1 The Death of a Familia
A long, long time ago, the gods descended to the lower world. The world of their children, seeking excitement, they decided they would live there with their children forever. They would seal away their divine powers and enjoy life with all the hardships and inconveniences that it shares. They could only offer one thing: their blessing, which gave them the power to fight monsters. Children given this power would become their servants, their familia.
In the lower world, two familia's reigned supreme, they were the Zeus familia and the Hera familia. Their powers were unmatched among all other familias. The members of their familia were some of the most powerful adventurers in history, and they would go completely unchallenged, this was until three calamities escaped from the dungeon below Orario.
These three calamities were the Behemoth, Leviathan, and One-Eyed Black Dragon. They would come to threaten the city of Orario and all that lay sheltered within. Knowing the fate of the entire lower world rested in their hands, Zeus and Hera banded together to face the impending threat with the combined strength of their two familia's.
Though they triumphed the first two calamities; the third, the one-eyed black dragon, destroyed many of the great warriors that once caused every other familia to both fear and revere them. Battered and battle-worn, the two familia's hobbled back to Orario to lick their wounds and bury their dead. Although, the welcome they received would not be one they expected.
A caravan of staggering figures could easily be seen from the walls of the city, the first beams of the sunrise outlined their silhouettes against the ridgeline. The moans of the wounded were heard long before they were seen as the clustered group of warriors marched wearily towards the city wall that stood like a beacon for the tired and homesick adventurers.
The sight of their home was bittersweet for many of the adventures as they were reminded of the promises they made before embarking on their perilous journey. They remembered the celebrations and parades that were held for them, none of them believed they would be forced to return home as failures at the end of their journey. None of them thought they would fail.
The straggling warriors increased their pace as they drew closer to the gates. The promise of soft beds and warm food ushered renewed strength in all of them. A white-haired old man stumbled forward as he struggled to keep pace with the warriors streaming past him, a strong, stable hand gripped his arm to steady him. The old man tried waving off the assistance with a tired smile.
He then looked at who the hand belonged to, Telemachus, one of the strongest warriors within his familia, only bested by Maxim, Zald, and his father Odysseus. The old man patted his hand as he sighed in resignation. "I knew this day would come, but I never thought it would happen so quickly." He let his words hang in the air for a moment before he continued, giving them a bit more weight.
"We could barely scratch the beast, let alone defeat it. Maxim was always too reckless, but I never expected him to charge in like he did. Zald could barely pierce its skin with the mage's help when he tried to rescue Maxim." Zeus smiled a sad smile as he remembered a fonder memory. "I remember when he struck down the Goliath in a single strike...he almost brought the ceiling down on us in the process." His smile faded as he said regretfully. "Nothing we did could stop it. Nothing seemed to affect it."
He looked at Telemachus, saying "Even your father could do nothing but by time for our retreat." He met his gaze, trying to offer him some words of comfort, knowing the guilt and sorrow that surely plagued him.
"Your father was a good man, find strength in knowing he died so that we might live." He looks at the horizon long fully for a moment, his wrinkled brow furrowed with a tinge of sadness. "Though I wish this was not so." He said admittedly.
Telemachus nodded with acknowledgment as he looked onward towards the stone gate, which mirrored his expression, unchanging, unflinching, and cold. His response was calm, unnaturally calm, as though he was doing everything to keep his voice from breaking and revealing his true feelings.
"I know, I should have done something….anything….but in the end all I could do was watch him die." Telemachus's expression stayed the same, but his jaw was clenched in the effort. His gaze shifted to Zeus, the god of their once-proud familia which was now a shell of its former self, and asked.
"Could I have done anything? Was there anything that could have been done to face such a...impossibly strong force? It destroyed Orario's finest with each swipe of its talons…..turned them to ash with an exhale of its breath!" He recalled as the memories vividly ran rampant through his mind, reliving the nightmarish events that claimed so many of his friends...his family.
"How could there possibly be anyone that could face that monster!?" He demanded, knowing Zeus could not give an honest answer.
Telemachus's hand shook while he held Zeus upright, seeming to be stabilized by him rather than the other way around. The cracks in his unnaturally calm mask began to show, fear shone clearly in his eyes and he could do little to cover it. Zeus looked away towards the sun shining above the horizon, its rays barely leaking above the battlements of the gate. His expression was uncharacteristically stoic as he muttered, not particularly to anyone, seemingly to himself.
"Not you, nor I, but one day there will one day be someone able to stand against it. One day a hero will rise with the strength surpassing the heroes of old. A hero of courage, devotion, and an unyielding will, who will stand as a symbol of hope amongst a tide of despair. An Argonaut, greater than the legend it resembles."
The few adventurers around him, including Telemachus, looked at Zeus with either confusion or disbelief. A silhouette on the battlements drew their attention before any questions could be raised as a cackling laugh echoed down from the cold, indifferent walls. Now all attention focused on the figure atop the wall, even those who were forced to lean on the shoulders of their comrades to walk or those being carried on stretchers.
"Zeus, Hera, how wonderful it is to have you return to us….mostly alive." The feminine voice was tinged with both contempt and false welcome. "I'm afraid I'll have to inform you of a...development that occurred during your absence." Although no one could not see the voice's face, they knew it wore a sinister smile as it spoke these next words.
"You will no longer be regarded as the most powerful within Orario, that role will now be attributed to Loki and I." The woman snapped her finger, then fires in hearths flared below the wall where she stood, lights illuminated the shadows, revealing many fully armored adventures wearing the crests of the Loki and Freya familia.
They watched in silence as they stood restlessly in formation. It became apparent that the armored reception did not intend to offer their fallen hero's refuge, their intent was all but unsaid.
Freya's illuminated figure danced eerily as she stood in silent amusement, the shadows cascading up and down her body caused her appearance to be obscured in uncertainty.
Her hand traced up the side of her face as her sadistic gaze etched over the wounded and weary that helplessly stood before her. Her smile displayed a sick pleasure as she witnessed an event of her own creation play out. Zeus's familia held their breath, knowing it might very well be their last, but those with strength remaining to stand stood up in defiance.
They drew their weapons and guarded those whose bandages were stained crimson and whose legs failed to support them. Everyone stood in silence, no one dared breathe, still holding on to what might be their last breath.
"Isn't this so exhilarating?" Freya exclaimed, lapping up the tension with a lofty grin "With a single order, all of you will be completely obliterated and there is no one tha…." A voice interjected from under the wall. A girl with a slim build and an indifferent demeanor rested her arms behind her head as she walked in front of the gate, calling all attention to herself as she spoke.
"Freya dear, this is so boooring. Can we finish this dirty business and get back to doing something else. You still owe me a drink after this, so don't think I'll forget about it. Nothing less than wine from the Soma familia and I expect it to be some from a finished batch. This was a lot to organize and it was oh so difficult not involving the guild." Her careless demeanor hardened as she leveled her eyes at the weakened foes before them, her expression was unreadable behind her seemingly closed eyes.
"Anyway, this is beginning to leave a bad taste in my mouth. One I'd like to wash away quickly if you would be so inclined. "
Freya clicked her tongue in annoyance as she glared at Loki. "You really don't have any tact, do you Loki? I create the perfect atmosphere of impending doom and you just have to go ahead and ruin it." She rested her head in her hand as she sighed with annoyed resignation.
"Nevermind, the moments ruined. Ok Ottar, take care of them…." A few moments of silence followed before Ottar emotionlessly drew his enormous longsword from his sheath resting on his back, wielding it as though it weighed nothing. He and the rest of the adventurers sporting similar crests began advancing on the battle-weary line of the Zeus familia, who quickly resolved themselves and readied for the impending tide of enemies, before Freya quickly announced.
"How silly of me, I almost forgot." She motioned behind her to some unseen observer and the gates quickly opened, which children and wives of the Zeus familia, escorted under heavy guard, walked out of. "How could I not allow such a memorable reunion without allowing you to see your families again?" The columns of children and women were stopped right outside the gate, with blades to their necks. All the resolve the Zeus familia mustered dissolved upon seeing their loved ones being held at sword point.
Zeus quickly stepped up, demanding with a loud and commanding tone. "Freya! Stop! You know the guild would not take the killing of innocents lightly, outside the gates or not!" He glared at Freya, his tone demanding cooperation. She just laughed and smiled.
"The guild could not hope to oppose me when there is something I desire, similar to you, wouldn't you agree Zeus?" They held each other's gaze for several seconds, promising his vengeance through words unsaid.
"What do you want?" He asked through gritted teeth. The edge of her lips curled upwards with a viper's grin, finding some sadistic pleasure in their exchange as she said.
"What else? The location and means to open your treasury. Your familia is gone, meaning all your resources are now up for grabs." She looks at the quivering captives below, relishing their muffled sobs as they echo off the indifferent stone walls, echoing to their loved ones below.
"I believe that is an acceptable price for their safety, would you not agree?" Motioning to the captives below her.
Zeus furrowed his brow both in anger and thought, his mind raced as he desperately tried to think of an alternative.
"What assurance do I have that you will not harm their families when I do tell you?" He asked cautiously.
Freya smiled a wicked smile as she simply stated. "That's just it, you have none." She snapped her fingers again, causing the men guarding the hostages to press their blades closer to the captive's necks, some drawing blood.
Zeus quickly conceded. "Ok, ok, it's within the council room behind the bookshelf on the southern wall. The lock is behind a red leathered grimoire, use a key found in my desk to unlock it. Satisfied?"
He shuttered as those last words left him, along with his last bargaining chip. Freya nodded in satisfaction and signaled to the ground below. The women and children were then released and ran towards the rough line of men, many dropped their weapons to embrace their loved ones. While some wandered through the scores of wounded, looking for parents and significant others that would not be there. It was a touching reunion that lasted less than a minute before Loki asked Freya.
"So you want me to do it now?" Freya bobbed her head back and forth as though she was debating the notion, before nodding. "Go ahead, we've gotten what we've wanted."
Zeus and the rest of his familia looked up with shock and horror at the implication. Then Ottar, with his lines of adventures, began to advance. Quickly, those who dropped their weapons scrambled to pick them up and take up a defensive position. Again, the rough line of weary warriors formed. Telemachus shoved Zeus backward, drawing his sword, and stood in a position in front of him while commanding Zeus.
"Go, take everyone you can with you. We'll hold them for as long as we can, but you have to go now!" He stepped forward, ending any further arguing, but not before announcing to the advancing Loki and Freya familia
"Zeus familia! Gather! We've faced down three calamites and survived, we are the greatest among all of Orario! Don't allow these dogs to trample our pride and strike down our families, stand and fight! TO THE LAST!!!!" Telemachus's voice echoed over the marching of the impending enemy, causing the rest in his familia to follow suit.
"TO THE LAST!!!" They echoed over the battlefield as they surged forward to meet the tide of enemies. Though they were weary and worn, their spirits were not broken, the fate of their families drove them forward with purpose and desperation. They fought as though their lives depended on it, although it was not their lives they fought for, but their families, their familia.
Zeus wasted no time, grabbing any still mourning their lost loved ones or injured that struggled to stand on their own. Urging anyone not injured to carry children or to help those who were. He quickly announced, raising his voice over the clash of weapons.
"Everyone, to the forest! Meet at the safehouse!" He urged them forward, knowing the place he prepared for this eventuality would serve them well.
Right before Zeus could leave with those he can flee with, he witnessed a man with red eyes and white hair like his own standing completely still, watching the battle rage in front of him. He was a supporter Zeus knew to be exceptionally cowardly, one to flee from the battle at the first sign of danger. Instead, he walked to Zeus as though he was in a trance, and handed him a baby wrapped in cloth, the baby stared at Zeus with the same red eyes as the man in front of him.
Zeus begins to speak before he's cut off by the man placing his hand on Zeus's shoulder. He stared at him with compassion and understanding before saying.
"I've failed many times, you know this. I never could stand on my own two feet, always letting others protect me." He shook his head and smiled as he said.
"Not again, not now, because I finally have a reason to fight." He nodded to his child that lay in Zeus's arms. "I'll do what I'm able, just take care of him. Promise me."
Zeus stood silently for several seconds, before nodding and saying.
"I promise, I will care for him as though he were my own." The man smiled gratefully, finding a great solace in Zeus's promise. Letting go of Zeus's shoulder, he gave him a final grin before turning and running towards the raging battle. Zeus was forced to watch as one by one, his familia is cut down.
Zeus and the survivors quickly ran for the forest, hoping to escape the Loki and Freya familia's grasp before they could claim all of their lives. He took one final glance, watching his familia die little by little as the battle raged. He saw men and women litter a field drenched in blood. This caused his heart to clench with regret, such useless killing, it made him sick to watch.
With many of his familia lying dead on the ground, he watched in hopeless defeat as those two familias scavenged through the bodies of his familia covering the ground. With a final glance, he looked at Freya's desolate figure atop the wall. She watched, relishing the massacre that effectively castrated his familia, striking the final nail of their casket, before noticing Zues staring at her. She cried out to Zeus as they fled, with a voice brimming with supremacy.
"You are free to leave Zeus, but you shall never return to Orario. Lest we repeat this fateful night." She blew him an exaggerated kiss as she announced. "Goodbye Zeus, thank you for your sacrifice." Her words dripped with exaggerated contempt and arrogance as she watched Zeus's silhouette linger at the edge of the forest.
Before Zeus turned away to leave Orario for a final time, he watched as the single figure alive, a child, kneeled crying next to his fallen mother and father. Zeus's heart clenched once again, he longed to rescue the child, but he knew it was a lost cause as adventures encircled the helpless child. With a heavy heart full of sorrow and defeat, he gripped the child in his arms to his chest and turned away from the city of Orario, the home he and his familia would never again return to.
