LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 6: Emergency Activated
So decided to upload chapter 6 early woot woot 😊 not much to say but comment guys haha
Regular text
Venom talking
(Thoughts)
[Health Bar]
[System talking]
ON TO THE CHAPTER
Tarnished POV
Today's adventure had been interesting, from taking out more Godrick's soldiers. To killing a dragon, the day has truly been busy. The night sky has been calming on me as I began the march back to the church. I had truly believed I was reaching a point I can hopefully face off against Godrick. It was as if the bond with Melina had improved me compared to how I was leveling before.
"It's not just Melina, partner, but it's your will. You have—," Venom began, his voice brimming with his usual smug certainty, before my body began convulsing.
My world imploded. Not with a bang, but an agonizing amount of pain. Every nerve in my body shrieked in protest, everytime I moved. As the power that I started to gain felt like it was being stripped from me. Words began to flash in front of my face, and I had a hard time concentrating on it.
I crumpled to the earth, my breath catching in ragged, desperate gasps that brought no relief. My vision swam, a voice distant and muted, tried to reach me. Yet it was swallowed by the deafening pounding of my head.
Panic began to claw at my throat as I scrambled trying to access the inventory of my system. Yet nothing responded to my words. Nothing answered my calls. My safety net, the very reason for my survival, was gone. I was drowning in a sea of pain, hoping I can regenerate from this.
Messages flashed across my vision, each one causing my mind to become even fractured. The answer I so wanted now, giving doom instead of the hope I carved.
[System, Being Hacked]
[Losing Connection]
[Inventory Lost]
[Hud Lost]
[Level Ups Lost]
[Skill Points Lost]
The words assaulted me, each blow adding to the pain I was already feeling. They weren't just words on a screen; showcasing the loss of abilities I began to cherish. All my hard work became nothing. Is this because Marika is finally running out of power? Was Radagon somehow involved?
Wait, why would Radagon hate me? No logical thinking couldn't be had when I felt nothing but pain. My body one strong began to wither, the power that had been mine now nothing more than a distant memory.
[Quirk: Explosion Lost]
[Unarmed Combat Lost]
More losses, each one a fresh wound on an already making me lose hope in surviving. My very being, my hard-earned power, was being stripped away from me. The strength that had defined me, the ability to get revenge now gone.
The light was fading, not slowly, but like a candle flame snuffed out by a sudden gust of wind. My limbs feel heavy, my body a leaden weight that threatened to pull me under. A strange numbness crept through my veins, a chilling disconnect that separated me from the world
And then, amidst the swirling darkness, fragments of memory began to surface. A name, alien yet achingly familiar, flickered in the periphery of my awareness: Oliver Kanto.
A wave of disorientation washed over me, a dizzying plunge into the past. Oliver Kanto a life, a past existence, now a haunting echo in the corridors of my mind. The name felt like a forgotten melody, its rhythm both sweet and melancholic.
Another memory surfaced, sharp and clear, a stark contrast to the hazy fog to the last one.bYes, that was my name Oliver. The world shifted, and I saw a different face, my own, but younger, a face that mirrored both familiarity and startling strangeness. I remembered the jarring shift, the wrenching sensation of being brought to this reality
Then, the past events crashed into my fading consciousness like a tidal wave. Muscular the desperation of his attacks, the sheer madness in his eyes. That was not my first time dealing with him, which also made my head spin. It was our second clash. The Warping Guy, his desperate attempt to save Muscular. The power to use gates to teleport himself and others.
The guy summoned a portal at the same time I activated my vibration ability. The memory was a violent, terrifying sensation of being torn through the fabric of space and time. The world twisted, contorted into colors blurring into an abstract nightmare. The church's sudden arrival in this place was a stark contrast to the chaos of the portal.
It felt like waking from a fever dream to a reality that was just as bewildering. I felt like a broken toy, parts of my life scattered, my heart sinking at the knowledge of how I came here. A deep sadness washed over me, the weight of all my lost lives pressing down with unbearable force.
The light dimmed further, and Izumi's voice, a desperate, pleading cry, cut through the fading echoes of my memories. "NO! Ollie-Kun!... Please, no!" It wasn't just the words; it was the sheer anguish in her tone, resonated within the very core of my being. Her cry was a lifeline, a desperate attempt to pull me back from the brink. It tugged at something deep within me, a primal instinct to fight, to survive, to cling to the thread of life that was rapidly slipping through my grasp.
I desperately tried to focus on her voice, to hold onto the memory of her face, but my consciousness was slipping away like sand through my fingers. I wasn't just Tarnished. I was also Oliver Kanto, and something more, something unknown, a strange amalgam of lives and experiences. This fading felt more significant, more absolute than any previous death.
It was as if I was losing everything, all at once, my past, my present, my very sense of self. The memories blurred, the pain intensified, and the darkness claimed me, leaving behind only the lingering echoes of my fragmented lives and the desperate cry of the girl I so wanted to save.
[Emergency Mission activated - Save Bell]
[Main Mission - Win Against Apollo]
[Side Mission - Join Hestia's Familia]
[Side Mission - Reach Level 2]
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Markia Pov.
The last ounce of my power gain, used up sending the Tarnished away. Forcing an emergency mission, a mission born of desperation,to save his life. I hoped that maybe he gain another ability before coming back. That he returns with a better way to gain strength. A bitter irony, one I had not foreseen – Radagan, had managed to tap into the very power I gifted this Tarnished.
These past two weeks had been met with a wave of fury, each noise a cry of anguish as our descendants' armies were decimated. Radagan was ecstatic at being able to sap the strength from this Tarnished. His face alight with glee as he witnessed the Tarnished vanished in gold, probably in his mind to the Lands of Shadow.
It was a cruel victory, one I suspect he savored as retribution for the Tarnished hand in dismantling Godrick's forces. Perhaps, in that fleeting moment of disconnection, he believed him dead. The hate for this Tarnished causing his mind to wrap.
Though a blight upon the Golden Lineage, I had kept track of Godrick. I once hoped to wield him as a weapon if needed. Yet, he had become a tool of devastation, tearing through my former husband's legions. The lamentable truth, Godrick and the Bloody Finger Tarnished were largely responsible for the countless souls who never survived past the first step.
Limegrave and Weeping Peninsula, these landscapes I had painstakingly rebuilt, intended as proving grounds – a crucible of self-replenishing enemies for the Tarnished to grow and to test their mettle. Every boss, revived with each rest at a Site of Grace. A blessing bestowed by my former husband and then reinforced by my own power. Though it was all for naught, the Tarnished did not and almost all of them tragically perished.
The bulk of the fault, as it often is, rests on my shoulders. In my haste, I recalled the Tarnished too soon, scrambling to bring in a system of guidance. My hubris led to an oversight, a weakness easily exploited – the Finger Maidens.
Their demise meant more than a simple lack of guidance; it meant the Tarnished not only could not grow in power but were thrust into madness. Some even became Bloody Fingers, their former purpose twisted into a ravenous hunt for their fellow Tarnished.
My ascension to what the Elden Beast called Godhood had been a book written full of lies and shadowed intent. It was the Night of the Black Knives that pulled back the curtain, revealing the depths of my errors.
Neglecting two children, twisting another into a mere vessel for the Greater Will, and losing my most cherished son. One child instead of helping, I forced her to keep fighting as she became a vessel for rot. The corruption within me grew into a suffocating realization. The guilt eating away at me for weeks.
And so, I poured the last of my strength into pulling the Tarnished here, knowing he was far more than a mere Tarnished. I had watched him across his many lives, a soul I followed from his very first breath to his second, and now into his third. Through his arduous battles, I knew this was my moment, the opportune time to draw him here. I even gifted him a system, inspired by the games of his past, an edge that no other Tarnished possessed.
Fate is laughing at Radagan, if he knew what secrets this Tarnished held. How Radagan would react to the truth. Radagan, like I once was, is still bound to the Greater Will. If only I could tell him the truth, maybe it could break him from his madness. Maybe it was a fleeting hope I have.
A chuckle rippled from the shadows, a sound that sent a chill deeper than any winter. Radagan emerged, his gaze alight with a manic gleam. He stalked towards where my prison is. Probably to gloat at his perceived success.
And so, I shall remain, in my quiet vigil, patiently awaiting the return of my connection to the Tarnished, patiently waiting for Radagan's downfall.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tarnished Pov.
The world shattered, not with a bang, but with a silent scream of colors that ripped through my vision. A force tore through me, stealing my breath, and a wave of searing pain washed over me, leaving the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. My vision that was once full of gold now, clear as I realize I'm alive again .My muscles screamed in protest, as if my body was trying to tear itself apart.Yet I kept trying to push myself to my feet.
This was not the familiar, bleak beauty of the Lands Between. I landed hard on unforgiving cobblestones, the impact jarring my teeth and sending a jolt of pain up my spine. My head swam, my vision blurry, and I tasted blood. This wasn't a trick of the light; this was real. This was an entirely different place as I noticed a giant tower in the middle.
My senses, honed from the last two weeks of training, were suddenly muffled. It felt like I was drowning in thick fog. Panic rose, cold and sharp, as I tried to reach for the power that coursed through me, the one that allowed me to control. (Open System Menu)
[Connection Lost]
My mind raced as I realized I lost my majority of my powers. I can't feel any of them, not even my magnetic abilities. At the moment I only have Venom which is enough but I still feel even more vulnerable than before. I was tossed through a swirling hell, to just end up powerless. Did Marika forsake me, why did she end up attacking me? Taking away the system was a, honestly I don't know how to take this.
My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest tight. I instinctively reached for the familiar warmth of Grace, that comforting presence that allowed me to regain my strength. But it was… gone. Just an emptiness, a deafening silence where the warmth used to be. I felt like I was severed from something fundamental, like I'd lost a connection to myself.
"No…" I whispered, panic rising, as I felt the lack of connection, a sense of despair flooding through me. It was like losing my arm, but something far deeper.
"Partner…! Are you okay?." Venom's voice, usually a gruff rasp, was tinged with worry.
I didn't say anything to Venom as I laid there slowly letting my body heal. I could feel the bones. The connection to Queen Marika is gone.
"That wasn't supposed to be that violent. We got pulled into an emergency mission right before your body dematerialized." Venom's tone was soft, a concerned murmur.
"I... I've lost my connection to Grace," I said, my voice raspy. I felt it keenly, a sharp ache of loss. I felt so weak, so vulnerable. It was like I had gone from being a god to being nothing more than a normal person. My muscles felt like rubber, and my mind felt foggy. Everything felt dulled, everything felt wrong.
"Partner, I'm still here because of that connection. I promise you, you didn't lose everything.?" Venom's voice was laced with understanding.
I looked around at the huge stone structures towering over me, the alien sky, and the strange people walking by, none of them deformed or undead. Some of them did have animal appendages. It wasn't a new land unexplored, it was a whole new world. I shook my head, trying to clear the fogginess. Not in the Land Betweens anymore are we.
"No, Partner-",Venom started
"My name's Oliver," I interrupted. "Now that my memories are coming back after yet another near-death experience, I'd rather be called by my name instead of just Tarnished'.
Oliver huh, I don't know why but it suits you. When you were passing it gave us a mission to save a kid named Bell.." Venom's voice was calmer, but I could sense a new note of determination underneath.
I frowned at the alien city, the sense of vulnerability weighing heavy on me. This was real. This was no game. And I had just lost a key part of myself and felt so weak it was hard to even stand straight. I guess we ended up in the world of Danmachi, I remember vague parts of the anime. Not much as I did the world of My Hero Academia, or Elden Ring but that's a whole different argument.
"Fine," I said, my voice low, tinged with pain and defiance. "Tell me. Where is Bell?
"He's at The Hostess of Fertility," Venom spat, the urgency in his voice a physical shove against my sluggish body. "The fool went there to 'relax' after helping a party member level up. We need to move now!"
I blinked, trying to shake off the lingering cobwebs of pain. Okay, a location, great. My body felt like it had been run over by a line of grumpy cart horses, still not up to peak performance. Still a hell of a lot better than when I first landed on the hardass cobblestone.
All thanks to Venom's miraculous regeneration – seriously, I owe that thing a lifetime supply of whatever it eats. We hit the main street, my gait resembling that of a newborn baby as I tried to work out the kinks of walking again. Kind of reminds of the pain of training with Nicole.
Honestly, how I would've survived that torture-training regime with Nicole without all this healing, I have no idea. That woman was a demon disguised as a sparring partner.
"No pulling punches," she'd say with a terrifyingly sweet smile.
More like "no surviving punches," judging by how many times I tasted the floor. Oh, and the face kicks. She was obsessed with my face, I swear. Sigh. Right. Not the time for flashbacks of so-called training. Focus, me. Focus on the mission, the current threat, the potential for more face-kicking if I don't get my act together.
"So, oh wise and omniscient symbiote," I drawled, letting the sarcasm drip from my voice. "How exactly did you manage to pinpoint the location of our perpetually-endangered friend? Did you consult the mystical Google Maps for hapless heroes?"
Venom's voice rippled with a hint of smugness. "While you were busy fading into the background, I was multitasking. I was able to acquire three missions, along with saving a few items from your inventory. I'll explain more later but you'd be singing a much more unfortunate tune, if it wasn't for me"
"Yeah, yeah, you're the best, now can we stop patting ourselves on the back and get to the hostage situation?" I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.
I spotted a gathering of gawking onlookers, and that confirmed it: wherever Bell was, chaos was sure to follow. Pushing through the onlookers, my own impatience a tangible force, I finally came face to face with the gaudy sign: The Hostess of Fertility, complete with questionable imagery. My hunch was correct.
"Well, color me surprised, you actually found the right place," I muttered, letting the snark leak through my teeth.
Venom chuckled, a low vibration in my skull. "Pat on the back for me, partner."
The door burst open, and the scene inside was a chaotic ballet of overturned tables and petrified onlookers. To my left, a redhead was slumped against the wall, looking like he had just lost a fight with a brick. In the center of the mess was our white-haired friend, being choked by a man whose hairstyle I can only describe as a 'man-bun of shit'. Seriously, what is it with this world and the strange fashion choices? Are hippies a thing here too? I mean, they can't be that far away from this situation.
With a surge of adrenaline I summoned Venom, tendrils of black liquid whipping from my hands like a living weapon. One tendril snaked out faster than I could blink, yanking Bell free of the man-bun-wearing brute.
The crowd gasped, their eyes wide as saucers, probably from shock and fear. Was it the speed, the tentacles, or my general air of 'don't mess with me'? Who knows, but whatever it was, the man with the bun was glaring daggers at me, which I took as a sign that he wasn't going to be handing out any participation trophies today.
"Did you just... tentacle my target?" the man-bun asked, his voice surprisingly calm for someone who just had his meal ticket snatched away. "What do you think you're doing? Who do you think you are?"
I had a few answers for that question, but I think I needed to focus more on the actual situation. "Just trying to help someone who is being attacked?" I deadpanned back.
Venom hissed in my mind, a wave of aggression rippling through my thoughts. "Rip them apart," he growled. "Rip them all apart. Take them all out."
"No. We're not doing that," I muttered internally, my focus split between the simmering rage of my symbiote partner and the hostile figure before me. It was like trying to balance on a tightrope while with a cut in the middle. "We're here to rescue, not massacre."
Man-bun raised an eyebrow, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his lips. "Rescue? You think you're a hero?" He chuckled, a low, grating sound that made my skin crawl. "You're just a clumsy interruption to my plans. Now give me the boy, and I might let you live."
Venom practically vibrated with fury. "Oh, he is going to regret saying that. Let's rearrange his face!" It insisted, its voice a growling whisper in my mind.
I knew that Venom was only helping but sometimes the symbiote got carried away. Ignoring the rant I began looking around. Seeing what my best options are, seeing how I'm not in any condition to fight.
"You know," I started, glancing over at Bell for a moment, I was trying to see how injured he truly was. He was doing okay enough, I still needed to get him out of here. "I think that my friend should be left alone. I mean, he is obviously out of your league."
I needed a distraction, something to give me an opening. My gaze landed on the redhead slumped against the wall. He looked like he was barely conscious, but maybe, just maybe-
"Hey, buddy," I called out to the redhead. "Are you doing alright over there? Or did this guy here turn you into a human speed bump?" I directed the question toward the redhead but I was also subtly trying to see what the man-bun man would do.
The redhead groaned but didn't answer. Instead, Man-bun's smile grew wider. "You think playing games will save you? Your little distraction won't work. I know what you're doing. You'll die here." With a sharp movement, he summoned a shimmering blade of what looked like pure energy into his hand. "Now give the boy or I'll take you both out."
Venom's voice turned predatory and almost gleeful "Yes! This is more like it! Time to have fun. " he practically purred.
"Fine," I said, feigning surrender, and my eyes were now narrowed to slits. "Let's dance."
Before he could even blink, I was a storm of black, tendrils exploding from my hands like a nightmare given form. I didn't target him, no. I went straight for the ceiling, tearing into the support beams like they were made of paper. The room, already a disaster waiting to happen, began to groan and buckle. Good. I needed chaos, a full-blown, screaming mess, and if that meant bringing this whole rotten structure down around our ears, so be it.
I had to get Bell out of here, and my recklessness was currently non-negotiable. One more vicious yank on a beam, and the ceiling came down, right on top of that man-bun monstrosity. Lovely. The people still inside finally seemed to register that the roof was falling in. The screaming and scrambling began as people tried to fight they're way outside.
"Lily needs to save Master Bell!" the girl shrieked, her voice a raw wire of panic. She came at me, a frantic blur.
"We're getting out of here, now!" I snarled, lunging for Bell. My tendrils snaked out, grabbing him, the redhead, and the shrieking girl like limp dolls. I didn't wait to see if they're okay. I bolted, pushing my way through the panicked crowd pouring out of the building.
I jumped onto a nearby building, then launched a web at the giant tower in the middle of the city. I used that momentum to hurl myself through the air, landing a few blocks away, my lungs burning.
I still had the three of them secured in my tendrils, a dead weight of panic and limp limbs. My body was screaming, a dull ache from the strain of the fight and now this. I ran over a couple more roofs before fully stopping. Bent over trying to catch my breath. I can't remember the last time I've been this tired.
"Alright, spit it out," I huffed, trying to get my breath back. "Where do you guys stay?"
The girl, Lily, crossed her arms and glared at me. "Lily is worried about Master Bell," she snapped, her tone as sharp as broken glass. "That's the only reason Lily is going to tell you where we live.
"Oh Partner it seems you upset the little child", Venom chuckled. Before I could reply Lily continued talking.
"Lily would rather leave you to your own devices." She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes before continuing in a low tone. "It's just this way, down the road. We are going to a run down old church." Her glare was not friendly.
Following her directions, I found myself facing what could only be called a church on principal. "More like a moss-ridden death trap," I muttered under my breath. Venom agreed with me. The front was a tapestry of sickly green moss, clinging to the stone like a desperate embrace. The whole place looked like it hadn't been used in ages.
The heavy oak doors groaned like tortured souls as I pushed them open, and I was immediately met with a scene of devastation. The ceiling completely collapsed, and most of the walls looked like they'd lost a brutal fight with a wrecking ball. The inside smelled of mildew and rotten wood, all messed up from the weather. It was a sad, pathetic sight a church brought to ruin by neglect and time.
"Lovely, just lovely," I said, my sarcasm as thick as the dust motes dancing in the slivers of light.
I quickly set Lily down, watching as she walked through the crumbling building. It's actually impressive that the floor is still holding up. Towards a door tucked away in the back of the church to the right. It was a rather unassuming wooden door, except for a large, almost cartoonish "P" emblazoned on it.
"How... quaint," I thought, raising an eyebrow.
It looked like something out of a cheap children's cartoon. Pushing the door open revealed a dark stairwell leading to the basement, the living area of Lily and Bell apparently. Lily plunged down the stairs with a speed showing that she walks these stairs frequently. I followed, still burdened with the awkward duo of the redhead and Bell, their bodies dangling from my tendrils.
"Bell, you're back-" A voice, high-pitched and child-like, ripped through the silence. A small, seemingly human looking, burst through the doorway in the basement. She was wearing a white dress that, generously speaking, was barely there, more of a lacey suggestion than actual clothing.
The woman's gaze landed on me, completely overlooking Lily(how rude) and then her face twisted into an expression of pure horror. She screeched, "Unhand Bell, you tentacle monster!" Before I could even process that particular insult, she launched herself forward, shoving Lily roughly out of the way. She threw a wild punch, her fist flailing in an awkward attempt at a punch.
Her punches were about as effective as slapping Lily with a feather, but my anger began to simmer. Not only was I forced to hold up her Bell, but my body felt like it was about to give up. I felt as if i'm running on fumes at the moment.
"Keep calm, Oliver," Venom soothed, his voice a low hum in my mind. "I promise, this little gremlin is far more important than she seems."
Taking a deep breath and trying not to contemplate the fact that I'm taking orders from a voice in my head. I summoned another tendril and with a sigh, moved both Lily and the shrieking banshee out of my way. Walking into the cramped room, I spotted a lumpy sad-looking couch and unceremoniously dumped the two unconscious men onto it.
"What do you think you're doing?!" yelled the screechy woman, her voice hitting notes I didn't even know existed, like a cat being strangled by a harp.
Ignoring her shrill protests, I focused on Venom. "Were you able to keep Rika as well?" I asked mentally, kneeling in front of the two passed-out on the couch.
"Yes, those were one of the many things I rescued." Venom stated smugly, his voice practically dripping with smugness
"Rika, heal!" I commanded, rolling my eyes inwardly at this whole chaotic mess. Holding out both hands towards them both.
"Who's Rika?" the screechy little nightmare asked, her voice still ringing in my ears.
I decided not to grace her with an answer. Instead, two tiny, glowing fairies materialized from my hair and began to hover over the two unconscious bodies. Slowly, the bruises and scrapes faded, and both men's eyes snapped open, as if they were woken from a bad dream.
"Where am I? Wait... Goddess?" Bell exclaimed, his voice filled with a strange mix of confusion and adoration.
"That's not creepy at all," I muttered, already counting down the seconds until I could leave this bizarre circus behind. Before I got pushed out of the way, I guess Goddess as she launched herself at Bell.
Bell, bless his overly enthusiastic soul, was mid conversation with the petite goddess which I was l pretty sure was a lie. Meanwhile, I sat on the floor, back glued to the wall. I was trying to have my body catch up with what felt like a snail's pace for regeneration. It was pathetic. I used to practically blink and be back to full power; back when I had my "system," before it I lost what felt like a day ago now.
"Oliver," Venom's voice, a slithery whisper inside my skull, cut through my frustration, "Try not to be grumpy"
"Why would I be grumpy?" I shot back, mentally rolling my eyes.
"Because," he replied, the smugness practically audible, "to complete one of our incredibly important missions, you're going to have to join her... cult, I mean, familia." He punctuated the last word with a little chuckle.
"You're kidding, right?" I deadpanned, already feeling a headache brewing.
"Nope, it's on the list right up there with 'save Bell'," Venom replied, "Think of the rewards, Oliver. Long-term benefits."
A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. While I did not want to join any of these groups. I couldn't deny I was beginning to trust Venom a bit more. He was annoying, but he wouldn't try to get me killed, not on purpose, anyway.
A snap of fingers in front of my face yanked me from my thoughts. I blinked, focusing on the goddess, who now stood with her hands clasped, her small face etched with what I could only assume was a mixture of embarrassment and guilt.
"I… I'm truly sorry for the misunderstanding," she said, cheeks a delicate shade of pink, "I was so terribly worried about Bell's injuries. I now understand that it was a misunderstanding on my part."
"No worries," I lied, smoothly, "saving Bell was a happy accident. Honestly, I was just hoping to find a place to sleep for the night so I could maybe start looking for a… a familia, right? That's what they are called?" I trailed off, hoping someone would fill in the blanks.
The goddess's eyes widened and she bounced, like a rubber ball all over the place. She grabbed Bell and Lily, by the arms, her voice a high-pitched flurry of words. She dragged them toward the staircase.
They were both laughing and trying to follow, but she was pulling them faster than they could keep up. Okay, clearly she's some kind of tiny gremlin, I thought, as I watched her speed off. What was up with these people anyway? I turned as the red-head guy who'd been with Bell approached.
"Hey, thanks for the save back there. Name's Welf, Welf Crozzo," he said, extending a hand and giving a slight bow.
"Oliver," I replied, shaking his hand and letting the slight bow slide. "And don't mention it, I'm just glad I could help."
Welf chuckled, a warm, genuine sound, "Help you did. I heard you brought the ceiling down with you."
"Yeah, not my most refined moment, honestly. I was running on fumes and just kinda... got lucky with some, uh, questionable choices. That beam got in the way," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.
"You're pretty strong though. What level are you?" he asked, a genuine curiosity in his brown eyes.
"What do you mean by 'level'?" I asked, trying to sound casual, like I knew exactly what was going on.
Welf launched into an explanation, "You know, the level you gain after becoming an adventurer and joining a familia? It's like a group of people, a family, but you're all under the protection of a specific God. That God's grace is what gives you power and can help you level. Each familia is run by a different God, each with their own style and beliefs."
"Oh," I said slowly, trying to piece it all together, "So, basically… I had no idea Gods were real, let alone that they gave out levels with this called falna.
"That's why I said to endure the loud goddess," Venom responded, sounding both amused and slightly impressed. "I bet we regain all our powers if we join her familia.."
Before either Welf or Venom could elaborate on the topic of Gods, familia, and levels. Loud footsteps sounding like a herd of elephants stampeding down a staircase echoed through the building. A white blur the goddess reappeared, practically pushing Welf out of the way. Lily and Bell quickly dragged a sputtering Welf back, their expressions a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"You don't have a familia, right?" she burst out, her voice practically vibrating with excitement. "So, why don't you—"
"Yeah, I'll join," I interrupted, desperately hoping to stop her voice from reaching any higher pitch.
"I know we don't have much to offer, we are a small group and our home is kinda… a work in progress, but—Wait, you mean you'll actually join?!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. "YES! Right then, let's go!" She grabbed my arm with unexpected strength and, with determination, pulled me up onto my feet. Half-dragging me into a bedroom that had the kind of bed that probably came with a complimentary dust mite colony.
"She's going to be the death of me, partner," Venom shuddered inside my head, "I think I actually felt my core shift during that sprint."
"I wish I could say I disagree," I sighed mentally.
"Alrighty! First things first, you need to strip off your shirt and lay down on your stomach," the goddess announced, clapping her hands together with a tone that indicated she was far too excited about this.
"Uh, why, exactly?" I asked, a surge of awkwardness mixed with apprehension. I took a step back, feeling like I was about to walk into some kind of weird trap.
"No, no, no! It's for your own good!" she said, waving her hand dismissively at my concerns. "I need access to your back, to give you the falna."
"Right, the falna," I parroted. "So, that is done by…"
"I give you a drop of my blood," the goddess said, her voice filled with excitement, "It's how I impart my grace and connect you to my familia."
"Right, nothing weird about that at all," I deadpanned, ignoring the surge of disbelief that shot through me. "A drop of divine blood, totally healthy."
With a resigned sigh, I let Venom absorb my hoodie (I still don't know how he does that), and reluctantly lay on the bed. The dust cloud that erupted when I did probably contained a few ancient civilizations.
I felt the light pressure on my back and a warm sensation as the goddess placed herself on top of my back before a sharp, burning pain seared my skin. It was like a brand and I could feel something changing, something awakening.
[System Restored]