This is it ladies and gentlemen, the beginning of the biggest conflict in Orario's recent history, the Great Feud. I hope you're all ready, for Arc 4 Chapter 4. It took me so long to write, edit, and rewrite this to a level I was happy with, and I hope all of you enjoy reading this as much as I did making it.
razorhusky234: Hey man, thanks for the review. I hope you like what I have at the end.
BrimazKing: Man, thanks for the well wishes. Things seem to be on the up and up, but we'll see how this goes. Lovely to see your reviews again man.
NiebieskiLis: Thanks for the review man. And yeah, Torch Bearer is a skill that enhances Akihide, and it is completely determined by the quality and quantity of faith people have in him. A lot of positive faith can amp him up, but if people actively believe he is going to fail, the skill will have devastating consequences, which will be explored in a later chapter. They can be from anyone, but I'll write in the specifics of the skill once we get to the point where he uses it, but I will say that it needs to reach a threshold before it can be activated. Also, Alfia's fate has been decided, but you'll just have to wait and see what it is, I'm afraid.
JffaCake: Sure man, I'll get on that as soon as I finish posting this chapter.
But enough of that.
Onto the story!
Day of the Great Feud
Akihide moved his blade along the whetstone, feeling the blade sharpen under the stone's influence, taken from Floor 58 to be able to sharpen the blade safely. Akihide's mind was filled with concerns, of worry, but also of peace. He had been given permission to tag along with Astraea and Ganesha Familia, seeing as they had the weakest team makeup, with only 3 level 4 and a level 5 to round them out. With the Loki Familia having all 3 level 6 executives present, as well as Freya Familia having the same force with the last minute addition of Hedin and Hogni, Finn was confident Akihide would be of better use with the Astraea and Ganesha Familia, both as support and as a quick offensive option.
He sighed as he put down his sword, satisfied it was sharp enough, before equipping it to the hilt of his clothes, freshly made by Tsubaki, a nod to Far Eastern Armour. He looked like a shinobi covered in armor, a term for a warrior that came down with Lady Amaterasu, sporting a black do, with kote arm protectors, complete with tekko hand guards and matching suneate. Under that, he wore a thick black shitagi and hakama pants, made from the hair of the Goliath, slain by the residents of Rivera a week ago, as well as a white haori with the Loki Familia's symbol sown into the back. He also held a belt around his waste, holding four Magic Swords in the form of kunai, two lightning, one wind and one ice blade specifically, as well as the renewed Breath of Hachiman, now a pair of wakizashi.
He let himself calm before the coming storm, bracing himself for what was inevitably going to be the toughest fight of his life. He looked over at his bed, a pair of pictures standing upright against it. One, a picture of him and Kiddy Party after they first formed, a smile creeping onto his face as he remembered how insistent Ardee was in taking that picture. He turned to the second, a picture that he had taken at his tenth birthday, everyone in the Loki Familia, the Astraea Familia, Airmid, Ardee, Shakti, Ganesha, Alfia, and even Ottar standing as the picture was taken.
This was why he fought.
To protect the home he had gained after losing his last one. To protect the family that had come with it. To protect the friends he made.
He wasn't going to let anyone down.
He prepared to depart, bowing to the pictures. "I'll be home soon. Wait up for me." he said to the pictures. He turned and made his way out, running into Riveria almost immediately.
"Are you ready?" she asked with concern.
Akihide nodded. Resolve filled his stomach where butterflies had been but moments before. "Born ready." he said, before the two walked out.
Ready to face off against Evilus, and put a stop to the suffering and loss of life that had plagued Orario for too damn long.
Akihide stood with Alise and Kaguya, running over the plan one last time. "Looks like that's it." said Akihide. "Everyone's in position."
Alise nodded. "That's good." she said, turning to the warehouse they were about to raid. "Has the enemy noticed that we're here?" she asked.
Kaguya shook her head. "At the moment, it doesn't appear so. They've been so quiet that I'm starting to get anxious."
Alise looked down. "But we've got to do this regardless. We will take Evilus down today."
Akihide nodded. "These people have caused Orario enough suffering. Time to end this." he said, stepping forward and getting into position right next to Shakti. He saw Lili, Ryuu and Ardee not far behind him, Lyra leading the back with Asta, Neze and Noin, along with several members of the Ganesha Familia.
The clock began ticking, everyone dead quiet, as Akihide's hand rested on the hilt of Bishamon's Fortune. He allowed his breathing to slow, as the Loki Familia and Location 1 and the Freya Familia at Location 2 were prepared and ready, all of the major figures in Orario stopping to watch what unfolded.
"It's time." said Shakti.
And with that...
The Great Feud had officially begun.
Flashing into the location, it was easy to see that Evilus had been caught off guard. Akihide drew his katana, his Iaijutsu working to slice a pair of Evilus members directly in half. They screamed out in surprise, pain and then death, as Evilus began to take notice of the situation. The fighting was soon filling the room as the others joined him in battle. Alise and Shakti were the quickest to join him, Kaguya pushing straight past him to continue fighting. "Don't let them escape!" called Akihide, pointing his sword at the horde of people. "Capture them before they can harm Orario any more!"
The members of the attack force needed no further instruction, as they began dispatching and capturing Evilus members as fast as they could. Akihide got to work as well, taking them alive where he could, but mainly leaving his footsteps drenched in the blood of the dead. As a mortal, he felt bad for the lives he had to take.
As a hero, he felt great knowing that the sacrifice of his innocence would save innocent people and their morality.
That was what made throwing away his childhood had accomplished, and he would do it 1000 times over.
He turned around as most of the members of Evilus had either been captured of killed, Ganesha Familia tying up most of the ones that had been left breathing. Akihide nodded to Shakti, as she pointed her spear down further into the warehouse. "Onwards! Don't let up for even a second!"
The group nodded, and rushed forward. Akihide had once again taken point, rushing to the next section. As Evilus has been anticipating them this time, they had come prepared, weapons drawn and magic at the ready. Akihide smirked in the face of these challenges, and rushed forward to face evil. Akihide slammed his weapon into a member of Evilus, continuing to cut them down, either in death or incapacitation. He continued fighting, before the room was cleared thanks to Ryuu's magic.
Ardee looked back. "The path is clear! To the deepest zone!" she said, riling up the troops as they made their way towards the younger girl, and down the stairs into the deepest zone past the solid metal door.
A crown of pink hair greeted them, flanked by several members of Evilus dressed in black robes. She wielded a sinister looking black sword, with six spikes coming out of the side, wearing revealing, skin tight black leggings and a crop top, cut in places from previous battles, with a fur lined coat over her back. Her yellow eyes glanced at the group, accompanied by a look of sheer confidence. "Hey there. At last, you came."
Akihide growled at her, feeling his skill begin to activate. "Arachnia, Valletta Grede." he greeted with malice, raising his weapon at her.
"Finn isn't here, eh?" she muttered, clicking her tongue. "I can't believe that bitch gave us the wrong information." she said, before smirking at the group. "That was insanely quick of you guys to get here. You guys are as quick as lightning."
Kaguya stepped forward, her own sword drawn and ready to fight. "It sounds like you want to praise us, but your face tells the opposite." she said in a dark tone and a frown on her face. "Get that smug look off your face. So... tell me what you are hiding." she ordered of the pink haired woman, glaring hatefully at her.
"What do you think?" asked Valletta, smirking wider. "Ways to get rid of you folks once and for all, perhaps." she replied.
Shakti stepped forward. "Valletta Grede! We've surrounded the building! Most of your troops have been arrested too! It's time you should surrender!" she ordered, looking down at her fellow level 5 opponent.
Valletta looked at them, before breaking out into hysterical laughter. "Ahahahahaha!" she laughed out, before looking back at Shakti with a maniacal expression. "Did you think that a villain like me would just listen and do what you say?! Come on out, guys!" she called out, as various members of Evilus is white and black robes began to appear from the walls, seemingly out of nowhere.
Akihide clicked his tongue. "Ambush." he said, glaring at Valletta. "You knew we'd be here, didn't you?"
"Astute brat, aren't you?!" she called out, before raising her hand in challenge. "Come at me! Let's have some fun!"
Akihide flashed right next to Valletta, swinging his katana at her head. The crazy woman had faced him enough times to know that this was his opening move. She moved her sword to block him, as he teleported once more, moving out of the way as Shakti stabbed her spear at the Evilus Executive. Valletta smirked as she swung her sword, parrying Shakti, who decided to use the momentum to swing the bottom of her spear at the pink haired girl, who narrowly dodged by bending her back down in a move that made it seem her bones were made of jelly, and out of the swing radius.
Akihide was back on her; swinging his katana in an overhead strike. Valletta's smirk returned as she side rolled out of the way, as Akihide and Shakti both pressed the advance, swinging their blades in synchrony as Valletta seemingly effortlessly deflected and dodged them all. "Ahahahaha! Are you even trying?" she asked, clearly enjoying the fight. Akihide and Shakti doubled their efforts and continued fighting.
Alise and Kaguya were both quick to take control of the masses of Evilus grunts, their level 4 dexterity, precision and power making them war machines on the battlefield. The black and white robes of Evilus were hitting the ground faster than any of them had expected.
The attack, all things considered, was going very well.
Too well...
Akihide had heard the phrase used by Finn. 'No plan survives contact with the enemy.' But it seemed that Finn's plan was working too well, despite the fact that Valletta had previously known that they'd be coming. 'Something isn't adding up. Why is Valletta so calm? All her allies are dying around her, and she's still looking like she's in complete control of the situation.' thought Akihide, as he looked around momentarily.
'Something isn't adding up.'
Deciding it was better to be safe, he called out "12 and 6!" at the top of his lungs. Ryuu, Lili and Ardee both stilled for a moment, this being a code Kiddy Party used in the Dungeon to subtly tell each other that something was wrong. 'Watch your front and your back, cause something isn't right.'
Ryuu couldn't stop though, as she continued cutting down Evilus grunts and making her way to Kaguya. "Keep your head on a swivel." she said, having heard that phrase from Ganesha when she and Ardee were training together. "Something isn't right." she said.
Kaguya nodded, and ordered her to begin spreading the message.
Ardee was watching out for possible traps. She had her eyes peeled, looking left and right for anything that could be considered suspicious and outside the norm for Evilus. However, she had to raise her sword as a knife threatened to enter her stomach. She looked over to find the wielder to be a small child, no older than 8. "A child... this is insane... no child should be involved in this!" she said, looking down at the shaking girl. She was gasping, perhaps from the adrenaline of the fight. "Drop the knife! Don't fight! You can't listen to someone who would make you wield a weapon!"
The girl began hyperventilating, and Ardee felt her heart begin to pour sympathy for the girl.
And Ardee made a fatal mistake.
She let her guard down in an active battlefield.
She smiled at her. "I'm not gonna hurt you. You believe me, don't you?" she said, approaching the girl. "Now come here-" she comforted, approaching slowly.
Akihide, who had been facing Valletta, saw her look behind him and giggle. He turned around, seeing Ardee approaching the small child, and his instincts went into overdrive, screaming one message at him.
'ARDEE IS GOING TO DIE!'
"Goddess..." said the girl, tears welling in her eyes. "I WANT TO SEE MOM AND DAD!" she yelled, as her chest started to light up. Ardee could only look in shock at the girl.
Akihide couldn't.
"ARDEE!" he yelled as he teleported right to his friend, as the little girl began to combust. He felt the heat of the fire, as he rapidly teleported to the other end of the room, the force of the explosion forcing him to lose his balance as he and his friend went tumbling to the ground. The sounds of Ardee's screams echoed through the warehouse, her right cheek covered in burns, as were the right side of her body, and her entire arm, leaving much of her sleeve burnt off. She screamed in agony, as Akihide quickly began pouring healing potions over her wounds.
Everyone else, Akihide included, were looked at the crater left by the explosion of the girl. "No way..." he muttered, before noticing the smirk on Valletta's face widen.
And so did his eyes.
"PRISONERS, ATTACKERS AND CROPSES!" he called out quickly, getting the attention of the room. "Treat them all like suicide bombers! We need to retreat!"
Ryuu was totally shell shocked from what had just happened, that she didn't notice herself stepping too close to a body before it was too late. Lyra grabbed her and dragged her back just before the next bomb went off, letting them escape with some minor burns.
A wicked laughter filled the room. "Are you watching, Thanatos? Your dear followers are about to lead these adventurers to hell!" she exclaimed with sadistic glee.
Kaguya grunted as she jumped away from an exploding body. "Guess we know where the hammering system went..." muttered Kaguya, as she looked at the collection of craters and red stains that were once people. "How the hell did they manage this?"
Valletta smirked. "A machine made from Flare Stones and the hammering system... this is great!" she exclaimed with ecstasy. "A suicidal machine that anyone can easily operate!"
"You freak!" exclaimed Lyra, having picked up Ryuu. "You sacrificed all your people and-"
"What took you so long to realise?" asked the woman, her smirk never leaving her mouth. "The's surrounded? The troops are arrested? It doesn't matter to me, because they're not my army - just my weapons!"
Akihide's eyes went wide. "No..." he muttered, whilst he began hearing explosions from upstairs.
Kaguya looked up. "There's a chain of explosions!" she called out.
"The first blast was a signal. And now, it's not gonna stop. Goodbye, adventurers. So long!" called out Valletta with a wicked laugh.
Alise looked fearful. 'Enemy troops are exploding all around us, and the building isn't going to last. They'll blast it away with all of us in it!' she thought, before relaying orders. "Retreat! We're getting out of here!" she called, racing to the exit.
Shakti nodded, racing to her sister and picking her up. "Come on, Ardee! Stay with me!" she called out as she began running. Lyra and Kaguya grabbed a slow Ryuu, and Akihide bought up the rear, sparing Valletta one last glance.
"Forget Finn. I'm gonna kill you for this!" he called out as he ran, her evil laughter on his heels. He clenched his teeth as he continued running, getting out of the building as it began to collapse. As soon as the group was outside once more, he turned back to the others.
And noticed that a few members of the Ganesha Familia were no longer with them.
"No..." muttered a voice, one of the members of the Ganesha Familia, as they pointed to the center of Orario. Akihide looked, and his eyes went wider than he thought they could.
"Smoke..." he muttered, as the sound of an explosion ripped through the city. "Orario..."
The fires reached over the rooflines, coating the city of Orario in a horrible glow of fire. The screams of the people resonated in Akihide's mind, as explosions continued to sound off through the city. He felt his mind drift, trauma that he experienced at a young age finally catching up to him, as he witnessed Orario in chaos.
The smoke smelt like the burning of cherry blossoms. The fires looked like ignited akamatsu wood, the wood used in the construction of his childhood home. The screams were the same, both in Orario and the Far East.
And the memory of the snake appeared once more. The burnt bodies of his parents, his fleeing with his sister, the chase the snake gave them, and the fall that lead to his sister's death, and his arrival on Orario's continent.
But this time, it would be different. He wouldn't run away and leave innocent people to suffer and die like he had that day. He had strength now, strength he did not have as a child, and he would not squander it.
He promised not only himself, but also the people of Orario as well.
With a glint of determination in his eyes, he set his sights on Orario and began to run towards the city, not caring for the voice behind him telling him to stop.
People needed him, a hero, to step up.
And he was not going to let them down.
As gods began panicking and sending their children out to investigate what was happening, the assault on Orario was in full swing.
Dian Cecht looked out to the city as people began flooding into his hospital, his strongest children standing guard and cutting down any member of Evilus that entered their range. "What the hell is happening?!" he screamed out, as the body of an Evilus member exploded near the back end of the street, and he could only pray for the people who were undoubtedly caught up in the explosion.
The doors burst open, and Airmid stepped out. "The front lines need healers! I'm headed out!" she called, the level 3 sprinting past her god and the rest of the Familia.
"Airmid! Wait there!" called out Dian Cecht, as he watched the girl he saw as his own daughter rush into the flames of Orario. He clicked his tongue, and stuck his head inside. "Charlotte! Mary! Head off with her!" he called out, as two of his level 2 healers rushed off after Airmid.
Dian Cecht sighed. "Gods above, watch over us."
The city continued to erupt in flames, as Tsubaki held off another Evilus member from entering the Hephaestus forge. "They just keep coming!" she calls out, as another explosion came from her side, and the screams of the innocent who had fled to their workshop filled the air. She grit her teeth as she sliced through the front of the woman before her, kicking her as far back as her level 4 strength would allow, as she exploded in a blaze of fire.
Another one of her familia's high smiths snarled as he cut through another Evilus member. "How do they keep coming?!" he demanded, looking at the carnage before him. "This is hell, actual hell. Not even the Lower Floors compare to this..."
Tsubaki couldn't help but agree, having experienced the horrors of the Dungeon all the way down to the 50th Floor with the Loki Familia before, just after Balor had been conquered for the first time 6 years ago with the combined might of the Loki and Freya Familia. The hell that sent her to level 4, all the slain comrades who died to make it that far, and all the slain who lost their lives to Balor.
This...
This was worse...
When the adventurers faced the Dungeon, they knew that death was a real possibility, the slaughter of their friends was an outcome that could come to pass. The could steel themselves, and their nerves, for the fight ahead and what it could mean for them.
But civilians?
Those who had never wished to put their lives at risk in hells like this?
That made their deaths just that much worse, just that much more unbearable.
Tsubaki hated it.
Everyone hated it.
Everyone hated Evilus for doing this.
The half dwarf woman grit her teeth as she charged at another attacked, swinging her katana through them. "DAMN YOU!"
Mia Grande was used to standing as a symbol for strength.
She stood in this positions many times as the Captain of the Freya Familia, a pinnacle to what can be acquired with enough hard work, dedication, and talent. She stood as the pinnacle of strength even now, as one of the only two level 6 adventurers in Orario for the longest time, before recent events bumped that number up. Second only to Alfia, who was a level 7, but it was hardly fair to limit her to that. After all, she had been capable of going toe to toe The Empress, Regenia, all those years ago, who had been level 9 when she went to face the One Eyed Black Dragon.
Mia shook herself out of her stupor as she swung her shovel and slammed it into the face of an Evilus member who had tried to enter the Hostess of Fertility, uninvited. Anya was at her side, fending them off as best as she could with her spear, as the civilians behind them cowered at the destruction and death that were facing Orario all around them. "Nyaa! The just keep comeowing!" she called out, stabbing a man through the chest, his body covered in black robes. "How are we meownt to hold meowt?"
Mia Grande grunted as she shoved another exploding asshat back. "Until the smoke clears, dumbass cat!" she called out, getting pissed at all the Evilus pricks trying to destroy her tavern. "We'll keep everyone safe, and their bellies full!"
This is what it meant to be the strongest, to be an unshakable pillar that no one cold surpass.
She could only hope that Ottar was able to keep up.
Heavy footsteps stopped her thoughts, as she turned around. A beastman, a familiar one at that, appeared in her view, as she had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "No way... you have to be fucking kidding me!" called out the man, laughing his ass off as Anya looked at him in confusion, and Mia dropped into her battle stance. The lion man smirked as he looked at Mia. "You gave up battle to open a tavern, Demi Ymir?! Have you no shame as a warrior?!" he called out to her, but the woman didn't let it affect her.
"Zodd..." she growled, glaring at the man. "I thought Maxima put you in the ground all those years ago."
The man smirked. "Ha! He wishes!" he called out, before sighing. "Well... so do I, really. Honestly, no decent melee fighters in this day and age, only that pussy boy Ottar is strong enough, and Zald wanted to fight him instead."
Mia's eyes widened at the mention of Zald, having long assumed the man was dead after facing the One Eyed Black Dragon. "Zald too? Oh this day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" she sarcastically quipped.
Zodd smirked again. "Yep. Echidna's here too." he said, seeing the rest of the colour drain from the woman's face. "Three level 7s, and last I checked, you guys only have that mage with you. Looks like Orario is coming to an end."
Mia held up her shovel. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Zodd smirked, bringing out his battle axe in one hand, and his cleaver sword in the other. "Perfect. Be sure to quench my thirst for battle."
Matchup: Zodd the Immortal (Level 7 - Erebus Familia) vs Demi Ymir Mia Grande (Level 6 - Freya Familia)
Riveria and Gareth looked up from the ground, covered in the wounds that could only be described as unnatural. A mocking figure stood over them. "Damn it, all I wanted was to take a look at your Falna, now look at us." said the human woman, her long, white hair flowing in the winds of explosions, a black dress appropriate for a funeral, hugging her body for unrestricted movement, and a book held in her hand. "Do you not find it fascinating? The gift of the gods, this Falna, that allows the mortals like us to inch closer and closer to divinity, does it not excite your curiosity as it does mine?"
Riveria glared at the woman. "Not like this..." she said, looking amongst the slain combats who had their backs cut open, their Falna having left their bodies along with their souls. "How could you do this?! Do you feel nothing for these people?!"
"Feelings are irrelevant." said Echidna, dropping her smug smile for a monotone glance. "I don't really care about other people, and I can't say I understand their emotions all that well either. It's something I've just never been able to do." she said, looking at the starry night sky, enlightened by the fires of Orario. "My God, Typhon, took to calling me his little sociopath. The nickname always pissed me off, but I can't say it wasn't an accurate one."
"Your monologue is noisy." said a voice, as a bell sounded behind Echidna. "Gospel."
With the force of sound itself slamming into her, Echidna gracefully flipped in the air, landing on her feet as she looked up to see the silver haired woman wearing a similar outfit to her own. "Oh, if it isn't Hera's pet bitch." she snarled. "How's your sister? Still skull and bones?"
If Alfia wasn't furious before, she still wasn't at this moment.
Furious did not even begin to describe the level of hatred she felt for this woman.
Alfia glared, fighting through the pain of Gif's Blessing. "You're going down, monster."
Echidna pulled her book open. "Well, that's not nice." she said, flipping through the pages and landing on the one she wanted. "Do try and keep up."
Matchup: Echidna the Witch of Greed (Level 7 - Erebus Familia) vs Alfia the Silence (Level 7 - Hera Familia)
Zald looked over the carnage that laid before him, entirely his fault. "Weak." he said, glancing at the adventurers he had slain. "Too mortal. Since when did adventurers become rotten fruit? It was too soft, I didn't even get my first bite. Orario continues to disappoint me."
Something lightly grazed his back, and he turned around to see a spear being held by a cat person, who had tried to attack him. Zald could admit that he felt something, which is more than he could say about several of the other adventurers he had faced in this moment, but it was still so insignificant.
So weak.
"You're fine." he said, not really having much choice at the moment for opponents. "You're as fast as the wind, but at the same time, as mild as a sea breeze." he said, before bringing his sword up, and slashing down at the man.
Another sword blocked his path, a dark skinned elf blocking his blade. The elf was stronger, holding him there for a few seconds, before the two were sent back by the man, crashing into some rubble. "W-What have you done?!" demanded the cat person, looking over the shoulder of the dark elf with hate in his eyes.
"I said it was just a soft touching." replied Zald, shaking his head. "It's nothing to be all that surprised about. An adventurer needs to discover the undiscovered." he said, before his glare from behind his hood intensified. "Or else, I'll chop off your head, and eat you up."
Heavy footsteps came from further down the street, as a familiar face made his appearance, alongside another elf, this one the usual variant of elf. "You..." said Ottar, surprised by the man's presence.
"Finally, a face I know. So, I'm assuming these ones are your apprentices?" said Zald, looking at the man he had known as a boy all those years ago.
"..." Ottar said nothing to the man, before turning to his two downed comrades. "Allen, Hogni, go with Hedin to Lady Freya's place and keep her safe." he ordered the three members of his Familia.
"Oi! Ottar! Have you gone mad?!" demanded Allen, looking at the man who had just sent him flying. "I'm gonna knock this armoured dude down, so don't get in my way!"
Hogni smirked. "My blade craves his blood... It wants to feast..." he said with a twisted smile, proof that Dainsleif was active.
Hedin looked at Ottar. "Oi, meathead. We'll take him down toge-"
Ottar was having none of it. "Listen!" he ordered, as all three turned to him. "If you three acknowledge me as the Captain, please do it. Do it for the sake of our goddess. I beg of you." he said, as the three looked amongst themselves, before nodding, and sprinting towards the location of Freya.
Zald looked at Ottar. "You never change. To you, nothing is more important than the goddess. You're still an helpless brat." he said, looking at his opponent.
Ottar could only glare at the old face. "What the hell are you doing here, Zald?"
Matchup: Zald the Gluttony (Level 7 - Zeus Familia) vs Ottar the King (Level 6 - Freya Familia)
Hope you guys enjoyed. Sorry again this has come out so late, but I'm sure the omake will make up for it. From the seriousness of the situation to some light hearted fun. Enjoy.
Vanadis Odr (8)
In the year that followed the Great Feud, Akihide had been working hard not only as an adventurer, but also as a waiter and a chef. At 11 years old, he was maturing for his age, much faster than anyone had expected. He was becoming more and more of a man by the day, becoming wiser, stronger and having the maturity that was unfit for a boy his age, more suited to a 15 or 16 year old.
However, his maturity was not only mental, as he began to physically mature as well, as well as becoming increasingly aware of things he wasn't aware of before.
Akihide was going through puberty.
Akihide was leaning against the bar, standing next to Mama Mia, and looking blankly ahead as he cleaned a glass. He noticed things now, and he wondered if that was his new experiences with training under Allen and undergoing the baptism more often these days, fighting the other members of his Familia, and gaining the ability to see things he couldn't before.
However, he failed to grasp how watching Anya and Syr's chests bounce as they walked, or how their skirts lifted ever so slightly as they bent over to put food on the table could be useful in a combat setting, or how it made his excited every time he noticed it, like when he was fighting, but somehow both calmer and more intense at the same time.
Mia smacked his head. "Oi, no staring at the girls, even if you work here." she ordered, looking down at the boy with her usual stern face. Akihide nodded, and focused back onto cleaning the glasses.
Only for his heart to yearn to see the two waitresses again.
"What is going on?" he whispered to himself, wondering what he should do, sneaking a glance back at the two girls as Anya picked up a fork she had dropped on the floor, letting the skirt show the outline of her butt, which Akihide quickly turned away from with a massive heat in his cheeks. "Something is wrong with me." he said, before resolving himself to figure out what.
The first thing that came to mind was asking someone strong, so that they could tell him what was happening, as he believed this to be a result of his training. For some reason, however, he didn't want to take this to Allen, a cold sense of dread and fear coming over the boy, despite the fact that he had no idea why. So with Allen out, he needed to talk to someone else.
And who better than the only level 7 in all of Orario?
"Ottar!" called out a young voice, and the titan of a man turned around to come face to face with Akihide, the boy running down the halls as fast as he could to catch up to the man. "I need your help!"
Ottar wished he could help, he really did, however, he had a duty he had to fulfil. "I'm sorry, Akihide." he said, looking down at the boy. "I have to perform my duties to Lady Freya."
"It'll only take a moment, I hope." said the boy, as he began walking in the same direction Ottar was going, as the two began walking through the halls of Folkvangr. "I've been noticing that I'm more observant these days." said the boy, looking at the man he saw as a father figure. "I'm noticing when people are sneaking around to attack me during the baptism, and when my opponents leave openings in their defences more."
Ottar nodded. "Yes, that battle experience serves you well, allowing you to see things that you couldn't before." he said sagely. "Are you looking for tips on how to improve that technique. It is a good one to learn upon."
"Not quite..." muttered Akihide, blushing a bit. "It's more to do with... outside of combat applications..."
Ottar looked puzzled. He hadn't considered using that skill outside of combat for anything other than noticing sneak attacks from Evilus and always being on guard. Had Akihide learnt something he had not?
If so, he couldn't be prouder.
"I've..." began the boy, his eyes on the ground and his hands fidgeting. Ottar looked at the boy with anticipation for what was going to come out of his mouth next. "I've... been noticing Ms Syr and Ms Anya's chests move and their skirts lift... and the outline of their butts." he said, before noticing that he was walking alone. He turned back to see Ottar looking at him with no small amount of horror.
"..."
"... Ottar?"
"Oh boy..."
Hedin opened his door in a foul mood at whoever was banging on it. His office was his sanctuary to get away from all the crazy shit he had to deal with the Familia, where he could hide away whenever he just needed 5 minutes to himself. And someone had trampled all over that tranquillity. He opened the door, ready to yell at whoever was responsible.
Only to find a frightened Ottar holding onto a very confused Akihide under the arms.
Ottar placed the boy down. "As your Captain, I give this responsibility to you." he said, before turning and running down the hall, late to get to Lady Freya. Hedin looked at Akihide in confusion, who only shrugged his shoulders.
The elf sighed. "Come in." he said, as the boy came in, sitting on the floor next to Hedin's chair. "What is it that had Ottar drop you off here?" he asked.
Akihide shrugged. "I asked him a question about something I've developed over the last couple of days, and he just started going red and running with me here." said the boy, looking just as confused as Hedin felt. He then had a bright expression on his face. "Hedin, you know a lot about close combat too, right?"
Hedin nodded. "I know a lot, I may be a mage, but I am also a spearman, just like yourself." he said, nodding to his weapon. "Is this question something to do with close combat?"
Akihide nodded. "Yep." he said, before looking Hedin right in the eyes with that innocent little twinkle in his eyes. "Can you help me? You're like, really smart, Hedin."
Hedin nodded, as he sat on his chair, and began listening to Akihide. None the wiser of just how this conversation was about to take a dramatic turn he wouldn't forget for ages.
Akihide sighed, rubbing the spot on his head that Hedin had hit before throwing him out of the room. He had been looking for help all day, Hogni had flat out refuse, looking so red one could assume he had been sunburnt, the Gulliver brothers had all just laughed at him, and he was still to scared to approach Allen, and Heith had been working twice the amount she normally did, so he dared not ask her.
He sighed, looking up at the sun from his spot in the garden. "What is going on with everyone today?" he asked himself, looking at the clouds. "Hehe..." he muttered, looking at a cloud that looked like it had cat ears. "Didn't know Anya could fly."
A chuckle came from next to him, and he turned around to see Freya looking up at the sky too. Before Akihide could do anything, she pointed up at another cloud. "That one's big and looks like it's made of muscle. Reminds me of Ottar."
Akihide looked at the aforementioned cloud, and could only chuckle as he absolutely saw what Freya had been saying. "Lady Freya?" he asked, looking at his goddess. "Can I ask you something?"
It was then that the man who had just been compared to a cloud spoke up. "Akihide, might I suggest talking inside about this?" he asked, looking at the boy. "It might be quite embarrassing for you otherwise." he said, hoping to help the poor boy.
Freya looked at Ottar with confusion. "Did you not help him with his question, Ottar? Why?" she asked, in a kind tone that also let the man know it was not a request.
Ottar coughed, realigning his collar. "It's... a question that requires a... long discussion, and I was on my way to serve you, Goddess." he said, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I did leave him with Hedin, though."
Akihide sighed. "Hedin bonked me on the head, calling me a 'heating fox' and kicked me out of the office. Hogni nor the brothers could help me either."
Freya looked confused. "I don't understand, what could this question be?" she asked.
Ottar spoke before Akihide could respond. "Akihide... is going through puberty, Goddess Freya."
Silence.
Freya let out a small snicker, before she started to bellow with laughter. "HAHAHAHA!" she called out, looking at the tower of a man. "All my executives are afraid to give Akihide 'The Talk'?" she said through small fits of laughter, before pulling herself up. "Alright, Akihide, come with me to my chambers, and Ottar, send for Heith, would you?"
Ottar looked on in confusion. "Heith, my lady?"
Freya smiled. "She knows all the little bits of info about it..." she began, before smirking. "I only know the fun stuff."
Ottar sighed and went to find Heith.
Syr was especially flirtatious with Akihide the following day. She had purposefully undone the top 2 buttons of her shirt, giving Akihide a full look up her chest every time she leant down in front of him, was touching him much more frequently, and the smile that once belonged to a big sister that the boy looked up to was now the face of a woman who knew something and was going to shamelessly harass him about this for months. Anya was none the wiser to what was going on, as Mama Mia could only look on in horror.
Puberty was a bitch.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that, but for now, Striker777, over and out.