[Freya, Goddess of Love, Beauty, and War]
A smile tugged at her lips, but she did her "best" to conceal with behind the wine glass in her hand. "So, you've... left the Loki familia, Tanya-chan?"
The young woman stilled for a moment before nodding her head. "Yes, I will not go into details, but there was a difference in opinion that was... irreconcilable. After some deliberation, it was decided that I would leave the familia, in good standing, and I have sought out a smaller familia where I can start anew. This just happened to be the Hestia familia, as I was at least familiar with her, and while she was quite spirited, I found that I did not wholly disagree with her reasons to be so."
Ah, how interesting! While she knew that there would be some fallout with Loki's Finn Deimne playing his little games, she didn't expect Tanya von Degurechaff to just... simply walk away.
Leaving one's familia was only done in disgrace or in a pine box to be lowered into the ground- of course, there were retirees, but those were still active within the rolls of the familias that offered them; the taxes paid to the Guild were part of that retirement as they more often than not kept their falnas. One did not reward decades of loyalty and hard work by stripping them of their efforts once they were no longer actively serving the interests of the familia; at least, that was Freya's view- those who wished to leave could do so with her falna still on their backs.
They earned that strength, not Freya, who was she to take that away from them?
Regardless, she had missed out on a sparkling opportunity. "I wish that you would have at least given me a chance to tempt you over to my familia, Tanya-chan, I think that you would have found a wonderful home here; Ottar-kun would have been happy to have you, at the very least."
At Ottar's mention, the young blonde smiled, "I think that Ottar-san is someone that I could have gotten along well with, as well as Alfrigg-san. While I did appreciate working side-by-side with the Freya familia in the Dungeon, I do believe that I would have encountered more friction here from your other members. You are quite loved, after all, and jealousy is a green-eyed monster that can even grip the hearts of the most stoic of men."
Freya nodded her head and hummed, "Yes, it is an unfortunate truth that whenever someone new is admitted into the familia it is because they're an exceptional individual that has caught my eye and my... affections."
The blush on the young woman's cheeks was delicious, and she squirmed in her seat a little bit before coughing into her fist and recentering herself. "Be that as it may, Freya-sama, I am not here to discuss pleasantries, as after joining the Hestia familia I find myself and my new familia embroiled in a War Game-"
"You wish to seek aid?" Freya interjected, shifting in her seat and leaning off to the side, delighting at the way the young teen's eyes raked across the flesh of her bosom. "You know that I cannot give meaningful help, as it would be seen as favoritism, Tanya-chan. Besides, you are Level 2, and the members who followed you... I heard that four of them were Level 4, are they not?"
Tanya went rigid before her posture slackened slightly, "Upon our leaving of the familia, Loki-sama zeroed us out, so we are all fresh Level 1s. While this shouldn't be an issue for the War Game, as I am confident in my ability to win, we still have three days until the Game itself is decided, and two weeks from then that day until the War Game commences."
The young woman's face was kept artfully neutral, but her gloves creaked as her fists tightened. "I would not ask for financial, material, or aid in the form of personnel. I would, however, ask that you allow us to use the training facilities you have created based on the facilities that I built for the Loki familia. I would be willing to pay to use them, of course."
The Goddess smiled beatifically as she set her wine glass down onto the table in front of her, "Now that is something I can help with- as long as your members do not seek help from mine, then it would be no different than allowing you to use our training grounds. Not even Apollo would object to such an arrangement as it is you would be leading your training, yes?"
"Indeed, that would be the case, Freya-sama."
She held out her hand and her dutiful Alan-kun landed at her side and held out a tray that had a notebook with a pen resting on it. The Goddess picked up the pen, cracked open the inkwell, and opened up the book to the first crisp sheet of paper. The Goddess was pleased to see that the young woman already had her own notebook in hand, although her pen was a sight-bit different. Curious.
Regardless, this would solve many of Freya's current problems without her even having to lift a finger. Apollo-kun has become a thorn in her side as of late- stealing the Children from other familias, brow-beating those weaker than him, among many other things. The only thing that made this a true comedy was the fact that the same Divines complaining to Freya about his transgressions also levied those same charges against her. Not that she was guilty- she didn't need to use hamfisted tactics or her Charm to attract desirable Children into her bosom, no, they came to her willingly because she had what they wanted.
Whether it was her body or her power, she would offer them whatever they desired; some were harder to entice than others, but the thrill of the chase just made it all the more sweeter when she finally placed her falna upon their backs. Tanya von Degurechaff and Bell Cranel would be no different.
She let her pen dip into the inkwell and smiled. "Very good, Tanya-chan, now, let us discuss business, shall we?"
It was so amusing to see the girl's expression and posture change at the Goddess' words.
[Tanya von Degurechaff]
10,000 valis per person, per week. It was a rather hefty price for what could be seen as a gym membership, but considering this was a major familia and they knew that the Hestia familia could afford to pay with Tanya's assets now within the Goddess of the Hearth's domain, it was still rather cheap. 180,000 valis for the Hestia familia's 18 members per week, with 19 days until the War Game...
"488,571 valis." Tanya spoke out as she finished running the math and Freya tittered behind her hand.
"I think we can just round that down to 488,500 valis, Tanya-chan. No need to stress over a couple of Jagamarukuns." The Goddess of Beauty leaned back in her chair on the roof of the Freya familia's primary compound, her eyes scanning over a hand-written but plainly worded contract for the purchase of "Time" to "Utilize the Freya familia's training facilities".
The young woman managed to suppress her flinch, but it was a near thing- to think that a Goddess would not only be working as a mere clerk in Hephaestus' shops but also working at a... potato-puff pastry stand? How undignified for anyone under the age of 21 to be working such a job, let alone a Goddess! That work should be for young teens needing the work experience so that they can grow accustomed to responsibility and the rigors of adulthood, not for Goddesses!
Tanya reached into her belt pouch and pulled out five 100,000 valis gold coins before placing them on a tray and sliding it off to the side where Alfrigg came over from his place at Freya's side to place 11,500 valis in change. Ah, a nice, clean transaction! Coin exchanged for access- no petty politics or mind games, just simple, pure business!
"Thank you for allowing us to utilize your equipment, Freya-sama. While I don't believe that it will be necessary, I am not the type to leave things up to chance." Tanya spoke as she placed her notepad and a copy of the contract into her briefcase, the young woman standing up and adjusting her suit before giving the Goddess a professional bow. "We will be here tonight at around seven in the evening, and will adjust our schedules after."
The Goddess beamed and shook her head, "Oh no, Tanya-chan, it warms my heart to see that you are so willing to go so far to aid your new familia."
Tanya began walking away towards the double-doors with Alfrigg escorting her, but the Goddess' voice calling out to her made her pause. "Tanya-chan, I would say 'good luck', but I don't think you'll need it."
Tanya felt a grin sweep across her face as she turned her head and leveled her gaze. "I appreciate your confidence, Freya-sama, but I do believe that the sentiment should be saved for Apollo-sama and his familia."
The young teen felt a thrill shoot up her spine as she watched the Goddess visibly shudder at her declaration. "Well then, show me what you're capable of, Tanya-chan."
[Hestia - Goddess of the Hearth]
"These are the contracts that I've created for myself and my subordinates," Tanya von Deguschmaff slid a packet of paper across the table, the edges of the parchment coming to rest right at Hestia's fingertips, "I think that you'll find the terms quite agreeable for both yourself, the familia, and for the men and women under my care."
The blonde interlaced her fingers on the table and took a sip of the tea that Hestia managed to scrounge together- the Apollo familia's assault on the church had ruined a lot of the structure up top, but it left most of their home in the basement untouched. Aside from a light dusting on the furniture, which was fortunate because if the structure hadn't been as sturdy it would have collapsed and she would have lost the bed that she shared with her Bell-kun!
"By taking us in, you will not only have a Captain who has seen how the larger familias handle their administration, training, equipment, and diving apparatuses, but you'll also be gaining a capable former Level 4 team who is quite well known, a former Level 3 who has over a decade's worth of experience handling paperwork, and a solid team of former Level 1s who are well-trained and well equipped for immediate deployment to the Dungeon." The young woman coughed into her hand, "In addition to that I have my personal funds of which I am willing to part with a significant amount in order to get this familia off the ground."
Hestia couldn't help but scream internally as the Enemy of All Hestias continued to expound upon the virtues and benefits of taking her in, along with her cohort of incredibly capable Children. Hestia wasn't one for seeing 'the dagger hidden in the lettering' when it came to things like contracts, but she was quite adept at Administration, and with how plain the language was in the contracts there was little room for ambiguity. It pretty much amounted to "You will do 'X', and we will do 'Y'. We will have 'X' protections while Hestia and the familia will have 'Y' guarantees".
It was a solid deal for Hestia, especially since she needed the numbers! Badly. It was so bad that Welf Crozinario, Liliruca Thieving-Cat, and Yamato Stealherman joined up to fight for her and Bell-kun in the upcoming War Game! Sure, they hadn't decided on what the terms were going to be yet, but she accepted, and having more Children was always better than having less.
Damnit!
Even with Degu-gu-gu's assurances that she had no interest in stealing her Bell-kun, the sheer awe the boy was looking at her with was just something she couldn't tolerate! She would just have to find some reason to turn her down and send the former Loki familia members away-
"I accept! Just don't let that bastard Apollo take my Bell-kun!"
Double-damnit! What the hell, mouth?
The grin on the young woman's face was absolutely predatory, "I think that can be arranged, Hestia-sama. I don't have the full details of this War Game, but rest assured that by bringing myself and my companions in... Apollo has no chance of victory."
What followed after that was a whirlwind of paperwork and falna applications that left the Goddess of the Hearth completely drained. The only good thing about it all was that she was just so tired that she managed to wrangle Bell-kun into pampering her for the rest of the night!
Thankfully, Tanya-chan (Hestia had to remember that she was a part of her familia now and would not accept the Goddess demeaning her name) and her newest Children were quite self-sufficient, with those neat little Tiny Homes that Hestia had seen rolling around the city over the past few weeks. It sort of galled her that the person who manufactured her fantasy of spending time out at the beach in a Tiny Home with just her and Bell-kun was brought about by Tanya of all people!
The training craze that was beginning to sweep through Orario, the Perpetual Expedition, and now the Tiny Homes too!? Bah! Just what kind of Prodigal Child was she!?
At least, that was until she applied Tanya-chan's new falna and got to see just the type of person she was.
It was a good thing that Tanya had requested to have her falna applied alone because Hestia had become a blubbering mess just sifting through all of the girl's experiences- both of them. The Salaryman- a smug machine wrapped in human flesh who needed some love and affection, and Tanya- the young girl who rose up the ranks in a war so terrible that it beggared belief. They were one and the same, and it rankled Hestia that there had been a God so petty and cruel that he would mishandle someone under his care in such a fashion.
To be fair, there were lots of Gods and Goddesses like that in both Tenkai and the Lower World, but that didn't snuff Hestia's righteous indignation at all. Liliruca Arde didn't deserve to be imprisoned and addicted to Soma's wine just because he was too apathetic to care, and that had gotten Hestia up off her rump to go march down to his mansion and poke him in the eye! Figuratively speaking, of course, violence against anyone that wasn't Loki-noboobs was just hard for Hestia; she genuinely didn't have a mean bone in her body.
Which was why she needed a leg-breaker like Tanya-chan!
"Huuhuu. Huuhuuhuu!" The Goddess couldn't stifle her laughter as she thought about the hoards of women that would surely come after her Bell-kun, but Tanya-chan stands in their way on top of a mountain of their comrades with her precious Child standing heroically behind her!
"You seem pretty happy about something, Kami-sama," A warm, handsome voice spoke out from the corner of the ruined first floor of the church. The Goddess let her eyes slide over the small renovations and repairs that they'd gotten done over the past day alone- most of the holes in the front had been patched with wooden planks and the area of worship had been cleared of the broken pews. Her new children had set up the first floor of the church as a little encampment, circling their six Tiny Homes around a firepit made from the dislodged stones; it irked her that the front doors had been blown off, leaving a hole wide enough for them to drag an entire carriage in, but having a dozen Children guarding the front entrance made her feel a lot better.
Only a slap-dash rush job from Crozzo-kun managed to get the doors back on before Tanya-chan and her new Children arrived, and her new Captain ended up just cutting the damaged door-frame out entirely with her Mage Blade spell, leaving the Royal Rats to go and collect wood to frame out the new opening and install new doors. It was temporary, as Tanya admitted that she wasn't a 'structural engineer' but it would hold long enough to last through the War Game, and they if they didn't kick the Apollo familia out of the city entirely, then they would have more than enough valis to purchase out the surrounding abandoned areas and have them demolished to create a 'proper' familia compound.
"Well, why wouldn't I be happy, Erickitty-kun?" Hestia smiled warmly as she hopped off of the very comfortable camp chair that her Tanya-chan had fashioned and moved around the empty wooden crate that served as her desk. The Goddess walked around and made sure to give her... formerly crippled Child a big hug, squeezing him as hard as she could. He's had a very hard life these past fifteen years, he deserved to have the very best strictly-platonic love she could give him! "I got a heaping help of new, experienced Adventurers to join my familia, we're no longer insolvent, my debt to Hephaestus-chan is going to go away soon, and I have more Children! What's not to be happy about!?"
The man's eyes crinkled as he shifted his body so that he could apply a gentle side-hug, the cat-kin dipping his pen back into the inkwell and letting it rest so that he could turn and face her once they both parted. "I am inclined to agree with you, Kami-sama. The only thing I need is for my wife to come rushing back home to me and I will be a man complete."
Spoiler: Erickitty Autumn
"Eh? Is your wife not in the city, Erickitty-kun?" Hestia asked as she walked over to the fire pit and sat down- this was... her first official hearth! Ah! She needed to have an artist come by and sketch this out, to commemorate this moment! Her first hearth, even if it is crappy, should be celebrated!
The man chuckled and shook his head, "Ah, my wife lives here, but after my injury... I started living at the Twilight Manor because it was easier for me to get to work and stay there under the care of our medics. Analisa stays in the women's dorms of the Bastet familia since she is one of their Executives. She left on an assignment to escort some merchants to Telskyura a few months ago, and she should be back soon."
Hestia blinked. "Wait, why would the Merchants need to hire Adventurers to travel through Telskyura? I mean, yeah, I heard some pretty unflattering things about the Amazons there but... from what I heard banditry was non-existent there."
Erickitty smiled softly and shook his head, "Ah, no, they were hired to protect the male merchants from the Amazons. While it pays good money for the male merchants willing to brave the Amazons, sometimes certain men get... ah... 'appropriated' for 'long term inspections'."
Hestia felt a blush creep up her neck as she thought about doing the same to her Bell-kun- chaining him to her bed, the boy's pale skin shining in the morning sunlight. "A-ah, w-well that doesn't sound too bad?"
The cat-kin shrugged his shoulders, "It doesn't sound that bad, but after you've been dried up, they toss you into a labor camp and are worked to death. That is if you don't get lucky and prove to be a potent enough stud to get taken to Goddess' Kali's residence to be used by her personal guard."
Erickitty popped his back and picked up his pen and started writing again, "It sounds like a fun time until you realize that you're an unblessed man who is being tasked with satisfying a lot of blessed Amazonian women; regular blessed women can be hard enough, but Amazons are just as... amorous as men are. I've heard that if they break your hips there they put you down like a horse that broke a leg- the potions and healing there are strictly for their warriors."
"W-wow... that is pretty bad, huh?" Hestia frowned as she held her arms over the small campfire where her Children's leftover lunch was being kept warm for their Captain's return and began to work just the smallest touch of her Divine Authority; she can't do much, but she can at least make her hearth that much more relaxing and welcoming! If the Goddesses of Love can charm men, and Hephaestus-chan can tap into her forge, and Loki-noboobs can unleash her Divine flatness upon the world, then no one would cause a fuss if Hestia made her Children more comfortable, right?
"Well, if I had to die, death by snu-snu sounds like the best way you could go if you ask me." Hack, one of her Royal Rats, had to duck a weakly tossed stone from Tabbitha their Pallum leader.
"Shut up, Hack, death by Amazon should be the least of your worries now that you're going to be a daddy." The small woman grumbled, "Speaking of which-"
Hestia smiled and hummed to herself as her new Children chattered on in the background over copious amounts of paperwork- Tanya-chan had been adamant that a solid paperwork apparatus be set up as a foundation for the future of the familia, and having been on the Heavenly Administration Hestia knew just how important paperwork was. She managed to duck it for almost a whole year, and for her, that was good enough!
Especially since the forms that Tanya-chan and Erickitty-kun put together and streamlined for their familia really cut down on the number of forms needed to ensure that the administrative apparatus was as efficient as possible. Watching the young man-turned-magical-soldier-turned-Adventurer condense four different forms into a single form using her illusions to lay everything out before transcribing it onto a sheet of paper that Hestia could make hundreds of copies of with her magic was truly Masterclass!
137 different forms that the Loki-familia used for their Administration had been cut down to 47 and then condensed into various departments that they would fill out with capable personnel as their familia continued to grow and expand.
"Mortal Resources", "Finance", "General Administration", "Public Affairs", "Training", "Housing", "Logistics", "Combined Arms", "Mortuary Affairs", "Veteran's Affairs", "Dungeon Affairs - Solo/Small Unit", and "Dungeon Affairs - Expeditionary" was truly a treat for Hestia's soul! No doubt more forms would eventually be created as time went on, for even Hestia knew that as their familia grew more problems would eventually arise that would require specialized paperwork.
While most were self-explanatory, Hestia did question the need for the "General Administration", but Tanya-chan explained that the General Admin branch would act as a 'Jack-of-All-Trades' branch that could be picked up and moved around to any department within the familia Admin apparatus. They also served to be the 'Face' of the Administration and would be able to take the Adventurers in the familia and guide them to the proper department for their needs. The 'General Administration' branch would make sure that everyone was taken care of, and that made a great deal of sense in Hestia's opinion.
'No need to wonder where to go, just ask Gen Ad, they'll help you find out where you need to go!'
The "Combined Arms" branch also handled the purchases and repairs of the familia's weapons and armor, and that would be headed up by Welf Crozzo-kun to make sure that the familia was properly equipped.
This was... going to be a whole lot of work, and it was going to take time, but Tanya-chan and Erickitty-kun were confident in their abilities to build an efficient and prosperous system from the ground up, and from what Hestia was seeing already it seemed that her trust was well placed!
A soundless giggle escaped her lips as she finished her magic weaves and watched as it immediately took effect- the Children in the area relaxed ever so slightly. She puffed her chest out with pride- she might not be able to do a lot, but she could at least do this much!
The wooden door opened and Hestia stood up from the campfire and pranced around to see who had just entered, the Goddess sticking her head around the corner of one of the Tiny Homes to spot Tanya-chan as the young woman strode in and shut the door behind her. The former Colonel sighed as she loosened up the tie of her absolutely adorable "work suit" and popped the top few buttons undone.
"Aahhh~, dealing with Freya-sama sure is nerve-wracking." She muttered to herself as she rubbed at her nose with the back of a leather glove-clad hand, "Far too stimulating. How she is able to conduct business of any kind is a wonder in itself!"
Hestia felt her eyebrow twitch at the Goddess of Love and Beauty's mention, but she stuffed that down and walked around the wagon and gave the young woman a warm, welcoming hug. If she, a Goddess, couldn't deal with Freya's nonsense, then it must have been really hard for a mortal such as Tanya-chan! She needed her support!
"Welcome home, Tanya-chan!" Hestia chirped as she gave her a tight squeeze before stepping back, "I know that you think that Freya is someone that you can do business with, but that woman is bad news! If you didn't say that her 'training grounds' would be vital to our success in the War Game coming up, I wouldn't have never let you go! Never!"
Tanya-chan's tense posture eased up slightly as the young woman gave the Goddess a small smile while stripping her suit coat from her body and folding it over her forearm, "Freya-sama's difficulty comes from just being near her, in my opinion. She's... incredibly distracting, to say the least. However, she had a keen mind for interesting business opportunities, and I get the feeling that Apollo is just as much a problem for her as he is for us if anything that I've heard is even remotely true. Supporting us, even tangentially by allowing us to use her training facilities for a fee, improves her odds of having us remove a problem for her."
The young woman continued to speak as they moved around the back of the wagons and over to Tanya-chan's personal Tiny Home, the woman pulling out a coat hook from the exterior and then sliding out a table from the bottom of the wagon between the carriage's wheels; the legs unfolding to provide a stable base as she set her briefcase on top of it. "She can't move openly to put an end to his foolishness as that would be seen as abusing her position of authority, and he can afford to pay any fines levied against him by the Guild for his misbehavior; the Guild is a dog without fangs by design- a cudgel that can only be wielded against the familias without financial power."
The tie came off next, followed by the three-button slate grey vest, and then she began rolling up her sleeves before sitting down on a camp chair next to the fire. "She can't provide us financial, material, or familia members to support us, but allowing us to purchase 'Time' to use her equipment wouldn't be seen as a violation, especially since she could just as easily say that Apollo was more than welcome to purchase the same 'Time' from her as well. The fact that he didn't think to do so would be on him."
Tanya-chan nodded her thanks at Tabbitha-chan as the Pallum handed her a cup of tea as everyone started to gather around Hestia's new and improved campfire; Calliope-chan walked over and helped Erickitty-kun over to sit down in one of the better chairs while everyone else took seats on a few of the pews that hadn't been damaged by time- or the Apollo familia's assault on their home!
"It also serves to help tie Freya-sama's familia to our own," Tanya-chan continued as her cerulean eyes looked into the fire, "Which is good for her because she knows who we are and what we are capable of; she believes that within a few decades the Hestia familia will become a Pillar familia, but I think that we can do it in less. Ten years on the low end, fifteen years on the top end."
She finished her tea and sat the cup off to the side before interlacing her fingers between her knees; the young woman's eyes scanning over each and every member of her familia. "This is going to be the single-most meteoric rise from the bottom to the top that Orario has ever seen; we're going to make Loki-sama's 22-year sprint to the Pillar position look paltry in comparison."
Hestia looked over at the determined grins and stone-cold faces of the Children gathered around her hearth and felt a warmth fill her chest. Aww! Her new Children weren't Bell-kun, but they were wonderful nonetheless! So cute!
"This will be a dramatic undertaking, one that we cannot do alone. We will need to conduct a lot of arduous training, not just of our bodies, but of our minds as well." Tanya-chan took in a deep breath before letting it out, the young woman leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms under her chest as she did so, "We will need to begin recruiting once this War Game is complete, but after our victory, we will be attracting every piece of trash and riff-raff hoping to make it in on the ground floor. We will need trustworthy individuals who can put in the time, effort, and dedication to help us build."
She bit her gloved thumb, "As much as I distaste the notion of nepotism, I will ask that you begin putting out feelers now for people you think can be productive. They will need to be literate, or if not, at least willing to learn to read and write. We won't just need Adventurers, but Administrators as well."
Above the fire an illusion formed, showing the Hestia Church and the surrounding blocks, and the Goddess felt her guts twist at the aerial view of all of the dilapidated buildings and abandoned streets surrounding them. According to Hephaestus-chan, this had been quite the booming economic district, home to blacksmiths, fletchers, tanneries, textiles, among many, many others. However the ousting of the Zeus and Hera familias and the subsequent reign of terror from Evilus had done catastrophic damage to the city, and without a local familia to help provide a stable foundation the area crumbled apart in just 15 years.
"I have plans not only for the church but the surrounding districts as well. I've spoken with Hephaestus-sama briefly before my meeting with Freya-sama, and she owns a fairly significant portion of the land surrounding us, however, after the destruction of this portion of the city, it would have cost her far more money to have it rebuilt. So she is willing to sell us these districts here, here, and here for a fairly low price... provided that when we finish renovating we allow her to rent some of the forges for a nominal fee." A few industrial blocks were highlighted in a light red while the other districts were highlighted in blue, "The blue districts are owned by the city, and considering they are just empty or completely destroyed buildings, I think that we can purchase the land from the Guild for a handful of valis."
The young blonde grinned viciously as she brought up an illusion of some paperwork and enlarged it. "I spoke with my Advisor, Tulle-san, and got access to the publically available records of the Apollo familia and found out some rather interesting things this morning."
That was when Tanya-chan turned towards Hestia. "I understand that you've had some preliminary meetings with Apollo, Hestia-sama, and the basic gist was that since he was trying to take everything you owned... then you could, in turn, take everything he owned, yes?"
Hestia 'hmpf'd and crossed her arms under her chest with a pout, completely oblivious to the way it caused her breasts to bounce and jiggle. "Yeah, that dummy agreed to those terms! Jerk was just soooo~ confident that he would win! Try to steal everything I have, will he, I'll take everything from him instead!"
The young blonde smiled and shook her head. "I would actually advise against that, Hestia-sama."
Hestia blinked and squinted at Tanya-chan. "Why?"
Another illusion formed, except the document shown was an official Guild form that listed out the rules and regulations for the winnings of a War Game, and how they were taxed. "As it sits right now, Apollo has a net-worth of 3.35 Billion valis, quite high considering he is only in the Top 20 familias. The Guild has the right to tax the winnings of any War Game on a sliding scale- going from 5% all of the way up to a maximum of 30%. However, most of this value is tied up in the Sunfire Estate, the home of the Apollo familia, valued at 2.15 Billion valis as of the last market estimate a decade ago. He only has roughly 700 Million valis in liquid valis, with the remaining 500 Million in various small things like furniture, business contracts, weapons, armor, and other sundries."
Above the paperwork illusory numbers began to appear, the calculations being run out and then placed into a spreadsheet. "If we take him for only 70% of his net worth, then we drop our taxes down from 30% to 10%. We don't file for ownership of the Sunfire estate, which would ding us on not only the taxes for its value but also the estate taxes which end up being an additional 10% which would be due upon receipt."
Hestia blinked as Tanya continued, "Instead, we put the Sunfire Estate up for sale at the market price, which means we only pay the 10% once instead of twice- that is a savings of 215 Million valis immediately, along with saving us 215 Million valis in estate taxes every year afterward."
"Additionally, the Sunfire estate is only 64% of Apollo's net worth, so we take the remaining 6% in cash, which would still give us an infusion of 201,000,000 Million valis immediately, and then we'll get 2.15 Billion valis, minus taxes, once the Sunfire Estate is sold." The young woman's grin was vicious, "With that much money we can purchase up every surrounding district and still have a bunch of valis to spare in cleaning everything up and getting new buildings built."
Illusory plans for a revitalized district came into being above the fire, and it was... far grander than anything Hestia could have imagined. Large apartment complexes, small community-focused shopping centers, a booming industrial district with blacksmiths, fletchers, potion makers, textile buildings, and clothing makers. Schools and even a hospital to supply medical care to the soon-to-be-named "Hestia District".
There was even a small Red-Light district that made Hestia's eyebrow twitch, but with all of the planning and care that Tanya was putting into everything the future Hestia District was going to be its own self-contained city within Orario; self-sufficient and prosperous. Considering her attention to detail and care towards her subordinates, Hestia didn't doubt that the Men and Women who would one day be working in the Red-Light district would be treated very well- far better than they would get working in the current Pleasure Quarter.
This was... going to be a change that would render an entire portion of the City of Orario unrecognizable in a few decades- the Hestia familia wouldn't be just an Exploration-type familia anymore, no, they'd become a Crafting-type and Administrative familia as well! Just as Ishtar took the Pleasure Quarter under her wing, and Freya took the Business district under her protection, the Hestia familia would do the same-
"-by providing the Citizens of Orario opportunities that they wouldn't get anywhere else. Education, affordable housing, lucrative careers in either the familia's Administration apparatus or apprenticeships as any of the trades that our district would house. The Dungeon will no longer be the only pathway towards the Middle Class- children will no longer need to brave the Dungeon to live a meaningful life, and we can pick the best of the best from our familia... those who can handle the arduous and dangerous lifestyle that the Dungeon provides." Tanya dragged her eyes away from the illusion and let them settle over everyone.
Wait, damnit, Bell-kun! Stop looking at her like that! No! Save those gooey-doe eyes for her!
Still, despite her distaste for her first and favorite Child's eyes making kissy-faces, this was an important event for Tanya-chan, so as much as she would like to throw herself over the campfire and smother her Bell-kun with her bosom, she stayed herself.
It was really, really hard, but she managed it.
Praise her self-restraint!
"I know that this is... a lot to take in, but I get the feeling that you all knew what you were signing up for when you decided to join on with me." Tanya-chan slipped off her gloves and untied her hair so that she could brush her fingers through it, "I won't put you someplace where you wouldn't find the work rewarding, but I can't promise you that you'll be somewhere you enjoy. All of that is still years off, but the days of merely coasting by on your Dungeon prowess alone are long gone; you will need to be capable of handling basic paperwork and leadership, as I will be leaning on you heavily to help me make this work."
"I think that sounds amazing, Tanya-san!" Her Bell-kun was the first to speak out, the boy squirming on the stone block as he did his best to look at Tanya-chan without looking at her. "I've always grown up reading the stories of heroes, and while... ah... I liked the tales of the great heroes like Pamentia and Alsimeaus, or the Argonaut... I also like the stories about the heroic builders who helped lay the foundations for the great cities of the world today."
He chuckled and scratched at the back of his head, an earnest grin on his face. "It sounds like a lot of hard work, but being known among the likes of Branius the Builder and Sachimino the Planner doesn't sound too bad at all!
Spoiler: Bell's Smile
Ah! Ahhhhhh~! Stop it Bell-kun! Your Goddess' heart can only beat so fast, yanno!?
Durbina Waller, her dwarf Child, let out a gusting sigh. "I hate paperwork, damnit!"
Erickitty-kun leaned over in his seat and patted the woman on her shoulder. "You can run from it. You can hide from it... but paperwork always has a way of finding you."
There were chuckles all around, and the Goddess felt her heart swell to bursting.
"Excellent, now that we have that business concluded... go get changed into your training clothes." The young woman clapped her hands together as her eyes dropped down to the watch on the inside of her wrist, "We have less than an hour to get over to the Freya familia compound, and it will be a bit of a walk."
[Erickitty Autumn]
Not since he had lost the use of his lower half had Erickitty Autumn ever felt so exhausted before.
While everyone else was running through a variety of exercises on the field, Erickitty had been tasked with the one thing that he hadn't been able to do for 15 years. He was merely walking. Every step was a struggle, even with Hestia-sama's falna bolstering his strength; it was just enough to get him up and moving, a miracle in itself to be sure. An unblessed mortal would likely take a year or longer to get to where he was today, not two days after he had been healed by the Panacea Tanya-sama and his compatriots at the Loki familia had scrounged and saved for.
He finished the short lap and sat down on the bench to rest his legs, giving himself just enough time to catch his breath before he fell back onto the bench and picked up a large pair of 50-kilogram dumbbells and began working through the set of chest-presses that Tanya had him perform.
Weak. Useless. Cripple. Layabout. Hasbeen.
While the majority of his familia knew about his condition and sympathized, there were always a handful of detractors in every group. He had conditioned himself to ignore those few who thought that poking fun at him for his injuries was acceptable, and there were more than enough of his fellows that took great relish in putting them in their place... but that didn't take the sting out of their words.
Nor did it dull the edge of that knife that had been the years of depression and embarrassment that followed. One could only have so many serious conversations when their bowls decided to release his waste into the bedpan mid-sentence.
15 years. 15 long, arduous years of having his wife take care of him every night before bed, of his daughter tearfully hugging him every time she became aware of his disability once more.
No more. No! More! He wasn't that man anymore! He wasn't weak, pathetic, or crippled anymore! He wasn't a malingerer or a waste of space!
He was healed! He was whole! He was a man restored!
A roar escaped his lips as he huffed out the last repetition before lowering the weights onto the hard-packed earth underneath him.
"Good. Now get up, Erickitty Autumn. You still have much more to do."
The cat-kin felt his lips quirk up into a smile as he dragged himself back to a seated position, the man holding his arms out so that she could grasp his wrists and pull him back to standing. His knees almost gave out on him- his thighs hadn't tensed up enough to support his own weight. Tanya-sama didn't care that he was broken, she only cared to see him get put back together again.
The young woman bent over and picked up a set of kettlebells and began conducting walking lunges, taking one for each step the cat-kin himself took. "Keep your legs moving, Erickitty."
When his eyes drifted over to everyone else giving it their very best effort the young woman spoke again. "Don't. Don't focus on them. Your efforts are your own. You'll catch up to them in time, and considering you managed to make it to Level 3 in less than 5 years, you just might surpass them, but that is something for the future. Focus on the right-now: One foot in front of the other. One step at a time."
Erickitty Autumn reached the designated turnaround point and began huffing and puffing on his way back while Tanya-sama moved away to provide further instruction towards the other members of his new familia.
The man collapsed onto the bench and laid back down once more, and out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Goddess Freya on the roof of the familia's dormitory. While his sight wasn't as sharp as it had been, he could clearly make out the woman leaning over the stone railing with a wine glass in hand.
No doubt she was watching Tanya-sama closely, the young woman a fountain of knowledge if one just watched carefully enough. However, if Tanya-sama was fine with the Goddess observing, then he wouldn't raise a fuss over it... even if her methods were worth their weight in gold.
Granted, this could probably be an unspoken part of the deal that Tanya-sama made with Goddess Freya and Hestia-sama; the cat-kin had only known the young woman for a few months, but from what he'd seen there was always something more moving beneath the surface. Layers within layers, plans within plans.
Tanya von Degurechaff was a sharp one- talented in all of the areas that a Leader needed to be, but above it all, she was someone who had fought tooth and nail to see him and his fellows healed.
While he didn't know if she could pull off her grand designs, he would follow her regardless- as for whether that was exaltation or ruination?
Well, only time would tell.
[Freya - Goddess of Love, Beauty, and War]
Hestia was simply adorable!
The Goddess of Beauty couldn't help but smile as she watched the short Goddess stride into the War Game meeting with a purpose- the woman surprisingly wasn't in her the white rag she usually wore, no, she was in a very tasteful if provocative red dress with orange accents. The woman no doubt going for a hearth-fire motif that worked surprisingly well when Freya herself had thought that blues and purples suited her best. Her breasts weren't nearly as much on display, but that was because she wasn't here to seduce or disarm, she was here to make a statement.
The Hestia familia would not be cowed.
Of course, Freya was certain that a lot of this confidence came from having the strongest Level 1, as well as a group of five former High-Class Adventurers added onto her rolls, and the small Goddess looked a lot more self-assured than ever before. However, it was easy to see Hestia frowning softly as her lips moved- practicing a prepared speech?
"-and so we have elected not to get the Guild involved, mainly because the fines you would be paid to them should come to us instead, the wronged party. You attacked our familia home, colluded with another familia- the Soma familia- to ambush us, penned us in, and chased us down like dogs. No, a penalty paid to the Guild would do very little to remedy the injustice we have suffered at your hands." Hestia spoke firmly from her seat, interlacing her fingers and leaning forward over the table; or at least leaning over it much as she could- her short stature and large breasts ended up getting in the way and smooshed them upwards- a few of the pigs in the crowd whistled.
Apollo placed his hands on the table a chuffed a barking laugh. "Yes, I admit that I was prepared to pay any fee the Guild was going to levy against me, but that was because you failed to properly compensate me for the harm your Child caused to mine! My poor Luon-kun is still having nightmares to this day of the beating your Child gave him!"
The God of the Sun leaned back in his chair and theatrically hid his eyes with the back of his hand. "All you needed to do was pay for his medical bills and apologize, and we could have avoided this nasty business entirely!"
Apollo removed his hand and smirked, "But since you chose to cower and deny when there were plenty of witnesses, it has come down to this- a War Game for the honor of my Children! When you refused my challenge, what other recourse did I have but to force your hand?"
Hestia's teeth ground but she took a deep breath. "If I believed for a single moment that my Child would start a bar fight with anyone, let alone members of such a powerful familia as yours, I would have compensated you for his medical bills. In fact, had you come to me and we spoke in private, there was a possibility that we could have resolved the entire situation without incident, but no, you instead invited us to a party for the sole purpose of putting me on the spot in front of our peers in an effort to embarrass me and force me to accept a War Game under false pretenses."
"My Children and the Children who have worked with my Bell-kun have never had a single incident with anyone, and yet when your Child- Luan-kun was it? Yes, Luan-kun, started insulting not on my Child, but me, his Goddess, then what should he have expected to happen?" The Goddess of the Hearth leaned over in her chair and placed her elbow on the arm before cupping her chin, "I don't really like the vulgar slang that is popular with the Children these days, but I do believe that the current most popular phrase is... 'Talk shit, get hit'?"
"Your Child talked trash and was beaten up for it. Then your Child, Hykinthos-kun, came to his aid and beat up my Child. As far as that goes, the fault of the altercation lies with your Child, and the beating my Child received was far more than enough restitution for the 'pain and agony' your Luan-kun suffered." Hestia frowned and crossed her arms as she straightened herself up, "However, none of that really matters now, does it? Even if you forced my hand by attacking me and mine in broad daylight, I did agree to the War Game, so here we are."
Apollo ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his golden laurel crown, "Yes, Hestia, here we are. So, what are your terms?"
The Goddess nodded and reached into a folder before pulling out a few sheaves of parchment and slid them across the table. "This is the most recent disclosure I could obtain from the Guild as far as your reported assets- this is still accurate, I assume?"
The God picked up the paperwork and flipped through it, the obnoxious man silent for a few moments before he sat them down. "Our liquid assets in valis is about 110 Million higher than here, but yes, other than that this is accurate."
Hestia nodded and pulled out another sheet of paper and then slid it across the table. "Then this is our list of demands- while you asked for everything that I own, including my Children, I believe it is only fair that you wager a proportionate amount, yes?"
The God chuckled and crossed his arms, "I am willing to settle for whatever demands you have, Hestia. It isn't like you're going to win."
Hestia smirked, which sent a ripple through the crowd; the Gods and Goddesses looked at one another and whispered about the Goddess of the Hearth's outward confidence. "Then, we will be taking exactly 70% of your property and liquid assets, along with the option to take 70% of your Children; however, the Children we choose will be vetted by us first."
Apollo blinked before looking down at the paperwork and reading it with a grin on his face. "Oh? Avoiding the Guild's taxes on War Wage winnings? How shrewd, Hestia. Truth be told I am sort of surprised you even thought this far ahead, but it is of no consequence; these terms are acceptable to me."
"After all, the prize is more than worth it- Bell-kun will be mine! Hahahaha!" The God licked his lips theatrically.
Freya rolled her eyes. How droll, the Apollo of Tenaki would never have played himself up just for the crowds; oh how life on the Lower World has twisted him into mindless decadence.
Normally, such a declaration would have drawn Freya's ire, but with Tanya by her Bell-kun's side... Freya was more than confident that they would be victorious no matter what game was called.
"Now then, shall we move on to the lottery?" Apollo stood up and raised his arms above his head as the hundreds of Gods and Goddesses roared their approval, "A War Game is only as exciting as the board it is being set on, no?"
A door at the far end of the room opened up, and a Guild employee pushed in a solid gold cart, and resting upon it was a simple, unassuming wooden box. Considering the opulence of the rest of the room, it seemed out of place, but that container was the first box created specifically for the War Games over 400 years ago. It was tradition to use this box, and it would likely continue until it turned to dust.
The God strode over to the left side of the cart and stood there, waiting. "Come, Hestia, let us see where your destiny lies! Will you draw? Or will you ask someone else here to draw the rules for our little game?"
The small Goddess slipped from her chair and walked over while her eyes searched the crowd. When she found who she was looking for she pointed them out. "Hermes! Get down here you!"
The be-hatted God immediately looked embarrassed as the entire room turned towards him, the man fanning himself with his hand. "Ah~, everyone's stares are so intense! Hestia, why would you do this to me!?"
"Shut up, Free-Range Chicken, and get down here!" The tiny Goddess stamped her foot.
It took the God a moment to work his way through the crowded seating and down the stairs of the amphitheater on the Tower of Babel's 99th Floor, the Divine muttering half-heartedly as he walked down. When he took his place between them the man scratched the back of his head. "Maaah~, Hestia, this is pretty nerve-wracking, yanno? You're putting your life in my hands, and I don't like that sort of responsibility."
The Goddess growled. "Guu-nyu-nyu-nyu-nyu! Just draw it already!"
The God chuckled nervously and reached down into the lottery box and shuffled the papers around until he grasped one and lifted it out, the God of Travel unfolding the paper carefully until the lettering was visible to all in attendance:
"Area Control".
The crowd of Divines immediately went into an uproar, and Apollo laughed uproariously. "Hahahahahahahaha! Well, that's just too bad, Hestia. It will be impossible for you to win this game with just 1 member in your familia."
Hestia's face was carefully kept blank, but Freya could see the minute twitches of her cheeks as she struggled not to smile.
'Area Control' was a War Game in which two opposing familias would fight to gain dominion over three separate areas roughly 30 meters in diameter that had a flag in the middle. Control was only established when one familia had successfully defeated or removed opposing familia members from within the circle. Once the territory was claimed in the name of one familia, that point would start earning a single point for every minute the point was held.
The playing field would be set up in that one control point would be near each familia's starting point, so that both sides could earn points and force conflict at the center point; it also left the craftier or more desperate familias the option of attempting to capture their enemy's 'free' control point if they couldn't contest the central point well enough.
The game lasted one round, and had a length of three hours, so it was one of the more expedient options that a War Game could take; some of them could last days, and that just wasn't as exciting as a quick, fast, and brutal game choice.
"However, in the spirit of fairness..." The God of the Sun chuckled behind his hand, "How about I declare your 'Free' point captured unless taken by my children? Then we can see just how well your Bell-kun fairs against my own Children, hmmm? I'll even tell them not to touch it for the first two hours!"
Hestia's shoulders hunched as she clenched her fists, anger radiating off of her entire form, but she stilled and immediately relaxed before nodding. "Very well, if you are willing to give me such a generous handicap, then who am I to refuse?"
Apollo smirked, "Very well then, the terms have been agreed upon, the method of our glorious battle determined. All 129 members of my familia will be participating, and the rosters are now locked; so don't try and get any outside help now, okay, Hestia?"
The Goddess of the Hearth straightened her back and locked gazes with the man. "All of my familia members will be participating; I've picked up a few and they have already been added onto my rolls, so I will not be adding any more from this moment onward."
"Good, good. Very good." The God wiped at his lower lip, "No matter who you've added, it won't do you any good. The battlefield will be prepared in two weeks time, train as hard as you can, Hestia, for the day of our reckoning will soon be upon us!"
The crowd roared and Freya shook her head slightly as she downed the rest of her glass and stood up. Her dear Ottar-kun took his place at her right side as they strode towards the door of the elevator. When the golden doors shut the Boaz spoke. "She is weaker than I last saw her."
Freya blinked, but as his words registered she smiled. Oh! Tanya-chan, to have captured her little Ottar-kun's attention so. "Yes, I do believe that Loki-chan zeroed her out when she left the familia; she always was a petty little thing. Not that it appears to have dampened the spirits of Tanya-chan or those that followed her out of the familia."
The elevator was silent for a few moments until he spoke again. "Will you inform her of the Evilus' findings?"
Freya mulled that thought in her head. "I will if she asks, however, this is a Pillar familia investigation, and the Hestia familia is not a Pillar. I would humor her though, if only because it was her hard work and dedication that enabled us to learn as much as we did. To think that there were far more Divines in league with Evilus than we first thought..."
"Regardless, Tanya-chan has more immediate things to worry about than the Evilus findings." Freya reached up and cupped her cheeks with her hands as she leaned back into her dear Ottar's firm embrace.
Those simpletons, they didn't know what little Hestia had in her corner.
"How will you dazzle me this time, Tanya-chan? Bell-kun?"
Special thanks to Artillery, Dinero1121, Xodarap4, LMC 9389, DrkShadow, AuraofCalm, Markus, Zerak, R.Bulut, Chair Connoisseur, Omar, Zath, Splended, D. Wongsonegoro, AjiTae, Darkarma, Pope Yoda I, Acrimonious, R. Randall, T. Balewood, Brbae for being Patrons!
A/N: Phew, finally getting back to Tanya! Been doing some more in-depth DnD, will probably start hosting my own campaign, which might cut into my time in the future.
Erickitty's Wife before I forget about her: