CHAPTER 231(Battle Lines)

Please read the author's notes.

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CHAPTER START---

---Yang's Apartment...

BANG!

"Huh?" Yang slowly lifts his head at the sound of his bedroom door slamming open.

Rolling onto his back he sees Thalie marching into his room with a sheet of paper firmly in her grasp. "You need to see this!" she rushes to his bedside and holds out the paper for him.

Yang can barely open his eyes at the moment, still half asleep. Giving her a confused look he turns to look at the thick curtains, barely seeing some light piercing through them. "What time is it?"

"Just read this!" Thalie demands.

"Alright alright," he begrudgingly sits up, flexing the fingers of his prosthetic, barely able to move them as his body is slightly more stable. Taking the paper from her he admittedly skims it for a moment.

Only two lines in he's suddenly completely alert and awake. Gripping it tightly he scans every line, every word. Confusion almost overwhelms him before he tries to get out of bed, only for Thalie to place a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from moving an inch. "Where are you going?"

"To stop this stupid War Game," Yang gives her a confused look. "Where else would I go, I need to talk to her."

"You expect to just walk around for everyone to see you in bandages and barely standing? That could cause problems for us if people see you like this. And no way am I letting you go anywhere near Freya's familia in this state."

Yang leans back, understanding exactly what she means. He sighs and raises his right hand, focusing on his magic he tries and tries but nothing happens at all. "Fuck," he mutters in defeat.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to bring out the Ring of Odr so I can call her, I don't even have enough magic for that."

"Any other plan?" Thalie asks.

"Where are Hephaestus and Welf?"

"With Tsubaki," Thalie says. "Relocating as many people as they can, and preparing whoever they can for a war, Mikoto won't be leaving my apartment until this is over."

"Why?"

Thalie sighs, "your ex-girlfriend decided that if Hephaestus didn't accept, anyone with her Falna becomes fair game, didn't want to take the chance of that extending to Mikoto. Although Hephaestus mentioned Freya wouldn't hurt anyone you care about."

"All this so that she can win me like some trophy..." he mutters.

Thalie shakes her head and sits beside him, sharing a quiet moment before speaking. "So, normally we have a system for this kind of conflict, we stick to it?"

"I need to talk to her," Yang says. "Maybe I can talk her out of this, try to avoid bloodshed."

"She already considered that," Thalie says, gesturing to the official declaration. "When the guild posted those this morning I did some research into 'Touch Point,' she's smart for picking that game."

"What is it?" Yang asks.

"Think, Capture the Flag, but instead of stealing the flag you just need to remove it from the altar," Thalie says.

"So she can rush the flag without killing anyone and win me, good plan."

"Mhm, not that she particularly cares about her familia. From what Hephaestus says, she's more worried about further destroying her relationship with Hephaestus and you."

"I assumed as much."

"Our plan, business as usual?" Thalie asks, once more wondering if they'll stick to their team's default plan for conflicts like this.

"I need to talk to her, to at least try, if that fails then yeah, business as usual."

Thalie shakes her head and gets up, "I'll arrange a meeting late tonight, don't want people seeing you like this."

"Yeah, thanks, we'll figure this out, " Yang mutters as Thalie leaves to make the parlay arrangements. Sitting alone in bed once more, wondering when did he become the kind of person to make his breakup everybody else's problem...

---Twilight Manor, Noon...

Within Loki's meeting room the goddess sits alone on a couch with a deep scowl on her face. Arms and legs splayed out she can't help but glare directly ahead into Freya's elegant facade.

Behind Loki stands Finn, Riveria, and Gareth. All quietly and patiently waiting for this meeting to officially begin.

Behind Freya stands Ottar, completely unarmed unlike Loki's executives, but still more dangerous than their combined might.

Loki glances down at the contract placed on the massive coffee table between them before shifting her vision back to Freya. "You know if anyone else tried to pull this crap. To attack you or phae-tan, I'd kill them, right?" she says. "Because that's what sisters do, we look out for each other!"

"I know," Freya says.

"Doesn't seem that way. And why are you here anyway, your agreement says no allies can get involved," Loki folds her arms and looks away from Freya.

Being berated by her 'little sister' was getting to Freya, but she had to maintain her image as best she could. Not feeling good about this situation at all she continues onward as if it were business as usual. "If you read my offer you'd know."

"I don't deal with traitors and rats," Loki spits out.

Freya has to focus on maintaining her cool demeanor at those words, instead simply turning to Finn. "Braver, would you kindly," she gestures to the contract.

Reluctantly Loki gives him a nod, still refusing to look at Freya. Stepping forward Finn takes the contract and quickly reads it, keeping his face stoic as he comprehends the absurdity of the agreement.

"She found a way for us to enter the war," he says quietly.

Loki and all her adventurers look at him in surprise. "How?" the goddess asks.

"By exploiting the rules she set," Finn says. "She wants you to transfer all your adventurers to her familia, after the battle she expels all but Ottar and Yang and you can claim them all, assuming we win."

"I see," Loki says. "After a transfer, a Falna can't be swapped again until at least a year passes, but if someone is banished they can never return to that familia in exchange for the timer being null, and you'd really be willing to more than double the power of my familia, for him?"

"Of course, I only need Ottar for security," Freya says. "The others are expendable," she shrugs.

Loki is once again disgusted by her sister's outlook, "and what if I agreed, but I want Ottar too?"

Hearing this Ottar answers without flinching, "if that's what it takes to make my goddess happy."

Even Loki is surprised by this level of devotion, "I can respect that level of commitment," she says. "But I'll need you two to take your contract and get out, I don't care how good the deal is, I'm not going to war with either of you, and I'm not getting involved in his crap. Besides, the last this I want is any of those things getting an excuse to attack Finn, even if Yang is as weak as you claim."

"He is," Freya retorts. "Loki, this is your chance to be the undisputed top of the world, more powerful than Zeus or Hera at their peak. Your familia could be the one to slay the One-Eyed-Black-Dragon, you'd become mythic."

"I don't care!" Loki puts both her feet up on the coffee table and shakes her head at Freya. "And didn't I already say I want you out of my mansion, get out of here, now!"

Freya purses her lips and bites her tongue, knowing exactly how stubborn Loki could be, not that she can blame her for wanting to stay out of this.

"I understand," Freya rises from her seat. "I hope one day you can learn to trust me again."

"Tch, don't hold your breath for it," Loki says as Gareth escorts them out of the room.

After a silent minute, both Riveria and Finn sit on the couches. A minute longer Gareth enters the room and joins them, sitting beside Finn, opposite Loki and Riveria.

"So, how does it look Finn?" Loki asks.

"Honestly," he taps his chin and closes his eyes, considering all the information they have. "Freya could do it, assuming Yang really is as hurt as she says. If he's a complete non-factor on the battlefield then Hephaestus doesn't have the combat power to deal with Freya. We saw Ottar take most of Yang's big attacks and heal through them after all."

"Yes but that's not the objective," Riveria says. "Touch Point was made to avoid bloodshed, of course Freya can win that way. Between Allen, Heith, and Hogni, it shouldn't be an issue with Ottar holding off Thalie and Welf."

"Aye," Gareth nods along. "Only problem is aside from Yang we don't really know much about The Trifecta, and from what we've seen they're all monsters in their own way, right?"

"Right," Finn confirms. "But Freya must know things we don't with how close they are...were," he corrects himself. "We'll have to wait and see how it plays out."

"But if you had to bet, who would you put our money on?" Loki asks.

"Hmm," Finn considered every variable for a silent minute before he speaks. "Well, considering all the people who will actually be able to fight, the numbers, and factoring unknowns, I'd have to bet on---"

---Riveria's Room, 10 PM...

"Why are you here, to threaten me again?" Riveria asks, sitting on her bed, leaning against the backboard while Freya looms over her.

The Elf had woken up to find the goddess staring down at her, an emotionless mask on her impeccable features.

"I need your help, please," Freya says, her voice suddenly so humble and quiet.

"I'm not pregnant Freya, and I'm not playing along with your disgusting scheme," Riveria growls out.

"I know, I've had you watched closely for any signs."

"Wha---"

"I need you to come with me, now, I'm about to have a meeting with Yang. He wants a peaceful resolution, and I want him. Those things cannot coexist unless he submits to me and remains in Orario."

"You want me to help convince him?"

"Of course, I...I think I've shaken his trust too much, but he still trusts you completely, he still cares about you. He may listen to you," Freya pleas.

Riveria narrows her eyes at the goddess. "Another sick scheme of yours, sorry but I'm not playing along anymore. Kill me if you must, but I'm done. Just leave him be."

Freya takes a step back, as if the declaration slapped her, "you're done? What does that even mean? You don't get to decide such things."

"It means I want no part in any of this," Riveria whisper-shouts, not wanting to wake anyone else in the castle. "I-I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore without being disgusted by what I don't see," she says with a shaky voice, frustrated almost to the point of tears. "You, you and your sick schemes are in my head, I can't sleep, I can't even get dressed without thinking about...about if I just gave in." Riveria looks away from Freya and hugs herself tightly. "I hate it, this feeling, how close I was to going through with it, what I was becoming, I hate it so much..."

Freya's gentle expression changes quickly at this declaration, a look of disgust and rage overtakes her as she speaks down to Riveria.

"You really are a pure and virtuous person, good, he deserves nothing less," she admits. Her voice becomes sharp and cold as she continues, "but unfortunately, Odr is destined to be with me, and I am neither of those things when it comes to getting what I want. So with or without your help, I will win this War Game, he will submit to me, and immediately after, you WILL be bred until barren, because that is the most effective way to make him see that everything he needs, is right here."

Riveria looks up to meet the sharp emotionless glare of Freya before the goddess saunters off toward the balcony where Ottar is waiting for her. "You're a monster," Riveria mutters.

Freya glances back at her, "everyone is when desperate enough, enjoy your final week of freedom, princess..."

END CHAPTER---

Fun Fact: my original draft for this story had Loki+Freya VS full-powered Hephaestus familia, that draft was also supposed to end at chapter 229...I'm bad at keeping stories short, no idea where it ends now :)