Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)
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pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
Yang feels something hit his foot.
"I'm up I'm up!" he jolts awake in the back of the cart. The evening sun was setting behind him, his coat pulled over his head to hide from the sun was pulled aside as he sits up to look at Thalie.
"We're entering the second village, this means we're halfway to Outpost 17," Thalie says as she relaxes on her seat.
"Oh, uh, yeah thanks," Yang says as he tries to wake himself up.
"You've slept these past two days away, best to be awake when passing through a town son," Jasmine says from her seat at the front of the cart.
"Mhm, I get bored just sitting here, sleeping passes the time."
"I'm more amazed you can sleep with the sun beating down on you in that thick coat," she turns back to gesture at the coat Welf made him.
"I'm good with the heat, it's like I can't even feel it," he shrugs.
As they continue onward, the afternoon bustle of the town flows around their convoy.
Mostly people looking for a drink after a long workday.
"We'll be going on ahead for a bit, there's a nice spot to set up camp, better than that dreadful spot last night," Jasmine says.
"Sounds good," Thalie says.
"You kids said you've never been to this area before right?" the woman asks.
"Unfortunately not, mostly North Rakia for us," Welf says, not a lie in his case.
"Right, Cannonball Trees up ahead, so mind your heads. And pick some if you can, those things taste great," she says.
Later that night, The Trifecta were sitting in their tent eating their ration bars having a small discussion.
The campsite on this second night with their escorts was at the top of a hill. In a clearing with large trees surrounding them on three sides, allowing them to look out and see a river in the far-off landscape.
The Trifecta were sitting in their tent having dinner away from everyone once more.
"So if you were all from Ares familia," Yang takes another bite of his ration bar. "You recognize any of them yet?" he asks Welf.
Thalie continues eating as Welf gives Yang a confused look.
"Uh, no. Two things. Ares familia is all the level-2s in Rakia, meaning it's the size of a small country by itself. And two, I left before he pulled me in when I hit level-2. My god was Phobos. Phobos got me out when I decided to stop being in Ares's whole 'Human Supremecy' crusade but got sent back to heaven for my sake," Welf says with a solemn look.
"Hmm, so that's why there aren't any other races here...but how are there other gods in Rakia?" Yang asks.
"War Games. If you subdue another god's familia you can force them to serve yours. Ares subdued dozens of smaller familias to influence Rakia and start his crusade," Welf explains.
"You kids asleep already?!" Jasmine calls out from outside the tent.
"No, is something wrong?" Thalie asks.
"We got some Cannonball Fruit, come try it," Jasmine says.
A moment later they step out of the tent to see a large fire roaring in the middle of the clearing, a safe distance away from the tents with some trees cut down to make seats around it. From the looks of it, everyone had gathered here and were already drinking and singing around the fire.
"No drinking around these people," Thalie reminds them as they walk toward the crowd. They both nod in agreement.
As they approach the crowd Jasmine and her husband intercept them, holding what look like three black cannonballs.
"Here you go," the couple hands each of them one.
They appeared to be small black spheres the size of a softball. Heavy and solid.
"Uh, these are edible?" Welf asks.
"Of course," Gret says. "Sweet jelly on the inside and the outside is a nice soft---"
CRUNCH!
His words are cut off by Yang biting into the shell of the fruit. The couple looks over at him in horror.
"Oh gods NONONO," Jasmine immediately begins to panic as she reaches forward and grabs his face, almost putting her fingers in his mouth to inspect what should be shattered teeth. "Uh...huh?" a perplexed look dawns on her face as she backs off.
"Agh, urgh," he spits out the bitter and sour fruit onto the floor. "That was disgusting," he says.
"My gods, let an old man finish next time son," Gret chuckles between words. "Yer have to roast the damn fruit then it gets all sweet and soft, you bit into stone," the man says.
"And you didn't even notice too," Jasmine points out. At this Gret gives Yang a suspicious look alongside his wife.
"Uh, strong teeth run in the family," he says unconvincingly.
The old woman shakes her head with a defeated sigh. "Whatever you say son, let's get these fruits roasted already," she begins to lead them back to the fire.
As they were waiting by the fire for their fruits to roast. The sound of a small pop alerted them that it was time.
While most people were normal and sensible, Yang simply reached into the fire with his bare hand and picked up the blazing hot fruit which now had a crack in it.
Both Thalie and Welf look on in a mix of anger, annoyance, and disbelief at this.
They could feel a headache coming on. Trying to get Yang to act normal was proving to be more and more impossible every day. Thankfully nobody speaks up about it, deciding it was best to ignore him and see to their own business.
Sitting on one of the logs further away from the fire, after having Yang rapidly, and thankfully discreetly cool their fruits. The Trifecta was enjoying the treat.
"I don't really like sweets, but this is good," Yang admits.
"Mhm, you can kill people with it then eat it after, the perfect food," Thalie points out.
"That pretty much sums up Rakia, can be sweet and deadly at the same time, but definitely better after roasting it in fire," Welf says in a bitter tone.
As they enjoy their fruits, their eyes naturally follow the firelight. Feeling the warmth reaching them all the way at their seats...at least Thalie felt it, Yang was resistant to heat and Welf was resistant to a much smaller extent.
Around the fire, the large family of adventurers was dancing, singing, and drinking together. Smiles all around as they enjoyed each other's company.
They were living the dreams of these three adventurers.
Where one might see just a happy family, the members of The Trifecta see their motivation in the flesh.
For Welf, all he could see was Jasmine and Gret, the old couple dancing surrounded by their legacy, enjoying their life together. He wanted that for his future, to overshadow the sins of his past and build a bright future with Hephaestus.
For Thalie, it was all she never had the chance or choice to experience. A truly happy family, free of the blood and expectations placed on her by Adrestria. It was moments like these that tens of thousands never got to experience because of a selfish, petty god. All this sight did was bolster her hate and spite for that goddess.
For Yang, this sight made him conflicted. He could see the whole picture, and it hurt. Seeing a happy family just like his was, before he was so unfairly pulled away. Seeing everything he was fighting to get back to, to make whole again.
But his eyes focused, they honed in on Jasmine and Gret dancing amongst their children. A romantic love that he could easily have in this world, in this life. But he can't have one without giving up the other.
Playing with the ring on his finder, Yang's mind was aching, as was his heart.
Closing his eyes and focusing on his own heartbeat, that drive and focus welled up in his chest once more, burning to temper his will. When he opened his eyes, clarity struck.
'Family... that's all that matters,' he reminds himself.
As the party settled down and everyone retired to their tents, Yang remained by the fire.
Sleeping during the day meant he was up all night keeping watch. They couldn't ever all be asleep when surrounded by two dozen strange adventurers after all.
Looking out over the horizon to see the stars, he almost doesn't hear the quiet footsteps approaching.
"You're pretty good at sneaking, I think," he says aloud. The footsteps stop.
"It's my main skill, I get a good bonus when I'm behind the target too," Jasmine says as she walks up and takes a seat beside him. The old woman had a large sack of some kind in her hand. "but not enough for you apparently," she says.
Looking over to her Yang sees the bag and quirks a brow at it. She hands it over to him quickly. "My kids collected a lot of Cannonball Fruit, figured you could all use some for the road. They can last at least a few years if you leave them sealed," she says.
"Hmm, you sure we can keep these?"
"Just accept this gift from an old woman son, you kids look troubled enough. And we get those every year on our hunting trip down to the Wishe forest," she says.
'All the way down to Lefiya's forest to hunt every year...' Yang thinks to himself before speaking.
"Right, thank you," he puts the bag over to his side so it wouldn't be between them. "What're you doing up?"
"I'm 62, can't go a full night without needing to pee."
"Ahh, makes sense."
"What about you, you spent last night up staring at the stars too, you like the pretty lights?"
"No, I just...I like how they remind me that...I'm barely a speck of dust in all this," he says with a tired sigh.
"Heh, think I'd rather you say you like the pretty lights," she chuckles lightly.
"I get that a lot."
They spend a quiet moment looking out at the horizon together.
"Girl trouble?" Jasmine asks from out of nowhere.
Yang immediately sits up and gives her a surprised look, as if begging for an explanation.
"You're staring up at the stars like a dummy playing with that," she points down to the ring on his finger that he was indeed playing with. "Has to be because of a girl, only time my boys would get like this."
"Well, yeah. It's a bit complicated."
"I'm 62 years old and an adventurer, I'm sure I've dealt with worse," she says confidently.
Deciding that talking it out with a stranger could be useful, Yang gives in.
"Well, she's a goddess. Like a literal goddess of beauty. And she says she loves me and I really like being with her. But if I want to see my family again I can't be with her, any advice?" he asks hopefully.
"Damn, that is complicated. Sorry, I was expecting like 'her dad doesn't like me' or something like that," she admits.
"Yeah I know, my problems are...otherworldly," he says.
"Mhm, sorry but I can't even imagine making that choice. But it all depends on how much you love each side right. I assume your family is rich...you certainly seem like a fish out of water here," she says.
This earns a curious look from Yang "What?"
"Well look at you," she gestures to his nice coat and clothes. "Perfectly spotless, always making sure you're clean. Sleeping in the back of a strangers' cart. You act like nothing can hurt you so probably used to having guards around and doing whatever you want. I'm guessing some spoiled royal. And not to mention you're bad at lying, just between us. Level-1s can't bite into solid stone, and I've never seen one be fireproof before," she whispers the last part.
"Uh, please don't make a big deal out of this," Yang says nervously. The last thing he wanted was for Thalie to kill this family to keep their cover.
"I trust lord Ares, if he sent one of his own with your team then you're fine by me. Even if it is a sneaky mission," she says.
"Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. Now what's the plan, rich family or the goddess?" she asks.
Taking a deep breath Yang decides to just speak what he feels for once. This is what strangers are for right, so the people you know never have to hear.
"Not a rich family. I grew up pretty much in the mud, then we climbed out and I got pulled away. Now I'm living this amazing life with a goddess fawning over me and everything I could ever want---"
"Except them...right?"
"Right, and it feels good when I'm with her, but they're always in the back of my head. It's like a thought just gnawing at me begging to come out and it won't go away. And I feel guilty, because I'm here on top of the world, and I left them without even a goodbye," he slumps over as he finishes speaking.
"Hmm, sounds to me like you know what you have to do, but talk to her at least. Maybe she will understand, and maybe you might have the best of both worlds," Jasmine says as she gets up. "Now this old woman needs her beauty sleep," she says before stalking off back to her tent.
"Goodnight," Yang says as she walks away.
"Get some sleep son," she replies.
Being alone with his thoughts, the fire, and the stars once more. He closes his eyes and holds his head in his hands.
Taking a deep breath he unwinds himself, relaxing his body and letting his magic naturally permeate the area directly around him. The feeling of weights being lifted from his chest is calming, bringing a wave of stillness over him.
"Freya," he says quietly, "If you weren't so...ugh," he groans in frustration. "This would be so much easier," he says.
"What would be so much easier?" Freya's voice asks.
His eyes immediately go wide as he sits up, looking left and right for the goddess.
"You should have brought me with you if you miss me so much," her voice teases him.
He follows it down to the dimly glowing ring on his hand. Lifting it to his mouth he looks around before speaking.
"This is a message ring? How is this a message ring?"
"Hephaestus made it for me, I was going to give it to you but you broke up with me before I got to that part of the night," she says.
"Oh, uh...right."
"Mhm, ready to get back together?"
"No."
"Not yet."
"No."
"Not yet it is then, so what was bothering you so much that your magic got out, missing having me in your bed...did something go wrong?" her voice flipped from teasing to concerned in a heartbeat.
"Just, family, that stuff...."
"Mhm, that," she says in an annoyed tone.
"I really didn't mean to wake you up," Yang says.
"You didn't. I was just reading. But Hephaestus is worried so at least tell me how you three idiots are doing."
"Great actually, no need to be worried."
"Oh I'm not worried. Hephaestus is. I know unless you plan on hunting the One-Eyed Black Dragon nothing on the surface can take you down. But she's convinced that Thalie doesn't plan on coming back," she says.
"What?"
"She thinks Thalie doesn't plan on surviving," she repeats.
"That's not an option. I won't let that happen."
"I know that, you're a big softie, it's cute honestly," she teases.
"Right. Anything else we should know?"
"You first, where the hell are you three?"
"Rakia, Adrestria is in this area so we should be there tomorrow evening," he says.
"Alright, that puts you back in Orario within a week roughly. Be ready for a serious fight when you come back."
"Again, didn't they learn?"
"Finn and Allen leveled up, and I'm in a position where I have to play along so Ottar is involved too," she informs him.
"Fuck, three level-7s. I've never really tested how strong I am no so I honestly don't know if I could solo that, but together my team can probably handle your familia and Loki's," he says.
"Ever so humble," she giggles through the ring. A bit of pride bubbled up at the thought of her man being this confident and powerful.
"Why can't we just come in and talk it out?"
"Because that won't look good. With three level-7s Ouranos is extremely comfortable kicking out or executing the one level-7 that makes the guild and Orario look weak in the eyes of the world. You understand why he can't have that by now I'm sure."
"Yeah, world war, millions dead, that kinda stuff."
"Mhm. So you need to fight and win, that's the best way to stay in Orario and ensure you get access to the dungeon. Unless you have something else he values I can't imagine another plan working," she pauses for a moment, "well, there might be one..." she says.
"I don't like that tone Freya, what're you thinking?"
"If you tell him you wrote the monster manual he might keep you in Orario...but."
"But?"
"I doubt he'd ever let you go into the dungeon. Your mind would be far too valuable to risk losing in there."
"That's not an option for me."
"I know, my first idea is the best bet. Make yourself untouchable so they can't do anything but agree with you...Mmm, the thought makes me feel all---"
"Focus."
"Right, uh, sorry... just be careful when you come back. And use this ring if anything happens alright," her voice takes a commanding tone.
"Dunno if I should even have it at all honestly, seems a bit unhealthy to cling to an ex-girlfriend like this," Yang jokes.
"Shit," Freya's voice was a bit panicked. "Hephaestus just cut the shower she's coming back to bed, stay safe Yang, love you," she says in a rush.
"Wait," he stops her from cutting the connection, "thank you, Freya, for everything."
"I'd do anything for you...you're my Odr---" she cuts the connection.
Looking down at his right hand Yang passes a finger over the symbol on the face of his ring.
"Odr," he mutters, finally understanding what it means. As he reaches out to remove it, he takes a deep breath and decides to leave it be.
'It's a useful tool,' he tries telling himself that's why he should leave it. But he's been wearing it for weeks even before knowing that.
Sitting back down to stargaze he recalls something strange from that quick conversation.
"Wait, what the fuck did she mean Hephaestus was coming BACK to bed?"
END CHAPTER---
Bet you didn't expect some Yang X Freya from miles away huh, I pulled a little sneaky on ya ;)