Hey guys, Striker777 here with the next chapter of Loki's Renard. Be sure to favourite and follow, and today is the beginning of the Expedition Arc, where Akihide will be joining some members of the Loki Familia as well as Alise and Kaguya on Floor 18 to gain experience in the Dungeon.

Also, be sure to read the end of this part, as there is a huge decision I want you guys to make. I can go either way at this point, so I'll leave the choice to you. Anyway, onto the reviews.

NiebieskiLis: Yes, I will be including the entire war against Evilus, even with a few modifications and the inclusion of some new characters, and a few timeskips that will cover key events in the series as well as several others that are purely for Akihide's life, such as his vengence against the Lambton who killed his family.

Also yes, Ais is currently too weak to be a member of Kiddy Party, being a new level 1 adventurer. Even Ariel and Avenger at this stage won't do much good for her, and is actually more of a detriment to any party she joins.

Also, not that I have anything too concrete for the future, but I do know Akihide and Haruhime will get along swimmingly. Both have a lot in common, being Renards forced out of their homes into unfamiliar situations in Orario by circumstances outside of their control, as well as their warm personalities and general cinnamon-rollness.

Roland Tepes: It's great to be back, and I'll smash that comp out just for you!

Anyway, onto the story!

Babel was swamped with adventurers from the Loki Familia. With their gear packed, the provisions made and everyone pumped, it was time for the Loki Familia to go down to Floor 50 to gather their quest materials for the various Familia of Orario once more. Their list was quite extensive, with herbs and plants from as low as Floor 32 from the Dense Forest Ravine, but both the Hephaestus and the Gonibu Familias were looking for some rare materials that spawned as low as Floor 49. All in all, a hectic mission for them, but nothing they weren't used to.

The other important part of their mission was a collection of Monster Rex Subjugations, having all the Monster Rex from Floor 17 to 49, Goliath, Amphisbaena, Udaeus and Balor. This was a good chance to get some of their other members to Rank Up. There were several members of the Familia looking to increase their skills through a Rank Up, and this expedition gave them the perfect opportunity to.

That also included their two special guests, Kaguya and Alise from the Astraea Familia. The two had reached their peak at level 2, and were looking to Rank Up to level 3. After what Akihide had pulled (unintentionally) at the Stardust Garden, Finn had been more than willing to include Alise and Kaguya in their party for taking down the Goliath, now 8 people strong. This group would also be staying on the 18th Floor whilst the rest of the Loki Familia went further down.

Speaking of staying on Floor 18, amongst the mass of bodies at the entrance to the Dungeon was Akihide, sticking close to Alise and Kaguya. Amongst the hundred or so members of the expedition force, Akihide hadn't had all that much interaction with the other members of his Familia, and was much more comfortable with his teacher and her Captain, who he had gone on patrol with and trained under for the year and a bit he has been in Orario. He knew how the fought, how they operated, and was confident he could match their wavelength and fight well alongside them in the Dungeon. That was why he was pleasantly surprised when the two showed up for the expedition and told him how they'd be staying with him and his party on Floor 18 for the time they were there.

Speaking of, Akihide turned to the members of the Familia that made up his party. There were four humans and two elves, all of them seeming pretty close. Akihide imagined that they were a regular Dungeon Party, or at least worked together often enough that they knew how to work well with each other. He personally knew a few of them in passing, but he didn't know any of them on a personal level. But he hoped that would change over their journey on the expedition, as did the members of the Loki Familia executives. Despite how Akihide was a part of the Familia, he hardly spent any time with anyone other than Finn, Riveria or Gareth, otherwise he was with his party or training with the Astraea Familia. He needed to make friends in the Loki Familia, and this was a good chance to do just that.

Akihide turned his attention back to Alise and Kaguya, the two of them going over their gear, as well as the usual Alise being Alise and Kaguya having to put up with it. Akihide smiled as he watched the two and their antics, a refreshing sense of calmness washing over him as he imagined the journey ahead.

"Oh my, Kvikr Sigurd." called out a familiar voice, causing Akihide to jump slightly, turning around and look directly into the eyes of the goddess of love herself, Freya. Cloaked in a black cloak covering her entire body apart from her face, only a single strand of her beautiful silver hair was visible from the hood of her cloak. "I hear you're going all the way down to Rivira. It's impressive that you're able to reach Floor 18 in just over a year." she complimented the boy, only to get him stepping back from her slightly, causing the goddess to flinch. "Have I offended you somehow?" she asked with concern.

However, she did not expect Akihide to suddenly drop to his knees and bow down to her, placing his forehead on the ground, his ears pressed up atop his head and his tail tucked between his legs. This was the ultimate technique of the Okami Clan, and his father had drilled it into his head at a very young age. Wisdom bought by the Great Amaterasu herself, on not only the ultimate favour asker, but also the ultimate apology.

Okami Clan Ultimate Move: Okami Dogeza

"I'M SORRY!" he called out, grabbing some attention. "I broke the precious gifts you gave me when I was on Floor 12, despite the work you had to put into having them made! Forgive me!" he cried out, head still firmly planted on the ground. Freya was, for what was one of the only few times in her immortal life, completely speechless as she looked at the young boy in a bowing pose she hadn't seen since her visit to the Far East over 200 years prior. But then, as her peripheral vision started to notice the dozens of people watching them, she suddenly reacted.

"I-I-it's fine!" she expressed, kneeling down and placing a hand upon each of his shoulders. "I'd much rather you break your sword in the Dungeon than yourself. Metal can always be reforged, but you, Akihide Okami, are irreplaceable." she said to the boy, wiping one of her gloved fingers across his cheek as she lifted his head. "I'm just glad you're okay." she said to the boy, a warm smile that seemed to help calm him down a bit. "The greatest gift you can give me is making sure you return from the Dungeon safe and sound each and every time you head down there. The last thing I would want is you sacrificing your life for a silly little gift from me."

Akihide nodded. "Thank you, Lady Freya." he said, causing the inner voice of the goddess of love to squeal out in excitement.

"Think nothing of it." she responded in her usual mannerism. "Besides, I feel the name I gave you at Denateus is worth much more than the katana and wakizashi I gave you." she said, smirking to herself as her mission became accomplished. Akihide looked up at the goddess in wonder, and she simply smiled back. "Did Loki not tell you? I was the one who recommended your alias at the Denateus meeting. I felt you deserved the proper recognition for all that you accomplished over the last year, and felt your name had to be something worthy of that." she said, before reaching into her cloak and pulling out a wrapped box-like shape. "Here, as a present for reaching level 2. I hope it serves you well." she said, before turning around. "I'll await hearing the great things you accomplish upon your return."

And with that, Freya retreated into the crowd, leaving behind the young boy who watched her move with the grace of an angel, and smiled. The goddess had been watching over him during his trial in the Dungeon, as well as during Denateus, and had constantly encouraged him to chase the strength he needed. And now, once more, she has left him with a gift. Akihide stashed the gift in his bag, knowing he had to focus on the expedition at the moment, but he was excited to see what he had been given by Freya.

He put those thoughts at the back of his mind as Finn announced that they would begin their descent. Akihide would accompany the Goliath Subjugation team as well as Finn and Riveria first, clearing the way for the higher levelled adventurers, before Gareth and the veterans bought up the rear with their main force. It seemed their job was the clear the path for their adventurers so they didn't risk anything happening and allowed the others to warm up their skills before facing the Goliath. Now he was only a part of that team so that he could have the opportunity to gain some Excilia from the mission before he was forced to switch to being a supporter instead.

This would be good training, and a good excuse for him to get to know some of the people in his familia apart from the executives. Akihide could count the people he knew and was friendly with in his familia on his hands, but this would give him the chance to spend almost 2 weeks with some of the members of his Familia and allow him to grow some connections. Getting to be taught by a bunch of seniors about the Dungeon first hand was something Akihide wasn't going to pass up.

Akihide ran over to where the others were, looking as Finn and Riveria were briefing them on their plan to take on the Goliath. Finn noticed his arrival and smiled. "Perfect timing Akihide, we were just going over your role in this expedition." said Finn, ushering the boy over. Akihide took his place between Finn and Alise. "You'll be leading the group down to Floor 12, and will remain as a front liner until Floor 15, when you will switch out to be a supporter from Floor 16 and below. You will watch what everyone does on Floors 16 to 18, and after a week, you can join fighting if someone is willing to switch roles with you." he said, getting a nod from Akihide.

"Now then, during the Goliath Extermination, we want to make use of your magic. We know you can't cover the entire room with your buffs, but we want to keep the Goliath as contained as possible and allow the others to kill it with ease." continued Finn, looking at the boy. "For this reason, we'll be asking you to boost everyone's strength and agility stats during the fight, and try to keep your magic on hold until the boss fight."

Finn was making sense, so Akihide nodded, understanding the plan perfectly. It wasn't overly complicated, fight during the upper levels, support during the lower levels, and then use your magic to help support everyone during the Goliath fight. Perfectly fine for a child to understand his role in the expedition.

Finn smiled and turned to the others. "Now then, I believe introductions are in order." said Finn, looking at the others. "Sharon, Remilia, Lloyd, Liza, Kalos and Cynthia, these are Alise Lovell and Kaguya Gojouno from the Astraea Familia, who will be joining us in exterminating the Goliath." he said, pointing to the two girls. "Our party formation heading below is as follows, Lloyd will be acting as our main tank, Akihide, Alise and Kaguya will be our primary damage dealers, with Sharon, Remilia and Liza being our secondaries. Kalos and Cynthia are on long range support, whilst Riveria and I will bring up the rear." explained Finn, before pointing to the Dungeon entrance. "Today, we see all eight of you bought up to Level 3. Let's go kill this Goliath."

As the group got pumped, Riveria gently nudged Akihide, pulling him quickly to the side. "Akihide, no matter what happens down there, you need to promise me you won't activate your skill." she said, looking the boy in the eyes with worry. "I know it's powerful, but it's dangerous and can get you or your party seriously hurt or killed down there. You don't have control of that power yet, so keep it turned off when we're down in the Dungeon, okay?"

Akihide nodded to his mother. "Got it." he said, before turning back to the six members of his party that he had no chance to interact with before today. "This is going to be interesting..."

As it turned out, Akihide was actually a fan of his present company. Liza, Sharon and Remilia were talking to the two members of the Astraea familia, whilst also dragging Akihide into the conversation. Whilst Akihide had been nervous at first, giving small and vague answers, he eventually began to warm up to them, going from short sentence answers to full blown conversations by the time it took them to reach Floor 9. Akihide was talking to the three human girls about how he and his party had been fighting in the Dungeon, and about their successful Minotaur hunt on Floor 15, which impressed the three of them. A minotaur was no easy feat, especially for fresh level 2 adventurers with stats of 0 across the board.

But soon the conversation lead more towards Kaguya and Alise. The two members of the Astraea Familia were as new to them as Akihide was, so there was plenty of general gossip and idle chit chat as the made their way through the main parts of the Dungeon, passing adventurer parties slaying monsters and staring at them in awe. It made sense, they were the Loki Familia, and as such, they were the subject of admiration wherever they went. Especially in the Dungeon, where their full might and abilities were on display for all to see.

But the group pressed on, knowing they only had a certain amount of time before Gareth came up on them with the rest of the Familia, and it would be best for everyone if the Goliath was taken care of before that happened. So the group continued on, Akihide getting increasingly nervous with every passing second, waiting for the fateful moment where he would get his chance to shine and take on some monsters, which is what he wanted to do most of all.

Luckily for the boy, he got his chance as they were making their way through Floor 12, where a series of growls and roars began making their way closer to the group. They turned to the right, looking at the large group of monsters coming at them. "Monster Party!" yelled out Lloyd, gripping his shield closer and standing between the party and the monsters. "Damage dealers, prepare for battle. Mages, hold off on casting for now, save your mind for the Goliath!" he ordered, getting a nod from everyone. Blades were drawn as the group of Orcs, Imps and a pair of Silverback.

Lloyd raised his sword to give the charge order, but Akihide, with his inexperience working with an actual tank, charged in ahead of them, teleporting right in front of one of the Silverback's heads, surprising the beast, and moving to decapitate the monster. The Silverback tried to raise it's arm, but it was too slow as Breath of Hachiman found it's mark at the creature's neck, and drove directly through it, sending the silver haired head back several meters and the monster's body to fall flat on the ground. Akihide landed on the ground, examining his blade. "I felt no resistance with that cut..." he muttered, looking at the blade with a smile. "It was like cutting air."

Akihide was quick to continue making his way through the monsters as the rest of the party capitalised on his distraction to come in and take the monsters out. The party rushed in and began fighting the monsters who tried to focus on Akihide all at once, managing to kill a few of them before they even realised they were there, and by that point it was too late. The group of monsters were cut down in less than three minutes by the adventurers, as they watched the last Orc turn to dust as Akihide slashed it across the chest and destroyed the magic stone.

The six members of the Loki Familia looked at their youngest member in shock. "I had no idea he was this strong..." muttered Sharon, dusting off her outfit and looking at Akihide. "I mean, I knew he had to be after all the rumours and stories going around the city, but seeing it is something else."

"So this is a 'Broken Skill'..." muttered Kalos, looking at Akihide. They had learnt about Mico Grandus' existence through Finn, and how Loki classified it as a 'Broken Skill', but to see it in person was something else. Loki made a point of explaining to Finn how a 'Broken Skill' was essentially a way someone could breach the level system and become stronger than the Falna thought they were. Apparently the Zeus and Hera Familia were full of people with Broken Skills, but even then they failed to stop the One Eyed Black Dragon. It was a terrifying thing to think about.

But yet, before them, stood a member of their familia, currently destroying all the Imp magic stones in an attempt to prevent an enhanced species from appearing. Finn and Riveria watched on as Akihide performed his duties as the supporter he now was for this one moment, seeing as he had to be punished somewhat for charging in ahead of the rest of his party. Finn nodded, confident that Akihide would be just fine, before clapping his hands and getting everyone's attention. "Alright guys, from this point, our DPS teams are swapping positions. Liza, Sharon and Remilia in the front, Akihide, Alise and Kaguya in the rear covering our mages. It will stay that way until Akihide becomes the supporter on Floor 16, and then we continue on like that until the Goliath battle." he said, getting nods from the party, even a reluctant one from their resident renard.

Finn smiled and pat Akihide's head, which was awkward as Akihide was now a few centimetres taller than him. "You did good, Akihide." he said, taking his hand off the boy's head. "Now all you have to do is sit back and learn from everyone else, and soon enough, you'll be able to come down here with Kiddy Party all on your own."

That seemed to do the trick, as Akihide got excited at the prospect, and walked over to his position at the rear, behind Alise and Kaguya by a small bit, but near the mages and ready to provide support.

With his spear raised, Finn pointed to the direction of the staircase to Floor 13. "Onwards, we have a Goliath to slay!" he called out, rallying the troops and raising their morale."

Being a supporter was not fun. Akihide learnt that when Floor 16 eventually came around when there were no other incidents that needed his interference from Floor 13 down to Floor 16. He was basically just dragging corpses out of the way of the adventurers and extracting the magic stones, which he wasn't as good at as a regular supporter. Airmid had taken the role of supporter for their party as she wanted to practice having a steady hand for when she eventually went to get her surgeons license from the Education District. Now that Akihide was trying to do it himself, he had a newfound respect for the work Airmid did.

However, he realised as the party was going further through Floor 16, and all members were fighting except for the mages since they didn't want to waste their magic just yet, that their smaller party would be pretty full out trying to navigate and fight through the hordes of monsters whilst also collecting their magic stones. Akihide lamented this fact for a moment as he worked, extracting a relatively small stone from a Hellhound that they had killed earlier, dropping no items as it returned to dust. Akihide sighed and turned back to the fighting, watching the rest of the party give it their all against a Ligerfang that had appeared. Akihide watched on from the back, as Liza took her spear and shoved it through the beast's neck and killing it.

Akihide looked down once more at the dust from the monster he had just extracted the stone from, and came to a simple conclusion.

'Kiddy Party needs a full time supporter is we want to go deeper into the Dungeon.'

"Asfi~" sang out a voice that bought the young former princess nothing but headaches. She sighed as she put down her quill and turned in her chair, her short blue hair hanging loosely in her casual shirt and pants. "My dear sweet Asfi~" sang her god as he entered her room, without knocking. Asfi sighed as she took her book and threw it at the man, slamming it into his face.

"Knock before you enter my room! God or not, I will hurt you!" she said, looking red with anger at hat wearing god. "What the hell do you want now? Am I not working hard enough as it is for you?!" she yelled out, pointing to the large amount of paperwork on her desk.

Hermes smiled. "You can forget about all that, because I have a new job for you!" he said as the natural extravert he was, eccentric and all. Asfi could quite literally feel her brain thumping in her head at the thought of whatever scheme it was Hermes had pick out for her to stumble through today.

Asfi sighed in resignation before looking at her god. "So what is it you need me to do exactly?" she asked.

Hermes smiled. "There's someone I want you to keep an eye on for me. I have a vested interest in his future." explained the god, as if that made it all make sense. When Hermes saw that it didn't, he continued on. "I believe this boy could be the future Hero of Orario, and succeed where the old man and his hag of a wife failed. I just need someone to help steer him in the right direction." he said to her.

Asfi sighed, knowing full well that Hermes might intend to corrupt the boy into doing something for his entertainment. Asfi knew Hermes had a 'small' obsession (Hermes' words, not hers) with Heroes, and he, like any other god, simply wanted to be entertained in the world. She would do as Hermes asked, but she would work to ensure that Hermes wasn't too detrimental. "So, who is it you want me to keep an eye on?" she asked her god.

Hermes smiled. "Akihide Okami."

The young girl adjusted the straps of the bag on her back, wobbling slightly as the weight was added to her already small frame, but through sheer will, pushed on. The brown hair was concealed by a small white hood, where she had hand me down boots and other clothes for the Dungeon. She sighed as she made her way outside to the few members of her Familia that were waiting for her, smirks on their faces and eyes full of disgust but joy at her. Disgust at who she was, a pallum and a child, but also joy through the amount of money they were going to make off exploiting her.

Liliruca Arde looked up and scowled, before following the members of her Familia into the Dungeon.

'I hate adventurers...'

Hope you guys enjoyed, now onto the serious talk. We have a decision to make. Above are the two possible adventurers that have the potential to become Kiddy Party's supporter, Asfi Al Andromeda and Liliruca Arde. Now, actions and decisions have consequences, so these are the decisions.

1. Asfi becoming the supporter means that the canon of Danmachi is much closer kept, Lili will become Bell's supporter 9 years down the road and things will play out roughly the same, or quicker depending on how Akihide decides to involve himself. Akihide will get a few more interactions with Hermes, who will push the boy further into the realm of 'necessary heroism', where Akihide focuses on being a hero for the greater good, as well as how to be a 'man' by the standards of an Olympian God (take from that what you will).

2. Lili becoming the supporter means the canon is completely shattered. Bell will need a new supporter, and I don't have any idea who that could be, so some ideas would be greatly appreciated if you want this path. Asfi won't be joining Kiddy Party (maybe she will later if I feel like it), and Hermes will have little interaction with Akihide, allowing him to grow into 'desired heroism', or to be a hero because he wants to be one, where Alfia is his main influence. Also might make Lili stronger than canon, taking after Fianna, but she won't join the Loki Familia, probably Astraea Familia.

Anyway, those are your choices, and you have until the end of the expedition to make your decision and vote on it. Leave a comment on this chapter with who you want, and enjoy the omake below.

Tales of the Nine Tailed King: Part 1 - Entry of the Future King

Tamamo looked all over for area for a village, a town or some place he could rest and recover from his long voyage across the sea. There had been no nearby rivers where he had landed and was saved by the hero, so he would have to find a place on his own. He needed to find a place to sleep and food to eat, and the easiest way to find both was to find civilisation. He wandered the grasslands that he found himself in, looking for any signs of life that wasn't a monster or wild animal.

Eventually, his luck would pay off, and he would find a place, if only small. Only about ten buildings in the whole area, he assumed they were all homes, probably for farmers in their small village. He made his way to the village, watching as all eyes turned to him, but no one came to assist him, even as the small boy fell down in front of them. Clutching his stomach in agony, he looked up at the horizon, his chin resting on the rough dirt of the small road, as people began slowly approaching him. "H-H-Help... m-me..." was all he was able to say as he lost consciousness.

The smell of cooked meat was what woke him up, as his stomach was quick to protest the unfortunate lack of meat, or any food for that matter, currently residing inside it. It forced him awake in a desperate search for the nutrients. He groaned at the pain in his stomach as he tried to sit up from wherever he laid, only to be pushed back down onto his back. "No, rest now. I'll bring you some water and bread in a moment." said a kind and gentle voice.

Tamamo groaned in pain as he was forced back down, as the person quickly went back to wherever they came from, bringing a fresh mug of water with some buttered bread. "Don't go snarfing it all down now, it'll only come back up if you do." it said, gently lifting him up so he could eat and drink properly. "Just take small bites and sips kid, this isn't going anywhere."

Tamamo nodded with what little strength he had, before taking a small bite out of the bread, letting out a moan of satisfaction as he felt the food enter his mouth, then soon his stomach. He looked up at the one to save him, finding an old man with a long white beard and no hair atop his head, hunched over and smiling. "Good to see you've opened your eyes. What's your name?" asked the man. Tamamo went to answer, but was suddenly overcome with a coughing fit, making the old man hand him the water. "Small sips now kid, don't drink it all at once."

Tamamo followed the advice and took smaller sips, quenching his thirst and releasing a sigh. "Not bad at all..." muttered the old man. "What's your name, kid?"

"T-T-Ta..." tried the boy, still too exhausted and starved to talk properly.

"No harm boy, rest a bit more." said the old man, helping him down again and stroking his head. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Tamamo nodded, and went back to sleep, regaining his strength.

And that's it. I hope you guys enjoyed, but for now, this is Striker777, over and out.