Apologies for the long delay. I lost motivation halfway into writing the chapter and took a break, but I finished it up at last. I am still thinking on whether or not Hunter should get involved with Bell, but I plan on his story being his own thing, so if he does, heavy changes to the known plots will come. I will announce my decision in the future.

And now, enjoy!

It had been a few days, 5 to be precise, since the encounter between Hunter and Ouranos, and since then, there had been a growing impatience within the human male. He had been wanting to get a move on, strike against Evilus in some manner, get a foot further down his path, but no, all he could do for the moment was wait. And it was frustrating him to no ends.

"AAAARGH!" He roared as he reached for a Kobold with his right hand and threw it over his form, slamming the dungeon monster onto the ground with so much force that its body completely splattered and left behind a gory, ugly mess of blood, flesh and bones, which disappeared a few seconds later into dust, leaving only the crystal behind.

He had decided to vent his frustrations out on the place that offers infinite capacity to kill at no repercussions and with no consideration for any public ethics and morale: The Dungeon. A place where monsters just infinitely respawn, with variations on the rate. And as it would seem to turn out, the Dungeon could sense the traces of divinity Hunter's powers originate from, and it was positively FUMING. But, the speedster wouldn't have it any other way, as he really hadn't wanted anything other than the undivided attention of the thing that hates deities the most.

To summarize: Hunter had been in the Dungeon for approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes, and in that time, he has slaughtered a grand total of 597 Kobolds, 1031 Goblins, 884 Killer Ants, 402 War Shadows, 109 Frog Shooters, 727 Dungeon Lizards, 1319 Needle Rabbits, 229 Purple Moths, 438 Blue Papilios, 960 Orcs, 982 Imps, 626 Hard Admoreds, 599 Bad Bats and lastly 27 Infant Dragons.

There had been no irregular spawns, weirdly enough, but the Dungeon was still throwing numbers at the man like nothing else mattered. And it was not long before Hunter found out that with massive numbers come massive number of crystals, and as per protocol for the dungeon, which he really didn't want to care about but has to, he couldn't just leave them laying around. So what was the one reasonable thing he did without leaving the dungeon? He simply gathered the crystals in neat heaps at the floor entrances for other adventurers to find. Hunter was not here for the money, Ouranos has come true on paying the rest of Arachnia's bounty and he could live well off on that earning alone for years at his current costs, even with his massively increased intake of food. And yes, that value varies depending on how often he visits the Hostess of Fertility.

"Have you had enough yet?" Came a sudden voice, catching Hunter off-guard. He turned to see the source of it and saw none other than Ottarl there, ever the indifferent, stoic expression on his face, arms crossed as he had patiently waited for a reaction.

This action not only caught Hunter's attention, however, it also stopped the momentum he had been preserving for hours, and with it, all the powering through the fatigue and dire need to resupply nourishments. So as soon as Hunter stopped and turned to the King did his fatigue and hunger strike at full force, prompting the speedster to feel his consciousness become weak in a matter of seconds, falling to his knees as he held his head. "Yeah..." he managed to speak. "I had enough... bring me to her..." were the last words he managed to voice before darkness took him and he passed out.

When next Hunter awoke, he felt the mother of all stomachaches, which is why it wasn't a slow, pleasant eye-opening return of his consciousness, but a sudden sting in his gut followed by some pain, a result of an extreme sudden-onset malnourishment from which only he could suffer due to the conditions of his abilities. He knew right away, the first thing he needed was a buffet. Not a meal, a whole buffet.

"Awake at last. I was wondering how long it would take" came a voice, a very sensual one at that.

Hunter knew this voice and turned his head to see none other than Freya, who was seated on the side of a very large bed. A bed, Hunter realized, he was laid ontop of. His immediate instinct was to throw the covers aside and climb off of it, scoffing audibly. "How long was I out?"

The Goddess of Love merely chuckled lightly at the sight of him getting up a bit too eagerly for the context in which he passed out, but shrugged at his response. "The sun has yet to set, so it has only been a few hours" she told him before getting up as well and took a few steps around the bed, moving closer towards the side Hunter was located at. "Ottarl tells me you wished to be brought to me. I assume you have a request?"

A small grunt of approval escaped the man's lips as he lightly rolls his shoulders before turning his attention towards Freya. "First, food. If I don't get a bite in soon I will pass out again, and I don't think I will wake up from that one. Please tell me you set something aside."

Hearing this request, the Goddess merely smirked. "There should be some leftovers from my Lunch, and while you devour those, I can see to it that more is readied" was what she gave him in response before she stepped closer again, the gap between them now only a few feet at most. "And I expect to hear what you have planned next. After all, we have agreed to a partnership, so if you want to take, you must give too."

The speedster just sighed out as he had an inkling where this might go, so he just stood upright and waved with his hand for the deusdea to lead the way, which she did with a simple nod.

And as such, the two turned towards the door leading out of the room, and only once they were past it did Hunter suddenly realize that this doesn't look like her penthouse suite. "Hold on, where are we?"

"Folkvangr, the primary home of my familia and where my children typically reside within" Freya shot back while taking a turn to the left after they reached the end of the hallway, which after a few steps lead the path downstairs across a wide, high-class designed stairs which would connect their current path with the primary hall at the entrance of the massive mansion. "I thought it best to bring you here rather than Babel, as the kitchen there is much smaller and only fits a handful people at the same time. With your kind of appetite, I took a guess that you will require larger portions readied at a fast rate, and I had an inkling that you may be benefitial to some of my children."

After a while of walking, they arrived at a large dining hall with a very extravagant table that was built to be very long one way but have the width of an average table. Hunter immediately leapt at the first free seat available and placed his head to rest against the table, sighing out loudly. A short moment later, one of the familia's hired servants arrived with a large silver tray and a dome-shaped cover, placing it in front of the famished male before removing said dome to unveil what was underneath.

A rather simple dish, a stuffed chicken with rice and a decorative slice of lemon, but it was a pretty large chicken and the light steam and scent indicated it was rather fresh, an hour after being done at most. Hunter abandoned all manner of... well, manners, gripping the chicken and biting into it without a care in the world. And despite his superspeed, he had to keep himself from accelerating during eating as, for some reason he cannot explain currently, his stomach will still get upset if he fills it too much too fast, so he had to dine at the same pace as everyone else.

Freya was amused by the sight and hummed lightly, analyzing the brute-ish spectacle before her. "My my, you really were dying for a bite"

Hunter gulped down the massive chunk he bit off and nodded swiftly, making sure his mouth was free to speak. "Freya, you have no idea how literal that is" he responded before he resumed performing the magic trick of making the entire damn chicken disappear, with all the rice and even the lemon slice. Just as he was done, the servant from before brought another silver tray, and this time, it was a good old-fashioned macaroni and cheese dish. "God damn, you are spoiling me. Consider this as me owing you one!" Hunter declared as he bit into the second meal with enough delight that he damn near purred after the first bite.

"Fufufu, I may collect on that much sooner than you think... But finish up first, I wouldn't want you to fall unconscious mid-conversation"

As all this was happening, at the far end of the dining hall were two individuals watching.

The first was a tall, slim elf of very fair complexion with sharp eyes, donning a black shirt with long sleeves underneath a small white cloak that only hid shoulders and chest area as well as only the back. An executive known as Hedin Selland.

The second was a cat person with black hair, a lean but fairly fit built, sporting a black outfit of pants and a tanktop with a wider cut at the sleeves, with an added shoulder-pauldron on his left side held in place by a beltstrap which also held a spear in place on his back. That was Allen Fromel, the one who, publicly at least, held the title of The Fastest.

Allen gave a 'tsk' at the sight and crossed his arms. "Why does our Lady entertain such a worthless hooligan?"

Hedin, who was probably the most collected amongst Freya's followers that wasn't Ottarl, just continued observing, barely even minding the irritation of his fellow executive.

"He looks weak and basic, what do you think he has that earned this attention?" Allen pressed, wanting a reaction out of Hedin, and only grit his teeth in annoyance when he got none. "I don't see it. That weak little nobody was one thing, but this guy I do not get at all..."

THIS would cause Hedin to react, fixing his glasses before he spoke. "Do not question the Lady's judgement. Whatever reason she has, it will be sound. Ours is but to do as told and avoid scrutiny. You would do well to not forget that."

Allen however didn't care, on the contrary, Hedin's words only fueled his obsessive complex about wanting Freya's attention, a reaction to be expected from almost any of her members. He approached the table while Hedin only shook his head lightly in disapproval. "Milady, I must ask what this nobody is doing here?" He then turned his eyes towards Hunter, who was blissfully ignoring the cat man. "And you! How dare you display such lacking manners?! You dine with the finesse of a pig!"

Freya had a tolerance for Allen's attitudes, because she understands well that he only means to act in her best interest, so she has time and again wordlessly forgiven his lack of tact. However, she was about to say something when she suddenly saw Hunter only wave his right hand at her in a 'don't' gesture, finishing up his meal before patting his belly. "Ah, much better!" He responded with before he suddenly changed his expression completely, adorning a sharp, serious glare as he stared Allen down. "You want to lecture me about respect, do it after I am done eating next time. And who are YOU?" He then turns to Freya and softens his expression. "Seriously, who is that?"

Finding a comedic relief in his behaviour, Freya only chuckled out for a few seconds before she responded. "That is Allen Fromel. He is one of my strongest children and officially bears the title of 'Fastest'. Of course, he is nowhere near YOUR speed, but you would have to make a show of it to prove yourself his superior."

Hunter only shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, he can keep the title, I am not really a ceremonial person so I don't care one lick about it. But Fromel... why's that sound so familiar?"

"Probably because you met his sister..." she answered, causing Allen to scowl sourly at the mention of her. "Anya Fromel, she is one of the waitresses at the Pub you had dinner with Nine Hells at."

Hunter simply plapped his right fist into his red palm in a comical 'I understand' gesture. "Ah, yes, I remember. The really shy one that acts like she's an orange cat with only two functional braincells fighting for 3rd place!"

The analogy humored the Goddess of Love greatly, causing her to erupt into a laughter that lasted a good 10 seconds, after which she had to cover her mouth and clear her throat. "I haven't had a laugh like this in many millenia. I thank you for giving me such a funny description of her. Although I would ask you to refrain from describing my members with such insulting remarks, even retired ones like Anya."

Allen only further grit his teeth, showing growing irritation as he was being so casually ignored by this... random nobody who was acting so chummy with his beloved goddess.

"But why is she retired? I never heard of anything like that."

"Who care-" Allen tried saying but was cut off by Freya who lifted her hand to shut him up with a gesture.

"A family matter, I will say. She chose to retire from adventuring after she had a falling off with Allen."

Hunter was suddenly interested in the topic, evident by him leaning forward in his seat and giving Freya a more serious expression. "Elaborate."

"Well, there was an incident a few years ago during which Allen had to intervene to protect Anya. However, the incident also almost exposed me directly to harm, which lead to them having an argument. That argument caused a rift between them that has persisted to this day."

Hunter's eyes slowly turned from Freya towards Allen and he gave the cat man a very thorough look over, studying his body language, his expression, anything that would indicate how the cat man was feeling and thinking. And the speedster was NOT liking what he was observing so far. "Let's hear it from your own mouth, then."

Allen, already thoroughly annoyed by Hunter, just scoffed loudly. "What business is it to you, anyway?"

"Answer him, Allen. He is an ally of ours for the moment, one who I insist on having on mutual grounds with the Familia."

"Tch, fine!" Allen relented, though making his complete lack of approval more than apparent. "She was weak, useless and did nothing but cry and cling to me. She nearly caused our Lady to be sent back to heaven by accident with her uselessness and weakness, so I told her to get lost and she did!"

Hunter narrowed his eyes as he heard such, turning his eyes towards Freya again. "Is what he says true?"

Freya nodded in affirmation. "I would not word it as he did, but yes. I gave her the choice and she made it. Allen may have described the way they fell out as entirely her fault, but I never held either one responsible. And though I am saddened it came to this, I know well that it is not for me to intervene, for there is nothing I could have done to help them."

Hunter slowly got up from his seat and tilted his head to one side, cracking his neck slightly. "I only fleetingly had a family of my own, no siblings however, just parents, taken from me before I could make proper memories with them. Family is sacred, Freya. You can't expect them to understand if you aren't ready to scold them for it."

Freya tensed as she heard that, her expression losing all prior amusement and nonchalance it had. It was in that moment she understood: She made a mistake. She should have not given him details about Allen, and had she known that he held the subject of familial bonds in such light, she wouldn't have. This openness upon which she wanted to build this 'alliance', if one can call it such, backfired on her and she knew.

With a sudden burst of speed, Hunter grabbed Allen by the throat and slammed him against the nearest wall. "I didn't lie when I said I don't care about being 'The Fastest' by public knowledge, however what I do care about is that it's being owned by a brat like you." Before Allen could counter, he found himself tossed across the room, then had a few punches connect with his gut, sending him to the other side of the room, once more grabbed by the throat and slammed into another wall. "Freya, I will take this matter into hands because it is a personal matter I want to be nosy about. I won't kill Allen, but by the time I am done he will be sorry for being such a little shit."

And just like that, Hunter and Allen were suddenly gone, nowhere to be seen within Folkvangr.

And Freya could only repeat the singular thought coursing through her mind: She made a mistake.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Allen roared as he found himself tossed with such speed that he could not even turn his head slightly to see where he was going. Before he even managed to fully register it, he was grabbed by the back of his neck and dragged off elsewhere again, the sheer velocity making even him dizzy.

"h-how!? How is this possible?" he questioned in his own mind, helpless and defenseless against the unforgiving onslaught of attacks and dispositions the speedster made. "I am the fastest! So how is this guy moving to the point I can't see or sense him!?"

Hunter showed no mercy, comboing punches into Allen's body all over. Alone, they did not hurt much, but those punches were delivered by the hundreds per second, which eventually caused all the impact force to accumulate and deal damage to the high level 6, creating deep bruises everywhere. This went on for several minutes, until Allen had not one spot of skin without the purple tint of bruising... literally. Only then did Hunter drop the cat man, whicj caused them to also stop moving and arrive at a location both knew well.

The Hostess of Fertility.

Dragging Allen by his hair, Hunter entered the establishment, which immediately garnered the full attention of everyone there, Anya moreso than the rest. She had never seen her beloved brother so beaten up before. So... vulnerable, defenseless. She was ready to jump into action but was stopped by a large hand on her shoulder, a hand belonging to Mia herself.

"Mia" Hunter started and tossed Allen forward so the 'Fastest Adventurer' landed a few meters away from the counter. "He is conscious, just lots of cracked bones and minor blood vessel ruptures, nowhere near death. Here's whats gonna happen" he said and walked past Allen towards Anya. "You will take care of him. Until the two of you have made up, Allen is forbidden from leaving this property. I will cover all the costs and even include a 50% bonus for the bother."

Once done speaking, Hunter turns to leave, but stops and walks back to Allen, lifting his head by the hair a bit, moving his mouth close to the cat man's ears. "If he tries sneaking out and you do not stop him, then I will send Freya back to heaven with my own two hands and theres not the first thing you can do to stop me. So you better keep your ends of the deal." With that said, he slamdunked Allen's face into the ground and then left the premise, leaving a stunned crowd.

Anya raced to her brother, turning him on his back to check on him. True to Hunters word, the cat man was conscious, but his jaw was so badly dislocated he could not speak, only humm incomprehensibly.

On that day, Allen felt the worst humiliation of his life. A full, flawless defeat, then left into the care of his sister and placed under house arrest. Worst of all... his gut feeling told him that his adversary wasn't going all out. He dared not imagine what he could do at full power... For the first time in his life, Allen was afraid of something other than Freya's wrath.

Hunter blitzed back to Folkvangr, seeing Freya had not left her spot while Hedin now stood to her left side. "I need more food to compensate for my outburst just now" he spoke with a casualness that was insulting. But Freya complied, snapping her fingers, which caused servants to pour in and fill the table with many different dishes.

"What has become of Allen?" She asked, her usual playfulness almost completely gone.

Hunter had two different chickens on his mouth, gobbling them up with an uncanny bite before chewing and gulping it all down, then stopped so he could answer. "He is a little brat, so as any adult would do, I grounded him until he is sorry for his tantrum. He is at the Hostess and I will pay out of my own pocket for it. He is in no danger as long as he does as told and sits out his house arrest."

Hearing this gave Freya some peace of mind. Many would not think so, but she does truly care for her familia, even if she is rare to show so and often even avoids Folkvangr. Even when they lose that glow in their souls that had her initially interested in them, they were still her children, and she cares out of her own volition. So Allen's well being was a concern for her. Hunter's soul was almost fully clouded by wrath, blood lust and a complete lack of care for life, so Allen earning his sincere ire had worried her for she feared his death. A fear she now understands to be unfounded. Despite all his anger and his desire to kill, Hunter was capable of maturity and logic. Yes, she could work with this.

"Before you ask, his house arrest is indefinite, fixed on the condition he reconciles with Anya in earnest. So I expect you at the Hostess every day as Syr to make sure he is not weaseling his way out."

Freya froze. "He knows!?"

Hunter grabbed a large pot with beef stew and dug the bowl into said pot to fill it up, then ate the stew by slurping from the bowl straight up, emptying it before he commented. "Wasn't that hard to figure it out. Honestly baffles me that no one else discovered it yet. Are the people of orario that incapable? Anyway, you do that and I will owe you two favors. Now, before the interruption, you said you want to collect on one. Spill, whatcha need me to do?"

Freya decided to focus on that, sighing audibly before regaining her usual demeanor. "I may have a lead, and as it happens it concerns a little eyesore that is hellbent on trying to annoy me"

Hunter stopped all he was doing and redirected his full attention to Freya.

"I snuck into the pleasure district 2 days ago and charmed a few Berbera for answers, and came to quite the discovery..." she started before leaning forward on the table. "She is indeed involved with the trafficking of people in and out of Orario. And one such person is of particular value. A renard with a special ability that boosts the status of other adventurers to the point of a level increase. She plans to sacrifice her in a Killing Stone ritual next full moon so all her members have that power available. Then, she wants to launch an attack on me. She would still lose, but if her entire Familia were to have a level boost, I could lose quite a few of my children to her. Not to mention that Orario will be engulfed into a civil war. It would be a nuisance to deal with the bureaucracy of it all, so I want you to steal the Renard from her. In the process, you can also make your own investigations and even have your revenge on Ishtar, assuming you don't interrogate her first."

Hunter had an eagle's focus on Freya, every word listened to with the utmost care and attention. Finally, a step forward to his vengeance, and true to her word Freya had aided him. This partnership was a good decision he was glad to have made. So he nodded and got up. "Thank you, Freya. You have done much for me, so I will give your favor full priority. But... I feel revenge won't be as satisfying if I just up and do it now. No... I want Ishtar to be so, so close to her goal, only to trip her at the last moment to maximize frustration. I want her to break completely, so I will wait a bit. Specifically, I will wait until the night of the full moon. That okay with you?"

The Goddess of Love nodded her head. "As long as you succeed, you are free to approach it with your own method. Just don't be complacent."

"I would rather relive the death of my parents than allow the possibility of failure" He shot back before disappearing in a burst of superspeed, leaving Freya and Hedin by themselves.

"I see now..." Hedin started. "I warned Allen that your reason is sound. That human is on a league of his own. Allying ourselves with him was a wise choice indeed."

Freya just smirked lightly before getting up. "Well perceived, Hedin. Now, shall we?"

"Yes, milady" the light elf responded with a bow and followed her.