A dragon. It's unforgivable. I have to defeat it... I have to kill it... I'll never allow it to live!"
And with that, the girl charged into combat with the beast. The black dragon lifted its head, and released a sea of flames. Ais jumps to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack as she continues to press her assault. She reached the dragon, swinging Sword Ale at the beast, watching as her sword bounced harmlessly off the scales of the dragon.
The dragon did not take kindly to that, and swung its tail at Ais, catching her off guard and slamming into the young girl's side. Ais was sent flying, slamming into one of the trees. The dragon looked at the girl, only to see her stand back up, unfazed.
Determined.
Ais rushed back in, running along the ground at speeds seemingly beyond her status, adrenaline taking a proper hold for the first time in the Dungeon.
Ais had entered 'The Zone'.
With her state of complete immersion in the fight, Ais rushed at the dragon once more, slashing her sword against it's front leg. Sword Ale struck a weaker collection of scales over the joint of the ankle, slicing through it. The dragon roared, before he swung with his tail again. Not going to fall for the same move twice, Ais ducked under the tail swing, moving in once more and swinging at the back of the dragon. However, the scales were still too hard for her to pierce, and the dragon slammed his butt into her, sending her back once more. Ais rolled on the ground for a bit, before throwing herself to the side as another stream of fire came racing out of the dragon's mouth. Missing her for a second time seemed to wound the pride of the dragon slightly, but it appeared to have no issue with simply killing the girl another way, as it rushed in and went to take a bite of Ais.
Ais, however, was not keen on becoming the dinner of a dragon, and jumped out of the way once more, this time completely forgetting about the tail, as it slammed into her once more, sending the girl flying into another tree, shattering it on impact. She gasped as the air was thrown out of her lungs, but she did not stop her endless pursuit of the dragon's death.
Once more she rushed, and once more she was swatted away. Collecting herself in the air, she rushed in again, thankfully avoiding the attacks of the dragon, and landing a series of blows on the beast. Some were lucky enough to pierce the hide of the dragon, drawing a small amount of blood, and yet, the dragon remained unfazed. The beast reared its hind leg and kicked the girl away, the force strong enough to make her drop her blade. Ais and Sword Ale went flying through the air, before Ais collapsed onto her back on the ground, Sword Ale continuing to fly overhead and towards the edge of Floor 12.
Ais slowly got back up, as the Dragon began to walk slowly towards her. She looked towards where Sword Ale had flown off too, hoping to find a glint of her precious blade so she would have a chance at surviving a fight against this beast. She could not see even the hint of where her blade fell, but she knew the rough location. Jumping to her feet, she began to run towards the approximated location of her blade. The dragon was hot on her heels, keeping the way behind her alight as it released another breath of fire on the girl, forcing her to dodge once more. Throwing herself to the right, the way she had been walking went up in flames, the fire catching on the grass of Floor 12. It began to grow hotter and hotter, and Ais was forced to focus so she would not give into the burning pain and heat coming from the fire.
She continued to run, and thanked her lucky stars that she found a glint from her weapon, rushing towards it and grabbing the blade, looking behind her at the carnage that was the 12tb Floor. The light that reflected off of her was red, matching the flames that spewed from the dragons mouth and that now decorate the ground of Floor 12.
Just as she thought that, the dragon slashed at her with one of his claws. Ais grunted in pain as she jumped back, blood down her arm where she was attacked.
'But-' said Ais, continuing her internal monologue from before. However, she was interrupted as hot ash found its way to her injury, causing her to clutch it in her hand, and scream out in agony. The dragon took this as an opportunity, and sent a fireball straight at her, causing the girl to dodge once more. As Ais rolled out of the way, careful to protect her wound from the ash and the dirt, she took in the surrounds. "The Dungeon... there's fire everywhere..." she said to herself, looking around her at the flames that engulfed Floor 12, even directly behind her. "I can't... run anymore..." she muttered, looking up at the dragon as it made its way over to her. "Am I... going to die here?" she asked, looking up as the dragon prepared another flame breath attack.
Ais thought back on her life. 'I can't... I haven't done anything yet... but my body... just won't move...' she thought as she looked into the blazing red and orange of the inferno to come. 'Why am I so cold...?' she asked herself. 'Why do I always have to suffer...?' she asked herself.
Once more, all the faces of those she cared about flashed in her mind. Her father, her mother, Loki, Finn, Gareth, Riveria, even Akihide. She frowned at her final thoughts.
'It's just like they said... I'm all alone...'
'This is... the end...'
"OI, YOU FUCKING DUMBASS!" screamed out a voice, forcing Ais to look up in shock. Blitzing past her, from seemingly out of nowhere, Akihide Okami blitzed past her, hair and tail stained red, and a pair of red tails made of energy accompanying his other tail. He leapt at the dragon at incredible speed, bringing his katana out for a strike, and stabbing the dragon in the throat. "DIE, YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD!" he exclaimed as he pulled his sword out. Fire beginning to spew from the hole in its neck, as the flames in its mouth began to disappear. Ais looked at the boy, who stood from his spot and began walking over to her.
In that moment, for just the faintest flicker of time, she saw her father walking towards her, before the figure returned to Akihide. He stared down at the girl, as the dragon recollected itself.
Akihide took that time to smack her upside the head.
"Ow!" complained Ais, grabbing her head that Akihide hit. "What was that for?!"
"Making mama cry." responded Akihide with a flat glare. "And you best believe you're in for a hell of a lot more the second we get out of the Dungeon. There's no one who's going to save you from my wrath." said the boy, turning back to the dragon, who was beginning to recollect himself. "Enhanced species? Or an irregular maybe..." he muttered to himself, as he looked at the beast. "At the very least, you look like the One Eyed Black Dragon, so I'm guessing you're strong for this level. You'll need to be taken care of."
Ais looked at the boy as Riveria appeared beside her. "You can't accept it!" she called out, grabbing the girls sword and holding the hilt out at her. "Stand up! Take up your sword! You and I, and Akihide too, we still have so much to do together! There's still so much I still have to teach you! I still haven't taught you that you're not alone!" she said, looking into the eyes of the young girl.
"Riveria..." muttered Ais, looking at the woman who had essentially become her mother over the course of the last year, even if the younger girl would refuse to admit it in her presence. Just as she was about to say something, the dragon roared once more. Standing up, it glared at the now expanded group of three.
"So, Ais! Say it!" called out Riveria. Preparing her staff. "Call it forth! Awaken, Tempest!" she called out, turning to face the dragon.
Ais looked down for a moment, sending a silent prayer to her mother and father, asking them to take care of all her friends in this trying time. She then stood up, taking her sword from Riveria's still outstretched hand. "Awaken, Tempest!"she called out, a rush of wind appearing around her. She felt herself growing stronger with the power of the wind, faster, better. She looked to the dragon, staring it down with Akihide.
The dragon began by shooting a stream of fire at Akihide and Ais. Akihide jumped out of the way, looking back at the dragon, but Ais stayed where she was, letting her wind take care of the fire. She could feel the warmth of her mother's embrace as she watched the flames dance off her wind.
A memory entered her mind.
"I will always be with you."
Ais looked down at her wind. "Mothers... wind..." she muttered, looking at the wind that enveloped her body. "Always... She will always... be with me!" she yelled, going on the counter attack, her only desire being to kill that dragon.
The fight began in earnest as Akihide reached the dragon first. He swung his sword, easily piercing the scales and hide of the dragon, who let out an enraged roar as it turned its attention to the young boy. He trusted in the craftsmanship of the blade, after all, Tsubaki Collbrande had forged it herself. It was a blade that could theoretically outmatch any in Orario at the current time. Piercing through the skin of an enhances Infant Dragon?
Easy as cutting a pie.
Ais was in the same boat with the inclusion of her magic, Ariel. An enhancement magic, one born of her relation to her mother, the great spirit of wind. It enhanced her speed and strength, but also served as an offensive and defensive shield, increasing her weapons slicing and piercing capabilities as well as acting as a shield, much like against her mother.
It was the wind equivalent of Alise's Agaris Alvesynth, and a more versatile version of the magic, having defensive capabilities as well.
She rushed forward towards the dragon, Sword Ale surrounded by a flurry of wind, she yelled out as she stabbed her sword into the neck of the dragon, near where Akihide had done the same. The sword, now coated in the power of the wind, had absolutely no issues in piercing through the scales and hide of the dragon, causing the monster to roar in pain.
Akihide looked down at the dragon as he teleported over it. He looked down, thinking of everything that had happened. How Ais had pissed off everyone by acting like a child, much like he had when he didn't Rank Up with the rest of Kiddy Party the year after, her hurtful comments to Riveria that almost had the woman in tears, and now the existence of this ridiculous dragon.
It all pissed him off.
Then, to add fuel to the fire, the dragon turned to him, his neck facing Ais, and began to breath fire once more. However, it was a strategy on the dragon's part, as fire went out both his mouth and the hole in his neck, causing the two children to be forced to dodge at the same time. Ais ducked to the side to avoid the fire, and Akihide teleporting again. The fire impacted the roof of Floor 12 as well as the grass and trees where Ais once stood.
Riveria looked to the two there, glee in her eyes at the sight of the two children working together. Not too long ago, the two of them had been at one another's throats, and now they were working together to take down a massive adversary. There was a certain pride in watching something like that happen. In watching a bond form between two children who were at each other's throats not two hours ago.
However, that feeling of pride was quickly replaced with pain as she felt a stabbing sensation in her lower back.
She screamed out in surprised pain, looking behind her to see a brown cloaked man with a sack over his head and a collection of knives all over his body.
New level 5 member of Evilus, and Co-Vice Leader of the Laughin Coffin Division, known by his new alias, Basilisk, Johnny Black.
"Figured I'd find you here." he said with no small amount of sung glee. "When we only saw Finn and Gareth on the surface, we knew there were only a small amount of places you could be. Glad to see you!" he said with murderous glee.
"Bastard..." muttered Riveria, escaping the knife and holding out her staff, only for her vision to start going blurry.
"I hope you like my new and improved poison!" he exclaimed, holding out a bottle. "My mixing development ability ranked up with me, so my poisons are even more deadly than before! Not even a G Abnormal Resistance can withstand my poisons for long!" he said with glee, looking down at the woman.
However, that glee was quick to change, as he hear something coming his way, a scream of unrestrained fury. He held up his dagger, as the blade of Akihide came crashing into his. Johnny wasn't worried, he was a level 5 now taking on a pseudo level 3.
But then Akihide started pushing back against him.
Johnny looked back in shock as Akihide's feral face found his, teeth clenched so tight it looked like they would break at any moment, eyes filled with unbridled rage, and a power that was rivalling his own, weaker, sure, but still there.
What he noticed last though, was his tails.
1
2
3
4
Akihide yelled at him, filled with enough fury that her could have burnt the sun with his anger, "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY MAMA!"
A minute earlier
"Ariel!" shouted Ais, as she swung her sword at the base of the dragons neck. Her swing connected, and even better, hit the magic stone. The black dragon looked at them, before falling down and bursting into ash.
Akihide sighed, walking over to Ais. "I hope you know you owe everyone an apology."
Ais nodded. "Yeah..." she muttered.
Akihide gasped. "Gods, so you can learn..." he muttered, looking around at the sea of flames. "We'll let the fire burn for as long as it wants, the Dungeon will heal itself." he said, before noticing something near the ash. "Looks like we have some loot. Let's take a look."
And so, from the dragon, the two children had received a trio of fangs, several scales and a fair chunk of dragon hide. "Not a bad haul at all. I'll take the fangs, you keep the rest." he said, looking down at the girl. "But that can wait until after your apology to Riveria. Come on." he said, turning around to look at Riveria.
Only to see her getting stabbed.
The invisible guy from Evilus that Akihide had seen when facing them with both the Loki and Astraea Familias, an evil man who liked to poison his victims.
And he had just poisoned Riveria.
In that moment, the rage Akihide felt reached a breaking point. Everything he had been boiling up to this point, and Akihide lost it. He screamed to the heavens, and ran in, he felt a pain in his back, as everything began to numb, much like when he first used his skill against Kaguya.
Feeling the rage of Ais, the assault on Riveria, Evilus, the dragon, everything accumulated to form another tail, made from the rage Akihide was feeling.
A psuedo level 4 Akihide clashed with the man, watching as the eyes from under the sack went wide and Akihide began pushing him back. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY MAMA!" he screamed out, pushing the man back. Not giving him a moment to breathe, Akihide was on him, swinging his sword down once more, rage overtaking everything as he felt Johnny buckle under the assault.
To understand why this was happening, how Akihide could be performing this feat, Styrkur Tamamo had to be understood in greater depth. Styrkur Tamamo had the ability to enhance Akihide's anger into strength when a limit was broken through, resulting in a Pseudo Rank Up, but there was never any mention of it only being one layer of breaking through.
Anger was a powerful emotion. Harnessed correctly by Akihide, it could allow him to stand toe to toe with many of the adventurers of Orario, perhaps even within Evilus itself. When all the anger had come together that Akihide had been bottling, he had managed to surpass another limit, resulting in two simultaneous Pseudo Rank Ups.
But, of course, Falna came into effect, as did basic stats. How did they work? How did they figure out how strong Akihide was? What was the thing that made Akihide strong.
For basic stats, it wasn't emotion.
It was math.
A simple formula was used, where all the stats he had from his level ups were added together, and then divided by the amount of levels he was emulating at the time.
So, Akihide's current stats were based on the following equation.
{(Level 1 Stat)+(Level 2 Stat)} / 4
This would give him the numerical value of his stats that were of the levels he was emulating, or for levels 3 and 4 in the current situation.
Take agility, for example, where hit status was maxed at 999 for both levels.
{999 + 999} / 4 = 499.5
Round that down and the Falna on Akihide's back has it so that it was like stats for Akihide for agility in level 3 and 4 is 499.
As the levels between people became less and less important the higher one climbed up the ranks to the top, where status became closer from a top tier level 5 and a new level 6 that had never been at the top. Their status may be just about equal, but generally, due to a level boost, the level 6 will be marginally stronger.
That was a similar situation to the current one. Johnny Black had never been a top tier amongst his peers, but had priorities faster Rank Ups in order to grow stronger, usually stopping when a stat hit C or so. He had done this all the way to level 5, never scoring over a C and relying on his poisons and magic to get him through fights.
Akihide, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.
Both his level 1 and 2 stats were all higher than that, his lowest being his current endurance at 703, but all his level 1 stats were in S. He was the strongest level 1 in Orario, even amongst Kiddy Party at the time. He was constantly finishing at the high end of each of his levels, meaning he had mastered all he could between level 1 and level 2, as well as between level 2 and level 3, which is where he was currently.
The differences between them were small, as the two clashed, sword against dagger, boy against man. Akihide jumped up once more, spinning over his head and slamming his sword down with all his strength, the velocity of the spin making it stronger. Johnny barely had enough strength to block the blade, feeling his arms begin to buckle under the assault from the boy. Using his superior dexterity and agility, Johnny Black turned out of the way, and Akihide's sword connected with the ground, causing dust to go everywhere. Johnny took the moment to stab the boy with a knife, aiming to his his exposed stomach in a guaranteed hit.
A guaranteed hit, if it wasn't for the existence of Mico Grandus.
Akihide, subconsciously sensing the incoming danger, teleported away in an instant, avoiding the attack and landing a fair bit away from the man. He turned to him, swinging his sword in position to strike, rushing forward once more.
And chanting.
"By ember's grace, with tails of nine." began Akihide, concurrent chanting for the first time in his life, as he continued to swing at Johnny Black. "Unleash your will through me, divine. White flames dance on sacred ground. Sage fire yell, loud and proud. O fox of myth, your wisdom blaze. Through ancient rites, set skies ablaze. By flame and tail, your power calls. Rise now, before all shadows fall. My name is Tamamo No Mae! Tsudzurao-ō no Sējifaia!" he called out, his spell activating for the first time during combat.
Erupting from his back, where his tails sprouted from, came nine small balls of white fire. They flew behind him, forming a circle behind him, spinning around in their circle. Johnny dropped down, grabbing a pair of poisoned knives, ready to kill the child as Akihide prepared to rush at him.
The two took off from their positions in the blink of an eye, meeting in the middle as their blades clashed. Akihide went to to kick Johnny, but the Evilus man jumped back, letting one of his knives fly at the child. One of the flames behind Akihide shot off at the same speed, the two connecting near the halfway point. White flames erupted as the knife was burnt, the flames also dying out, as smoke filled the air.
The two made use of the cover and rushed in, blades intersecting once more as they danced around each other, matching speed for speed and strike for strike. The new level 5 and the pseudo level 4 continued clashing, before Johnny kicked Akihide back, the boy backflipping off of him and sending two more flames after the man at high speed. Johnny saw them coming, dodging the first one with a step to the side and the second by ducking under it.
RIght in the path of the hidden third fire ball that Akihide hid with the other two.
The flames contacted with the man, and he began screaming in agony as the sack on his head began to burn. He quickly took it off, revealing a somewhat lanky appearance with silver hair reaching the back of his neck and somewhat sunken cheeks. He also now had a small burn on the right side of his face, mostly covering his cheek but also close to hitting his nose and mouth. "Bastard!" he called, throwing more poisoned knives at the kid, only for him to teleport out of the way, staring down at the guy.
"Die."
With that, Akihide sent the rest of his flames at the man, impacting surrounding him and on the man himself, bursting into a giant explosion of white flames. The three people present could hear the man yelling in the flames, burning alive. The flames died down, leaving nothing but a half melted knife, dropped to the ground.
Akihide sighed, feeling his body's controls returning to him as he dropped to his knees, completely exhausted. He began to turn to Riveria, seeing her treating herself with her third level of healing magic, Van Alheim. She seemed to be making a recovery, so Akihide let the adrenaline leave his body, followed closely by his conciousness.
Riveria got herself up, the expenses of using her healing magic beginning to hit her. She sighed, cursing herself for being so distracted in the Dungeon, a lesson she had repeatedly slammed into the heads of both Akihide and Ais. 'Real hypocritical, Riveria...' she thought to herself, sighing before turning to Ais, who was approaching her. "Ais..." she muttered, relived that the young girl was okay. But her hair shadowed her eyes, not daring to look at the woman.
"I... I wasn't... I wasn't alone..." said the girl, looking at the woman, tears welling up in her eyes.
Riveria sighed. "Ais... I can't be your mother..." muttered the elf, before dropping to her knees and wrapping her in a hug. "But I want to be by your side." she said, holding the girl close. "I love you, Ais."
And with that, came the waterworks. Ais burst into tears, crying her heart out. "Riveriaaa... R-Riveriaaaaa! I'm sooo sorryyyyyyy!" she exclaimed, clinging to the elven woman.
"It's okay, it's okay." comforted Riveria, holding the girl close. "It'll all be okay. The wind dwells within you, and your Familia is here. We'll never abandon you. I'll always be there to protect you." she said, holding the girl close, as she cried into her chest. "Let's go home, Ais."
Akihide woke up with a killer headache and a throat as dry as the Kaios Desert. He coughed as he awoke, reaching to get out of bed, and find something to drink. He noticed a mug of water on his bedside table and smiled. "I love you, mama." he said, before downing the entire thing in a single gulp. He smiled, before continuing his search for more water.
His adventure lead him to the dining area, where he found most of the Familia having lunch. He heard some good natured laughing, before Kalos called out. "Done sleeping in, lazybones?" he asked, shouting it out for the mess hall, causing laughter to erupt. Akihide smirked, chuckling at the joke as he reached the drink table and began drinking all the water he could get his hands on.
Soon, Finn, Gareth and Riveria entered, followed closely by Ais, who seemed to be sticking close to Riveria, almost clinging to the woman. Akihide shot her a glare, not getting to say what he wanted the night before. Ais shrunk behind Riveria, who gave him a look that essentially told him to stand down, much to his confusion. She sighed as she knew she'd have to explain what happened to the boy.
But before the conversation could start, Loki came in. "Say hello to our new level 2 everyone! Ais has Ranked Up." she yelled in glee, getting a huge round of applause from the rest of the Familia. Loki held up her hand. "Now, most of you know, I am a betting woman."
"And an alcoholic!" yelled out another voice, getting a loud laugh from most of the Familia, even Loki herself.
"That too! My children know me so well~" she sang, before her serious smirk returned. "I wanna make a bet, that young Ais here isn't the only one who Ranked Up yesterday. What do you all reckon?!" she called out, getting the crowd hyped, as cheers were yelled, mugs were slammed into the table to simulate a drum roll, and people began wondering who would be called up.
"AKIHIDE OKAMI!" called Loki, smirking. "Get your ass up here! Let's update your status!" she yelled, getting an excited cheer from the rest of her Familia. Riveria shot her a glare, but she turned back to Akihide, who was already taking his shirt off and walking over to the goddess. He was 8, and felt no embarrassment undressing in front of his Familia, nor did they really feel embarrassed with a child taking his shirt off in front of them. Loki smirked as she sat him down and dropped blood onto his back. She watched the numbers change, and then sealed his Falna, grabbing the paper and placing it onto his back to copy it. She gave it to him, and his eyes went wide.
Status:-
Level: 2→3
Strength: 801(A)→ 0(I)
Endurance: 743(B)→ 0(I)
Dexterity: 999(S)→ 0(I)
Agility: 999(S)→ 0(I)
Magic: 999(S)→ 0(I)
Magic: Kaizen no Mon
Tsudzurao-ō no Sējifaia
Skills: Mico Grandus
Reiður Styrkur Tamamo
Development Abilities: Hunter (H)
Mage (I)
She turned to her Familia in triumph. "Level 3!"
There was a massive roar of approval from the rest of the Familia. With their two youngest members each having Ranked Up, they were high on adrenaline and hype. More than a few of them looked amongst themselves, a single thought through their heads.
'Next time, it'll be us.'
Riveria looked down at her surrogate son, who was hugging her, and then turned to Ais, who was getting congratulated by man others in the Familia, and her nerves were steeled. 'I promised I'd protect you, and I will.' she thought to herself, before beginning to plan out her strategy.
Getting to level 6 was not going to be easy.
I hope you guys enjoyed. Be sure to let me know what you'd like to see in the upcoming arcs. Anyway, we have time for one more omake before we finish off the Arc, so enjoy.
Omake: Arrivals
The two made their way through the unfamiliar streets, looking between themselves as they tried to navigate the maze that was Orario. "There has to be one around here somewhere..." muttered the boy amongst them, a human boy with an old sword strapped to his waist and a bit of leather armour across his chest. "How hard is it to find a Familia?"
"Let's just keep looking." said the girl, dressed in a dress with a newer sword at her waist, next to her tail, coloured black like her cat ears and hair. "I'm sure we'll find one soon, Raul."
Raul sighed. "I know Aki, I'm just excited..." he said, looking down, and specifically, not where he was going, bumping into someone, and falling on his but. "Ow..." he moaned, looking up. "Sorry about tha-"
His words dried up in his mouth as he saw who he had bumped into, a boy with white hair, fox ears and a tail, dressed in Far Eastern pants and a tight black shirt, a sword at his waist and knives over his chest. The boy was also still standing, despite looking at least 4 years younger than the pair of 13 year olds. "You okay? Sorry, I was lost in thought." said the boy, holding a hand out to the pair.
"I-I'm okay!" said Raul, quickly and loud as he stood up. "I bumped into you, so sorry about that!" he said in sincere apology.
"No, I should be sorry. I bumped into you." replied the boy. He smiled at them, looking at their gear. "New to the city?"
"Yeah, looking to become adventurers." said Anakitty. "We're on the lookout for a Familia at the moment."
The boy smiled. "Well, aren't you in luck? I happen to be an adventurer myself. I'm on my way home, so how about I bring you to my place and we'll see what we can do?" offered the boy.
Raul smiled brightly. "Really?" he asked, excited to become part of a Famila. "Oh, thank you!"
The boy smiled. "Easy now, it's up to the goddess in charge to decide if you guys can join or not, but I'll put in a good word for you." he said, before ushering them to follow him. The two were quick to follow the boy, as he made his way back to his Familia.
And after a minute of walking, they arrived.
"Woah..." muttered Anakitty, looking at the castle in front of her. "You guys live here?"
"Yep." responded the boy, opening the gates and allowing the two new adventurers inside. "Welcome to the Twilight Manor, home of the Loki Familia."
With that, the two stopped dead in their tracks. "L-Loki Familia?" asked Raul, looking at the boy in shock. "Isn't that one of the strongest Familia's in all of Orario?"
The boy nodded. "We're tied against the Freya Familia, they have more fighters and the strongest adventure, but we have a higher level per capita, so a fight between us is really anyone's game, not that it'll ever come to that." he said, smiling at the two. "Now, you both wait here, I'll grab Loki and get this sorted."
He began to go to the door, before stopping and turning around. "Oh, right. My name's Akihide Okami, level 3 of the Loki Familia. I hope we can all get along as of today." he said with a kind smile.
Anyway, with this, Arc 3 is officially finished. Time to start writing Arc 4. Let me know what you think, and this is Striker777, over and out.