I have very few moments in my memories where I have ever been truly intimidated by a woman. I have now realized how wrong I was to think I should do anything but. Lily had me put into the hollow room for 3 days under hard mode. 3 days! I fought in the oldest climate possible making me understand exactly how cruel this woman was. I was assaulted left right and center till I was left with relying on only my chains natural protections and struggling with all my might not to die. Not a single ability showed itself or manifested. I was seconds away from my health being destroyed and nothing happening. This had been happened multiple times over the past 3 days. More times than I could count. Then the last hit arrived and it stopped a hair away from my skin. "Simulation Stopped" I heard a clear mechanical voice say. The door opened and Lily looked in. "I'm keeping you in there till you exhibit some ability." She said as she started closing the door. I fumed. I have never been this angry at anyone in my life except my own father. I threw my coffin at her but the door slammed and we started again. The simulator summoned a forest area into view. "Hey! I said to put him in the tundra! The tundra!" I heard her yell. Beth answered. "You keep him going like this and he will break! And I know when a sadist like you can and can't take a beating. If you dont like it I can challenge for the leader seat while being Rank C!" She growled. I could feel Lillies hackles rise a little before settling down.
"Lily... if you want me to leave so badly... All you had to do was ask." I grunted out as an opponent shot at me from behind a tree. I took it out with relative ease. Suddenly the door burst open and the simulation stopped. "We dont want you to leave. Lily gets carried away at times. Take a break." Beth said with a sad looking frown. I let out a sigh of relief and bolted out of the holo-room. I took in the sweet air and felt the gentle little breeze moving through the house. Realizing Lily was still standing close by I glared at her as I shifted back to my normal form. I went upstairs to sit on the couch. "I really wish sleep was a thing here. I'm exhausted." I groaned on my way up the stairs. Mental exhaustion wasn't a thing here strangely enough. Physically you could have less energy which you could recuperate over time. But mentally we were all the same. Constantly functioning and didn't need a single moment of sleep. So sleep would only serve to physically help us recuperate.
As I sat I heard arguing downstairs. Beth and Lily were being gruff and pointed with each other about how people should be treated despite us being here. Thumping sounds echoed as Lily trounced up the stairs and out the door in a huff. Beth followed close behind shouting something about putting up with crap like this for the past hundred years.
Henry and Horacio slowly came up the stairs and looked at me before giving a shrug. I let out an even longer sigh before something started nagging at my mind. A hundred years huh. I wasn't able to truly wrap my mind around all of this. It continues to feel like a dream. A dream that I realize I will never wake from.
Henry swatted my shoulder. "Hey. Feel like swinging by the Vineyard with us? Always feels a little awkward with the girls around." He said as he and Horacio looked down at me with expectant gazes. I honestly had heard them the past day or two attempting to get Lily to lighten up. I let out a sigh. "Why not?" I said as I stood and Henry let out a whoop. The door glided closed behind us as we left. The Vineyard was busy as usual. Full of bustling people laughing, shouting, and waiters delivering drinks to tables. We found an empty stall and got ourselves comfortable. It wasn't long till I felt a stomping rumble go across the ground as a man with yellow skin walked up to the table. His body was covered in cracks and his hair looked like it was made of grass. "Ey Sil. Long time no see." He said. A confused look came across my face as I tried to recall. I examined him again and thought of any god who would possibly have features like these cross over. "Geb?" I asked and he nodded as he chuckled. "You got it on the first try! Hey Leroy! Found us a winner over here!" Immediatley I saw a blue guy walking over quickly. He eminated a chill that gave the Grim reaper a run for its money. We knew as soon as we laid eyes on each other. I stood up and embraced him. Leroy laughed before holding me out.
"It is hard to believe you went from being a runner to a fighter man! How does it feel?" His deep southern voice rumbled through my ribs. I smiled broadly. "Not bad at all man. Not bad at all." I saw that Henry and Horacio had confused looks on their faces.I turned with Leroy in a bit of a headlock. "This is Leroy. He's better known as Ymir. And this is Geb." I said as I locked him under my arm as well. "We arrived at the same time. You guys these are my faction mates. Henry and Horacio. Nasty in a fight and just plain wierd when you get to know them. But I'm sure we'll get along just fine." I said with a beaming smile. Henry shrugged as Horacio gave me a glare. "The only wierd one here is you." He said gruffly. Leroy reached over and grabbed a chair before sitting down. Geb tapped his foot and dust gathered to naturally form a stool of dirt to sit on.
The draiad who had served us last time sprang up and took our orders. Pizza drinks for the lot of us. Pepperoni for me while the others chose differently. I was expecting Bacchus this time but we didn't have that pleasure. What came over was Dionysus. A purple toga covered his slim frame. His dark hair fell across his face in a dark and devilish manner. His eyes were the color of rich wine. Sandals adorned his feet in their greek fashion. He held a goblet in one hand and a large string of grapes in another. He didn't say much besides hello as he stretched out his hand. Grapes fell from his vine and morphed into tall bottles much like the last time we drank here. Liquid flowed from his goblet in five streams flowing into them. The liquid turning from the red wine color to that of fizzling dark soda we all enjoy.
He quickly shook all of our hands and I felt the customary pull of points being taken. 10 points a bottle. And we all ordered drinks that accompanied our actual meal. We all took sips of our drinks as we began to talk. The smooth yet savory flavors of meat with the acidity of tomatoes filled my mouth. The creamy cheese with the strong flavor of age that opened the nose and senses. My drink off the side was sprite this time which added a fruity flavor to mix with everything. Everyone seemed to enjoy their choices and we savored every sip. We chatted for a bit about things as well. Henry and Horacio mostly listened but were seemingly enjoying the conversation.
We talked about our individual struggles during the most recent dome battle and what had happened after Thor had attacked me. He apparently was taken to the builder faction to people with the Brokkr and Sindri battleforms. Dwarf brothers from Norse myths. Made even more comical that the two are literal twin brothers in reality. Funny that those two are literally the only ones in this place who can fix that hammer of his. They charged him 50 points for the fix which was almost a quarter of his earnings from the dome this week. It explains why he was so furious when he came to make trouble. I told them about what had happened and they became furious. I leaned back a bit in my seat and held up my hands as Horacio piped up. "He's already been dealt with. He invaded our faction house and got the spanking of a lifetime from the system. He'll be in stasis till the head of the warrior faction goes to get him." He said with a bit of a grin that made Geb and Leroy look at each other questioningly. "Stasis?" They said in unison.
"It's what happens when you misbehave in the civil zone. Harm anyone outside the dome and it will put your consciousness under probation for a month. Invade another's personal space you get a week. But doing either means that your body gets destroyed and you are forced into a small squishy space for a while. Thor's case is a week. Mine was a month." Horacio said with a casual wave of his hand like it was swatting a fly buzzing about the room.
Geb and Leroy's eyes widened slightly at the mention of dying again. "So... Thor is dead?" Leroy asked. I nodded. "For now. He'll be back after the dome event this week. Either that or his boss goes and gets his ass." I said as I finished off the sip of my pizza drink. I let out a satisfied sigh. "That's good stuff." I said as I set the bottle down and it flaked away into dust. My sprite on the other hand was about half full and I was enjoying that as much as possible. Geb was leaning back a bit seeming to relax after my statement.
"Perhaps we should tell Bell about him. Think she'll need help considering if he finds out she knows you... It could end badly." He rumbled out. I thought for a moment before saying anything.
"Bell hasn't been involved at all and she probably won't be so long as she isn't seen hanging around me. I think she'll be ok either way though. She's a tough nut that one." I said with a thoughtful expression and a shrug.