Done with Uni for a month, hopefully can get some chapters in soon. Enjoy this one as the War Game has Begun!
Also I don't own Danmachi but I do own this bowl of cereal next to me that I'm eating.
It was a War Game, one like no other. It had only been a couple of months since the War Game between the up and coming Hestia Familia and the D-rank Apollo Familia. Leading up to that battle, there was a buzz around the city, a chorus of excitement and chatter filled the air. This War Game held no such atmosphere.
The city was in stasis, trying to fully deal with what had just happened. People were reeling from the 2 weeks of fog under the Goddess Freya's charm. Having been stripped of their free will, not having control of their own minds. It had been a while since the mortal world was reminded of the power of heaven and it didn't like it.
It began as a challenge from Freya to Hestia but due to uproar from the populace of Orario, things had spiralled out of control. Freya had believed it would be the Gods she charmed that would be the most vocal but the backlash from the ordinary people had caught her off guard.
It didn't take long until other Familia's began to stand behind Hestia. The obvious ones such as Takemikazuchi, Miach, Hephaestus and Hermes, Freya had expected them. Then came the others. Only one or two were brought in by their patron deity wanting to fight, most were an agreement between the adventurers and God to fight against Freya's children but she was shocked to learn that some Gods didn't have a choice.
They had been threatened with abandonment if their children weren't allowed to participate. This was the level the War Game had risen to. Never had Orario been so united against an enemy. Not even the dungeon itself garnered this much hatred and determination to beat.
And at the helm of it all sat a lone Goddess. Sat across from the Goddess of beauty and war, the most powerful Deity on the planet and the one who has the power to sway the mortal world to her bidding. Freya had known she would face a large force rallied against her, maybe not to this degree but she had prepared. What she hadn't accounted for was Hestia.
A small, usually chirpy and a bit ditsy Goddess. That was Hestia. That wasn't the person sat across from her. A fire blazed in those Azure eyes, eyes that could only belong to the being whose domain encompassed the eternal flame.
Freya would not back down, not so publicly. But she could tell when she looked around the chamber of the Gods. She wasn't the only one who felt the presence radiating off Hestia.
"Where is Nathan?"
It was a simple question. Most of the deities on the room grew confused. Was that really the first thing that should be asked?
"I guess it's her child?" One mumbled.
"Is he missing?" Another asked.
"Maybe Freya killed him?"
"Or he's still under her charm?"
"Is that really the most important thing at this moment?"
The murmuring of the Gods did little to quell the burning in Hestia's eyes, instead it only made it burn fiercer. However, Freya's facial expression didn't break, not even with the intense stares. She knew perfectly where the boy was.
"I do not know Hestia."
Freya would consider Hestia stupid if she genuinely believed that Freya would give him back to her, not after everything he had done to her and everything she had done to him.
"What!" Hestia's voice stayed level but it was far from calm. Freya could tell the Goddess had been pushed way beyond her limits. Freya had no intention of losing this War Game, not with her Odr on the line but now she beginning to worry what her punishment would be if she did. She looked in those eyes and saw something worse than a simple banishment. The memory of the Zeus and Hera Familia burned in her mind. It was why she would not reveal the half-elf. If she kept him out of the War Game, she had confidence in her victory... even if a part of her didn't want to win
"Like I said, I don't know where he is. After your little stunt through my window and the declaration of War was made and my territory was deserted I couldn't find him."
Ever since Ryu was captured, Freya put a stop to the torture, not wanting the elf to see it. But by then, both his body and mind had been broken countless times. His body was terrifying. No matter what they did, he always recovered within a couple of hours. The only thing that took longer was broken bones and they guessed severed limbs would also be fatal. She had thought of slicing his arm off, for revenge for Hogni but thankfully Heath had gotten to him in time and healed his arm back to his shoulder though she could tell it bothered him.
Nathan's mind however was a different story. It had fought against her charm but it never won. Even with all the screaming and thrashing about, it never fully grew back to how it was before each charm. Slowly it withered away until the day before Ryu was put in the cell opposite, the boy's mind had completely shattered.
The purple haze in his eyes shimmered on and off but that was the only form of movement. The black tendrils and the flickering of jade had become dull and lifeless.
After she had declared war on Hestia over Bell, only one thing remained on her mind. She had heard Ryu had escaped and she was upset that she had left on a sour note with her friend, she had been even more worried about her other prisoner escaping.
But even with his shackles unlocked and his cell door open, the body of the half-elf remained, sat in a pile of his blood and piss. His lifeless eyes remained dulled out and his muscles laxed, he didn't even respond to her presence. Instead of shackling him again she instead decided to just leave him. She had fulfilled her promise. Using her eyes of a Goddess, Freya saw the grotesque black amalgamation that was his soul greyed out and unmoving. Though his heart still beated in his chest and his lungs still flushed oxygen through his blood, Nathan was dead.
Freya looked at Hestia, a look only the Goddess could make out. The look of deceit.
"I truly don't know where he is."
Bell sat at home, his real home. He never realised how much he loved the Hearthstone Manor and the people inside. When he got back, he wasn't given a moment's rest as he was bombarded by apologises and remarks of worry and guilt. Lili and Haruhime were on the verge of crying the whole time while Welf and Mikoto wore sorrowful, stiff expressions. Bell forgave them, of course he did. He couldn't blame them for something they didn't have control over. That night, the Hestia Familia slept in the large living room, together.
The next morning, there was little time to catch up. Freya had issued a War Game and they needed to prepare. A heavy blow was quickly thrown at them when the Guild forbid the Loki and Ganesha Familia from entering the War Game. No matter, they still had plenty of allies.
But there was one issue.
"I want to send her back to heaven!"
"It was unaccusable!"
"I know she's a Goddess but she went too far!"
The cries for Freya's head were everywhere, from Gods and Adventurers alike. How was Bell meant to tell them he didn't want that.
The night it happened, Horn had cornered him. Told him everything, made him realise how horrible he had been to both her and Freya. He'd hurt them only to turn a blind eye to their pain. Freya was having a breakdown; she was in pain constantly and it was all because of him. So as Horn turned into Syr and begged for his help, he had no choice. Bell Cranel gave his word he would save them both.
So how was he going to say that to the rest of them. He was sure he could get his friends and Goddess Hestia with him and if he got them, more voices would always help.
"I'm sorry Bell but I can't let this slide."
"Welf is right," Lili agreed. "This isn't a minor thing that we can just shake hands over."
"B-but Lili?"
"Master Bell..." Lili sighed. This boy in front of her, the boy she loved, could be really hard work sometimes. "You need to understand, this isn't just about you now. Goddess Freya charmed the whole city. She dragged everyone into this and because of that, the punishment needs to be more severe."
"I-I get that but doesn't mean it's the right thing," Bell protested but it seemed it was falling on deaf ears. He looked to Welf who just shook his head, he would get no help from the smith. Mikoto and Haruhime struggled to look at him, both having their own stand on the matter.
'Surely...' Bell thought as he turned to face his Goddess. The one who has been with him from day one. The one who knew him the best.
"Goddess, you agree..."
"Bell."
Bell stopped talking, his eyes going wide. The voice from his Goddess was not the usual warm, comforting tone. It was solemn and monotone.
"I would love to stand behind your ideals, I always have done in the past... but this time is different."
"I know everyone else was hurt but-"
"This isn't about everyone else," Hestia interrupted her child, causing shock around the huddle group. "What about Nathan."
Bell's grip tightened. Welf's brow scowled as the girls could only close their eyes.
"Of course I've thought about him," Bell muttered.
"He left me only a day after Freya charmed Orario. I haven't seen him since. I know he attacked the Tower on the same day he left me and then from what Loki's children said, he was captured shortly after."
They all remembered when Finn Deimne, captain of the Loki Familia knocked on their door. He was joined by Ais Wallenstein. Both wore complex expressions.
The first thing they did when sitting down was silence. It seemed they struggled on how to start. That was when they learnt that the Loki Familia was forbidden from helping them but that was almost nothing compared to the next information.
"The memory is almost foggy but so clear," Finn started. "I had an order that I couldn't refuse."
The others that were charmed could sympathise. They had all felt the same thing when interacting with Bell while under Freya's control.
"I... we were ordered by the Goddess Freya to help capture Nathan and we succeeded."
The whole Familia just sat in silence as Finn, and occasionally Ais, explained how they captured the half-elf. From there, Hestia had deduced how long Nathan had been held captive by Freya. 12 days he was her prisoner.
They didn't want to imagine what had happened to him. After Finn and Ais had left, they got another visitor. After listening to Ryu, they no longer had a choice.
"Until Nathan is brought back to me, safe... then I will consider something like that. But I'm sorry, if what Ryu said is even remotely true..."
Hestia let her judgement hang in the air. Bell could only scrunch his fists tighter. He had no argument to that. No matter how bad Freya was hurting, what she had done to Nathan could never be justified.
Once again, it was a sad atmosphere over the dinner table. It had been almost a month now since the empty chair at the far end of the table had been used.
Riveria was once again out looking through the streets of Orario. She held a determined step in her stride as if she had a set goal she had to achieve, and in her mind she did.
It had been almost a month since she had seen Nathan and made the promise to help him. Twice she had gone out to search for him. Once when he was being hunted by the Ganesha Familia straight after the final fight in Knossos. The second was during the final day of the Harvest Festival before she was interrupted.
She had been forced to waste two weeks while under the Goddess Freya's charm. She remembers all of it though. She had spent most of it in the dungeon until she resurfaced and within the next few hours, she had been released and it was back to hunting.
She barely went back to the Twilight Manor. Only now and then to check up on people. Lefiya was still suffering from losing Filvis and Ais was not faring well after being forced to forget about Bell Cranel. Alongside with all the chaos, she had a lot on her plate.
Before, she would have made that her priority. She had done so many times and because of that, a member of her family had suffered tremendously. She knew it was a horrible thought, but Lefiya and Ais had other people to support them. From what she knew and what from she had been told, Nathan had gotten no support since Knossos.
She knew he avoided it. The Hestia Familia were just as determined to find and help the boy as much as her but he turned them away and it broke her heart. She wouldn't stand for it; she was supposed to be one of the most powerful mortals on the planet. What good was all that power if she couldn't even help a single 15-year-old boy.
The first place she looked was obviously the Hearthstone Manor. The second was the abandoned district, a place she had fervently searched top to bottom. She had even checked the entrances to Knossos, having spent an entire day in Daedalus street.
But now she stood outside the only place she hadn't looked. She hadn't been able to since the Familia that lives here had been preparing for a War Game. She had hoped Nathan had escaped during the skirmish that had occurred a week prior but it had become less and less likely,
As Riveria walked into the grounds of Folkvangr, she looked up at a Divine mirror that was around the giant fields. The War Game was about to begin soon and the whole city had been littered with the God's special mirror that helped watch battles occur even if they were taking place over 100 miles away.
As Riveria got closer to the main doors, she noticed a few people. She guessed they were non-combatant members of the Freya Familia. Some seemed a bit older while others were children no more than 10. Probably left behind due to being too weak or inexperienced or maybe they just weren't even adventurers.
One noticed her and with a surprised scowl, a middle-aged woman called out to her to leave. Riveria chose not to even speak, letting her name and face do all the talking. One look at her green robe, staff, hair and eyes and they all knew they stood no chance against the Nine Hells.
"It's taboo to raid a Familia's house while they are in a War Game Nine Hells," One man, most likely a butler from his attire, spoke up.
"I'm not here to steal anything, only to take back something your Goddess took."
Riveria didn't want to give away her real intentions in-case these members somehow swayed her vision elsewhere. She would take no notice of them and simply search everywhere and no one would stop her, not even the Guild.
And with a brazen attitude only a determined first-class adventurer could hold, Riveria Los Alf, vice-captain of the Loki Familia, strode into the main base of the Freya Familia.
She was quickly followed by various attendants and non-combatants, all yelling at her to leave, saying she had no right. She ignored them. She looked around the main lobby, picked a direction and began exploring.
"Someone go report this to the Guild!" The man from earlier shouted. A young boy ran off but Riveria paid it no mind. She got to the first door and opened it. She gave it a proper examination before turning around and leaving.
The man stood in front of her, preparing to stop her. Riveria simply raised an eyebrow and exaggerated taking a step. The man swiftly moved out of the way, resigning his fate until the Guild hopefully did something about this egregious crime.
The next hour could only be described as Déjà vu. Riveria would come to a door, open it, look around and walk out. She had explored the mess hall, toilets, armoury, smithery and even the executive's room. All the while, the divine mirrors showing the imminent start of the War Game echoed around them. She had even walked straight into the Goddess Freya's room, much to the absolute fury of the attendants that followed her.
After such a blasphemous act, they started cursing her out, hellbent on kicking her out after trespassing in such a sacred place. One of them even had the stupidity to attack but she imply swiped them away as if they were a fly.
She had noticed a magical door part of the room. The butler smirked at her when she touched it, his arrogance, along with his presence, annoying Riveria enough now that she very easily deduced the encryption and opened it within 3 seconds. She could tell it was done by a professional but she was Nine Hells, she was the professional, much to the shock and horror of the butler.
Riveria would've enjoyed the face on the man if she wasn't so determined on her mission. With a simple shrug, she walked out of the Goddess' room and carried on her search. She had told no lie when she said she was not here to steal anything.
As Riveria had almost completed her search, almost giving up all together, she noticed something. She did a double take as she walked past it. She could've sworn she had passed this wall before, so how had she not noticed it. Maybe it was because of what she noticed in Freya's room that she now noticed it here.
She took one look at the curtain that draped the wall and dragged it away. In front of her seemed to be brick and stone but she knew better, after all she was the professional.
"Earth magic," She mumbled. She also noticed it was imbued with a magic barrier similar to the one in Freya's bedroom. Within 5 seconds, Riveria had unlocked the barrier and broken through the earth magic.
Before the Butler could argue, knowing what was being blocked, he was quietened as he started gagging. Riveria struggled with the stench as well as she stared down the dank staircase. She muttered a small part of her fire spell, creating a singular flame as a torch and began her descent.
As she went further down, the stench only got worse. She guessed it was some sort of dungeon as she saw the mold and the cracked stone that indicated an unkempt part of an otherwise immaculate castle.
The Butler kept trying to stop her but he could barely mutter a word before vomit regurgitated in his throat. Riveria thanked her experience as an adventurer that allowed her to press forward without hesitation.
After a fairly quick descent, Riveria hit the flat, cobbled floor of the dungeon. She saw two rows of cells on either side. She did not want to guess what they were used for and she was glad that her Goddess did not have any need for one of these.
But she knew that if Nathan was anywhere within Folkvangr, it was down here. And she didn't need to search far. In the second cell on her right, lay a crumpled body. He had no shackles around his wrists but the clear marks of being held against his will were still burnt onto his skin.
His almost naked appearance showed his old scars that she had seen before being merged with new ones he had gained down here. His body remained unmoving, his eyes not even blinking as her torch lingered on his scarred, mauled face. The face that housed those jade eyes.
"...Nathan," Riveria muttered out. Her eyes went dark and the Butler realised it was time to leave, not wanting to deal with the Nine Hells now. If he antagonised her further, she might burn the whole place to the ground.
Letting the Butler runaway, Riveria walked forward. Anger boiled with each inch she got closer, the more his tortured body was exposed. She tried calling out his name again but there was still no response. She found what the stench was. The boy smelt awful.
She saw his blood curdled with his own urine and Faeces. He was beyond malnourished; skin and bones would be considered healthy to how underweight he was. From her time as a medic and healer, she could tell his bones had been broken several times along with his tendons. His left shoulder seemed to have been nearly dismembered while his kneecaps had been shattered at least once.
The only nice thing she could see was that he hadn't lost any body parts but if it wasn't for his amazing healing factor she had personally witnessed, she knew that his body would have been made redundant.
But as she crouched down next to him, not bothering about dirtying her robe, she saw the worst part. Those Jade eyes she had noticed a month ago, the ones that had started this whole infatuation. The ones that had been filled with sadness, regret and anger. The ones she had promised to save. They held nothing.
No life, no emotion, no soul. He was still breathing, somehow, but there was nothing in his eyes. Riveria finally grasped what the boy had gone through down here. The worst part was that she knew her healing magic would do nothing... absolutely nothing. The grip on her staff tightened. She had failed.
Ivan stood at the top of the stairs. His staff muttered in hush whispers around him. Sven still hadn't come back after he had ordered the young boy to go fetch the Guild. He was beginning to worry. He looked at a divine Mirror, Ibri Archer was just about to announce the beginning, readying his gong.
Just then, Riveria Los Alf appeared. On her back was the prisoner, the half-elf. At the sight, his staff became mute. Not even they, including himself, had known about what their Goddess had put the boy through. But then they saw all the scars, the whiplashes on his back, the grotesque gash on his face, and the thousands of cuts littered everywhere. He looked like he had already passed through death's door. They all gulped as they shared a thought.
'Had their lady really done this.'
"Is this all of you?"
"W-what?" Ivan was taken aback by Nine Hells question.
"Are there any more people in this place?"
"Y-yes..." Ivan wasn't sure why he answered but he felt like he should.
"Have everyone meet me outside, I have something important to say, understood. Also, find me his swords and bring them with you."
The look Riveria gave him made sure he agreed. Before Riveria even made it outside, Ivan had rounded up everyone in the mansion. All one hundred members under his authority were outside within 10 minutes. He was almost proud if he wasn't drowning in worry.
But just as the non-combatant members of the Freya Familia lined up outside, awaiting Nine Hells statement, Ivan noticed something in the distance.
It was Sven and behind him were two people in a black and white suit. Ivan couldn't help but smile as justice would be swiftly used on the blasphemer.
Riveria walked up to Ivan and without saying a word, took Nathan's swords from him. Ivan was a retired adventurer, level 3. He had done his day on the battlefield of Folkvangr and had years of experience and strength. Nine Hells barely even tried. This made Ivan seethe for a reprimand from the Guild.
"Is this everyone?" Riveria asked, her voice cold as her eyes remained dark.
"It is, now what did you want to say."
"Run."
With that, Riveria turned around. Everyone stayed silent as they processed what they had been told. Was that it and run from what. They were all confused for a moment but then they heard it. Singing, followed by a faint glow from the staff in Nine Hell's hands.
They would not need to be told twice. It was pandemonium. Screams of terror and horror was accompanied by feet pounding on gravel as they all ran for their lives.
"W-wait! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Ivan ran up to Riveria, grabbing her robes as he shouted at her. He started out with an order, anger searing in his eyes but he quickly resorted to begging as he saw the wrathful stare he was given as the most powerful mage in the world continued to chant.
With a whimper, Ivan ran forward to the Guild employees but it was too late. Just as he reached them, Riveria reached the Climax.
"LET THE WAR GAME BEGIN!"
"-my name is Alf... Rea Laevateinn."
The roar of the adventurers from the divine mirrors was drowned out by the annihilation magic that rained down from the sky.
Folkvangr was no more.
It was the beginning of the biggest War Game in recorded history. The adventurers were running from their starting point as Liliruca Arde began giving out orders. Her training with Finn Deimne clearly hadn't gone to waste.
All the main players, from Tsubaki and Aisha to the main unit comprised of level 3s commanded by Bors were all front lining towards the Freya Familia. Meanwhile, Hedin was giving his rallying speech, ordering his comrades to win in the name of their Lady.
Orario was silent. It should've been due to what was unfolding in the divine mirrors, excitement and nerves swamping every spectator. But for a single minute, every single pair of eyes were facing a single direction.
Over the past few weeks, the city had dealt with destruction and in-fighting between first-class adventurers. People had lost their homes and belongings, some even lost loved ones unable to avoid the destruction. But this was different.
As everyone stared directly south, they all saw the giant billow of smoke rising from the only place big enough to cause such an explosion. And with the Ganesha Familia gone, overseeing the War Game, no one knew what to do.
"Is that...?"
"It can't be?"
"Has someone attacked Folkvangr?"
"Who'd be stupid enough to do such a thing?"
Riveria glanced at a divine mirror she was walking past. It showed the Freya Familia rallying in one place, ready to take out the entirety of the allied forces. Another mirror just a bit further down the street showed the some of the deities hiding.
The body slumped on her shoulder didn't seem to register them. If it wasn't for his cold, shallow breath on her hair, she would think he was dead. Riveria just bit her lip and moved forward. She knew her stunt would attract attention, not that she cared. She knew she was the most powerful person in Orario right now, only Finn and Gareth could stop her and they would not attack her on sight.
Was it wrong what she did, maybe. Did she care?
If on cue, she heard a small pair of feet land next to her.
"Riveria!" Finn shouted. She knew he would've known it was her immediately. The sound of her annihilation magic was distinct. Before Finn continued, he noticed who Riveria was holding.
"Where was he?"
"In their dungeon."
"...how is he?"
It was almost a formality. She knew Finn didn't really care about the boy, even if he was her family. It was all starting to piss her off.
"Not good Finn! You would know since you helped put him there!"
"Don't act like I chose to, you know I wasn't myself, that's not fair."
Riveria of course knew this but she needed to vent her frustration and she knew Finn was good enough to endure it.
"Fair! Don't mention fair! Look at him Finn!"
Riveria slowly brought the boy down and placed him next to her, using her body for support. Finn glanced at her before examining the boy, same as her. He saw his emaciated state, his old and new wounds. The shackle imprints on his wrists and the dead look in his eyes.
Finn remained silent before turning around.
"Come, we shall house him with us until the War Game is over. Until then, you are in charge of him."
Riveria accepted this, for now. It wouldn't be just until the War Game finished but getting him under her care was a good start. She stood back up and got ready to lift Nathan back onto her back.
Finn looked at the Divine mirror and it switched to the image of the Goddess Freya. The one who had only been a catalyst in this incident. He did feel sorry for the half-elf, having to hide helping save the city only to be forced to single-handedly deal with the strongest faction, all while being hunted.
Then Finn felt a rush of air brush past him. He immediately raised his golden spear as Riveria rushed next to him. He blocked her with his weapon as both of them stared at the boy in front of them. Both of them deemed him lifeless but now he was standing on his own and staring at the Mirror.
"Nathan...?" Riveria hesitantly called out. Even if she was ready to protect him, she was still wary about him. Finn was right in one regard; the half-elf was completely unpredictable.
Finn quickly realised that the image of the Goddess Freya had stirred something in the boy but what that something was had made him nervous. He felt his thumb begin to ache and the longer the boy did nothing, the more it began to throb.
Finn slowly walked up to him; all the while Freya remained on the screen. As Finn got next to the boy, he lowered his spear slightly. He had learnt the half-elf had some sort of telepathic ability to read movement and he didn't want to set that off.
But as the Prum manoeuvred around, his face went pale.
"Oh no..." He muttered. Just then, the image of Freya dispersed and before he could even react, Nathan sprang into action. Riveria went to reach out for him but he ducked under it, grabbed his swords and disappeared. The high-elf looked back at Finn and her eyes widened in shock as her captain's face looked like he had seen a ghost. His lips had gone dry as his eyes had diluted to mere dots as sweat formed on his forehead.
"Riveria! Twilight Manor now, get ready to move out!" Finn ordered as he wasted no time and ran straight back home. Finn knew it was futile chasing after the boy and he had come to an agreement with the Guild to not have any participation in the War Game.
Riveria went to argue but Finn must've seen something for him to act the way he did and that frightened her. She was still in her right mind to realise something was wrong and if Finn looked like that, then she would listen.
'What did he see...'
The War Game had been raging on for up to an hour now. The major players had all been introduced. Hogni had begun to take out the amazon faction, led by Tsubaki. He was struggling to hold off the level boosted smith due to his left arm still being weak after being re-attached by Heith.
The three Gulliver brothers were dispatching off the seasoned upper-class adventurers. There were speculation about where the fourth one was. Bors had theorised he must be going for a flank to find the Deities, a theory Lili quickly refuted. She wasn't fully aware of it but Bell had said that Dvallin Bringar hadn't been at Folkvangr during his time there and Hestia had told them he wouldn't be taking part. Though the way Alfrigg Bringar duel-wielded his spear alongside Dvallin's hammer was eerily ominous.
The Gulliver brothers seemed to be in a foul mood too as they wasted no time dispatching people, dancing around broken pillars that spurted out of the ground, with Grer having to repeatedly calm his older brother down a few times in case he ended up killing people.
Allen Frommel was taking out the magic sword section with ease, having dealt with Welf with a single blow, though he was surprised at the durability of the red-headed smith's sword. After seeing the golden beams encircle 6 different people now, Vana Freya gave himself a new target as he sprinted through the undergrowth of foliage that encased the War Game arena.
Finally, in the run-down, desolate colosseum in the centre of the battleground, the leaders of each faction faced off. In the corner, a half-prum coughed up blood as he watched on as Bell Cranel imbued all his strength and power into a single stroke in hopes in beating Ottar in one hit. It was beyond foolish and Ottar wasn't even preparing a defence, insisting the boy deal the first blow.
All while this was going down, the Gods and Goddesses of the alliances were outstretched in broken down houses and other buildings that littered the far north side of the arena. All of them held a flower in their lapel or collar, signifying that they were still part of the game. They had seen no action themselves and some were growing quite bored.
It had been almost a day's travel by carriage to this remote place. It had been interesting watching their children prepare and the young prum girls' speech had been captivating to say the least. But now things had died down, some were getting restless.
Hestia and Hephaestus sighed as the petite Goddess once again peeked out from their hiding spot. They were waiting for something, anything. For them, especially Hestia, this was almost akin to torture.
"Stop worrying Hestia, it won't achieve anything," The one-eyed Goddess muttered as she watched her close friend slump down next to her.
"I know," Hestia sighed. "I just can't help it."
Hestia kept replaying the start in her mind. She was so proud of Lili, taking command and seeing her children grow and become stronger. The resolve in Bell's eyes always made her chest swell with love. Though there some uncomfortable moments.
"Where's your half-elf?" One God asked her.
"Yeah, the one who helped in the last war game. He looked strong!"
Hestia thanked Lili's quick thinking then, the Prum quickly giving an excuse and bringing the subject back to the battle plan. She felt the uncomfortable glares from the other Gods, adventures and especially the Ankusha who was there to supervise. Hestia knew she was the main culprit in the man hunt and she wasn't happy about being near the Ganesha captain.
At that moment, Takemikazuchi and Miach joined the duo. They had been the first to join the alliance, to no one's surprise.
"Not to fret Hestia," Take started. "If anyone comes close I'll..."
"God Bragi has been eliminated!"
The deities went silent. The announcement of Ibri Archer rang out.
"W-What!"
"Already!"
"It's barely started!"
They heard the outcry from their fellow deities around them. Had the Freya Familia sent a sneak attack somewhere. Had Lili already been deceived. Hestia couldn't believe it. She knew the Prum was still new to this role but she was still one of the smartest mortals Hestia had met.
"Goddess Bastet has been eliminated!"
Another gone.
"Goddess Idun!"
"God Khonsu!"
"Goddess..."
"God..."
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
Hestia blood ran cold. It was impossible. How had the Freya Familia committed such a force this early.
"God Deimos has been eliminated!"
"...huh."
The quiet mumble from Takemikazuchi was the only thing any of the Gods could even manage. The Gods that had been dispatched, while still Gods, were not any of the big ones. They committed about 10-15 adventurers and they themselves weren't ones of War or battle. Takemikazuchi was a God of War, and as one he held divine power that gave him strength capable of dealing with second-class adventurers... and so was Deimos. The God of terror and dread, he was not to be messed with.
He had mellowed out ever since he left Rakia and came to Orario but like Take, he could hold his own against any second-class adventurer. So with his swift defeat seemingly from nowhere, it could only mean one thing.
"Lord Deimos is gone?"
The shock had now encircled the battlefield. Many knew of his Familia as one that was ready to break into the top tier. They held no first-class adventurers but they had four level 4s and numerous level 3s and 2s. They were the third strongest behind the Hestia Familia and Hephaestus Familia. And now, they were all gone.
As soon as a God is eliminated from the game, their Familia is gone too.
"Prum! What were you doing!" The Deimos captain yelled into his orb but he got no reply. Lili was frozen still. As soon as she had heard the first God be eliminated, she had rushed to check it out and hopefully protect some. With her level 2 speed, it would only take 30 seconds. But within that time, 15 Gods out of the 80 had been eliminated. It was too fast, even for the Freya Familia.
"Lil'e, what's going on!" Welf shouted into his orb. The amount of Gods eliminated had rattled the allied forces.
"Oi Prum, answer us!" Aisha shouted. This was a massive blow but what was even stranger was that even the Freya Familia had taken a second to question this. Tsubaki looked over and saw Hedin Sarland and the puzzled look on his face made her gulp in dread. As for Lili, she couldn't reply. She was frozen in shock and fear. She was now seeing the same thing that the one who taught her the way of commander had seen only an hour prior.
"N-Nathan..." Lili murmured out.
Throughout Orario, the citizens were all quiet. The mass elimination of deities had shook the city still. They all stared wide eyed as they saw a half-elf step out in front of the young Prum. At first they froze at the horrid state his body was in, his naked torso laid bare for the world to see, but then they saw it too.
Freya smirked on her throne as she heard her fellow deities get eliminated. She was surprised he was even here but this is why she had contingencies. This was her final punishment for the boy who had taken her precious children from her.
"C-captain?" Tione asked with a shaky voice.
"It can't be..." Tiona muttered.
"That bitch!" Loki cursed.
"This has gotten bad," Gareth said while stroking his beard, the dwarf holding a dark look.
Riveria could only look on his horror as the boy she had rescued only an hour ago now stood in the battlefield over 150 miles away.
'The magic barrier seemed too easy to break for Freya Familia... was I meant to find him?'
Finn just sat with his head resting on his hands as he looked up at the divine Mirror.
Nathan, the half-elf of the Hestia Familia, walked passed Liliruca Arde as he spotted his next target, his Jade eyes trapped within a purple haze as the orders from his Lady echoed in his mind.
The horde of deities were sprinting through the broken corridors, some even getting into the open plains.
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
The adventurers taking battle shouted out in frustration as they were forced out of the fight. It was getting bad now, the allied forces started out with over 800 adventurers, that number had dwindled to below 400 now.
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
Some were waiting to hear the name Hestia be mentioned with each one gone, or even Hephaestus, which would get rid of the only two first-class adventurers. That would basically end the War Game.
The Freya Familia were taking advantage of this commotion, seizing the high ground. Hedin was getting worried; he'd have to play his hand soon as he didn't know what was happening. If he wanted Bell Cranel to save his Goddess, the boy needed to win the War Game. At this rate, the game would be over within the hour.
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
"-eliminated"
Lili was starting to breath erratically. All the teachings she had gotten from Finn was leaving her as her emotions were spiralling. The first time she had seen her close friend in a month and he was trapped in his own mind, unable to be communicated. She remembered how it felt when she was under Freya's charm, the foggy vision and the weakness she felt, incapable of doing anything.
More and more deities were getting eliminated. Lili deduced that Freya must've kept Nathan hidden and kept him under her charm. She has ordered him to join the War Game late and take out all the God's.
Nathan was a dangerous enemy to have. If he was in his right mind and on their side, he could change the tide of the fight. They were already struggling as it was but to throw another first-class adventurer at them, it was too much.
"Lili, which way!"
Lili's mind began to hyperventilate. She thought she was good under pressure. Just the sight of Nathan under Freya's charm had sent her reeling. After that, she couldn't help it.
'How long has he been under her charm?'
'Is this how Master Bell felt when he saw us?'
'How do we help him; can we get Lady Hestia to break him free?'
"LILI!"
Lili turned around, still reeling from the shock of seeing the half-elf. It was Chloe, Lunor and Anya from the Hostess.
"Which way did they go, the ones getting rid of the Gods?" Lunor asked frantically.
"No! It isn't Freya Familia!" Lili blurted out; the rest of the alliance were stunned to hear this. Had someone betrayed them.
"It's Nathan."
"Nathan, why would he do this!" Chloe shouted back, not believing it.
"He's under Freya's charm!"
It left a sour taste in Lili's mouth. It did for any that heard it. They had all been under Freya's charm and they knew what it felt like. It was why most were here, fighting for their right to not lose their free will.
"You bastards!" Welf howled out as he swung his Welf magic sword, decimating a group of enemies.
Even Bell scowled as he furrowed his brow at Ottar.
"Tell her to release him!"
"I can not give an order to my lady," Was all the white-haired boy got, angering him more. Ottar was taken aback by the boy's anger that even he questioned what his Lady had done. He had little time to think as blocked an attack from the side.
"She's gone too far Ottar," Mia Grande stated, slamming her shovel into Ottar's defence once more before being pushed back.
Ottar simply shrugged off the attack before readying himself. It was not up to him to question his Lady, and that was final.
Lunor, Chloe and Anya ran through the corridors, following the sound of the Gods running away. Lunor wore her usual fighting gear, her brown scarf around her chin as she tensed her grip around her brass knuckles. Chloe had her black hood up, covering her face as she wielded her twin knives. Anya had her white battle top on as she continued to sniff the air, hoping to find the bleached-haired boy, her red flannel flapping in the breeze her level 4 speed created.
"Nathan, wake up!" Lunor shouted out into the abyss, hoping the boy had heard her. While her mind had quickly questioned how awful it was to be charmed, her warriors brain took centre stage. They were up against a first-class adventurer who was already able to take on first-class adventurers before he became level 5.
They were all seasoned fighters, high level 4. All of three of them were nervous about this fight but they knew they had no choice. With every announcement from Ibri Archer that another God had been eliminated, it only made them run faster. Chloe and Lunor especially were waiting to hear the names of their Gods, Njord and Demeter. Each time was a step away from getting their friend back.
"Young Nathan, come to your senses!"
They heard the shout and a clash of metal. The three waitresses raced forward. It didn't take long before they came to an opening. In it stood 10 Gods and Goddess all hurdling away.
In front of them stood a stalemate being held between the God Takemikazuchi and the half-elf. The Warrior God was sweating and was clearly being pushed back, his Katana shaking under the weight of Nathan's twin blades. The girls wasted no time.
"Nathan please!" Hestia shouted as she watched her lost child fight against her. The purple charm that circled in his eyes broker her heart and only made her anger towards Freya burn. She too had deduced Freya's vile plan in abusing Nathan further.
Just as Nathan went to grab Take's flower, ready to dispel him from the War Game, a Golden spear intercepted Nathan's hand, forcing him to retract it.
Just as Nathan recoiled, Lunor jumped behind him, readying a punch to the back of his head. Nathan, without even looking, moved out the way, grabbing Lunor's arm as it went past him. Using her momentum, Lunor shoved her knee towards his face, hoping to crack his nose. However, Nathan overpowered her and pushed the brawler past him, slamming her forward.
Lunor felt the air rush out her lungs but she had no time to get it back as she forced herself to roll out the way, narrowly dodging a boot in her body.
It was Chloe's turn, using her stealth skill to sneak up on the half-elf. She thrusted her daggers to each side of his body. None of the waitresses wanted to seriously hurt the boy but after their experience with him in the dungeon, they knew they had to push him on death's door to even think about stopping him.
Nathan spun around and batted Chloe's attack away, sending the cat-girl backwards. She had just initiated a sneak attack and was immediately on the back foot. Though before Nathan could start attacking her, Anya jumped back in.
"Wake up Masky, Nya!"
Lunor had also recovered and joined the fray. Hestia and the other Gods couldn't keep up as they watched on from the sidelines. Take had stepped back, readying his Katana as sweat poured down from his forehead. He was waiting for a moment to interject. He was the only God able to keep up with the fight and he began studying everyone's movements.
A jab of a spear parried by a sword, then for its twin to initiate a counter, only for that attack to be stopped by a fist slamming the swords down.
A low kick at the half-elf's legs from Chloe, only for Nathan to defend by attacking back, their legs connecting and making Chloe cry out in pain. Anya expertly swivelled her spear into a thrust to prevent Nathan from continuing his assault on Chloe.
Take saw that the three waitresses had excellent chemistry among themselves and they held plenty of strength but the warrior god wasn't sure it was enough. He had already deduced the three woman's moves and skillset but he couldn't read Nathan. It was infuriating from a Warrior's perspective but he was soon ready to join back in and help the best he could.
Anya went to pierce Nathan's left knee. She knew she wouldn't achieve it as Nathan side-stepped it but it wasn't her plan to stab him. Lunor and Chloe took advantage of the raised foot and pressed hard. Lunor went for a jab to the boy's face while Chloe aimed at his other leg, knowing it couldn't move.
However, Nathan was too fast for them. Lunor had quickly change her attack into a block as a sword went for her eyes while Nathan spun his raised foot in a roundhouse that connected with Chloe's knives, sending the cat-girl flying backwards.
"Chloe!" Anya cried out but she had little time to react as she was forced to block an up-swinging sword with her spear. The strength from that attack forced Anya's arm upwards, making her vulnerable. On the other side, Lunor managed to bring her arms down into a block that narrowly beat out a flying kick but she too couldn't handle the strength and she went skidding across the floor.
Anya expertly swivelled her spear out of Nathan's attack. Out of the three, she was the most experienced with fights against those stronger than her, her days in Folkvangr having been brutal and harsh.
She barely managed to keep up with the half-elf, evading and blocking his attacks. She knew he wasn't going all out. He still had his powerful wind magic and his skill that makes his voice go weird.
Anya knew she had no hope of winning, her only goal was to stall long enough so her friends could join back and help. But she looked around and saw Chloe was still recovering from her pile of rubble while Lunor was almost ready to faint, a giant bruise already appearing on her arm, showing damage that could be a fracture.
Anya's eyes widened in fright as Nathan continued his barrage of attacks. It wasn't pretty or skilful anymore, he was just using his strength advantage by pummelling his swords into her defences. Her chestnut eyes stared at his purple ones, lifeless and in pain as an unknown order forced him to fight. Then it happened.
It was such a simple manoeuvrer, one that even level one rookies are taught. A simple faint with his swords but Anya fell for it. Anya hated fighting people who duel-wielded. Anya blocked the sword that fainted, knowing that the other one was coming to shatter her grip. So, using her experience, she did the only thing she could think of. She pressed for a counter-attack.
*SCHHHLLLLLLIIKKKKK*
All of Orario gasped in horror as they watched the brown-haired cat girl get impaled by the charmed half-elf's sword.
'Oh... it was a double faint,' Was all Anya could think. She felt her body run as she realised she wasn't fighting at Folkvangr. Her opponent wasn't a normal adventurer simply wanting to beat her. She was fighting a killer. Anya coughed up blood as her body lost its strength.
"NOOOO!" Take shouted from the sideline as he quickly interjected. Nathan harshly removed his sword from the cat-girl and kicked her away before intercepting the Warrior God's Katana.
Hestia held in a cry as she watched her child kick the cat-girl away. The Goddess wasted no time in going over to help the cat-girl. The waitress had helped her out before and she would be damned if she would watch her just bleed out.
"Hestia no!" Hephaestus shouted out but Hestia paid her no mind. She ran over to Anya, blanking the noise of fighting behind her.
"Anya-chan, are you ok!" She asked. She could see Anya was breathing quickly as her hand covered the wound to little effect. Blood continued to spill out.
"ANYA!" Lunor shouted as Hestia heard her join in the fight but it only took another second when she heard the girl begin grunting in pain again. Nathan was just too strong. He was unstoppable.
"God Takemikazuchi is eliminated!"
Ibri Archer's announcement rung out as the flower on Take's lapel fluttered the ground cut in half. The God slumped, his breathing harsh and fast as he gulped in air. Hestia slowly turned around as she looked on at her child.
She couldn't tell if they had even touched him, his body too covered in wounds and scars to know the difference between fresh wounds. She saw the shackle marks on his wrists and it made her blood boil as the purple haze in his eyes came on stronger.
The half-elf lifelessly walked past the fallen God and moved on to his next target. All the other God's were hiding and she was the only he could see.
"N-Nathan please," Hestia said with a hiccup in her throat as she stifled back tears. She hoped the whole world saw what Freya had done to her child, that even when they lost this War Game, they wouldn't let her off.
Hestia had her wish in that regard. The whole city of Orario watched on with horrified looks. They saw the boy's beaten and bruised body. They saw his hideous scar on his face and his shredded back marked by a thousand whips and cuts. They saw the way the charm pushed him forward to attack and betray his own Goddess.
"Finn, we move now!" Riveria ordered as she began to walk out of the room.
"We can't," The Prum murmured back.
"What do you mean we can't!"
"Finn's right," Loki interjected before things got out of hand. "As much as I hate it, trust me I do. This still falls under the rules of the War Game, he's part of a Familia taking part in it."
"But he's charmed! That's why this whole thing started, because we rebelled against her charm."
Loki grimaced at this, scowling as her eyes opened up slightly. "That bitch knows she can get away with this because the guild need her. They'll make up some excuse that even if it is cheating, it can only be punished after the War Game has ended."
The rest of the executives were tense, concealing their anger and frustration as best as they could. Loki had told them they were incapable of helping right now and that their fight would be after the War Game. The only thing they could do was continue to watch and pray.
"NATHAN WAKE UP!"
Hestia's begging had become desperate as her child continued to walk towards her. He readied his sword, getting close enough to slice off her flower. His lifeless jade eyes held no memory of her, she could tell. Everything that made him her child had gone. All that was left was a mindless slave to Freya.
"P-please."
Hestia had broken down in tears, the sight being too much for the Goddess of the hearth. The deities around her could only watch on, sympathy for Hestia and Malice towards Freya for this ungodly act of tyranny and abuse of power.
"I won't let you!"
"Wow, the God Miach has stepped in front of Goddess Hestia and protected her. God Miach has been eliminated."
"Hestia run!" Hestia heard Demeter shout from her side. Hephaestus grabbed her wrist and pulled her away, dragging her across the cobble. Hestia turned around as more and more deities stood in front of Nathan. They had all figured out what was happening and none of them liked it.
"It seems all the Gods are sacrificing themselves for Goddess Hestia. I can only imagine it will be a matter of time before the half-elf gets through them all though."
Ibri Archer had been forced to take a minute off of commentating as he too was furious with what was happening but he was a professional.
"I'm sorry Ibri, but I have to ask you to continue," Ganesha had said, his knuckles turning white in his grip. "I promise things will be sorted out afterwards."
A lot of the divine mirrors had changed from watching the battlefield. Some were still watching the fight between Ottar vs Bell and Mia but now, the main attraction was the chase.
Hestia and Hephaestus were racing around corners. Behind them, their allies were dropping like flies.
"God Njord has been eliminated! Another deity falls!"
"We need to figure out how to release Nathan from Freya's charm or else this will be over soon!" The smithing Goddess shouted, her breathing slowly turning into panting.
"God Ogma has been eliminated! The half-elf has gotten rid of 75% of the allied forces and he doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon!"
Hestia scrunched her eyes as her sandals slammed against the ground, the petite Goddess forcing her small body to run as fast as possible.
"Goddess Demeter has been eliminated! That's a big blow with 30 adventurers from her Familia having to drop out now! However, that seems to be all the deities around him but it seems he will continue to hunt for more!"
"Hestia keep running!"
"Hephaestus!" Hestia shouted as her friend stopped running, turning around.
"RUN, NOW!" The Goddess shouted. Even if it meant a fraction of a second extra for Hestia to escape, she would sacrifice herself in the hope of Hestia bringing Nathan back.
Hestia wanted to shout to her friend but instead whispered a small thank you and ran off, her frustration and anger pushing her forward.
"NATHAN, YOU HAVE TO BREAK FREE!" Hestia heard Hephaestus shout from behind her.
"IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL LOSE BOTH BELL AND HESTIA!"
Hephaestus just stared into the dark corridor that they had run down, the flickering of sunlight piercing through the small cracks in the rundown walls. The deity got no answer as she held her breath, waiting for the inevitable. It didn't take long before a pair of purple eyes walked out of the shadows.
"Goddess Hephaestus has been eliminated and that means Cyclops and the battle smiths are gone!"
The announcement from Ibri Archer rang across the battlefield. Tsubaki was already on the backfoot, having almost been defeated by Hogni. Even with her level boost, the dark elf was too much. However, even if she was close to being eliminated, the announcement of her Goddess being beaten hurt her deeply.
"What is that bastard doing," she murmured to herself as she slumped to the ground. Hogni looked at her for a second before turning around.
"Hedin... what is going on?" the dark elf asked nervously. However, Hogni was met with a strange sight.
"H-Hedin, w-what are you doing?"
"Our lady seems to have forced that nuisance into pushing my plans forward. I wasn't expecting for it to go this fast," the light elf finished with a sigh as he bared his sword at Hogni.
"Hogni... what do you think is best for our lady?"
Hestia continued to run, her sandals scrapping against the stone. She frantically glanced back, expecting to see Nathan appear any moment. She hated that she was feeling fear because of her child. When she won this War Game, she would punish Freya for what she has done.
"Augh!"
Hestia stumbled forward, not seeing an uprooted branch sticking out of the cobble. Her body slammed into the ground as she landed harshly on her knees. She immediately went nauseous from the pain. Hestia turned over and inspected her knees, there was already spots of blood dripping onto the floor.
She went to stand; she had no choice as she had to continue to run but her knees buckled. She had been running as fast as she could and her mortal body was exhausted. She never got exhausted in heaven. She cursed her weakness.
For some reason, she glanced into the corridor she just run down. She didn't know why but her eyes were staring at the long passage. It must have been her instinct as from it she saw a body walk towards.
On either side were identical swords being held by wounded, broken hands. As Nathan continued to step into the light, the more scars appeared. With the new light, she saw his horrid state, his ribs sticking out from under his skin as he was no more than scarred skin and broken bones. The sight would imbed itself in all who saw it.
"Nathan..." The Goddess murmured, hoping to reach her child. His eyes remained unmoving until a purple haze flashed over once more, forcing him to move. Hestia was certain if Nathan wasn't under the influence of Freya's charm, he would collapse right now. Even she could tell his body was begging for a rest but Freya's charm burned in his mind, like a master whipping her slave into submission and obedience. It was beyond cruel.
"Nathan please," Hestia was begging once more. If there was any chance to reach Nathan, her child, it was now. The Goddess intentionally moved her knees, forcing a wince out of her, hoping the sight of her in pain made a difference.
She didn't know if she was tricking herself and reaching for straws to keep her hope alight but was there a faint break in the flow of the charm. However, her divine-self felt a wave of arcanum as she felt Freya's charm reinforce itself on the half-elf subconscious.
"Nathan, you are stronger than this, you can beat it, I know you can."
The boy continued to walk forward.
"This isn't you. You want to help Bell beat Freya."
"We've missed you," A falter in the boy's steps. "We all missed you so much. We've been worried sick about you... please don't do this."
The whole city held their breath once more, even Ibri Archer and Ganesha watched on in suspense. They all saw Hestia was beginning to crack through Freya's charm, they were all praying it would work.
"Come on," Riveria murmured as she too prayed for the boy to be free. Even the other Loki Familia members, who had wanted to see the boy behind bars, were rooting for him to beat the charm.
"I want you to come back to me, to our Familia."
That seemed to be the final straw as the purple haze flickered off. Even though it was just for a second, a light in the boy's eyes re-emerged.
"Aarrrghhh!" Nathan screamed as he dropped one of his swords, his hand racing to his head. The boy began thrashing around, shouting and screaming in pain. It was as if his whole head was on fire.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The boy screamed as he dropped to his knees. The whole of Orario was now cheering, urging the boy to break free. They sympathised with his pain, praying that he could do what they couldn't, beat the Goddess' charm.
"I DON'T WANT THIS, NO LADY FREYA ORDERED... NOOOOOOO!"
The boy continued his struggle. Hestia just sat back as she watched the half-elf wrestle in his own mind. For a second, the boy looked up and their eyes met. Clear Jade met Azure blue and Hestia saw her child.
"Lady... H-Hestia?" The boy murmured before he brought both hands to his head.
"Come on Nathan! You can do this!" She cried out. Nathan went back to grunting in pain as he continued to roll around, thrashing about.
Hestia began to stand again but this time it was to get to her child. She forced herself through the pain, knowing that it was nothing compared to what Nathan was going through.
She watched as he slammed his head into the ground, blood spurting from his forehead. He tore bits of his bleached-hair out as the look of agony on his face continued to grow. His screams of pain had made his voice hoarse and rough.
After 5 minutes of the half-elf fighting against the charm, Nathan had begun to calm down, his frantic breathing had started to slow and become more rhythmic. The whole of Orario was ready to erupt in cheer as it seemed the half-elf was about to beat the charm.
"Nathan..." Hestia whispered, earning the boy's attention. Hestia had never felt so much relief when she saw the boy's jade eyes, barely a sliver of purple in them now. Nathan had beaten the charm.
Riveria brought her hand up to her mouth, covering a cry of joy as tears were ready to break free as she watched the boy who was part of her family have life circle back into the eyes that they shared. Even Finn couldn't help but smile.
Nathan looked around; his foggy mind was beginning to clear. He couldn't remember anything that had happened since Freya had captured him up until now.
He felt bile swell up in his throat and he was forced to throw his head forward and vomit everywhere. Nathan felt a comforting hand on his back. He recognised the touch from his caring Goddess; he couldn't help but smile slightly. As he remembered the past hour, he winced at what he was forced to do. He didn't even know why he had done it.
'I guess I've got a lot to make up for,' the half-elf thought to himself. He turned his head to look at Hestia. Due to her height, his eyes made contact with the top half of her breasts.
Then the world went silent as a flower slowly blowing in the wind entered his vision.
"destroy the flower,"
In an instant, a wave of purple flashed over the boy's eyes. Time had slowed to a crawl as everyone watching saw the half-elf reach for his sword by his side. In that time, Hestia eyes went wide as she threw up her hands, instinctively protecting her flower just as Nathan swung his sword.
The whole of Orario went silent. The celebration of only a moment ago had been broken by complete silence as they all watched on horrified. They all stared at the simple action that had taken place.
None knew what to think as they saw the flower on Goddess Hestia's dress was still intact. Instead, blood dripped to the ground, both from the sword held by the half-elf and the place on Goddess Hestia's hand where her index and little finger should've been.
A Goddess had been injured right in front of their eyes by one of their children being forced to do so. Everyone watching, from Loki and her children to Ibri and Ganesha, no one knew what to say. A deity had been injured on the mortal world by a mortal.
"AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Hestia cried out in agony as blood spurted from her hand, her other hand cradling the injured limb as her two lost fingers lay on the ground as they were quickly covered in the dripping divine blood.
Outrage was ready to explode in Orario, most ready to cry out that things had gone too far. That was until a cold feeling swept through the city. Babies cried out scared as people felt the icy bite of dread run down their spines. Bile and spit welled up in their throats as they found it hard to breath from the sheer intensity resonating from the Divine Mirror.
The picture slowly showed switched from the struggling Goddess clutching her dismembered hand to the face of the half-elf that held the sword dripping with her blood.
"-oh fuck." Finn Deimne was the only person who even dared whisper in the whole city, his face losing all its blood as everyone in the room, including Loki, went a deathly pale. They all watched the purple dissipate from the boy's eyes and was replaced by something completely different.
As Nathan saw what he had done slowly sink into his mind, he felt a wave of burning flood his body. He had never felt his blood boil to such a degree, not even when he returned to Knossos or killed Phryne Jamil and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
As the Jade eyes looked at the dismembered fingers laying on the ground, they were quickly enveloped in black tendrils, his eyes becoming the Abyss. Then he started to remember.
The capture.
The torture.
The pain.
The Charm.
His free-will taken from him.
Nathan's knuckles went white as his face began to twitch and the pressure from his aura only increased. The deities around him, including Hestia had been knocked unconscious and it was starting to hit the battlefield.
He had been forced to attack his friends and stop his Familia from winning. But everything paled in comparison.
The blood spurting from the unconscious Goddess' hand finally tipped Nathan over the edge and he only had one person in mind.
"FFFFFFRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Because of uni work, I've been on this chapter for 2 months, glad it's finally done and I'm satisfied. It is a big one but it had to be, it had everything. Everyone's view on the War Game, A lot of Riveria action, I especially enjoyed seeing her blow up Folkvangr. And then Nathan havign to go through even more horrible things. I'm sure him being forced to attack Hestia and hurt her won't lead to any major consequences *looks at next chapter* nope none what so ever.
I hope that this chapter was a good start to the War Game as I want to do this, even the anime has caught up and overtaken me and my pride took some hits after that.
Reviews:
jank7457- No, no breaks for our half-elf, not for a bit more. As for heads rolling... you won't be dissapointed.
NinjaFang1331 - He almost freed himself here but life wouldn't allow it.
Tecno Emperador - This whole arc is an excuse for Nathan's new magic, and it won't be pretty.
Rena - I completely understand, I want to explore Riveria too, like I did here but it just never seemed to fit until now. The Evilus arc is done and the freya will be over soon, then it will be an entire arc dedicted to Riveria and Nathan and his elven heritage.
Guest - That is the best idea I have heard for this and I'm almsot tempted to use it but I don't want to steal your idea and I like mine. Hela is a character that I'm almost scared to use as I want to keep her feared not just from the characters but for the audience as well. Will she make an appearance here though, who knows.
Guest (2) - Hestia is very very mad.
Thanks for reading, this story is always in my mind, never forgotten. I'll see ya next time, Peace!