For starters, sorry for taking so long. I got stuck on a part and wasn't sure how to continue.

This chapter features the story of how the original 3 Loki Familia members met Zeus Familia.

Chapter 6

Zeus Familia and Loki Familia

A few minutes earlier…

Bell had finally opened his eyes. Surprisingly, it only took a couple of hours at most for him to regain consciousness. Most likely, it was a combination of a natural toughness built from a lifetime of working on a farm, short as it was, and Phina quickly treating him. Of course, Bell didn't know that, having lost consciousness prior to being saved.

"Where… am I?" He asked in a dazed voice, laying on a bed. He didn't know why he felt so sore, but he could tell almost immediately where he was. After all, his grandfather had constantly forced him to come here numerous times for the most ridiculous reasons. "Is this the doctor's office?"

"Bell-kun!" Dr. Oleson exclaimed jovially. "You've woken up. How wonderful."

"Oleson-sensei?" Bell said, surprised. "Why am I-"

His eyes snapped open. It call came back to him like a brick had just hit his head. He was at the cemetery, visiting his grandfather's grave, when out of nowhere the goblins came rushing out of the woods armed with weapons. They would've certainly killed Clarabeth, a girl whose parents ran a clothing store, had Bell not ran into action and defended her with his body. He could still remember the blunt force of the goblins club hitting his unprotected back and the pain that came with it. After that, everything was a blank.

"M-Monsters, goblins… I, uh, we were attacked by them and…" he lifted himself up and felt a striking pain in his shoulder. He saw that he was shirtless and had bandages covering his shoulder area and his forehead. All this was too much for the ten year old boy. How the heck was he even still alive?

"Bell-kun," Dr. Oleson said placing a hand, gently, on the young boy's shoulder. He looked like a father soothing his child. "Calm yourself. Your body has been through a lot, so don't overexert yourself The monsters were dealt with. Fortunately, no one was killed."

"So everyone is safe," Bell sighed, smiling tiredly. "That's good… but what happened, Doctor?"

"You were saved," he answered.

"Saved? By who?" Off the top of his mind, Bell thought the dwarven miners could probably be capable of killing the goblins, but it wasn't as though the dwarves were professional adventurers or anything like that. For them to suddenly appear at a sudden attack and killing the monsters before anybody died seemed unlikely. Maybe it was that mystery person that showed up whenever the village was in serious trouble?

"Adventurers," Dr. Oleson said after a moment's hesitation. "Adventurers saved you, Bell-kun."

"What?"

"To be specific, a human, elf, and chienthrope protected the village this time."

"Dr. Oleson, you're confusing me."

"Hahaha… apologie, my boy, the ones who saved you are here right now. I'll go get them, so they can explain. You stay here and rest.

"But-"

"Rest," Dr. Oleson said with no room for debate. "That's the most important thing to do right now. Okay?"

"Okay…" Bell sighed, disappointed that he wasn't allowed to move, but more annoyed that he didn't know what was going on. "Can I ask one thing though?"

"What is it?"

"Clarabeth-san… she's okay right?"

The doctor smiled. "Because of you, Bell-kun, she didn't get a single scratch."

Bell's face lit up. "That's great!"

"It is, isn't it? Now, relax. I will tell everyone you are up."

"Alright," Bell nodded. "Thank you, Oleson-sensei."

"Anytime," he said before leaving the check up room, leaving Bell along on the bed.

"I… was saved?" He said to himself, processing it all. "By adventurers."

He had dreamt of meeting the adventurers of Orario since forever, but he never thought it'd be like this. He didn't think they'd save him. He thought he was going to die back then, but he lived. He wasn't sure how he felt about it all. Grateful? Yes, he was grateful, but… he was also excited for some reason.

"This is so surreal."

Meanwhile, as Bell and Zeus Familia were about to meet in the house of the doctor, in the city of Orario, in a building known as Twilight Manor, the captain of Loki Familia, one of the two largest and strongest familia, was doing some paperwork. Honestly, a familia having many members was certainly an advantage when it came to dungeon crawling, but it came with a lot of challenges. Providing for the familia members was one of them, along with managing the finances and paying the guild taxes. Once a familia reached a certain size, it needed a capable person, a capable captain, to manage things. Fortunately for the Loki Familia, Finn was that person, which was unfortunate for him. His responsibility came with a lot of boring busy work and much stress.

While it wasn't in the powerful prum's nature to complain, he did wish there was someone who could share his burden with him. "If I ever get married, hopefully it will be to someone who can help me with managing the familia," Finn muttered to himself in his empty office.

As he said that, the door to his office suddenly opened, letting in Tiona, Tione, Ais, and, one of their newest members, Lefiya.

"You girls?"

"Hey, Finn, tell us about Zeu Familia!" Tina demanded, much to Finn's surprise. Partly due to the suddenness of her demand, but mostly because of hearing the name of the famous familia he had admired once upon a time.

"What?"

"Idiot, don't talk so rudely to the captain!" Tione scolded her younger, more innocent sister for being so blunt with the man she yearned for.

"What is this all about?" Finn asked. "Or rather, why are you girls asking about Zeus Familia?"

"...We were at the Dian Cecht Familia pharmacy," Ais explained in her usual dry tone. "We were going to go earn some money in the dungeon, so we decided to buy some potions. Dian Cecht-sama was there with Airmid-san and when he saw us he was saying that our familia, Loki Familia, was growing up to be like Zeus Familia. He started to compare us with some of their members, saying I was like a lady named Kyra Slavis."

"He called Tione and me the next Lezana," Tiona added, her eyes as wide as the littlest child, filled with curiosity. "When we asked Dian Cecht-sama what Zeus Familia was like, he told us to ask you, Finn, because he said that you'd know more than him. So would you tell us about them, would ya? Would ya? Would ya, please?"

"What did I just say?!" Tione bonked her sister on her head.

"That hurt…" Tiona groaned, rubbing the bulging bump on her head. "Stupid Tione."

"Hehehe…" Finn chuckled, not at the banter between the amazonian sisters, but at the youthful energy of their youngest and most promising members. Even he had to admit that they were cute. Also… "Zeus Familia, huh?"

"Can you tell us about them?" Tiona asked, wide eyed.

"You really want to know? All of you?"

"W-Well, if it is not too much trouble, Captain," Tione said shyly, her cheeks tinged red. "I would."

"I would, as well," Ais said. "I have heard a lot about how strong Zeus Familia was. I'd like to know more about them."

Finn smiled wryly. How typical of Ais, so obsessed with increasing her own strength, to be curious about how others obtained theirs. It was hard to say whether it was a bad habit or a good one, considering she was an adventurer. He turned his head towards the youngest of the girls. "And you, Lefiya?"

"Well… I had once heard that Zeus Familia had a great high elf in their ranks. I wanted to hear about her, if you are not too busy, Captain."

"I'm not, but…" Finn was hesitant. As he looked at the four young girls, he took in their innocence. Aiz and the amazons were 12 and Lefiya was 11. However, all of them were quite powerful for their ages. Aiz had recently achieved Level 4 and the sisters were getting close, as was Bete, and Lefiya would soon be Level 2, he was sure. So strong, so young, so good.

He admired and respected the Zeus Familia for all of their great feats… but that didn't change the fact that he had betrayed them. If the girls had heard about how the Loki Familia came to power, would they lose respect for him and leave? He honestly worried about that. But when he looked at their wide, expecting eyes, he had to appreciate how much they looked up to him. He had to believe that they wouldn't abandon him. After all, a man who can't even believe in those who follow him can never be the light of the pallum.

He smiled. "Sure, I'll tell you a story."

"Yay!" Tiona cheered as the other girls faces lit up, even Aiz's. As they cheered, the door to Finn's office suddenly opened. Coming in was Loki, holding two big bottles of liquor, Riveria, Gareth, Bete, Raul, and Aki.

"Finn, have a drink with us," Loki demanded, raising her bottles in the air. "Oh? Aiz-chan and the other girls are here too, hug? How convenient."

"What are you all doing here, exactly?" Finn asked.

"Well… Loki kept pestering us to drink with her, saying it was a season of festivities and that we should all drink together," Riveria explained with an irritated expression, yet still sounding regal. "She threatened to keep pestering us until we gave in, so here we are."

"Ah, I get it," Finn sighed. He knew better than anyone that when Loki really wanted something, she would do just about anything until she got it. Usually , that meant annoying her victim until they yielded.

"She's too big of a pain," Bete muttered in annoyance.

"That aside," Riveria said, glancing at the girls who were in the office. "What were you doing here with the girls, Finn?"

"Finn was going to tell us stories about Zeus Familia!" Tiona said excitedly.

"What?!" Loki screamed. "Why do you kids want to hear about that old pervert's brats!?"

"B-Because we heard that they were like heroes and stuff."

"They're just washed up has beens now!"

"Loki…" Riveria said in an icy tone, making her patron deity flinch. "Do not insult my cousin's familia."

"But-"

"Don't." In the face of Riveria's glare, Loki kept her mouth shut, leaned against the wall beside her, and pouted like a child scolded by their mother.

"So the high elf in Zeus Familia was your cousin, Riveria-sama?" Lefiya asked. Although, she wasn't really surprised since high elves were all related, but hearing the way she addressed her cousin and defended her Familia proved that they were close.

"Hm? Oh, yes, she is," Riveria answered, smiling like she was thinking of something pleasant. She looked nostalgic. "Truthfully, I had not had the opportunity to meet her until I had arrived in Orario. You see, my father was my cousins younger brother. However, my father didn't get along with him, because my uncle was considered something of a black sheep in our family. He , without any reservations, interacted with and studied the outside world. He even got along with dwarves if you can believe it." Riveria added, laughing. It was a rare treat for the Familia to see the upright elf smile.

"Your uncle sounds like a great man, Riveria-sama," Lefiya said, looking at Riveria in awe.

"Even I have heard stories of the only likeable elf in existence," Gareth joked. "From what I had heard, it was hard to believe that he was even an elf at all."

"Oh, shut up, would you," Riveria sighed, still smiling. "I admired my uncle greatly, but because of his poor relationship with my father, we never met, which lead to me never meeting my cousin until I came to Orario. Their relationship was so bad that my uncle even changed his family name."

"But you did meet her, right, Riveria?" Tiona asked.

"Yes, I did. She is a wonderful person who treated me warmly despite the bad blood between our fathers."

"So did you get meet to Zeus Familia?!"

"Actually, yes. It was a tremendous honor to get to meet them. I can't say we became anything more than casual acquaintances, but I did learn much from them."

"Yeah, they were great, no doubt," Gareth nodded. "Didn't you have a thing for Kuda, Riveria?"

"Really, you did?" Tiona said, surprised.

"I'm surprised," Tione said, equally shocked.

"I never knew," Ais said, surprised that her mother figure had someone she yearned for in a romantic sense.

"I'm not sure how I should feel about that…" Lefiya said.

"Wow, I can't imagine," Raul said.

"I've heard that Zeus Famila's Kuda Zeldon was a very popular guy," Aki added. "Even you weren't able to resist his charm, Riveria-san?"

"Heh, bet he didn't want to get with an old hag like you," Bete said rudely.

"W-Wrong! You're all wrong!" Riveria snapped, her face red. "I-I did not have feelings for Zeldon-san. I just admired him! That's it!"

"Hahaha," Gareth chuckled at Riveria's embarrassment. "Why was it him you fell for him anyway? Were Barron-aniki and Duford-aniki too studly for-"

Riveria grabbed Gareth's noses, as it was the biggest feature of his face, next to his beard. In face of Riveria's hate filled eyes, Gareth's words were stuck in his throat. "Say another word and I'll twist the nose off of your body, understand?"

Being a level 6, Riveria could very well tear the nose off of his face even if she didn't truly mean to, and judging by how angry she looked, she just might mean to. Frightful of that, Gareth nodded.

'I had thought that we had grown out of our childish bickering, but I guess it's still a bit in us,' Finn internally sighed. "You know, I was about to tell a story to the girls…"

"About the Zeus Familia, right?" Gareth said. "Sounds fun. I I'll join ye'. Speaking of which, do any of you kids know anything about them?"

"I know a bit," Aki said. "When I was a little girl, I used to want to meet the male cat person, Nelson Holwell. I heard he was a very powerful adventurer… and handsome."

"I-I used to hear about the human man, Hava Selts, Heracles," Raul said shyly. "He was the captain and an extremely powerful adventurer."

"Aye, those are good men to admire," Gareth approved before turning his attention to Bete. "And what say you,Bete?"

"I have no interest in a fallen familia," he answered coarsely.

"You know, Bete," Riveria said, annoyed. "Zeus Familia also had a werewolf in their elites, except he was polite and well behaved. Perhaps you could learn from him."

"Tch!" The werewolf clicked his tongue in frustration. "As if."

"Ugh… I don't want to hear you guys saying good things about that old pervert's kids," Loki sighed before grinning. "But I guess so long as I'm drinking, it's ok! Hey, where'd my liquor disappear to?"

Out of nowhere, the bottles of liquor in Loki's hands were gone, as if they vanished into thin air. Loki darted her head in every direction to see that Riveria somehow had her alcohol. "Riveria? When did you…?"

"You can have these back later," she said, sternly.

"But-"

"There will be no drinking around children while I'm here."

"You expect me to-"

"Later." Seeing no room for argument in the elf's voice, Loki slid down and mopped. Riveria was unyielding in times such as these. So much like a strict mother.

"Now then," Finn said. "If there are no more interruptions-"

"Just a moment there, Finn," Gareth interjected before approaching him and whispering in Finn's ear. "When you plan on telling them everything, does that als include what we did?"

"Yes," Finn whispered back. "It's public knowledge anyway. I at least want them to hear about it from our point of view. If they lose respect for us, then that is something we will have to accept… do you disagree?"

"No," Gareth said boldly. "We earned our way here, where we are, I believe that much. Our way may seem cowardly to some, and maybe it was, but you'll see no regrets from me. I know Riveria would say the same."

"You're right," Finn grinned. With everything said that needed to be said, Gareth walked to the couch and sat, as did everyone else. "Now, lets begin the story. Where to start… I suppose that the day Loki, Riveria, Gareth, and I first came to Orario would be good. The first thing Riveria wanted to do was find her cousin, Celesta, who was a member of Zeus Familia, but we didn't know that at the time, because we were ignorant of most of their key members. Anyway, I told Riveria that the first thing we must do is get our Familia officially registered at the guild and that trying to find the cousin that she's never even seen can wait-in a very condescending way, I must admit-so Riveria argued that her cousin was an adventurer and that she could just get her information from the guild-in a know it all sort of tone. Back in the day, all three only ever argued and compete with one another. We had it out for each other. Finn added humorously, earning some laughs. "Naturally, I couldn't argue with that, so we went to the guild, got ourselves registered, and, then Riveria asked for information about her cousin, and I'm sure you all can imagine the shocked faces the guild worker made when we asked for the name of a Zeus Familia elite and that she was Riveria's cousin, not to mention ours. Needless to say, it was quite a shocking revelation."

"Sorry to ask," Tiona said. "But how could you not know what familia your own cousin was in, Riveria?"

"Like I had said before, I had never met my cousin prior to arriving in Orario with Finn and the others," she explained. "I knew she was an adventurer because it was a story that had spread around the entire elven forests that she had left and was becoming one of the greatest mages of the era. Thinking back, that may have been on purpose…" Riveria muttered to herself. It made sense, considering how much prejudice elves had for other races. Obviously, they would never want to say good things about a familia filled with other races.

"Moving on," Finn said. "Despite the surprise of discovering who Riveria's cousin was affiliated with, we immediately went to the Zeus Familia home to meet her."

"You weren't nervous about meeting with the strongest familia in the city?" Raul couldn't help but ask. "On your first day as an adventurer?"

"Well, I was certainly nervous," he admitted. "Riveria was insistent."

"Learning that she was a member of such a distinguished familia only made me want to meet her more. Also, I knew that if I didn't go as soon as possible, then I would keep putting it off and never go. That aside, it wasn't as though I forced Finn or anyone else to accompany me."

"You didn't, that is true, but I wanted the chance to meet them as well."

"Besides," Gareth said. "Do ya really think you could have mustered the courage to even approach the guards without us there?"

"Probably not."

"So, what happened?" Tiona asked, anxious for the story to continue."

"Riveria," Finn addressed the high elf, believing that she should tell this part.

"Hm," she nodded. "We went to Zeus Familia's base. Doing my best to hide my anxiety, I asked them to let me meet my cousin-Celesta Lodos. Naturally, they were suspicious of me, which was natural, considering that they were the top familia and would have quite a few enemies. It wasn't looking like they would just let us pass, but then, to our surprise, the patron deity-Zeus-sama-walked to the guards and said to let us through. The guards were reluctant, but he assured them that I was not deceiving them. As you know, children can not lie to deities, so they let us through."

"I remember that day," Loki muttered, still depressed over not being allowed to drink her alcohol. "The old pervert was ogling Riveria and kept making rude comments about my chest. Saying things like, "Flat is justice", and crap like that. Ooh, I knew then and there that I would build a familia that would knock his off the top even if it killed me!"

Riveria and the others ignored Loki's rant. "I thanked Zeus-kami for letting us in, he kept saying some rather… inappropriate things, but he had his familia's respect. I felt I could trust him, despite not truly knowing him. In that respect, he was somewhat like Loki."

"I'm nothing like that old perv and did you guys just ignore me?!"

"He personally escorted us inside their home and called for Celesta to come. However, the first of the major members we were to meet was not her, but a man, but we did not know of him, but he we would soon realize that he was a top class adventurer of the highest respect. When he heard that I was Celesta's cousin, he got curious and all of just sort of started talking. It was clear that he was a sociable person and easy to get along with. He said nothing but good things about my cousin, probably trying to reassure since he could see through my anxiety. To be honest, talking with him made it feel like all of my worries disappeared."

"Ah!" Aki squealed excitedly, realizing the tone she was using was like a young maiden talking about the one she loved. "This was him, wasn't it? The guy you liked?"

"Ooh! Was it, Riveria?" Tiona asked.

"Did you ever confess?" Tione asked.

"Was he good?" Aiz asked, referring to his character, but it couldn't be helped that it was taken out of context by some of the more mature members of the familia.

"R-Riveria-sama, was it really appropriate to fall for a man you just met?" Lefiya asked, her elven instinct kicking in and telling her to question the royal elf's judgement.

"Riveria, how dare you?" Loki demanded, outrage. "Falling for a guy in that pervert's familia is one thing, but still liking him is a betrayal to me and our entire familia!"

"Shut up," Riveria said darkly, her icy glare sending chills down thebacks of all those in Finn's office. She was not the type to allow herself to be humiliated and teased like this continuously. "Say anything else about it and I will burn you all."

"S-Sorry…" all the girls said fearfully.

"Anyway," Riveria coughed. "Cousin Celesta came, accompanied by two young women-they suspected that Zeus-kami was trying to lure her in alone and do indecent things to her so they came in together. I finally got to meet my cousin. She wasn't told that I was her cousin, but she might have been able to see our connection. She didn't have the emerald hair of my-our-family-her hair was golden like her late mother's-but we did share the same eyes. Swallowing my nerves, I introduced my self and…"

"Is that true…?" Celesta asked, showing neither skepticism nor belief. Just simple curiosity. She wore cream colored robes that covered her entire body right down to her ankles and black boots. Her long, luxurious golden hair went straight down to her thighs and her emerald green eyes sparkled like the precious gem they resembled. Being in her presence felt as though you were in front of a queen, only making Riveria more nervous.

"It is… Our father's are brothers… you have met my father, yes?"

"Oh, Uncle Larf," she said happily, surprising Riveria. She was expecting her cousin to dislike her father. "How is he doing?"

"Um, fine, Cousin Celesta… I'm sorry, but do you not have any dislike towards my father? He used to speak quite poorly about your father."

"Hm… yes, I did dislike Uncle Larf for a time, since he treated my father so badly, but I know my father never hated yours."

"What?" Riveria was shocked by her claim.

"If anything, he hated the chains of an oppressive tradition for restricting his younger brother. My father drank, you know? I know, completely uncharacteristic for any elf, especially a high elf, but he was an odd elf, as I'm sure you've heard. But, when compared to the worst drunks, he wasn't particularly bad about it. When under influence, he muttered about Uncle and how he'd wish he would be true to himself and embrace the outside world."

"I-I never knew that…"

"But here you are, in the outside world in Orario of all places. It must not have been easy to leave the forest."

"No, it wasn't," Riveria chuckled, remembering how difficult it was to escape the forest. "They sent the knights to hunt us down and a green dragon ended up attacking us in the middle of it all. Fortunately, Finn and I were able to destroy it."

"Is that so? I am impressed. Right, then. Which of you is Finn?"

"I am Finn," he introduced himself while sitting on the couch of the room they were in along with Gareth, Loki, and Aina, who was Riveria's friend and aide. "Finn Deime. You do not have to thank me. If I did nothing, I would likely have died."

"Even so, I thank you for saving the forest. You must be a strong prum to be able to help defeat a dragon."

"I am honored to receive your gratitude," he said humbly.

"As I was saying, Cousin, in the end Uncle did allow you to leave, yes?"

"Yes… he did. I didn't think much of it at the time, but… he did let us leave without anymore fuss. Granted, it was after we killed the dragon."

"Then maybe that was a sign to him that you should venture beyond the forest and discover new possibilities… maybe he changed for the better?"

Riveria thought about it, looking at her feet contemplatively. It was hard for her to imagine her father, so stuck in his ways, to change… but maybe he did. "...Cousin Celesta, why did you become an adventurer?"

It may seem like a sudden question, but Riveria had wanted to know this ever since her days living the forest.

"This and that," Celesta said casually.

"...What?"

"Well, it all happened rather suddenly. As you may already know, my father and I had more or less left the forest and started traveling around, never calling one place home. One day, we arrived at a town near Orario and encounter a party consisting of Zeus Familia members and Zeus-kami himself-"

"Ah, I remember that day," Zeus said, interrupting Celesta. He and everyone else in the room were silently listening to the two high elves conversation respectfully. "It was a beautiful clear day, the kids and I had just completed a quest for the guild, and I just knew that that day was going to be special. And I was right. Wandering around, who would have guessed that we would have a chance encounter with such a beautiful elf. The moment that I saw our Celesta-chan, I just knew I had to recruit her into the familia. So, I approached her, gave her my offer, and she happily accepted and pledged total loyalty to me."

"That's not what happened!" Celesta snapped. "You just came up to me and started hitting on me like an old creep. Next to my father, I might add. I did eventually join, yes, but that was because I thought it might be a good opportunity for me. That, and my father believed that it was time for me to "leave the nest"."

"Oh, don't play coy, you uptight princess," the amazon behind her said, slapping Celesta's back. "You joined us back then because you got the hots for Kuda and wanted to follow him."

"T-That isn't…" Celesta stammered, her face reddening. "Just stay out of it, Lezanna."

"You were so charmed, you tried to deny it by say things like, "I'm only staying with you people until I find something better to do," and, "I'm doing you guys a favor by joining, so be grateful". You were such a spoiled princess."

"At least I'm not an obscenely dressed floozy like you."

"How am I obscene?" Lezanna was a beautiful and bewitching amazon with slightly darker than average skin and long hair that went straight down her back. Her clothing was just a piece of red fabric that barely covered her chest and a short skirt. Obscene was putting it lightly. "This is just the way I dress. And what about you? All covered up in those dull robes. You probably just wear them to hide your stick of a body."

"I don't expect a shameless woman like you to understand the tradition behind my elven attire"

"Is the tradition to hide your stick bodies?"

"At least we know modesty unlike you shameless amazonian harlets."

"Stick."

"Strumpet."

"Uptight."

"Immodest."

The high elf and the amazon glared daggers at one another. It was so intense that the Loki Familia could almost see lightning coming out of their eyes. Zeus and his other two familia members only sighed tiredly as if this was an everyday occurrence.

In the face of of the high elf and amazon's petty argument, Riveria's anxieties were replaced by feelings of confusion and awkwardness. She wasn't sure what she should do.

"They'll be at this for awhile," the other woman said, breaking Riveria free from her thoughts. She had been so focused on her cousin, that she barely noticed her two friends that came in with, but now that she has, Riveria felt the sudden urge to get her eyes checked. The woman who had just spoken to her just may have been one of the most beautiful women she had ever laid eyes on. Coming from a species known for its beauty, that was saying something. She was tall and voluptuous, wearing a casual one piece blue dress. Her most prominent feature was definitely her long white hair which contrasted with her dark eyes. It gave her an enchanting air. "It's hard to say when they'll stop. Hmm… if you've got a question about being an adventurer, maybe I can answer them for you? I get the feeling Celesta would answer them the same way I would. I'm Kyra, by the way."

"The Kyra Slavis?!" Riveria eyes wide eyed. Her companions made similar expressions. "The assassin?! The fastest woman in the city?! That Kyra Slavis?!"

"Umm… yeah," Kyra said. "I guess you have heard of me? Although, I'm now known as The Thunderstorm."

"Heard of you?!" Riveria scoffed. She had gone off on a tangent. "Your name is as famous as the Zeus Familia leaders. Not a day went by where we didn't hear your name on our travels. It's an honor, Slavis-san."

"...Likewise."

"It really is her…" Finn said in awe of Kyra. The stories they heard about her were mind blowing.

"As I live and breathe, The Assassin…" Gareth was equally struck in awe.

"That's it!" Loki snapped at the sight of the three gorgeous young women and at the realization of their collective fame. She jerked her head at Zeus and glared at him with unadulterated envy. "How does a pervy old fart like you get to have so many exotic, beautiful, and fragrant flowers in his familia?! You're just a sicko!"

"BWAHAHAHA!" Zeus laughed haughtily. "It's because I am stud, you flat-chested goddess. I'm a man among gods! My wild charms can attract any lady to me!"

"So it's about power, is it?" Loki surmised. "Fine! We'll just get stronger and knock the whole lot of ya off of your thrones! Then all the beauties will join us! Even your own children will abandon ya!"

"Go ahead and try, it matters not."

"...I see you have similar problems to us, huh?" Kyra sighed irritably.

"...Yes," Riveria sighed, equally irritated. "Loki is one of the reasons I am conflicted about being an adventurer. She sort of forced me into it. Granted, if I did not, then we might've died back then."

"Hm, well," Kyra glanced at her two friends, who were still bickering, Honestly, those two never changed. "Since you have arrived, what do you think? Of Orario, I mean."

"It's unique," Riveria said certainly. There was not another place that had so many different kinds humans and demi humans. No other place had the same kind of liveliness the citizens had. She and her companions had only been in Orario for a few hours, but she could tell that much. "It's unlike anywhere else I've been. I… like it."

Kyra grinned. "Orario has that effect. It's the city of possibilities after all. Do you have a goal?"

"A goal?" Riveria blinked confused.

"You left your forest for a reason, did you not?"

"While I'm not sure if one could call this a reason…" Riveria hesitated. She didn't want to look like a no nothing, sheltered princess with nothing to offer. The teasing she got from Gareth and Finn was irritating enough, but for someone like Kyra Slavis to look at her like that would be mortifying. But she asked and giving her a shallow answer would be worse. "It's to see things that I haven't before. To discover something akin to a new world."

"That sounds really worth the while," Kyra grinned. "You're goal is definitely purer than mine."

"You're too kind, Slavis-san, but I'm sure whatever your goal is-"

"It's just to get rich." Kyra admitted bluntly, catching Riveria, Finn, Gareth, and even Loki, who was a goddess and could see that she was not joking, off guard. Zeus and the man sitting on the sofa smirked at their faces. "It's true. I was born dirt poor, so I became an adventurer. If someone asked me if it's wrong to try and make money in the dungeon, I certainly can't say yes."

"..."

"Do I disappoint you?"

"No, never," Riveria said hastily. "It's an honorably honest answer."

"...You're really upright, huh, Riveria?" She mused. "Well, regardless of your goals, you're difficulty in the Dungeon will be the same as anyone else's. Whether or not you choose to commit to adventuring, you have to decide whether you can endure the hardship of the Dungeon."

"Hmm… you're saying that I can find what I'm looking for outside the Dungeon, so if I choose to become an adventurer, it should be because I like it?"

"What I'm saying is… you'll find yourself reaching more than your goals following the path of an adventurer… I'm sorry, I don't think I'm making much sense, am I?"

"Actually… I think I'm seeing things in a whole new light. Thank you, Kyra-san."

"Hahaha… you sure are surprisingly good at giving advice, Kyra," the man who had been talking with the fledgling Loki Familia prior to the arrival of the three women joked. "Feels like just yesterday you were questioning your own reasons to adventure with us."

"Quiet, Kuda," she said evenly, gesturing to the high elf and amazon, who were still bickering with each other. "These two are your fault, you accidental womanizer."

"I-It's not my fault!" He snapped. "Those two are always arguing! And don't call me that!"

"Wait, you're Kuda Zeldon?!" Finn gasped. "The Hero… the one being brought up to be the next leader of Zeus Familia?"

"And the reason those two dames are arguing?" Gareth added.

"It's not my fault!" He insisted. "... but, yeah, I'm Kuda Zeldon. Sorry for not introducing myself before."

"Please, fight us," Finn requested.

"You said what?!" Everyone who wasn't there all of those years ago gasped, shocked at the recklessness of their captain's past self. Not even Ais, who was usually as stoic as a doll, and Bete, who usually at least tried to feign indifference, could keep their cool.

"I challenged him, them, the Zeus Familia," Finn said, smiling wryly. "They were the absolute strongest of all of the adventuring familia. For the sake of my goals, I couldn't just ignore the opportunity to challenge them, even if I was much, much weaker than them."

"That's my Captain!" Tione gushed. "Always ready to prove himself."

"It seems to me that this isn't something to be praised," Tiona sighed.

"Honestly, that was more than a little embarrassing," Riveria said, placing a hand on her forehead. "Not to mention disrespectful. They were the ones who let us in their home to allow me to meet my cousin. Challenging Zeldon-san like you did reflected poorly on us. Also, you dragged Gareth and I into it."

"I said I was sorry, did I not?" Finn said.

"Hahaha! For someone so clever, you sure did get us into a lot of trouble," Gareth laughed heartily. "You used to be pretty annoying, but you still made things interesting."

"...so what happened?" Ais asked, tilting her head. "Did they accept your challenge?"

"Well…"

Naturally, everyone was surprised by Finn's sudden demand. His familia gaped at him. The Zeus Familia were curious about him. The deity, Zeus, smile intrigued by him.

"Finn!" Riveria snapped. "You're being rude. They have been nothing but good to us as hosts. This is my cousin's familia, not to mention the most prestigious familia. Challenging them like you are doing is completely disrespectful!"

"I was planning on challenging them like this from the moment we heard that your cousin was a member of the Zeus Familia," he confessed. "I'm sorry, Riveria, I used your connections to get close to them."

"What?"

"And I'm aware that challenging the strongest familia in the world is foolhardy as we are now, but!" Finn lifted himself off of the couch, looked straight into Kuda's eyes. "My goal is the restoration of the Prum race. I must show my bravery in the face of the strongest."

"Okay," Kuda said casually, surprising the Loki Familia. Zeus and Kyra simply smiled, as if this was expected. "Let's do it. You don't mind, right, old man?"

"You can do as you please. I won't stop you," Zeus shrugged. "But honestly, Loki, you've got a bold kid in your midst, huh?"

"You can say that again," she sighed good naturedly. "He's always been weird."

"So, exactly how do you want to do this?" Kuda asked. "3 on 3? 3 sets of individual fights?"

"...You're really going to accept my challenge?" Finn asked, dumbfounded by Kuda's nonchalant attitude. "Me, a rookie Level 1?"

"Were you going to take no for an answer?"

"No, not really."

"Then, instead of dragging things out, it would be better to grant your request," he explained, smiling light heartedly. Finn wasn't sure what to make of him. Was he just a nice guy? He had expected an elite of a prestigious familia to be more imposing, but Kuda acted like their differences in status meant nothing to him.

This wasn't good. He was getting. He at least needed to have a psychological advantage in this exchange. "Yes, let's do a 3 person, team battle. You two don't disagree, right?"

"It's fine by me, I guess," Gareth shrugged. It was more than fine, actually. This was why he came to Orario. To have passionate battles. The city's strongest faction could surely deliver, couldn't they? "It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice, anyway."

"I still think you're being disrespectful, Finn, and I also don't appreciate being used by you," Riveria said honestly. It really did hurt. Finn's callousness, that is. They were friends. He didn't need to act sneaky like he did. "Still, this is a good opportunity. I'll participate."

"This looks interesting, I'll join in." A new voice declared. A blonde male werewolf strutted into the room casually. He was tall and imposing and, from his actions, felt no awkwardness in inserting himself into the conversation.

"Alystar?" Kuda said, confused. "Why are you here?"

"I had heard that a person claiming to be Celesta's cousin had arrived and got curious, so I came over, only to hear this cocky prum's shameless challenge," Alystar explained, glancing at Finn with contempt.

"Alystar Fenras… The Werewolf King" Finn muttered in awe. Gareth and Riveria were no different. Yet another living legend had come before them. The Zeus and Hera Familia had always produced numerous powerhouses and prodigies every generation. Theirs were no exception. Kuda Zeldon, Kyra Slavis, and last, but not least, Alystar Fenris… the three of them were the most famous of their generation. Not a day went by where they didn't hear a tale or rumor of their exploits.

"Easy, Al," Kuda ordered. "They're guests."

"They were," Alystar corrected. "Now, They're challengers. Not that I'm stopping you. On the contrary, I'm joining in. That's okay, right?"

"It isn't as though you'll listen if it wasn't," he sighed goodnaturedly. "Okay, so it's me, Alystar, and… Kyra? You in?"

"As much as that would make sense, since they did come here originally because of Celesta..." Kyra said, unsheathing a knife under her dress and looked at her two friends with an indifferent expression. Both Celesta and Lezanna were still arguing about who knew what. They were stuck in their own little world of hate and a petty desire to not let the other win their pointless squabble. Honestly, for a exotic and worldly beauty like Lezanna, and a sophisticated, mature, and regal woman like Celesta, they were both pretty childish.

"...you dark skinned harlot," Clesta panted. Their squabble had gone on for awhile now. Both parties had used up a lot of breath.

"...you pointy eared shrew," Lezzana countered weakly, also gasping for breath.

Without a word, Kyra jabbed her knife at them, surprising Loki and her familia. Both women instinctively reacted. Lezanna pulled out a wide bladed knife and crossed it with Celesta's staff to block Kyra's blow together. "Finally stopped fighting, huh?"

"What the hell, Kyra?!" Lezanna seethed.

"Were you trying to kill us?" Celesta demanded before blinking. She glanced at her cousin and her familia a if she just remembered that they were there. Sheepishly, she asked a question. "How long were we at it this time?"

"Long enough. Get ready for a fight, Celes."

"What?! For an argument? With Lezanna? That's preposterous, Kyra!"

"With them," Kyra said, pointing her thumb at the challengers, confusing Celesta. Kyra gave a brief explanation of what had transpired while her two friends were arguing. "So, since your Riveria's cousin, you'll be on the team. That okay?"

"I see," Celesta nodded. "This sounds interesting. I'll go along with it."

"Hey, no fair," Lezanna complained. "I wanna do this, too. One of you switch with me."

"It's too late, Lezanna," Kyra said.

"But-"

"If you behave, I'll spar with you until you're satisfied."

"Really? Oh, hell yeah! It's a deal."

"Well, it looks like we have our three," Kuda said, looking at Finn excitedly, his red eyes boring into the prum's blue eyes. "Celesta, Alystar, and I vs. you three. Let's do our best."

"... Yes, I want nothing less than your best, Kuda Zeldon-sama," Finn said fiercely.

"Wow… I have to say, that Kuda guy sure sounded easy going for a big shot of a big shot familia," Tiona said, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I can't deny that," Finn said. "While I certainly wasn't the closest with him, it's fair to say that anyone who knew him at least a little would say that he was not one to be overly obsessed with formalities. Before meeting him in person, I had imagined someone called The Hero as hard to approach and more serious."

"What made him so famous?" Tione asked.

"Aside from being a high level adventurer of the strongest familia, he had accomplished many feats during his younger days," he explained. "Including slaying a powerful dragon type monster that had escaped the Dungeon and was terrorizing Orario."

"Did that happen?!" The audience gasped, saved for Bete and Ais, who were wide eyed. It made sense that they would be shocked. Dragon type monsters were only born in the deeper levels of the Dungeon. For one to climb up from there and reach the surface by overwhelming the hordes of adventurers it would no doubt encounter was certainly impossible. Not to mention nightmarish.

"This was before our time, but from what we learned it was a beast regarded as an irregular that surpassed other irregulars."

"It was said to be born from the Deep Levels," Riveria added. "It tore through the upper floors like an unstoppable storm. Many adventurers were killed, as well as citizens. It might have been even worse had it not been for Zeldon-san. He was on the surface at the time and was the first to encounter the irregular. It was powerful. Even a higher level adventurer would have difficulty against it. And, at the time, Zeldon-san was only Level 2."

"2?!" Raul yelped. "But if it was actually from the Deep Floors, then a Level 2 adventurer would be easy pickings for it. Not to mention, it had to be far more powerful than anything else from down there!"

"If he didn't, then who else would stop it…? That's what Kuda would probably say," Finn said. "He was that kind of man. It didn't matter if the odds weren't in his favor. If it needed doing, then he'd do it. No questions asked."

"That, and the fact that he was a Zeus Familia adventurer may have helped him through it," Gareth said.

"I don't understand," Aki said. "Famous familia or not, a Level 2 is a Level 2. If that monster was as powerful as I imagine, then he should have been no match for it. But he won…?"

"Maybe that's the case for us and other familia, but for them, your Level wasn't the to be all end all," Finn said. "When Kuda fought, his status was the last thing on his mind. Of course, status is important in fighting powerful monsters. I know that. But…?"

Finn seemed to be unable to explain the impossible scenario of a Level 2 defeating a powerful Deep Floor monster, who was powerful enough to reach the surface without getting killed, by himself. In fact, the younger members could see that he also wanted to know, but not even his incredible brain could come up with a believable theory. No matter what it should've been impossible. Even if he had the best training, even if he had the best equipment… he shouldn't have been able to do it.

"Well, he did have a powerful magic," Gareth said. "One that would probably have put an edge against a fire breathing monster, and at the end of the incident, he was hospitalized for 2 months."

"But he beat it?" Ais asked, an edge in her voice.

"He did," Rivera answered, a proud smile on her face.

"Amazing!" Tiona screamed. "He defeated a ridiculously powerful monster by himself like a hero! No,he is The Hero! And you guys fought him! How did that go anyway?"

Finn and the original three members of Loki Familia exchanged wry smiles. "Well…"

They were lead to the backyard of the Zeus Familia home. There was a specialized field for practice fights. A large rectangular white box was pan intend over the stone floor. The news of the challenge had quickly spread across the familia home and they had an audience. It would be false to believe that they weren't at least a little bit nervous having the attention of the largest and strongest familia looking at them like this, but they were only focusing on the opponents before them. The Zeus Familia team of three hadn't changed into anything and only picked up a basic sword for Kuda and a long machete for Alystar. Celesta was fine with the magic staff she had on her.

Loki and Aina, along with Zeus, had been escorted by Kyra and Lezanna to a tall building with a balcony designed to view the fight from the perfect angle.

"Yeesh," Lezanna winced. "Didn't think it would draw a crowd like this."

"Well, when a group of newbies challenge one of us, then that's bound to get a bit of attention," Kyra said. "But, yeah, it will be annoying if our leaders get wind of this. They'll probably have a problem with this."

"Don't worry, girls," Zeus said. "If they make a fuss, then I'll tell them it was all my idea."

"... I think that might only cause more problems," Lezanna sighed.

"That aside," Kyra muttered, looking down at the six fighters. Both sides were given a time to strategize and consider how they would approach this fight. Objectively, it made since. After all, multi person fights required a certain sense of teamwork and coordination. At the very least, the respective fighters must make sure they don't get in the way of their partners. The thing is, The Loki guys needed to think about how they could win, but Kuda and the others didn't. They were the powerful giants, not the inexperienced rookies.

So why were they putting so much effort into making a strategy? Kuda was talking with Alystar and Celesta. The werewolf looked quite a bit annoyed as if a troublesome chore had been forced upon him, which the high elf looked a bit confused, like she wasn't sure how to feel about whatever Kuda was suggesting. "He's up to something."

"Like what?" Lezanna asked.

"Something very Kuda like."

"Either way, I feel like the fuss being made here is a bit over-the-top. I mean, two Level 6s and a Level 5 vs. three Level 1s that haven't even stepped foot into the dungeon, not a lot of ambiguity when it comes to the results."

"Maybe, but they do seem a bit different from others in their place… but I guess we'll see."

Down below, Finn was strategizing ways to overcome the giant that was Zeus Familia. Of course, that should be basically impossible for him and his familia considering his rank, but Finn was not about to let that get in his way. As a warrior prum, he faced giants everyday.

"Okay, here's the rules," Kuda announced, catching their attention. He carved a circle into the stone battlefield around his teammates. When he stepped into it himself, it gave them very little leg room. "The three of shall only remain in this circle for the fight."

"What?!" They gasped.

"Also, we'll fight under a time limit. If you can push even one of us out by even a heel outside the ground of the circle, or land a hit on any of us, within five minutes, then you win. If you can't, then we win. Good?"

"You're putting yourself at a considerable disadvantage…" Finn said, feeling uneasy. The circle barely allowed the three of them enough room to move their feet. If they aren't extremely careful, then they'll lose before they can do something. That wasn't what Finn wanted. He wanted to fight them, unrestricted. "I don't want to do it like that."

"Come on, it's fair," Kuda said like they were old buddies.

"I think we should accept it, Finn," Riveria said.

"Riveria?!"

"They are 5-6 times stronger than us," she chided him. "Do you really think a handicap is unreasonable?"

"You have a point, but…?" Something felt off. There was something he-they-weren't seeing. What made him say this? Why, it was the fact that his thumb was neither aching nor shaking. It might seem silly, but the state of his thumb had always reacted to danger and had saved him and the others many times. But since it wasn't shaking or tingling or throbbing, then did it not recognize the powerful adventurers as a danger? That couldn't be it. "Alright, let's do it like that."

Regardless of any hidden factors, Finn would do anything to raise his reputation. All for the sake of the prum race. Getting a win on such a powerful familia, even with a very advantageous handicap, would no doubt help him reach his goal.

"Good," Kuda said. He then asked for one his familia members to bring them a 5-minute hourglass. A human adventurer, a young boy, quickly brought what he had asked for. "We'll move on your signal, Samson-kun."

"Y-Yes, Kuda-san," The boy called Samson said nervously. He started to count to three and on the third count, Finn moved.

He chanted. As did Riveria. And Gareth followed after Finn, understanding the plan. Not a single one of them was deluded enough to think that they actually stood a chance against 2 level 6s and a level 5. If they wanted to win the challenge and force them out of the circle, it needed to be now, when their opponents didn't know their full strength and capabilities.

In other words, they would cast aside all notions of defending, as the power difference between them would prove any defensive strategy fruitless, and focus entirely on attacking.

"Hell Finegas!" Finn activated the spell that would enhance his offensive capabilities to the max in exchange for most of his mental capacity. He became a berserker whose only purpose was to destroy his enemies. A best who would not stop until the threat was gone.

The Zeus Familia was unphased by the transformation.

Just as Berserker Finn was going to destroy the trio before it, Kuda, despite the lack of space, at a speed Finn could not read, unsheathed his great swords with his left hand in a quick fluid motion, batting away Berserker Finn upward with the flat of his sword.

"Finn?!" Gareth cried out as his companion was sent flying.

"Looking away from your enemies means death, dwarf."

"Gah?!"

At that same time, Alystar, the Werewolf King, leaped out of the circle moved straight for Gareth, moving over the ground as if he were flying. Gareth tried to knock him away with his axe, but the werewolf, with great acrobatic skill, slammed his hand onto the large axe, leapt off it and drop kicked Gareth right in the face, knocking him down onto the ground right on his butt.

'He's out…' Finn understood, despite still being in his berserker state. Gareth was out cold as Alystar used him as a footrest to avoid touching the ground. There was no way he would regain consciousness before this was all decided. And now Kuda was flying up at him like a superman to finish him off.

He had to stop him! His berserker state understood that much. Even if this was just a game, he still felt danger. This was life and death to Berserker Finn!

He engaged in an exchange of blows with Kuda. Spear vs sword, but just like on the ground, Kuda' superior power instantly overwhelmed him. He was sent crashing down. It was over for him as well.

But it was fine. From the moment this all began, he knew there was no way for him or Gareth to beat any of them in a head on clash. He would have liked to have been able to push them back a bit with his battle power, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. No, the only way to win was to utilize what the gods referred to as a "game changer".

Riveria was their last hope.

But Celesta was their last nightmare.

"Wynn Fim-" Just as Riveria was about to cast her powerful ice spell, something appeared on her face, as if it appeared out of thin air. An orange glowing band made of light bound her mouth and her hair. It prevented Riveria from saying the name of her magic. If she couldn't say the name, then she could not cast it, and if she couldn't cast it, then that meant…

"I think the results are obvious," Kuda said as he stood on an orange glowing platform made of light that hovered in midair. None of the Zeus Familia had touched the ground outside of the circle. In less than thirty seconds, the Loki Familia was defeated. "You lose."

"A spell within a spell," Lefiya repeated, shocked at her teacher's explanation at what has transpired at the end of their match with Zeus Familia. Celesta had a certain spell that had a by product effect of creating certain objects made of light that could both support allies, and attack, defend against, and obstruct enemies as she chanted. And that was all before the spell was fully activated. It was a different sort of beast compared to Riveria's chand connection ability. "Is that not the ultimate spell?"

"I'm certainly envious of it," Riveria admitted. Mages were the ultimate weapon of a party due to their immense fire power, but because of the long chants that came with their powerful magic, they needed to be protected by the vanguard. Even with concurrent chanting, a spell like Celesta Lodos wielded was something every mage would covet.

"Celesta-sama is amazing…"

"Yes, yes she is."

"But, wow, you guys were steam rolled!" Tiona said with her usual air headed thoughtlessness. "You didn't stand a chance."

"Idiot!" Tione smacked her younger twin's head. "Don't insult the Captain!"

"Ow!" Tiona grabbed her head in pain.

"A-And please do not insult Riveria-sama!" Lefiya pleaded.

"Not you too…" Tiona moaned.

"It's quite alright," Finn said, chuckling. "No one knows better than us how horribly that day ended for us."

"I'd say," Bete said, looking at Gareth. "You seriously let some guy use you as a footrest, old man?"

"Like it would have ended better for ye, laddie," Gareth retorted. "Trust me, Bete, it was a very good thing you met with us that night, instead of them. Alystar-san is a gentleman, but can be very to those who disrespect his familia."

"Hmph," Bete rolled his eyes and looked away.

"That said, my snout still hurts remembering that day," He sighed, rubbing his nose.

"It's a day none of us can forget," Riveria said, smiling bitterly. "We were all walked all over."

"B-But it was Zeus Familia, right? And you were all rookies back then," Raul said.

"That's right," Aki added. "You were all rookies back then. Surely, now, you three could easily win against them."

"Doubt it," they said with certainty.

"We're all much stronger now than we were back then," Finn said. "And if were to fight them right now, I would have no intention of letting things happen the same, but that said, it would definitely not be easy."

"Yes, I do see your point, Captain…" Raul nodded, looking down dejectedly.

"But we appreciate the vote of confidence, nonetheless," he continued, his two colleagues nodding at his words. "It isn't as though that was a fruitless experience for us, either."

"What do you mean?" Ais asked.

"Kuda-san said something to us, after our loss."

"Do you know the main reason you lost?" Kuda asked as he sheathed his sword.

"...is it because you guys are so much stronger than us?" Finn answered with clear bitterness.

"Sure, that's part of it," Kuda said. "Obviously, it would have ended the same no matter what you did. But in this case, there was a reason for your defeat that stood out more than others."

"And what was that?"

"You lack true unity. In other words you didn't work as a team."

"Ridiculous!" Finn spat. "That was the one thing we could do."

"Do you really think that was teamwork? Really? Cause to me, it was more like three strangers trying to not get in each other's way."

Finn's eyes widened. Sure, he was self aware enough to understand that they weren't perfect as a team, but… were they that awful?

"That wouldn't be so bad if you were actually three strangers trying to not get in each other's way. In fact, in the Dungeon, and maybe outside of it too, you may have to work with other adventurers in emergencies, and in those cases, staying out of each other's way is best, but if you're a party, then you're missing out on valuable power by not unifying yourselves. What I mean is… a familia is only a familia if everyone is in sync when it counts."

"Kuda may be an idiot, but when it comes to unifying a group, he's second to none," Alystar said, stepping off of Gareth's gut.

"He may be clumsy at times, but on the battlefield, there is nobody I'd rather fight beside," Celesta added her two cents.

In an instant, every member of Zeus Familia gave their thoughts on Kuda, saying both good and bad things about him.

"He may be thoughtless, but there's nobody else I'd want to listen to my problems!" Lezanna yelled from the balcony.

"He maybe a womanizer, but there's nobody I trust more," Kyra yelled. At this point, this had become more them making fun of him, than them teaching a group of newbies a lesson.

"He may be childish enough to not eat his peas and carrots, but I'll still cook for him!"

"His recklesness gets him into stupid trouble, but I'll still follow him!"

"He's careless enough to repeatedly break his sword in battle, but Gobniu Familia still fixes it!"

"He's a playboy, but I still trust my sister with him!"

"He's a-"

"All of you, shut up!" Kuda snapped at his entire familia, his face red with embarrassment.

'He has their admiration and trust,' Finn realized. Beyond, the jabs at his competence and character, Finn could hear the trust the familia had in Kuda. He was respected by them. They would follow him to the depths of hell if it came to that. Kuda had an emotional connection with those in his familia that created unity within their ranks. That must be why he's supposed to be the next captain. Did the current captain of Zeus Familia also have this power?

"Zeldon-san truly is an interesting man, isn't he?" Riveria, whose mouth binding was released, said to Finn as she approached him.

"Riveria," Finn said. So she saw what he saw as well.

"I'm sorry, Finn. I was less than useless in this bout. I couldn't even cast my spell. I was disgraceful."

No, I'm the one to blame, Finn thought.

"No, if we're talking about who was the most useless," Gareth began, forcing himself up after regaining consciousness. Alystar was surprised that the dwarf could still move after taking his kick. He was tougher than he thought. "It's the guy who got used as a footrest. Aye… I reckon this is going to hurt for a long time."

"Foolish dwarf. Obviously, the fastidious elf who could not even cast a sing spell to aid her comrades was the most useless."

"A man pressed his foot on me!"

"A fellow elf bound my mouth!"

"You were unharmed!"

"Exactly. How does not being worth assault better?!"

"You were both useless," Finn interjected. He didn't think he could be like Kuda and he imagined The Hero would say something similar. Finn could not be Kuda just as Kuda could not be Finn. The only thing he could do was aspire to reach the same effectiveness as him. "And so was I. But I won't give up because I was embarrassed today. However, if you two feel like quitting, then I won't stop you."

Gareth and Riveria's mouths fell agape. They were completely taken aback by the prum's condescending words. Not to mention insulted. "As if you/ye cocky prum!"

"An elf would never do something so disgraceful as quitting before starting!"

"And dwarves aren't so frail as to stay down after being knocked down once!"

"Oh? Are you both sure?"

"Of course I am," Riveria assured.

"You'd have to cut me legs off before you'd get me to quit!" Gareth declared.

Meanwhile, Zeus Familia observed the audacity of the trio of defeated adventurers having an argument right in front of them with confused bemusement.

"Those three are too noisy," Alystar sighed, pinching his forehead as if he had a headache.

"But they've got promise," Kuda said, smiling carefreely. "That's what you were thinking, right, Mr. Cool?"

"Many have promise," he sighed. "Only a few ever keep it."

"I guess…"

"But they seem like one of those few."

"Can't you just say that…" He sighed, exasperated.

"I could sense Riveria's magic power," Celesta added. "If she grows, she'll certainly become a force to be reckoned with."

"Although that unity thing you were talking about might take some work…" Alystar sweat dropped as they observed their prolonged argument.

"Meh," Kuda shrugged. "It's still better than Celesta and Lezzana's fights."

"True."

"Excuse me… no, I can't say you are wrong," Clesta sighed, dejected.

"Wow… I can't believe you all had the nerve to actually do all that as rookies in front of the Zeus Familia," Raul said in awe, earning the embarrassed expression of Loki Familia's Big 3.

"You should try being there," Loki sighed, feeling embarrassed herself. "The old playboy wouldn't stop laughing at these three's angst. I had half a mind to jump off that balcony."

"Well… it was certainly better than being depressed over a loss," Finn said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, it took guts to challenge people like them," Tiona said. "But that Kuda guy sounds like the real deal."

"Indeed," Riveria nodded. "We left that day with wounded pride and damaged egos, but we also learned a valuable lesson in what a familia is. I certainly have no regrets."

"Yeah, you sure know how to pick your men, Riveria," Tione joked.

"T-Tione…" Riveria glared, slightly blushing.

"Did anything ever happen between you two?" Aki asked.

"Not you two…" Riveria sighed. "Listen, Kuda-san loved Kyra-san, a person whom I believe deserved him far more than I."

"That's unfortunate, Riveria," Ais said, as the other girls sent sympathetic looks to the mother of the familia.

"I could do without the looks of pity… Perhaps it would interest you all to know that Finn here was rejected by a certain female prum from Zeus Familia."

"WHAT?!" Tione growled so loudly that the others jumped in fright.

"How exactly is it elvish for you to toss me under the cart, Riveria?" Finn eyed the high elf, who shrugged. "If you all must know, Zeus Familia had a certain female prum in their ranks who was both courageous and strong. She was the ideal woman for my goal, but she turned me down and that was that."

"I'm so sorry, Captain," Tione said cutely. "That shrew did not know what she was doing. She missed out on getting to be with such a wonderful man such as yourself."

'Oh, please…" Tion and Bete sighed internally.

"Thank you for saying so, Tione."

"So what happened then?" Bete asked, getting confused looks from the others. "We all know the story. Zeus and Hera got their butt's handed to them by the One Eyed Black Dragon and Freya and us kicked them out."

"...Back then, a lot of things happened," Finn explained, his eyes looking down. "A shift in power as inevitable and things ended with no hard feelings on either side."

The younger members could hear the emotion in Finn's voice. Whatever happened back then, he was bitter about it. Yet, he did not regret anything. None of them did. It was such an odd feeling to get from the Big 3 of Loki Familia.

"It's getting late," Loki said, wanting to end the tension building in the room. "We should get outta Finn's hair for now."

"Just a moment," Finn said as everyone was about to leave the office. "I have an objective and that is to make this a familia that surpasses Zeus and Hera."

Their eyes widened at his somewhat sudden declaration.

"And I mean at their strongest point, not when they've been weakened. 'Trust me, that is not going to be easy. At their peak, Zeus Familia alone had 1 Level 8, 5 Level 7s, 10 Level 6s, over 20 Level 5s, and close to 1000 in their ranks. The Hera Familia had similar numbers. Also, their deepest floor count was Floor 85."

The younger member's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they heard those numbers. They were unreal by modern standards. They themselves had on goes as low as Floor 50. The numbers alone were almost incomparable.

"H-How can such ridiculous numbers be possible?" Raul asked, shaken.

"History," Riveria answered. "They were the strongest familia for a thousand years. During that time, centuries of studies and knowledge were passed down through the ages. They had information and resources exclusive to only those in the familia."

The teachings and experiences were passed down through the generations of the legendary familia. The different sorts of training techniques, the opportunities, the examples left by their predecessor's… all of that played integral roles in the Zeus and Hera Familia's retaining their power for a millenia.

"Obviously, we don't have that," Gareth said. "We're fresh compared to those monsters thus we can't do things how they could. Of course, history alone wasn't the sole source of their strength. They were all genuine monsters worthy of the title "Strongest"."

"Even so, I believe that this Familia has the talent necessary to take on that challenge. Although, this time I have no intention of losing, but I can't do it alone. Will you all help me achieve this goal, despite how seemingly impossible it sounds?"

"Of course, Captain!" Tione squealed. "I'd do anything for your dream."

"If it was easy then how would it be fun?" Tiona said. "It will be like we''re trying to be heroes!"

"Tch, obviously we're going to get stronger," Bete said in his usual harsh tone. "There is no way I'm going to be some small fry stuck moving in one place."

"I-It sounds difficult, but I'll do my best," Raul stated.

"I'm feeling the pressure, but that's pretty normal for me," Aki said. "I'll do my best."

"I-I'll do my best, too," Lefiya said.

"And you, Ais?" Finn directed his eyes straight into the golden girl of the familia.

"...I want to be stronger." She said her well known, earnest wish with a new fire lit in her soul.

Finn smiled fatherly at the kids of the familia. "Good."

With that bit of drama over with, the youngsters of the familia left Finn's office, each filled with renewed vigor in their soul and a greater desire to grow stronger for the failia. The only ones left were Loki Familia's Big 3 and the patron goddess herself.

"Well, that went well," Gareth said after a moment.

"Indeed," Riveria nodded, looking at Finn. "I must admit, after being reminded of that day, it makes me realize how big of an effect Zeldon-san's words had on you."

"It's pretty scary to imagine how things would have ended up for us had I not heard it."

"...Well, I think we would have done just fine, even without that playboy's kids," Loki said stubbornly.

"Maybe, maybe not. It was still important advice."

"...What do you think they are doing now?" Riveria asked aloud, looking out the window listlessly.

"Who can say. But I know they're doing things as they desire."

"Aye," Gareth grunted. "That's the kind of people the legendary familia are."

Finn stared out the window, thinking about things. Had he grown as much as he thought he had? Could he grow Loki Familia into something that surpasses Zeus Familia? He could. He would do it for the goal of restoring the prum race.

'What do you think, Kuda-san? Do you think I've become a captain that matches your ideals? And what are you doing right now, remnants of Zeus Familia?'

"You both ready for this?" Alystar asked Kuda and Kyra after hearing Dr. Oleson's announcement. Both of them were standing still, looking anxious;y at one another.

"If I said yes, I think that'd be a lie," Kuda sighed.

"Yes, I've dreamt of this day for so long, but now that it's here," Kyra said. "I want to run."

"I think if any of your fangirls heard that, they'd be disillusioned," Lezzana mused.

"Kyra, Kuda, it's perfectly normal to be nervous," Celesta said. "You just have to move."

"Hey," Sapphire spoke up. "What exactly is Bell-kun to you people."

They all exchanged solemn glances.

"He's our last hope," Kuda said cryptically.

Last hope… huh? What kind of hope can 10-year old bring? Also, I was kind of conflicted about giving The Zeus and Hera Familia's such overpowered numbers, but I remembered that they had a lot of history and that had to give them an edge.

So how did you like this. Love it? Hate it? Put your thoughts in the comments and I'll see you all next time.

Speaking of next time, next is the moment we all have been waiting for. Bell meets Zeus Familia!

R&R