A/N: WARNING: There is some language in this chapter.

Here we go! The War Game! It's been a long time coming, so I hope you like it!

Also, so early! I've been on a writing craze so I'm feeling good. Don't know when I'll slow down again, but I promise at least one chapter a month for both Hearthfire and my side project A Digital Mother. Please go check it out if you're interested in the Horizon fandom and haven't taken a look.

I got called a tease so many times in the comments of the last chapter, it actually had me laughing out loud. I love it. I hope you like the payoff!

Please leave a comment or review with your thoughts, opinions, and questions! They really help my motivation!

Hearthfire

Chapter 33

Hestia

"It's getting pretty lively down there!" Loki's voice came drifting down to Hestia as she reclined on one of the stone benches of the Denatus chamber. They were mere minutes away from the beginning of the War Game, and she was certain Loki was referring to the huge crowd of adventurers and city dwellers that were gathered in front of Babel to watch the godly projection.

War Games were one of the few times the gods were even allowed to use their powers, even if it was only to project the video across the city. Dressed once again in her newer attire, Hestia was relaxing on a bench near the bottom of the chamber. All around her were various gods and goddesses who were eagerly speculating on how the game would go.

Loki and Hephaestus were standing together by the window, looking down over the crowd. Hermes was standing next to the central table, awaiting the signal to begin. She could see Demeter, Ninmah, Freya, Goibniu, Cernunnos, Set, and dozens of other gods mingling together around the chamber. Hestia almost felt bad for Freya. Her expedition team had been in the Dungeon for quite some time. In fact, they were due to return any day now but no matter who leveled up or what they accomplished, it would be overshadowed by the revelation of Torrhen's status.

There was no doubt in Hestia's mind that Freya knew who and how strong he was, but she doubted Freya was aware that he would be stepping into the spotlight in only a few minutes. As for when they would begin, the official start time was noon which was fast approaching. Indeed, they were only waiting for Apollo to show himself before they could properly start. She didn't need to wait long. At one minute to noon, Apollo came strutting into the room as though he was a king, gracing them with his presence.

"There you are, Apollo!" Hermes said, exasperatedly.

"Yes, yes." Apollo sighed, dramatically. "Your lives are brightened by my presence, I know." He moved towards her. "I do hope you're ready to lose, Hestia. Have you said goodbye to your pathetic little children yet? Once I've won the War Game, you'll never see them again! Although perhaps I'll let them watch you kiss my feet before I use them to kick you across the gate! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Hestia only raised an eyebrow. "Your infantile posturing only serves to show just how woefully insipid, moronic, uninformed, and incompetent you are."

Apollo stopped his disturbing laughing and started turning quite a few shades of red and purple, his mouth moving up and down but no real sound coming out. "Ye..Bu.I"

"Are you trying to think of a comeback, or are you having difficulty understanding my dialogue?" She teased, getting a laugh out of the watching gods. Loki was cackling from her place by the window, and she caught Hephaestus throwing a smirk her way out of the corner of her eye.

"Let's get this over with," Apollo ground out at last.

"Finally!" Hermes exclaimed. The guild official watching him that day was standing unobtrusively next to the only door the chamber had. Turning and looking up, he spoke loudly. "Uranus! Do we have your permission to use our powers?"
After a moment of silence the voice of Uranus, who wasn't present in the room, echoed across the chamber. "Granted."

With a snap of Hermes' fingers, the projection appeared. Across the city, other projections flashed into existence in bars, taverns, and Familia homes. Hestia watched with great interest as the Announcer's voice filled the air. Across the city, she was almost certain there were bets being placed on who would win or lose. Those who thought Apollo even had a chance were doomed to lose their hard earned Valis in only a little while. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, steadying herself. Bell, Torrhen, and her other children had this in the bag. All would be well.

Eina

Eina let out a heavy, nervous sigh as she stood before the notice board. The street outside the Guild Building was mostly deserted since the vast majority of spectators were either in a bar or the open square outside the Dungeon entrance. Torrhen had come to her a couple days ago to inform the Guild of his intention to participate in the War Game but had asked if it was possible for her to delay posting his status.

Thanks to some… creative finagling of paperwork, Eina had been able to accommodate his request. Basically, he would not officially change to active status until the gong for the war game sounded, which was why she was standing in front of the currently deserted notice board with his information in hand.

She could hear the announcer broadcast going on within the Guild building, almost dreading the gong. All too soon, it rang and Eina slowly tacked Torrhen's registration announcement to the board. It showed an image of the man, accompanied by the words 'Torrhen. Hestia Familia. Semi-Retired status rescinded. Status: Active. Level: 10.'

Moving quickly now, Eina vacated the area and slipped back into the Guild building just in time to see the walls of the Apollo fortress explode. In the distance, she thought she could hear a sudden blast of thunder.

Torrhen

He strode alone through the barren, rocky hills that made up the western side of the lands surrounding the castle. The gong had only just sounded, meaning the War Game had officially begun. Torrhen grinned. What would follow soon would be a rout of epic proportions that he was sure would have the spirits of Sovngarde howling with laughter. Derisive laughter, of course. Directed as his poor victims.

His only purpose in this was to draw away the vast majority of the forces standing between his first student in this world and the moronic captain of the Apollo Familia. That and put on a show that would rock the city. He only wished he could see the look on Apollo's face when he blew the walls apart. Or when Hestia revealed his identity.

The Familia had grown strong and with enough influence that they could weather the storm that could come from his revelation to the public. Torrhen was immensely proud of each and every one of them. Bell especially. Still, there was a part of him that was looking forward to being able to advance deeper into the Dungeon. He was intending to do a few solo dives after the War Game or perhaps go on an easy dive with Finn, Gareth, or Riveria.

He took a deep breath as he neared the lower lands, a large boulder blocking his view of the castle. Though, perhaps he should say the castle's view of him. The full power of the Thu'um he had chosen was far too intense for what he intended to do. At peak strength and with time to prepare, it would likely disintegrate the outer walls close to him and turn the rest of the structure to rubble.

He didn't want that, but he also didn't want to use this particular Shout with anything less than the full three words. Ever since he'd first used the completed version it had been one of his favorites. NOT using all three words was always so disappointing. So, he decided to employ a little trick he'd worked on with Paarthurnax. A way to use all three words but control the exact power output to a point where it wasn't nearly as destructive.

The dragon had been quite amused when he'd explained the exact reason why he wanted to learn how to control the power output but had been very understanding. Odahviing had been in complete agreement with Torrhen though! There were some shouts that just NEEDED to be used with all three words, but you sometimes didn't want to deal with the consequences of using all three, so you had to find a workaround.

He breathed in deep again as he rounded the boulder. The Dragonborn was dressed in his battle armor with Stormcaller at his side and a dark cloak around his shoulders that was fluttering in the wind. No helm or shield though. These paltry foes were not worth him donning protective gear. His armor was more to make a statement than anything else. So, he went into battle with no helm or shield. A little Nordic insult that nobody would understand.

Nords believed in respecting one's opponent. You use protective gear like helms and shields only in uncertain circumstances or when you truly believe that your opposition stands a chance of harming you. To not do so told your enemy that you didn't consider them a threat and Torrhen certainly did not consider the members of the Apollo Familia a threat. Taking one last step and a third deep breath, Torrhen unleashed his favorite Shout.

"fus Ro DAH!"

Orario (3rd Person Omniscient)

Silence reigned over the city as a sound of distant thunder and half-heard words echoed over it. In taverns, bars, Familia homes, Babel, and the central square each and every jaw had dropped open in shock. For several long seconds the only noise was the occasional "huuuuuuuh' wheeze of those who were attempting to vocalize but simply couldn't.

The outer wall of the Apollo castle had exploded! The man unknown to 99% of the city had just blown it apart with a single spell! They had been expecting a fight between Level 1, 2, and 3's! Not a feat worthy of a high-class adventurer! At last, the silence was broken in the central square by a distant scream.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHlldufac."

Within the tower of Babel, silence too had reigned. Each and every god save for Loki, Hephaestus, Hestia, Hermes, and Miach had been staring in open mouthed astonishment at the destruction rent by Torrhen. That was, until Apollo's choked scream split the air and the eardrums of the few mortals in the room. Hestia saw Asfi of the Hermes Familia and the Guild official both wince at the volume.

Apollo's face was contorted into a look of pure terror and astonishment. His mind simply stopped working, unable to process what he had just seen. Eyes bulging, jaw stretched wide, and snot dribbling from his nose. That horrified scream: the only sound able to come out of his mouth, echoed through the chamber, out the windows and down to the square below, though none looked up. They were all too focused on watching the dust settle, waiting to see what happened next.

Inside the Hostess, Ryuu smirked at the projection and the silence that surrounded her. She would be leaving the city soon, to search for Astrea, and had been relentlessly working extra hours to convince Mama Mia to let her go. Also, to not fire her if she needed to come back and work if her search for Astrea failed. She'd specifically delayed her departure though, so she could watch the War Game.

At the Twilight Manor, the sound that first rent the silence was Tiona standing up with a shout.

"Hell yeah!" She surged to her feet, jumping, and punching the air.

"Fuuuuck." Bete let out, staring open mouthed at the image.

"Did you know he could do that?" Lefiya whispered to Riveria.

"I believe that was one of his Shouts." Riveria replied, composed. She certainly hadn't been staring open mouthed. Only a slight raising of the eyebrow in surprise. Yes, that was it. And she definitely wasn't fighting down a blush at the image Torrhen presented when the projection zoomed in on him. Striding confidently through the dust, an easy smirk on his face. As if he hadn't just destroyed a castle wall with a single blow. No. Definitely not.

"If I remember his description correctly that was Unrelenting Force." Finn said. A rather apt name for such a spell. He'd been curious about the draconic powers Torrhen possessed and passed quite an entertaining evening being regaled with their various effects they had and the humorous ways Torrhen had used them in the past.

One rather amusing story of that particular Shout was, in Torrhen's words, the time he'd 'been drunk, wearing a horned helmet, and tried to rocket jump with Unrelenting Force by using it just after jumping off a cliff.' The man had called it the most amusing and unexpected dragon kill of his life. Finn would have paid to actually see it happen but oh well. It was a fun story.

Ais, while impressed with Torrhen's power, was far more eager for the projection to stop focusing on him and start focusing on Bell.

In the central square, the announcer finally got ahold of his wits.

"What an explosive start coming from the unknown person clearly fighting for the Hestia Familia! The dust is starting to settle and…yes… it's gone! The western wall of the Apollo fortress has been reduced to dust and rubble! I can't see any bodies… Who could this mysterious person be? What powers does he possess? Oh! I see somebody moving in the rubble. Yes! The members of the Apollo Familia don't seem too badly hurt and are slowly starting to rise and deal with the disorientation the mystery man caused! I still want to know who he is. Seriously, could someone go check that?" The last sentence was spoken in a normal voice and directed towards one of the assistants who was still staring wide eyed at the projection.

"I… I am Ganesha…"

Hestia

"Hestia!" Apollo too had regained his wits and whirled to scream at her. "You cheated! NO outside help was agreed to! I demand you forfeit immediately!"

"What outside help, Apollo?" Hestia asked, casually flicking some dirt out from under her fingernail. "He's been a member of my Familia since day one."

"Liar! I checked your active registry! You only have six active members and none of them look like that!" He pointed violently at the projection.

"Six active members," Hestia said, slowly, "and one semi-retired." She stood. Despite being considerably shorter than Apollo, she almost seemed to loom over him. "He was my captain, Bell's, teacher when they arrived in the city and joined my Familia with him. Since then, he has been instrumental in the growth of not only Bell but each and every one of my members. Not to mention the Familia as a whole!"

"His name," she almost seemed to grow as she talked down to the pitiful fool, "is Torrhen. Rok los Dovahkiin. He is Dragonborn. Last son of Akatosh, the first Level 10 adventurer this world has ever seen, and he came out of retirement thanks to you." By this point, Apollo was collapsed on the ground, staring at her in fear.

She crouched down next to him, staring into his terrified eyes. "Members of your Familia tried to kill his students. Then, you doubled down by refusing to apologize and, to top it all off you challenged us to a War Game that, if you won, would mean you'd get to torture his students daily for who knows how long. You pissed off a dovah, Apollo. You're just lucky he's a reasonable one."

Silence permeated the room, only broken by the sound of the announcer speaking. The gods were all trying to process what they had seen and heard. As Hestia's speech ended a mortal heart beat. Once. Twice. Then the room exploded.

"TEN?!" A few dozen voices shouted in shock and horror. Nearly all of them were wearing the same surprised expression that Apollo had been wearing only a few moments ago. Minus the terror of course. For some of them. Looking around, Hestia could see Hephaestus smirking as she leaned against a wall. Miach was shaking his head and rubbing his ears. Hermes had facepalmed and Freya's mouth was drawn in a thin line as she glared at the projection. Loki was rolling in the floor cackling like a mad woman and kicking her legs into the air.

Soon after, as they processed the rest of her speech, more questions and cries of disbelief filled the air, but Hestia ignored them all. She just turned and sat back down on her bench, then crossed her legs and leaned forward, eyes focused on the projection and her face a mask of serenity. All around her was the sound of shocked gods demanding answers, Apollo trying to regain his wits, and Loki howling with laughter. Suddenly, the voice of the announcer drew all of their attention away from her.

"What's this?! A sudden betrayal! My, this War Game is full of surprises."

Daphne

Daphne stared, eyes wide and arms loose at her side at the destruction before her. That had been Torrhen… right? She shook herself. She'd known bringing down the wall was part of the plan but hadn't expected it to be quite that fast. Daphen shook her head and slapped herself across the face. She needed to get her head back in the game.

"Cassandra, go!" She shouted and rushed away towards the balcony overlooking the courtyard where the overwhelming majority of their forces were gathered. Her friend dashed away from her, towards the east gate. Daphne came to a halt, both hands on the rail and shouted down to the disoriented members of the soon to be defunct Apollo Familia.

"What are you waiting for?! Get up and get your asses out there!"

"You've got to be kidding!" One voice shouted up.

"I'm fucking not! If they've got somebody strong enough to do that then we need overwhelming force to take them out! Half of you get off your assess and get out there! I don't want whoever that is getting through the breach!"

"Breach?! What breach?! You can't have a breach if the wall isn't there anymore!"

"GO!" Spooked by her shout, a large contingent of the gathered adventurers rushed for the opening with many reluctant stragglers tarrying after them.

Bell

Bell smiled at Cassandra as the eastern gate of the fortress swung open for them. He, Welf, Lili, Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa quickly filed through the gate and into the structure. It had been quite a sight when Master Torrhen brought the wall down, with each of them cheering, whooping, and hollering as the dust settled. It had been up to Bell to rally them and get everyone to the gate in time for Cassandra to open it.

"Thank you, Cassandra." Bell said, kindly.

"You're welcome, Captain." She smiled at him. Huh. That was right. Soon enough, he would be her captain too. Daphne too. Thoughts for later. Bell needed to focus on finding Hyakinthos.

"Right. Mikoto, Ouka." The two snapped their attention to him. "Get to the courtyard and attack from behind. Chigusa with them but find a vantage point to shoot from. Lili, you're up on what's left of the walls. Take out any archers or mages that are still there and wipe them out. Welf, with me. We're finding Hyakinthos."

There was a chorus of 'you got it's, yes captain's, and on it's' from his Familia before they split off into separate directions.

Hestia

"Whaaaaaaat?! Cassandra? How? What? Why?"

"That's what you get, Apollo." Hestia said, miming disinterest by continuing to pick at her nails. "You conscripted that poor girl into your Familia against her will. You treat anybody who wants to leave like a criminal and punish them rather harshly from what I hear. Is it any wonder she and Daphne jumped ship at the earliest opportunity?"

"Daphne?!" Apollo's shocked voice was faint and high pitched.

"Of course." Hestia shrugged. "Cassandra doesn't go anywhere without Daphne and vice versa. Didn't you notice how she just sent half your fighting force outside the walls to take on an enemy she knows is Level 10?"

Apollo whirled to face the projection again. "AaaAaagh" He squealed. Oh yes. Hestia was very much enjoying him brought so low. It was a good feeling. Oh. Schadenfreude was rather wonderful, wasn't it? What language was that from again? Eh. She supposed it was unimportant. Hestia turned her attention back to watching Apollo melt down as her precious children whopped his sorry butt.

Torrhen

Torrhen was laughing as he spun. In his left hand, he was holding one poor member of the Apollo Familia by the face while the other held the poor fool's weapon. With a gentle heave, he tossed the adventurer he had face-grabbed into a pile of others that were trying to rise. The resulting impact sent all six of them tumbling across the ground.

More were coming. A horde of weak enemies charging out of the shattered walls and right into the slaughter… metaphorical slaughter. It had only been a short time after the detonation that they'd come pouring out in droves.

Throwing the forgotten adventurer's quarterstaff aside, Torrhen refocused on taking on the horde. Despite having to hold back a truly ridiculous amount, this whole thing was cathartic. Who knew beating down the servants of a maniacal god could be so… fun. Oh wait. He did. This was not the first time he'd wiped out the servants of a god who had pissed him off. It was the first time he was willingly leaving them alive though.

Orario (3rd Person Omniscient)

"I can't believe this people!" The announcer shouted excitedly into his mic. "Betrayal from within the Apollo Familia! How did that happen? Is this because, by all reports, Apollo is a sadistic, controlling, wackjob or is it some ploy by the Hestia Familia? Why not both? Your thoughts, Lord Ganesha?"

"I am Ganesha!"

"Please take this seriously!" Ibri whined. Then he turned back to the projection. "Back out front, it looks as though our mystery man is tearing through the Apollo army with ease! Oh! Theres my runner!"

The announcer jumped down to meet the assistant who had gone to the Guild building. After a brief conversation, Ibri Archer jumped back up onto the platform to address the crowd.

"Alright, people! The wait is over!" He looked down to read the slip of paper. "Looks liked our mystery man is a formerly retired member of the Hestia Familia! His name is Torrhen and he's level 10! I… wait…"

The announcer looked back down at the sheet and then to his white-faced assistant. A dead silence filled the air once again, followed by an entire city shouting the word "WHAT" at the top of their lungs.

"Tell me you misread that!" One adventurer in the crowd shouted.

"I… I can assure you people; this information is accurate." The announcer was stammering. "According to the official Guild posting on the board outside the Guild building, this man's name is Torrhen, and he is level 10! For the first time in history, we are seeing a level 10 adventurer in action!"

After a heartbeat of dumbfounded silence, a huge cheer broke out across the city, accompanied by wails of agony from those who had bet on Apollo winning.

Sovngarde

In the halls of Sovngarde, where the honored dead go, there was the sound of laughter as the fallen warriors of legend watched the battle of the Last Dragonborn.

"Didst thou see that one, brother? I sweareth, I saw the Doom Driven's foot go up that boffoon's posterior!"

"Get thine mind out of the trough, brother and enjoy the spectacle!"

"Reminds you of that time a bunch of bandits tried to rob us on the road to Markarth, doesn't it Sofie? Torrhen's daughter, Lucia asked.

"Hmm. Perhaps a bit. Father is having considerably more fun during this fight though. Oh! That's a rather disturbing headlock." Their father had picked up an elf and was holding him by the head in his armpit while spinning and using the body as a battering ram. Nose into the pit, of course.

"Oh, Farkas taught me that one when Papa wasn't looking. It's tricky to keep the head in your arm without crushing it."

"Lovely…" Sofie deadpanned.

Lili

Lili's blunted crossbow bolt struck one poor idiot between the eyes. He tipped backwards, tripped, and fell off the broken wall to crash onto the ground below. Her wolf summon barked and sank its spectral teeth into the ankle of another enemy. Shaking its head, the Apollo member in its teeth was sent rag-dolling over the edge and into the courtyard.

Rolling under an arrow, Lili ducked for cover. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a bomb. It was a small thing. She only had a few prototypes made by Welf, but they were useful. Chucking it over her barrier, she smiled at the screams and shouting that followed the 'boom.'

Her amusement didn't last long though when she heard her wolf summon yelp and felt the connection sever. Peeking around the corner, she spotted the one person she'd been most hoping to see. Zanis Lustra. The former captain of the Soma Familia and Lili's tormentor. She smirked, reloaded, and quickly swapped one of the pouches on her belt. Standing, Lili left cover to stand in the open across from him.

"Little Liliruca Arde." Zanis' slimy voice said. "I've been looking for you."

"Funny." Lili smiled. "I've been rather hoping I'd run into you too. How'd you enjoy being locked up in Soma's dungeon?"

"Oh, don't worry." He replied with mock concern. "I'll tell you all about it after we win. Apollo has promised me that we'll get to spend lots of… quality time together."

She repressed a shudder. His voice was so creepy! Instead, she simply smirked, surreptitiously aiming her crossbow. "You know, Zanis, since I joined the Hestia Familia, I've realized something about you."

"Oh?"

"Mhmm." She nodded. "I've realized that you weren't clever or powerful. All you are, is a slimy, selfish, worthless pile of goblin feces that doesn't even deserve to stain the bottom of my boots."

His face turned an ugly purple, one pulsing vein appearing in his neck. "You repugnant little," BOOM!

Lili had fired her crossbow, the Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Fire impacting the ground under Zanis' feet. The resultant explosion sent the slimy git flying into the air, only to come crashing back down in a heap with a soft 'hweh' being forced out of his mouth.

Lili walked forward, casually resummoning her wolf. "You might be Level 2, Zanis, but I can't remember the last time you went into the Dungeon. Your sense of situational awareness is gone. Honestly, you didn't even realize I was aiming at your feet."

"I will kill you," He growled, starting to rise. She stopped him in his tracks or, rather, her wolf did. At her mental command, it darted forward. The spectral teeth of the wolf sank into Zanis' crotch and the wolf began to shake, flopping the dirty human in front of her back and forth as he screamed. Lili so loved her wolf! Such a good ghost boy!

"Good boy, Wolfy!" She said with a smile. "Now throw him." The wolf gave a mighty swing and with one last cry, Zanis was thrown from the walls. Lili counted one heartbeat, then another before she heard the impact thud of his body hitting the ground outside the fortress walls. Her ghostly companion gamboled up to her, spectral tongue lolling out of its mouth. "Oh, you're such a good boy!" She smiled, petting the ghostly wolf.

Orario (3rd Person Omniscient)

Inside the Pallum's Hidden Tavern, a collective cheer shook the rafters as the gathered audience surged to their feet.

Meanwhile, the members of the Loki executive branch had been treated to a rare sight. Captain Finn Deimne jumping to his feet and pumping the air.

"Fuck yes!" Finn shouted, grinning like a loon. The whole city was seeing a Pallum not only hold their own but take out more experienced adventurers with ease! Not just ease, she was humiliating them and Finn was loving every second of it!

Also, that ghostly dog was adorable and he wanted one.

"Think Torrhen would teach me how to summon a wolf like that?" Tiona asked, idly and unknowingly mirroring his thoughts.

Mikoto

"Ha!" Mikoto slashed her electrified Tachi, causing another opponent to collapse with electric shock induced muscle spasms. There weren't many left in the courtyard once they'd arrived, but she and her team had made short work of them.

Hearing a 'clang' behind her, she turned to see that Ouka had knocked out the last of their foes with the flat of his flame axe. Chigusa quickly leapt down from her vantage point, keeping an arrow on her bowstring just in case.

"You really don't mess around, do you?" Their Apollo friend, Daphne, said as she walked calmly down the stairs.

"Every fight should be treated with care," Ouka replied. "You never know when an enemy might get the better of you."

"Tell that to Torrhen," she retorted, pointing at the breach over her shoulder. The screams of pain and terror coming through the gap were occasionally interrupted by the sound of Torrhen laughing.

"That is different." Was Ouka's serene reply.

"Oh yeah? How?"

"He is Level 10. That is not a fight. It's an ass-whooping." Mikoto and Chigusa both nodded in silent agreement.

"You know," Daphne's expression was thoughtful. "You make a good point. Fair enough."

Welf

Welf charged through the corridor behind his captain, grinning all the while. This was so easy! The corridor was empty and thanks to Daphne and Cassandra they had the whole layout, including knowledge of where Hyakinthos was stationed.

The overconfident bug had decided to make his 'command post' in what was basically the throne room of the fortress, but Daphne had convinced him to have all his guards posted outside. All Welf had to do was take on the guards while Bell dealt with Hyakinthos.

As they hurtled out of the halls and onto the bridge leading to the command center, the two friends skidded to a halt. Standing at the other end of the bridge, in front of a door was a team of spellcasters. More important though, was the figure leading them. A short, male figure with brown hair and green eyes. Luan! Welf's grin was predatory.

Bell charged ahead, with Welf not far behind. They could see the mages about to cast, so Welf used his own spell.

"Ignite, heretic spell. Will-o-Wisp!" Welf's only true spell was actually an anti-magic ability causing all spells about to be cast around him to short out and spontaneously combust. So long as the caster was either one level higher than him or lower. The combined effect of him doing this on a full team of mages was quite the conflagration. The explosion was glorious and accompanied by many surprised and pained screams.

"Bell! Go!" Welf shouted. His captain nodded and charged ahead. Jumping up, Bell appeared to kick something as he disappeared into the smoke. Just what he'd kicked became apparent as a currently-on-fire Luan came stumbling out of the smoke, dropped, and started rolling on the ground while screaming.

"Aaaaah! Someone put me out!"

Welf's predatory grin was back. He stepped forward and lined up the flat of his sword.

"And Crozzo steps up to the ball," He said in a soft announcer voice. "He's gone with the great sword for this one instead of his nine-iron. Bold choice but let's see what happens. He swings." Welf swung his sword, connecting with the rolling Luan. The Pallum was picked up by the force and sent careening into the wall on the opposite side of the bridge. He was still smoldering a little, but at least he wasn't on fire anymore!

"Hole in one." Welf sighed in happiness.

Orario (3rd Person Omniscient)

There was an uncertain silence withing the Pallum's Hidden Tavern until one of the regulars spoke up.

"You know… I want to be upset about a Pallum getting humiliated like that but… it's Luan…"

"Yeah…" Another nodded. "Fucking Luan…"

"Hmmm…." The group all hummed. There was a tense silence until one brave soul raised his mug.

"To Luan getting his ass beat?"

"I'd rather drink to Arde kicking ass…"

"Why not both?" There was a moment of contemplation before the whole tavern raised their mugs as one.

"BOTH!" They shouted and downed their ale.

Inside the Twilight Manor, Finn, mentally dealing with the same dilemma, was forced to resist a sudden urge to quaff ale and shout 'both.'

Bell

After kicking Luan towards Welf, Bell moved into the Apollo command post. Sitting on a throne nearby was Hyakinthos, whose face was contorted into a look of apoplectic rage. The opposing captain surged to his feet.

"You!" He snarled. "How did you do this? Who blew up the wall?"

"You picked the wrong fight, Hyakinthos." Bell shook his head, sadly. "All you had to do was make Luan and his team apologize and this could have all been avoided. Still," he sighed, "what's done is done. I'm giving you one chance to surrender. Please, stand down."

"You expect me, the captain of the glorious Apollo Familia to surrender to a runt like you? Never!" Hyakinthos growled. "You may have cheated your way into defeating my forces, but now you're alone with me. I am a full level higher than you, you pathetic little insect and I will crush you!"

Bell shook his head. "So be it." Drawing his daggers, Bell charged forward. Hyakinthos was strong compared to Bell, there was no doubt about that. He was Level 3, while Bell was only 2 after all. But after all his training and all he'd experienced since his level up; Bell was able to close the gap in strength using his superior speed.

Hyakinthos was barely able to draw his weapon, 'Sun's Flamberge' before Bell was on him. The black blade of the Hestia Knife clashed against the red of the opposing captain's sword before they disengaged.

The following clash was a dance of flashing blades. Hyakinthos had a longer reach, but Bell had two weapons. Hyakinthos was physically stronger, but Bell was faster. A fairly even match, all things considered. It was too bad for Hyakinthos that Bell wasn't used to even fights. In fact, he was used to spars and battles that were weighed heavily AGAINST him, meaning that Bell was very used to looking for openings.

Soon enough, he spotted one. Lashing out with his foot, Bell exploited a weakness he'd spotted in Hyakinthos' stance, mentally thanking Ais and Torrhen for doing that to him so many times. He was also rather pleased to be the one doing the kicking this time! Bell's foot connected with Hyakinthos' ankle, causing him to stumble. Bringing up his daggers, Bell used them to create a vice against his opponent's blade twist. With a clang, the sword of Bell's enemy cracked and split in two barely an inch from the hilt.

"Impossible!" Hyakinthos gasped, trying to regain his footing. It was too late. Bell jumped, spinning though the air and slammed his foot directly into his opponent's face. The opposing captain flew backwards, slamming his head into the base of the throne he'd been sitting in only a short time before.

Bell had won.

Orario (3rd Person Omniscient)

"IT'S OVER!" Ibri Archer shouted into the mic, his voice ringing out across the city. "With a rout of epic proportions, the winners are the HESTIA FAMILIA!"

"Wooo!" Inside the Twilight Manor, Tiona was shouting and bouncing in her seat. "Bell was so cool!"

"What a rout!" Tione added.

"That's how it's done!" Gareth stated boisterously. Bete could only scoff and leave the room, probably headed to the Dungeon and unwilling to admit out loud that Bell had done well.

Ais could only smile and continue to watch. She was very proud of Bell.

"It would appear that the War Game is over." Riveria said, calmly.

"Indeed, it is." Finn nodded. "A well-deserved victory.

All across the city cheers were ringing out, while those who had bet against the Hestia Familia cried in the corner. That had been one of the most epic War Games in the history of the city! A complete rout and a total upset from what should have been the underdogs!

Ryuu and Naaza were both inside the Hostess, happily collecting their winnings and smirking at the faces of the defeated.

Shivering Isles

In the Oblivion realm of the Shivering Isles, Sheogorath was cackling up a storm. He did so love a good show and why, the Dragonborn made for the best entertainment! Perhaps he'd send the little lizard boy some cheese in thanks? Oh! But he was out of cheese!

"Haskill!" Sheogorath shouted, looking for his chamberlain. "Haskill, I need your ears! I want to make cheese in them!" Earwax gave it such a lovely aftertaste, don't you think? Hmm. Perhaps he'd knit the Dragonborn an entrail sweater to go with it? Perfect for the victory party!

"Haskill! Where are you?! I need your ears and entrails!"

Hestia

"Noo… nooo… nooooooowaaaaah" Apollo was moaning, face down in the floor with tears streaming from his eyes.

"Apollo." Hestia said in a low voice, rising from her seat. Her eyes were shadowed by her hair as she glared at the sniveling god before her. Snapping out of his funk, Apollo's eyes went wide with fear. He scrambled back, crawling along the floor with tears pouring out of his eyes.

"Please… Hestia! I… I didn't mean it! It was Hyakinthos! Zanis! They lied to me!"

"Silence!" Hestia shouted.

"Hieeeeeee!" Apollo screamed in terror but was then silent.

"You remember your punishment, don't you?" Hestia asked, sweetly. "Everything you own is now mine. Your Familia is to be permanently disbanded. Starting tomorrow, you will stand in the main square and apologize for everything you have ever done to harm a living soul. If anyone comes to you demanding a personal apology, you must give it. Once you're done, you will leave this city, alone and forever. Not to be accompanied by any in your former Familia regardless of their wishes." She tapped her chin. "What am I forgetting? Oh yes!" Her eyes gleamed. "You're to shave your head and never grow your hair back again." She pulled out a razor from her pocket. "Shall we start with the hair?"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Apollo wailed as she approached. Under his screams, she could hear Loki rolling in the floor, laughing her face off.

A/N: I really hope you guys liked this! Please let me know what you think? Did it live up to your expectations? Please leave a comment telling me your thoughts and opinions!

I think I got a little humorous with this, but quite frankly it was impossible for me to make it seem serious. The Hestia Familia is just too damn powerful now! Dealing with the members of Apollo would be a cakewalk for them so I decided to be a little more lighthearted with it.

Did you like Torrhen's reveal? Not really enough time for anything but initial reactions right now, but I can go more in depth on some of them in later chapters.

What did you think of Hestia speaking Dovahzul? I thought it was a fun addition.

You got a Daedra Cameo! Just Sheogorath this time. I don't expect them to show up in any great capacity for the story. Let me be clear about that. But, I may include a cameo or reaction every once in a while.

For Apollo's expression after the Unrelenting Force, think Enel's surprised face from One Piece. Google it if you don't know what it looks like.

By the Way! Bell will be hitting Level 3! I know the fight didn't seem all that hard, but he only needed a tiny push and I think beating someone a level above him counts. The Hyakinthos fight in canon seemed pitiful compared to the Minotaur fight anyway.

Coming next will be the aftermath. I've got some ideas for an arc in the dungeon, eventual recruitment, some little fluff stuff, that kind of thing. I have some planning to do but if there's anything you'd like to see in terms of character interactions or if you have ideas, please let me know! That kind of thing makes for great inspiration!

Translations: (Rok los Dovahkiin: He is Dragonborn.) (Schadenfreude: Taking pleasure from other people's misfortune. Aka how we all feel when we see characters like Apollo get wrecked.)

Answers to Questions

For those who were unsure of Torrhen coming out of retirement, that was deliberately omitted from last chapter so that I could include it in this chapter!

On FFN

Reverie Lotus: Thank you so much for the comments you've been leaving over the last few days. They've been fantastic and I appreciate every single one of them! Thank you for the Alias suggestions! I actually kinda like 'Cinderella' and 'Fianna'

Guest: Pretty much! I'm turning Lili into a mix of Ranger and Assassin. You like it?

VirusZyX: Very good idea! I might just do that, if I can think of a good occasion where she needs to show off that much. I'll need to think on that.

Corymcwhirter2: The reason he doesn't is that I forgot! I've gone back and fixed that, but thank you for catching it!

Guest: I don't think Lili can give herself wings with her transformation, sadly.

Guest: Welf didn't get Apprentice Blacksmith because he already had Blacksmith.

On Ao3

Sleepy_Winter: I hope playing Yakety Sax was appropriate!

BlackHorse8986: With everything on, I think it would probably be possible for him to ignore all spells under Level 6. After that, they might do some damage, but probably not a lot.

StRaX_NM: I updated!

NodnarbTheViking: Honestly, I think his Alias will just be Dragonborn. He is THE Dragonborn. There's no getting around it.