Securing The Spoils

Shortly following her majestic entrance, the Sword Princess vanished into thin air, leaving only the three Top Executives as well as Filvis in the partially destroyed hall. Finn still found it difficult to move properly, so he sat down in an attempt to recover his stamina. As for Gareth and Riveria, they redoubled their efforts, doing their best to take down the robed figure that had interfered with their battle against Nidhogg.

Recognizing that things had taken a turn for the worse now that her Lord's strongest monster had been vanquished, Filvis frowned and tried to distance herself from the Dwarf plus High Elf combo. However, that was far easier said than done, despite her superior Agility. The versatility of magic couldn't be understated - although mages were considered to be the least mobile profession, they could easily back anyone into a corner if they managed to finish their chants.

Time and time again, the vast majority of Filvis' paths of retreat were cut off by bitterly cold winds that threatened to freeze her, or by massive pillars of flame that attempted to devour her flesh. Admittedly, she would be able to make it through these attacks in one piece, but she would still be considerably injured, so initially, she didn't take these chances, which left her at a bit of an impasse.

Gareth would constantly block the last remaining safe routes out of the areas affected by the disastrous Magics, and whenever Filvis tried to attack Riveria to give herself some breathing room, her efforts were thwarted by the powerful tank as well.

Eventually, she chose to grit her teeth and dashed through one of Riveria's Rea Laevateinns, the skin below her shockingly resilient robe getting charred quite severely in the process. Her speed also took a hit, reducing this specific gap between her and her opponents. However… she made it out!

Not wasting another hard-earned moment, she dashed into the hallway that Knossos' invaders had come from, not encountering any of those that had retreated earlier - apparently, they had chosen to distance themselves as far as they possibly could, so she couldn't pick any of them off while their strongest fighters were absent or otherwise occupied.

As there weren't many paths to take - the majority of them had been blocked off to lead the enemies to the very spot where they had put them up against Inferior Demi Spirits as well as Nidhogg - she could only rush towards the 20th floor post-haste.

Choosing one of the many branching hallways at random, Filvis ran at top speed, concurrently being careful to leave as little traces as possible. By now, even though only about half a minute had passed, she had already almost recovered to optimal condition, her body's movements no longer notably inconvenienced.

For a while longer, she randomly made her way through the 20th floor of Knossos until she was confident that she had left her pursuers considerably far behind. At that point, she slowed down a little to focus more on chanting one of her Magics.

"At the end of illusion, the spirit returns - forming an unbreakable bond. Einsel."

Immediately after these words had left her lips, one more robed figure completely indistinguishable from her appeared next to her. Both of the Filvis' glanced at each other briefly, before choosing to continue escaping in different directions. Their speed had been significantly reduced, however, because the Magic that had just been used halved all of their stats in exchange for splitting the being called 'Filvis Challia' into two identical beings.

Two more minutes into the Elves' getaway, both Filvis' suddenly screeched to a halt, their faces showing nothing but extreme shock. Very soon after, overwhelming sadness set in, causing one of the two to break down into hysterical bawling. The other one also had tears dripping down her chin, but seemed to take what had just happened a little better - or rather, a bit more rationally.

They had just noticed that their Falnas had lost their effect, leaving them with almost none of the stats that their blessings had provided them with. Under normal circumstances, if Dionysus had been made to return to Heaven while Einsel wasn't active, then it would have been impossible to use the Magic to split into two, but because it was already in use now, it didn't get cancelled out of nowhere. Both versions of Filvis were left behind - and even robbed of the option of merging back together, as access to Einsel was locked behind their Falnas.

'What should I do now? Should I just end it here? I didn't notice any parts of Knossos getting destroyed, so my Lord certainly failed miserably. Originally, I was supposed to be eliminated during his return to Heaven as well. But… I'm still alive…'

Confused and conflicted, the less emotionally vulnerable Filvis paced up and down, trying to find a path forward. She briefly considered killing herself, so that her Lord could pick up her soul after her death, but decided against it. Now that she was split in two, it was highly likely that she would still be tethered to the Lower World even after her death, leaving her soul unable to escape its bounds. Both of her would have to die if she wanted to reunite with her Lord in this way.

There was also the option to wait for Dionysus to descend to the Lower World once more. He surely wouldn't be capable of doing so within the next decades, or even centuries, but as an Elf, she boasted an extraordinarily long lifespan. Although she had turned into a Creature years ago, this had only served to further increase her vitality. She could also still grow in power, by consuming magic stones, just like a Xenos. Waiting for her Lord's glorious return… was an option.

'Killing myself to meet him again would be a huge gamble. If I'm not extremely lucky, then he won't find me and I'll be reincarnated regularly. But if I endure until he comes back… then it'll be a tremendously painful, long wait. However, at the very least, I'll be pretty much guaranteed to see him, at some point in time. Even if I die while staying here, it wouldn't be any different from my first option…'

Whilst she was deep in thought, she suddenly ran into someone and stumbled backwards as a result, hastily retreating. Scowling and chiding herself for having been so inattentive, she checked whose chest she had just rammed into. A split second later, her eyes widened in panic and horror.

In front of her stood a lovey-dovey couple, happily holding hands.

However, she recognized these two! Heck, how could she possibly be unaware of who they were? Both Isaac Blackshaw and Ais Wallenstein had suddenly come here… and the worst of it was the figure who was floating next to them, surrounded by a barely perceptible wind that completely restrained her, making it wholly unachievable for her to do anything other than blinking.

It was the other Filvis, who had been busy crying her heart out until mere moments prior. She looked utterly miserable with her red, swollen eyes and the not yet dry streams of tears that had cascaded down her cheeks. Even her nose had become runny. While she had been wallowing in her own misery, she had pulled down the hood of her robe, fully exposing the normally dignified, raven-haired beauty underneath… that had now transformed into a mere crybaby.

'I have to get away!'

With only this one thought occupying her mind, the yet unrestrained Filvis shot backwards and flipped around in midair, smoothly turning tail as well as diving into the closest connecting pathway. However, her desperate dashing didn't continue for long.

Out of nowhere, as if she had been snap-frozen, all of her movements ground to a halt. She couldn't even shift her tongue around in her mouth any longer! Only her eyeballs could still glance around, while her lids had graciously been allowed to retain their ability to blink. Everything else had been surrounded by a barrier of wind, one that had appeared instantly.

If anyone with less mastery over their own mana had tried to undertake what Isaac had just casually done, then they would have likely ripped apart the target of their Magic. In stark contrast, the two versions of Filvis had merely gotten shackled, remaining entirely unharmed in the process.

"Excuse me, ladies. Or should I say 'lady'? You were originally just one person, after all."

Eyeing the two caught Elves with unconcealed intrigue sparkling in his eyes, Isaac got distracted a bit, before returning to what he had originally planned to talk about.

"I'll be frank with you. Your Magic interests me. I'd very much love to study it. But hold your horses, don't curse me internally just yet. Despite you being my enemies, I'm at least decent enough to present you with what I believe to be a fair offer."

Having seen the more rational Filvis roll her eyes shortly after he had begun talking, Isaac couldn't help but smirk. It would have been far too boring if she had turned into a spineless coward immediately after her capture, so he very much approved of her behaviour. The less mentally resilient Filvis, on the other hand, already had her eyes shaking in fear, which he felt fairly exasperated about.

"Hear me out, will you? Well, you don't really have another choice right now anyway, do you?"

Grinning amusedly at the absurdity of the situation, Isaac once more got slightly off track. It took Ais poking him in the side and playfully glaring at him for him to return to a more professional approach.

"Ahem. I'm aware that both of you are absolutely loyal to Dionysus, so I won't even try to recruit you to my side. Even if you agreed on the surface, it would only end in tragedy, after all. So instead, how about we make a deal? The way that I see it, you have three ways to reunite with your beloved roleplay-addict. Firstly, you can die and hope for him to find you amongst the countless not-yet-reincarnated souls. Secondly, you can patiently wait here in the Lower World. Or thirdly, you can go to Heaven yourselves."

Truly shaken for the first time ever since the couple's appearance, the less sentimental Filvis widened her eyes. She hadn't even contemplated taking that third route, as it appeared impossible to her.

Was she capable of becoming a goddess herself? She highly doubted it. Even amongst the innumerable long-lived, nigh-immortal races that had graced the Lower World over the course of time, only a miniscule number of individuals had ever become deities. Now that she had become a creature, she wasn't even sure whether ascending would still be possible.

So what did Isaac Blackshaw mean by what he had said? Did he have some way to make her a goddess? Or some other method to go to Heaven? Both of these seemed like absolute hogwash to her, but… for some reason, she couldn't help but continue listening attentively. Perhaps, it was because of her deep longing for that man…

"You've surely thought about personally ascending before, and I could most certainly lead you along that path. However, we've been enemies until just now, so I wouldn't feel comfortable with handing you an opportunity like that. To be frank, you aren't worth it to me. So, what is left? It's simple, I'll take you with me to Heaven myself!"

At his bold claim, both Filvis' could't help but glance at each other, doubt evident within their looks. What gave this relatively new adventurer the confidence to say that he would become a god? Admittedly, his mastery over magic was unfathomably deep, so he might stand a chance at achieving the nearly impossible, but how long would he take? Wasn't he simply trying to take advantage of them by placating them with some lies, to secure himself more obedient research specimens?

"Oh, you don't think that I can become a deity? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I ascended quite some time ago."

Reading their thoughts and emotions like open books, Isaac chuckled and gathered some of his Divine Energy above his palm, playing with it and forming a variety of different shapes out of the colourless power.

Instantly recognizing it for what it was - how could they possibly not? - the two Elves displayed unprecedented shock in their eyes. Never even in their wildest dreams would they have suspected the young man in front of them to be a god. However, upon further reflection… looks-wise, he certainly more than fit the bill. So perhaps, it should have been obvious?

Slightly distracted, the more emotional Filvis got absorbed in thoughts like these, while the rational one silently scrutinized the Divine Energy on Isaac's hand, as well as his gaze. Eventually, she rapidly blinked, attempting to signal to him that she was ready to talk.

"I'll undo your head's restraints in a bit. Just keep in mind - if you try to bite your tongue, I'll instantly reapply them. Don't think I won't notice."

Moving her eyes up and down in an effort to simulate a nod, the clear-headed Filvis attempted to reassure him. Moments later, she could finally feel control over her tongue returning to her, and she could move her neck to get more comfortable as well - it had turned irritatingly stiff in the meantime. Taking a deep breath, she cautiously stared at the young god in front of her.

"Why would you take us with you when you go to Heaven? How can we be sure that it's not just an empty promise?"

A gentle but somehow terrifying smile stole itself on Isaac's lips, while his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. From her perspective, he appeared like a predator eyeing his prey, or a scientist observing his involuntarily conscripted test subject.

"That's the best part - you can't. However, I can guarantee you that should you decline my offer, I'll experiment on you regardless, with no holds barred. I won't even give you a chance to regret your choice. Additionally, after enduring far less considerate research than otherwise, I'll kill you. And I'll catch both of your souls myself, so that you can forget about ever meeting Dionysus again. I'm not that horrible, though, so I'll at least let you reincarnate normally. On the other hand, if you agree to the deal, then I can let you two live in relative safety and peace, only occasionally calling upon you whenever I want to learn more about your Einsel, which shouldn't be all too often. I highly doubt that it'll take me long to figure out what I want to know, after all."

Delaying a little to let his words sink in - the mentally unstable Filvis had already resumed crying - Isaac then responded to the rational Elf's other question.

"As for why I would take you with me… that's simple. Wouldn't Dionysus be absolutely flabbergasted if he saw you arrive in Heaven alongside me when I go there? I honestly just want to see his dumbfounded face and mess with his mind a bit. Additionally, I appreciate those that cooperate well, so I'd have no reason to stand in the way of your happiness. Even if I didn't want to play somewhat of a prank on your lover-to-be, I would still bring you to meet him."

Silently, the partially unshackled Filvis thought about what he had said. Only a long while later did she finally open her mouth again, obvious hesitation and suspicion flickering in her eyes.

"Basically, we can either accept the deal, get experimented on, live and meet our Lord, or we can refuse it, still get experimented on, die and never see him again. Did I get that correctly?"

With a small smile, Isaac nodded, waiting for the Elf to continue.

"First of all, while you are indeed presenting us with a choice, only an absolute madman would choose the second option. Still, the first one seems too good to be true. You wouldn't possibly… call upon us for 'research', only to… have your way with us?"

At her accusatory glare, the smile on Isaac's lips froze. He turned speechless for a while, warily eyeing her as if he was looking at an exceptionally special kind of idiot. Eventually, he heaved a weary sigh, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Why, pray tell, would I ever want to do that? While I won't fault you for having your doubts, it seems as if you barely have any understanding of me as a person at all. Even if I hadn't been with the person that I love yet, I would never have desired to do such a thing."

Although she felt offended at having been looked at like this, the envy that the rational Filvis experienced when being presented with that idiotic couple exchanging loving glances and snuggling closer, utterly disregarding her presence, seemingly rubbing salt into her wounds, entirely overshadowed that sentiment. She was left with furrowed brows and discontent written all over her face until Isaac bothered to continue speaking.

"To help convince you that I'm in no way the kind of deplorable character that you're being wary of, let me tell you about what I personally find to be the most attractive."

Showing a small, but truly genuine smile for the first time since he had met these Elves, he continued.

"It's consent."

Utterly speechless, both Filvis' felt as if their world had just been flipped on its head. It wasn't that they hadn't ever met anyone who thought this way, but the vast majority of those in power often revelled in their darkest fantasies at every opportunity - which usually included making members of the opposite sex that they felt attracted to 'their own'.

Filvis' mind had further been warped by the many years that she had primarily experienced the underground world of Orario, where assault, r*pe, harrassment, murder, kidnapping, and countless other wicked acts were committed hourly. Additionally, quite a lot of regular adventurers were anything but people of honour either, so even that 'light' still cast a deep shadow. Most of them, of course, only bragged to their friends about things that they had never done, and would never do, but it really didn't give off a good impression to anyone whose ears happened to pick up their cocky claims. Therefore, hearing such a gentlemanly statement truly left both Filvis' absolutely dumbstruck.

Obviously, she was aware that it might simply be a lie, but she truly hadn't heard anything even remotely like his statement in far too long of a time…

'Wait, why am I suddenly thinking of this person as a gentleman?! Didn't he only just claim that if we disobeyed him, he would treat us as test subjects against our will and thoroughly eliminate us afterwards? Seeing a guy like this as a respectable figure… Seriously, what is wrong with me!?'

Inwardly sighing to herself, the far more stable Filvis went over everything once again, only to come to the conclusion that her worries regarding his motives… honestly were inconsequential. If he truly wanted to defile the two of them, he could do so at any time, whether they agreed to cooperate with his research or not. They were powerless. In all honesty, the third option which he had presented them with was better than anything that they could ever possibly achieve themselves. So, if he really was speaking the truth…

Conflicted, she looked at her other self, who clearly wanted to have a chat with her as well.

"Mr. Blackshaw. Could we have some time to ourselves for a moment? We would like to discuss how to proceed."

Waving his hand with a calm smile, Isaac nodded and sent them many tens of meters away, before undoing the head-restraints of the most tear-stained Filvis as well.

The two whispered to each other for at least five minutes, looking back and forth between their respective mirror image as well as the terrifying couple that was unhurriedly observing them from afar. In time, the emotional Filvis showed a resolute nod, regaining the confidence and mental serenity that she had lost the moment that Dionysus had left them behind.

"We accept your deal!"

At the rational Filvis' shout full of conviction, Isaac undid the rest of their restraints after cautioning them that he could reapply them before they even knew it whenever it was required - therefore, they shouldn't be thinking about trying to do anything 'funny'.

"In a bit, I'll be bringing you to the place where you'll be staying for the foreseeable future. But before that, I'll have to meet with one other person. Please don't be alarmed, we'll teleport there now."

Kindly giving the two Elves some time to adjust, Isaac brought them all to one of the far corners of the 20th floor of Knossos, directly past the door that separated the depths of the manmade labyrinth from the path that led to this floor's secret entrance to the dungeon. At this spot, a white-haired, middle-aged man had been 'tied up' by the wind, receiving the exact same treatment that the two Filvis' had just had the pleasure of experiencing.

Walking up to the last descendant of Daedalus, Isaac pulled out a heavy, considerably worn and torn book from his inventory, waving it right in front of the architect's face, causing the man's eyes to tremble. The very conspicuous red letter 'D' became the focus of his attention.

"It's nice to meet you, Barca Perdix. I'm certain you recognize what I'm holding in my hand. That's right, it's your estranged brother's diary! It clued me in on some truly fascinating information, especially about your bloodline's past, and the crimes that you yourself were involved in. Your abilities are also listed as clear as day."

Contrary to when he had confronted the two Elves, Isaac's tone of voice appeared a little more friendly, which caused the two Filvis' to involuntarily shiver. Barca also seemed anything but comfortable. However, in his case, it was because having his captor announce that he knew him like the back of his hand was highly unpleasant.

"I'll make this simple for you. You are obsessed with working on Knossos, right? Therefore, you cannot allow yourself to die, especially because there is nobody else left who can continue your ancestor's legacy after you kick the bucket. So here's my offer: Obediently work for me and let me study your abilities. If you do so, then I won't kill you. Who knows, if you behave well enough and can come up with a sufficiently convincing reason, then I can even appeal to Ouranos for you, asking him to allow you to sate your blood's calling. What do you choose? Death, or a chance at some sort of future?"

Immediately after he had removed just enough of the wind's shackles to allow Barca to speak, the man had already shouted his response.

"I choose the future! Please, don't kill me!!"

Contrary to what his outward appearance might suggest, Barca's mentality was far less developed than that of a regular adult. He had been solely consumed by his wish of seeing Knossos finished, so he had had no time to waste on many surplus thoughts, emotions or desires. A byproduct of this was that he wouldn't even take a split second to mull over his options when forced to make an impactful decision like this one.

Of course, Isaac knew about all of this already, as he had observed the man via his Eyes of Hermes for more than a day. Dix' diary, which he had taken from the Ikelos Familia's base after their defeat, had also only served to make it more simple to achieve his goal.

A relaxed smile played across Isaac's lips as he brought everyone here, aside from Ais, to his private world, leaving the remaining Knossos-related proceedings primarily to the rest of the Loki Familia, who were the public faces of this campaign. Of course, he hadn't forgotten to leave a drop of his Ichor in the Loki Familia's Twilight Manor, which allowed him to utilize his mana in this world without being personally present. Yes, this worked even across worlds.