"Now!" Loki cheered, clapping her hands together as she released my throbbing cheek. "Time to give you a little sneak peak after we get you signed up. Den Mama, you gonna take this?"
"Please Loki, stop with that name. It's not a position I hold." Riveria sighed, running a hand down her face in exasperation.
"That's what you think." Loki snickered, walking over to the green haired elf with an eye catching sway of her hips. "Now snap too, Loki Familia's official brat wrangler!"
"If I mu-" The elf began to reply, before an echoing boom from far off in the distance sounded, the office windows shaking in their frames.
"Goddess-" Finn started, only to be instantly cut off.
"Go!" Loki commanded. "Both of you, stay safe out there."
"We will return." Riveria nodded resolutely, following the Pallum who was halfway out of the door, a farewell on his lips. The rapid pounding of their feet echoed up the stairs, fading with their departing forms.
I stood by awkwardly until Loki gestured me over to stand at her side, standing by a window and silently watching the courtyard below. A score of adventurers were rushing towards the towers base, strapping on weapons and armour as the Familia's executives quickly formed them into a cohesive whole.
"Fight well." Loki whispered quietly, almost solemnly and just as quickly as the response team had gathered, they departed. The goddess watched until her adopted children had vanished from sight, before turning back to me. "Sorry 'bout that! Things are a bit tense in Orario right now. Hmm, looks like we need another baby-sitter. C'mon!"
So saying, the redheaded divinity sauntered out of the room, leading me across a high bridge into one of the smaller towers. Her momentary instance of seriousness vanished as what I imagined was her usual peppiness reasserted itself. "So since the mama bear is busy spanking some kiddies, looks like we get to go bother some of the oldies!"
"Veteran adventurers?" I asked, following along in her wake and trying not to take advantage of both our relative heights and her poor struggling shorts. Despite the age of my current body, some habits had been ingrained over decades of my first life. I didn't need a raging hormone system egging me on to enjoy the sight.
Loki had always been one of my favourites. It was beyond a shame that considering she was a god, there was little chance of recruiting her into my peerage. Even if she wanted to abandon her place in the heaven of this world to experience new pastures, what about her Familia? As irreverent as she could be, I didn't doubt the love she held for her 'children'. Maybe it was just my overwhelming attraction to redheads, but Loki had been firmly on my long list of potential peerage members.
Considering that that list was over a hundred woman long, it was more of a testament to my greedy and indecisive nature than any actual focused consideration on my part.
I'd snap Loki up in a heartbeat if the opportunity came along, but wasn't willing to devote any serious effort in that direction, the payoff being just too unlikely. As one of the four potential recruits in this world, the goddess was just too entrenched. So for now, I'd just trail along in her footsteps and enjoy the view.
As long as I ended up with at least one of those four, I'd be more than content.
"You'll see." Loki winked over her shoulder, coming to a step before a thick oaken door. She rapped on it loudly, knuckles pounding the wood. "Knock, knock! Comin' in!"
With her warning given the redhead rushed inside, arms spread wide and a cheer on her lips. I ducked in after her to take in the scene of three older people sitting casually around a table. Despite their laid back stances however, I noticed weapons close by all three of the adventurers.
The first was a bearded human man with grey hair. Given the longevity effects of the Falna, I guessed his age was much greater than his early fifties appearance would suggest. The second was an outlandishly muscular dwarf with tanned skin and wearing a colourful bandana. The final person was an older amazonian with purple hair who wore her advanced age with dignity, her beauty lingering despite the obvious years she carried.
"Loki, you don't often bother us this early in the morning." The human noted, his eyes flickering to me momentarily before returning to his goddess.
"She's up to something." The Dwarf noted, moving a board-piece of some game the three of them appeared to have been playing on the table between them.
"Loki, why do you have a child behind you?" The tanned woman sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, funny you should mention that." Loki started, a smile in her voice as she raised a finger in the air. "We were-"
"Little Ais wasn't enough for her, clearly." The man said reproachfully, pulling a sheathed katana between his knees and resting his chin on the pommel.
"Robbing the cradle." The dwarf acknowledged, running thick fingers though his wild beard.
"Absolutely unforgivable. Has the vaunted Loki Familia transition into a daycare?" The woman lamented, slapping a palm down onto her armrest.
"Real funny you lot. This is Sirvolt and yah right, he's the newest recruit of the Familia." Loki sighed, her previous enthusiasm draining away in face of the harsh greetings. She turned to me, pouting and waved an arm at the three veterans in turn. "This lot are Noir, Dain and Bara... and all of them absolutely suck."
"Such harsh words from our loving goddess." The human, Noir, deflated in defeat.
"After all these years..." Dain the dwarf grumbled.
"Our reward for dedicating our lives to her service. What fools we were." Bara sniffed, a hand coming up to cover her face.
"Okay, okay, enough with the bit." Loki groused, clapping her hands together and looking disgruntled. "The kid might actually think you're being serious. Let's not freak him out before he even gets registered with the guild, yeah?"
"You have need of us?" Noir frowned, looking out of a nearby window.
"The recruits are all out of the Manor." Dain noted, a hand coming to rest on the massive axe propped against his chair, his thick and tanned fingers curling around the metal shaft.
"We're needed here." Bara finishes. "To protect our home in their absence."
"Those 'recruits' are all Level 5's." Loki rolled her eyes and gave a shake of her head. "If we're attacked while the executives are out, it'll be by Level 5's as well."
A moment of silence fell, the unspoken implications ringing in the air. That if attacked by such a force, the three veteran adventurers wouldn't be able to win such a fight.
"We will gives our lives for the Familia." Noir replied simply, a shine in his eyes.
"It's our purpose-" Dain began but cut himself off as Loki launched forward. The red haired goddess kicked the seated human right in the chest. She fell backwards and I rushed up behind her falling form to prevent the goddess from crashing onto her magnificent ass, grunting from the sudden weight. Without the enhancement from the Falna, I doubted I could have caught her.
"Idiots!" Loki shouted, scrambling back to her feet. "Neither your Goddess nor your Familia want your deaths. We want your lifes!"
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, feeling like my presence was in intrusion in this obviously private and intimate matter. A strangled silence hung in the air for a moment before Noir sighed and looked away.
"That's what I thought, so get those stupid ideas out of your stupid heads." Loki commanded, crossing her slim arms as she gazed down at the three veteran adventurers, who refuse to meet her gaze. "Now, as I was going to say before my three beloved children started saying ridiculous things, Sirvolt here needs to be taken down to the Guild and registered, then run through the first floor to get his feet wet before he begins his training."
The three Loki Familia veterans exchanged glances for a moment, each glance holding an entire volume of meaning. Simultaneously the three of them extended an arm, hands clenched. They closed their eyes and in unison shook their fists three times...
"You loose Dain." The amazon grinned in victory as their eyes snap open, snipping her scissored fingers as the Dwarf looks at his outstretched hand in pure betrayal. Noir simply tilts his fingers into a victory symbol, flashing it towards his muscular friend.
"Looks like I'm going to be your guide." Dain huffs, rising to his feet and returning the gentle needling with a finger gesture of his own. The mammoth axe with two oversized blades was slung easily over the muscular humanoids shoulder.
"I'm looking forward to it!" I assure the older dwarf, nodding up at him happily. I didn't remember any of these people from the mainline danmachi story but reading between the lines they sounded like they'd been adventurers for a very long time. Maybe they'd even been some of the first children to sign up under Loki. While I'd rather put my saftey in the hands of characters I'd read about and could guarantee their character as good guardians, Dain still seemed like a solid choice.
"Alright!" Loki cheered, looking over us happily, her earlier ire vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Take good care of him Dain. And Sirvolt... listen to what he tells ya, yeah? This child of mine has forged a dozen heroes!"
With a quick round of goodbyes I scurried after the departing dwarf and his ground eating pace, my little legs pumping to keep up. It would've been much easier to fly after the tanned adventurer but I didn't want to spill the beans to entirety of Orario just quite yet.
"As wild as she can sometimes be, on matters of recruitment Loki is unusually diligent in ensuring the quality of her recruits." Dain grunted as we left the manor grounds and began to walk the much more deserted streets. Compared to the small crowd that had been out and about during my arrival, now only the occasional wary figure could be seen, the population of Orario no doubt hunkering down to avoid trouble. "What got you in?"
"I can use magic." I responded promptly but quietly. "And a few other things as well."
"Magic?" The dwarf frowns down at me, not breaking his pace. "Maybe Loki should have mentioned that before we left, Bara would have probably..."
"I want to learn to fight too!" I quickly assured the man. "Up close, with magic and weapons. Like, an all rounder?"
"Hmm... you're a little young for it, but I thought the same about little Ais as well." Dain snorted before shaking his head. "Human do tend to perform better when they lean into both aspects."
"Well, I'm not exactly human either." I respond quietly before falling silent, not offering up more.
"Is that right?" The dwarf queries but when I don't reply continues on. "I guess what'll happen, happens."
We come to a stop before a large and posh looking building, armed and armoured men and woman rushing out with harried faces. My guide waved his tanned arm at the entrance as we passed through. "This here is the Pantheon, the headquarters of the Guild. They run most of the services Familia's tend to need, so most of us listen to what they have to say."
The large marble hall stretched out before us, dozens of manned counters stretching around the perimeter of the spacious room. We joined a short queue that blocked my view, waiting as it inched forward, the constant hum of chatter in the air.
"One to sign up to the Loki Familia." Dain rumbled when it was our turn as I stood right before the high counter, unable to peer up at the receptionist.
"Where? Oh don't you tell me..." A woman muttered, anger quickly replacing the initial confusion in her voice. A shadow fell on me as an extremely pretty redhead with animal ears leant over to peek down at me.
"Hello!" I greeted, shooting the woman a cheeky smile and a wave.
"Again? Again?! What is wrong with you people?" The Guild employee spat, shifting to glare at Dain with furious amber eyes. "That is a child!"
"Enough of that now." Dain replied, voice serious. "Loki's already made her decision. What's done is done."
"You..!" The redhead started with vigour before quickly deflating, a defeated expression stealing across her stunning features. "Of... of course sir. I'll get the paperwork for you. Please wait a moment."
"Well she didn't seem very happy." I muttered to my overseer once the woman had left, her shoes clapping down on the marble floor with significant force.
"No she didn't. Looks like she's one of the good ones." Dain responded, sounding significantly happier about that fact. The woman quickly returned and forced a smile as she began to walk me through the registration process, her expression brittle.
"Will you need anything else? Starting equipment from the guild stores? We... might... have something sized for smaller Pallum available, that's in your general... size" The woman, Rose as she'd introduced herself, ground out between gritted teeth.
"You said you wanted a balanced approach?" Dain said, looking down at me for confirmation.
"Yeah, armour sounds good. Lots and lots of armour." I nodded in acknowledgement. Leaving aside the fact that I was currently horrendously small and squishy, having as much material between myself and potential danger sounded perfect to me even when fully grown.
Dain raised an eyebrow at that statement and I couldn't help but notice the veteran adventurer wore only vambraces and an armoured belt for protection, his muscular chest on full display. We were handed off to another guild employee with a disgusted sigh from the redhead.
"Bye pretty lady." I called out as we left, earning a surprised cough from Dain, who clapped me gently on the shoulder. I couldn't resist getting just a little cheeky, knowing my young age would earn me plenty of leeway.
The guild armoury was surprisingly well stocked with generally mundane starting equipment but their Pallum offerings left plenty to be desired. The only things that seemed remotely in my size was a tiny set of full leather armour, a small chainmail shirt with attached coif, and a seemingly random assortment of miniscule plates.
"Take your pick." Dain offered with a wave of his hand, already sorting through weapons suitable for someone of my size.
"Okay. I'll take them all." I nodded decisively. To start with devils were stronger than most races and that was without my recent Falna boost. Considering the equipment was all close to my size, I doubted I would have much trouble actually carrying the weight.
"It'll be unwieldy." Dain snorted after a moment of silence, raising an eyebrow in my direction. "And if you're really serious about going that route, expensive in the future. Equipment that lasts will carry a pricetag that the Familia won't help you cover. Not like this."
"I'm sure. I'll take the lot." I nod with a grin, knowing that if everything went according to plan money would be an insignificant factor for me. Logistics would be the main hurdle. I'd just need a little dose of luck and good fortune...
Dain sighed and came over to help me, showing me the proper way to wear each layer. The leather armour was the worst of it, having lots of little pieces to strap on once I'd slipped inside. The large, relative to my body at least, chainmail piece was just thrown on over my head, several leather ties tightened to clinch it into place. The weight was noticeable but not beyond what I'd expected. Finally, Dain locked the tiny chest piece and bracers into place over the mail, taking the time to explain every step of the process.
"So, that disaster's over with." My guide sighed with obvious relief when the pile of waiting equipment had vanished. "Now, a weapon-"
"Sword and shield. Or a shield and spear. Or, or shield and something else." I replied, hopping in place and moving slowly to get used to the restricted and inhibited motions available to me, glad to discover it wasn't anything serious. I'd just need to become familiar with the sensation, something that would occur with time and training.
"What I'm hearing is, you want a shield and an axe?" Dain asked, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
"You ears don't lie." I nodded and followed up with a shrug, not particularly married to any option. This was an area I was fully prepared to be reactionary and fluid in, without long term plans in place. The final destination I had in mind for the long term growth of my peerage could easily supply a suitable weapon of any type or style.
The dwarf handed me a tiny axe with a singular blade, unlike his own twin headed weapon and directed our assistant to bill the Loki Familia for the goods, before we departed for our next destination.
Babel.
The large stone tower that soars above the city of Orario and almost completely dominated the skyline. Dain trudges along with sure strides while my heart began to hammer, pounding my ribcage with increasing force. I didn't fear becoming hurt or even dying, not with the tanned adventurer watching over me, but some deep part of my consciousness was screaming in the back of my mind.
Heading towards a fight where I fully intended to kill my enemies... the very concept was alien to my mind. Yet here I was, preparing to do exactly that. I'd been imagining this moment for so long, ever since Dimensional Breach had first appeared but the reality was far different. I didn't feel bad at the thought of killing mindless monsters, it was just...
It felt different than it had in my mind.
Another thing to get used to. The dungeon featured in my immediate plans quite a lot because having an endless horde of monsters at your beck and call was a useful resource, with just a little planning. This place would be a suitable springboard for my growth.
"This is Babel, the centre of Familia activities in Orario." Dain narrates for my sake as we entered the large building, joining the constant flow of adventurers going in and out. The muscular dwarf bulldozed us both a path forward. "Up here is where you exchange your drops with Guild employees manning the exchange booths. Upstairs you'll find banking and other services they also run. Above that are the best shops targeted to adventurers, all with an obscene price tag. Get used to being broke kid."
We made our way down a wide and long staircase into a basement of high pillars and a beautifully decorated ceiling. Within the middle of this massive room lay a large dark hole that seemed to suck in all light. Something faintly tickled the back of my mind, like icy fingers creeping along my skull, causing me to jolt my head in surprise. The sensation quickly vanished or maybe I'd just been imagining it to begin with, my trepidation getting out of control. The mind could play powerful tricks at times.
"This is the entrance to the dungeon. It descends down to floor after floor, each larger than the floor before. The monsters grow increasingly powerful the further down you go-" Dain started to explain as we began to walk down the circling stairway lining the edge of the pit. I listened with half an ear in case the dwarf mentioned something I didn't already know.
We split off a long central hallway once we'd reached the dungeon proper, delving deeper in search of more unoccupied territory, passing by numerous occupied tunnels as we did so. It took a good fifteen minutes of following in Dain's wake to reach an area free of roaming adventurers.
"There we go." The dwarf rumbled in approval as the first monster came into view. It was a short and stumpy creature with a deep green skin-tone, with a wicked hooked nose and sharp claws. It hissed at the sight of us and began to rush forward, a snarl on its lips. "Go ahead lad. Show me what you can do."
My legs felt wooden as I took a step forward, towards the charging beast. Despite it's small stature, it may actually be larger than my diminutive height. Instincts and good sense blared out alarms in the back of my mind, telling me I should be running. Nothing good could ever come from confronting such an out of control, rabid creature.
I pushed them aside and raised a shaky hand, white knuckles straining around the axe shaft. Two fingers extended from the weapon, pointing right at the charging monster. With but a thought the magic circle leapt to life, the familiar lightning spell forming just beyond the outstretched digits.
The air crackled as the spell unleashed, accompanied by a bright flash. Strangely the demonic energy fought me, snarling against itself and wasting most of its power. The small goblin stumbled and shrieked before falling to the floor with a whimper as the smell of burning flesh stung my nose. The monster twitched on the floor, limbs spastically contracting and releasing.
"What the-" I said, frowning down at my hand in confusion. Why had the spell... oh I'm a moron. Every time I'd used magic before it had been by channelling my power straight down my arm and extruding it via the palm. I'd never even tried projecting a spell out of my fingertips before, a skill I'd need to master if I wanted to truly become an all combatant.
Being a fragile backline mage without the skills to defend myself from any attacker that managed to close the distance was not a future I wanted to experience. Becoming comfortable with combat at any range was of extreme importance to my long term plans.
"No chant? No wonder she let you in." Dain noted, stroking a hand through his bushy beard, stepping past me to approach the incapacitated monster. "Right, come here lad and finish the job."
"R-right." I responded and walked up to the beast with stumbling legs. It looked so pitiful just lying there, helpless...
With a gulp I raised my axe high and swung it down with all the strength my small body could muster. With a meaty thunk the axehead slammed deep into the goblin's torso, the shaft reverberating in my palm enough to almost dislodge my tight grip.
"Good job Sirvolt." Dain praised, gently patting my shoulder with his meaty paw. The veteran adventurer withdraw a small knife from a hidden holster and knelt beside the corpse and gestured towards it. "The magic stone in goblins is found here. Watch closely now."
I nodded and tried to follow along as the dwarf explained the quickest and cleanest way to extract the magic stone and some common problems that could arise, all while trying to keep my breathing under control.
Killing the goblin had been... too easy. Even my significantly weakened spell had been enough to incapacitate it and then I'd just...
All of a sudden I was awkwardly aware of my entire body and felt hideously vulnerable, the sound and sensation of my axe as it finished the monster off echoing in my mind.
Dain held the tiny magic stone up for me to inspect, the blue crystal shining with the faintest glimmer of an inner white light. With hands that felt like they should be trembling I took the small shard, placing it within a pouch tied to my waist.
"Let's find the next one and you can try extracting it yourself." Dain suggested, calmly walking off to find the next foe. I started at the goblin's corpse for a moment before hurrying after him, axe held tight and at the ready.
The second goblin died in much the same way. The targeting portion of the spell was robust enough to survive my suddenly diminished magical control, so hitting the goblin was easy enough. The problem was in the damage output itself. With another twitching foe at my feet, I swung and once more claimed a kill.
The magic stone extraction was... messy and took me far longer than I'd thought it would. Dain had made it look so easy that I felt embarrassed, a shame filled blush rising to my cheeks.
The next dozen goblins died in the same manner and with each kill, the action became just that little bit easier. It was around that time my demonic energy reserves began to dwindle from where'd tried to supplement my sudden lack of control with more power, flooding the spell with more energy than necessary to claw back some of the diminished lethality.
"I think I want to try it without magic next time." I suggested, slicing the most recent monster's torso open to extract the valuable hidden within.
"If that's how you want to fight, then do so." Dain shrugged, appearing unconcerned in stark contrast to the anxiety building within my own chest.
True to my words, when we encountered the next goblin I didn't raise my fingers it the mindless creature's direction. Instead I held my small shield high and kept the axe hand raised and ready to chop. The monster closed the distance rapidly as my heart hammered in my chest, the pounding of blood ringing in my ears and blocking out all other noise. Five metres, three metres and-
"Ugh!" I grunted as it struck my shield and tried to bowl me over. The sudden impact slammed the shield back with a thud, ruining my balance. The axe swung and nicked the creature's arm but failed to find purchase. Sharp nails skittered over my side, scraping harmlessly against protective mail.
"Get! Off!" I grunted, throwing my weight against the shield and launching the goblin back a step. It immediately tried to charge back in but my axe swung a second time and sunk deep into its throat. The corpse collapsed, taking my stuck weapon with it. I stood there a moment, breathing deeply and staring at the rough cavern walls, trying to calm the out of control racing of my heart. Sweat slicked into my clothes, not helped by the suffocating layers of protection I'd trapped myself within.
"Not bad at all." Dain praised, slapping me on the back hard enough to send me into a stumble. "You ready for another one Sirvolt?"
I blinked at the faintly smiling dwarf, my mind jolted back into action. "Yes sir."
The next monster turned out to be a much rarer kobold, the dog faced monster being rather stronger than the goblin. I picked up several bruises in that fight and almost had a chunk taken out of my face by a snarling maw, ducking by the skin of my teeth. The goblin after that felt much easier and before I knew it another dozen monsters had fallen to my axe, the small head sinking deep into their fragile bodies.
"That wasn't so bad, was it lad?" Dain asked hours later as we emerged from the dungeon, the pouch on my belt full to bursting. Exhaustion tinted the edge of my vision, my limbs feeling heavy from the strain of exertion. Nothing in this life had prepared me for just how tiring it was, each fight dumping a truckload of adrenaline into my system until I was swimming in the stuff. The crash was turning into the stuff of nightmares.
"It was easier than I expected." I admitted, stumbling along after the dwarf. After my initial nerves had died down the experience had become, dare I even think it, enjoyable. In a sick way, it had even felt nice to kill them. To exert my power over the monsters and slay them before hacking their bodies apart to pick out a reward. To struggle and then achieve, was a wonderful feeling.
"Hmm. You seemed shaky at first, but got over it soon enough." Dain nodded in satisfaction, shooting me a look over his shoulder. "There's a reason we run new recruits straight into the dungeon. You've got a month of training after this before you'll be allowed to set foot down there again. If we'd kept you out, the anticipation could build and build until you'd worked yourself into a frenzy. Some people end up freezing at the first monster they encounter and... well..."
I nodded silently, not needing the tanned adventurer to continue. It was easy to imagine that happening, a moment of indecision leading to quick and brutal end. In Orario that was probably an all too common occurrence.
"Here, I'll show you how to cash in those stones." Dain suggested as we climbed the long staircase up to the ground floor of Babel, beginning to head towards a counter without a queue.
"Actually, could I keep them?" I asked, already having an idea in mind. It wouldn't be the end of the world if Dain rejected the suggestion, but it would leave me with some scrambling to do and an icebreaker to prepare in advance. "I kind of want to keep a memento..."
The dwarf quirked an eyebrow at me for a moment before shrugging, changing course towards the exit. "Sure. Keep in mind though, the Guild won't be happy if you try to pawn them off somewhere else. Also, that's money you're holding right there. You'll need funds eventually."
"I know, it's just this once." I promised, smiling widely. The easy acceptance had just smoothed some out of tomorrow's schemes significantly.
"Dain! Sirvolt!" Loki cheered once we returned to the manor and climbed up to her office, leaping up from behind her desk. The goddess skidded to a stop before me, grinning wildly. "Look at you, stuffed under all that! It's too cute!"
Once more I was subjected to the brutal whims of my patron goddess, suffering the indignity of my cheek being mauled between her fingers.
What a cruel goddess I'd chosen.
"I'm not cute." I mumbled, the words slurred due to excessive mistreatment.
"Yeah you are. Not as cute as Aisuu and you'll grow out of eventually, but right now? Cute!" Loki declared, finally letting go and leading the way to the door. "C'mon, I got a room done up for ya. You might not be staying here, but it's there if ya need it."
Dain settled into a chair within Loki's office, seemingly waiting for her return. Since I was planning on leaving for the day, I waved as I was pulled away. "Thank you for today Mr. Dain!"
The bedroom I'd been given turned out to be a cosy little place high up in the main tower. It wasn't large but the furniture looked both brand new and high quality. A small table and chair, a bed with clean sheet in my size and a variety of containers to keep things in.
Something told me this room hadn't just been sitting here, waiting for an occupant.
"Thank you Loki." I smiled, giving the goddess a little hug, a warm feeling in my chest. It was always nice to be made to feel welcome.
"Hehe, part time or not, all of my children are welcome here." Loki insisted with a smile, patting me on the leather cap still covering my head. I don't want to imagine what the coif would have done to my hair without it...
I yawned widely, unable to resist the urge.
"Ya tired? Why not get cleaned up and have a nap?" The redhead suggested, opening one of the various chest and pulling out some clean strips of cloth and small containers with warning signs on them. "But careful with these yeah?"
"That sounds great." I admitted. "But I need to be back home by four."
"Hmm, it's a little past one. Let's get this done and you tucked in, yeah? I'll make sure you're up." Loki promised, and as much as those two words should sent warning signals through my brain, I somehow believed her.
It was a hassle to get the layers of armour off, but Loki proved an old hat, easily peeling away the protections and laying them on the table. Once there, she guided me through the process of cleaning my arms and armour of monster blood, happily smiling as I followed her directions.
As promised Loki roused me from the nap minutes before four. I blearily rubbed the quickly forming sleep from my eyes, stomach rumbling.
"What time will ya be back tomorrow ta start your training?" Loki asked as I slipped back into my shoes. I glanced up at her guiltily before clearing my throat.
"Er, I'll have to skip tomorrow. It's a timing thing, sorry. I'll be here the day after though, and every day after that. There are just some things that can't be put off." I mumbled, looking away.
"Hmmph!" Loki snorted, crossing her arms. "You better be mister. The day after tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I'll have Dain or Gareth ready bright and early, and we'll see about getting you trained up."
"Yes Loki!" I saluted sharply, banging my hand off my forehead.
"Now get, I wanna see this thing of yours in action." The goddess nodded, happy with my reply.
The last of my magic drained away as it was dumped into Dimensional Breach, leaving me light-headed. The connection deep within me welled up and soon formed into a blue scar in the middle of the room, a gash torn into the fabric of the world.
Loki continued to scan the room, her vision passing right over the mystical portal as if it didn't exist.
"Bye Loki! Have a good day and thank you for everything!" I called out, stepping into the hole between universes. Once more I was thrown through the whirling blue void, sliding and falling between realities until with a sharp and sudden stop, I found myself in the alleyway I'd originally left from.
It had felt like day, but had been less than eight hours.
I grinned and made my way back home, eager to see my parents after the trials of the day.
"Have a good day at school?" Mum asked as I stepped into the shop, her eyes drifting up from the magazine she'd been reading behind the counter, tucking a stray strand of brown hair back behind her ear.
"I had a great day." I dodged the question, hurrying up to her for a quick hug before heading upstairs to raid the fridge before dinner. As exciting as today had been, tomorrow promised to be just as jam packed. I had a long list of tasks to accomplish and a new world to dip my toes into before I could return to the Loki Familia and truly begin my training.