[Tanya von Degurechaff]
"-Royal Rats, I want you on Dungeon duty today; make us some money, stick to the afternoon and evening shifts." Tanya spoke clearly as she moved down the line with a clipboard in hand, "Roses, you'll be learning Administration from Erickitty, so hand over your equipment to Welf to conduct maintenance on."
The Royal Rats nodded in unison and broke to head to their Tiny Homes and pull out their equipment, the eight-man party kitting up as Tanya continued. "Bell Cranel, you and Liliruca will be joining Mikoto and myself in the Dungeon. We'll be going down to the 23rd Floor to farm materials; unfortunately, we won't be able to take a wagon down, so make sure you bring your Supporter Packs."
The Yamato Nadeshiko slumped as she silently whined about the bruising her poor shoulders were to receive while Welf complained about not getting any Dungeon time today; he had three days of Dungeon time in a row before, and it was because of that the weapons they had were in the state that they were in. Not that she could blame him- the young smith was motivated to do more than just hammer steel; he wanted to help his friends, so much so that he left the Hephaestus familia to do so. However, his wishes or not, he was a valuable resource, and Tanya wasn't going to squander his capabilities to just have him swing his sword around when he could also be swinging his hammer; she spent 100,000 valis on having a complete forge rush-ordered and put together for him, so he was damn well going to use it!
Tanya had her shares of the Goliath Hide fashioned into what she was calling "War Gear", a treated Goliath Hide flight suit similar to her own, a Goliath Hide cuirass that was similar to the style that she had made for the Loki familia, along with her 3rd iteration of the combat vest and battle belt that every familia member would wear when going past the 18th Floor. The vest had been improved with better clasps and had two thin but hardened leather plates that acted as backing to prevent the pouches from flopping around if the wearer didn't have the upper body shape to keep it completely taut. The non-supporters had smaller but expandable backpacks that clipped directly onto the vest itself; it could be difficult to remove if injured, so Tanya had the seamstress implement a design feature that included a steel wire sheathed in leather that once pulled would separate the backpack from the vest entirely during an emergency.
Spoiler: Tactical Vest without integrated backpackSpoiler: Tactical vest with integrated backpack
With Battle Belts that contained all of the essentials- a single days' worth of jerky and dried rations, a modified waterskin, the IFAK, a Damascus belt knife, and three potions- one of each type- it was Salaryman's inner-tactical nerd dream come true; with the thigh pouches, her men looked like a professional army! The only bit of flare that they had was the Hestia familia symbol etched into the left pauldron in black, which contrasted nicely with the light tan of the leather. The forearm guards, thigh guards, and shin guards all had riveted Damascus plates on them, and with a nice blueing job they looked really, really slick.
Sure, the total outfit was heavier than Bell would have liked, and Liliruca, Mikoto, and Welf weren't used to wearing armor at all, but honestly? Tanya didn't care one whit- they would get used to wearing the armor or die trying; it wasn't like the falna didn't protect them from overheating, which would be Tanya's primary concern with all of the leather, but the Endurance stat even extended to such things as keeping the bearer at the optimal temperature.
She had everyone running this past week of training and Dungeon time in the full kit, and while everyone complained, they saw the benefits of having a relatively lightweight but incredibly durable armor set-up; she did have to pay extra to get the cuirasses fitted for the women, as they all seemed to be a little heavy in the 'up top' departments. Tanya was fairly large for her age and size, she supposed, but she wasn't quite at the point of needing to get her armor formed around her bosom yet for maximum comfort. Calliope and Sasha ended up getting their flight suits form-fitted as well, and... the results were stunning, to say the least; Tanya found it hard not to stare at how the leather clung to every crevice of their figures.
Of course, no one liked the break-in process- soaking in a tub of water and then wearing them until they dried out before repeating the process multiple times until they were comfortable to wear; Tanya had to use her healing magic multiple times to help handle the sores from chaffing, but once they were broken in? They were great!
Normally Tanya wouldn't have dreamed of putting everyone in this level of kit, especially not with the quality of the materials, but since they'd proven themselves to be the enemy of the Apollo familia- and the familias aligned with the God of the Sun- Tanya wasn't going to take any chances sending her men and women into the Dungeon with sub-par equipment just to maintain some level of difficulty. They were going to be getting their stat gains from her training- they were only going into Dungeon to keep their skills sharp and collect monster cores and drop items to keep the Hestia familia cash flow up.
This was doubly true when she found out that Bell Cranel's Hestia Knife cost almost 400 Million valis, which felt a little cheap considering Bluteid's blade cost her 400 Million valis and it didn't have some gee-whiz enchantment on it that would have the blade grow in strength and durability to match the wielder. Tanya tried to handle the knife, but Hestia went around spitting like a cat- it was called the "Hestia Knife" and could only be utilized by a member of the Hestia familia, but with the way the Goddess acted it might as well be called the "Bell Knife"; not that it was any skin off Tanya's nose- even if she was going to pay the damn thing off, it was a small price to pay for being able to run this familia however she damn well pleased.
Tanya sat the clipboard down on the bench and walked around to each member of the familia that was going diving- checking their straps, armor, and performing range of motion checks; the Goliath Hide was a little tough to move in, but once they made Level 2 again that particular issue would cease to exist. "Alright everyone, let's head out!"
[Bell Cranel]
Bell Cranel was having conflicted feelings- on one hand, having Tanya von Degurechaff in his familia was an almost indescribable feeling, on the other hand, he could sense the budding feelings for Aiz Wallenstein starting to simmer in his gut. It was as amazing as it was terrifying- Tanya had been his first crush, well, if he discounted Clara-onee-san from his home village; he doubted there was a young boy there that didn't envision calling Onee-san their wife! She was just so beautiful, warm, and kind...
Ah, Bell shook his head as he ducked under a Mammoth Fool's monstrous swing and dragged the Hestia Knife along the beast's ankle to sever the tendons just as Tanya showed him; the beast let out a moaning groan as its ankle snapped sideways without the opposing tendons and collapsed onto the stone floor of the Dungeon. He leapt back to get some distance as the Mammoth Fool was known to claw about frantically after having its mobility greatly reduced.
As he waited for the dust to clear he spared a glance over at Lili-chan, who was having a hell of a time against a trio of metal rabbits- outwardly she appeared fine, but she was no doubt sporting some serious bruises under her Goliath Hide armor; the Pallum girl was doing her best to dodge their leaping thrusts while scoring minor wounds with her short sword. The sword itself was pure Damascus and should have been more than enough to deal with the rabbit monsters even if their fur was incredibly tough, but unfortunately poor Lili-chan was just not used to actively fighting.
Not that Tanya cared about such things. In her mind everyone that set foot in the Dungeon better be able to handle themselves- whether they were an archer, a mage, or a supporter, everyone fought because the Dungeon didn't care if you weren't a frontline fighter.
"The Dungeon tries to kill you all the same. So, if you want to curl up and die, then be my guest, Liliruca Arde, but you won't do so here- I will not tolerate dead weight in my Dungeon teams; if you wish to not fight I can move you over to handle Administration duties with Erickitty- no doubt we'll need someone skilled there once he returns to top form and is ready to take on the Dungeon again."
Bell's eyes flicked over to Mikoto, who was hobbling another Mammoth Fool with her Futsunomitama spell- the beast crumpling to the floor as its weight multiplied by many, many times; even the Black Goliath had been frozen in place by this spell for an extended period of time. It was an incredibly powerful magic that Tanya seemed to have a lot of fun exploiting; once their new Captain learned of its strength and capabilities, Tanya had several thick solid Damascus darts made that were about just under 1.5 meters in length. The blonde girl had flown to the edge of the spell circle and began throwing the sold steel darts as hard as she could- the gravity of the spell multiplying the force of her throws to the points where they caused a great deal of damage wherever they landed.
Tanya had started calling this the "Rods from God" combination technique, and informed them that this could potentially be a Monster Rex slaying move; of course, Bell quickly imagined himself and Mikoto working together to bring down the Goliath on the 18th Floor- the only question is would Argonaut improve the damage of the throw? Tanya promised him that they would try and find out once the Goliath respawned after their War Game; the thought of a two-man party of Level 2s taking out the Monster Rex on their own was just a huge balm for his adventurous heart.
Tanya was an amazing person, but if he was being honest with himself he found her worrywart 'Always be prepared for anything' nature to be a touch stifling; sure, it made him feel giddy that she wanted him to be safe, but where was the Adventure if you didn't take a little risk!? The fight against the Minotaur and the Black Goliath made him feel alive! He walked that razor's edge and came out on top!
When he made the mistake of expressing his opinions, she hit him over the head and began to belt out an itemized list of all of the things that could have gone wrong in both instances- from him dying and leaving Hestia by herself, to leaving Liliruca to her fate because he had died, leaving her alone along with many, many other horrible things.
"There is a difference between recklessness and bravery, Bell Cranel. One is knowing the odds of survival and doing what needs to be done anyway... the other is just throwing your life away for a thrill. Dying should be the last thing you want to do- there are people here who are counting on you to come home; dispense with the Adventure-seeking because the adventure looks like it will be coming to you regardless. Focus on coming back alive first, okay?"
She then punctuated her words with playing an illusion for him and the other members of the familia who had not been present for the Loki familia's expedition- seeing the huge, writhing masses of Violas and Virga monsters while the Adventurers valiantly held the line... with many dying in the process... it had been a wake-up call. Like being doused with cold water while he had been sleeping.
During that viewing, he saw just how hard Tanya was pushing herself, the young woman using every tool available to her to try and keep her men alive while killing the monsters; every arrow was loosed with expert accuracy, every spell was purposeful and killed multiple enemies, every swing of her spear-stave when she flew in close to engage cut down multiple enemies.
She had been a Level 2, just like him, and he wondered if he could have helped turn the tide of that fight. There had been some childish fantasies of using an Argonaut empowered Firebolt to decimate the ranks, as Tanya had with her explosive spells, but once the adrenaline faded from envisioning the fights he came to the realization that he wouldn't have been able to make much of a difference.
The Violas were Level 3 monsters, and he was a close-ranged attacker; they had the advantage in speed, strength, and reach. Sure, with his Hestia knife he might have been able to fell a dozen or so if they came at him one at a time, but they weren't going to neatly challenge him to a series of consecutive one-on-one duels. No, they were going to rush him all at once, and he would have to make heavy use of his Firebolt spell to dispatch them quickly enough so that they wouldn't overwhelm him. He would have experienced potion sickness within a few hours and dragged back to the rear to rest.
The less said about his ability to combat the Virga the better.
It had been a tough few days for him following that bit of self-reflection, and he extracted a promise from her to add more versatility to his fighting style, which meant more magic; his Hestia knife could easily act as a focus considering its nature as a pure Mithril blade, and he already figured out a unique interaction with Tanya's simple guidance.
The Hestia Knife could channel his Firebolt, making it not only more powerful but more Mind efficient- and if he held the spell within the blade instead of releasing it then he could something super cool with it!
"Flashfire Strike!" Bell roared out as he shot forward the moment the dust had cleared, and with his greatly enhanced agility from just twelve days of Tanya's training, he slipped under the Mammoth Fool's retaliatory swipe and jumped into the air to thrust his knife between the beast's eyes; the Firebolt spell that had been churning within the blade being released into the beast's brain. It was a bit disconcerting seeing the monster's eyeballs bulge out from the explosive force released into its cranium, but Tanya told him that he cuts monsters to pieces all of the time.
"Why should this be any different?"
He yanked his knife free and jumped onto the monster's back so that he could watch Liliruca's and Mikoto's fights finish, but the Pallum had already managed to stumble her way over to Tanya for healing, while Mikoto learned that yes, monsters could be asphyxiated if their lungs cannot pull in any air due to the increased gravity of her spell.
The woman had spent the last week working with her swordsmanship and getting it up to Tanya's standards, which were incredibly high for someone that didn't use a katana, and she was now being tasked with killing monsters using her gravity spell; working on the chant and the Mind control so that she could cast it more quickly and more consistently.
"Excellent work everyone," Tanya mirthlessly intoned as she gathered them together once the monster cores were secured- while they were excellent opponents for Bell to fight, the Mammoth Fool had little in the way of worthwhile drops; not that they needed anymore as their backs were already overstuffed- Tanya's Supporter Pack was just as large as Lili's and she had a half-dozen canvas sacks hanging on the outside of it. "I think we can call it a day here- I do believe that you have a training date with Aiz Wallenstein and Tiona Hiryute after this, yes?"
Seeing Lili's scowl and Mikoto's thoughtful frown made him shiver. "A-ah, Tanya-chan, maybe you could not say it... like that?"
The girl's beautiful cerulean eyes narrowed as her back straightened, "Maybe you could call me by my title and not '-chan'? Or at least just my name?"
"S-sorry!"
Bell crashed to the ground in a heap- his body was just barely responding to his commands after the battering he'd received at the end of Aiz Wallenstein's Desperate. "While it is good that you jumped on the opening I left in my guard, I think that you should remember that monsters and Adventurers fight differently."
The boy managed to roll onto his back and he let his eyes gaze into the orange-red sky as Aiz Wallenstein continued to speak- damnit! He thought he had her that time!
"Take a deep breath and center yourself, Bell Cranel. Calm down and reassess; you won't do yourself, or anyone for that matter, any good if you get worked up when you face a setback."
"Monsters attack with all of their abilities- their every drop of strength, dexterity, and agility focused towards a singular goal of killing you." The blonde teen's golden eyes bore down on his prone form, "There are very few monsters that rely on trickery and feints. Adventurers, however, will see your moves and then will react accordingly... those that are very experienced will leave traps for the inexperienced to exploit, and that is when they will trap you."
Aiz tilted her head to the side, "At least, that is how I was taught. Most Adventurers are... just like yourself- experienced at fighting monsters but not other mortals, and this leads to very large gaps in ability between both groups."
The white-haired teen grunted and nodded as he sheathed his knives and grasped onto his knees to pull himself up to a seated position so that he could regain his feet. It was a slow, agonizing process, but he still managed it without their help- Tiona was grinning broadly as her eyes flickered between himself and Aiz. What was that all about?
"Regardless," The young woman paused again before her expression firmed up, "I think that when one is going for a finishing blow that is the moment they are most vulnerable- their belief in their victory being the chink in the armor of a superior opponent."
Aiz sheathed Desperate and nodded, although to Bell it seemed that she was nodding to herself more than to him. "Yes, you are not defeated until you are defeated, Bell Cranel. If you hold onto hope and strike when the time is right, then I think that you can defeat even a superior opponent."
Bell felt his back straighten and shoulders tighten up at her words before he bowed. "Yes! Thank you for your instruction! Aiz-san!"
With that, the two girls gave him a small wave before walking off. Once they had gotten out of earshot the Amazon leaped onto her blonde companion and began needling her about something, but as to what it could have been Bell had no clue- women were mysterious creatures; his Grandpa told him so, and every day it was looking like his old, old man was right!
However, his Grandpa also told him that while they were mysterious, men just couldn't help but fall in love with them. A warm blush crept up his cheeks as he turned on his heel and promptly stumbled over his own feet and landed in a heap.
Perhaps he should have asked them to help him home?
Ah, he was going to be late for dinner at this rate- his Kami-sama was going to be so angry!
[Tanya von Degurechaff]
"So, let me get this straight. You went to Melen, and upon staying there you learned that there was a local God, Njord, working with Evilus, and he was using the Violas to keep the aquatic monster population low?"
Loki clicked her tongue as Tanya placed her hands on the table and leaned over the edge. "On top of that, there was not one, but two familias with large amounts of Amazons who were there that caused a great deal of trouble in the city- both of whom are linked to Evilus through your investigations... and you didn't bother to inform me?"
The Goddess unrepentantly leaned back and wriggled her pinky finger in her ear before flicking away non-existent earwax. "Che, come on, Tanya-chan. You weren't there. That was our vacation that just so happened to turn into an Adventure! Give me a break! It all happened so fast, yanno?"
"The course of events you're describing took place over a week and a half- more than enough time for you to dispatch a runner to inform me, you managed to inform Deimne-san and the rest of the familia, did you not?" Tanya tilted her head, "Even though I'm a Level 1, I could have easily lured the Violas away from the city and destroyed them in one fell swoop- without putting the lives of countless civilians in danger."
"Oi." Loki waggled a finger at the young blonde, "I don't remember taking my marching orders from you, Tanya-chan. I do have to inform you of anything. As they say in the crime dramas, 'you're off the case, Junior Detective Degurechaff'."
The Goddess sniffed. "Besides, if I had messaged you, you would have done something crazy, like kill all of the Amazons or something."
Tanya blinked and then sighed. "Don't make me sound like a 'loose cannon cop with a penchant for breaking the rules and that has nothing to lose.'"
Tiona chortled as Loki cracked her neck.
"Besides, with the protection pact that Melen has with Orario, we are duty-bound to protect their citizens and repel all invaders. I would say that over two hundred Amazons that are Level 2 and higher constitute not only the invocation of that pact, but they would be classified as an invading army and killed to the last." Tanya looked up towards the ceiling as she sifted through her memory, "I do believe it was signed into being almost 500 years ago, and the Divines of Orario have had to defend Melen on at least four separate occasions since then. Killing or capturing them is the only proper response."
"Feh, Riveria-chan was too damn thorough in your lessons, brat." Loki grumbled as she crossed her arms over her non-existent chest, "Besides, you would have deprived me of a lot of good Adventurers! I've got like 40 Amazons who're wanting to leave Kali and come work for me! My boys showed out and did their humble and wonderful Loki-sama proud! Now the Amazons all want to have their babies!"
The Goddess' cheery disposition slipped away as her lip curled up in a disgusted fashion, "Knowing you, the message would have arrived while you were wearing that fancy suit of yours, and you would have stolen all of those Amazons away from me!"
Tanya felt her irritation spike as the woman buried her face in her hands, muttering something about her turning into a 'prince' that could make even the most staunch 'male-only' Amazon swoon.
The blonde shook her head until the woman stopped fooling around, the woman peeking at Tanya from between her fingers. "So, who did you and my charming former-kiddies end up joining, huh? Was it Skadi? No, they're really laid back- taking things as they come; the status of their paperwork would have driven you nuts."
Tanya blinked.
Actually, Skadi's Captain Bjorn seemed pretty on top of things there- the Conan look-a-like had a quiet intelligence about him that contrasted starkly with his barbarian-like appearance-
Wait.
She... didn't know?
The diminutive blonde looked up at Tiona who was standing behind her Goddess with both hands over her mouth in an attempt to not burst into laughter. She guessed not then. "No, we have not joined the Skadi familia."
"Eh? Hmm... I don't see you joining the Inari familia either. I highly doubt that you joined Hephaestus-chan... swinging a hammer just doesn't fit your image." The Goddess' jaw dropped for a moment before she grinned widely, "You didn't join Freya-chan, did you? You know that she isn't going to be on top for much longer, right? The moment Finn-kun, Gareth-kun, or Riveria-chan reach Level 7 I'm going to knock her off the throne, right? Right?"
Tanya felt the little gremlin that was 'pettiness' stir within her breast and she merely gave her a placid smile. "You'll find out soon enough, Loki-sama. If you've held out this long I think you can wait until the official announcements- it will be a very big deal. Everyone whose anyone will be watching. It should be quite an upset. Why, within a few short years one of the Pillars might be getting replaced."
"Oh, so that means you got in with someone really close to us then," The Goddess giggled and stroked her chin, "Hecate? She's Ranked 10th in the city, and with your focus on magic, I'm certain she would probably have paid a very, very pretty penny to get you. Would'a put up with your icky contract too..."
"Well if you haven't already started asking around by now, I think that you should just continue to let the excitement build up a little while longer." Tanya grinned, "It will be announced shortly before the War Game between Hestia and Apollo; I wouldn't be surprised if our announcement steals the whole show."
"Ohhohohohoho," Loki leaned back in her chair and rubbed her hands together, "I see you took my gripes about Shorty-Tits seriously, but to just... go out there to steal her thunder before her War Game!? That is a new low, one that I can certainly appreciate!"
"It does my heart good to see that even after you left you took my 'Fuck Loli-boobs' rants to heart!" The Goddess theatrically sniffed and wiped away a tear from her eye as the Amazon behind her leaned against the wall of the small cafe- the woman holding back her laughter so hard it looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her skull.
Tanya merely smiled. "Indeed, I can't wait to hear about your reaction when it is formally announced."
[Liliruca Arde]
Shit, the Tiny-Tyrant was in a mood.
With only four days until the War Game Tanya von Degurechaff, their new familia Captain, was grinding them into the dirt. Whether it was on the training fields of the Freya estates, the Dungeon, or the 'practice fields' that they created by moving some stones around, she was stuffing their faces into the dirt and dragging them along kicking and screaming.
Figuratively speaking of course, because despite her harsh treatment of them, no one was complaining. Except Liliruca herself, in private.
While she hated the tyrant's methods, she couldn't argue with the results- she was now fighting Level 2 monsters on the 23rd Floor, as a Level 1 with stats that barely qualified her for the 10th Floor! If it wasn't for Tanya's presence during those dives there was no doubt in Lili's mind that Eina Tulle would be pulling her hair out in frustration at the amount of danger they were putting themselves in just to eke out every last scrap of progress for the War Game.
Although to be fair, Lili herself was only fighting Metal Rabbits, which were only slightly tougher than the Almiraj found on the Middle Floors, but still- with the numbers they frequently roamed in it was still a Level 2 challenge!
Okay, maybe Lili was exaggerating just a little bit. Sure, Tanya-sama killed most of them off, leaving Lili to fight only what she could handle- if only just barely- but that wasn't what mattered! What mattered was that Bell-sama was recognizing Lili's progress and he was actually paying attention to her instead of mooning over Tanya-sama or Aiz Wallenstein!
"You're doing great, Lili-chan. One step closer toward your goal! I'm very happy for you!"
The idiot had to say it so earnestly, and with such a happy expression on his face too! What a dummy! Lili had vowed to herself- when she thought that no one else was around- that she wanted to be strong for herself so that no one could take advantage of her again. Just because it made her heart skip a beat when Bell said those words doesn't make it okay to just eavesdrop on a private moment like that!
"Arde! You're using your Artel Assist skill again! Shut it off and give me two more laps! Durbina! Quit acting like the dumbbell is a tankard of ale and curl properly! Bell! If I've told you once, then I've told you a thousand times- lift with your legs, not your back! Welf! Chin above the bar or it doesn't count!"
Lili let out a loud, huffing sigh when she realized that she had gotten so lost in thought that she stopped suppressing her Skill.
Damnit!
[3 Days Until the War Game]
[Mysterious Strang- It's Tanya]
"So, you want me to put 20 Million on the Hestia familia?" Mia Grand rumbled as she scratched at her chin.
"Well, I want you to put 20 Million on us winning for me," Tanya couldn't help but chuckle as she scratched at her cloth half-mask; she felt a little silly wearing this get-up now that she thought about it. She would ditch it before she left the Hostess and just carry on about her business as normal; it was more eye-catching to be skulking around rather than just walking around normally. "I am supplying the valis, but I need you to put it down at the bookies; I'm willing to part with 25% of the profits."
The half-dwarf laughed as she grabbed two glasses and filled them up with a nicely flavored spiced wine. "Well then, 25% for just talking a walk down the street then? Sounds like a damn good deal to me."
"Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah! Anya will do it too! Give Anya some money and she'll go down to the bookies, nya~!"
The half-elf Princess couldn't help but quirk her lips. "Of course, Tanya-chan, placing down a bet for you is the least I can do. I think that I'll probably place a bet myself... I'm feeling particularly lucky."
"What? You say I just gotta drop some of your valis at the bookies?" Tiona asked as she swung the Durandal weapon that Tsubaki had made for her, "Well, extra money is good! That means I can pay off Goibnu-sama off faster! He wasn't too happy when I destroyed Urga last time, ehehehehe..."
Just as Tanya was about to leave the Amazon spoke out. "Uh, how do I find the bookies?"
Naaza Erisuis looked at the small sack containing 50 Million valis on the counter with her totally adorable sleepy expression before her eyes tracked up and locked with Tanya's. "50%."
Tanya blinked and scowled for a moment before sighing. 50%!? That was highway robbery! Why, she should just pick up her valis and walk right out the door- "Fine, fine."
Sheesh, the things she did for Miach.
It took her the entire day, but she managed to spread over 350 Million valis across forty different people for betting locations all over Orario to prevent one place from being put under when the Apollo familia inevitably lost. The odds were 20:1 in the Apollo familia's favor, and all of the income from their earnings with Apollo would be paid over manyfold when the earnings from the bets came in. Most settled for an easy 25% profit on hundreds of Millions of valis, but others like Naaza and the Street Rat Betting Network set up by the Wise Guy just for occasions such as this asked for 50%. While she knew Naaza's motivation, the Wise Guy assured her that the winnings would be placed into a fund that would help the citizens of Daedalus.
Well, nothing for it, as long as she got her initial 50 Million valis back along with 50% of the winnings as agreed upon then she wouldn't really care where the money went; the Wise Guy hadn't steered her wrong yet, and while she didn't trust him, she could at least trust in Its greed and business sense- Tanya von Degurechaff was a valuable business partner to have, so slighting her should be the last thing on their minds.
Sure, it hurt that this was all of her remaining valis, but it wasn't like she couldn't just go back into the Dungeon and farm some more- if they lost they would become Apollo's playthings, but that was not even an option being entertained in Tanya's mind; with the handicap Apollo "assured" he'd give Hestia by not attempting to take the closest Control Point from them, it was going to be a rather simple if underwhelming victory.
Not that it being easy would cheapen the victory itself- winning was winning, and Tanya hadn't had too much of that as of late to turn her nose up at this win in particular.
Yes, an easy win that didn't screw her over just because it was easy would be a very welcome change of pace for once.
[The Night Before]
The training was light today, the Dungeon time kept short- just enough to let everybody earn some valis for the eventual victory celebration.
The entirety of the Hestia familia was gathered around the firepit, fresh off the highs of their first Status Updates in over two weeks; Bell Cranel was in the 900s in all of his Basic Abilities, which was, in Tanya's opinion, patently insane considering where he had been. She didn't know if it was her training with him, his training with Aiz Wallenstein up on the wall, the time in the Dungeon spent fighting tougher monsters, or all of the above but... damn, the boy could grow! She thought her growth rate had been insane, but she had hundreds of people to train and piggyback off of- his growth beggared belief!
Welf Crozzo had grown from the G's and H's into the D's all across the board; 530 - 590 points in every stat- she was happy to see that even with everything they were doing he was still finding time to practice his magic and he even successfully managed to add one of the lowest healing spells, Soothing Touch, onto his falna!
Liliruca Arde had gone from G's and F's, with a single D, to B's across the board with a single A in Agility. The small Pallum girl looked like she had seen the light for the first time in her life looking at her stats, and everyone crowded around her to give her a big hug- except Tanya, she was busy planning this little meeting. Besides, touchy-feely things like that weren't really her forte; Tanya just told her that every stat point was a result of her own efforts and that she should be proud of herself.
Yamato Mikoto had moved past the G's and F's into the D's, with a C in Dexterity and a B in her Magic. Yes, Tanya made her work her magic hard- it was a stupendously useful spell, and it would be a crime to not exercise her abilities! She thought about trying to get her to take the Mage Developmental Ability once she made Level 3; Mage combined with the spells, plus the other spells Tanya could teach her over time would make the young Far Easter woman an excellent Support Mage.
Besides, what else was she going to take now that she already had Abnormal Resist? She wasn't a crafter, and she wasn't going to be skilled enough for Swordsman any time soon- she also didn't qualify for Hunter. If anything, taking the Mage DA would open her up to a whole world of future DAs that would greatly benefit herself and the familia! Healing and buffing spells will always be important!
The Wild Roses were back into the D's, with C's and a few B's in some stats, while the Royal Rats were all now solidly into the A's with a smattering of S's here and there; they would likely be eligible for Rank Up if Tanya allowed them to have a good portion of the spotlight, which she was intending to do anyway.
Erickitty was the least advanced out of all of them, but considering he went from a zeroed-out cripple to a man who could walk, albeit slowly, without any help for more than a few meters it was a huge improvement. The cat-kin was in the G's, and he would only improve more quickly as his condition got better; already the high-meat, high-fat diet that Tanya had him on had shown appreciable gains in muscle mass in his legs, but considering they had been twigs before it was incredibly easy to see any improvement.
Tanya herself had not elected to take a Status Update, if only because she didn't need it; her Reinforcement spell could take her up to a Level 3's parameters, and she had her bevy of spells to see her through. Yes, in her mind, taking an Update would only harm her road to Level 2- even if she wasn't exactly sprinting towards it, she wanted her EX in Strength damnit!
Like hell she was going to miss it by 4 points again!
"Now that we've all eaten and gotten our Status Updates, I believe that it is time for us to begin with a preliminary planning session-"
[Day 0 - The War Game]
[Hermes - Divine Messenger of Tenkai and God of Travel]
"Yahoo! Hello, everyone! It is time for the War Game! I'm your MC for today's events, Ibiri Achaa- alias "Fire Inferno Flame"- and joining me today here on the stage to supply his impressive insight will be my God, Ganesha-sama!" The wacky and crazy youth made several wacky and crazy arm motions as he pointed towards the elephant masked Divine standing beside him, "Is there anything you'd like to say, Ganesha-sama!?"
"Yes, I would," The God coughed into his fist before inhaling and striking a muscular pose, "I AM GANESHA!"
Hermes couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to his fellow Divine's antics- the man was loud; he could clearly be heard to Hermes' ears, and they were twenty stories off of the ground in the designated 'War Game' viewing floor. The God of Travel slid his eyes around the marble amphitheater, slipping over each and every God and Goddess in attendance; Hestia was seated by herself and looking both nervous and yet extremely confident. It was an interesting dichotomy to him, but if he had someone of Tanya's caliber in his familia he'd be all smug smirks and great big smiles all the way- even his need to hold his cards close to his chest would crumble in the face of the sheer giddiness he'd exude.
Ishtar was in attendance, the Goddess of Beauty and resident owner of 77% of the Pleasure Quarter was seated comfortably in the lap of a handsome young man that didn't have eyes for anything else but the Goddess he was cradling close. The poor fellow wouldn't even know he'd lost his entire life to her Charm until he died and crossed over into Tenkai, but there wasn't much that Hermes could do to help him except push him off the balcony and to an early grave; unless Ishtar was sent back to Tenkai for her collusions with Evilus only the Charm of another God or Goddess of love could set him free.
Freya was nowhere to be seen- the elusive woman probably up in her exclusive apartments just waiting for the War Game to start... or doing paperwork; she was surprisingly diligent, but he figured that came from her third Domain of War that everyone seemed to forget about. That thought made him roll his eyes behind the brim of his hat- of all the Divines on the Lower World, she was the one he liked dealing with least; she was a schemer, that one, and while you could try to predict her moves, the woman was just as keen to turn your predictions on their head.
Apollo arrived and lorded over Hestia for a few moments before seating himself in such a fashion so that he could gaze down the front of her shirt and stare at her generous breasts; ah, even in Tenkai the man was a fool in love with a virgin Goddess. Keyword being virgin.
"Hermes-sama, it appears that we are ready to begin." His cute little Asfi-chan gently reached out and touched his elbow, drawing a brief nod from him as he tilted his cowboy hat back and dramatically raised his arm.
"Alright! My fellow Divines! It is time that we begin this War Game between the Apollo familia and the Hestia familia!" Hermes called out, his voice echoing throughout the room, "Ouranos, permission to use my Divine Power!"
There was a brief moment before the God that kept the Dungeon asleep spoke out. "Permission granted, Hermes."
Hermes didn't need any more prompting, and the man peeled back the shell of his mortal coil to let out the tiniest trickle of his Divine Authority as a Messenger God; a swirling orb of Divine power formed over the room of the amphitheater, and across seven hundred and thirty-nine different residential, dining, drinking, and commercial establishments. The War Game was a popular event for the people, though not so much for the Children that were forced to participate in it.
"Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh~!!!!! It's War Game time, Ganesha-sama! Hermes-sama's Divine authority has just unveiled the battlefield for today!" Achaa-kun's voice spread throughout the city, his words carried by Hermes' magic, and the God slipped the view away from the battlefield and back towards the announcer, "Why don't you explain to the folks at home how this particular War Game is going to go, Ganesha-sama!?"
"I. AM. GANESHA! I am also here to tell you that today's War Game is between the seasoned Apollo familia- a well-known Top 20 familia here in Orario- and the fledgling Hestia familia! This battle will be 'Area Control', and the rules for this game are so simple that even I, GANESHA, can understand them!" The elephant-masked God flexed his biceps, "Throughout the battlefield, there are three zones that offer 10 points when captured, and when they are captured they give the controlling familia 1 point per minute the zone is held! When an opposing familia member that can fight is within the zone, it becomes 'Contested' until one is either killed, rendered unconscious, or surrenders!"
"At the end of three hours the points are tallied and the game is called!" Ganesha began bouncing his pecs before he took on a more serious tone, "Now, as with every War Game, fatalities are allowed, but they are frowned upon; the purpose of the War Game is to settle disputes without needless bloodshed, but considering the fact that today's familias will be fighting with real steel it is not unlikely that someone might die. So please, remember that when letting your children watch the Game! I AM GANESHA!"
"Woah! That sounds prrreeeeetttyyyy cuh-ray-zee, right, Ganesha-sama?! I'm sure everyone watching is keeping that in mind!" Achaa-kun uttered out while making 'jazz-hands'; Hermes didn't bother thinking about how that was so last year, all of the cool kids 'Dabbed' now. "Well then, let me start us off by showing off our familias! Starting on the Red side, the day's favored contenders the Apollo familia!"
Hermes dragged the view for everyone so that they could see the twelve neat ranks of 10 members, with the final rank only having 8 as their familia Captain Hyakinthos was standing in front of their group with his sword in hand. All of Apollo's Children wore freshly pressed, crisp white uniforms with their God's emblem emblazoned on their shoulders.
"They stand at a record 13 wins, 2 losses! They have 129 members, all of which will be participating in this War Game, and if they win they stand to gain a number of outstanding individuals, but if they lose... then they'll lose it all! Everyone, give it up for the Apollo familia!"
Hermes felt his smile draw up slightly before he slowly started panning away from the Apollo familia towards the other side of the battlefield, making sure to keep Loki in the corner of his eye as Achaa-kun began his narration. "Fighting out of the blue side, the familia of the freshly descended Goddess Hestia! They have 0 wins, 0 losses, and with 19 members to their name, they are going to have one heck of a fight! While I know that some of you see some familiar faces in the Hestia camp, but from what my-"
Hermes zoomed in and watched with only the greatest of pleasures as Loki's jaw dropped, and then her slitted eyes widened up in shock. "N-no way... Tanya-chan... Tanya-chan... TANYA-CHAN! YOU TRICKED ME! YOU TRICKED ME! OOOOHHHH! OOOOOHHHH!"
Spoiler: Loki's Face RN
Hermes couldn't help but chuckle softly as the Goddess of Trickery stomped down from her seat and made a bee-line for Hestia. "Just what do you think you're doing, shorty-boobs!? Huh!?"
Hestia and Loki quarreled, as they were wont to do- the taller Goddess pinching the smaller Goddess' cheeks while they hurled insults at one another. "How dare you-!"
"Ha! How-dere mwee?! Hwow 'dere uuu! Aww uu hadta'dooooo~ wash forrow de chontracht! Shwo eezzz dat eben uu shulda beenn able ta-"
The spectacled looked like it was going to continue for a while, but the ever-serious Hephaestus shut that down real quick. Not that Hermes blamed her- it wasn't just Tanya von Degurechaff, the Wild Roses, and the Royal Rats down there- her child Welf Crozzo was down there too.
"-and that's the starting bell!"
"Uwuuuu... Tanya-chan... why did you have to join biggie-smalls over here?!" Hermes tried not to pay attention to how Loki wriggled and squirmed in her seat next to Hesta, because the real show was now beginning; to the Messenger God the victory for Hestia was all but assured, the only question was how Tanya was going to achieve it.
Apollo, for his part, looked absolutely thrilled at the idea of picking up not only Bell Cranel but the Record Holder as well; the man wiping at his mouth with the back of his finger.
[Tanya von Degurechaff]
The gong rang out in the distance. "Alright, you all know what to do."
Her men and women nodded before they began making their movements, and Tanya for her part shot up into the sky like a rocket before making a beeline towards the 'B' capture point; while she was in the air she took a moment to glance over the terrain again. It was a fairly dense forest about five kilometers squared, with three clearings about two hundred meters in diameter where the grass was knee-high; all three points were on line with one another, which made navigation fairly simple. If her members could navigate the winding corridors of the Dungeon, they should be able to orient themselves properly and not get turned around; not with the Tower of Babel providing an excellent landmark in the distance.
All they would need to do is look at the sun or climb a tree, and they would have a good idea of where they were heading; not that Tanya didn't conduct a thorough aerial surveillance of the battlefield before they even arrived.
Erickitty had the easiest job out of all of them- sit on the tree-stump in the middle of the field and 'hold' the 'Charlie' point until the end of the game; Liliruca was to act as his support- she had cooked up a number of potent poison powder arrows with Naaza for the short bow that Tanya had purchased for her, and the Pallum was competent enough with it to put the arrows and their poison payload where they needed to go; she was hidden in the trees less than 50 meters away from the clearing, so even at that distance she couldn't miss. The poison would soften up any interlopers well enough for her to slip in and finish them off, or Erickitty could try his hand if he so wished; just because his legs weren't what they used to be didn't mean his arms or skills had atrophied- the man could still swing a sword.
Not that she wanted him to fight, but if this was another step towards regaining his life as a man, then she wasn't going to stand in his way. She could imagine just how important this was for him, and Tanya knew better than to mess with that; if the situation was so dire that his pride needed to be trampled on then the former Colonel wouldn't have allowed him to step foot onto the battlefield at all. However, given the 'handicap' that Apollo placed on himself - if his familia would still honor it after the beatings they are about to receive- then anyone they sent this way would be fairly weak or inexperienced enough for the former Level 3 to capitalize on with Liliruca's support.
The Royal Rats had their mission, as did the Wild Roses, but theirs wouldn't start until Tanya completed her own mission, which was to capture the 'Bravo' point and hold it obnoxiously until they devoted the majority of their forces to try and take it.
Bell, Mikoto, and Welf would then blitz their closest control point, the 'Alpha' point, and take it, which would likely split Hyakinthos off to go deal with the problem.
Tanya touched down in the center of the point and raised her hand for a moment before she walked to the edge of the ring and waited for the Apollo familia to show up.
"Woo! The Hestia familia is off to a strong start, everyone! Point 'C' and point 'B' are captured! Plus 20 points to the Hestia familia and counting! Looks like 'The Radience' is waiting off to the side and issuing the Apollo familia a challenge!"
Tanya blinked. Well, yes, she was, but she wasn't like... be so overt about it!
"Man, she's really disrespecting the Apolo familia! Just look at her stance! Totally self-assured, just daring for the archers of the enemy familia to try and take a shot at her!"
"H-hey! Stop misinterpreting things, MC-san!"
[Hyakinthos Clio - Level 3, Apollo familia Captain]
"W-what!? They've already captured point 'B'!? But the War Game has just started!"
"Did they cheat and start moving before the timer even began!?"
"Don't be an idiot! Hermes-sama and everyone in Orario have been watching them the whole time! Even if Hestia-sama and her tiny familia are desperate, that doesn't mean that they would try to cheat when everyone is watching!"
Hyakinthos pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, listen up! Enough with the pointless bickering! It doesn't matter whether or not they have two points captured, soon enough we'll begin moving and we'll have our own point captured, and then we can move on to contest 'B'."
The man swept his hand out to the side, drawing his sword in the same motion. "Rear Guard! You will secure and hold our 'A' point! Be sure to keep a runner in the treeline in case they try to try something cute! Everyone else is with me! Soon enough these charlatans will fall, and we will secure them for our God's familia, so try not to rough them up... too much."
There was a chorus of chuckles all around as the Rear Guard, which consisted of the familia's supporters as well as a few of their newer Level 1s, took off in the direction of their 'A' point to capture it. "Just remember what Apollo-sama said! We are not to attempt to take the 'C' point until two hours in. It wouldn't be fair otherwise!"
Then men howled with laughter as they raised their weapons towards the sky and took off towards the 'B' point at an easy pace; the vanguard of their advance was far enough ahead to give them advanced warning of any ambushes, but close enough so that they could be supported.
"A-ah, Hyakinthos-sama, the light that outshines the sun will act as a wall. S-she cannot be surmounted. We s-should just go around and attack Point 'C'." Hyakinthos felt his eyebrow twitch as Apollo's favorite 'oracle' rushed through the crowd of her familia members and embraced his chest, "Please, we will surely be defeated if we try to climb!"
The Captain of the familia didn't know why he kept the young woman around if all she was going to do was speak in riddles- the way she kept spacing out at random hours of the day just added to the creep factor. Still, Apollo-sama had been taken by her and he couldn't just be rough with her. "Daphne, please... collect your friend and keep her away from me, we are in the middle of a War Game, I don't have time to entertain her ramblings."
Spoiler: Cassandra-Left, Daphne-Right
From within the advancing group Daphne Lauros, one of his Lieutenants and someone that Hyakinthos believed had the potential to make Level 3 and stand among the likes of himself over the rest of the rabble, slipped through and grabbed the walking-headache by her wrist and dragged her away. "-but Daphne! If we try to attack her head-on we will lose!"
Hyakinthos frowned and spat to the side, "What a miserable wretch, that woman. No faith in us. No faith in Apollo-sama."
[Tanya von Degurechaff]
[30 Minutes in.]
[Hestia: 80 Points (+20 Capture, 60 Minute Points).]
[Apollo: 30 Points (+10 Capture; 20 Minute Points).]
Tanya felt like a fool standing here for the last half an hour. If they had been normal mortals moving through 2.5 kilometers of thick forest foliage she could understand why they hadn't yet arrived, but they were far from normal mortals. They should be here by now. Not that she was going to tell them to hurry up- the points were the win condition, not their defeat- if she destroyed them all and they still have more points then she would still lose.
Only some movement in the trees catches her attention- white was not a very stealthy cover. Tanya activated her Mage Reinforcement and not a moment too soon as an arrow flashed out from the treeline, and she reached out casually and plucked the arrow from the air before giving it a little waggle towards the archer who fired it. Three more arrows launched out, and she caught them all with a single hand.
For the first time, she wished that she hadn't left all of her weapons back at the Hestia church- she didn't feel that her Alfheim Bow, Goliath Bow, Bluteid, or even the damaged Blutscher were worth bringing to this fight; her goal wasn't to kill them, even though she would if she had to- her freedom and the freedom of the familia was paramount. Tanya wouldn't get shit done under Apollo's thumb, and she would be damned if she ended up being a bed warmer for the arrogant God in between cocks!
No, all she had was a simple Whisperwood quarterstaff.
Seven more arrows lanced out and she spun her staff in her hand, knocking the three out of the way that were on course; the other four were going to miss her entirely. She finished off with a little flourish and raised her hand, making a 'come hither' gesture.
That was when a few dozen arrows filled the air and Tanya sighed as she interposed a single Barrier pane between herself and the incoming projectiles- they were far more powerful than a normal arrow on account of them being fired from non-mundane bows, but they still lacked the power to even scratch her barrier; some of the arrows were deflected while others snapped as their shafts flexed and broke. Only five of those arrows would have hit her person, and the clearing was only fifty meters away from where she stood.
"Attention Apollo familia," Tanya began, spinning up her Communication formula to project her voice all around her, "My name is Tanya von Degurechaff, and I am the Captain of the Hestia familia. I am not certain if your Divine has told you of the stakes for this War Game, but essentially it boils down to this: when you lose, 70% of your assets will become the property of the Hestia familia."
There was a slight ripple in the white-clothed members of the Apollo familia, "This includes you, Adventurers. So, as your future Commander you can consider this War Game as part of your interview: are you good enough to stand among the ranks of Orario's finest?"
That got a reaction out of them.
What appeared to be the entirety of their familia began stepping out of the woods and into the clearing, and Tanya began counting off; there were 108 of their 129 members, at least from what Tanya could see. Tanya boosted her Communication formula so that she could clearly be heard across the entirety of the battlefield. "Condition: One."
There was some confusion on the faces of the Apollo familia members when they heard this, but Tanya didn't pay them any mind, her eyes focusing on the man she recognized as Hyakinthos Clio, the Captain of the Apollo familia striding out confidently to stand in front of her. "You act as if this contest is already a foregone conclusion, Radiance. You would do well to remember that we are a Top 20 familia for a reason."
"Correction: You are a Top 20 familia now, after this War Game you will be a shell of your former selves." Tanya tapped her quarterstaff on the ground, "This is how this is going to work: I am going to fight each and every one of you to gauge your abilities- should you perform well and have a personality I believe will mesh well with the familia then I will allow you to join at the conclusion of this little game."
Her eyes swept over towards the archers and she frowned, "However, your archers need significant work- I was 50 meters away and stationary, there was no reason for only a handful of arrows to even come close to touching me. Archery will be a very important skill to have in our familia, although where you are lacking we can always... improve."
One of the werewolf archers growled and drew back his bow and fired another arrow, this one was actually quite accurate and Tanya tilted her head off to the side to let it breeze past her hair. "Much better, but can your companions do that as well?"
"Enough!" Hyakinthos ground out as he swept his arm off to the side, "I will always humor Apollo-sama's requests, but you are talking far too much for someone who's only been in Orario for a few months! Mages! Prepare your spells!"
Tanya felt her irritation rise as she watched a half dozen mages all wielding the same Whisperwood staves with some fairly large monster cores affixed to the ends... line up in a row across from her... while standing practically shoulder to shoulder.
Were these men fools? Did they expect her to just allow them to chant and use their magic?
They began a simultaneous chant for what Tanya recognized as the standard fireball spell, and she gathered her Mind and cast a single Refracted Beam spell- the pencil-thin bar of concentrated light and heat piercing through the monster core of the center mage's staff. This destabilized the spell and artificially introduced Ignis Faatus, with the predictable results being the staff exploded into a hail of wooden shrapnel and fire. The explosion threw the other mages to the ground, which threw off their control and cause their staves to them explode as well.
This occurred within the span of a few seconds, the concussion and fire sending a dozen Apollo familia members tumbling across the clearing. The mages were unconscious and bleeding but didn't appear to be too badly injured. "Unless there was a reason to keep your mages grouped up- like a Magic enhancing skill or spell- a smart commander would have spread his mages out across the clearing to buy time for them to complete their casts."
"So, minus points for you, Hyakinthos Clio. Such childish tactics will not be tolerated within the Hestia familia," Tanya tapped her quarterstaff on the ground before pointing at the rest of them with it, "Now, step forward and test yourself against me. Let me see if you have what it takes to join my familia."
The Level 3 trembled in barely concealed rage as he drew his blade and pointed out at her. "Take care of this miserable woman already!"
Hyakinthos turned towards a few of what Tanya assumed to be his Lieutenants and whispered into their ears before a few dozen parted from the main group and began to retreat into the forest. She couldn't see more because her vision was slowly being filled with a white tidal wave of bodies.
"So we're going to play it like this, eh?" Tanya grinned as she spooled up a dozen Refracted beams and lanced out. "Condition: Hotel-Kilo."
[Tabbitha - Leader of the Royal Rats]
[35 Minutes into the Game]
[Hestia: 90 Points (+20 Capture, 70 Minute Points).]
[Apollo: 30 Points (+10 Capture; 20 Minute Points).]
"Condition: One."
Tabbitha and the Royal Rats paused for a moment as Tanya-sama's voice echoed across the clearing.
"Huh, looks like she was right- they really did bring their whole group towards Point 'B', huh?" Hack, the tall, brown-haired human muttered as he scratched at the side of his head with the corner of his Damascus gauntlet.
Wendy, their short half-elf sister hummed happily as she grasped her Whisperwood staff in her hands and smiled, "As expected of Tanya-sama."
Sven, their blond-haired, blue-eyed little brother of the Royal Rats grinned nervously as he checked the edge on his Shadowsteel shortsword for the hundredth time. "You think we'll even see some action?"
"Tanya-sama said she would let us work if the situation allowed for it, and I have no reason to doubt her," The Pallum Leader of the party spoke up as she resumed their careful walk through the woods, "We just need to get to our assigned location before the call goes out, and we won't do that just by standing around and chatting."
Her tone had been firm and a little snippy- she was very much like Tanya in that she disliked idle conversation, especially when so much of the plan revolved around them being able to flank quietly. While they were still a good ways away from the initial starting location, Tanya thought that they would do the smart thing and send scouting parties to at least ensure they wouldn't be flanked without notice. However, Tabbitha thought that Tanya's primary flaw was that she believed that everyone looked at a situation and saw the same things she did.
The truth of the matter was that the Apollo familia had a severe advantage in numbers and wouldn't even think to utilize strategy when they could just swamp them and drown them with bodies. All they had to do to win was to take and hold the 'B' Point and the match was decided; the fact that Tanya had managed to take it so early meant that they would be feeling the pressure to put points on the scoreboard. That would make them sloppy.
The 'Condition: One' was just the proof Tabbitha needed to hear- the codes were simple, and all that it meant was that the bulk of the Apollo familia's numbers came to meet her in open combat at Point 'B'.
They had just reached their assigned position at the edge of the battlefield when they heard Tanya's voice reach out and wash over them. "Condition: Hotel-Kilo."
Tabbitha blinked before a grin came out to bless the world; looks like Hyakinthos realized that maybe it might not be possible to take her, or he wasn't going to honor his God's agreement because he was splitting up his large group into smaller teams. The Hunter-Killer protocol was in effect, and that meant that the Royal Rats and the Wild Roses would push inwards and intercept their probing parties.
All that was left was for Bell Cranel, and his party of Welf Crozzo and Yamato Mikoto to knock down whatever paltry force the Apollo familia left at their 'A' Point and begin racking up Points from all three locations. With any luck, they would be pulled in four different directions, which would take their numbers and make them meaningless unless they could coordinate effectively, but Tabbitha doubted that- they were Adventurers through and through, trained to fight against the Dungeon using tried-and-true tactics that have survived since antiquity.
Fighting Adventurers who were experienced with actual warfare was a whole different animal entirely.
"Come on, let's spread out and find our guys."
[Chalice Morry - Level 2, Apollo Familia]
"Flank left and capture their 'C' point. Take ten men. Go."
The human felt his lip curl as he thought about that Hyakinthos bastard's words. The dude smelled like flowers while his breath smelled of Apollo's cum- cocksucker thought he was better than everyone else just because their God wanted to pry his asshole open every night! Fuck, if he could make Level 3 then he could beat the smug prick down and kick him to the curb.
He wouldn't even be in this mess had Apollo not latched onto Cassandra's ability to see omens of the future; his entire familia had been absorbed just for her alone, and while he didn't hate the girl for the situation, he hated that it happened. Chalice Morry hated that he had to fight for an asshole like Apollo. However, every man has their reasons, and he has his.
Certainly, he could hold out hope that the Hestia familia could somehow eke out a miraculous victory, but Fastest Rank Up in History or no, Tanya von Degurechaff was still a Level 2. A frighteningly competent Level 2, but a Level 2 nonetheless; he'd seen her catch the arrows out of the air effortlessly, and used chantless magic to create a barrier and that beam spell that decimated their small mage contingent. The blonde girl must have been incredibly dedicated to learning whatever spells she used-
He blinked in shock as a half-elf woman stepped out from behind the trunk of a large tree with her staff pointed towards the bulk of their formation. "Ambush-!"
The words barely left his lips when she yelled out her spell- "Howling Gale!"
A burst of incredibly strong winds picked him up off of his feet and sent him cartwheeling through the air, the human felt his stomach flip-flop as the horizon spun like a top in his vision before he hit the dirt with a grunt. He managed to control his roll and stop his backward movement just before he impacted a tree; his eyes flickered across the battlefield and he saw a few of his Level 1 companions hadn't been so lucky- their forms either crumpled against the thick tree trunks and unconscious, or they were staggering to their feet with unsteady legs. That tumble had been incredibly disorienting.
"Form up! Form up!" His words fell on deaf ears, however, as within the span of a few seconds figures garbed similarly to the half-elf that had initiated the ambush dropped down from the trees- the pommels of their shortswords striking their skulls and sending them into sleep. He curled his lips back and held his longsword in front of his body as he waited- the other ten members of his party were either incapacitated or were about to be; the last standing member was Zelia, a full-blooded elf with a unique Magic that had fallen to Apollo's declarations of love a few years prior.
The half-elf woman she was fighting was actually performing incredibly well with her quarterstaff- the mage proving that she could handle herself readily in close combat unlike most of her spellcasting brethren.
When Zelia went down, the Elf only managing to cast her Lightning Blade spell once, Chalice found himself alone as seven figures turned their attention to them. It would be a close fight considering they were all competent Level 1s, but his experience and stats should see him through-
He didn't get to finish that thought as something weighty impacted his back and latched onto his back like a monkey- the tell-tale kiss of steel against his throat taking away all thoughts of attempting to throw his assailant off. "Now, now. I think we can settle this with a simple 'forfeit', yes? You're pretty handsome, it would be a waste to cut your throat accidentally."
She was a Pallum judging by her small frame, and while the majority of her body was firm muscle, she seemed to have just the perfect amount of squish in all of the right places. Well, that was great in his eyes, he liked his ladies tiny. He drove the point of his sword into the ground and chuckled. "I forfeit. Say, want to maybe... grab a drink when all of this is over?"
Her voice was light, but he felt a thrill surge up his spine when he felt two warm lips press against the base of his left ear. "We'll see. You're handsome, but I don't know if you're my type."
The Pallum released him and hopped down onto the ground and he turned to look over his shoulder, catching sight of black hair and piercing blue eyes underneath a treated leather hood, a ghost of a smile on her face. He bit his lower lip as he gave her a clear once over, "Well, you're definitely mine, so we have at least one half of this chemistry equation solved."
She blinked. "I... don't know anything about Chemistry. I just learned to read and write a few years ago..."
"Ah... I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to make you feel bad." He apologized and scrubbed the back of his head with a hand.
She walked right past him, the hood obscuring the blushing smile on her face. "Well, be a good boy and make sure your companions are up and moving towards the 'Dead Pile' okay? Come on, Rats! This can't be the only small force Pin-Head sent out!"
[Sasha Rinkle - Level 1, Wild Roses]
[45 Minutes into the Game]
[Hestia: 110 Points (+20 Capture, 90 Minute Points).]
[Apollo: 40 Points (+10 Capture; 30 Minute Points).]
The half-elf waited patiently with her bow drawn for the signal, doing her best to ignore the phantom throb of pain in her foot. It was happening less and less as the days went on, but the nightmares still came each evening.
A shrieking mouth with two sets of teeth, the searing fire in her calf as the Viola's spiked dentition pierced her leg, the agony of feeling her foot and ankle getting pulped between the more human interior jaws.
A single bead of sweat slid down her brow, ghosting along the outside of her orbital socket before slipping down her cheek. Shasha blinked and took a deep, calming breath. She wasn't there anymore. She survived. She had her foot back. She was crouching on it, using the dense foliage to conceal her form.
Her pain had been something she would never forget, but it was nothing compared to what Calliope experienced, but none of that mattered because Tanya-sama had saved them. They were all here. They were all alive, at this very moment in time. Calliope, Durbina, herself, and Mary were all fine. They were okay.
That was what mattered.
"NOW!" Calliope howled out as she slipped around the trunk of the tree nearest to the group of fourteen Apollo Adventurers and threw herself into the middle of their formation with her longsword swinging and her Goliath Hide buckler lashing out.
Durbina used the distraction to come in from a small gully, the dwarf woman roaring like a bull as she tucked herself in behind her tower shield and bowled over three of the men before her Ironwood warhammer flashed out and struck a human woman in the torso; the sheer power behind the blow folding her over and sending her skidding across the leaf-covered ground.
Mary dropped out of the tree and ran the flat of her blade across the throat of a human male she landed on before using his shoulders as a platform to hop onto the back of the nearest person- a werewolf woman who had been growling and squaring off against Calliope; that fight didn't last much longer as the Pallum's wooden blade slammed into her back. "Dead! Pierced through the heart! Get down and stay down!"
Sasha for her part, watched the action from thirty meters away, and she only acted when something was about to change the tide of the fight; a quarter-elf male popped out from behind a tree and loosed an arrow. Sasha released her own and it shattered his mid-flight; he was young, but Sasha had been a Ranger for over one hundred years in the Alf Kingdom before she sought out a better life for herself in Orario. Even her monumental patience had its limits, and the Elves were quick to roll in the hay with the other races when they thought no one was looking, but they were just as quick to shun the half-blooded children their indiscretions birthed.
Sasha released a second arrow, and then a third. The first pierced the sleeve of his shoulder, and when he tried to jerk his arm free, the second arrow impacted right next to his head. The man slumped with a visible sigh before dropping his bow and raising his hand towards the sky.
"You're fifty years too early to be attempting to duel me, young one." She whispered to herself as her eyes slid over the rest of the battle. Only one human male was left, and he was a very, very pretty boy with long, luscious red hair and what appeared to be bottle-green eyes. She wished she still had her Level 4 senses so that she could properly appreciate his beautiful visage. Maybe Tanya would allow him in?
Calliope's fist caught the side of his face and he slumped into unconsciousness, causing Sasha to wince. He was a Level 1, likely one that was picked up for his beauty alone.
Sasha kept her position as the rest of her party began gathering up the unconscious and directing them towards the closest 'Dead Collection Point'.
While he was just a useless pretty boy now, maybe Tanya-sama could get him to shape up?
With the thoughts of the beautiful human in sweat-soaked clothing swirling through her mind, the phantom pains of her leg and foot felt so very far away.
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