Power Corrupts: Small Comforts (ch.22) (Patreon)

“What-” Eina started, dark bags underneath her eyes as she walked out of the backroom the same moment that I walked out of the Dungeon. Ryuu was already outside, not wanting us to be seen together with the feeble excuse of tempting the Soma familia to take enough rope so we could hang them with it. In Eina’s hands were stacks of paper, files upon files, and I could guess their contents. She really was giving it her best shot, wasn’t she?

I offered her a lopsided smile, “I can’t let you outwork me on my behalf.” I teased, hefting the bag packed with hides, drop items and the dragon’s magic stone. Eina’s gaze raked over me, a deep frown tugging at her lips in response.  

“You did something reckless again,” she deduced, getting a confirming nod from me for her prize. “Jericho...the only monster that uses fire is on the eleventh floor. And is a dragon...unless you were attacked-?” Eina started, coming closer to me and speaking in a low whisper. It seemed that she learned her lesson after blurting sensitive information. 

“I wasn’t attacked by the Soma familia,” I reassured. “I picked a fight with an infant dragon- but, I had someone down there with me. A level 4,” I quickly explained. With those bags underneath her eyes, Eina’s already sharp glare looked positively murderous. “I won’t say that I wasn’t in any danger, but she pulled me out of the fire when it was too much for me. Pardon the pun.”

Eina stared at me for a long moment, her lips parted to chew me out for my recklessness, only it never came. “Jericho...you can only be so reckless when you’re trying to level up,” she admonished, but when the same breath, she continued. “But you clearly survived...somehow, and I’m glad that you managed to find someone the watch your back. The Loki familia agreed to help you?”

I shook my head, making Eina’s expression fall. “No, Loki said that she didn’t want to get involved with this mess. Hestia is talking to Hephaestus now, though, so we should have someone throwing their weight around up top.”

“I’m glad it worked out, even if it is a shame about the Loki familia,” Eina said more to herself than to me, her gaze dipping down to the stack of papers in her hands. “I’ve been doing what I can on this end, but I could use the testimonies from your goddess and Lili. You said that she’s here?”

“She is. Lili...hasn’t woken up yet, but that was a few hours ago. I have to go talk to someone that may be able to help when this comes to a War Game, but I’ll go check in on her after that,” I said, part of me wanting to glue myself to Lili’s bedside, but I couldn’t afford to. At least out here, I was taking steps to get a Happy Ending. Not to mention, I knew all too well that I would only feel useless sitting by Lili’s bedside when I could be doing something. 

A flash of anger passed over Eina’s face, “she’s still not awake after drinking high potions? That suggests the assault was very server.” She pointed out, shifting the pile of papers in her hands, flipping open a file filled with lines of lawspeak.

An image of Lili’s battered face appeared in my mind. “...Yeah...it was.”

"I'll go find her. Good luck, Jericho," Eina said, offering me a tired smile that I returned. In a rush, she headed towards the elevator, leaving me behind. I glanced at the teller, wondering if I should take the time to cash in the drop items. No, not yet, I decided as I headed to the front door. 

Ryuu was waiting for me outside, "I have to go talk to someone. Could you stay here and take Heatia back?" I asked, deciding not to question why she was dressed in her Hostess uniform. Because of that I saw a brief expression of apprehension pass over her face. Then it was replaced with resolve as she gave me a shallow nod. 

"Please go straight back to the hostess once you're done. If you don't arrive within an hour, I will assume the Soma familia has indicated you," she informed, her tone so serious I couldn't so much as crack a smile. "Please don't worry your goddess any more than necessary." 

"Thanks, Ryuu. I'll be back as soon as I can," I told her. With that, I walked away from the Guildhall, feeling nervous. Already, I had a good idea of how this was going to end, and if Hestia ended up delivering more bad news… I had to think about it, no matter how much I just wanted to assume that everything was going to work out. 

"We'll...leave the city," I decided after a moment. There were monsters outside of the Dungeon, so I would still be able to grind some. It might take months, and by that time I would have missed the vast majority of the plotlines in Danmachi and Sword Orario. Still, that was a better outcome than dying. I would find a way to smuggle us all out of the city, then we would go somewhere else. Maybe that country that was run by Area, the god of war. 

The only real thing I knew about him was that he was an idiot that couldn't win a battle, much less a war, unless he had overwhelming firepower in the form of magic swords. Where a single swing of them could wipe out entire armies, destroy forests and dry up entire oceans. They were the equivalent of a nuke in a fantasy setting, and when one side had them while the other didn't, then the side that did won handily. 

That fact is what led me down the cobblestone path to a small workshop with smoke billowing out of a chimney. The workshop of Welf Corozzo, one of the few smiths that could craft those magic weapons. 

Taking in a bracing breath, I knocked on the door. "Welf? It's me, Jericho." 

"...Jericho, I swear if you've done anything to that sword…" Welf warned me through the door before he opened it. Welf's eyes widened a fraction when he saw me -- shirtless with a few burns left on my arms and chest, smelling of smoke and sweat...and I hadn't noticed earlier, but I think my hair was burnt a little shorter. Then his gaze narrowed into slits when his gaze landed on my sword. 

"...it's been, like, six hours. What have you been doing to my weapon? I spent all night fixing it! Couldn't you have at least waited a day before...what did you use this against? That's extreme heat damage," Welf muttered darkly as he took the weapon from me, inspecting it. 

"An infant dragon," I answered, making Welf go very still. A finger paused as he inspected the edge, before he slowly looked at me. I might as well have said that the sky was green and I was a giant dwarf for the uncomprehending expression that he gave me. Any other time I would have found it funny, but not now. Not when I came here with something in mind. 

"Didn't you say you weren't going deeper in the Dungeon until you had your armor?" He asked, frowning at me. 

"Yeah...about that," I started with a sigh in my voice. "Can I come inside? A lot happened in the past couple of hours."  

Welf stared at me for a moment before he stepped back from the door, gesturing for me to come in. I nodded my thanks, ducking to step in, before I sat down on a bench that looked like it would hold my weight. 

"What's up?" He asked, leaning against the wall as he set my weapon to the side. For what felt like the tenth time today, I told him what happened. It was the same version of the truth that I told Eina. Welf's brow furrowed, his frown deepened and he scowled fiercely when I told him what happened to Lili. 

It took some time, and after the fight with the dragon, my mouth felt devoid of any trace of moisture. I could really use a glass of water, or something.

"It all comes down to what kind of War Game is held," I stated. "If it's a duel with Zanis, then I have a chance. But...if it's an open battle, or a siege...then I'm going to lose. They have hundreds, and I'm just one guy," I finished, my voice feeling dry and raspy. Welf's expression twisted into a pained grimace, realizing why I was here. 

I let out a small sigh, "I meant it every time I said I didn't come to you for a magic sword. I'll stand before your goddess and say as much if you doubt that. I'm asking now because too much is on the line for me to not ask." 

Welf looked away from me, running a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to say something, only to cut himself off when our eyes met. A hand curled into a fist as he looked away again, a sigh escaping him that seemed to deflate Welf. I closed my eyes for a moment because I knew his response before he said a word. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Welf refused with a small bow of his head. It looked like the act of refusal was causing him physical pain. Maybe it was because I expected the answer, but I didn't really feel anything when he shot my Hail Mary down. I wasn't mad, or disappointed, or anything. 

I simply nodded, hearing what I expected to hear.  

"I...hate magic swords," Welf explained. "They're brittle, they break so easily and when they are needed the most, they shatter. The fact that I can make them has brought me nothing but trouble. People have died because of it. And someone sacrificed themself so I would never have to make one." 

He looked away, his gaze landing on the battered blade of a sword he fixed this very morning. "I'd rather never touch a forge again than make a magic sword," he said at last, forcing himself to look at me. "I can't help you." 

"I understand," I said but I think that was a lie. He could help me. He was making the conscious decision to not help me. There was a difference. But the fact of the matter was that we weren't friends. Welf has never met Lili. He wasn't willing to swallow his pride to help people he barely knew. In the anime, he only barely managed to swallow his pride for people that he was good friends with.

Welf rubbed his eyes as I stood up as both of us felt the gulf between us appear with his refusal. "I'll finish your armor and repair your sword. Free of charge," Welf offered as a farewell because we both knew what this meant. Whatever budding friendship had been growing between us was ripped out down to the roots, killed before it's time. 

I wouldn't come to him again and he didn't expect me to. 

"...No, don’t worry about it," I responded, my voice flat to my own ears. Was it petty? No? Maybe? “I...need something now, and I don’t think I’ll have time to wait for repairs. I think I have to go to another smith,” I explained my position, seeing an expression of hurt flash over Welf’s face, but he pushed it back to give me an understanding nod. I wasn’t glad that it hurt, if anything I felt kinda bad about it, but this wasn’t something I could compromise on to win heart points. 

“...Yeah, I understand,” Welf agreed, his expression grim with a edge of sadness. I simply nodded, glad for it. The dragon claw and hide felt heavy in my bag, but I couldn’t bring myself to give them to him. Not only would it add more time until my armor was done, but...Welf wasn’t my smith anymore. That ship had sailed. “I finished distilling the horn you gave me -- I haven’t hammered it into a plate yet, but any other smith can finish the job.”

He stepped to the forge, grabbing a lump of metal that I’m guessing was adamantine. It looked like any other metal, and the only thing I knew about it was from Marvel comics, but I’m guessing that the name was the only thing that they had in common. I took it from him, the ball of metal surprisingly heavy despite its small size. 

“Thanks,” I said, tucking it away into my bag with the other monster drops. “What do I owe you?” I asked, only for Welf to shake his head, waving me off with a hand. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he dismissed the cost. “It’s just some busy work, and getting a chance to work with adamantine more than covered any cost. You don’t have to worry about paying me anything.” An attempt to make this parting on good terms as it could be. 

“I appreciate it,” I said in place of goodbye as I saw myself out. The door slid shut behind me, but I heard Welf heave a sigh through it. 

But, I guess it was to be expected. Maybe if I teamed up with Welf earlier, maybe if I introduced him to Lili before all of this happened...I had more what ifs than I knew what to do with. 

In the end, none of them meant a single thing, so I simply made my way back to the Hostess with a heavy heart. 

…

“Hephaestus is keeping the Guild off of us,” Hestia said in place of a hello once I arrived back at the Hostess, having beat me back. Ryuu was sweeping near the door, so I cleared my hour time limit with ease. She gave me a quick rundown of all that was said, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders that I hadn’t realized was there. Between Eina and Hephaestus, the Guild wouldn’t be able to bring down the hammer of the law on top of us. 

“That’s fantastic,” I said, hugging Hestia back after she glomped me. “Did you talk to Eina?” I asked, feeling her  nod against my stomach. 

“I did,” Hestia confirmed, herface twisting into a scowl. “I don’t like the Guild, but Eina seems alright,” Hestia said and...I...was an absolute idiot, wasn’t I? Never never occured to me to bring up what had happened with me and Eina, there simply wasn’t any time. But, judging how she was hugging me instead of giving me a rightfully deserved smack in the face, I’m guessing that Eina didn’t bring that topic up. 

“Jericho…” Hestia said, squeezing me a bit tighter, and I heard someone ‘awwwww’ in the kitchen. Anya or Syr, probably. “I know you’re really worried about what’s going to happen, but that’s no excuse for being so reckless. If you had died…”

I let out a small sigh, idly noting that I seemed to be doing a lot of it lately. “I’m sorry, but it was something that I had to do. And Ryuu had my back, so there was nothing to worry about in the first place.” Hestia picked up on that lie, and even if she didn’t, then it would have been obvious because of the dull look Ryuu sent me as she paused mid sweep.

My shoulders slumped, “Okay, so there was some danger, and it was a dumb thing to do in hindsight, but...I had to do it.” I didn’t know how else to say it. I didn’t usually fumble over my words like this, but there just weren’t words that could make them understand what killing the dragon meant to me. It was closing a chapter in my life, and opening a new one.

Hestia, thankfully, seemed to understand what I was trying to say. She held me a little tighter, squeezing me with surprising strength, and for a moment, I savored it. “Has Lili woken up yet?” I asked, not wanting to ruin the tender moment, but I had to. Hestia shook her head, making my heart fall, but it was Ryuu who spoke. 

“There’s still time before it becomes dangerous,” Ryuu reassured. “I didn’t see any sign of a head injury bad enough that it could put her in a coma. She’s simply resting.” The words were a small comfort, but her waking up would be a greater one. She seemed to sense this, so she quickly changed the topic. “Did your detour go well?” 

I shook my head, “No. No luck there.” My grimace must have said it all because Ryuu chose not to press the issue. 

Hestia let go of me, her blue eyes filled with resolve. “Lets go check your status. I’m sure you got something nice for killing an infant dragon.”

Ryuu nodded, “even if you believe you haven’t leveled up does not mean that you didn’t. People can level up from the oddest of things,” she encouraged gently. And I wish I could tell her that I knew I didn't because my system was broken. If only I had a regular falna, this would have been so much easier.

“Thanks Ryuu,” I said before Hestia led me upstairs by the hand. My gaze lingered on the door that Lili resided behind for a moment. My gaze was only torn away when Hestia pushed me into the room, closing the door behind us-

“Ouch!” I yelped when Hestia’s hands started to smack my back. The pain vanished as soon as it appeared, it was more shocking than anything. “Hestia?”

My words died in my throat when I saw that tears were gathered in the corner of her eyes. I turned around, and she glomped me again, slamming her face into my stomach hard enough that she managed to knock the breath out of me, squeezing me so hard that her arms trembled. “Think about how other people feel, Jericho! If I lost you-!” She cut herself off, her shoulders hitching as she fought off a sob. 

Now I feel like an idiot. Worse, I was a selfish one. 

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, kicking myself for not seeing this coming. After everything, I didn’t even think about how she would react to hearing that I had fought an infant dragon. 

“Ryuu told me how you almost got squished by the dragon! If she hadn’t been there, you’d be…!” Hestia said, sniffling as I cradled her against me.

Making an empty excuse weighed heavily on my tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Saying that I might have survived because of my health function sounded incredibly hollow simply because I wasn’t sure if I could survive that kind of blow in the first place. And I certainly wouldn’t be able to if the infant dragon followed it up with another since I doubt I would be in the condition to dodge. 

“I’m so sorry. I just...I couldn’t bring myself to run away from it. The minotaurs were a fluke. If that fight had gone any differently, then I would have died then. And...we’re going up against the Soma familia. I needed to prove to myself that I could defeat a level 2.” I explained gently as Hestia pulled herself away from me. 

"I know," Hestia said before leading me to the bed, pulling at what was left of my shirt. "I know that, and I'm not going to make you promise never to do anything like it again...but…" 

I brought her back in for another hug, "I already promised I'd always come back, didn't I?" I reminded, feeling Hestia nod. "And I have a pretty good track record so far. But, if you have any doubts, then I'll promise you again. Whenever I do something stupid or dangerous or both, I will always come back to you. I promise." 

Heatia let out a shuddering breath, a tension easing out of her. After everything that has happened…

"Let's update your status now," Hestia decided, pulling away and wiping away a stray tear before throwing on a sunny smile. My question of how she was holding up died on my tongue in face of it. Hestia wore her heart on her sleeve, and saying that she was bad at hiding her emotions was an understatement. But, if she was trying so hard to keep it together then I wouldn't poke at the house of cards. There would be time to decompress when we sorted this all out. 

Nodding, I climbed into the bed and felt Hestia straddle my back before- 

You have achieved a feat worthy of a Title! 

Dragon Slayer: In literature, the dragon represents all of mankind's fears in one fire breathing package. By slaying the dragon, you have slain your fears. 

That was vague and unhelpful. 

"I got another title," I informed, dismissing the window with a wave of my hand. 

"And another development ability," Hestia added. All things considered, I could guess what it was. Even still, I took the slip of paper that she passed to me. 

Jericho

Level: 1

Title: Under Leveled

Progress to level 2: 301,360/1,000,000

Strength: 65

Endurance: 84 

Dexterity: 78

Intelligence: 35

Sense: 55

Development Abilities:

Physical Resistance: The user receives 8% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

Abnormal Resistance: Poisons, Toxins, and Drugs are 8% less effective. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

Fire Resistance: The user receives 8% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

Swordsman: Increased parameters when wielding swords. Effectiveness is determined by Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, and Sense.

Berserker: Increased parameters proportional to users rage. 

Skills:

Gamer Body: The user’s body is that of a video game.

Massage: Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity and Strength stat.

Kissing: An intimate act between lovers that, if done well, can bring pleasure to the target. Effectiveness is determined by the Dexterity and Sense stat.

Sex: Greatly enhances parameters when engaging in sexual intercourse. Effectiveness is determined by Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, and Sense stats.​

Dishwashing: Stains and dried on food are easier to remove. Effectiveness is determined by Strength stat.

That was- 

Due to unlocking a second title, you have received a perk point! Please select below: 

Toughness: 5% damage resistance.

Iron Bones: Your bones are as breakable as iron. 

Super immune: Great resistance to Disease and Toxins.

Dexterous: Bonus 5% exp awarded for all Dexterity related actions.

Boneless: Your ligaments had too much in common with rubber bands and contortions look at you with envy.

Great memory: You can recall most things with a passing glance.

Bloodhound: Your nose is sharp enough to be used for tracking. 

It was as if the game system could feel my disappointment the moment I looked at the slip of paper to see my meager rewards for slaying a dragon. Fire Resistance was nice, but until I got my endurance stat up there, it wouldn't do much. 

“Did something else pop up?” Hestia questioned, and I told her that I had my choice of a perk to pick and my choices. “Hmmm...maybe you should save it for now? You can use it when you get better perks,” Hestia offered her opinion. I gave the idea some thought, reading over my choices one more time to see if any of them jumped out at me. 

Iron Bones did, but its effectiveness was undercut by my bones healing after they got broken. Sure, the pain sucked, but if I’m in a situation where bones were getting broken, I was too hopped up on adrenaline to really feel the pain. Bloodhound also had its own appeal -- being able to track people could come in handy in a pinch...but I was still getting used to my enhanced hearing. Adding another enhanced sense on top of it was asking for  trouble. 

Toughness and Dexterous were appealing, the former more so than the latter. With an extra five percent of damage resistance, my total would be around twenty percent of damage ignored. However, with my training with Ryuu, those stats were going to climb anyway and I doubt a five percent boost to exp gain or damage resistance would matter much in the long run. 

Super Immune was practically useless, while Great Memory wouldn’t help much in a fight…

“With Mimicry, Great Memory could help me learn moves faster,” I thought aloud “But, yeah, I think you’re right. I’ll save it for a rainy day or when I have better choices.” I decided before I dismissed the window, my gaze landing on the piece of paper with my status on it. My gaze landed on new development ability, my brain trying to find ways to leverage my gains. 

"Hm. With the dragon hide, my body should be protected from fire...I might be able to grind endurance pretty fast if I set myself on-" I was interrupted when two hands slammed into my back with a loud smack. Wincing, "right, nevermind. Bad idea-" 

"I know about Eina." 

...it was incredible how much power four words could hold. I think they did more damage to me than the dragon did. My heart went still in my chest, my blood turned to ice in my veins and, after weeks of being an adventurer, when my first instinct was flight over fight, I think that meant a lot. 

An excuse nearly made it past my lips, but I swallowed it back down. I was done with excuses. That kind of stuff is the reason why I killed the dragon in the first place. 

“I’m sorry,” I started. “It was stupid, I was being stupid, and nothing like it will ever happen again.” 

There was a silence that felt so heavy it just about crushed me as Hestia pressed her hands down on my back. I preferred that over the location of her hands being a mystery. Hestia didn’t strike me as the kind of girl who went for a kitchen knife when they were upset, but I’m sure a lot of guys that got murdered by their lovers thought the same thing. 

“I thought we agreed that I got to meet them before you did anything with them?” She asked, her tone neutral, only there was no concealing that dangerous edge in her voice. 

“We did,” I agreed, not making any excuses. I didn’t have any to begin with. I was horny, wanting to bust a nut, and that was about the extent of my higher thinking. If Hestia would be okay with Eina, or the fact they hadn’t met in this timeline, hadn’t even crossed my mind. How Hestia would feel about it was the very last thing on my mind when Eina’s lips touched my dick. “I don’t have anything to say in my defense other than I’m sorry and it won’t happen again. Ever.”

Hestia let out a drawn out sigh before she raised her hands off my back. I tensed, only to be surprised when Hesita flopped down onto my, her breasts pressing into my back as her breath tickled my shoulder blades. “You’re telling the truth,” she observed after a moment, her arms going over to my hand to hold it. 

I started to relax ever so slightly before Hestia continued with, “But! You aren’t out of the doghouse, Mr. When Lili wakes up, and you’ve beaten up the Soma familia, I’m gonna get mad at you, okay?” She informed me and I couldn’t stop the rueful smile that tugged at the edges of my lips as I gave her hand a small squeeze. 

“I won’t keep you waiting too long then,” I agreed. Hestia let out a content breath, our usual sleeping position completely reversed. It was really weird being the small spoon when you were over seven feet tall. And when the big spoon was under five. 

“Good…” Hestia trailed off, her thumb brushing over mine. “And, if you had introduced us first, you wouldn’t be in this situation. I like her...she really cares about you, you know? Ryuu didn’t sell you out about the dragon.” She informed me with a smile in her voice. “She just said you went on an adventurer, and that was it.”

“Heh,” I chuckled. “You really are way too good for me, you know that?”

Hestia snuggled into me, “don’t you ever forget it.”

For a moment, we simply savored each other's company and the comfort we shared. But, like all good things, it came to an abrupt end when there was a harsh, urgent, knocking at the door. Hesita lifted her head off of me as Ryuu spoke through the door, “The Soma familia captain is down stairs.”

It took a second for those words to register. Hestia got off of me, pushing herself to her feet while I slowly did the same. The Soma familia knew that we were here, and he came here himself. My heart pounded in my chest, but my mind was blank as I opened the door to see that Ryuu was standing on the other side. Her blue eyes widened a fraction when she saw me.

It was only then that I realized my face was set in a furious scowl, my hands clenched into fists so tight that my knuckles were bloodless. My deep and even breathing sounded a lot harsher than it should if I was trying to keep myself calm. 

“Don’t do anything, Jericho. He’ll use it against you. Any momentary satisfaction you’ll feel won’t be worth the consequences you’ll suffer,” Ryuu warned, her tone telling me that she knew that from experience. “You might think it was worth it until the day that you die, but can you accept it if Lili and Hestia suffer for your actions?”

That was a slap in the face. Hestia grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. I looked down at her, her blue eyes hard as she gave me a firm nod. She looked as furious as I felt, enough so that I spared a worry that she was giving me the go ahead to do what I wanted. That worry was that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if I had her express permission. 

Instead, I held my breath for a few seconds before letting go. “Alright. Let’s go see what Zanis has to say,” I decided, keeping my voice even as I walked down the steps. Each one felt like I was walking to my execution, my blood running hot in my veins. It didn’t take long for me to clear the second floor, letting my gaze fall on the captain of the Soma familia for the first time. 

I barely remembered what he looked like in the anime, only that he had gray hair, glasses and his appearance could best be described as a sleazeball. That description fit him rather nicely, I decided, striding towards him. He was handsome enough for a guy in his mid thirties to early forties -- gray eyes, high cheekbones, a narrowed jaw with a stubborn chin. Odds were he was a heartbreaker back when he was my age. 

A slender longsword looked out of place with his immaculate clothing, one hand resting on it as he waited for me to approach. He radiated smugness as he stood there, completely unconcerned as I walked up to him so close that his chin was nearly touching my chest as he was forced to crane his head all the way back to look up at me. Even still, the expression that he wore was like he thought I was something he had scrapped off his boot. 

“You,” I growled, clenching my hands tight enough that my nails bit into my palms. If I hadn’t, I would have taken a swing at him. Maybe throw myself on top of him and slam my fists into his face until his head was a smear on the floor. 

“Me,” Zanis agreed easily. “And you are the one that’s been murdering my poor familia members,” he provoked, his tone light. 

Surprisingly, it was Hestia that reacted to that. “You seem pretty intent on murdering your own familia members,” she spat, the sheer venom in her words catching me off guard. I stepped away from Zanis, letting Hestia step forward as she glared up at the man. 

“An unfountate internal familia ordeal,” Zanis responded instantly. “But that is a Soma familia matter to be dealt with. I understand you have grown rather attached to Lili, but she still is a member of my familia.” He said, his tone becoming sharp as he fixed his glasses with a finger. “I believe that she is being kept here, is she not?”

I had to remind myself to breath as I glared hatefully at Zanis, “if you think for a single second that we’re giving Lili to you-”

“Then you’re abducting a member of my familia?” Zanis questioned, giving the impression that I had just walked into a trap. That’s why he was here. He was doing the same thing that I was -- he was trying to turn the situation around so I would be painted as the bad guy who was breaking the rules, even if I was doing it for the right reasons. What an absolute piece of work. 

“Only after you tortured and tried to murder her,” I shot back, unclenching my hands. This is the guy that stabbed Lili. And now he was here, completely surrounded, and he was acting like he owned the place. Something dark and ugly welled up inside, something toxic that infected every thought with murderous rage. “And sent your degenerates into my home to finish the job.”

Zanis smiled lightly, like I was a particuarly stupid animal that he was taking pity on. “That is rather unfortunate. I will admit that had we known we were attacking your home in that hovel, then I would have ordered my men to not approach...however, I believe we are beyond the point of excuses. The fact of the matter is that you’re holding one of my familia members captive, and I would like her back.”

I’m going to kill him. “You can take her back in a War Game,” I snarled out him.

“And what reason would I have to accept a War Game for taking back what is rightfully mine? You can say what you like, but you are the one that has thoroughly violated the rules. Attempting to learn familia secrets, murdering members of my familia, both inside and outside of the Dungeon, and now you hold one of my familia against her will-” Zanis responded. When he was interrupted, I completely expected it to be me the one that had snapped. After everything, all the stress and disappointment, after all the fear and worries, to have this piece of shit stand in front of me and demand that I had Lili back to him…

I was going to kill him. Water was wet, fire was hot, the sun rose in the west and set in the east, and I was going to kill Zanis. 

Yet, I wasn’t the one that snapped. 

I was hit with a wave of pure power -- it made every hair stand up on end, as the weight of the presence behind me was pressing down on my like a physical weight. The rage and hate vanished, replaced with a deep unsettling fear that I was in the presence of something that I could never comprehend. I knew who it was. Even as oppressive as it felt, there was no mistaking that presence even if I had gotten used to it over the past few weeks. Light filled the Hostess, shining so brightly that it was like the sun itself was behind me. 

Numbly, I looked over at Hestia to see that the flowerlike ribbons and bells in her hair had fallen to the floor, her body radiating a multicolor aura that seemed to shake the planet when she took a step forward. I couldn’t bring myself to breathe, and she wasn’t even focusing on me. 

Slowly, Hestia opened her eyes and glared at Zanis. The action was enough that the smug asshole fell on his ass, the haughty expression he wore was gone like smoke in the wind. 

“You don’t get to decide anything,” Hesita informed, her words a statement of fact. She stared Zanis down for a moment before taking another step forward. 

“I’m going to go have a chat with Soma.”