Chapter 2

The following day, I didn't feel as stiff as I expected to be.

I got into the shower fed with a magic powered pump and kept it cool, just right to jolt the senses with. There was a heater, but it wasn't my thing. I finished before the sun came up and stood by the window. Dawn was the time I liked best, and a different world didn't—couldn't change that. It was the same old routine in a whole new world, and the familiarity was a relief above all else. Waking up was easier too since I wasn't too used to the bed yet, though the sleep was better. Blame it on the open-air or the down mattress, either way, it was divine.

Sunlight peeked from the mountains in the distance, casting brilliant rays like a halo to welcome the morning. Orario glowed a gentle pastel as the light crept in. Smoke wafted and twirled from distant chimneys, starting the toil of the busy work ahead. The manor's courtyard slowly filled with the familia's early risers, first in pairs, then in trios or so. Aiz was already swinging her sword near the fountain.

It was a normal day for these people, and the new normal for me too.

I opened my phone to play Oingo Boingo's Dead Man's Party. It just felt so appropriate for the beginning I now faced. My bag sat on top of my dresser, the sunlight dancing on its dull red nylon weave. It was one of my few reminders of home, an eclectic collection of stuff from work and my personal life. Some of them were useless here like my work laptop, but my phone and the hand crank charger I never had a use for was a breath of fresh air in this internet-less world. It was a good thing I had enough music in it to last me three days without repeating too, and getting that eighties playlist after Ready Player One was one of my best decisions yet.

I sat back on the bed just taking it all in. Sure, I was alone in the sense no one truly knew me here, but at least I had the view. And Loki, well, Loki was another something I wasn't too sure of. I was thankful for what she had done for me so far, and what she continues to do, I just don't know if what I could offer was enough.

I put on the same tunic and pants, then Gareth's leather jacket, greaves, and vambraces. I picked up my loaned shield and secured my knife against my back. My set-up was working for now, but Gareth told me I'd need to scale up once we started going lower. I was doing well against smaller than human targets, but since my mentor and the rest of the executives regularly faced titanic beasts in the lower floors, I'd need something that hits bigger and deeper eventually. Loki also gave me a month or so to level up so I could join them, and the chance to finish off some way higher level than me mob—I mean monsters would probably grant me a butt-ton of experience. I bet those gods didn't bother to remove that from the code—I mean rules.

Gareth told me before the feast last night we'd take my knife to get some maintenance first thing in the morning.

I went out my room, taking a small rucksack with me for some Dungeon supplies and locked the door behind me. The trek down the stairs was like going down the hotel for the complementary buffet style continental breakfast, which it sorta was. The cooks whipped up some scrumptious dishes all displayed and free to choose from and I picked up a mushroom omelet, some fried beef sausages, a couple sourdough bagels, and the usual steamed veggies. I sat next to a different group this time since I'd be risking my life together with them soon enough, best build trust with as many people as possible. It was Robert's most important rule when training his teams: to make sure they all knew each other as people, better as friends if he could help it. The better for them to save each other's butts, Robert always said.

It was appropriate to do the same. If only so I didn't get in their way.

"How was your first dungeon run, Thomas?" asked Anakity, a cat person lady with long black hair and a chill demeanor.

Rakta joined us shortly. "Brutal," she said. Rakta set her tray of food down, mostly veggies and a couple of eggs. On the other hand, Anakity was having a hearty share of all the fried stuffs and some cheeses.

"It wasn't that bad," I said.

Yes it was, Thomas.

Zip it.

Rakta's ears stood up, her eyes squinting just the tiniest bit. "And Thomas keeps flirting with Loki every minute. I swear, the two should just share a room." The bunny lady smiled a toothless grin.

Anakity was only too happy to join in on the teasing, and lightly elbowed my side. "Can't get enough of her, eh?"

I know I'm irresistible.

"Mind you," I said, "I'm keeping it on so I keep using up my magic stat. Loki said doing things relevant to the status led to better growth, hence, the grind."

And the brutal ways you pulled those monsters apart. For Strength?

And Endurance! I'll abuse this experience system for as long as I can.

But all they heard was, "You and her grind against each other?" Rakta said in a scandalized tone.

Anakity added fuel to the spark started by the sinister rabbit by squealing. "Such a daring man!" She feigned swooning, and the tables near us including Raul and Riine joined in on laughing at my expense. Though, I didn't really mind. And sadly, Loki and I hadn't gone so far as doing any flirting besides the banter when we first met—which was just yesterday. But no one needed to know that.

"A gentleman wouldn't kiss and tell," I said, waiving my still untouched bagel. "I just wish I could sleep better." I faked a yawn.

Anakity and Rakta paused. "For real?" Rakta asked, ears on attention.

I took a bite and just raised an eyebrow at her. Let them stew on that for a while.

You do know all your monologues come unfiltered to me, right?

Let me have my moment.

"Thomas," Loki said from the stairs, "you snore too loud." She was rubbing her hips as if saying they were sore.

Rakta and Anakity went all red to their ears. Loki then joined our table dragging Aiz with her who was eating all pastries for breakfast. Loki at least had a balanced plate of scrambled eggs, toasted bread, some greens, and coffee.

"That's a lot of sugar," I said, pointing at the sugar bonanza.

"Energy," Aiz said, flexing her arm.

Loki gave her a pat on the head and the blonde looked like a skittish cat trying to weasel out of some skinship. "So precious," the goddess said.

The bunny and the cat lady were still shocked, just mindlessly shoving food into their mouths. Another familia member, Cruz, a human and Anakity's friend joined us too, and like her, had a mountain of meat.

"Hey Thomas, mind if I join?" Cruz asked.

"I'd be insulted if you didn't," I said with a smile.

Cruz looked a little confused but sat next to Anakity anyway, he poked her cheek and brought her back down to not Earth. "She does that often," he said.

"The teasing?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling wryly.

Aiz was busy nibbling on some sort of roll and Loki just watched her do so. Rakta also snapped out of it when Raul asked her if they were going down for some money. The bunny's ears went back to life at the mention of cash.

Raul clapped his hands in front of him. "Sorry Thomas, we won't be able to go with you today."

I waved a hand, and said, "It's alright Raul, we coo— I mean, no problem."

Raul looked troubled and apologized some more.

Loki leaned next to me. "Just saying it's alright is enough, cool and no problem don't work here."

Ugh. Culture differences. "I meant it was alright, no problem is just a saying back home."

"If you say so," Raul said, unsure.

Loki rubbed my back while saying there there. She then explained how money earned during those familia expeditions all went towards funding the next one while members had to spend for their own gear. Supplies were handled by the budget, but repairs, maintenance, and extra training were all up to the individual. It was a simple formula for managing finances and ensuring everyone kept up with the proper preparations, as well as made sure they were immersed in the gravity of what they were doing.

Loki pulled me close. "Which reminds me, we should update your status."

Rakta's and Anakity's ears both stood up and the two's necks snapped at me and Loki. I swear I heard something cracked.

Loki grinned.

They didn't stand a chance.

Loki made me carry her back to her room bridal style. She didn't pull any stops with teasing her familia and the more they were focused on this whirlwind romance, the more they wouldn't notice any inconsistencies I might let slip with my supposed noble and from far away backstory. It was also fun to entertain them so it was a plus-plus. And really, who could say no to a bunny girl blushing?

Loki poked my cheek. "Rakta? Really?"

"Bunnies are best."

"I'm still more of an elf-person. Come on then," she said. She sat on her bed. "I'll give you a special service."

I swallowed. Did she hear that.

"I did."

"At least we don't share bodily sensations."

"A shame." She winked. "You know the drill."

I chuckled and took off my tunic, then pulled on the stool from the dresser.

"Leave the chair," she said, coy.

"Umm, am I allowed to be turned on right now?"

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"Good." Loki pat the side next to her bed. "Lay on your belly here."

I wiped away a sheen of sweat that wasn't there. Good thing I didn't drink any coffee, else my heart would be so much louder than it already was in my ears. I did as told, feeling the silky smooth and cool sheets. They smelled like cinnamon. "Here?"

"Perfect," Loki said by my ear.

I felt her weight press down my butt, soft and damning while her knees pressed against my sides for balance. I was made so very aware of how we sank into her bed, one part harder pressed elsewhere. Loki fidgeted on top of me as her hand found support on my shoulder, her fingertips digging in. "Umm, wow?" I said.

"Yes, wow."

"You're enjoying this."

"You're not wrong."

She removed her hand from my back, a moment later her finger touched the same spot before as the room glowed a bright blue. Heat, heavy and calm, large and imposing yet gentle and graceful. The sensations danced on and within.

Loki tsked. "So, it really did come to that."

"Is it bad?"

"I'm not sure, but I hope not."

It took a few more minutes before she pressed a sheet of paper onto my back, the rustling and her earlier words killing the mood. She got off and showed me the sheet.

#

Level 1

Strength = I 0 -> I 7

Endurance = I 0 -> I 9

Dexterity = I 0 -> I 15

Agility = I 0 -> I 5

Magic = I 0 -> I 37

Madness Spectrum = I

Tranquil Intervention = I

World Walker = I

Fated Actor = I

Magic

Answered Prayer = Allows two-way communication with one's patron god or goddess with Mind consumption based on distance. Chantless Magic.

Despair = An enchant magic that steeps the user's attacks with the chaos of the World Boundary and enfeebles targets when attacked. Has a chance to inflict madness, fear, or confusion. Chant: "Madness"

Skill

Babel Jack = Allows automatic translation of written and verbal information to some understandable form to the user.

#

"Magic? And what's up with that edgy name?" Was I being so melodramatic that it showed up? "And what's up with this dark as hell description?"

Loki shook her head. "It's because of you crossing over, but the effects are unexpected." She bit her thumbnail. "What I'd give to access the Arcana right now, but… it's not necessarily bad." She crossed her arms. "We should get Riveria to take a look. She's the best mage we have at hand. If it's her, she might have some idea of what we're looking at here."

I sighed. "Crazy thing." I pointed at where the paper listed the effects and the chant. "You knew of this?"

"No," Loki said with a serious expression. "When gods open a child's Falna they only open it to and for the Arcana to fill in, and had I done this from Heaven then I would've known what exactly it is but…"

It went without saying. "Right, is it safe to use though?" It was a one-word chant, I didn't know if it was strong or weak, and only experimentation would yield any information.

"A Falna would never yield something harmful," she said. "At least, for the children here. Your circumstances might be a bit stranger, given how you arrived."

"Fair enough."

I got dressed and Loki called for Riveria, who came in a while later with Lefiya, another elf and the one I saw before in the pink dress. She set the tome down and I showed them my back so former could read the hieroglyphs herself. The executives already knew the secrets of my status anyway, letting the next lead mage in line know was not too much of a bother either.

"It reminds me of Aiz's own magic," Riveria said. "And to obtain it without levelling up too."

Lefiya was hard at work scanning the tome for the things Riveria asked her to. "Umm," she said, "I couldn't find anything about inflicting madness, but fear and confusion are mental debuffs." She closed the book. "Sorry I couldn't find more, I'll try the other tomes if they mention anything."

Loki waved a hand. "It's alright, Lefiya," she said, "I doubt we'll find anything useful anyway." Loki tilted her head. "What about any legends on world crossers? Or anything concerning fate?"

Lefiya nodded and went back to her searching.

"From what I know," Riveria said, "those aren't mentioned in our legends either. Elves have longer lives so our stories focus more on journeys and achievements rather than destinies. And this mention of fate implies Thomas is meant to be part of some event or other occurrence."

Loki tsked. "That's what I thought too, but the Falna didn't reveal anything else."

"Sucks to be human, no?"

Loki shrugged. "It does," she said, "and I believe you meant mortal?"

"Ah, right. Other races, gotcha."

Riveria raised a thin and elegant eyebrow. "I see now what Tiona keeps telling everyone."

Loki pouted and pulled me close. "He's mine."

Riveria raised her hands in no contest. "We know. You've been telling us all ever since he got here."

I looked at Loki. And smiled. "Aww, that's so sweet of you."

"He's exactly like you," Riveria said.

"Why does she make it sound like it's a bad thing?"

"All elves have sticks up their butts."

"Hey!" Lefiya said from behind her book.

Loki blew raspberries at her.

"Real mature," I said.

Riveria laughed like a tinkling bell. "But I do see you enjoying yourselves," she said, looking at us from the sides of her eyes. "Should we leave you to some private time now?"

"We'll save it for tonight," Loki said.

Lefiya went red.

"We are?"

"Hush you," Loki said. "And Riveria, can you come with him and Gareth later? I want you to see what his magic does yourself."

"Understood, Loki," Riveria said with a small smile. "I'll keep an eye on your man."

The two then excused themselves with Lefiya promising to come back with something later on. Loki told her to only check it out in her free time since time was something we had a lot of right now. Yes, I wanted to get back home as soon as I could, but rushing something this big was bound to make more problems than solutions. In the end, Lefiya agreed to not get too obsessed with this, but the fire in her eyes said she'd get right on it anyway.

"She's found a hobby, don't that away from her," Loki said.

"But, wouldn't that be, I don't know, unhealthy?"

"Eh, she needs it. Girl needs more confidence anyway."

"She won't find them in books though."

"True, but if she feels she's achieved something, it still counts."

"Fair point."

"And Thomas," her tone was serious. "Don't be too noisy with your status."

"Jealous, my dear?"

She pinched my side. "If I catch you cheating," she said with narrowed eyes and a wide smile. "Kidding."

"Yeah, I understand."

"The other gods might help you, but don't ever trust Freya. She's got all the male gods twined around her finger. And she's… too wild of a wild card to anticipate. You're a good friend Thomas, and getting home is something I hope you get to do. Just remember you're still dealing with gods who usually get what they want."

"I'm no different," she continued. "Was no different, is what I want to say. Still, stay safe. Please?"

I nodded and said, "I will."

She kicked me out of her room right after.

#

Gareth picked me up carrying the short sword I gave back to him yesterday together with Riveria, Finn, Alicia, and Tione. Tione was the amazoness twin in the red bikini which I had to keep reminding myself of, darn their similar names, and Alicia was another elf with chestnut brown hair. Also, almost all of Loki's female members all had such large chests, Riveria included, save for Tiona—Tione's sister in the yellow bandeau. A comrade perhaps?

Zip it you!

We were all walking to where Gareth's friend stayed. And I couldn't help but ask. "Tione, isn't it dangerous to not have armor in the dungeon?"

Gareth and Finn nodded, the former even offering to go with her to pick some passable pieces like what Aiz had as a minimum. Riveria and Alicia though didn't care for the question, only looking at me with disapproving looks.

Tione tilted her head. "It gets in the way," she said, then looked at Finn. "And the captain doesn't wear any either."

Gareth glared at the hobbit, who quickly recovered with a, "But my clothes are blessed items made with Cadmus hide." He cut a dashing figure in the purple and yellow frock. "It is armor."

"That's a monster drop, right?"

Finn nodded.

Tione crossed her arms. "I don't know. It feels weird to wear non-amazon clothes since they remind me of home."

"Ah, I get that." All too well.

The two elves nodded, and I noticed they weren't wearing any armor either, but I guess their robes were blessed like Finn's?

"And it also reminds me of the sea," Tione added, looking Eastward into the distance.

"That explains the clothes and skin tone," I said.

"Armor isn't the most important, Thomas," Riveria said, and the two girls seemed to agree wholeheartedly. "Comfort is the real point of what you wear into the dungeon."

Finn also joined in agreement, but Gareth was definitely of another opinion. He leaned to me and whispered, "This lot will all kill me with worry."

We laughed at that but Gareth wasn't amused, he didn't press the issue though and it at least got a small promise from Tione to check out some defensive charms at the very least which the old man acquiesced to. Riveria and Finn though he didn't bother reminding, out of trust perhaps? Or was it that armor impeded magic?

We crossed a small crossroad and walked towards another street I'd never been to and eventually came to a small village like area of little white huts all with chimneys and the constant ringing of metal against metal. The entrance had an arch displaying two hammers crossed over a volcano, which made me think Vulcan. Or was this Hephaestus? There was a small building carrying the same symbol in front which had a glass window displaying all sorts and shapes of weaponry with some scary long price tags.

"Vulcan's smiths?"

"Vulcan?" Gareth said. The others also gave me puzzled looks.

"I meant Hephaestus."

"You say it weird," Tione said. "Here we say Hephaistos."

"Tomato, tomato."

Tione sneered. "It's like Loki's right here with us."

Finn dragged her away and Riveria and Alicia tagged along with them to check out the store while Gareth pushed me into the village. "I'll take you to my friend," he said with a smile.

Two lefts and a right in, we arrived at another generic hut, this one marked with the number seven. He knocked on the door. Something exploded. Smoke spewed out the windows in billowing puffs and out came a lady in what looked like a red hakama with her upper body wrapped in bandages and carrying a large forging hammer. There was a large forge—unsurprisingly—inside her hut and the beginnings of a fire.

"Gareth!" she said, and hugged the dwarf.

"Been a while Tsubaki," Gareth said, hugging her back.

"Is that alright?" I asked, pointing at the fire lapping at her spare coals.

"He's new," Gareth said. "His name's Thomas."

"Ah," the lady said. And like magic—wait no, and magically, the fires died down. "Better?"

"Thank you."

"He's polite," Tsubaki said with approval.

"Don't be fooled," Gareth said with a grimace.

"I'm right here."

A pause.

"Tsubaki," Gareth said, completely glossing over that aside. "We need some help with a blade, just need to check how it fared against his first raid."

"A new child?" Tsubaki said with wonder. "Can I also have a contract with him?" Her eyes shone with a shrewd light.

"He's already using my equipment," Gareth said, "I don't see why not."

"Wait, did you just decide for me?"

Tsubaki slung an arm over my shoulders. "Shh, don't mind the details." She smelled of fresh steel and fly ash with a hint of sweat. And my god they were huge. Tsubaki gave me a pat on the shoulder.

"Well," I said, "Gareth hasn't given me any problems yet, so I guess it'll be fine?" Though we've only known each other for like all of three days. Was that too fast to trust someone with? Definitely. Did I have a better alternative? No. Trust it was.

"Aye," Gareth said, pleased with himself. "And Tsubaki here wouldn't have offered otherwise."

The lady gave a proud nod. "Now, you were talking about a weapon?" Her eyes shone, this time different from the earlier filled with the spirit of capitalism.

I took off my knife together with its holster and handed it to her.

When she got hold of it, the surprise was unmistakable. Her brows came together as she unsheathed it, and downright confused when she gave it a swing and ran a finger against the flat of the blade. "What in the name of Hephaistos is this?"

"Aye," Gareth said, "surprised me too when I first held it."

Tsubaki brought the blade near her nose and sniffed, flicked at the flat with a finger, tried bending the blade by its side—her eyes went wide. "It's… steel?" she said. "And there's an extra coating of some other material I don't know about." She bit the handle. "And what the hell is this handle?" She scratched it. "Some sort of resin?"

Holy shit, she really knew her stuff.

Who knows her stuff?

This Tsubaki blacksmith lady, Gareth's friend.

Lucky you.

Really?

She's one of the few level five blacksmiths. Yeah, lucky.

Damn.

"Don't worry," Gareth said, "that's just him flirting with Loki."

The look of horror on Tsubaki was like an image of hell. She quickly snapped out of it. "Do you want to exchange this?" she said. "The materials on it are interesting but it was the technique that went into it I want. This finish that prevents reflection is superb! And the flexibility and toughness! What sort of godly smith made this cheap but reliable tool?"

"A group called Cold Steel."

She grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me close, putting us eye to eye—since she had an eyepatch on. "I. Must. Know."

Was everyone with such a high level so damn strange?!

Huh, now that I think about it… yeah.

You're not helping.

"I don't mind selling it," I said. Her fingers dug into my skin. This was pretty hot.

I approve.

You heard that?

You talk a lot in your head.

Why do you think I have such a high magic stat?

Fair.

"Give me." Tsubaki's eyes were crazed. Gareth was just standing there trying to look like he had no hand in this.

"What are you willing to pay me for it though?"

"My body."

"Please don't."

"Huh, I thought you'd say yes." Genuine surprise. Goddammit.

I dammit what?

No.

Well you're the one keeping the connection on at all times.

Eh, you're having fun listening in anyway.

Don't take my commentary away from me.

Fine.

"Let's not be too hasty," Gareth said and pursed his lips. "And please ask Loki first if you're making that sort of offer." Why the hell does he look like he just got roped into this? This was his idea in the first place!

"I wasn't serious anyway," Tsubaki said.

"Thank you." I massaged a throbbing temple. "Right, so, what can I get in exchange?"

Tsubaki rubbed her chin. "The materials for this don't go beyond something like three thousand Varis, but the techniques would easily place it at a solid fifty thousand if I were selling it."

Gareth nodded. "That's a fair price."

"But," Tsubaki said, "learning those techniques, I can easily value this at, hmm, five hundred—"

"Million?" I asked with a wide smile.

Tsubaki looked at me like a roadside bug. "Thousand. Are you crazy? This is a technique for making cheap and reliable goods, not a labor fee for processing volatile magical goods no one else but just a handful of people could do."

"You're not wrong." Damn that impeccable reasoning.

"And since Gareth was such a dear for introducing you to me, I can bump up that price to eight hundred."

"I don't know," I said, "maybe I can sell it to you later once I get deep enough? It also has sentimental value to me so I don't want to let go of it yet." It was still a souvenir from home after all.

"I'll buy it for eight hundred even if you took it to me broken," she said. "And I can't reforge this without it losing its properties anyway, I'll just be using it as a template and do my own research."

"Ah, so I can just lend it to you?"

"Sure," she said, "but I'd have to bump down the price."

"That's alright, but I want a piece of the royalties once you start teaching others."

Gareth smirked. Tsubaki broke out into a loud laugh. "I like you, Thomas."

"Please don't mean that in any other way than a purely platonic one."

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked.

"Don't mind it," Gareth said.

Tsubaki sharpened the blade extra fine and passed it back, the money we agreed to exchange later on in a few days to give her time to prepare her workshop. She was hoping to spend some quality time with the knife and I didn't really ask her to elaborate on it anymore, Gareth was also adamant on keeping the meeting short. He kept mouthing to cut it short. Tsubaki would also draft that contract for me later on, and she was already betting on getting me after expressing lament at not getting Aiz before. She said she won't be missing that chance again, especially with how interesting I was.

#

We met up with the rest of the guys, with Finn and Tione having already picked up lunch for everyone and went straight for the Dungeon. Gareth had a few words of caution for Alicia before he set me loose on the monsters though. It was only slightly offending which was better than the verbal lashing I got from Rakta after I started poking monsters' eyes out. She didn't have to watch if it made her queasy, but even doing just that was an enlightening experience according to the dwarf, though Riveria was doubtful of the praise Raul gave.

The goal for today was to test the new magic I got as well as to still see how far I could go. Yesterday was a massacre for everything I met, and it didn't do me any good to fight without meeting a challenge. So, we breezed through the first to fourth floors with me still killing everything we met but not going for a sweep.

Down the fifth floor's stairs the dungeon took on a green tone, and I faced a new monster called the Frog Shooter.

"It's a huge frog."

"Aye," Gareth said.

"It's an amphibian."

"What's that?" Finn said.

"It's supposed to need water to survive."

"It's magic," Finn said with a smile.

"But Loki said magic doesn't solve everything."

Eh, it's not a law.

"It does for the frog shooter," Finn said.

"Just go kill it already," Tione said.

"So lively," Alicia said with a sigh.

"She doesn't talk much?" That's the first thing she ever said today.

"You talk too much," Tione said with arms crossed.

"She's not wrong," Gareth added.

I unsheathed my knife holding it in my left. Yesterday, I held it with my right since I was more confident I could control it, but it seems the shield was more useful. And if I'm just stabbing something anyway, my left hand was good enough for that. The frog just stared at me. Good thing there was only one of it for the first encounter. Convenient and lucky, but my luck won't always be this good. I should probably get started on the short sword already.

"Get it over with dammit!" Tione said.

Ugh. I charge the frog and it retaliated with a tongue shot—heh—out in a flash. I blocked the lash with my shield and found myself pulled over. Scorpion?! It opened its mouth wide as if to bite, revealing rows of sharpened teeth. Wait. That wasn't right.

"Frogs don't have teeth!" I stabbed the thing's snout just as its jaws clamped down, avoiding whatever fate it had in store for me. How the hell did it avoid biting its own tongue anyway?! Ah, so the gaps between the teeth were enough for the tongue. "This is bullshit!"

"Stop thinking and just kill!" Tione shouted in support.

I bashed the thing's head, but its skin was too slippery to make any respectable contact. "How is it damp in this dry environment?!"

"Why are you whining so much?!"

"Carry on Thomas," Finn said.

The frog jerked and threw me off, but its slippery skin just made it slap against my side. It shot its tongue out again but the move was manageable as long as I knew where its eyes were looking. I charged it from the side and it slowly turned—it could've just hopped dammit! I tackled the creature and hugged it close, freeing my hand to stab it in the gut multiple times until it stopped squirming.

"That was a mess," Tione said.

"You're not too fond of frogs?" Gareth asked.

"It was unique," Finn offered.

"That was just wrong," Riveria said.

"I agree," Alicia concurred.

I cut out the stone and was relieved of the frog's blood—but not its slime. "Please tell me the slime is not the drop loot."

"The slime is indeed the drop loot." Finn pointed at the puddle by my feet. "It's used in potions as a preservative."

Fuck.

You hugged the frog shooter.

Yes.

That's hardcore.

It was necessary.

Alicia flinched when I rejoined the group, and said, "Is this gonna be a thing?"

"It already is," Gareth said.

"Can we just go straight to the sixth floor already?"

We moved on for the stairs and a minute into things we ran into a group of three frogs and two kobolds. They moved back, I stepped up.

"Wait, wasn't he a level one?" Alicia asked.

"You're still asking that this deep into things?" Finn said.

"Carry on then," Alicia said.

"Can't we skip them?"

"Less talking more fighting," Tione said.

I charged towards the group of five, and three tongues shot for my sorry ass. I veered to the left. A kobold lunged for me with its claws. I stepped into its guard and shoved my shield into its face, throwing it off its feet and went straight for the closest frog. The leftmost frog brought its tongue back and hopped forward to bite. I kneeled mid-stride and let my greaves slide along the dungeon floor to get behind it, then stood back up to stab its lower back a few times.

The next frog charged. I rolled to the right, coming between it and the other frog while the untouched kobold dove at my face. Just as the two frogs shot their tongues. I dove for the kobold too, placing my shield between me and its claws and landed on my back on the other side. In hindsight, coming into the thick of it wasn't the brightest idea. And yeah, this early into things I could already feel the difficulty of my short reach. Before the frogs, I could just throw caution to the wind and charge, but their slick bodies neutralized my staple so thoroughly.

"That was a horrible exchange!" Tione said.

"Level one dammit!"

The kobold recovered into a lunge accompanied by three tongues, one slower than the others from the injured frog. I leapt into the slower one and was dragged into the middle, but not before running a gash through another frog with my knife and bashing the one that snared me with my shield. The kobold I punched in the snout grabbed me from behind, but I jumped into its face and did its teeth in with the helmet.

"Thank you, Gareth!"

"Helmets, Thomas!" He cheered.

I stabbed the kobold from behind me with a reverse grip and flipped it into the dazed frog, skipping back a step to open up some space but was pulled from behind and landed on my ass just in time to put my shield in front of me and stop a new frog from biting my head off. I kicked it from my off position and shrimped into a crouch to see a fresh group of four frogs and two lizards.

"Fuck."

"Need some help?" Finn said.

"I…" I rolled away from two tongues and a tail whip and turned tail to run back to put my team behind me. I put my shield up as best as I could and just prayed the group in front couldn't stop me, but I was pulled back again by the same thing that happened earlier. I hit my back a little harder this time and was encircled instead of outright attacked. "I got this!"

It's not like I was always gonna get out of this unscathed. I shouted to drive away the nerves. These bastards frequented the fiftieth floor, I wasn't gonna let anything less than that do me in. "I hate this floor so much!"

I rolled away from a lizard's tail and kept rolling to dodge another three tongues and went for the closest frog, and just clung onto it like my life depended on it, hacking and slashing my way without regard for the slime. I tanked a tail whip and got pulled back but hung on to my latest victim with my legs. The pulling stopped, and I stabbed the frog enough that it stopped. After that I was hit by another two tongues and pulled two ways, until I scraped the one attached to my left shoulder with my knife and was dragged into a lizard. I kept it from snapping at my head and stabbed and hacked where I could, then the tongue kept pulling but I got winded by a kobold's tackle.

Fuck.

I stabbed the kobold in the sides until it stopped struggling and pushed its limp body into the frog's waiting mouth before slitting its throat—but the knife slipped, and I had to scramble for the thing's back to put it in front of me and my back against the wall.

Shit, I couldn't tell how many were still left. I just kept stabbing the frog from behind until its body was pulled away and got a face full of fresh frog maw. My shield met its teeth and I stabbed at its throat from below, until another frog clamped its jaws down on my arm. Fuck!

Hey, you sure you're alright?

"I got this!"

I soldiered through the pain, thankful for the greaves and leather jacket and repeatedly bashed the frog's head against the wall while keeping the other one still biting at my shield at bay. When the one on my arm let go, I drove my hand in, knife and all, up the roof of its mouth and wiggled the blade hard, teeth be damned—then pulled it free and stabbed the one still biting through its eye and into its skull.

The fight was a blur after that, with my scrambling for the next frog and stabbing at whatever I could, then there was a kobold whose leg I stomped on and then a lizard bit my shoulder and I stabbed its head through and stupidly hurt myself—thankfully without the blade going through the jacket. It must've been a high-level item because I could still move my arms despite the burning pain that made me want to cry out and just curl into a ball. Frogs kept coming and I kept grabbing and stabbing and getting bit, pulled one way then the next tackled, stabbed back some more, got hit some more. I don't know how long it took, but all at once it was over and the blood I was bathing in just disappeared though the slime remained.

Next thing I saw was Riveria standing over me and muttering a phrase, then a soft green light passed from her to me. "…my name is Alf."

The green light washed over me, and the stinging subsided but the fatigue remained. I sat down where I stood, just thankful I made it through. Finn came closer with Gareth and the rest.

I caught the water skin Gareth threw. "How'd I do?"

Gareth passed me the sword and gave me a pat on the back. "So-so," he said, shaking his hand.

Finn had on a wry smile. "It was enlightening alright," he said, shaking his head. "Messy but effective, you took the blows you could, giving and taking twice what you received. It works for now, but don't get too confident with it."

"It would've been a bad day for the Loki familia if you died to that," Tione said.

Alicia crouched next to me. "You did your best," she said. She gave me a pat where the slime wasn't too thick.

It wasn't even lunch time yet. I took a deep breath.

"Let's rest for a few minutes first," Finn said.

"Thanks."

Not too long and not too short, we stood up and pressed on with me holding the short sword in my left hand. All I had to do was stab, slashing could wait when I was better used to things. Block, bash, and stab. Keep it simple. Nothing fancy, nothing risky. The next group we met was two lizards, two frogs, and a kobold.

"Take it slow," Gareth said.

I nodded and stepped forward. The buckler was about a foot across, just enough to block a frog's mouth but not enough to fully serve as a wall. The hall was just large enough for something to be able to slip by and flank me, I couldn't enclose it all on my own. That wasn't an excuse to fight risky though, nothing ventured nothing gained, but not all risks needed to have my full weight thrown behind them. Looks like the fifth floor was my match for now.

I approached the group with my shield up with my right and my blade in my left hand waiting right behind. Perhaps I should've had the sword in the right, but I think controlling the shield was more important than the blade I'd just stab forward with.

The kobold lunged but I rolled back in favor of dodging the tongues, and a quick half-step back made the mutt mistime his grab, enough of an opening to bash with my shield and stab it in the gut when it flinched. Who knew that thing the Spartans did in 300 would actually work like this. I stepped back after I pulled out the blade, shield up once more.

"You should've been fighting like that from the start!" Tione said.

"Experience points dammit!" If keeping my connection with Loki could keep my magic stat running, then that meant running around a lot and getting hit was actually more beneficial than not. "It promotes status growth!"

"That's not how it works!"

"Yeah it is!" I dodged a tail whip and rolled away from the tongues. "My fight!"

I hopped forward into a lizard who moved to bite, I bashed it then stabbed—but missed. "Shit."

"It was right in front of you!"

I ran into the lizard and stabbed it where the neck met the body instead, making it twitch before it went limp. This was… so boring. A tongue pulled my shield away and opened me for a tail whip, but I stepped into the pull and was able to twist back into a defensive pose after scraping the sword against the attached tongue. The tail whip came again from the side, but the shield was enough to parry it with, diffusing the force by keeping my shoulder loose and moving with the hit.

It made sense to do so at the time and looks like it was for the best.

I stepped to the right, hugging the wall and coming closer to the lizard, putting it between the two frogs. The bite came, I bashed, and ran into it again with the same stab that did the earlier one in. And then there were two. I threw the short sword away and drew my knife.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Experience points."

I lunged the frog for another stabby-stabby wrestling session. Another two frogs joined in just as I was about to finish off the first one and I had to double back to my sword and resume the same boring method, but I did so and slowly but steadily ended the fight.

"That was stupid what you did near the end," Finn said with a sigh.

"It would've net me higher points in the long run."

"Again, it doesn't work like that," Tione said.

"Remind me to show you my stat growth later."

She grumbled but let the matter go.

"Thomas," Gareth said, "you're really abusing the jacket I lent you, aren't you?"

"Yes I am."

"Exactly like Loki," Riveria said.

We kept going through the fifth floor, and whenever one monster was left behind in the encounter, I'd throw my sword away close by to wrestle it down and roll away to pick it back up should another encounter start. Doing this was bound to rack up the stat gains across the board. Dodging and moving most likely pertains to agility, while tanking hits—hopefully including self-inflicted ones—probably added to endurance, while the monster wrestling was good for strength and dexterity. I also made sure to twirl my swords whenever I could when I wasn't foreseeing an attack or an exchange to rack up the dex. It was really getting to Tione's nerves.

When we reached the sixth floor, Gareth pulled me in close. "The monsters native to the sixth floor are the War Shadows." He looked me straight in the eyes. "Don't take these lightly."

I swallowed. "Understood, Gareth."

The group let me loose on the Dungeon with that. Also, it was fortunate we weren't meeting anyone else during our trips, perhaps the place was large enough to accommodate everyone? Or maybe the rest of them were keeping the others away so I could hunt in peace? I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I met three War Shadows for my first encounter. They were slender blackish things that stood out against the Dungeon's green glow, they had three claws on each hand and a totally obvious weak spot which was the singular eye thing in the middle of their heads. The difficulty then was in reaching said eyes because they were as tall as me, which probably meant they were just as strong or stronger.

"Maybe now's a good time to use my magic?"

"That's alright Thomas," Riveria said. "Feel free whenever."

"I'll kill the other two first."

"Alright," she replied.

The other members of the party scattered forwards and backwards, most likely to lead people away for a while. It was best I took care of this as fast as I could. Also, I really should've used this on some goblins instead. But then experience points… so, go figure.

I charged for the nearest shadow, shield out with sword behind it. It lunged forward with its claws reared back, the other two on either of its flanks. They were better coordinated. I backpedaled just as the lead one closed its arms on me and stepped leftwards to meet the other war shadow and got down to one knee to barely get away from the sharp hug and charged its side, driving the edge of my blade against its neck and pulling back to slit its throat. It worked!

The black figure dropped to its knees.

I lunged for the right most one and easily pushed it into the wall with my shield and drove it in, crushing it. After bashing in those slippery frogs, these things were a cake walk, they were faster though, and those sharp claws could do way more damage in a short time than those yawning amphibians. The last one I backpedaled from to give me some time to prepare.

"Ready," I said. I raised my guard once more.

"Concentrate on your magic and say your incantation," Riveria said, "the Falna will take care of the rest."

"How do you concentrate magic?"

The war shadow came running after me.

"You feel it in your source and pull."

"Yeah, that's not ringing a bell."

I rolled out of the way.

"You'll figure it out."

"Easy for you to say!"

The war shadow swiped with its claws for my head and I leaned back to avoid it and weaved in to avoid another swipe before rolling away.

"This isn't working!"

"Then just say the chant."

Another claw swipe came for my head.

"Madness!" Nothing happened. I had to weave my head back.

"Are you still talking to Loki?"

I weaved another claw. Actually, this might be good practice! "Yes!"

"Stop it."

"What?" I dodged another claw swipe and even threw in a kick. "Why?"

"Because you're already using a spell."

"What? You can't dual cast?"

"What are you a spirit?"

"Fine." I cut off the connection to Loki.

I'm still here though.

"How do I turn it off?"

"We really should've thought this through better. Just kill that war shadow for now," Riveria said.

I threw away the sword and shield and took up a boxing stance, weaving in and out of the war shadow's wild swings and jabbing and hooking it with my own punches. It wasn't so tough as to not feel the punches, but it wasn't getting pushed back either. It did a big swing and I tackled it into the ground, swiftly manipulating it into an arm bar and got my leg scratched.

"What are you doing?!" Tione said from way back elsewhere.

I let the war shadow go, good thing I had the greaves. I lunged for it again, shooting for its legs and punched it in the crotch.

"That doesn't work!" Tione said.

I swept the thing's legs from under it and mounted it from the back, making sure to control its arms with my legs and arms, then squeezed in to put its neck between my arms and pulled as hard as I could—its head giving away a good hard tug after.

"Why?!"

"Because I can!"

I picked up my gear and carved the stones out of the shadows as the others returned with flat stares. I was a little scratched up but otherwise fine. The war shadows weren't as durable which meant I had more freedom to toss them around provided they couldn't gang up on me and fuck up my face.

"So, you didn't even know how to turn off your first spell," Riveria said. She was unreadable. But Alicia next to her had a very sour look and Tione was simply livid. Finn and Gareth were just laughing it off.

"I thought it was a passive."

Finn just opened and closed his mouth, gesturing for Riveria to continue. "Thomas," Riveria said, "all magics are active, only skills can be passive."

I nodded. "Thank you for that."

"How do you usually talk to Loki?"

"I just think about it."

Riveria massaged the bridge of her nose. "Let's do it this way," she said, holding out a hand. "Here, try and see if you can feel my magic."

Alicia gave me a dirty look, but I complied with the instructor's order regardless.

"Harbinger of the end, the white snow." Riveria's voice seemed to echo and half-way through the first syllable a glowing circle of… power, for lack of a better word, appeared beneath her feet.

"Blow with the wind before the twilight."

There was a weight of sorts that just inflated, like there was a lead balloon just beyond my fingertips.

"Closing light, the freezing land."

I let go of Riveria's hand and… dug for that same sensation I felt Loki call from me before, the great shifting. I focused on the feeling, remembering the gravity of it, its immensity and complexity and called, "Madness."

I felt the pull of something far away echo in my ears and the Dungeon's walls seemed to dim. Panic—rather, excitement filled my veins. It moved in and through me like a swirl of wind, whole and heavy.

"Congratulations," Riveria said, pointing at my hand.

I held it in front of me and saw it engulfed in black mist, like a clouded flame too dispersed to burn. It glowed purplish and lapped and twisted in tendrils. "That's pretty edgy."

"I'm sorry?" Riveria tilted her head.

"Just something we say back home." Like how to describe this… thing. It was my magic yes, just strange to have it feel like this.

"How do you feel?" Riveria asked. Alicia stepped closer with Tione, while Finn and Gareth were satisfied just hanging back.

I closed my hand, feeling the ethereal tendrils weave about. "Like something keeps squirming, it feels weird."

Riveria nodded. "It's your magic, regardless of what it looks like."

Finn clapped his hands. "Let's have you test it out then have lunch?"

"Sure."

I turned off the magic by disconnecting with the feeling of that presence, and the mists dissipated. I called on the weight again and like clockwork, the mists came back on. I kept trying to move the mists around as we walked around looking for a fight.

"First time spell users usually faint from using their magic too much" Tione said. "You've been wasting Mind turning on and off your magic for so long and you were also using your first spell all this time too. Do you have such a high capacity for magic?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but magic is my highest stat right now," I said, "it's possibly because of my Developmental Abilities."

"You said abilities," Alicia cut in. She looked at Riveria who shook her head, then at Finn who shrugged, and last was Gareth who sighed. "I see."

Tione gave Alicia a back rub. "Shh, it's not you. It's him."

I kept the magic dancing between my fingertips, feeling the weight undulate and spread through my hand, the mists engulfing them in a hazy black. I tried to extend the weight away from my hand, but the mists wouldn't follow my imaginary… imagined thing. "Part of our being here was to test my limits anyway."

We met a frog shoot and three war shadows next, and I engulfed my arms in the mists, the magic easily seeping into my sword and shield.

"It seems to be an enchantment type," Riveria said.

"Cool, I mean, nice." I charged the group of four with the same shield forward stance, but this time with a shroud of black mist.

A war shadow swung for me and I blocked its strike with my shield, the black mist attaching itself to the monster. It didn't writhe in pain or show any visible effects, but the black spread out from where it touched. I blocked another two strikes from the surrounding war shadows, batting away what I couldn't block with the flat of the blade. Was it just me or was this getting easier? A tongue almost pulled my shield away but the tug of it wasn't strong enough to put me off. I was able to cut the tongue off and open a gash in one war shadow with the same swing.

This was off.

I backpedaled and… the war shadows gave chase, but they seemed—or were slower than I was used to. I stepped in and stabbed one in the gut by blocking its face with my shield, its arms grabbing feebly onto the buckler. It wanted to retaliate but couldn't. I bashed the next one and stabbed it in the gut, then hooked the leg of the last one with the gash with a quick kick up and I fell on top of it shield first. The frog shooter fell a moment later.

The fight ended as it begun, with my arms still engulfed in my black mist. I ended the spell and the black was gone, I then got to cutting out the crystals.

"Interesting," Riveria said, "those monsters moved slower after your magic touched them."

"Their steps weren't as big," Finn said. "And that frog shooter couldn't pull you away. Your status couldn't have changed that fast so we can most likely say your magic made the pull of the tongue weaker."

"I agree," Gareth added. "The war shadows were attacking normally, but they looked strained."

"It's most likely a weakening enchant," Riveria said, "given the way your magic clung to the monsters."

"That's good magic," Tione said.

Alicia nodded with lips pursed. "It suits Thomas too well."

What was that supposed to mean? "I'm sure I can verify that hypothesis," I said. "Let's go for the next encounter."

We found a group of three frog shooters and three war shadows. I took care of everything and saved one frog for the test. I opened some space between us and put up my shield and waited. Its tongue shot out and hit the target I presented pulling me off my feet like usual. It dragged me over to where it stood, and I quickly rolled away to open up some distance. I activated my magic and waited once more.

The tongue shot out and contacted the black mist—and tugged, but it didn't take me away. Not enough to completely nullify its pull, but just enough for me to resist.

"I can confirm the weakening effect." I finished off the frog after.

"I can see that," Riveria said.

"Methodical," Finn said.

"All hail the power of science!"

"If only he wasn't so similar to Loki," Alicia said.

"So," I said, "what happens if you run out of mana, I mean, of Mind?" Wasn't Mind just mana?

Loki? You there?

You rang?

Is Mind, mana?

Not in the sense you're probably thinking of, but sure, you can say that.

Close enough!

"You'll faint," Riveria said.

"Can you die from it?"

"If you pass out in the middle of a fight, yes, but not usually from Mind Down by itself."

"Good," I said, "I have an idea."

"Why does he say it like it's a bad thing?" Tione said.

Loki, so Mind Down is like running out of mana?

Sure, yeah.

How bad is it?

I don't know, I've never experienced it.

"Riveria, what does Mind Down feel like?"

"Like the morning of a bad hangover with Loki chasing you with a bikini in hand."

"Was that from experience?"

"We don't speak of it anymore," Gareth said.

"We almost lost the manor that time," Finn added.

"Right, I want to feel that Mind Down thing."

"I was kidding when I spread the rumor about how you liked getting whipped," Tione said.

"That was you?" Alicia said with a frown.

"Bah!" I said, "Stats! And it's better to see how much magic I can cast, right?"

"He makes a good point," Gareth said.

So I kept my magic on, constantly moving it around and seeing what I could do with it, what I couldn't, what it felt like, and what else was possible. Same as before, it felt like moving a presence I was vaguely aware of, with the tendrils feeling like water flowing and lapping about. Fun fact though, is that I could use it to cover my face, and according to everyone it made my eyes glow yellow. After hearing that, I couldn't help the temptation to cover my entire body with my magic: anti-form, get!

"Stop being creepy," Tione said.

"Sorry," my voice came out distorted, like if chalkboard scratches could come in a tenor.

"Please don't do that again," Alicia said.

"You mind letting me feel that?" Tione said.

I looked at Riveria still cloaked in the mist, she narrowed her eyes at me and I dispelled it from my face. Proficiency was very important with dealing with new things. "Will it be alright?"

"She'll be fine," Riveria said, "she'll most likely not be as affected thanks to the level difference."

I removed the rest of the cloak and left it only on my palm, before presenting it to Tione.

She touched the mist with her hand and inspected the magical affliction. "It feels like touching syrup." She flexed her hand. "It's not so bad."

"Level difference," I said.

Tione shrugged.

We met some more monsters after that, even going so far as to reach the stairs to the sixth floor. My magic really removed a lot of the pressure the frog shooters put on with their ranged pull, and with the war shadows enfeebled, they quickly fell to the stabs. Lizards also didn't stand much of a chance with the reduction of their tail whip's power. We just kept wandering the sixth floor waiting for me to pass out.

#

I woke up in a darkened room with just enough light to see myself in a four-poster bed and covered in rose petals. My head hurt like someone cracked a cinder block over it. "Loki."

She entered my vision from the left, laying down side ways next to me. "Yes, dear?"

"Is this supposed to be a joke?"

"Yep."

"Thank you."

She placed a hand on my chest. "You missed dinner."

"I also have a massive headache," I added.

"You were so wild last night."

"If only I could remember." I looked at her. "Err, tell me you were you kidding."

"I was kidding." She patted my cheek. "I figured you could go crazy or something with that magic. I had the three come with you to be sure."

"I figured as much," I said with a shrug. "And thanks for keeping an eye on me."

"Don't mention it," she said. She laid her head on my shoulder. "You should really get some food."

"We ought to get some food."

"Feed me."

"Wasn't I the one in need of nursing?"

"Wouldn't you rather get to touch a budding young lady during the entirety of your dinner?"

"If by budding then you mean still growing, and trying really—"

She pushed me off the bed. But at least she helped me stand and get dressed.

"Did I have to be topless though?"

Loki put a finger on my lips. "Shh, you talk too much."

We exited her room and saw it was nighttime. "How long was I out for?"

"Three days," Loki said with a straight face.

I glared at her.

"Two hours."

I rolled my eyes.

She hugged me and stuck her cheek against mine. "Too fun, Tom."

On our way down, we passed Riine who gave us a thumbs up.

I looked at Loki.

"She's the one I asked for the flower petals."

I shrugged. "Did Finn and the others already tell you about the voice changing thing?"

"They did," she said, "I wanna see." Her eyes were sparkling.

"Can't you at least get a body guard first? You don't know jack shit about my magic besides what this Arcana thing told you, right?"

"Eh, it's fine."

I frowned at her.

"I trust you, Tom."

"Well I don't trust something called Madness."

We got to the ground floor and most everyone there were simply lounging about. Lefiya was happily chatting away with Alicia, Anakity, and Elfy. Elfy was Lefiya's room mate and a human, and she was a level three like her roomie. Rakta was also level three, while Alicia, Anakity, Cruz, and Raul were level fours. There were only three level ones in the Loki familia right now, namely: me, Tina, and Agata. It was totally in character for Loki to favor women.

Finn was there drinking wine with Gareth and Riveria, and they waved when they saw us.

"Glad to see you up," Finn said.

"I feel like shit."

"I told you so," Riveria said.

Gareth hummed in agreement. "Looking forward to repeating it?"

"If it helps bump up my magic stat, sure."

Loki put a hand on my shoulder and shook her head. .

"Then that's a no for sure."

"We're going out to have dinner," Loki said, "I'd feel bad to make Thomas here eat all by his lonesome."

"You mean you want to go on a date with him," Riveria said.

I looked at Loki. "We don't mind joiners?"

She shook her head.

"But your joiners would mind you," Riveria added.

"Savage."

"Very," Loki concurred.

We left the manor and walked side by side along Orario's well lit night scene, the magic lamps dotting the streets every ten feet or so. It was so surreal to see the familiar sight of activity in the night, the same yet completely alien, powered not by electricity but with ingenuity all the same. People chatted and laughed as they went about their activities, unbothered and unhampered by the starlit sky. Though, with this many stars and the moon so bright, I doubted total darkness could be found with at least expending some effort.

I earned a total of sixteen thousand Varis and change from this morning, all thanks to the bigger war shadow crystals. Tomorrow I'd shoot for a deeper floor, the sixth level was already manageable thanks to my magic, and all this steamrolling was starting to get on my nerves. Individually, the monsters couldn't really give me a run for my money, but it was the combinations that made it so much more difficult. Also, I'd have to go with just Gareth tomorrow since Finn and Riveria would need to make up for the time they gave today to make some more cash.

My pouch was filled with five thousand Varis, enough for even the most expensive restaurant in Orario for two. Finn made sure to tell me which places Loki frequented before we left, and I promised him I'd make sure she had a good time. My head still hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything a good cup of coffee wouldn't fix. If I had to call it something, it felt a lot like pulling an all-nighter at work and having to show up at like six in the morning after getting just three hours of sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Loki asked.

"That people are amazing," I said, "the view I'm seeing now looks so familiar with the lamps and the cobblestones, but these lights are from magic and not electricity." Loki smiled. "I was also thinking that the after effects of Mind Down feel a lot like pulling off an all-nighter at work."

"The official explanation," Loki said, "is that the brain is used as a conduit to channel the mystery of a magic spell subconsciously, so if you use it too much, your grey matter shorts out."

"And the real explanation?"

"It's close, but the brain is instead used to focus knowledge it doesn't normally know to impose a change in the world. The fainting is you running out of sugar to fuel the subconscious thinking."

"So in other words, the smarter you are the more you can use magic?"

"Not exactly per se," Loki said. She ruffled my hair. "It's actually related to how much stress you can take."

"Huh, neat." I puffed up my chest. "Stress is the friend of any corporate slave!"

We went to Babel tower and went straight to the opposite street, and eventually reached a square with a goddess' statue. Loki said it wasn't honoring any specific goddess, just some abstract sculpture from a few hundred years ago. There was a fountain fueled by magic too, which was amazing since it meant Orario could afford the magically powered fixture. We went straight on past it and headed for the small hill overlooking the city. There was a restaurant here called the Rabbit House which was a sort of hobbit hole place cut into the hill with outdoor tables under the stars. It was a popular place, but its high price kept the lines short enough.

Loki and I were seated as soon as we got there.

We got an outdoor table for two, it was a sizeable round table with a lamp shade that kept the light to just within the bounds of the table and just high enough to illuminate our faces without taking away from the main spectacle—the backdrop of stars.

"I can see why you like the place." I passed Loki a menu.

"It also helps that all the waitresses are hume bunnies," Loki added, proud. Hume Bunnies were the name rabbit people went by, like Human or Elf or Dwarf. "Also, Finn's kind are called Parrums, just in case you called them Halflings or Hobbits."

"Gotcha, and anything I should avoid?"

"Hold that thought."

A waitress came by to get our orders, Loki got herself a meat platter while I got a pasta with meat balls. Loki called it boring but I said it was a necessity to compare the cuisines here and back home. The food was mostly European in aesthetic, but I was craving something more distinctly Asian. The meat balls were to establish a base line, and vanilla ice cream would be next on the list if and when I do find it.

"The other gods," Loki said. Her expression turned sour. "Speak of the devil."

"Oh my," a sweet an velvety alto—

Hey!

She sounds hot, Loki.

"Loki!" some lady said.

Better.

I turned back and—damn.

Tsk.

"Oh," she said, "is this a…" Her immaculate face turned three shades of uncertain before settling for confusion. "What sort of company are you keeping?"

Weren't godly powers supposed to be sealed away?

It can only hold back so much, if that's the main core of the god, parts of it still leak through. Why do you suppose all my children, you included, are so lucky?

"He's from far away," Loki said. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Freya?"

Oh shit. That's her?!

And that's when I felt it, like the looming shadow of some titan that blotted out the stars in the sky. I turned my head towards the chill—and saw a giant of a man with disproportionately cute ears standing a few steps away from Freya.

That's Ottar, the only level seven in Orario. That's the man you have to surpass if you want to get home.

He's… something else.

"Can't a lady simply want the company of her sister?"

Wait, weren't you supposed to be some frost giant.

Don't sweat the details.

Noted.

"I'm kind of in the middle of a date," Loki said under her breath.

Why are you being cute in this situation?

"Eh?" Freya said with… mirth? "My dearest sister is on a date?" Freya glared at me and I felt the entirety of Ottar's attention fall on my sorry level one ass. "You," she said with the weight of a god in mortal flesh, infinite and unbound elsewhere and beyond. "If you hurt her, you die."

Smarter men would've kept quiet in the face of that. "We're just friends for now."

I swear I'd probably get struck by a lightning bolt with how turned on I was right now and all this dangerous shit and shit I think I just pissed off Ottar. Freya raised an eyebrow and stared straight into my soul. Possibly literally. "Are you?"

Everything stopped. And, that was a very good question. I looked at Loki. "Are we?"

Loki looked away. "Hey," she said, "don't just ask me that out of the blue!" She looked at Freya, one hand covering her face from my view. "Just be cool for once alright?! Please?"

Freya's smile was both cruel and divine.

And that was how we ended up having dinner with Orario's strongest god and strongest falna bearer. Freya had a salmon fillet I swear wasn't in the menu and Ottar was eating an amazingly healthy dinner with lots of greens, a respectable portion of protein, a bit more fat than usual, and a light alcohol to aid digestion. And it was even more enchanting to watch him eat with such grace despite his huge and grotesque frame.

Hey, at least look at me some more than Ottar.

Why do you think my foot's touching yours?

Smooth. Real smooth.

Freya cleared her throat and me and Loki looked at her at the same time, she laughed like a hundred twinkling stars. Loki pouted at me. "You know," Freya said, "if I didn't know better, I'd say you two could read each other's minds." She smiled like a teen girl love struck. "That's sooo cute!"

Expectations were broken everywhere. Ottar was the graceful sculpture he'd always been since our food came. Loki was a hot mess. And Freya was definitely some psycho underneath all that fluff. And me, well, at least I had a funny story to tell tomorrow.

If I lived to tell the tale that is.

The small talk and dinner plates eventually ran their course, and all the while Freya kept grilling me for my family background, plans for the future, and whether I was aware of Loki's ambitions and dream to be the head of Orario's strongest familia. Freya currently had that position, she admitted, but she was also looking forward to seeing the competition from her dearest Lokipoo. Lokipoo. Gold. That was gold. My aching foot was so worth the vindication and the doting older sister was only too happy to notice me soldiering through the pain. There was also that really really weird monologue about a cute rabbit running around desperately in the burrow and how beautiful its struggles were, Loki made sure I was quiet for that part, and then just like they appeared, the two left just as abruptly. They also foot the bill for us, it was a nice gesture to end the otherwise insane night.

"What the hell just happened?" I looked at Loki for answers.

"Ugh," she said, "can't she just leave me to my shit for once!"

I smiled at her.

"Don't you dare."

"Lokipoo."