Campaign’s Wake

It would be an understatement to claim that the day's events had shaken Orario to its core. After all, even the simultaneous deaths of three deities had already been enough to trump anything that had happened since the Dark Era's conclusion. The people had still been largely agitated due to yesterday's protest, the unprecedented involvement of Ouranos in the matter, as well as the large-scale, previously unplanned gathering of gods and goddesses. At exactly that point, another bombshell had been dropped on their heads.

When the confusion and worries about the deities' returns to Heaven was finally cleared up, all citizens were also made privy to the dark underbelly of the city that they normally either consciously or subconsciously avoided looking at too deeply. Even merely hearing about the atrocities that had been committed was enough to make most of them feel unsettled. Quite a number of individuals also felt guilt welling up inside of them - whether that be due to not having known about all of this earlier, or due to their inaction when they had seen clearly unacceptable behaviour play out but hadn't done anything to stop it.

The executions of three deities was just the cherry on top. Most of the adventurers were not too frightened by these scenes, as they had encountered far more gruesome scenarios in the dungeon. Although it happened relatively infrequently, almost all of them had seen another person die to monsters before. Additionally, a number of their foes also appeared visually similar to the members of the sentient races, which had forced them to steel their hearts long ago.

However, in stark contrast, the regular inhabitants of the city were rarely ever exposed to bloodshed of any kind. The dangers of the dungeon as well as those of the surface monsters were braced by the adventurers, while most warring nations didn't even dare to set their sights on Orario, because of the incredible military might that the familias within commanded. On the odd occasions when some nutjobs sent their troops towards the city, it was also the adventurers who faced them on the battlefield, far before the enemies ever even got to set their sights on Orario's walls.

As a consequence, the common folk were heavily sheltered, especially when compared to the rest of the Lower World. Orario could be considered the safest place, but also the one that left them most vulnerable to the various threats of their reality. Of course, life in the city wasn't always all sunshine and rainbows - far from it - but set side by side with the desperate straits that almost everyone else lived in, the primarily strife-free lives that Orario's citizens led appeared just like a dream. Yes, this statement took into account the people that occasionally went missing, mostly in the less-supervised areas of the city.

Due to the brutal broadcast that they had been shown, numerous citizens felt sick to their stomachs, leading to many a meal climbing its way back up within their throats.

As for those who had been the primary targets of what had occurred, the criminals, a surprising number of small-time ones chose to turn themselves in, with the goal of turning over a new leaf. They had experienced the might of a primordial god the day before, and had now been shown that even entire familias, including their deities, couldn't escape proper judgement. This led to many of them shaking in their boots, while those who had only fallen into a life of misdemeanours due to unfortunate circumstances jumped desperately at this chance to escape this self-destructive path.

Under Ouranos' instructions, the Guild had set aside enough personnel to handle everyone who was approaching them. Pretty much all employees had been called in, even if they had been on a break or had enjoyed their well-deserved vacation. Of course, they were all being properly compensated for their work - there never was any worry about this when it came to the Guild, after all.

In opposition to those who hadn't committed the most heinous crimes, those who did only scoffed at everyone who ran to the Pantheon's doors in a hurry. Most of them, admittedly, only did so because they were too afraid to do the same, fully aware that what they had done could never be atoned for. So in an effort to vent their frustrations, they made fun of those who found themselves in a much more favourable position than them.

Others, however, truly thought of the actions of the Guild as nothing but a joke. Weren't they simply trying to let lawbreakers offer themselves up on a silver platter? Only fools would fall for that! What had happened today had startled this portion of criminals, and had caused them to make the decision to hide deeper in the shadows. In the end, it was utterly unrealistic to expect anyone to flush them all out - or even a significant portion of them. Knossos' fall was impressive, but expected. Although almost all of them had never heard of it before, such a massive, underground labyrinth couldn't be moved. With a stationary headquarters, once it was exposed, it was ridiculously difficult to escape. Real experts would never put all of their eggs into one basket like that, and would always be on the move.

Whatever the various groups' motivations were, it was undeniable that from this day on, the overall crime rate in Orario saw a rapid decline.

-----

In a mostly dark chamber deep beneath the Pantheon, which was only lit up by a few braziers, Fels put away the Occulus in their hand in perturbed silence. Their discussion with Yolanda, the Guild employee who had been present in the Loki Familia's command tent during today's operation, had just come to an end.

Eventually, they lifted their head and stared at Ouranos, who was sitting on his stone throne with a composed expression and glancing at them out of the corner of his eyes.

"Lord Ouranos, was all of this really a good idea? I can't help but worry about the repercussions that not only the happenings of today, but also those of yesterday, could have for the city - or even for you."

Closing his eyes as if to contemplate something, Ouranos soon showed a small smile of relief, before finally responding to his most trusted subordinate's inquiries.

"There is certainly a risk to it all, but it's a calculated one. It's been a long time since I chose to place my bets on any uncertain methods, but that has only caused the progress towards my goals to have entirely ground to a halt. And I've had enough of that. Too many of this world's children had to unnecessarily suffer merely because I continued to wait. But that wait is now over."

Looking directly into the 'eyes' of Fels' magically obscured skull, Ouranos heaved a sigh.

"I made certain to not overstep my boundaries when I interfered publicly, so there is no need for you to excessively worry about me."

For a while, the elderly deity grew silent. Already having grown used to this behaviour over the past hundreds of years, Fels stood by and anticipated what he would say next. Fortunately, they weren't kept at the edge of their proverbial seat for too long.

"I've been eagerly anticipating a major change, because only if the people of this city - nay, of the Lower World in its entirety - get used to having to rethink matters that they have taken for granted, for 'the way that things are', can proper progress be made in regards to one of this time's minor goals. Just consider this: I've had to stand by and watch many generations of Xenos die without ever seeing the sun properly, for centuries. Now, there is finally an opportunity for the 'sentient races' to have to reinspect those deeply held preconceived beliefs of theirs. I cannot sit back and do nothing, even if I have to risk attracting 'their' gazes for a bit."

Processing what they had just heard, Fels paced back and forth for some time, until they finally made up their mind.

"I get it now. Thank you for enlightening me. I will prepare myself for the worst, then. Just in case."

Smirking slightly, Ouranos raised his hand in an effort to stop the overly cautious skeleton, then he shook his head.

"No need. Even if I lose this bet, I will not be truly troubled. I would miss out on one more ally who - in the long term - could help with stopping the Cataclysms. Additionally, I would fail at improving the lives of some unfortunate souls before the next Cataclysm arrives. The worst that would come my way would be a couple ten thousand years of intense scrutiny. Really, nothing major. There will always be a next time, and one day, I'll see these tragedies come to an end."

Taken aback when they realized the implications of these words, Fels hastily spoke up.

"Do you really think that highly of him?!"

The corners of his mouth rising a bit higher, forming an adoring, grandfatherly smile, Ouranos nodded.

"I've had high hopes for a few individuals ever since I resolved myself to fix this issue at its core. One of them has even surpassed me by now, and has been my greatest beacon of hope. But even he had not shown immense, unfathomable potential like this."

A hint of uncertainty gripped Fels' heart. Eventually, after a bit of internal struggle, they decided to give voice to their thoughts.

"Forgive me, Lord Ouranos, but hasn't there already been friction between your previous 'beacon' and Mr. Blackshaw? Could the reason that you are hoping for him to take up the mantle be that you think his predecessor has strayed from his path?"

For the second time since their talk had begun, Ouranos sighed. He caressed his forehead, a slight frown on his lips.

"No, that most definitely is not the case. Rather, his subordinates have started to take increasingly drastic measures over the past hundreds of thousands of years that he has been absent. I cannot blame them for that. However, I heavily suspect that they misinterpreted their orders because of this. Their minds have been warped ever so slightly by the ruthless methods that they have become all too used to employing recently. They most likely aren't even aware that they have made a major mistake. I can only hope that he returns soon to right this wrong before it spirals out of control."

A bit curious, Fels chose to inquire further.

"Excuse my impertinence, Lord Ouranos. But if it is this pressing of a matter, can you not contact him somehow to let him know about it?"

His expression darkening further, concern vivid within his eyes, the elderly god shook his head.

"I cannot. The secure communication method that we've used to stay in touch has been cut off recently. This might just be out of necessity, so that he can hide from 'their' eyes better for a while, but it's still worrying. I also cannot reach out to him in any other manner, or else 'they' will notice. Quite a conundrum indeed…"

Heavy-hearted, the skeleton fell silent, leaving Ouranos to his thoughts. As if reaffirming his own resolve, the deity mentally went over the most important part once more.

'Isaac is truly a marvel. Not only has he risen in Level faster than anyone ever before, but he has also become a deity at a speed that I find hard to believe. On top of that, both his and the Sword Princess' ascensions were somehow veiled from the laws of this world, as well as my eyes. Had I not scrutinized both of them closely, I would never have realized that they had become divine lifeforms. I expected the Sword Princess to reach this point eventually, but not this quickly. Many of those in close contact with Isaac have experienced a meteoric rise as well, with no sign of stopping. Truly, he simply has too much potential - so much that it is overflowing and influencing those around him. Due to this, I might have to risk a bit more in the days to come. But I'm certain it will be worth it.'

-----

At the same time as the only primordial god in the city was having a little discussion, Freya stood in front of the biggest window of her residence on the top floor of Babel, closing her eyes and mentally putting together the pieces of a puzzle that had continued to perplex her for days on end. In her hands was an intelligence report that she had obtained from those that she had planted near the Twilight Manor, the Gulliver Brothers.

Minutes later, she opened her eyes, a teasing, excited grin adorning her seductive lips.

"I finally see. So that is what you were playing at, is it?"

Why had Isaac turned himself in after destroying Petbe's mortal vessel? And why had he insisted on being sent to solitary confinement? These questions had been buzzing around her brain far too many times to count. Every time that she had seemingly made progress in her deductions, she soon found out that she had missed something. But now, at last, she felt as if she had found the correct answers.

Everything that had happened with Petbe had merely been a prerequisite for Isaac's real plan to play out. For that to go smoothly, he had to put himself off the chess board, so that he could work on the Knossos raid with the Guild and the Loki Familia. The moment that everything was ready, he had Orario's citizens stage a protest to officially get himself out of jail - which he most definitely had not actually been in for long. This also served to make the godly community rework their rules and laws in regards to deicide. That was done for the express purpose of being able to act very heavy-handedly during today's raid and the subsequent city-wide broadcast. All of this had the goal of cleaning up the 'trash' in Orario, both mortal and immortal.

Honestly, Freya didn't know why Isaac wanted to do such a thing, but that was something that she couldn't possibly figure out by merely thinking about it. She would have to ask him herself when she had the opportunity.

'Phew, finally. Your schemes run deep, Isaac, I admit that. But in the end, I still figured everything ou—'

Right as she was busy internally patting herself on the back for a chain of deductions well made, her eyes once again fell upon the report that she had just read and her gut feeling acted up. All of a sudden, her thoughts ground to a halt, then her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Eventually, she placed the document on a nearby table and grabbed a glass of wine, which she emptied in one go.

'... as if. There is definitely more to this. He stayed in the manor all day? As if I'd believe that. If he had truly not ventured outside, then he wouldn't have deliberately made it seem as if he had been home all that time! He noticed me spying on him before, so he definitely also saw my people observing him from afar. In other words, this is just an attempt to mess with me. Payback for that glimpse that I stole back then, perhaps? But there's more to it. Basically, this is him blatantly advertising that there is something that I haven't considered yet.'

Once she arrived at that point in her train of thought, Freya's right eye began to twitch.

'How nice of him! I suddenly feel like beating him up.'

-----

Sometime during Finn's announcement, right as the words 'manmade labyrinth' left his lips, furious screeches rang out from within Ishtar's bedroom. Even the few men and women who had been pleasing her within rapidly retreated from her quarters, leaving the raging goddess to her wrathful assault on the innocent pillows.

"How could they?! All of that effort, all down the drain!!!"

When everything that she could get her hands on and easily destroy had been torn apart, Orario's second most prominent goddess of beauty was finally forced to control her violent urges once more. With hatred sparkling in her eyes, but also a deep sense of defeat, she sat down on the only chair that had been too sturdy for her to demolish, gazing ahead but not really looking at anything in particular.

Around four years ago, she had been approached by an envoy of a masked deity, who had offered her an extraordinarily strong fighting force in exchange for using her connections to bring their self-created monsters outside of the city to various places where they could undergo some testing. After having been shown the creature that she would receive, having entered Knossos to see it, she had happily agreed to the deal.

'Gugalanna' was what she had named the, at that point, newborn Demi Spirit, who would be raised by the masked deity's allies - members of Evilus - to become a monster powerful enough to help her accomplish her goals. In the years that had followed, her treasured Gugalanna had almost made it to Level 6, surpassing all members of the Ishtar Familia and becoming the goddess' greatest hope.

However, it was now extremely likely that the Demi Spirit had met her end. Considering how thorough and well-prepared the raid on Knossos had to have been to catch almost all deities who had stationed their forces within, as well as taking the power of the Loki Familia into account, Ishtar's most valuable asset had to have died. On the off chance that this wasn't the case, she could always rejoice later, but because this concerned a matter of most vital importance to her, she couldn't take the risk of delusionally 'hoping for the best'.

'In order to win against Freya and to exterminate her familia, the Killing Stone ritual in a little more than two weeks absolutely has to succeed. That Renard's Magic needs to be turned into a proper, reliable asset as soon as possible! I'll make quadruply sure that not even an ant will be able to sneak in during that time. No matter how unlikely it is for something to actually happen, I cannot afford to be careless in the slightest. Procuring a new Killing Stone would take many months, and more time means more variables that could interfere with my plans.'

Clenching her fists, Ishtar took a deep breath and recovered some more, walking out of her bedroom with quick, strong steps. As soon as she was within earshot of her beloved children, she called for her most trusted subordinate, her familia's Vice-Captain, so that they could start making the necessary arrangements.

-----

Another god felt very close to the same amount of frustration as Ishtar at the moment - Vidar.

Mere hours ago, he had had to bear witness to the deaths of every single one of his children that had been stationed in Knossos. Of course, having to share this information with Adikia had been humiliating as well, further adding some icing to the cake of misfortune. Then, until about a quarter of an hour ago, he had had to watch the Guild use the Loki Familia to make an example out of Knossos' inhabitants, forcing his own forces to keep a low profile for weeks to come.

When he thought that he would now finally have some moments to regain his calm, another piece of highly unwelcome news reached his ears.

Glaring down at two of his children from atop his monster bone throne, Vidar's expression turned extremely sour. If his handrests had been made out of a less resilient material, then they would have shattered already due to how tightly he was clutching them.

"... so you're telling me that Ivan escaped his house arrest and you failed to keep him here?"

The taller of the two, Latham, bowed further, already kneeling on the ground and his forehead just centimeters from touching the floor. He felt deeply ashamed of himself, as well as regretful.

"It was our mistake. We never thought that he would go this far! Clearly, we underestimated him, and valued our bond of many years too highly."

Chiming in from the side, the bunny-eared Toril nodded his head, a few tears of betrayal dripping down the corners of his eyes.

"He faked an illness just to make us check up on him! He made use of our goodwill and figuratively stabbed us in the back. Lord Vidar! Please allow me to hunt down that traitor! I'll find him and bring him back here to be punished by you, no matter what price I'll have to pay!!"

Massaging his temples for a bit, Vidar stayed silent. Only when he had fought off the encroaching headache and come up with a plan did he finally address those who were patiently waiting for him.

"Latham, Toril. Your emotions may cloud your judgement too much while handling the capture of Ivan. Therefore, I cannot allow you to participate. You've also failed in your duties, so I sentence you to five days of house arrest to cool off. You're dismissed."

Once they had begrudgingly left, Vidar turned to face the only one still left at his side, the ever-silent Esja. She had immediately taken up her duties as her god's private bodyguard the very moment that Isaac Blackshaw had been released. Before that, in the ten days that she had spent battling for her life in the dungeon, she had finally ranked up to Level 6, after having been stuck as a veteran Level 5 for a year.

"Send out all Executives to capture Ivan. Tell them to not wear our uniforms for now, because we can't afford to be discovered. Act stealthily, but fast. Ivan't rare Skill will make it extremely difficult to catch him, but he cannot use it for too long without taking a break. The most likely person that he'll reach out to is the target of his recent obsession, the Blackshaw brat, so have them hide themselves in a wide perimeter around the Twilight Manor to wait for Ivan to make a move. As for you, return to my side as soon as everyone has set off."

Acknowledging her orders with a sharp nod, she disappeared from his side soundlessly, leaving Vidar alone in his temple. All of a sudden, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

'If you mess with him, we'll all be doomed!'

Out of nowhere, one of Ivan's warnings had popped back into his head, making him a tiny bit paranoid.

'Now that I think about it, ever since then, so many things have gone wrong - for one reason or another. And all of them were, directly or indirectly, connected to that Blackshaw brat. Could he really be the cause of all of this? No, that isn't possible… or is it?'

For the first time since Ivan had returned home in a panic, Vidar momentarily dared to consider the possibility that his child might have been correct.