Hey guys, hope you're doing well, Striker777 here with the next chapter of Loki's Renard. Nice and light chapter before we begin the final stretch to end the Expedition mini-arc, and then around 5-6 more chapters before the end of Arc 3, when we'll move onto Arc 4, the Dark Ages Arc. Look forward to it.

Anyway, the vote for Lili vs Asfi across both Wattpad and is sitting at 6-4 in favour of Lili, so Asfi fans need to step up this time if they want her to take the spot. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy, but for now, onto the story!

Floor 18 was a wonderous place, filled with abnormalities and strangeness for the Dungeon. Why the Dungeon had safe zones was lost on everyone, but they were there and people were more than happy to make use of these safe zones to further their trips into the unforgiving hell that was the Dungeon. Akihide looked out at the Floor with wonder in his eyes, scanning the landscape of the Floor. Crystals hung from the ceiling of the Floor, illuminating the otherwise dark Dungeon with no natural light, with a wide lot of trees and other plants making up the landscape. All in all, it was like a little forest deep underground.

Oh, and there was also the Dungeon town, Rivira. The small town in the Dungeon, the man-made structure so out of place in the Dungeon, stood as a crude structure, as if only just built. In complete honesty, Rivira was destroyed a month ago, and the inhabitants had rebuilt it again, as was the way of Floor 18. Rivira was constantly being destroyed and rebuilt from monsters that made their was up from Floor 19 or down from Floor 17, so the inhabitants of Floor 18 focused more on buildings that were easy to tear down and repair for when they were destroyed, with only a few 'permanent' structures made of stone existing.

To Akihide, this was all new and exciting. He looked down at the village from the stairs between Floor 17 and 18, with the inquisitive eyes of a child, like he was, and Riveria rubbed his head. "We'll be camping on the hill just over there." she said, pointing to a small hill near the village. "Everything in Rivira is quite expensive, so we save money by camping. Other than that, the people of Rivira offer more for monster drops than the Guild, so we'll be offloading our drops here whenever we can."

It was, of course, true. Rivira was much more reliant on Monster parts than the top world was, in terms of per capita, and as such, they were much more valuable, and were bought and sold at higher prices. There were, however, some downsides to this. One was Rivira didn't have the money to buy most Monster Parts in bulk, so when an expedition occurred, Loki Familia would usually only sell their collections from Floors 19 to 30, since that was about as much as Rivira could safely buy from them, and anything other than that went to requests or to the personal equipment of the Familia, which was more profitable than selling in Rivira anyway.

Akihide nodded not understanding the inner working of the economic system of Rivira, but was more than happy to pretend he did so he didn't have to go through another of Riveria's lectures whilst in the Dungeon. All he had to worry about was how much fun this was going to be, camping out in the middle of the Dungeon, exploring the depths of the Dungeon that he didn't think he'd be able to for at least half a year, and working with new people outside of Kiddy Party.

Finn clapped his hands. "Alright, we should really get started on setting up camp. We'll divide the tasks between us so we get it done quicker." he said, before grouping everyone up into ground of three. "Liza, Sharon and Remilia, you three will focus on setting up the cooking pot and prepping the supplies, make sure the refrigerator is turned on and working so the supplies don't spoil before we get back. Alise, Kaguya and Cynthia, set up the sleeping tents for the girls, we need three before the rest of our forces get here. Akihide, Lloyd and Kalos, you three set up the main tent for the executives, the medical tent and then the tents for the boys. With Akihide, it shouldn't take too long to get that sorted." ordered the Pallum, getting affirmative nods from everyone, who went down to begin. Riveria and Finn looked between themselves, smiling as they saw the laughs between the others of their Familia and their guests. The two executives made their way down, preparing to begin scouting the area for monsters to exterminate.

"So..." began Kalos, as the two other boys with him looked down. The three hadn't said much since they first started, so it was Kalos who broke the silence. "Akihide, are you enjoying the expedition so far?"

Akihide nodded as he looked at his elders from the Familia. "This is so much fun! And you guys were awesome when you were taking on the Goliath!" he exclaimed while holding a tent spine up.

Lloyd snickered. "I'll tell you who was awesome, that Alise girl. That magic she has is something else." said the shielder. "I mean, she essentially one-shot the Goliath straight to hell, major respect for that."

"Let's not forget that Kaguya girl." responded Kalos. "The way she danced through the battlefield, slicing at the Goliath, it was like watching a first class adventurer. I swear, the girls of the Astraea Familia are making us look bad."

"And that's just two of them, imagine if the whole Familia was down here." said Lloyd, looking at the young boy who was with them. "Akihide, you spend a lot of time with the Astraea Familia, are they all as strong as those two girls?" he asked.

Akihide stopped for a second and thought. "I mean... in their own way they are, that's for sure." said the boy. "Their healer, Maryuu, she also wields a mace, so she's on the front lines with her Familia, so they're a bit weird like that, but there are a bunch of strong girls, and I think a lot of them will be level 3 soon. Ryuu and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Lloyd thought for a second. "Maybe they'll be coming with us next time too, and we can split our forces up too. That way we can have a larger group on the Middle Floors whilst some of the others go down lower."

Kalos thought for a moment. "That wouldn't be the worst idea. There are quite a few of us in the Familia still at Level 2 who don't have the opportunity to gather Excilia on their own due to the Evilus situation, but if we combine with the Astraea Familia for stuff like that, we could probably get a few of our members at higher levels and stats which could help us fight Evilus."

And that was true for everyone in Orario. If they had more skilled adventurers, both in quantity and quality, the fight against Evilus wouldn't be as monstrous as it currently was. There was always a need in Orario for stronger adventures to combat the darkness of the world, so it only made sense to invest in the younger adventurers, especially followers of the Goddess of Justice.

Akihide especially liked the idea of the Astraea Familia coming with the Loki Familia into the Dungeon. He smiled at the thought of training and fighting in the Dungeon with the rest of the Astraea Familia. "That would be so awesome!" he said, causing the other two boys to laugh, before they got back to setting up their second tent for the rest of the Familia that would be joining them soon.

As the remaining forces of the Loki Familia made their way down to the campsite that the first group had begun setting up, there was a feeling of pride that accompanied them. All of them were confident that all of their members had Ranked Up during their fight with Goliath, a task many of them had done for their Rank Up to Level 3, or were looking at for the members that were still at level 2 but not quite ready to take that next step yet. There was also the general excitement and anticipation of having members of the Astraea Familia with them, many knowing of them for their good deeds and their willingness to patrol around the streets of Orario, even if they had no Second Class adventurers to their name. It was widely known and accepted that Astraea Familia was the trustworthy, future protectors of Orario and justice.

Gareth lead the charge into the camping area, where greetings were made between the members, asking how their mission went, all the details, and otherwise good old banter. Gareth met up with Finn and Riveria, who were watching as Noin went over to their youngest member and hoisted him onto his shoulders to let him reach a branch he was trying to tie a support to for their tent. "How did he go?" asked the dwarf, continuing to look at the boy.

"He was diligent. Didn't rush in, try to attack or complain. He followed the plan and performed his job as a supporter very well." responded Finn, looking at the young boy with a small hint of pride. "But the real stars of the show was definitely our guests. They were able to adapt their fighting style to the members of our Familia very quickly, and that really showed during the Goliath fight."

"That and their power." said Riveria, looking at the red haired girl who was seemingly pissing off her Vice-Captain by regaling the story of her fight to other members of the Familia. "Alise Lovell... if someone told me she was already a Level 3, I might have believed it." praised the High Elf Queen. "Not to mention that Kaguya girl. The two, whilst they seem to simply get on each other's nerves, they work extremely well together."

Finn rubbed his chin. "Maybe we should make this a more permanent arrangement." he muttered, getting looks from his fellow executives. "We both have lackings as a Familia. We lack quality of adventurers, or First Class adventurers at any rate, whilst the Astraea Familia lacks manpower. But I can sense that these girls alone will definitely hit First Class, no questions asked. Makes me wonder what the rest of that Familia would be capable of." he explained, which was fair from a certain point of view. There was a lack of First Class adventurers in Orario, only around 10 or so at them moment, if that. But if what was seen today was any indications the members of the Astraea Familia would have no issues in reaching the level of power of First Class adventurers.

"If we can help them reach that level sooner, we might be able to utilise them and go further into the Dungeon. Dragon's Vase doesn't seem too out of reach now..." muttered Finn, smiling at the thought of their continued adventuring of the Dungeon. "Even if we rely on others, going further into the Dungeon is the mission of an adventurer. We must continue to fight on the frontier, and explore the deepest depths of the Dungeon. That is our job as adventurers."

Riveria and Gareth smiled down at their Captain. "Really reminds me of those days, back when we all first started." said the dwarf, remembering his past and chuckling at the memories that flushed into his head, from Finn recruiting him to their first time venturing into the Dungeon. "We were ready to conquer this whole thing, just the three of us."

"Now look at us." smiled Riveria, looking over the sea of their fellow Familia members setting up their camp. "We're one of the largest and strongest Familias in Orario, leading our fellow adventurers deeper and deeper into the Dungeon. We really have come such a long way from those days."

Finn smiled, looking over the people who called him Captain. "Yeah..." he sighed, smiling at the memories of his time with the entire Familia. "But enough of all that, we have work to do as well. We need to make sure we have the needed supplies to get to Floor 39 tomorrow, and organise the groups in their formations."

There was still a lot of work to be done, but the executives of the Loki Familia were ready for it, as they always were.

Akihide laid in the bedroll of his little three person tent with Kalos and Lloyd. The three of them would be sharing a tent since they were three of the five boys that would be staying on Floor 18 whilst the rest of the Familia went further down into the Dungeon, so they were 'tent-mates' for the next few week. However, unlike the two senior adventures, Akihide was wide awake, too excited to sleep. With the excitement of being on Floor 18, a brand new environment, as well as being on an expedition, Akihide found himself far too excited to sleep.

The young boy sat up on his bed, looking at the two sleeping figures of his Familia trying desperately to think of something he could do to pass the time before morning, and nothing was sticking out to him. Training with Gareth or Riveria was certainly out of the question since it was so late, and even Finn was sleeping since they were going down the Dungeon first thing in the morning. So he had nothing to do.

A thought suddenly hit him, and he reached into his supporter bag, grabbing onto something that he had received just before the expedition began. He pulled out the wrapped rectangle that Lady Freya had gifted him for reaching Level 2, and began to remove the paper from the parcel to reveal what laid underneath. "A book?" he whispered to himself, careful not to wake the sleeping Kalos or Lloyd, before he opened to the first page. In the darkness, he couldn't see anything. "Need some light to see this..." he muttered, before grabbing the book under his armpit and making his way out of the tent. He had to find light elsewhere.

And so, Akihide began his search for light in the lowest level of Dungeon he had ever been to, and with no way of knowing where a light source was, let alone if there was one. But he ventured out, searching for a place where he could alleviate his boredom. He searched in the surrounding hills and a bit in the forest, but would turn up empty handed from his small adventure.

However, just as he was about to give up, he saw it. A small glimpse of light that escaped the foliage of the forest, and he made his way to the light, searching through the leaves and bushes to find his destination. He eventually stumbled upon a pillar of crystals that emitted a low light, but it was strong enough to make reading possible. And so, Akihide sat with his back to the pillar and pulled out the book.

"Concepts of Magic..." said Akihide, reading the title of the book aloud, before turning to the first page. "There are two types of magic, inherited magic, which is dependent on one's race, and acquired magic, dependent on a blessing from a god, or Falna." he read with a sigh, knowing all this, as Riveria had gone over it in their lessons on the surface. Nevertheless, this was a gift from a goddess, so Akihide wanted to finish it before he returned to the surface. And so the boy pressed on through the book, determined to read it all.

"Acquired magic must be self actualised." he continued on, before yawning. "What... are your interests, what are your goals, what are your grievances, what makes you who you are?" he continued on, before one final line stuck out to him.

"The trigger always manifests from within."

At that utterance he stood up to face a shadowy figure standing across from him. Akihide felt no fear, as a cold calm washed over him. "Shall we get started?" asked the figure, which got a nod from Akihide.

"What is magic to you?" asked the figure looking at the boy.

"Magic is a tool, another part of me to be used for the sake of others." muttered Akihide, before shaking his head. "No... it's power, in it's purest form. The power to bestow strength onto others," he said, thinking back to his magic, and then to the fight with Goliath. "but also... the power to perform something on your own, a power to protect and support, both in defence and offence."

"What does magic look like to you?" asked the figure, seemingly satisfied with Akihide's answer.

This time, Akihide hesitated for a moment. "What magic looks like depends on the wielder, from thunderstorms to pillars of ice, it can be anything." he responded, but the figure was not satisfied, as it just continued to stare at Akihide. Akihide though for a moment more, before a memory flashed into his mind, of the spell that took down the Goliath. "Fire." he said, as a ball of white flames appeared between him and the figure. "A fire that burns so hot that it's white, the can burn through anything. Powerful and hot."

"And what is it you seek to become?" asked the figure once more.

"A hero." replied Akihide with no hesitation, his mind wandering to Alfia. "Someone dependable, strong and always smiling. A protector of the weak and innocent. Someone people can look at and be proud of knowing that they're protected by me." he said wistfully with a smile. "Fast as lightning, strong as a durandal weapon, powerful like fire, and smiling like a true hero."

The figure before him clapped it's hand, smiling at the boy. "Bravo! Bravo!" it cheered it's figure becoming more and more clear. It began to show a Far Eastern kimono, coloured white with a read sash and with a naginata strapped to the back. The figure's long hair was white, as were the fox ears atop it's head and the nine tails that appeared from behind his back. "Well said!" said the figure, who Akihide recognised from his story books, the great Nine Tailed King Tamamo no Mae. "Only one capable of becoming a true hero would be able to give an answer like that, but then again, I had nothing but the upmost trust in you, Akihide Okami."

Tamamo smiled. "Enjoy this gift. If Loki reacts anything like Fenrir did, you'll enjoy the show when she figures out what happened." said the old hero with a hearty laugh. He smiled at the boy before he delivered his final message to the boy. "Live a long and happy life, one with no regrets, like I did." he said, his final words to the boy before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Akihide jolted up from the pillar he was leaning against when he started to read. He looked around, seeing that it was still night, and that the pillar was his only source of light. He looked down at the book, which had fallen from his lap onto the ground, closing itself. Shaking himself awake, Akihide decided he had spent more than enough time outside reading, and made his way back to the Loki Familia camp. With any luck, no one would notice his missing presence, and he would be safe from a scolding by Riveria.

"You know all the proper methods, Lloyd. I'm entrusting the safety of everyone here to you." said Finn in his final send off. The members of the Loki Familia were making their way down to Floor 19 and below. Since they knew their members on Floor 18 were going to be just fine, they had a clear shot to Floor 28, where the materials for their numerous contracts began, so they could make a hell of a lot of money off this expedition. But for now, it was time to leave the others and continue on their way so everyone could reach new heights. Finn had trust in Lloyd, who was a bit of a natural leader, to be able to keep the small squad together.

"I will do my best, Finn!" responded the man, determined to make his Captain proud and ensure that everyone returned home safely.

Off to the side, Riveria was hugging Akihide goodbye. "Be sure to listen to the others, and remember our rules. No going to Floor 19, and don't fight on anything below Floor 15. Stick with your party and don't go off on your own." she said to the boy, getting affirmative nods from him. "Also, stay away from Wally's Inn in Rivira, as well as the Den of Vice." she began to stress.

"What are those places?" asked the innocent Akihide, getting a nervous look from Riveria. Luckily for her, Gareth came to the rescue.

"The Inn serves alcohol, which is bad for you at this age and will make you sick, kiddo." said the scruffy dwarf, rubbing his head affectionately. "And the Den is a place adults go to talk about taxes and paperwork, so it's a waste of time to go there."

Akihide made the "Ooooh..." sound, as if realisation had struck him. Riveria gave Gareth a thankful nod.

"Now, we'll be gone for a week and a bit, so be good." said the High Elf, as she turned around to leave, only for Akihide to wrap his arms around her leg in a hug.

"I love you. Be safe." he said to her.

"I will, and same to you." responded the elf, before rubbing his head. "I love you too."

And with that, the Loki Familia set out on their adventure. With a smile on his face and hope in his heart, Akihide made his way back to the others, who were planning on resting today and returning to adventuring the next day.

Hope you guys enjoyed. Be sure to continue voting for Lili vs Asfi, but for now, another Vanadis Odr omake.

Omake: Akihide Okami, Vanadis Odr (6)

Mama Mia was a fair but brutal teacher, as seen whenever she whipped Syr or Anya over the head when they tried to distract Akihide from performing his duties. Akihide, however, was a more mature employee, not wanting to disappoint Lady Freya, he poured everything he had into cooking his onigiri, as well as setting up the diner and cleaning at the end of the night. And with how popular his onigiri was with adventurers, it only made Mama Mia happier that she had the small child working for her.

However, there was still one area that Akihide needed to work on.

"OI! Where's my fried fish?!" demanded a tall and broad man with face tattoos and a mace resting on his side, the blush on his face telling everyone he was drunk. "I ordered it 20 minutes ago!"

"Sir... the fish takes 30 minutes to prepare and serve..." muttered Akihide, cowering slightly at the taller and obviously stronger man. "Please... we'll have it out as soon as it's do-"

"Stupid kid!" yelled the man as he splashed his beer on Akihide, getting his waiter's uniform wet. "If I say I want it, you go get it! That's your job!" he yelled out, getting the attention of the others.

"Akihide!" called out Syr, who rushed to his aid. "Sir, I think you've had too much to drink."

"Definitely..." muttered another adventurer at a nearby table, looking at the kid. "Seriously... that kid looks like he's about to cry. Who does this shit?"

"I slave away in the Dungeon all day, and all I want is a fresh meal when I get back up to the surface! What's so hard to understand about that, kid?! You half-baked or something?!" demanded the adventurer, getting up from his seat.

Mia was faster, and smashed her fist into the bar, crushing it. "OUT!" she demanded, as several other adventurers moved to take the man out of the establishment. "Akihide, go take your break upstairs. You've earnt it." she said, pointing to the stairs as Akihide rushed past Syr and up the stairs to one of the spare rooms. Mia turned to the crowd. "No more trouble out of any of you! Sit there and enjoy your meals, drink and company, but no issues for the workers!" she yelled out, getting scared nods from all of the patrons. She was one of the only two level 6s in Orario after all.

She sighed, as she finished making the fish that the guy ordered and called Syr over. "Take this up to Akihide, he'll need to eat something." she ordered the girl, who nodded and rushed upstairs. "Honestly... this kid..." she muttered, but whether she was talking about Akihide or Syr was only known to her.

Syr knocked on the door to the room Akihide had temporarily taken over. "Akihide, I bought you some food." she said, trying to be cheerful, but got no response from the boy. She opened the door, looking in at the young boy sitting on the floor across from her, in a spare shirt and pair of pants, crying softly. Syr took pity on the boy, and went over to him, wrapping him in a hug. "I'm sorry that happened." she said to the boy, who sank into her embrace. "That man won't come back, Mama Mia will make sure of that. Everything will be okay."

Akihide wasn't so sure, having been absolutely humiliated like he was. "Why..." he muttered to himself, causing Syr to look at him. "I mean... why... do that... to me?"

Syr sighed. "The world is full of people." she said, placing a hand on his cheek. "And sometimes those people do bad things, maybe because alcohol messed with their brain filter, or because they're just a bad person deep down. We just never know when these bad people are going to show up." she said, which didn't seem to help the boy. But then she smiled. "That's why we need to keep smiling!" she exclaimed, catching his attention. "When we smile, we bring joy to others, even those people, so they don't do bad things. But it's hard to smile, which is why you need to be strong."

"Be strong..." muttered Akihide, seemingly taking those words to heart.

Syr smiled, before the voice of Mama Mia calling her shook the entire tavern. "I best get back to work. Feel better soon!" she yelled as she made her way back down the stairs and into the tavern, returning to the jobs Mia gave her before.

Akihide looked down at his hand as the words Syr spoke to him resonated. "Be strong..."

Allen looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "You want me to what, you little shit?" he asked threateningly to the boy, who flinched for a moment before steeling his resolve.

"Make me strong." he replied, looking Allen Fromel dead in the eyes. "I want to be strong enough to smile in the face of danger and sorrow, and I need to be really strong like you to do it. So make me strong! I'll do whatever it takes!" he yelled, catching the attention of some of the members nearby.

Allen looked down on the boy, but sighed. "It is as My Lady asks, so it shall be done." he muttered, before complaining heavily under his breath. "Pick up your naginata. Today, you will see the gates of hell."

And so, from then on, the morning training Akihide did with Allen became much more intensive, from fighting to physical conditioning. Akihide had collapsed, spat out blood, thrown up entire meals and passed out several times over the next few months, but never once did he complain or ask for special treatment or an easy way out. And the efforts of his labour would eventually pay off.

To say that Freya was proud of what Akihide had accomplished in half a year was to compare it to a mother being somewhat impressed her child became the strongest adventurer in the world. Words themselves could not describe the amount of pride that was welling up inside her as she dropped her blood onto his back. "You've come so far, my dear." she said, smiling at the boy as he muttered his thanks through the pillow on his bed. "Allen most certainly is proud as well, no matter how much he tries to hide it." she said, chuckling at the memory of Allen denying all forms of pride for his student.

But before she could say anything else, she noticed something on the Falna she had given Akihide, jumping up and down in excitement. "Oh, looks like your very first skill!" she exclaimed with glee, before finishing the ceremony and transcribing the Falna onto the piece of paper she had bought with her. "Well let's look here, shall we?"

Status:-
Level: 1
Strength: 808(A) → 842(A)
Endurance: 765(B) → 791(B)
Dexterity: 802(A) → 830(A)
Agility: 698(C) → 733(B)
Magic: 721(B) → 745(B)
Magic: Kaizen no Mon
Skills: Meiyo aru Kurushimi
Development Abilities: N/A

"How interesting..." muttered Freya, giving the paper to Akihide to look over before smirking. "You masochist."

"W-Wha?!" shouted Akihide, before Freya burst out laughing.

"Sorry, the opportunity was too good to pass up." she said, still chuckling at the boy before she turned serious. "Meiyo aru Kurushimi is a skill that takes the physical damage you take, and then converts it into strength. Your status grows the more you're hurt, so it means that if you get injured facing an opponent stronger than you, you can kill them quite easily."

Akihide looked at his skill and smiled. "A way to bridge the gap..." he muttered, thanking Lady Freya and rushing off to training. Freya smiled from behind him, wishing him nothing but the best of luck when Allen learnt about this new skill and decided to test it.

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