[Tavish POV]
The steaks from a lobster bull, sizzle merrily on the grill as I stand over them with a spatula in hand.
A hand creeps over the counter towards the delicious smelling confection only to be promptly smacked by my spatula.
The hand was quickly withdrawn back with a hiss from its owner which was glairing with yellow slitted eyes just over the counter.
"Behave yourself Bast. It will be done when its good and ready, and not a moment before!" I say sternly causing her to pout.
"But it smells so good~!" she groans fixing her eyes once more on the meat.
I chuckle at the childishness displayed by the goddess before serving her up the meal.
Nova had randomized her appearances once more and gods were still managing to find their way here. It's almost to the point where she has turned it into a bit of a game on where she makes her doors appear, making it quite difficult for the mythology of this world to visit.
There are a select few such as Bast that manage to find their way back and quite happily became some of my repeat customers.
Pete the leprechaun was such an example.
I could see him just down the bar chugging yet another Rainbow fruit beer. He always showed up about once a week to drink his weight in beer before staggering off to his next adventure.
Always brought me something interesting. This time around, he brought me a book of children's tales from ancient Mesopotamia.
Couldn't read a lick of it to be honest, but it was pretty fascinating all the same. Just another language to learn from my library when I get the chance.
The relative peace of the tavern was disrupted when the doors opened once more.
A blue skinned, regal looking man stepped through, dressed in a rather dapper three-piece suit.
He would almost look rather normal, if not for the extra set of arms clasped behind his back.
[Observe]
Yama
Lvl - ?
Hindu God of Death and Justice
The sole reason why I discovered the reason why the reaper class was labeled a "production" class.
"Good day Mr. Byrne. Might I have a moment of your time? I have some questions regarding some of the souls we received last week." He said, his deep voice permeating the tavern.
I sigh and conjure my "book" of souls and open it for perusal as he sits at the counter next to Bast who was contentedly enjoying her steak.
Apparently, while what I was doing was considered a public service in the supernatural world, death gods reserved the rights to "audit" any souls sent to them.
Yama was especially stringent since many of their followers were followers of the Dao, the Dharma, or were cultivators of some fashion. This sometimes resulted in extended life expectancies, and exceptions because of their belief or path, or their soul being reaped too early.
While it was all a pain in my bony ass to keep track of, I appreciate Yama being a diligent god of his Parthenon's afterlife.
But every time he made his presence known in the tavern, it seemed to generate huge mounds of paperwork!
"Sure. Which one would you like to investigate?" I ask, flicking back to the previous week and resigning myself to his interrogations.
[Time Skip]
"That should be the last of it." Yama rumbled, taking a drink from a cup of tea I had provided roughly an hour ago.
My brain was well and truly fried at this point, the pile of paperwork that had accumulated over the course of our discussion was swaying back and forth as it soared to comical heights.
Yama swiftly bade me farewell and took off. He never stuck around long. Honestly, he was very no-nonsense and straight to the point. He usually had a meal of some sort and tea and he always paid me in cultivation materials, training scrolls, and artifacts from various disciplines of cultivation.
Quite frankly I couldn't make heads nor tails of this stuff so most of it went into a chest I had stashed away in one of Nova's storage rooms.
Might make for something interesting to learn about one day, but as of this moment, it didn't have anything to hold my interest. Iris did give me a notification that it branched off from martial arts into its own class, but again, I'll wait till I feel like messing with the martial arts stuff again.
Reaching over, I pick up the paper work and start filing it away within the book keeping track of souls. I probably should name it at some point, but that can wait.
Nova let out a beep overhead causing me to sigh further.
"We're running low on ingredients again?! I just made a trip three day ago!" I groan, opening a portal.
Maybe I should consider reducing my operating hours?
Stepping through to the Gourmet World, I'm immediately onset by intense flavors and smells.
While this was standard practice in the Gourmet World, it was significantly stronger today.
Almost immediately, a new quest popped up in my vision.
[A Prelude to GOD]
Objective 1: Acquire * * * * *
Objective 2: * * * * * * * * *
Objective 3: * * * * * * * *
Reward: ?
This is the first time in my existence where portions of the main quest were blocked out.
It was truly an obscure sounding quest to say the least.
Prelude to GOD . . . . is it referencing the ingredient GOD? Supposedly the best ingredient you could acquire in the Gourmet world?!
If I remember rightly, only those who cultivated gourmet cells would have enough power to track and capture GOD.
Does that mean I'd have to get my own gourmet cells?
Glancing down at my skeleton hands, I rack my brains for a possible solution. The only way one could get the cells was through eating a being with a high enough density of cells to allow them to adapt to the user's body, or through direct injection.
Looking out towards the ocean, I remember that there was one specific jellyfish that could almost certainly spark my gourmet cells. But two distinct problems sat in my way.
One; they resided at the bottom of the ocean.
And two; would the cells even take in my current form? Would I have to get a human body to accomplish this?
Sitting down on the rock candy beach I start mulling over my options. While I had control over water, would it protect me in going that deep? While my bones were coated in dwarf star alloy, my basic bone structure was still very much that of a human, albeit an enhanced one.
I could always hire a water spirit, but did I want to reveal the existence of this world to others? The other consideration was what manner of beasts I would encounter on the way down. Many were certainly hostile, and I would have to fend them off while harvesting the jellyfish.
Hmmm . . . . .
[Time Skip]
"Thank you! Come again!" I call cheerfully after the back of the retreating god as they shut the door behind them.
My mind was still stuck on the developments of the gourmet world as I continued to run the tavern for the day.
Truthfully, it would be wonderful if I could get a water god of some sort to come in. Just ask that the pay for their meal with an item that would let me reach the bottom of an ocean safely.
But I doubt my luck would be that good.
No, in all likely hood, I'd have to science the shit out of this again.
Nova could probably make the trip safely, but how could we navigate that deep?
As these thoughts were turned over in my head, the doors burst open as three children tumbled in and braced themselves against the door.
[Observe]
Luke Castellan
Son of Hermes
Lvl – 26
Thalia Grace
Daughter of Zeus
Lvl – 30
Annabeth Chase
Daughter of Athena
Lvl – 15
The hell Nova?!
I was content to mind my own business and figure stuff out and here you are dragging me into the plot!
The kids had yet to turn around as little Thalia was standing on her tiptoes to peer out the tiny windows of the door.
Resting my head on my fist, patiently wait for them to turn around. It was times like this that made me truly regret not having a flesh and blood body.
The older two were whispering to each other as Annabeth finally spotted me, her grey eyes going wide as I lazily wave at her.
"While I don't mind late customers, do try to keep the disruptions to a minimum." I state blandly, drawing the attention of the two older demigods.
"Damn! Right into the nest of another monster!" Thalia groaned, her bracelet morphing into a copy of Aegis, a mace can morph into a spear.
"Well if its all the same to you kiddo, can we put the weapons down?" I request my eyes be affixed to the shield.
I know its only a replica, but it's giving me a tingly feeling in the back of my mind.
Was that fear?
How wonderfully unexpected!
These days most of my fear was replaced with a simmering rage or bloodthirsty battle cries. The slight tinge of fear was an interesting if unexpected emotion.
The wary demigods clasped their weapons tighter causing me to sigh in exasperation.
"Look, this is a tavern. Your cousins and siblings show up often enough to eat here that it would be detrimental to attack you. Besides, I'm not really fond of the whole monster thing. Personally, I prefer living challenged." I offer getting a scoff from Luke.
"So what? You expect us to be all chummy with you?" Luke bites back, a sneer creeping onto his face.
"No, I expect you to act appropriately in a place of business and enjoy a meal." I retorted.
"Even if we had the time to do that, our friend is still out there and we need to find him!" Annabeth put forth boldly, drawing looks of shock from the other two.
"Oh? So if your friend was fine, you'd be willing to sit down for a spell and regale an old man with a story?" I asked, amusement creeping into my tone as my eyes flickered merrily.
"That's right." She answered her tone trembling slightly.
I watch her shift uncomfortably for a moment before I straighten up.
Snapping my fingers, the door behind the demigod shifts over as I walk towards it drawing a bolt pistol and a nemesis force sword from my inventory.
"Alrighty then, be back in a tick!" I cheerfully reply, opening the door and stepping outside.
[Grover POV]
My hooves trembled as I hid in a cave, the howls of hellhounds echoing all around me.
Of all the luck, on my first trip to guide campers back to camp, and I ran into three of them. A daughter of Zeus, a son of Hermes, and a daughter of Athena.
We've been dragged into a fight after fight trying to get back to camp, this last encounter with the hellhounds proving too much for Luke's reckless nature, forcing us to split up so I could lead them away.
I stare miserably out into the cold night. Hopefully, I could evade them long enough to meet up with the demigods once more and finish the trip before the furies caught us.
The howling from the dark was suddenly broken by the sounds of explosive gunfire, lights of an arcane nature fliting through the trees.
After a few minutes, silence had fallen around the area. Cautiously, I poke my head out of the small cave.
"Sorry about the noise lad. A bolter has a bit more kick than I'm used to at the moment." A voice startles me from the dark.
Turning to reply, I look up into the tall imposing structure of a skeleton, its eyes glowing a baleful blue as his sword crackled with power in his hand.
[Tavish POV]
"Meep!" The silly goat uttered before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed on the ground in front of me.
I've heard of fainting goats, but fainting Satyr's? Was that even a thing?
Oh well . . . .
Picking up Grover the amazing fainting goat, I pick him up under my arm and make my way back to the TARDIS.
Opening the front door, I'm greeted by the shocked and surprised looks from the weary demigods.
"One friend as ordered!" I cheerfully inform them, dumping the passed-out goat on the floor and making my way back behind the counter.
"Thank You!" Annabeth offered as they inspected their goat-like friend.
"What happened to him?!" Thalia accused fixing me with a glare.
"No idea. He took one look at me, made a noise, and just plain keeled over." I offer innocently, walking back behind the bar and grabbing a few menus.
Setting them on the table next to the demigods, I set a bowl of sweet coral in the center of the table.
"So . . . You seriously serve food? I thought you were making alliterations to eating us." Annabeth commented.
"Dear child, I'm a Lich. We have some standards." I reply with a chuckle, the other two demigods wearily watching our interaction.
"What is a Lich?" She asked, reaching for the snack on the table.
"Think of it as a being that has achieved immortality by placing their soul in another object. We call it a phylactery or soul container. This is usually accomplished through a variety of methods both varying from the most vile of rituals, to advance magical understanding." I offer, watching the inquisitiveness of the child vary between the treat and her questions.
"So how did you become a lich mister . . . .?" She asked leadingly, Thalia and Luke slowly relaxing as the conversation drew on.
"Ah forgive my manners! Tavish Byrne, bartender of the TARDIS tavern at your service miss . . . .?"
"Annabeth."
"Well a pleasure to meet you Ms. Annabeth. As for how I became a lich . . . well I offended a god, beat the crap out of his subordinates, and cussed him out before he flung me across time and space." I inform cheerfully, causing Luke to choke on the water he just drank.
"I'm sorry, did you say you offended a god?" he sputtered, trying to wipe the water off his front.
"Yes I did. He's a few dimensions over from this one, so I can go beat him up at a later date." I comment blithely, cracking open a few bowl fruits revealing three pork cutlet bowls.
Annabeth's eyes got big as she watched me serve the meals in the half shell, the steam from the bowls wafting into the air; "Hold on, I'm 95% sure that that's not how fruit works. How did you do that?" She exclaimed, as Thalia fell onto hers with gusto.
"You reside in a world where you have supernatural abilities, your parents are purported gods, and you encounter monsters on the daily, yet you want to lecture me on how "bowl fruits" shouldn't contain complete meals?" I scold gently causing the little seven-year-old to puff out her cheeks in frustration.
Thalia belched before taking a sip of fruit juice; "I heard about Lich legends before, don't you harvest souls to gain power?" She asked around a mouthful rice.
"Yeah, we can do that, but death gods tend to be a persnickety bunch of children so you have to be careful with how you go about doing it. I get around it by harvesting the souls of the recently dead and then sorting them to their appropriate afterlife. I get to harvest off the power, and the death gods get the appropriate souls without having to go out and retrieve the souls themselves."
"I'd call it a win-win, but I get saddled with much of the paperwork." I grouse, causing Thalia to chuckle.
"Paperwork . . . really?" She said sarcastically as Annabeth adopted a thinking pose, her half a cutlet forgotten.
"Yep! The amount depends on a person's life really. Standard human would probably be no bigger than a small pamphlet, while a hunter of Artemis or a divine champion would have enough paperwork for a decent sized novel." I comment watching her face sour after the hunters of Artemis comment.
"Well we aren't exactly on the best terms with the hunters. How much paperwork would I generate?" She asked with a scowl.
"Right now? Probably enough for a small paperback." I reply, running the estimation in my head.
Our conversation was interrupted as Annabeth gasped.
"You used the phrase "death gods." Does that mean that other Parthenon's exist?!" She asked excitedly, prompting the other two to stop eating and look at me.
"Right in one! You children of wisdom are really too smart for your own good, but yes other Parthenon's do exist. I mean, how do you think I exist in front of you! Discounting Daedalus, there aren't many beings from Greek mythology who transfer their souls to other objects." I reply watching the realization cross the faces of the demigods.
"So that's why we can't go to certain areas, it because we run the risk of encountering other Parthenon's!" Luke commented in shock and slight anger, causing me to raise a hand to placate.
"Well yes and no. Zeus doesn't like mixing with non-Greeks so the rest are somewhat forced to follow suit. But the gods like maintaining some of these relations in secret. There are supposed rumors that Apollo likes to hang around with the Celtic god of forges, and Hermes is best buds with Loki. The fates tend to enforce these restrictions to a degree." I inform, glancing over at the slowly waking up Grover.
Grover groggily gets up and starts glancing around but freezes when he lays eyes on me.
"Welcome back sleeping beauty." I comment dryly as his eyes flick between the eating demigods and myself.
"H-hey. . . ." he stuttered taking stock of the odd situation he found himself in.
[Time Skip]
"Alright, thanks for stopping by kids!" I thank, the group as they hoist the sleeping Grover up onto their shoulders.
After he got over his initial fear he was more than happy to pack himself full of food leaving him in his current food coma like state.
"Thanks Tavish!" Annabeth calls as they wave and step out the door and across the border to Camp Half-Blood.
I kinda knew the general area of the camp. The only place I could remember from my old memories was that it was near a strawberry field on Long Island, so it wasn't too hard to narrow down from there.
Really didn't expect to just blatantly fuck over the timeline this early, but nothing major should happen from it.
Right?
[Fates 3rd Person POV]
After days of trying to stop the unknown "thread" that had ripped its way out of their carefully woven plans, they had managed to isolate the thread in a separate room, mitigating the damage to their hard work.
The sealed door that had been quiet for hours was suddenly ripped from its hinges as the thread broke back in to wreak havoc.
One of the old ladies attempted to grab the meddlesome fate, but it ducked under her grasp and dove toward their masterpiece.
The Great Prophecy.
Zooming across the floor, the "thread" tore many of the supporting and core threads from the prophecy, much to the horror of the old ladies that made it.
[Tavish POV]
Eh, I'm sure its fine.
Fate's not set in stone right?
[Time Skip]
I leaned up against the bar as I chatted with the newest regular to the TARDIS tavern.
Oceanus had started showing up once or twice a week a few months ago and had become the first Titan that I was on a first name basis with.
"I'm telling you Tavish, you set up an aquatic section in here, and I could see you quadrupling your revenue from all the Oceanids alone!" He stated downing another pint of Rainbow Fruit Beer.
"And I'm all for it my friend. But its not up to me. Nova has to approve the design and so far, she hasn't found anything she liked." I return causing the titan to glimpse up at the surrounding walls.
"When you first informed me of her sentience, I was skeptical at first, but after being here so often, I can feel the life energies that flow through this odd blue box." He stated, crossing his silver arms.
I always enjoyed watching the various forms that the gods and goddesses took when coming through here. Oceanus liked the half man, half sea serpent combo with varying color schemes, while some of the Egyptian gods periodically came in with animal heads.
Gave me a right startle when Sobek wandered through.
Thankfully the Shinto's offset this by only possessing animal-like features on occasion.
Inari's happily twitching ears often drew my eye when she was enjoying a particular meal. Today I believe she was enjoying a garlic bird and egg bowl.
All in all, the main factor that I was happiest about was none of the visiting gods attempted to tear each other apart. Maybe it was just because of the timing or that it was mostly passive gods that visited, but everyone seemed more intent on enjoying a meal.
"Let me ask you something Oceanus, how come I have never heard of demititans? I mean sure I know you titans all have children of your own, some numbering in the thousands, but I don't think I know of an instance of you guys falling for a mortal." I ask the ocean titan.
"Demititans are a thing! Its just we titans don't put out for every mortal that comes along!" He growled before taking a deep breath and rubbing his face.
"Sorry about that but it just seems like most of the current issues of the Parthenon are the direct result of Zeus sticking his dick in something or someone. Sure we did some similar stuff, but it happened far less under our watch."
"Anyway, Demititans are very similar to demigods with a few key differences. They often don't have the same ADHD issues, and they rarely realize their lineage so they actually lead normal lives for the most part. They can use cell phones without attracting all the monsters in an area, and if a monster does find them, chances are they'll be left alone by all but the most powerful of monsters. When they do realize their lineage however, they become proper forces to be reckoned with." He informed, swirling the beer in his glass.
"I suppose it's a rare treat to meet one then?" I ask, setting a bowl of chips in front of him.
"Aye. Walking through Camp Half-Blood, you'll run into a few hundred of their more powerful children, with hundreds, maybe even thousands more scattered across the country. But a demititans? One in a million at a stretch. Even after all the children I've had, I can count on one hand with fingers left over how many demititans I've sired." He continued starting in on the snack.
"Why the huge difference? I understand that part of your rule was during the golden age and humans were built different, but was the mindset or marriages that much better?" I question causing Oceanus to roar with laughter.
"The difference? A very solid fear of my younger brother is a good deterrent against mixing with the mortals. I won't lie, we made mistakes. But our little dalliances simply pale in comparison to Zeus's inability to keep his dick in his pants." He answered, drawing a chuckle from me.
"Yeah, even taking a vow on the Styx, it took him less than fifty years to violate said oath. Twice no less." I comment, drawing another chuckle from the titan.
"On top of that, did you hear? That silly little prophecy they got so worked up about? Its been rendered invalid." He said, surprising me.
"How?! I thought that one was issued by the fates?" I question, launching him into an explanation.
"Fates have stopped enforcing all prophecies. Apparently one of the threads they had woven has broken free and just started wreaking their shit." Oceanus informed finishing off his drink and standing up.
"Excellent meal as always Tavish." He said placing a bag of some odd shaped scales on the counter.
"Thanks Oceanus. What exactly are these?" I ask peering closer at one of the scales.
"Those are Water dragon scales. Breaking one allows you to withstand the conditions of the bottom of the sea. I figured your sharp mind could figure a way to have one of Nova's doors appear their if you had a way around that." He replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do." I say chuckling.
Realistically, Nova could already withstand those depths. But it did provide me a solution to getting at those Jelly fish in the Gourmet world.
[Time Skip]
Staring up at the glowing jellyfish that I had acquired I debate on how to properly cultivate gourmet cells.
Injection was right out, I was fairly certain I'd have to drill into bone for any chance of a result, so that only left consumption.
And while I was positive it wouldn't kill me, this was probably going to be gross, because in order to get maximum benefit, it had to be eaten raw.
So, setting aside a plate of soy sauce and wasabi, I set about slurping down the slimy confection.
I'm gonna be honest, I thought that the gourmet cells would make it taste better. But it was one of the most horrid things I have had the displeasure of consuming.
It was the only option available to me as I felt its stingers go off against my teeth as I slurped the rest of it down.
My bones started heating up as I felt changes start to take place and new notifications started cropping up.
Gourmet sub-type added.
[Gourmet Cells] (1/100) (Limited) (Legendary)
Your body has been enhanced with Gourmet Cells, requiring you to eat at least 10,000 calories a day to maintain your enhanced physique. (Currently restricted to 1 hour in this form per 10,000 calories consumed.)
Enhanced physique?
I'm a fucking skeleton.
Grabbing a mirror and glancing at myself I can see I developed quite the pair of canines on my top and bottom rows of teeth.
Activating the perk, I fell over backwards in surprise as my bony face was replaced with flesh and blood limbs.
Long red hair fell over my eyes as I looked back at the wild looking Gourmet Hunter that had appeared in my place.
New smells wafted through the room as I got a feel for my temporary body.
New senses discovered!
[Enhanced Senses]
Gourmet hunters have to travel the entirety of the world to discover new flavors and the gourmet cells enhance their senses to find everything. From the most common of spices to the rarest of creatures, your nose will not steer you wrong!
My newly enhanced sense was put aside as I felt something far more prevalent.
Hunger.
[Time Skip]
A series of beeps echoed out from the ceiling.
"Yeah I know, I need to go get food again." I groan, my body slowly transforming back to its bony state.
While I was able to receive a significant amount of strength in that form, it was offset by the endless hunger of a gourmet hunter.
Trait discovered
[The Devourer] (1/100)
Your gourmet cells drive you to consume as much as possible to become more powerful, and to taste the flavors of the world.
Groaning and sitting up out of the surrounding carnage, I start cleaning up.
Now that the initial hunger was somewhat satiated, I could somewhat keep it at bay with constant snacking, but it did weird me out some that I had to consume enough to feed five adults to stop my body from trying to consume itself.
Before, I kinda just ate when I felt hungry. More often than not, I was subsisting off of one to two meals a day at a stretch, and I didn't eat at all for periods of time when I was training up my light and dark energies.
Wait . . . .
Why do I have to harvest the food myself?
I have several perfectly usable Necron minions that could do that for me.
My speed in creating Necron's had actually increased exponentially with the creation of some of my newest trees.
[Necrodermis Bonsai Tree] (Epic)
A tree capable of producing the living metal flesh of the Necron armies.
[Skeleton Tree] (Rare)
A tree capable of growing and producing a full sized human skeleton.
The skeleton tree really was a life saver in cutting down on the amount of time I needed to spend robbing grave yards.
I only needed them for the conversion process otherwise I wouldn't bother with them.
Standard skeletons only provided me with basic mobs that weren't good for much else outside of cannon fodder.
It was somewhat of a novelty when using them, because most of my previous basic units weren't exactly disposable combat units. They were either used for production, terraforming, or extremely efficient killing machines.
Speaking of terraforming, I was debating on the feasibility of deploying project zero dawn in this world.
It honestly wouldn't be too hard. I could easily finagle a deal with Hecate to hide the machines with her mist. The biggest issue was my lack of connection to GAEA. With GAEA located on the fortress, I was kinda stuck without an overarching control interface.
Maybe a dumb AI could serve as an intermediary until I could reestablish a connection?
Eh, I'll set that thought on the back burner for now.
The sensation of Nova landing brought me out of my musings. Nova only moved when something of note cropped up.
Walking up to her doors, I pause before pulling the Chimera out of my inventory. Cranking the lever, I open the doors into a room filled with hats.
Glancing around the room and seeing the closed sign on the door, I decide to make good on an earlier promise.
[Time Skip]
Leaving money on the shop counter, I step back through Nova's doors, a pile of hats in my arms, with a Stetson resting on my brow.
Dumping them on a nearby table, I drag a mirror over and start trying them on only to be interrupted by a cough.
Spinning around, a bucket hat replacing the Stetson, I lay eyes on a beautiful woman with caramel-colored hair.
[Observe]
Calypso
Lvl - ?
Daughter of Atlas
Thoughts – Curiosity, Wariness, confusion.
"Ah! My apologies. I wasn't aware we had any customers! Welcome to the Tardis Tavern. What can I get you today?" I ask brightly.
Apparently, Nova had found a mythical moving island. What fun!
"Um, could you please explain the blue box that appeared on my island? And also, who are you?" the titaness questioned glancing between me and the door.
"I'm Tavish Byrne! Undead extraordinaire and proprietor of this establishment. As for why Nova landed on your island, I honestly couldn't tell you why. She tends to go where she pleases and she must have found something interesting on your little island." I offer, turning back to the mirror and swapping to an aviators cap.
"Oh. Does that mean you can leave Ogygia?" She questioned, watching me continue to try on hats.
"Is that where we are? I imagine we could, I just stepped in from a hat shop in New Mexico so I suppose anything is possible. What do you think by the way?" I ask turning to her, a top hat resting on my head.
"A bit tall and flashy. Can the gods find you?" she questions answering without breaking her line of thought.
"When we let them, they tend to be our main source of income after all." I reply switching to a Fez and turning to her.
"Definite potential in that one. Try that one there." She said gesturing to the bowler I had set off to the side.
"Alrighty then." I set the fez to the side and flip the bowler up onto my metal head.
"Perfect." She said with a giggle as I toss the remaining hats into my inventory for later.
"Now back to my questions . . ." she started leading as I walked behind the counter and poured her a drink.
"Alright ask away." I offer setting the fizzy green soda in front of her.
[Melon Geyser Fizz]
Naturally occurring melon soda harvested from underground geysers.
"What year is it?" She asked distractedly as she watched the bubbles rise to the top of the drink.
"Hell if I know. I think its sometime in the early 2000's but I'm not a hundred percent on that." I offer as she takes an experimental sip of the drink.
"Alright next question, what are you? Are you an animated skeleton?" She questioned prompting me to chuckle as I went on to catch her up on the last two thousand years or so.
[Time Skip]
Calypso made for an excellent conversationalist.
After spending several hours in the Tavern, she ended up leaving me with several of the crystals exclusive to Ogygia and the extracted promise for Nova to leave one of her doors on the island.
It provided an excellent little loophole for her to go exploring without godly intervention.
I wonder if she'd be willing to take a job as a waitress?
Something to bear in mind, but I don't know if it would bring trouble with my Greek patrons. Apollo may decide to be a snitch to daddy dearest if he didn't like it.
Ah well, if anything did happen because of him, snitches get stiches and all that.
I was now currently testing out the capabilities of the modified power armor as I run through the forests of Montana
The servo harness made it a bit unwieldly at first, but the re-integration of a nano core backpack lessens the bulk and enabled me to get to a proper run in the armor.
Currently could manage about 32 MPH at a full sprint. Any more than that and I start rattling my bones apart.
Looks like I have to upgrade this body in order to fulfill my need for speed.
Moving on, the arm-mounted storm bolter was an interesting addition to the armor. I vaguely recall that the reason that the Grey Knights used this particular loadout was so they had a hand free to wield a second nemesis force weapon.
Under normal circumstances, this posed no issue for me because of my inventory but might be a good idea to keep in mind for a future world.
But then again, every grey knight was usually armed to the teeth to slay daemons so maybe we're not so different after all.
Keeping up with me and floating along with me was a servo-skull.
Yet another harmony of technology and necromancy, this floating skull was fashioned with a variety of robotic components and anti-grav tech that could carry out a variety of tasks from cataloging information to combative actions against any poor schmuck that crosses me.
This particular one was one of the first prototypes I had devised without the anti-grav tech. A floating skull was essentially the basis of all necromancy, so carving a few runes and channeling a bit of magic would make some room available for other mechanical components.
Plus the magical ones had a cool little green flaming skull effect.
Didn't really make for good stealth, but gave off some awesome special effects for necromancy.
I skid to a halt when I notice an odd occurrence.
Patches of grain in the shape of footprints were sprouting out of the ground intersecting my path heading deeper into the woods.
A growl off to my left quickly draws my attention as I come face to face with a mastiff with glowing red eyes.
If the eyes alone weren't notable enough, this particular mastiff was the size of a rhino.
[Observe]
Hellhound
Lvl – 276
Thoughts – Hunger, Fury
I have to be honest, probably not the most terrifying iteration of a hellhound I've ever seen.
Three others melded out of the shadows behind him as he continued to threaten me, his teeth snapping in my face.
*Thump*
My fist impacted the side of its head, sending its teeth flying, my blade flying out of its sheath and impaling its skull.
The other hellhounds paused as I leveled the storm bolter at them, the belt-fed weapon racking the first of many rounds.
"Well! Its not every day that such willing components fall into my lap. Let's hope you lads hold up better than your compatriot here." I say with a bloody grin, the nemesis falcon ripping itself out of the corpse of the first hound and levitating up to point at the remaining hellhounds.
Not giving them time to respond I telekinetically impale one as I unleash hell on the other two, the dual barrels of the storm bolter unleashing their fury on the unfortunate beasts, blowing them to shreds in seconds.
Retrieving the falcon from the corpse of the hellhound, I turn back to the footprints for analysis.
Footprints were child-sized so I was either dealing with a small nymph playing a game of "keep away" with some hellhounds, or, what was most likely the case, a demigod of some sort.
Taking off at a sprint, I send the servo-skull to start charting a path and get me a map of the local area. Hopefully, I'd be able to intervene before it's too late.
I wonder how this child attracted the attention of these monsters? It's almost like they were agitated into doing something.
[Demeter POV]
I sat upon my throne as my siblings continued to argue.
Ever since the appearance of the daughter of Zeus and how she and her compatriots were able to evade Hades minions and cross the continent overnight, as well as make it safely within the borders of the camp, the god of the underworld was throwing his usual temper tantrum.
This resulted in the rest of us being forced to watch our various children be slaughtered as he unleashed the depths of Tartarus in his rage.
His demands for the death of Thalia against Zeus's hardheadedness were costing us more children than it had in centuries.
Quite frankly, it was the exact reason that I petitioned regularly for my daughter's divorce from the man. His absolutely horrid temperament did not reflect well on the state of her marriage.
Ignoring my siblings for the moment, I turn my attention to the latest child that I feared would not be alive for much longer.
Susan Sage.
Her father, Drake Sage was killed outside of their farm roughly two weeks ago and she had been running ever since.
It was a remarkable feat in of itself that the little five-year-old had managed to stay one step ahead of the furies for this long, but she was running on fumes at this point.
What little power she has been able to muster has long since drained from using what plants were available.
Part of the problem was little Susan had little "wheat-feet" whenever she got nervous or stressed. An adorable little trait my children displayed from time to time, but it also leaked excess energy through the ground.
Energy that was desperately needed for survival.
I so wished to interfere more than I have and whisk her away from danger, but the fates already warned me twice this week before returning to their battle with "that fucking fate!" as they phrased it.
Either way I had no choice but to watch and hope for the best as that exhausted child hid in the underneath the roots hollowed-out under the base of the tree.
The scrying mirror that I was using to watch over my daughter, suddenly rang out with a bell like sound as a new entity entered the area.
A green flaming skull, with all sorts of machinery attached to it, lunged into the frame wrapping a long "manipulator" like arm around the neck of a hellhound and driving it, point first through its eye socket. The hellhound yowled in pain as it abandoned its attempts to get at the frightened demigod beneath the tree.
The silence that had fallen over the throne room made me realize that the "view" was no longer quiet.
"Something interesting sister?" Athena inquired innocently, a book propped open in-front of her for study.
"Well, I was being resigned to watch monsters butcher yet another of my children because someone was being a child." I say throwing a nasty look at Hades, causing him to turn red in anger before continuing; "But it appears that something is interfering with that particular fate." I finish, enlarging the mirror and levitating it to the center for everyone to observe.
My little girl peaked out at the bloodthirsty little skull as it fought gamely on as another hellhound tried to tear it from its brothers head.
"What sort of abomination is that?!" Aphrodite commented, horror plastered across her features.
"Not bad . . . ." Ares mused watching the device with fascination.
Other gods expressed their opinions about the skull, but the one that was most notable was Hephaestus.
His interest left his machines for the first time this meeting as he observed the skull intently.
One of the Furies, Tisiphone I believe, floated down and ripped the skull from the hellhound, causing him to explode into dust.
Tearing the arms from the little skull, she examined it closely.
"Sending your Furies to hunt my children Hades? Have you no shame!" I whisper furiously at the death god.
"Bite me grain for brains! If this bastard had held his daughter to the same standard as my children, we wouldn't be here." He hissed back before the mirror distracted us all once more.
"What an odd undead, I'll deal with you later. But first . . ." she said turning to the girl that was shrinking back beneath the roots.
"Don't make this any harder sweetheart, otherwise I'll have to punish you~." The Fury cackled reaching her arm through to grab the girl.
"Anchor Hold" A new voice roared out causing a shimmering blue barrier to knock the Furies claws away.
"What the . . . . GAKK!" the Furies question was interrupted as a large hydraulic arm reached into the mirror view and clamped around her neck, and ripping her from where she was standing.
"OY ya ruddy bastards! Let's give you a proper meal to chew on if ya can handle the likes of me! FOR EVEN IN DEATH, I STILL SERVE!" The voice roared out over the screeches and choking sounds of his newly captured prey.
Roar's, explosions and gunshots sounded out as I hurried to switch the subject focus of the mirror.
The mirror panned out to reveal a hulking armored figure, holy light glowing off his weapons of war. The mixture of red and grey plating of the armor was embossed with litanies written in ones and zeros, the mechanical devices on his back whirling into various combat armatures as one hydraulic claw continues to throttle Tisiphone. The glowing eye slits of the angular helmet did little to disguise the righteous fury, as an arm-mounted cannon of some sort sprayed explosive rounds into the surrounding monsters.
A cyclops charged towards the armored being, only for the crusader to pull a hammer from seemingly nowhere and meet his charge. Slamming the hammer into the cyclopes kneecap, and causing it to explode with a clap of thunder.
"SMITE!"
Kicking the large monster over, lightning crackled overhead as he brought the hammer down, a bolt of lightning blowing up the cyclopes head as the man caved in his ribcage.
"FOR THE Omnissiah!"
[Tavish POV]
Now that I had cleared enough space, I scooped up the damaged servo-skull and poured negative energies into it.
Making this a necromancy mob gave me a loop hole for quick repairs since the loss of access to the repair spell.
The little skull was soon zooming out overhead to provide a overhead view of the battlefield.
"Alright little buddy, give me some statistics!" I order the servo-skull.
[Acknowledged.]
[Scanning . . . .]
[Forces identified!]
[Demigod hunting force led by the fury, Tisiphone]
[This contingent makes up for roughly 5% of the forces within the area.]
[Conclusion: Current state insufficient to maintain survival of demigod.]
[Solution: Evening the odds and reinforcing our troops will increase our odds of success.]
"Alright. Then lets get you some siblings." I reply.
Holding out my hands, portals open around me, and necron warriors' step through, their eyes glowing menacingly in the fading night.
Iris, you said not to summon my human companions, right?
[That is correct . . .]
Alright cool!
Summon Companion: Bear!
Summon Companion: Wolfe!
The two massive Panzerhunde drop out of portals with a roar, dwarfing many of the monsters in attendance.
Summon Companion: B.O.B. !
The omnic butler drops out of a portal of his own, landing gracefully and tipping his hat in my direction.
"B.O.B., their is a very frightened child under that tree over there. Would you please stand guard?"
The silent omnic saluted before going to strand over the roots where the child was peeking out shyly as B.O.B. gave her a little wave.
Pulling another servo-skull out of my inventory, I activate it, the large speakers mounted underneath crackling slightly.
"Alright Mr. Vox, would you do us the honor of invigorating us with righteous litanies?" I question.
The skull floats for a moment before enthusiastically bobbing up and down.
[BGM: Incense & Iron]
[Inspire activated!]
"Truly righteous . . . ." I comment before yelling out to the rest of my forces. "Alright lads! Divide and conquer! We need to beat this group and hunt down the rest of the forces before anyone else gets caught up in this obvious case of child endangerment. And remember, if all else fails, RIP AND TEAR, UNTIL IT IS DONE!" I finish with a shout as my machines surge forward.
[Demeter's POV]
The gods had fallen silent as the monster force was annihilated, the skeleton-like warriors emitting green beams of light that deconstructed anything they touched.
Cannons boomed out as the bigger of the two beast like machines unleashed its firepower into anything that crossed it path while the smaller one simply tore through the hoard.
But the one that continued to stand out was the warrior who started it all as he fired shot after shot into any creature that stepped into his sightline, the Fury still grasped in one of his claws, almost as an afterthought.
Hephaestus had broken out into a full grin at this point before he muttered loudly enough for the whole room; "Eighty-nine years is an awful long time to remain dormant you wild bastard."
"Hephaestus! You know this mortal?!" Zeus said sharply, drawing a chuckle from the god.
"Know him? That man is a being that dove into the depths of hell and made demons cower in fear! He's the Slayer!" he uttered, the lights seemingly diming slightly throughout the room.
I noticed that Hestia had appeared next to the fire with her eyes affixed on the mirror, a knowing look on her face as she watched the destruction. I'll have to ask her about it later.
"Why haven't you reported him before now?" Athena accused, her eyes narrowing as she stared down the god of forges.
"Wasn't a need to. He did what he felt was right, and had no interests in dealing with us. I was only aware of him because of his exceptional abilities with machines." Hephaestus rumbled unabashedly, his eyes refocusing on the display.
[Tavish POV]
"Now, what should I do with your pathetic ass?" I snarl at the fury still grasped by my servo arm.
"S-spare me! And Lord Hades will be lenient." Tisiphone chocked out around the grasp of my arm.
"He'll be lenient? Listen, in case you haven't got the memo, I'm the one who caught you hunting and killing children for sport because the lord of the dead didn't get his way. And for the record, that just pisses me the fuck off. So . . . here's what I'm going to do. . ."
Reaching into my inventory I pull out a small box and open it, pulling out a large coin and holding it up for the fury to see; "Care to read out the inscription for me?" I offer.
"O-one Singular fuck?" the creature uttered in befuddlement.
"That's right! This one singular fuck that I've been hanging onto in the event where I have absolutely no more fucks to give."
Leaning in to the beast I continued; "Now I'm going to let you and your sisters off with a warning this time, and send you back to your boss with this little fuck."
My voice drops to a wrath filled whisper; "So that next time, if I catch you doing this shit again, I will officially have no more fucks to give."
I pulled back from the sweating fury and comment brightly; And with that, lets wrap this up to gift back to Mr. Hades himself!"
"What do you mean by Gakk-." The fury was interrupted mid-sentence once more as I man-handled the large coin into her mouth, the power armors fingers causing her to choke.
"Sorry Miss, but I need to make sure its secured before I send you off. . ." I cheerfully inform as I force the coin into her esophagus.
Dumping her on the ground to flop around and make choking sounds, I turn to survey the clean-up of monsters.
[Demeter POV]
The room was silent once more after this supposed slayer's declaration.
Ares broke out into laughter at the exchange; "Kids got big brass ones, I'll tell you that."
Hades was standing there shaking in fury as he snarled; "Who does that little shit think he is . . ." He started winding up into a tirade before an unexpected voice broke into the conversation.
"Considering what was happening, you got off surprisingly lucky brother."
All eyes were on Hestia after that comment.
"Could you please elaborate sister?" I inquired, curious as to her reasoning.
"I've watched this particular individual for quite some time, and one thing that always evokes the worst of reactions from him, is the deliberate harming and killing of children." She informed before turning to the mirror.
"His protective instinct of the next generation has driven him to do incredible, yet terrible things. He overthrew an entire nation because they wronged one little girl, and slaughtered thousands for causing the death of innocents." She continued, the normally gentle fire in her eyes was replaced with endless seas of flame.
"And when someone dared to kidnap the mortal he considers a daughter, The entire world shook from the force he used to protect her and wreak the bloodiest vengeance." The goddess of the hearth refocused her eyes on Hades.
"So before considering how dare he, consider how even after all that you've done in the past few weeks for your so-called "justice", remember how he let you off with a warning. How instead of charging through the gates of the underworld, carving a path that would leave the underworld forever altered, and dragging your ass out and mounting your head on the end of a stick, he gave you a warning."
"One that you best heed if you don't wish to incur my wrath as well." The surrounding fire in the room roaring to life with her last words.
In that instant, everyone was reminded that, while not an Olympian, Hestia, the goddess of hearth, home and family, was one of the eldest gods. And while her fury was rarely roused, she finally appeared to have reached her limit with the constant slaughter of demigods recently.
Hades paused as he considered his next words carefully. It was rare that his sister became angry, but when she did, she made for a very fearsome opponent indeed.
"Very well sister, I will stop, but I will not forget." Hades finally growled out.
"I hope you don't. For next time, it won't be us demanding answers, it will be him. Wielding a steel barreled sword of vengeance." Hestia uttered, before the flames dimmed once more.
I stared at my sister in shock before the meeting was finally steered to other topics.
I would love to pull her aside and pick her brain for more information on this mysterious individual, and to thank him for saving my daughter, but It might be best to give her a chance to cool off.
After all, he wasn't just going to vanish off the face of the earth.
Right?
[Interlude: Ditto is pretty versatile isn't he?]
[Ash POV]
"Pikachu! Use Terminal Thunder!" I shout, throwing him at the Raichu of the thunder gym leader.
Pikachu envelopes itself in lightning and hits the Raichu blowing him through the wall of the gym.
Tavish's training methods were definitely odd, but you can't say they aren't effective.
Accepting the gym badge from the sobbing gym leader, I wonder where the enigmatic redhead is right now. . .
[? POV]
An old man went about his day to day as he opened up his business for the day.
Hearing the bell chime, he turns to greet his first customer for the day.
"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon day care!" I greet the tall redhead that stepped in.
"Hey, I'd like to leave my Boros and my Ditto here for a bit." The man informs me.
"Sure thing, just fill out the required paperwork and your good to go!" I agree enthusiastically.
Its always nice seeing a trainer get into Pokémon breeding like this. So few do it these days.
After he finished the paperwork, he dragged the Boros into the pasture for me, and I was shocked at two things. One, the absolutely foul language he was using. And two, the fact that he could talk! I could see why the trainer wanted to pass on this Pokémon's genes.
"Don't you dare leave me here you fucker! I don't lay eggs! This is a travesty upon my species and how dare you stick me in here with this blob thing." The Pokémon ranted.
"Alright now, you kids have fun! I'll be back in a few weeks!" The trainer cheerfully bid goodbye as he left me payment.
What a nice young man.