Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)
Discord: https://discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
---9 AM...
Standing atop the tall two-hundred-foot wall surrounding Orario, Riveria looks out to the approaching cart almost a mile down the road toward Melene, "are we sure that's them?"
"Yeah it's Crozzo," Shakti says. Closing her spyglass and packing it away before jumping down to the road below.
Leaving their mages at the top of the wall, Ganesha, Freya, and Loki familia's begin marching out to intercept the cart. Weapons held tight as their three level-sevens set the pace.
Seeing the approaching mob Welf stops the cart, dropping the reins and raising his hands in surrender, a nervous smile on his lips.
"So... hope you guys aren't holding a grudge," Welf jokes as they stand around the cart.
"Where are they?" Finn asks.
"In the back, they're hurt, Thalie needs a doctor or she's gonna die," Welf says.
"You realize you're under arrest right?"
"Yes. Now can you please just get her some help," Welf blurts out.
"Alright, just remove your sword so we can take you in..."
Welf immediately tosses Mosoka aside, Ottar catches it with ease before they approach the cart.
To the surprise of no one, the gathering of adventurers that were left beaten and broken in the wake of their treason eagerly slapped cuffs and restraints onto both Welf and the unconscious Yang.
They search the cart but only find Liberty, their rations and tent as well as Yang and Thalie completely unconscious. The man had a wrapped left arm that was obviously missing up to halfway up his forearm. Thalie resembled a deformed mummy, at a glance one would think a monster took a bite out of her face but left her alive.
Seeing Thalie's bloody bandages wrapping her like a mummy Finn doesn't let anyone touch her, instead sending the cart to Airmid escorted by Riveria and Tione.
Welf soon found himself being almost paraded through the streets of Orario.
His arms and legs in chains as a crowd of first-class adventurers surround him.
With all the first-class members aside from Riveria and Tione of the three top combat familias surrounding him, he endures the stares and murmurs of the citizens as the rumors begin.
Yang was being carried on Ottar's shoulder, not spared from being shackled either even in his unconscious and obviously injured state.
"The traitors are back."
"Guess they couldn't fight Ottar huh."
"Filthy traitors, they got what they deserve."
"They shouldn't get to stay."
"We should have expected this from a Crozzo."
And the murmurs just kept on spreading and growing into a roaring crowd. Welf stares down at the cobblestone street as they quickly move through the streets.
'They don't matter, only results matter. People only really care about results in the end,' he repeats Yang's words like a mantra over and over.
He knew the people hated him, but that's not what he was worried about. Hephaestus is all that matters. He just had to remember that.
As expected one of the spirited people eventually decided to get more than just a few mean words in.
An apple-sized rock careens through the air directly toward his head.
He doesn't see it coming, too busy staring down at his feet.
"That's enough!" Finn's voice cuts through the crowd as he bats it away with his spear. "No need for cruelty, the guild will decide their punishment, now everyone disperse!" his Command Howl skill carries these words across the massive crowd causing everyone to begin shuffling away.
"Thank you," Welf says as they reach the final stretch to the prison.
Looking toward where the two-story stone building was two weeks ago Welf sees a construction site with a clear path in the middle leading to the holding cells below.
"What the hell..." Welf mutters as they walk through the courtyard.
"Oh right," Tiona speaks up. "You and her with down under when the fighting was going on... yeah, he brought the building down. But it's ok you guys paid for it," she says with a cheerful smile.
"Right... there goes our team account," Welf mutters as he just imagines what other costs they had to pay.
"Alright everyone else wait here while we lock these two up," Shakti commands as she leads the three level-sevens as well as Gareth to the lower levels.
Of the multi-floor prison, Welf's cell was on floor two. After patting him down they remove his items including the Ring Of Odr before searching Yang. As expected they found nothing because he always prefers to use his magic than pockets.
"Your weapons will be locked in the hold here until the guild trusts you with them," Shakti explains. "Normally we'd just give them to your god but... but your weapons are special. We can't just have them out for her to hand to anyone."
"Mhm, they only work for us anyway, just blunt sticks for anyone else," Welf says in a tired voice.
"When the guild trusts you then you can have them back," she says.
Arriving at his cell she gestures for him to enter. Without a word he stands in the middle of the simple grey stone cell. Adamantite bars just like all the others, enchanted against tampering. One simple single bed and a toilet for his comfort.
"What about these?" he rattles the shackles on his arms and legs giving them an expectant look.
Shakti shuts the door and takes a step back. "Normal protocol is removing them, but...none of you are normal, they'll be staying on until after your trial, assuming you get out. Don't count on that," she glares at him before turning to lead the group further down the prison.
Seeing all the cells looking the same as Welf's, Finn raises a question. "Will this even hold someone like Yang?"
"No, Goibnu familia was commissioned to make something special for him, this was kept quiet until now but since you three are gonna help me get him into it I might as well just say," she says as they take the elevator down to the fifth and lowest floor of the prison.
Arriving at the cell at the far end of the floor a stark silence hangs in the air as they take in what Goibnu made.
Taking in the sight of an iron-maiden style adamantite sarcophagus with an enchanted straight jacket and shakes inside an uneasy feeling rises in them.
Ottar was surprisingly the one to speak up "this seems extreme."
"What are those things?" Allen points out what looks like an I.V. line running in the sarcophagus.
"Sedative, we've got enough to keep him asleep for two weeks. The Denatus still has another two days then the trial should be a few days after that, don't want him waking up in case he gets the capital punishment you know," Shakti explains as she begins strapping him into the sarcophagus.
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," Finn says.
"Hopefully it does, would mean one less problem for me," Allen smiles at the idea.
"That won't be allowed to happen," Ottar says. Knowing how his goddess would react to such a decision even by Ouranos.
"Tch, whatever. If the guild was allowed in the Denatus we could just have this dealt with today," Allen grumbles as they seal Yang's unconscious body in the sarcophagus. Locked away in a straight jacket, with shackles on his limbs and chains keeping him in place.
"Doesn't matter, he'll be here waiting here anyway," Shakti says as she closes the sarcophagus. Sealing him away in complete darkness.
---Babel Hospital...
"Oh my god," Airmid says in disbelief.
Staring down at the patient placed on her operating table by Tione she covers her mouth in shock as they remove the bandages.
Thalie was a mess of missing pieces and burn scars.
"I need help in here!" she calls out for some of the other doctors to assist her as she prepares for surgery.
Doing some simple checks she feels a heartbeat. She couldn't understand how Thalie was even alive, the woman look shriveled up like a prune. Malnourished and drained. Where her mouth should've been was just her tongue hanging out of her throat. The entryway to her stomach was burnt shut, it looked as if the opening to her lungs was harshly cut open for her to breathe.
Welf, someone who had no business doing surgery but was forced to act to save her life did the best he could, and it was enough to get her Airmid, to the world's best healer.
As Airmid prepares Thalie for surgery she begins giving commands to the healers pouring into the room, "I need everyone constantly chanting healing spells, stagger them so we always have at least one chant going. Ms Tione you may leave, Lady Riveria if you'd stay that would be most appreciated. We need as many healing spells as we can get. Someone bring me a cart of Elixirs!"
"Of course I'll stay," Riveria immediately says. Tione only gives her a nod and leaves the room.
"Thank you, this won't be pretty so please refrain from any outbursts," Airmid pleads.
"I'm an adventurer, I've seen ugly wounds," Riveria gives her a confident nod.
"I hope so, I need to rearrange her innards since they were seemingly just shoved back inside like someone looking for the last potato chip in a bag," Airmid says as she immediately begins cutting Thalie open.
'This...this may have been a bad idea,' Riveria thinks as she sees Airmid's tiny hands fishing around inside Thalie.
"CHANT!"
"Sorry," Riveria snaps out of her trance and begins chanting.
"I need someone to keep the incisions open during the healing spells..."
---11 PM, Twilight Manor...
"So do we have any idea what the hell happened?" Gareth asks.
All Loki's executives were gathered in their meeting room at the moment. Their goddess was still away at the Denatus so she wasn't in attendance.
With the Denatus being a three-day period where the attending gods were completely shut off from their mortals this left them and the other familia's in charge of dealing with the Trifecta to their own devices.
"I'm too tired to think about anything," Riveria says as she lazes on her couch. Exhausted from her twelve hours in the surgery room.
"How is Thalie doing?" Lefiya asks.
"She'll live but needs another surgery for the external stuff, reconstructing her jaw joints for the prosthetic and such," she says with a grimace. "Luckily I'm not needed for that."
"Which only leads us back to Gareth's question," Finn points out. "What in the world, on the surface no less could put them in that state. I assumed on the surface Yang was invincible and he came back with one hand, is it possible they went after the One-Eyed Black Dragon?"
"No," Riveria snaps. "He's strong and maybe overly confident, but he's smart enough to know when he's pushing it. He wouldn't put them in that situation, and I don't think that would require them committing treason."
"Hmm," Finn raises a finger to his chin. "Well, that's the only real possibility I had thought of. Unless they went to Telskyura, they supposedly have two level-five adventurers." Tiona and Tione frown at the mention of their brutal homeland. "But that doesn't explain what could hurt Yang."
"Maybe they challenged the Empire's level seven. The 'Knight of Knights' could have hurt them that badly," Gareth says.
"Hmm, I don't think she'd be able to do that kind of damage to them honestly, and she resides in the palace anyway so we definitely would have heard about it if they caused trouble there..." Finn says..."
"Mmm," Riveria lazily rises from her seat and walks toward the door, "tomorrow morning feel free to tell me your theories about what could take down an unstoppable dungeon exploring team and their seemingly invincible leader, I'm going to bed...I've had enough of this for today..."
No mortal would have guessed how their injuries came about. Invading Flana to give a fair duel was simply unheard of. And a mortal willingly killing a god was simply not something they'd expect someone to do, the consequences were too dire...
END CHAPTER---
Denatus in my world is 3 days where the attending gods are completely locked away from everyone else to discuss important matters.