A/N: Here we go! Sorry it took so long. Things are not great on my end. I'm writing this on a laptop because by desktop decided that its hard drive wanted to die. Still, I managed to save the data I needed, and it should be repaired soon enough. Until then, I should be able to keep writing, though I have no idea when the next one will be out.
I've been sticking around 5k word counts for the last few chapters, and they feel much more comfortable to write than the longer ones so I'm going to stick around there for the foreseeable future, unless I just get on a roll or there's just so much I need to put in one chapter. It's just a much easier length to manage than some of the 8-10k chapters I've put out.
I want to thank Selet for bringing a timeline error to my attention. I think I've got everything corrected now. For those who were curious, I had said Loki waited the full 2 months when it was only about 40 days. I've gone back and corrected that now. If the changes aren't there for some reason, please let me know.
I love seeing all our comments and reviews. They really give me the motivation I need to keep going so please, don't hesitate to tell me what you think or ask a question!
Hearthfire
Chapter 29
Bell
Bell couldn't help the grin that split his face as he looked over the training grounds. Things had changed so drastically since they'd arrived in the city, it almost made his head spin. Instead of just him and Torrhen sparring in the yard, there were now 6 members of the Hestia Familia sparring and training while Torrhen watched on. Bell himself had just finished a match against Mikoto, while Welf and Ouka seemed to be in a 'who can withstand the most hits contest' in another corner of the grounds. Lili and Chigusa were having an archer's duel near the range, while Lili's wolf summon chased after Chigusa, trying to bite her ankles.
It wasn't just members of the Hestia Familia training though. In the center of the field, Bell's teacher, Torrhen was squaring off against the executives of the Loki Familia. All four of them were against just him and he was winning! Said it was more of a challenge that way, though he didn't look like he was having too much trouble. In another area Lefiya and Ms. Riveria, also of the Loki Familia, were throwing spells at each other. Lefiya was using the Sparks spell, which was being blocked both by the Lesser Ward and Oakflesh spells Ms. Riveria was using. The High Elf, on the other hand, was throwing Chain Lightning out of her wand-staff. The spell being blocked by Lefiya's own Steadfast Ward.
In and amongst them all were Naaza and Shizune of the Miach Familia, who were there to practice the healing spells Torrhen had given them on anyone who got injured. Mikoto herself was just coming back from getting a small cut healed by Naaza. Shizune had decided it was probably safer to stay close to Welf and Ouka, given how much they were hitting each other.
"It's hard to believe just how much things have changed." Mikoto commented as she walked up.
"It really is." Bell nodded.
"For us," she continued, "it was always just our Familia in a tiny house. We never expected that we'd be able to stand in the same space as the Loki Familia. Let alone train with them."
"For me, the biggest surprise is just how much the Familia has grown. When we first started, it was just me and Mr. Torrhen. Now there are seven of us and we're allied with the Loki Familia!"
"There will be even more of us after all is said and done." Mikoto said, determinedly.
Bell nodded. "Hopefully, we'll have 8 members after tonight."
It was a rather momentous day both for the Familia and the city. The Dungeon had been officially reopened that morning and as they spoke, the Freya Familia was beginning their expedition. For the Hestia Familia though, this was a secondary concern. True, they were all thrilled about heading back into the Dungeon, but there were more important things to worry about.
In just a few days, they would be confronting Apollo at his party but even that wasn't the most pressing matter. Goddess Hestia had gotten a prompt response from Goddess Ishtar, so they would be heading into the Entertainment District that evening to hopefully meet with her and free Mikoto's friend, Haruhime from the goddess's grasp. Bell could only hope that things went smoothly.
Torrhen
"Alright, everyone. Be on your best behavior. Stick together and stay close to me." Torrhen said to his companions when they neared the Entertainment District. It was getting dark as they walked though the city, headed towards the home of the Ishtar Familia. Oddly enough, there weren't many members of the Familia out on the streets though Torrhen wasn't sure why.
"Don't speak unless you are directly spoken to," Hestia added. "Ishtar is a proud goddess. Vain and arrogant. She won't tolerate people speaking out of turn, especially if they talk back or are rude in any way. The only reason she is even willing to speak to us is because I specifically asked her."
"What do you mean, Goddess?" Bell asked.
"In terms of influence, I don't have much," she replied, "but I have gained some clout thanks to the incident on the 18th floor. At the same time, I am not a goddess of beauty or the leader of an obviously powerful Familia. This means that while I am interesting and influential enough to gain her attention, she does not see me as competition."
"So," Mikoto spoke up, "we aren't very important, but she can't afford to completely blow us off either?"
"Right." Hestia nodded. "Since she doesn't need to be overly polite to us, she's likely to be blunt and possibly hostile once we tell her exactly who we're looking to buy from her."
"She doesn't know?" Welf asked. Hestia shook her head.
"All she knows is that I want to meet and discuss buying one of her members. If she knew which one, she might have denied us outright, and I wanted to avoid that."
"Smart." Torrhen commented, nodding his head in approval. "If we get our foot in the door, it will let us negotiate, even if she turns hostile. So long as we are respectful and do not act rude or aggressive in any way, we should be able to convince her to let Haruhime go. Still," he turned to look at Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa, "you cannot let the fact that you know her slip out. Or that we know Ishtar's plans. If she senses any desperation or deception on our part, she may jack up her asking price farther than would be reasonable or may even try asking for something other than money. The worst-case scenario is she tries asking for a trade. She gets on of our members in exchange for the girl."
"I will never accept that." Hestia said, adamantly. Torrhen nodded his head in agreement with her.
"So," Bell spoke up, "bottom line is to be respectful and let the two of you do the talking?"
Torrhen grinned at his protege. "Pretty much."
Aisha
Aisha did all she could to contain her nervous energy as she walked through the halls of Belit Babili, the home of the Ishtar Familia. It wouldn't do for anyone to notice anything different about her behavior. Earlier that day, as an executive and despite not exactly being in Ishtar's favor at the moment, she'd been made aware of a meeting with the Hestia Familia regarding the purchase of one of Ishtar's members. This had, of course, excited her to no end.
It meant that Torrhen had done exactly what he'd promised her when he'd freed her from Ishtar's charm. She grinned to herself when she remembered that. The charm had been a constant presence in the back of her mind and being free of it was joyous. Still, she needed to hurry. Haruhime needed to be aware of what was about to happen, and Aisha needed to be quick.
The meeting wasn't the only thing that was happening that night. With the reopening of the Dungeon, Phryne, their captain and the most grotesque creature Aisha had ever laid eyes on had organized a banquet which would be starting soon. Ishtar didn't really give a damn about that, except for the fact that it meant most of their members would be inside to celebrate, rather than out on the streets plying their trade. She had ordered that the banquet not start until after her meeting, but Phryne usually broke out the wine early so nearly everyone was starting to gather in the banquet hall.
Aisha moved quickly through the halls until she reached Haruhime's room. The poor girl wasn't interested in joining the celebrations and, frankly, neither was Aisha. She'd only just gotten herself freed from Ishtar's charms, so she wanted to keep her mind as clear as possible for a while. Drinking wouldn't help that. Sadly, as an executive, she was expected to be there.
"We need to talk," Aisha said, stepping through the door. Haruhime was sitting in a chair, facing the open window. Sitting like that was a habit of hers. The poor kid had once confided to Aisha that she liked to imagine climbing out of that window and somehow making an escape from Ishtar and the city. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she'd have to.
"What's wrong?" Haruhime asked, turning towards her.
"Before the banquet," Aisha began, "Ishtar is going to be meeting with another goddess. Hestia. She's interested in buying one of our members."
Haruhime stared at her, confused. "What does that have to do with me?"
"A few days ago, I met a member of the Hestia Familia." Aisha continued. "Some of his new members had asked him to investigate us, because they thought they knew someone who had joined our Familia and were hoping Ishtar would allow their friend to join them in the Hestia Familia." She braced herself. "Those new people are named Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa."
Haruhime stared at her, eyes wide as they began to fill with tears. Aisha continued again. "They will be here, tonight, with Goddess Hestia and the man I met, to speak with Ishtar and hopefully buy your freedom from her."
Haruhime was sobbing now, hands covering her face. Aisha strode across the room, pulling the girl into her arms. The young Renard continued to sob as Aisha stroked her back. "She'll never let me go." Haruhime whispered, sadly.
"I think she might," Aisha grinned, "and if she doesn't, well, I can do a lot more now than I could before." Haruhime looked up at her, confused. "The man I met, Torrhen," Aisha explained, "was able to free me from Ishtar's charms. I can actively work against her now. If he can do that, then I think he can persuade Ishtar to let you go."
Haruhime beamed up at her, skinny arms gripping Aisha tightly as the poor girl hugged her. Then her eyes turned downward. "What about you? If I am free, what will happen to you? Or," her eyes went wide, "if you act against Ishtar, she might punish you even worse than last time!" Aisha shivered, involuntarily at the reminder.
She didn't want to go through that again, or worse, but it would be worth it to keep the girl in her arms safe. Aisha wasn't the kind of person who got too attached to other people, but she just couldn't help herself when it came to Haruhime. Aisha loved the girl in her arms like a daughter… well… a little sister. Aisha wasn't the motherly type. Still, she loved the little Renard and was willing to do anything to keep her safe.
"Don't worry about me," she told the girl, soothingly. "I'll be alright, and it won't matter if Hestia and Torrhen convince Ishtar to let you go." Haruhime smiled and buried her head in Aisha's chest.
She spent a little while longer soothing the girl's nerves, before leaving her room and heading down to the banquet hall. It wouldn't be long before Hestia arrived, but Phryne was likely to break out the wine soon and it would be easier to find out what was happening in the meeting if she was nearby.
As Aisha made her way into the hall, she looked around to see nearly every member of the Ishtar Familia gathered inside. Moving towards the front, she saw Phryne's hulking form standing near the head table.
"Belka!" the brute shouted, "Get over here!"
Grimacing, Aisha made her way towards the toad. She was surrounded by the lower-level lackeys that the bitch always kept nearby, so she had someone to order around who didn't dare talk back. They were moving about, carrying large casks of wine, marked with the Soma lable, that were being distributed to tables around the hall. For the Ishtar Familia, banquets always involved a great deal of drinking. Most people wound up tipsy at least, before the food was even served.
"What do you want?" Aisha asked, testily. It wasn't hard to act naturally in front of Phryne, since Aisha didn't have to fake the amount of hatred she held for her captain.
"It's a banquet! The executives should be here for the start of it! Besides," she grinned, evilly, "I've found a client for your little pet who doesn't care if his toy is conscious or not."
Aisha practically growled. "You won't lay a finger on her you bitch."
"I will do whatever I want with the little slut! Don't worry though," she said with fake concern, "I'll make sure he leaves her alive." Then the ugly brute turned to face the assembled members of the Familia.
It took all of Aisha's self-restraint to keep from trying to stab the bitch in the back. She needed to keep herself in check long enough for Torrhen to convince Ishtar to let Haruhime go. Then she could figure out a way to get herself out from under Ishtar and Phryne's thumbs.
"Hem, hem!" Phryne fake coughed loudly to get everyone's attention as one of her lackeys walked up to her with a full goblet. The brown-haired lackey seemed kind of out of it, but Aisha guessed that the toad had been running him and the other lower-level members ragged preparing for the banquet. Taking the cup, Phryne addressed the crowd. "We are here tonight to celebrate the reopening of the Dungeon after…,"
"PHYRNE!" Ishtar's voice cut across the toad's as the irate goddess stormed into the banquet hall. The dark-skinned, purple-haired goddess was wearing her usual skirt and sash that literally covered only the barest amount of skin. "You got the wrong barrels, you bitch! The Soma was marked for my personal use! Besides, I told you not to start anything until after the meeting is over!"
"HAH?!" Phryne demanded. Ishtar stormed up to her, expression furious.
"Get your ugly, disgusting ass out into the entrance hall! Hestia will be here any minute and I… what are you doing you hag?!"
Phryne had gone oddly silent and still, until she had reached out and laid a massive hand on Ishtar's head. Her eyes seemed to have rolled back in her head, the empty goblet slipping out of her hand and onto the floor.
"Let me go!" Ishtar shouted, struggling. Her fists slammed against Phryne's chest and arm, weakly. The hulking brute let out a guttural roar and squeezed. The next thing Aisha knew, her eyes were being burned by a blinding light. She felt herself being struck by something heavy before pain shot through her as she crashed into something hard.
Freya
Freya couldn't help her smirk as a pillar of golden light streaked into the sky. It had been so easy to charm one of Ishtar's weak children. Her charmed agent had been working for days, leaving a trail of evidence for investigators to find. All of which would point to Ishtar being the culprit behind the theft of the Frenzy poisons from the Guild vault. Perhaps planning to use the poison against Freya herself? Their 'rivalry' was well known. Once it was all ready, her agent simply needed to make sure that there were a few wine barrels spiked with the poison and, of course, make sure Ishtar's hideous behemoth of a captain got the largest dose.
Even if Ishtar had escaped alive, which she obviously hadn't, there was plenty of evidence there to suggest that she'd been behind the theft. The Guild would be so embarrassed that they'd allowed the poisons to be stolen, instead of destroying them like their creators had wanted, that they would latch onto the evidence with a furor, letting Ishtar take all the blame. Besides, everyone knew Ishtar was a volatile goddess. This kind of thing was right up her alley.
Freya smirked again as alarm bells rang out, with people all over the city beginning to rush towards the Entertainment District. "Yes," she thought to herself, "things have gone perfectly."
Bell
Bell uncovered his eyes as the blinding light faded, hardly able to comprehend what had just happened. They all stood, stunned, as the pillar dimmed to floating particles, hanging in the air. A pillar of golden light meant only one thing. That a god had died. But which god, and how?! Bell was on the verge of panic when Torrhen's voice snapped him out of it.
"Let's go!" he demanded, sternly. As one, the Hestia Familia followed after him, charging towards the source of the light. It didn't take them long before they heard screams of fear and pain, occasionally punctuated by a guttural roar.
"Has a monster gotten into the city?!" Bell thought, alarmed. It had happened at Monsterphilia, but even with all those monsters running around, nobody had died! Certainly not a god!
As they rounded a corner, they saw scantily clad people barreling out of a building and scattering up and down the street. Behind them came a huge, hulking figure which proceeded to roar and attack the closest group of fleeing people. It was shaped kind of like a squat, humanoid toad with flat, dark hair, a green body suit that was sickeningly tight, and far too much lipstick. If it hadn't been for the panic, Bell would have dry-heaved in disgust. Behind him, he heard Welf doing just that.
"What kind of monster is that?!" the redhead wheezingly demanded.
"That," Torrhen replied, "is the captain of the Ishtar Familia."
There was a silent beat.
"What?!" Bell and the others shouted. That thing wasn't a monster?! Torrhen, however, was more focused on the current crisis.
"Mikoto!" He shouted, causing the girl to straighten up. "Get inside and find Haruhime! If she's on a rampage, there's no telling who's been hurt!" Her eyes went wide in fear. Mikoto nodded sharply and dashed towards the building followed by Ouka and Chigusa. "Bell," Torrhen continued, causing Bell to straighten up, serious. "Find the Guild responders. They should be headed here soon, but with the light fading, they may not know exactly where to go. Welf, Lili, you're to protect Hestia. One god has already died tonight." The two nodded, grimly while Hestia smiled, sadly.
Bell dashed off as Torrhen moved to face the hulking figure.
Mikoto
Only adrenaline contained Mikoto's panic as she careened through the doors of the Ishtar Familia home, followed closely by Ouk and Chigusa. Why did this have to happen?! Things were going so well! Master Torrhen had found Haruhime! They were going to save her from Ishtar! Why would the captain go on a rampage? Was it because of the meeting? Was Haruhime alright?
Her thoughts were racing as they charged through the building. The floors, walls, and even the ceilings were badly damaged, and they even passed a few people slumped against the walls or on the ground as they moved through the building. Whether they were dead, injured, or just unconscious, Mikoto wasn't sure. They had a mission to complete and then they could worry about the wounded. Her train of thought was interrupted by a cry.
"Aisha!" A female voice screamed in panic. Mikoto recognized that name. It was what Master Torrhen had called Haruhime's protector. Sharing a nod with her companions, Mikoto hurried towards the voice.
They emerged into a badly destroyed banquet hall, with the bodies of several people strewn across the floor. In one corner there was a young man with brown hair was crumpled on the ground, blood pooling around his head. Mikoto dimly registered that he was probably dead. Slumped against the far wall was an Amazoness who was badly injured. Her chest and side were covered in blood, and one of her arms was bent at an unnatural angle.
"Aisha!" Crouching in front of the wounded Amazoness was a Renard with golden hair, wearing a red kimono. The girl was crying as she tried to help the downed woman. Mikoto recognized her instantly.
"Haruhime!" She shouted, half in fear, half in relief. The Renard turned, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Mikoto and her companions.
"Mikoto!" Haruhime exclaimed, half in shock, half in delight. Any kind of heartfelt reunion was curtailed by the downed woman, Aisha, coughing violently. Haruhime turned back to her, worry crossing her face once again.
Mikoto surged forward. "Chigusa, your bag!" she demanded. With constant access to potions, Chigusa had gotten into the habit of always carrying at least a few healing potions with her. Something Torrhen himself did and encouraged them all to do as well. Understanding Mikoto's wishes almost instinctively, Chigusa moved beside her, pulling a red vial out of the pouch on her belt.
Mikoto knelt next to the downed Amazon. She didn't seem to be too badly wounded. Judging by what damage she could see; the woman likely had several broken ribs. One of them may have punctured a lung, but Mikoto couldn't be sure. Her arm was also bent at an unnatural angle.
"Is there anything you can do?" Haruhime asked, frantically.
"I'll be fine, Hime…" the woman, who was apparently Haruhime's protector, Aisha, said.
"We have healing potions," Mikoto interrupted her. "They aren't the strongest, only the third tier, but they should keep you stable enough to move."
Aisha grinned at her. "I'll be fine either way, but I won't say no."
"We'll need to move your arm back into place," Ouka spoke up, "gives the potion less to do but it's going to hurt."
"I'm level 4, kid. I can handle a broken arm."
Ouka moved to grasp the injured arm and with a nod from Aisha, he pushed it back into place. The Amazoness grimaced in pain but didn't cry out. Mikoto quickly pulled the stopper from the bottle and placed it in the woman's uninjured hand. She drank it down, letting out a sigh of relief as her body began to knit itself back together.
After a moment, Aisha stood, gingerly. She started to stretch but hissed in pain. "Definitely not perfect, but at least I can move." She said as the pain receded.
Mikoto smiled as she too stood. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a golden blur crashing into her. Haruhime sniffled as she held onto Mikoto for dear life. She could only smile, happily, as she wrapped her arms around her friend.
"I've missed you so much," Haruhime whispered through her tears. Ouka and Chigusa moved to embrace them. The four old friends stood there, holding each other for dear life while Aisha stood back and smiled at them.
"You're ok, now." Mikoto said, bringing her hands up to Haruhime's face and resting her forehead against Renard's. "I promise."
"What happened?" Ouka asked.
"I'm not sure," Aisha admitted, gingerly leaning up against a partially smashed table. "One moment, Phryne and Ishtar are arguing about wine, nothing special about that. The next thing I knew, Phryne had crushed Ishtar's skull and sent me flying into the wall. She's a full level higher than me, built for strength, and caught me off guard. I'm lucky it wasn't worse than a few broken ribs and a busted arm. Then she went rampaging out of here. Did you see her?"
"She's outside," Chigusa spoke up. "Master Torrhen is handling her at the moment, so she should be well in hand by now."
"Heh," Aisha scoffed. "Then that's two I owe him. What level is he, anyway?"
Torrhen
Torrhen bobbed and weaved around the clumsy, random attacks the grotesque bulk threw at him, mind racing. Thankfully, all the people the deranged captain had been chasing had made their escape, so there was no risk of collateral damage. Still, Torrhen could not, for the life of him, figure out how this had happened. He recognized all the signs nearly instantly. He'd seen Frenzy poisons take effect more times than he could count. They'd been a personal favorite of his during his assassin days.
One time, he'd slipped one into a bottle of mead that was sitting right next to Nazeem's bath. Nazeem was a snobby, arrogant, holier-than-thou kind of shit who strutted about Whiterun like he was king of Skyrim when he didn't even own his own house! Sure, he owned a farm, but he and his long-suffering wife lived in the Drunken Huntsman! A shitty tavern that didn't even hold a candle to the Bannered Mare.
After some snooping, Torrhen learned that Nazeem liked to drink in the bath, so he'd slipped a powerful Frenzy poison into his mead bottle. It hadn't taken long before Nazeem came crashing out of the Drunken Huntsman buck-naked and howling like a madman. He'd then proceeded to charge at the fully armored Uthgerd the Unbroken and attack her with a sausage he'd gotten from somewhere while simultaneously trying to hump her leg. Needless to say, she crushed his skull in with her fist.
The guards didn't even try and investigate why he'd done it or punish Uthgerd for killing him! She'd clearly been provoked, and nobody liked Nazeem. Even his wife, Ahlam, who Torrhen could swear he saw spitting on his body when the guards weren't' looking. A few months later, he'd returned to Whiterun to discover that Ahlam had moved into Uthgerd's house! Out of sheer curiosity, he'd pressed his ear against the door one night to hear the unmistakable sounds of the two women going at each other like rabbits. They'd eventually gotten married and adopted a couple kids.
The best part was it hadn't even been a contract! Torrhen had just been in the city on an errand for Gabriella and to visit his 'aunty Olava.' Nazeem had pissed him off one too many times, and Torrhen hadn't exactly been a good person then, but he never really felt guilty about it. Uthgerd and Ahlam had certainly gotten a good deal out of it, and the story had been a hit back at the Sanctuary.
Astrid and Gabriella had feigned disapproval, despite the grins on their faces, but Festus, Veezara, Nazir, Babette, and Arnbjorn had loved it. Arnbjorn had laughed so hard he'd fallen out of his chair and accidentally rolled into the pond near his forge. That had, of course, caused a renewed round of laughter.
Back in the present, however, Torrhen might have figured out how this had happened. The only explanation was that, somehow, despite the assurances of the Guild, someone had stolen the Frenzy poisons he and Naaza had told them to destroy. He nearly kicked himself for the stupidity of it all. He should have known better than to trust something that dangerous to the security of others. At the time, he'd just not wanted to cause any unnecessary difficulties for Naaza, but now he wished he had. It would have meant this couldn't have happened.
Now, exactly who and how they were stolen? Torrhen had no clue. There were two possibilities. Either the Ishtar Familia had stolen them, and this was an accident, or someone else had stolen them and used them against the Ishtar Familia. He supposed there was a chance that Phryne was the direct target. She was so unpleasant; she was sure to have a few enemies.
Still, he needed to stop her rampage and he'd learned a few tricks for dealing with Frenzy over the years. Well… one trick. He did seem to be using this Shout rather a lot recently.
"HAH DUR FEIM" The Clear Mind Shout rippled across the empty street and collided with the thunderous bulk of Phryne Jamil. She swayed, dizzily, one hand going to her head.
"wuh?" She muttered weakly. Torrhen strode towards her, and with a single blow, he knocked the hideous woman out. Her colossal weight cracked the street below her as she fell. Torrhen nudged her with his foot. She seemed to be alive at least. Frenzy poisons primarily caused psychotic rage, but they were still poisons and thus, none too gentle on the internal organs. She was likely in for a rough few weeks while her organs healed.
She was out just in time too, as Bell came rushing into the street with several Guild members hot on his tail. "It's alright!" Torrhen shouted to them. "She's unconscious now. Seems to have worn herself out."
"What happened?" One of the Guild people demanded.
"Not sure," Torrhen admitted. "We saw the pillar of light and came to find out what happened. She was rampaging through the street. Actually," Torrhen eyed the man. He was one of the ones that had confiscated the Frenzy poisons. "It seemed like she was under the effect of a poison. Specifically, one you, yourself confiscated from the Miach Familia." The man went pale. "Per the Guild's instructions, neither I nor Naaza has made any more and we even destroyed our copies of the recipes. The only ones in the city were supposed to be in the Guild vaults."
"What…" the man stammered, nervously, "what about the light? Which god died?"
"Ishtar, if I had to guess," Torrhen said, gesturing to the downed figure. "That's her captain. You'd need to ask somebody who was here for the start though."
"I could do that," a familiar voice shouted.
Coming out of the damaged Ishtar Familia home was Aisha, who seemed to be moving rather gingerly, closely followed by Ouka, Chigusa, and Mikoto, who was holding hands with the golden-haired Renard, Haruhime. Torrhen smiled at them.
"Are you alright?" He asked the group, walking towards them with the Guild official trailing after him.
"We're fine, but Ms. Aisha is still hurt." Chigusa said.
"Phryne got me pretty good," Aisha admitted. "Caught me by surprise. These kids gave me a potion though. Still not great, but at least I can walk."
Torrhen didn't even hesitate. He simply raised his hands, letting the golden light of restoration magic flow from him and into Aisha. She sighed, happily, as the pain on her face receded. Once it was done, she nodded in acknowledgement before turning to face the Guild officials.
"Let's talk," she said.
A/N: So, how many people saw that happening the way it did? I know I kind of teased it with the potions earlier, but I hope you liked how it happened. I know some people were kind of looking forward to seeing a real discussion with Torrhen, Hestia, and Ishtar and I'm sorry to disappoint but, truth be told, I've been wanting to write about Phryne crushing Ishtar's head since before I started.
For information. I have posted images of my inspiration for the new armor sets from the last couple chapters on the chapter on Ao3. Anybody on FFN who is curious, feel free to go look at them.
BTW: I am making it so that Aisha never hid the fact that Haruhime is still a virgin. It never made any sense to me why she would hide that. Why let the poor girl believe she'd been assaulted like that?
I'd love suggestions on new gear for Lefiya, Haruhime, Daphne, and Cassandra. Any thoughts?
About Aisha. Please put in the comments which Familia she should join. Hestia or Loki? I'll let you pick based on how many call for each in the comments.
I know some of you want Haruhime x Bell but it's not likely. I don't want to write a harem and I've already started setting up Bell x Ais. I would like to ask though, what other potential pairings do you think would be good for her? What do you think of Haruhime x Mikoto? Any other pairings? Don't be afraid to suggest unorthodox ones.
Answers to Questions
On FFN
redmen6blight: I would love to give Bell a better Alias once he hits Level 3. Any suggestions? One of my favorites ideas so far is Lagos Vesta (Basically Vesta's Rabbit) I welcome any suggestions though. Although now that you mention it, Doom Rabbit might work, though that brings to mind the MC from Doom. Also, there is a slim chance of a Daedric cameo, but I haven't decided. Hircine x Artemis is an interesting background ship though.
Christalm: Yeah, I've pretty much killed Apollo's chances of looking like the victim. That's kind of what I want. I know I've made him a little more unstable than in canon, but that was kind of the point.
Hyde115: Current established pairings, eventually, are Bell x Ais, Welf x Hephaestus, and Ouka x Chigusa. Likely Torrhen x Riveria too. I like them together.
Guest: If you're referring to Nicholas Flamel, yes. Yes he is a Harry Potter reference. Also, history? Kind of.
Vulkizaro Zoromi: Thank you very much! I hope you liked this chapter. Kind of wish I had a time machine too so I could copy the finished story. It'd give us all a chance to read it earlier. Or maybe just the completed Danmachi so I have some idea of what the author's endgame is.
Guest: Dian Cecht going bald? Never heard that one before, but might be interesting.
On Ao3
Ksc_UwU: I am intending to space out Bell's development a little going forward. Even if he's ready to level up, he needs to accomplish a Great Feat to be eligible. I'm just going to space those out a little bit.
MagnustheRed: Daphne x Cassandra is pretty much my choice for them. They're already halfway there.