-Roy Raynolds-
I sighed tiredly, back hitting the cracked Dungeon wall. ‘’So… did you guys get all that?’’
The three women looked at me with varying degrees of befuddlement. Bell groaned from her place at my side. She has not detached herself since that initial hug.
Midna snorted, and Tiona pinched the bridge of her nose.
‘’…We literally just sat down. What are you talking about?’’ Tiona asked flatly.
‘’Right, right…’’ I felt something nuzzling my neck. My hand came to course through the War Shadow’s long mane of hair.
Watching Bell and Tiona growing more concerned by the second was pretty funny. If only I weren’t being stared right through by the latter, I’d probably be laughing my ass off.
Like the goblin on the far corner of the hallway, whose shoulders haven’t stopped shaking.
‘’Right, I’ll make it short then. I have the Monster Tamer Skill.’’ I said. The living shadow perked up, staring between Tiona and me with a confused look. I took the opportunity to point at her. ‘’Monster here. Subdued it. Boom, Monster acquired.’’
‘’Even if you say that…’’ Tiona pursed her lips, tone filled with disbelief. ‘’There’s no monster out there that looks like that!’’
‘’Wow, body shaming.’’ I deadpanned. ‘’And I thought that mutt was low. For shame, Tiona, for shame.’’
‘’That’s not what I meant! Monsters don’t even… ugh!’’ The Amazon clenched her fists against her thighs and turned to Bell with an irritated look. ‘’He’s like this all the time?’’
The bun-bun stared dead at the Level Five’s eyes. ‘’Yes.’’
‘’It’s really not that hard to grasp, guys.’’ I huffed. ‘’In fact, I’d say you two took it preeetty well.’’
‘’…I have half a mind to kick your teeth off.’’ Tiona offered a tight smile.
‘’Like I said. Pretty well.’’
The War Shadow moved again. Her ‘clothes’ seemed to morph and change. The goop-like shadows enveloped around me as a sort of blanket. Or maybe a full-body hug?
‘’Male… Warm…’’ She looked happy nonetheless. Or as happy as a flat-faced shadow could be.
‘’Is that thing even safe?’’ Tiona asked.
‘’I… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a talking monster.’’ Bell questioned. As she hugged me close, part of her body was also enveloped in the shadows, but instead of panicking, she looked at the goop-like substance with caution. ‘’Not even in Grandpa’s tales. Monsters are usually… beasts.’’
‘’Well, that’s weird.’’ I hummed. ‘’After all, the two of you had been talking to a monster all this time.’’
‘’Huh?’’ ‘’We have?’’
Instead of answering, my eyes slowly crept towards Midna. The cloaked goblin rolled her lone eye as she stepped closer to the group.
‘’What a way to throw me under the bus, hoomie.’’
‘’Bitch, you don’t even know what a bus is.’’ I scoffed.
The reaction was more or less what I expected. Tiona blinked several times, looking between Midna and me. Meanwhile, Bell’s jaw was on the floor.
‘’Midna is… a monster?’’ Suddenly, her ears stood ram-rod straight, and her pale complexion erupted into a thermonuclear flush. ‘’Y-you! W-with a m-monster…?!’’
‘’What are you on about now?’’
Bell opened her mouth and immediately closed it. My head snapped back to Midna, who had the most shit-eating grin that has ever stretched across a living being’s face.
‘’She heard us fuck.’’ She said. The entire tunnel was silent. ‘’Multiple times.’’
‘’I… It’s not… YOU TWO ARE WAY TOO LOUD!’’ Bell shouted. Somehow, the bun-bun violated every logic and physics, because even the fur on her ears had become red. Seriously, what is up with that? ‘’IT’S A MIRACLE LADY HEASTIA HASN’T HEARD YOU TWO! A-AND DO YOU HAVE TO DO IT EVERY DAY?!’’
My brain tuned out Bell’s half-incoherent thoughts, because I didn’t particularly need the image of our Familia Captain being an unwilling voyeur inside my head right now.
‘’You… laid with a monster,’’ Tiona stated. Her expression didn’t reveal anything, but I’d say she was a mix of flabbergasted and scared. ‘’How… why?’’
I deadpanned. ‘’Monster pussy grips like a vice. Shit’s better than crack.’’
That only made Tiona scrunch up her face in confusion. ‘’…What’s crack?’’
My eyes widened in surprise. Now it was my turn to have my mouth open like a fish’s. ‘’Ain’t no way you guys have magic but not crack.’’
Wait… if there are recreational drugs, but no crack… Oh, Hestia above, could I finally put my uncle’s teachings to work, and get a fuck-load of bread?!
‘’Why does it—‘’
‘’She.’’ I corrected.
Tiona took a deep breath before gesturing to the War Shadow currently wrapping her breasts around my face. ‘’Why does she look like that? I… Monsters are not supposed to look any different between genders.’’
‘’Well, tell that to whoever put that fancy skill in my freaking soul.’’ I shrugged. ‘’I can only tame female monsters. Do you know how many goblin testicles I have popped while trying to find something resembling Midna?’’
‘’That’s because you can only find perfection once, hoomie!’’ The goblin masquerading as an imp hollered.
Tiona stared, almost scared to ask.
‘’Five hundred and forty nine.’’ I stated. "That’s two hundred and seventy-four goblins that I have taken away testicle privileges from. Seriously, no wonder these fuckers come out of the walls.’’
‘’…Wouldn’t the number of testicles need to be twice as many as the number of goblins?’’ Tiona asked, nose scrunched up in a cute, confused face.
‘’That’s because one of ‘em had like, three balls.’’ I huffed. ‘’Took me two kicks, the bastard.’’
‘’…I regret asking.’’ Tiona deflated. Her stare went back to Midna as the girl was… playing with the war shadow?
Midna had this concentrated look on her face while using her Shadow Manipulation skill. She moved part of the goop around my body, and then the War Shadow structured it back together.
It was almost wholesome.
Tiona pursed her lips at the scene. ‘’Haa… Worst part is, I don’t think I’ve even seen tamed monsters be this docile.’’
‘’Hm? What are other tamed monsters like?’’ I asked.
‘’Barely restrained. Usually very angry even if they follow any sort of instructions. Also, as precautions, they still have to wield chains and collars for restraint.’’ The Amazon hummed, eyes widening. ‘’Now that I think about it… Monsterphilia is right around the corner.’’
I choked. ‘’Monsther-philia?’’
Midna’s shoulders shook as ugly snorts escaped her mouth. Both Bell and Tiona looked confused, and surprisingly, both tilted their heads to the side.
‘’And I’m supposed to be the sick one?’’ I asked in mock offense. ‘’They have a whole monster-fucking event!’’
Realization dawned on the Amazon’s face.
‘’No, wait…’’
‘’Chains and collars, huh? Let me guess, this event is public, too?’’ Midna teased with a toothy, shark-like grin. ‘’Damn, you guys are freaks. We're gonna have to give it our best, Daddy~’’
‘’That’s not what that means!’’
‘’Essence… Monsters… Copulation?’’ Even the Dark Shadow commented on.
‘’I’m telling you that’s not it! Are you guys even listening?!’’
‘’S-so lewd…’’ Bell whispered, lost in her own world.
‘’Y-you’re all just a bunch of degenerates!’’ For the first time, I saw Tiona flustered. Her caramel skin darkened to a rosy tinge, making her look just adorable. ‘’Haaagh. Whatever, I don’t care! Talking monsters are confusing as it is. I don’t care about any of that!’’
Suddenly, the Amazon got up, arms crossed. The pressure exuded by the woman felt like it was wrapping its arms around my neck and choking me like a slut. Tiona stared us down with an undecipherable expression before turning to Midna.
‘’You… you don’t want to kill people, do you?’’ She asked.
‘’I may knife a motherfucker for looking at me funny.’’ The goblin snorted. Though seeing Tiona’s gaze narrow, she rolled her lone eye, resigned. ‘’Fiiiine… No, I don’t. But doesn’t mean I’m going to let shit slide. It ain’t that sweet, homegirl.’’
Tiona’s lips pursed. Her gaze now turned to the shadow wrapping around Bell and me like a blanket. I don’t think the rabbit has even noticed that shadowy and clingy over here was getting very used to her.
The War Shadow, as if prompted, looked in Tiona’s direction. Her eyes darkened, the sclera became completely black for a second, and it almost felt like… it was trying to protect us?
Weird how this Monster Tamer thing works. This big-tiddied shadow was trying to cut off my head minutes ago.
One squeeze from my hand into her… body, and she seemed to calm down.
‘’Humans… No Essence… Don’t want… Anymore…’’ She stated before nuzzling back into my neck. ‘’Essence… Here…’’
‘’See?’’ I smiled smugly from my place, being enveloped by a murderous shadow and a shy bun-bun. ‘’We may be fucked in the head, but we ain’t chopping people them down!’’
‘’Except that old man… Pretty sure he died.’’ Midna whispered to herself.
‘’We ain’t chopping them down most of the time.’’ I corrected.
Given the hard-coded evidence and my abilities as a de-scalator, it was clear what the result would be.
I bowed my head slightly with a deadpan, raising my hands from between the goop-like shadows and placing them on the ground.
‘’TIONA, PLEASE DON’T ACCUSE US WITH THE GOVERNMENT, OR WE ARE COOKED!’’
Midna nodded wisely. ‘’Astronomically cooked. Burnt, even.’’
Bell blinked, almost as if waking up from a nap. Her ears twitched, and she also turned to Tiona to bow her head, though much lower than I. ‘’U-um… Please keep it a secret or… we are finished?’’
I resisted the urge to snort.
Midna cleaned a tear from her eye. ‘’I’m so proud…’’
The Amazon looked between all four of us. The conflict of emotions was clear on her face. Considering her high level, and how stats rise… She must have been an adventurer for years, maybe most of her life. Monster killing is their whole thing.
If this were any other Adventurer, I don’t think they would have agreed, but this one in particular saved me from the brink of death, with all expenses paid out of her pocket, and then invited us to dinner because she felt bad that my dumbass decided to say ‘fuck yeah, we are fighting the piece of beef built like a brick shit-house’.
In short, Tiona was way too nice.
‘’Ugh… I get it, I get it! Please stop looking at me like I just kicked a puppy!’’ The Amazon huffed, completely deflating, which also caused the pressure to drop massively. ‘’But I’ll… I’ll be watching you! Yeah, I’ll come over to make completely sure that you aren’t doing anything shady, got it?’’
Midna’s eye widened. ‘’So we not only get a shadow-babe, but also a chocolate beauty to visit us daily?’’ Suddenly, she turned to me. ‘’Did we die and go to Heaven, hoomie?’’
‘’I mean, I almost died, so…’’ I snorted. ‘’But you got it wrong. That’s not chocolate, that’s caramel, you dunce.’’
Bell looked between the two of us with a thousand-yard stare born out of getting used to our antics. ‘’…Please don’t antagonize Lady Tiona.’’
‘’What would bun-bun be, then?’’ Asked Midna with a smirk, since the girl had stepped in the line of fire.
‘’Vanilla, duh.’’ I followed along. ‘’Girl next door vibes, super shy, the kind that you just want to squeeze her cheeks.’’
‘’T-that doesn’t mean to do it to me, you two!’’ Bell groaned, sinking into the War Shadow’s body while covering her face. ‘’Uhh… This is not an adventure… You’re a liar, grandpa…’’
Tiona could only watch in a mix of amusement and befuddlement. ‘’You guys are so weird.’’
‘’Breaking-fucking-news!’’ I cackled.
Well, we managed to avoid getting turned into mist by a raging Amazon and even got a new companion out of it. Overall, I’d call today a success.
‘’Oh shit.’’ My eyes widened.
‘’What? What’s wrong?’’ Bell immediately acted, grabbing my shoulders and looking me all over. ‘’Did you get wounded somewhere? Are you alright—‘’
‘’We killed a fuck-ton of War Shadows…’’ A smile crept up my face. If it were physically possible, I’d have dollar signs in my eyes. ‘’We are going to be so fucking rich!’’ Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.
Life was good.
‘’…We should still take those dudes' bodies and bring them to the surface,’’ Midna said, looking between the crystal-like chamber and our group. ‘’You did use one as a meat shield, remember?’’
Life was mostly good.
-X-x-X-
-Hestia-
Hestia hummed a small tune to herself while cleaning around the house. With her two children—Ugh, no.
She should really stop excluding Midna from that sentence. Monster or not.
With her three children out in the Dungeon, the house felt… oddly empty.
‘’Imagine if the place was any bigger…’’ She sighed while dusting one of the bookshelves, which was mostly filled with Bell’s fantasy books. ‘’Wonder when they’ll get back~’’
Honestly, she was feeling pretty happy lately! Not only had she acquired her second and third—if incredibly odd—children a week or so ago, but they got along pretty well, and they even paid for this entire house so they could all live together.
It was everything she imagined when she descended to the lower world!
‘’Haa, but being in an Exploration Familia means they’ll be out for most of the day, won’t they?’’ The petite Goddess hummed and sat down on the couch, a small pout on her face. ‘’I can’t imagine when they go on full-on expeditions, I’m going to bore to death!’’
Though, maybe that was a good thing? It would be worse for the three of them and her if things weren’t going as smoothly.
Maybe she’ll just need to pick up a hobby? Considering that they made her quit the potato-puff stand…
‘’Oh, that’s right…’’ Hestia frowned, her eyes settled on a calendar on the kitchen’s countertop, and that made a big smile appear on her face. ‘’Ganesha’s banquet is right around the corner, isn’t it? Usually, I don’t go. But… Loki would be there, wouldn’t she?’’
Remembering the fact that her Level One child beat that flat-tits-Loki’s level FIVE Vanargard made her feel warm and happy, and she just wanted to hug Roy until she ran out of strength, or so did he out of air!
The Goddess cackled like a certain shoulder-goblin. Hestia may not be all gung-ho with the idea of monsters on the surface, but… Midna was nice, in a sense. She worried about Roy and Bell, even if she spoke in dirty innuendos half the time.
Not to mention the noise…
‘Really, do they think I’m deaf or something?!’ Hestia pouted. ‘I may be called ‘the oldest one’ from time to time, but I’m not senile! I recognize… m-moans when I hear them.’
But… There’s nothing to be done about that, considering Roy’s Skill.
‘‘He’s not normal—No, not a single one of the three is normal.’’ Hestia half-complained. The sense of pride in her chest was only overshadowed by how dangerous those Skills were! ‘’…The Banquet, right! I should see Hephaestus there, and maybe she can help me out! She must have seen something like this, right?’’
Her shoulders relaxed as she became one with the couch. ‘’Well, nothing more I can do right now. I’ll use some of the money I have left over to buy a nice dress. Hm, Hm… I wonder what sort of face Roy and Bell would make, ehehe~’’
Hestia felt a tug at her chest. ‘’Huh…’’
But not the kind of tug she felt that day with Roy and… the minotaur situation. It was a different kind of tug, like annoyance?
A deep annoyance and a headache that would follow right after.
Something was off.
‘’HELLO, THE HOUSE!’’ Hestia barely got to her feet and put on her sandals before the door blew right open and smacked the wall.
‘’Oi, careful with the doors!’’ She chastised with a frown, but it soon melted into a smile as she saw her three children. ‘’How was your day in the—Roy, you’re covered in blood!’’
The brown-haired man had his equally brown cloak torn to shreds. One of the pieces was wrapped around his shoulder, and the black undershirt was covered in claw marks and healing bruises.
Her eyes immediately snapped to Bell and Midna. The former also had a few bruises here and there, but her clothes didn’t look like a Dragon had decided to use them like a chew toy, and the smug Imp on top of the Bunny-hume’s shoulders looked smug as ever, not a single scratch on her.
‘’Oh, these old things?’’ The man chuckled while gesturing to his injuries. ‘’Well… the arm almost did come off, but nothing that some magic juice of dubious origin couldn’t fix!’’
‘’YOUR ARM ALMOST CAME OFF?!’’ She shouted, causing Bell to hiss. She turned an apologetic smile to her first child. ‘’A-ah, sorry, Little Bell… But what do you mean by magic juice—‘’
‘’A potion, Goddess.’’ Bell said flatly. Hestia had to do a double-take because she had never heard Bell so… done for? ‘’He means a potion.’’
‘’Right…’’ With a concerned frown, Hestia started patting them over. There were no other serious injuries, and Midna was already unpacking bags with Magic Stones and the rare item drop here and there, which caused her to let out a sigh of relief. ‘’I’m just glad the three of you came back safe. So, what was today’s Dungeon Dive like—Roy, who's that woman?’’
Hestia didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed her before. Right beside the man, as if she had just appeared out of thin air, was a gloomy-looking woman in a long, long black dress that… shifted with the barest hint of movement from her part.
Her hair, equally as long, seemed to almost melt with the clothing, and her eyes were as dark as the void itself. The only way she could identify her as a woman was, well… her breasts, which were barely concealed within her clothes, and the unnaturally pale skin under so many dark colors.
That’s when the human-like similarities stopped, because a second later, Hestia witnessed the woman attach herself to Roy with a frown.
‘’Smell… Strange… Divine?’’ The raspy voice that came out was not what she expected. ‘’Hmm… Nice Smell… Warm…’’
But more importantly, Bell was witnessing all of this!
‘’R-Roy, what did I say about…’’ Hestia couldn’t come up with words, frantically looking between the obvious Monster-woman and the tired Bunny-hume. ‘’This?’’
‘’It’s chill, Bell knows already,’’ Roy said casually while stepping into the house proper. He cracked his neck and shoulders with a tired sigh before staring pointedly at the woman literally attached to his back. ‘’Oi. Get off already, you’re heavy.’’
‘’Heavy…?’’ The woman asked. Roy immediately flopped onto the couch, only for the shadow to wrap around him like a blanket. ‘’Warm…?’’
‘’Yes, warm.’’ He said with a nod.
The shadow nuzzled him closer, staring straight into his eyes. ‘’Essence…?’’
‘’…Screw it, why not?’’
Hestia had to witness as his oddball of a child suddenly started making out with the shadow-like monster woman.
Tongue and everything.
‘’Roy! You can’t just… Why are you like this?!’’ A sudden heat rose to her cheeks. Quickly, she turned to Bell and Midna. ‘’You two, say something—‘’
Midna had a shit-eating grin, merely giving a thumbs up.
Bell, on the other hand, flushed… before turning away and trying to ignore the two shameless idiots on the couch. A simple growl of the girl’s stomach made Hestia realize that little Bell was probably going to raid the food pantry.
Something in her brain clicked right for a moment, at least.
‘’Soft, chewy hay is in the right cabinet. Lettuce is in the fridge!’’ Hestia called out.
‘’Thank you, Lady Hestia!’’
‘’…I told you to drop the ‘Lady’ already.’’ She huffed.
Finally, her gaze turned to the shadow woman and Roy as they finally finished their depraved acts. For some reason, the girl looked all too pleased, even with a flat expression, and Roy just looked between tired and confused.
‘’You’re shameless. I should smack you for that.’’ Hestia said before sighing. ‘’But you’re recovering as it is… and I guess one more mouth is not that bothersome to feed. So, what’s her name?’’
Roy blinked.
Midna paused, lips pursed, though the amusement in her lone eye was palpable.
‘’Dunno.’’ The man shrugged, leaning into the shadow’s embrace. ‘’Hey, what do you want to be called—gah! My nose! What about not hitting me?!’’
Hestia deadpanned, having thrown her slipper and nailed the bastard on the nose. ‘’My hand slipped.’’
‘’Hand slipped my ass! That’s your sandal!’’
‘’It must have really slipped.’’ She said, on an even flatter tone.
‘’Assault, Assault I say!’’
‘’You don’t get to say anything, you womanizer of a child!’’
The nerve of this idiotic man!
…
That same night, after everything was said and done, Hestia sat on her own bed. The bunny-hume at her side slept soundly, unaware of her Goddess’ discomfort.
In her hands, Hestia had two pieces of paper that were like a smack to the face.
[Bell Cranel.]
Species: [Bunny-Hume.]
Status:
[Level: 1.]
[Strenght: I-88 --> H-181]
[Endurance: I-34 --> I-98 ]
[Dexterity: I-92 --> H-179]
[Agility: H-186 --> F-324]
[Magic: I-0]
Skills:
[Cruentus Cordis.]
Magic:
[-]
[Roy Raynolds.]
Species: [Human.]
Status:
[Level: 1.]
[Strenght: H-102 --> H-176]
[Endurance: G-205 --> F-357]
[Dexterity: I-73 --> H-158]
[Agility: I-94 --> H-166]
[Magic: I-1 --> H-122]
Skills:
[Monster Taming(?)]
[Szalony Debil]
Magic:
[-]
‘I definitely need to speak with Hephestus…’ She clutched the papers tight. ‘And I can’t keep hiding these Skills from them forever! Bell didn’t pay much attention to it, but Roy was looking at me weirdly earlier!’ Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Seriously, this was ridiculous. Roy went up around five hundred points in a single day! And Little Bell even skipped a whole grade in her Agility!
The deep sense of pride in her chest was only overshadowed by how flabbergasted she was!
‘’…Goddess?’’ Bell stirred, opening her crimson eyes slightly. ‘’Everything—hmph’’
‘’Silence, problem child. Go to sleep.’’ Hestia deadpanned after having dropped a pillow on the bunny’s face.
Seriously, what was she going to do with these two?
-X-x-X-
-Tiona Hiryute-
‘’Haaa, seriously, how has today been more tiring than a dive on the deep floors?’’ Tiona complained as her back hit the bed.
Inside Twilight Manor, the Amazon could finally relax, her hands on the back of her head, staring at the roof with… indecision.
What was she supposed to do now?
Sure, she said all that stuff about watching over the Hestia Familia and not telling anything, but how would she even be able to hide it?!
If Loki decided to use her brain sometime soon, and started asking questions… Well, she couldn’t lie to a God! Like, physically, you can’t!
‘’Uhhh… How annoying…’’ She turned around on her bed several times, messing up the blankets while clenching her fists tight. ‘’What do I do, what do I dooo?!’’
For now… Tiona will just follow her word. And, well, it’s not like the trip was wasted!
She never had to fight that many War Shadows before. Weak monsters ran away, after all, and it had been a while since she could just start punching things without caring about anything. It was… nice.
‘’And that fight was awesome!’’ Her eyes sparkled as she buzzed with excitement. ‘’It was all woosh, woosh, slash! Fight to the death, only one side shall remain!’’
Well… it was awesome until Roy decided to kiss the Irregular War Shadow right in the mouth.
Tiona frowned, an odd feeling of curiosity rising to her head. ‘’…Are there even any books where heroes do that to monsters? There shouldn’t be, right?’’
The image was still fresh on her mind. Roy forcefully opened the thing’s maw, and… rolled around his tongue with its own. All bruised, injured, and determined…
Tiona blinked. A flush rose to her face as something weird throbbed in her core.
‘’M-maybe I’ll check the library for—‘’
Slam!
‘’Oi, Tiona, did you get my—Hmph!’’ Her sister had suddenly slammed the door right open and barged in, which Tiona answered with a pillow to the face. ‘’…That was uncalled for.’’
‘’Told you to knock like a hundred times before.’’ Tiona huffed as she sat up on the bed.
‘’I did, you just didn’t answer, and were whispering to yourself.’’ Tiona deadpanned.
‘’Ah…’’ She could only offer a sheepish smile. ‘’My bad?’’
Her sister merely huffed and shook her head, hands on her hips. ‘’Alright, doesn’t matter. So, my carving tools, did you get them? There’s this really nice pattern I wanted to try…’’
‘’Your… tools?’’ Tiona froze.
‘’The ones I sent you to buy?’’ Tiona asked, crossing her arms. ‘’Please don’t tell me you forgot.’’
Oh.
The tools.
The tools that she left in a bag inside Roy’s shadow.
‘’Oh, um… Well, you see, I did get the tools…’’ Tiona started, trying to smile while internally panicking. ‘’But uhh… Ah, yes, I just had such a good time going out and stuff that… I must have forgotten to take them home and left them in the shop!’’
‘’You forgot them… at the shop.’’ Tione repeated with an incredulous frown.
‘’Y-up! Clumsy me, right? Aha…haha…’’
LEFT THEM AT THE SHOP?! SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU TRYING TO GET CAUGHT, TIONA?!
Suddenly, her sister’s eyes widened in realization. Tiona turned her gaze away, still feeling the previous embarrassment on her cheeks go up by a thousandfold.
‘’Oh, I see what’s happening here.’’ Her sister said.
Tiona’s head snapped back to her sister, scared out of her mind. ‘’Y-you do?!’’
‘’It’s obvious…’’ Tione huffed in amusement… before her mouth widened into a sly, cat-like grin. ‘’You found that man again, didn’t you? Roy, was it? And you had ‘such a great time’, too…’’
Tiona froze. Was this really how far she could take the secret? How did Tione figure it out so fast?!
‘’T-tione, I can explain—‘’
‘’No need, no need.’’ The Amazon waved her off. ‘’It’s good that you’re trying to find yourself a man. Not a bad choice either, considering the number he did on Bete. Do you know he’s been practicing drinking with Gareth? HA!’’ With a dreamy sigh, Tione’s eyes sparkled. ‘’I’ll be distracted too if I were on a date with the Captain…~’’
…Date?
‘’What?’’ Tiona blinked.
‘’Forget about the tools for now. It would be awkward to fetch them back.’’ Tiona’s sister, ignoring her absolute befuddlement, waved her off while exiting the room. ‘’You can go get them ’at the shop’ tomorrow… Got you an excuse for a second date, did you? Fufufu~’
Without another word, her sister exited the room, leaving the door right open and a confused Tiona sitting on her bed.
Tiona, who finally processed what her sister was insinuating, broke into a full-body blush.
‘’WHAT?! O-OI, TIONE, YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG!’’ She shouted, but to no avail; her sister was long gone.
…At least she managed to keep the secret for a day?
Silver linings.
-X-x-X-
-Bonus Scene: All-Knowing-
A cloaked figure descended dark, barely-lit steps without making any noise. Slowly but surely, they made their way down, their robes moving as if hit by a light breeze.
The staircase led to a chamber lit by no more than four torches. In this chamber rested a stone or granite throne, with a small set of steps leading to it.
‘’You have called for me, Lord Ouranous?’’ The hooded figure’s voice was dry, and it echoed in the chamber, bouncing off the walls.
‘’I have indeed.’’ Answered the old man. His blue eyes seemed to look at nothing, but he knew better than that. The God was probably using a Divine Mirror. ‘’I am worried, Fels.’’
The newly identified Fels hummed. ‘’When are you not in worry, I wonder?’’
Ouranous’s face changed, from a tired frown to the tiniest of smiles. ‘’When indeed… But this is another matter. A Monster has escaped the Dungeon.’’
The words made the cloaked Fels freeze, but only for a moment. ‘’Escaped? Could it be… Another Calamity?’’ While its face was hidden away, the curiosity in its tone was more than palpable.
‘’No, no. Nothing that serious…’’ Ouranous reassured. Suddenly, a circular ‘glass’ appeared right in front of it. ‘’Look for yourself.’’
And so, Fels did.
The mirror revealed a cozy home. A Divine presence, while subdued thanks to the God’s rules, clearly sparkled with its own fire.
‘’Hestia Familia?’’ Fels questioned. ‘’Last I heard, they have caused problems many for some members of the Guild. Is that…?’’
Where it expected a Goddess and maybe a few members, Fels saw something strange.
A small, pointy-eared girl with sharp teeth and a stone mask covering her face. She was playing around, clapping her hands, which made things swap out of place, much to the Goddess’s annoyance.
Then, near the couch, it saw a… blanket of darkness enveloping a man. Was that… A War Shadow? And that girl, while convincing, was undoubtedly a Goblin.
Never before had Fels seen Monsters so… humanoid. Even the Xenos, while they had some human-like members, were mostly Monsters through and through.
But this…
Fels saw those two, along with a Goddess, and two adventurers interact with each other. Laugh, joke, just… living.
‘’For you, my Lord, this must be dream cometh true.’’ Said Fels. ‘’No wonder your spirit seems high.’’
Ouranous laughed, laughed. A full belly sound that could only come from an old man. Never before had Fels witnessed such a thing.
‘Life really is full of surprises…’ Looking between the Divine Mirror and the God, Fels couldn’t help but ask. ‘’I’m guessing you already know how this came to be?’’
Ouranous nodded. ‘’The man. He possessed something strange… But it seems both of those Monsters are attracted to it. For you see, Fels… that War Shadow right there, it is not a Xenos.’’
‘’A Taming ability?’’
The God shook his head. ‘’Not even the best child of Ganesha could accomplish a feat like this. It is… unnatural. Beautiful, but unnatural.’’
Being one to get straight to the point, Fels nodded along. ‘’How do we deal with it?’’
‘’We watch.’’ Ouranous stated firmly. His hands clenched against the throne’s armrest. ‘’We watch, and if there’s a way for us to help, then we do so. This may be the thing we have been waiting for a long time, my friend.’’
‘’Or it may cause panic among the people,’’ Fels informed, always considering both options. ‘’The very ruin of Orario, and the Guild as we know it.’’
He nodded sagely, but his determination wasn’t dissuaded. If anything, it burned brighter than ever. Without another word, the God took back the mirror, staring at it as if truly mesmerized.
Fels didn’t need any more confirmation. Its orders were clear. To observe and lend a hand if needed.
With that, its cloaked form disappeared, leaving the old God to his prayers.
-X-x-X-.
.
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If you're wondering just how big of a jump did Bell and Roy make:
Bell earned 382 stat points.
Roy earned 504 stat points.
Roy would have actually earned a much smaller amount than Bell (maybe a few hundred or so) if it weren't for the Irregular War Shadow. Bell's skill works with desire, but Roy only works depending on how reckless he is.
And let's say that if you're going five fingers deep—pause—and making out with a monster, you are not being very careful, kek.
As for why Roy jumped from 205 instead of the previously shown 105, that's because the 105 was the Endurance previous to his drinking contest with Bete. I'll say that a one hundred point increase for consuming deadly amounts of alcohol is pretty fair, overall.
Making Tiona and Tione behave like siblings was also pretty fun, lol.
I also publish on other sites, if you wish to check them out:
FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/15809388/HamsterX42
QQ: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/search/35199387/?c[users]=HamsterX42&o=date
Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamsterX42