5.1 Getting that Tramp Stamp

A/N: Apologies for the late release, I have been rather floored the last week or so. I will, however, release two chapters this week. Enjoy.

You know the drill guys.

Here is a bit of a key:

{this is The Game talking to the MC and also system messages}

"This is speaking out loud"

'This is thoughts'

{{This is Gods saying Godly things, in a Godly way}}

-----------------------------------

Somewhere along the way, the last vestiges of sunlight had dipped beyond the horizon and now the only illumination in the basement room, were a few flickering candles that he had no memory of being lit.

Ramiel and Hestia sat side by side on the worn-out couch as the young man took his time to compose his thoughts. He was nervous, his heart beating wildly in his chest because, from the depths of his heart, Ramiel desperately wanted this to work out.

Any healthy relationship was equally based on both affection and trust. Deeper affection and stronger bonds could be built with time but trust was a fragile thing that could only be easily obtained on one single occasion.

What was trust? It was an immaterial concept based upon the reliability of the trusted party and the confidence shown in them. The fastest and most reliable way to build trust was to express confidence in someone by showing them vulnerability.

Ramiel's circumstances and his newfound powers were undeniably earth-shaking and by exposing them to anyone, he was no doubt taking a very real risk. In his mind, however, there was no hesitation, though that didn't mean he was dauntless about the prospect of sharing something so intimate.

To the young man, Hestia had already become someone worthy of both exposing his secrets to and placing his trust in. After all, the mostly subconscious yet similarly all-encompassing feeling of comfort he felt by simply basking in her presence, was not something that could be falsified.

This was a feeling Ramiel wished to hold onto tightly and so, in order for them to build a lasting bond and truly come to rely on one another as family, he was going to take a leap of faith, explaining things to her, almost in their entirety.

This attraction he held for her was no longer simply because Hestia was one of his favourite 2D characters, no, it was because everything about the very real and very loveable woman in front of him violently tugged his heartstrings. She reminded him of himself at his worst.

She was lost, alone and exhausted. Living in poverty and with nobody to rely on, merely going through the motions from day to day. Sure, she could return to Tenkai at any time and her situation would immediately improve for the better… but would she really be any happier or any less alone?

The answer was probably no or she would have already done so. Still, Ramiel believed he could provide her with comfort, companionship and happiness and if it was Hestia, receive all of those and much more in return.

So, he took a deep breath, swept a hand through his hair and began talking. "Right, here goes nothing. Let me get a few things out first before we get to the complicated stuff. I also think it would be much easier for you to understand everything if you give me the Falna before I explain my circumstances to you in detail."

Truth

She slipped a small, delicate hand into his much larger one and squeezed just that little bit tighter, seemingly content to let him speak.

"I used to be a soldier. My father was one and so was his father, it was almost a family tradition kind of thing and while I am obviously not one anymore, I was a soldier who had seen combat… It is nothing surprising for a soldier to have fought for his country but I do think that's important that you know and understand what that implies."

Hestia did, it meant he had fought and likely killed others in the name of his nation. It also meant that he was neither naive nor innocent to the way of the world worked, probably having already seen the darker side of it and although she flinched a little when he spoke, it was more out of surprise than anything else.

That soft and gentle smile was also a tad bit unfair if he had to comment, so was the way she just gently nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"The second thing is, that while I do feel some sort of obligation to extend a hand to those in need, especially if they are directly in front of me, at the core of my being, I am neither an altruist nor am I a hero."

Truth

He took a deep breath, his red eyes gaining a determined focus as he stared into her azure ones. "This means I won't sacrifice myself for those I don't know and I will forever place my close ones above the masses. I'm just a man who, above all, desires a home and family to call his own. A fiercely protective man who would do absolutely anything if it meant keeping the people I care about from harm whether immediate or otherwise. Anything. Hestia."

Truth

"Even killing people?" She whispered.

"Yes. If there were ever a time where I had to choose between my Familia and the entirety of Orario, I would choose the former in a heartbeat."

Truth

There was no hesitation in his reply, nor should there be, yet when his straightforward conviction caused her gaze to waver from his own, his heart undeniably sunk.

Ramiel pulled his hands away from her grasp, lit up a cigarette and sighed. "I'm not a murderer Hestia. I have only ever preemptively killed people that truly deserved it or when defending myself from those who were trying to kill me first but that doesn't mean I won't kill in the future to protect myself and others I come to care about because I will without hesitation."

Truth

She still didn't respond, nor did she meet his gaze and once again, he felt the strange warmth in his chest responding to his inner turmoil. Only this time, to his utter dismay, it was steadily bleeding away from him rather than gathering. Simply leaving behind a strange and unsettling feeling of profound emptiness.

As the seconds turned into minutes and with Hestia still refusing to meet his eye, the world around him slowly began to lose its focus. There seemed to be a lump of something solid in his throat and his lungs were feeling rather tight and stuffy. It was also becoming strangely hard to breathe and suspiciously hard to see.

Ramiel's mind was steadily filled with but a single all-encompassing emotion… Fear.

Fear of rejection, fear of her looking at him with disappointment or even disgust.

He was so, so close to everything he ever wanted but it seemed as if this were doomed to fail at the first hurdle and it was quite frankly, devastating. Just when and how had he become so attached? Ramiel didn't know but realising that there was no way in Heaven or Hell he could actually take her rejection without breaking and before she could work up the courage to say so, he needed to leave.

He needed to get out of there...

"Perhaps this was a mistake after all." The young man sadly murmured as he stood and began to make his way to the door, hopes crumbling and eyes stinging.

"No!" Why couldn't he step further?

Why did the back of his shirt feel strangely wet all of a sudden?

...Ahh, when did that pair of delicate arms wrap themselves around his waist?

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Rami-kun. I'm sorry, please don't leave." She quietly sobbed into his shirt, repeating the same words "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" over and over again, like a broken record. As unwell as he himself felt at that moment, he was somehow still able to find the agency to empathise with her and bring a halt to his departure.

Although Ramiel's brain had still yet to really catch up with what was happening, his heart and body were clearly much quicker on the uptake… By the time the world snapped back into focus, he had apparently already turned around and the distraught little Goddess was nestled within his arms.

He then swept her off of her feet, carried her to the sofa and laid himself down before depositing her on his chest. She gripped his shirt tightly, burying her face in the soft material and the young man found his fingers naturally combing through her hair as he gently shushed and calmed her down.

When she finally stopped crying, Ramiel let out a long sigh and said. "The world is not a nice place Hestia and whoever has the biggest fist is usually in the right. Powerful Familia go unchecked and unchallenged just as powerful adventurers are a law unto themselves. Some of them will even gladly use that presumed power to bully and oppress those weaker than themselves as if it's simply natural.

There were two sayings from my old world that I find most appropriate here; 'A tall tree inevitably catches the wind' and 'pay back both goodwill and grievance a hundredfold'. The first means that, through no fault of your own, people will always find trouble with you should you stand out from the crowd in either a good or bad way. And secondly, if I'm treated with generosity and kindness, I will endeavour to do the same yet if the opposite is instead the case, let's say for example that someone whom I care for were to be threatened or god forbid harmed by another, I would not hesitate to respond with extreme prejudice!"

After that declaration, they laid there in silence for a few minutes before Hestia took a deep breath and bunched her fists on his shirt.

Without making eye contact, a desperate whisper found its way into his ears. "I-I was scared, Rami-kun. *sniff* I-I don't like fighting and I-I'm not very *sniff* brave but I shouldn't have let you feel like that. I-I'll do better okay. Just don't leave me. Please."

Ramiel closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Of my own accord? Never."

Truth

In that moment something clicked into place. The motes of warmth gathered around him once more. The sheer number incomparable to before and as one, they flowed throughout his mortal coil and into his very soul.

The warmth lingered for a long time and as he luxuriated in the feeling, he felt something small and delicate, softly prod his nose. "Errr, Rami-kun. You're on fire."

The young man cracked his eyes and found that actually, that wasn't in any way as ridiculous as it sounded because he did, in fact, seem to be completely surrounded by a sort of muted golden ethereal flames.

He blinked once, then twice but his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. "Huh, It does appear to be that way."

{Congratulations buddy you got yourself a nice version of Bell's OP Simp skill.

Freya jilled herself into euphoric insanity watching it form by the way.}

'Makes sense and noice, in that order.'

Strangely, neither of them were being hurt by the flame, in fact, it was extremely comfortable and Ramiel was actually beginning to have trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Are you ...alright? You don't seem surprised or concerned." By the sleepy, almost detached tone of Hestia's voice he guessed he wasn't the only one.

"The extremely sarcastic multiversal level being attached to my soul said it's probably a skill forming."

Truth

"Oh, okay."

A minute or so passed languidly and the flames finally died down. The warmth, however, remained.

Hestia raised herself slightly on his chest, elbows on his collar bones and cupped his cheeks. Her 'gentle' smile now somehow held a lot less gentleness and a lot more of something dangerous in it. "Nee, Rami-kun."

"...Yeah."

She squeezed. Hard. "Ushh"

By that point, the young man's senses had started going just a tad bit haywire as the danger seemed to exponentially increase with every passing second.

He was also sure that Hestia's hair didn't have a crimson glow to it earlier, nor was there a breeze down here for it to be flapping around in. "What do you mean a multiversal being attached to your soul, huh?"

Ramiel unhurriedly reached his hands up and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind each of her ears before moving them down to gently grip her own.

The casual intimacy effectively flustered her enough to relinquish both her partial Divine transformation and her grip on his cheeks.

"I did say it would be easier for you to understand once you had given me the Falna but I can fill you in on the rest while we prepare if you like?"

"Mhmm." She nodded but didn't remove herself from her perch on his chest, cutely blinking her big blue eyes and seemingly content to stay right where she was despite her previous agreement.

The young man snorted at her 'innocent' gaze, instead wrapping his arms around her small frame and earning a pleased coo for his trouble. "Well, here works too."

And so, Ramiel explained to her how he had originally been a soldier in another world, how his father had passed away in a wartorn country when the supply convoy was ambushed and how his mother had joined the man soon after Ramiel returned from his tour.

How he had bailed on everything after a drunken conversation with an old comrade to travel half a world away on a whim.

How the 'work' there as an anti-poacher vigilante was undoubtedly extremely dangerous but also equally as rewarding.

How, nothing could seem to fill up that emptiness he felt inside ever since the day he lost the last part of his family.

How he felt more lost the longer he stayed out there but how he lacked the courage to return.

How he retreated into a world of fiction and fantasy. 'Legend and Myth'.

And then... how he died.

How death wasn't the end.

How he roamed around in the endless darkness.

How he had encountered something far more powerful than death in that very same darkness.

How that something had given him the chance for a fresh start and a means to gain what he had been yearning for.

How that chance included an instrument with which he could grow stronger than anyone and possess the power to protect everything so that he wouldn't become lost again.

How that resolve led him to a completely unfamiliar city in an entirely different world than the one he was used to and finally, how it led him to her...

Hestia sat upon his lower stomach and Ramiel desperately tried to think of anything other than how soft and supple, her shapely rear felt on his abs because by the look on her face, this was absolutely not the time to pop a boner.

Truth Truth Truth Truth Truth Truth Truth...

The Goddess closed her eyes for a second, shook her head and put a finger to her lips. When they finally snapped open again, they were bright with wonder.

"Hmmm. So, what you're saying Rami-kun is that you died in your world and something extremely powerful offered you another chance to come here, find a family and get stronger?"

"You got it so far."

"...And you accepted it because this world was one of your favourite 'legends' to read about?" Hestia shifted around a little which really wasn't doing the young man any favours but the way she avoided his eyes was undoubtedly extremely adorable.

"That it was."

A pair of flawless white hands came up to cover her face, her next words coming out in a nervous whisper. "So when you said that you were here for me, you actually were…"

"...Yeah"

"..."

"..."

A sharp intake of breath was heard. "KYAAAAAAAAAA! That's so romantic Rami-kun! Ohh this is just like a scene from one of those romance novels I read at Hephy's! *Gasp* Could it be!? Has springtime finally arrived for me?" Aaand she was back to bouncing around on his pelvis again while mumbling about 'Hephy's house this and Hephy's house that' under her breath.

"...Before the stingy Goddess kicked me out! Hmph!" She half murmured, half growled. Not quietly enough to escape Ramiel's ears, however, and he couldn't help himself but to chuckle.

For what it was worth, Hestia did try to pout at him but that soon gave way to a fit of silver bell-like giggles of her own.

"So Rami-kun, take off your shirt." She hopped off of him and said with a smirk.

Well, he hadn't exactly been much of a casanova in his past life but how hard could it be to add a bit of striptease-esque undressing for a maiden Goddess.

The answer was in fact not hard at all as her eyes had zeroed in on his chest from the moment he had started with the first button to the moment he tossed his shirt across the back of the couch and moved over to the bed.

In fact, when he made sure to 'naturally' flex his pecks and abs, there had also been a couple of soft gasps from his little Goddess, who by this point, was sporting a rather lecherous grin that he did absolutely no favours to his resolve to be a gentleman.

Credit where credit was due, she did eventually move over to the bedside with a pin and parchment in hand to straddle his torso.

That didn't stop her from running her hands all over his now very realistic tattoos, every contour of his well-defined muscles and especially the beautified scar mark left on his lower back for what was probably close to a quarter of an hour.

'Told you that it would pay to keep the scars.'

{You're a fucking disappointment.

You could have been balls deep in the Goddess of Love and Beauty by now but instead, you're simply content with the fact

that Hestia thinks the 'scars' you airbrushed look cool.

If this situation hadn't developed to become so Goddam wholesome, I would have pulled the plug already.}

'You simple-minded, text-based heathen.'

Oblivious to the shots being fired, Hestia continued her ministrations yet the parts she seemed to keep returning to, however, were his half sleeve tattoos. "I've never seen artificial markings this realistic on a mortal body before." She said absentmindedly. "It's as if your very skin now takes this form."

"Well, I wanted to keep them due to their sentimental value, so I guess they just became a part of me now."

"What meaning do they have, Rami-kun?"

Ramiel sighed. "Well, the left one is a mural to my fallen comrades and the right one is the same but for my deceased parents." Strangely the pang of pain and loneliness that usually followed that train of thought didn't strike.

Whether it was [Gamers Mind] or just the present company, he wasn't entirely sure but at that moment he also couldn't be bothered to care. "Rather cliche, I know but they mean a lot and look amazing thanks to the skill of the tattoo artist. We were a military family and old habits die hard, so both are rather rigidly similar but still different enough that I can look at them and tell what they mean"

She leaned down and rested her cheek against the centre of his shoulder blades. "They are beautiful..." She whispered.

And then she was back to bouncing that delicious rump on his lower spine, practically vibrating with excitement. "Now! Let's make you my first child!"

A few seconds later, a drop of warm ichor fell onto the middle of his back and as she placed her hand atop that drop, Ramiel felt a stirring in his soul. Whatever shackles had been holding back that excess strength from the earlier level up seemed to come undone in that moment and a refreshing feeling washed over his entire being causing him to let out a comfortable groan.

No longer did Ramiel feel as if he was wading through water with each movement. His body had now fully synchronised with the power that was rightfully his. A faint stinging sensation, more akin to a slight sunburn than anything actually painful, spread across his back as inky black lines formed the shape of Hestia's hearth around the esoteric letters that made up the Falna itself.

The young man could feel his excitement building as the final lines of his newest markings were completed and the world somehow felt more colourful.

A warm drop of something landed on the centre of his back and then another. Strange, he didn't remember anything about a God or Goddess needing more than a single drop of blood...

Then a few more drops landed on his back, accompanied by a subdued sniffle and he realised they were tears.

He hurriedly tried to roll over but Hestia resisted him, instead dutifully placing a piece of parchment against his Falna before lying prone on top of him again and mumbling. "Can we stay like this for just a little while?"

"Mhmm." And so they did.

After what was definitely more than just a little while, the sniffles stopped and Ramiel managed to coax his new Goddess into rolling over with him until she was laid atop his chest again.

"Sorry Rami-kun, it's just that your skill caught me off guard. Here" She said as she handed the parchment over and...

…

{Ramiel Gedeon}

Level 1

Endurance: I0 - I63

Strength: I0 - I63

Dexterity: I0 - I42

Agility: I0 - I21

Magic: I0

Skills:

Vesta Alexvigdor: Born from the desire to protect and provide for the user's new family

Increases the speed of the user's personal growth when they have acknowledged someone as a 'family' member

Increases the growth speed of user's nearby 'family' members.

Growth speed is determined by the number of acknowledged 'family' members and the strength of the user's feelings towards them.

Immunity to charms and mental manipulation outside of user's acknowledged 'family'

The Game: S̶̙̗̣͍̓̋̏̅̐̀̈́̌̓͒͐ť̵͙͇͈͗̎̇̓̇̒͊̓̀̔͆̅a̴͓̜͂̇̑ŗ̷͕̥̱͋̌̋̀̔ê̶͓͍͔̘̞̼̗͗͆̒̄̇̈́͋̓̑͑ ̵̡̙͖̪̙͖̪̺̪̟̣̟̔͑̃̐̋̈́̐̆̅͋̂͘̚i̵̢̟̼̦̱̜̦͍̙͔͍̳͕̺͙͛̌̓̃͌͂̃́̍̕ņ̶̧̱̗̙̖̠͎͔̟̪̯͍́̾̂́̊̓͐̍͘͠ͅt̶̪̱͍̆̓̾̔̊̒̊̀̏͒̐́o̵̘͓̔̏̅̽̈̄̕͝ ̶̢̛͇͒͛͊͆̋̊̈͆̒̕͘͝͝t̷̮̭͍̬̼͛̔̔̀̄͗̀̈́̈͊̓̄͌͝ḥ̵̗̉̈̃͂̆̚ȅ̵̙̺̩̱͇̩͕̭̍͜ ̴̛̞̻̜̩̘̭̇͆̿̓̅̈́̐͛͛͆͘͠A̶̢̨̖̯̋͑͋̈̈́͘b̵̢̧̢͔͈͕͓̬̜̞̬̼̮͔̳̐̚͠ẙ̸̨̤̞͈̤̞̯̩͐͆̉͊̓͋̑̓͠͝͝s̸̺̒̔͂͑̓͂̍̿̚͝ͅs̸̢̧̧̨̢͖͓̜̩͎̙̩̬̋͐̔̉̔̄͂̈̆̂͊̚͜͠͠ͅ ̸̨͇̫̺̞̗͙̹̗͈͇̯̏̄͗̈͊͐̌͌͆͂̈́͜͠a̵̬͈̋̉ņ̵̝͈̺̣̈́͗̐̂̂̎͗̔͐̒͝d̶͇͖͉͍̿̈́̀̇͂̈́̆̆͌͂͘̕ ̵̗͍͓͍̣͇̰͓͔̖̜̑̄̉̈̌͌͛̌̀͊͂͗͝t̴̨̧̬̺̺̩̥̊̌͊͐̉̓͊̒̿̍̽h̷̡̢̖̮̻̦̟̣̰̗̣͖͒͘ͅę̶̫͇̖̫̩̱͖̱̫̥̪͇͉̂́̅̈́͜ ̶̨̘̰̙̺͉͎͖̬̉͆͐͂̀͑͐͗̅̎̀͝A̴̝͉̔́͌̅̓̏̓̏͐̆̂̽͘b̶̡̡̛̙͍̲̼̦̲̳̠̈́̆͗́̿͂̚ȳ̴͎̺̪̇̐̊̎̈̑̓̀̀̚͝s̶̱̙̳͎̭̒s̴̨̯͖̰̪̩̤̈́̽ ̵̡̠̞͓̥̅̐s̴̡̲͕͙̼̠̀̊̓͐͐̀͑͊͝͝t̶̡̠͎͈̟̘͇̤̯͑͒ą̷̠͈͕͍̘̥̀̈́r̸̲͔͉̳͙͒͗̃͐͐̿̋̏̔͛͘̚͠͠e̷̻̰̭̟̙̝̾̽͆͌ș̷̲̲̰͕̜̂̊͆̑̓̍̃̃̆͘͜ ̵̛̘̹̼̦̀͛͜͜b̸̢̧̜̭͓̠̗̱͕̰͎̗̜̈́̀̈́̓̏͋̄̇͛̈̏͘̚͘̕ͅa̴̦̰͔̩̮͈̘̓̇̽́̋̂̔̅̒̄͘̚͠c̴̘̭̩̲̦̱̙͙̦̾͒̕͠k̴̨̮̤̺̥̩͖̺̖͖̬̲̪̬͛̊̊̌͊̈́̔͠ͅ.̴̖̖̭̦̟̙͓̘̗̠̬̜͆͜

Magic: S̵̢̪̗͎̖̜͖̳͖̃͒̀̐̍o̸̖̬̯̠̤͙̻͕͉͖̜͜͠ͅỏ̴̡͙̦̝̱̘̋͗̇̚n̵̬̮̩͇̪̩̹͍̤͑̾̒͊̎͑́͛̾͘͜͠

…

'ohh, that was why she cried.'

{Hehe.}

'Wow you actually can be quite a bastard'

{Freya = Best girl. Sue me.}

'I won't be petty with you but Freya is easy.'

"We are a family now, Hestia. Not just a Familia but a real family. You already have a good idea of what that means to me but I'll say it anyway. I won't be letting you go anymore."

Truth

The young man's voice was full of emotion and she probably didn't trust her own. So instead she just vigorously nodded her head against his chest. "Mhmm!"

Time slipped away as they both basked in the feeling of finally having someone they could share their trials and tribulations with.

Sure, they didn't really know each other that well (well, Hestia didn't really know Ramiel that well and Ramiel only knew her characteristics from fiction) but they enjoyed each other's company and that was all that mattered.

Surprisingly, it was Hestia who broke the comfortable silence first. "Rami-kun, tell me about this Game, I get that it involves the being you were talking about but what does it mean?"

"Hmm, well it allows me to live my life like an extremely realistic video game…" That comment was only met with a blank look.

Ramiel slapped his forehead. "Right… Medieval age world... I guess the closest comparison for video games here would be the little viewing screens that the Gods and Goddesses use for watching war games. Think of a video game as similar to that, except the person viewing it is also the one controlling the character inside."

She tilted her head to the side a little. "...Soo, like puppetry?"

Trying not to squeal like a little girl at how cute the action was Ramiel patiently continued his explanation. "Yeah, sort of but in a video game you can control your character to perform certain actions and they experience a form of growth equal to the effort put into said action. That is basically my power. I can perform actions in the real world or complete quests, gaining equal compensation in the form of experience points, material rewards or certain skills."

Hestia's big blue eyes brightened up and she suddenly looked excited for him. "Wow! So if you just do enough of a certain thing, you will gain a skill for it? That would save so much effort!"

Ahh, of course, she would be thinking that minimising the effort one had to expend would be a good thing.

Ramiel furrowed his brows. That got him thinking about how to gain other skills. Finally, he gave a rather measured answer. "Yes and no."

"There must be certain actions that need to be completed to unlock each skill. I haven't experimented with it all that much today but I did gain a skill in dismantling which aids in my ability to remove the monster's magical stones.

I did, however, only gain the skill after I had removed the stone from both a Goblin and a Kobold so the condition may have been to successfully dismantle two different kinds of monsters."

"Isn't that amazing Rami-kun? It's like having another development ability"

Ramiel hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah... It is very helpful in practice but the skill description is extremely unspecific. It says that the performance is dependent on the number of points in my DEX stat yet does not specify by how much." He said, frustration evident in his tone.

Hestia, however, had no such qualms. It seemed as if any advantage gained by the young man, no matter how small, only increased her happiness further. Though when it came to the Skill's description, she quizzically placed a finger to her lips for a second and then shook her head before deciding to ask. "Umm, Rami-kun… What's a DEX stat? Is it one of the basic abilities listed on the Falna? and what did you mean by quests? Like the ones at the guild?"

"Well, I have ano-"

{Since you have decided to go the 'no secrets' route, it would be infinitely faster if we simply showed her…}