(General POV)
When you build a construct like Babel Tower it is so easy to fill it with all sorts of things. and by things, it could be anything. Entire floors were dedicated to weaponry and armoury, for sale of course and those were floors where the Hephaestus Familia spent a lot of their time.
Of course there were a multitude of other things that could be bought like clothes, perfumes, spices, books and...other things. If it could be likened to anything in the modern world, one would say it was just a mall tower. It would not be entirely accurate though as the building did serve other purposes.
For instance, there was one large floor altogether that served as the meeting place for the Denatus whenever the gods would call one. And then there were luxurious apartments for the more wealthy citizens as well as the city's ruling government to live in.
Obviously it went unsaid that the patron of the most powerful Familia got the top of the tower itself, a fitting throne for her to look down upon those stationed beneath her. It also served as a cage for Ouranos to house the troublesome goddess and prevent her from causing as much discord as she was able to if she were allowed to roam about freely.
But when you build something as big as Babel, and it's built by a architectural enthusiast ('ahem'...lunatic...'ahem') there is bound to be something or a good few somethings to hide in the tower as well.
One obvious example is Ouranos's altar, the path to which was known only by a select few other gods and guild officials. Another would be secret passageways for Familia to cover their more illicit and arguably not legal dealings although the tower was so big those were very hard to find.
Lyze was no stranger to bizarre places being hidden in great towers, even ones such as Babel but it did catch him a little off guard when upon flying up to Freya and requesting to having a small tussle with Ottar, the duo had led him (a little eagerly on Freya's part) down an elevator shaft that looked as if it were seldom used down underground and to a small training room.
Training room probably would not be the correct term either perhaps. More like a small arena where perhaps a couple hundred people could spectate whatever happened in the middle of the ring. The place looked quite old though even if clearly maintained.
He chalked it up to perhaps having been a place of bouts and challenges between Familia when the city was very small. Possibly gladiator matches as well considering the place was constructed under the orders of an Olympian like Ouranos as well. It was probably safe to assume that when the Amphitheatron, or the Colosseum ran by the Ganesha Familia in the east of the city was built, such games and entertainment moved over there and the place was forgotten afterwards by the populace.
Still though, even if Lyze could not by himself deduct which level of Babel they were in, he was certain they were underground. If that was the case, how close to the dungeon were they? Or was the thing built into the dungeon? Either way, in case there was an outbreak, he doubted anything could come their way that neither he nor Ottar couldn't kill with a backhand.
The most dangerous thing that could come up in a short time would probably be a minotaur and Lyze was ripping the heads off of those things when he was a level 1. As a fresh level 3, his prowess was undoubtedly much more impressive as Ottar was now learning for himself.
The man found himself swinging one of his signature greatswords downwards at Lyze as the boy fended him off with Excalibur. The major difference between now and their last battle was that the boy was holding himself quite well against the same strength Ottar had used previously.
Instead of hopping and dancing from foot to foot, the boy was now firmly planted in the ground and using the raw strength in his arms to deflect the blows away. Slash, parry and deflect, thrust. A compilation of sequences made out of the four actions, and even though none made it even close enough to going through Ottars defences, the Boaz was surprised at the sheer strength behind each of the boy's attacks.
As the boy continuously leapt at him with his sword and landing swift yet heavy attacks, Ottar's marvel grew even if it did not show on his face.
'It has only been a week at most since our last battle and a couple of days since I last saw him fight.' Ottar thought as he blocked one attack. The strength behind that hack shook the immediate ground around them as Ottar's boots were driven deeper into the sand. 'It's like his power has doubled again...no, tripled...wait, that doesn't feel correct either.'
Ottar's eyes widened as Lyze activated 'Flash of the Thunder God' and drove the tip of Excalibur towards Ottar's plexus. Ottar used the flat of his sword to block the thrust but the the velocity added to the extreme force caused the Boaz to be dragged back a little, digging ruts in the sand. Close combat involves more than just weapons which was why when Ottar blocked and the boy was momentarily held in place, Ottar punched towards the boy's side with an appropriate amount of his strength of course.
What took him by further surprise was when Lyze lifted a forearm and allowed the fist to connect. Ottar was a giant man, and if he merely grabbed Lyze's arm, the majority of it would be in his grip. Yet the boy's small forearm held strong against his fist and the boy showed no sign of strain, externally at least as his body was flung away by the force.
Not a moment later, Lyze was upon him again with a flurry of strikes that would have looked like a simultaneous blur of attacks to a normal person's perception. Ottar kept up with it easily but he also noticed how much faster Lyze had gotten too. The boy also seemed more calm and focused on the battle, employing complex yet deadly combinations of sword work with his sword arm.
Everything about Lyze had only seemed to have gotten better. He was a better fighter, a better tactician and apparently his thirst for destructive magic had dwindled as well, which was a huge plus in Ottar's book. Ottar was someone who valued strength in any form. He himself preferred to be physically strong, but he also appreciated powerful magic. Lyze's however left far too much devastation in it's wake. Even now Ottar had phantom pains of the time he'd caught an actual miniature sun in his palms. Magic like that was extremely dangerous both to the environment and the user, and reckless use of such power was something Ottar had quite detested about Lyze.
But throughout this whole fight, barely any had been used at all. It had been a pure physical fight, a test of both strength and technique with the sword as a 6'11 boar man brought down heavy judgement upon a 4'9 human boy that responded with just as much fire.
Ottar released one particularly heavy sweep that sent a gushing shockwave throughout the arena as Lyze blocked it expertly with Excalibur. Sparks flew off the connection as Lyze was sent skidding back, yet he kept his posture straight, his feet planted firm and his eyes trained on his opponent. Keeping his head in the game and not allowing himself to be distracted. Ottar approved.
"You're still slow, and still weak." Ottar said as he rested his sword on his shoulder and looked away before giving Lyze a side-eye. "But you are much stronger than you were last time. I find it difficult to believe that stats alone did this to you." Ottar fixed him with a gaze. "Such an increase can only come about from a level boost. You've levelled up again haven't you?"
"Guilty as charged." Lyze shrugged his shoulders. A smile was spread across his face, not because of his level up but because of how much his blood was pumping from fighting the older man. That confirmed it, Lyze was a battle and adrenaline junkie after all.
Although that came with a few complications as well as people who were like that tended to have certain...preferences, if you catch my drift. Lyze liked to believe he was not a sub type but the laws of anime tended to make things work against your will after all.
"~My my, already?~" Freya sang from her perch in the main spectator's box. Her eyes were keenly focused on the fight happening below her. More specifically they were trained on Lyze's beautiful bright soul. The silver fire burned brighter than ever, to the point where it had become more than a flame, akin to a fireball. The sight of it seared itself into her memory, to always be on the back of her mind ebbing away at her patience and no doubt going to fill her with a longing to see it again. She would have to have Lyze come and spar with Ottar more often if simply fighting a higher level adventurer like that made Lyze this luminous.
"Yes already Freya." Lyze said as he rolled a throbbing shoulder. The parries really sent some serious vibrations up his arms. "You were expecting that I assume."
"I most certainly was." She replied. "Just not so soon Lyze. Whatever could have happened that it accelerated your ascension this fast?"
"I encountered another new monster in the dungeon."
"Another one? The dungeon really doesn't seem to like you, my Odr."
"No, it really doesn't." He replied grimly. "And I said before, stop with that name already. Nothing is concrete yet."
"Even if it is not set in stone..." Freya smiled at him "...I heard endearing names brings two people closer together do they not? In which case if I continue to call you husband, you may become mine one day."
"Calling a donkey a horse over and over again doesn't make it one." Lyze said dryly. "That's just you trying to lie to yourself."
"I'm willing to take my chances."
Lyze's shoulders dropped as he sighed in exasperation. There was no reasoning with this woman. Ottar's brow raised as he once more took a look up and down Lyze's forms.
"I suppose it's from this new monster that you got 'that'?" He said pointing at the Golden Breastplate, under which the Golden Chainmail could be seen spilling out.
"Mhm." Lyze nodded. "Don't ask." He said quickly as he saw Ottar was about to say more. Freya however looked over the opulent attire. While golden armour seemed a little vain and pompous most of the time, there was something about this particular set that gave the exact opposite impression.
There was a sort of ethereal beauty about it that brought a gasp to your lips when you first saw it. Somehow, on Lyze who was infamous for wearing black all the time, the lightest he'd ever gone being dark blue, the bright and expensive colour looked just right. Somehow it made him appear more majestic...like a king of some sort.
A small part of Lyze himself was geeking out over wearing this armour. Now that he'd gone past his brooding phase and was just generally taking things more easily nowadays, he'd come to appreciate the fun he was having, and and had begun to realize how surreal the life he was living was when he took a step back from the picture. He was capable of doing things that would have either made him a freak or deified him back on Earth. The armour he was wearing at the moment would be something almost no one could even dream of having, and he had so much gold in the form of jackbird eggs he would likely have been targeted for murder and pilfering back home.
Here he could enjoy his riches and his power with (almost) nobody judging him and he could do pretty much as he pleased. No one freaked out about you carrying a weapon. Nobody spoke unnecessarily, there was little mental illness and overall retardedness when talking to people. Yes people were a little depraved in the city but not overly so. The air was fresh, the body was light, the mind was at peace most of the time and Lyzof Keele could bask in the serenity that contrasted very much with the hustle bustle chaos of city life back home and the cesspool of toxicity and stupidity that was social media.
Maybe he should be looking to stay in this world after all.
"I think I've had enough." Lyze said as he placed Excalibur in his hammer-space. "I've got an idea of how strong I am now. I just wanted to acclimate and now I believe I have."
"Indeed." Freya said as she descended towards them, a gentle smile on her face. "If you were going to have trouble with my second class adventurers before, I doubt you will now. Tell me, how soon am I to expect to hear that you've become a level 4?"
"You say that as if I somehow have got this planned." Lyze said.
"Knowing you, it may very well be the case."
"On what basis?" Lyze rolled his eyes. "Besides, stuff just happens to me which provides me the conditions necessary to move upwards in the ranks. And just in case you forgot, YOU sending this guy..." he pointed to Ottar, "...to beat the snot out of me acted as a major catalyst in it all. From D rank all the way to S rank."
"Really?" Freya put a hand to her mouth as she looked at Ottar. "I didn't realise that it was that effective." Freya smiled a little deviously. "We should definitely arrange more of such challenges for you face in the future Odr. If that is all it takes for you to grow so strong in such short time, then I'm well equipped to provide you the necessary push in that area."
"No thank you!" Lyze pointed a finger at her. "I'd better not find you cooking up any more crazy schemes against me, you hear? I thought I would never hear the end of it from Riveria. She's still bugging me about it."
"No promises." Freya stuck her tongue out. "The end justify the means, right?"
"Do you have any idea what you're stepping into by saying that?" Lyze asked as he rolled his eyes.
"Don't try to touch places that are still yet out of your reach." Freya smiled as she placed a hand on his head. "You're still a tad bit too short to even try anything."
"LEAVE MY HEIGHT OUT OF IT DAMMIT!"
As the two argued a little back and forth, Ottar watched them from the side smiling a little. It surprised him how easily the two were able to converse with each other even after so few instances of meeting. Lyze cared not for her status as a goddess, but instead saw her as a woman with 'issues'. And that seemed to be something that made his Lady very happy, which in turn made him happy as well.
And his happiness absolutely had nothing to do with the fact that having the boy around would lessen then chances of Freya causing havoc amongst her Familia every time she snuck out into the city.
"Oh yeah." Lyze suddenly said. "There was one other thing I came to you for."
"And that was?" Freya questioned.
"A favour."
"Oh." Freya smiled brightly. "I'd thought that you were not going to be coming to me for one of those anytime soon."
"Well things have changed. To be frank, I need you to get me into the underground prison where they keep the criminals locked up."
"I could do that." Freya said confused. "For what though."
"Murder."
Freya and Ottar blinked.
"Or divine justice, considering exactly what I'm planning." He continued.
"...I'm listening." Freya said as she saw Darkness overtake Lyze's soul momentarily. The shivers that that image sent through her body was just...exhilarating.
---
"So this person hurt the one you were trying to save from the Soma Familia. They did that because they believed the little girl was solely responsible for it's devastation." Freya said as the three of them walked past the starstruck guards, Ottar keeping at the back of the line while Freya was in between the two of them.
"That is correct." Lyze said, his tone cold and much more menacing than it was previously.
"And you feel that taking justice into your own hands is the right thing to do?"
"In this particular case yes." Lyze replied. "I also hold quite a bit of a vendetta against this bastard as well. I believe the punishment I have in mind is also one that you will find interesting as well."
"Truly?"
"Yes. Here he is." Lyze said as they came to a stop in front of a cell of one Canoe Belway. The man was asleep as were pretty much all the idiots locked up in here. Those still conscious were charmed into oblivion by Freya so their actions down here remained discreet.
"Would I be wrong in assuming that you do not intend to carry out whatever you have planned in the cell?" Freya asked.
"No. But I will tell you...what I have in mind is a very gruesome and very barbaric punishment if you will. It is horrific even to describe...pure sadism honestly. It would be the work not of a hero like you think I am...but of a Devil."
"I am a goddess of War you know." Freya said. "Blood and gore please me just as much as copulation and love does as well. And I was serious when I said I aimed to love you, every side of you. And anyway, we investigated the Soma Familia and considering this particular man's background, I'd say whatever you're about to do is a just recompense."
Lyze stood still for a moment before he smiled. "Perhaps I might just start loving you after all." He said before pointing a finger at the lock and silently opening it with telekinesis. The gate to the cells noiselessly opened not even stirring the slumbering idiot inside. "Now then, as much as I hate to even remind myself of it, I am quite small and he is very big. I doubt I can yet take him without him struggling and alerting anyone else."
Freya nodded understandingly before looking expectantly at her child as he stood behind them. "Ottar?"
Ottar nodded before swiftly marching inside and grabbing the man by the mouth very tightly. Canoe's eyes flew open and he tried to scream, but no sound was to be heard. Even as the chubby raccoon man struggled, it was nothing against the casual grip of the current strongest adventurer of this generation.
'You are such a bro, Ottar.' Lyze thought gratefully as he watched the satisfying scene of the boar man easily manhandling the arrogant little git. 'I'd better think of a good gift for you some day for this favour.'
Normally Lyze would not be so melodramatic but the venomous hatred that was chilling his body because of what this man did to somebody he'd promised to protect had the boy willing to reward anyone that aided him in his revenge. Canoe had shown up Lyze by brutalising Lili, and now he was going to pay...DEARLY!
"Let's take him a little deeper in." Lyze beckoned to them. "And Ottar, please don't knock him out. Yes, put your arm down. I want this bastard to feel the fear of what's to come."
Indeed, Canoe's eyes were filled with trepidation that stoked the Darkness flowing through Lyze's being at the moment. If this brought such glee to him, what about when Lyze began on the actual punishment. They walked forwards, and further into the cesspits of this prison where the dungeons were (and I mean the places of torture, not the monster spawning ones.) In a medieval world, places like these were quite common when dealing with prisoners. Fortunately, it looked vacant at the moment.
Lyze walked by each door, using Chaos Vision to make his gaze penetrate the walls and the doors, looking into each room. Orario really was a place of great wealth if it was able to afford building so many of the same underground facilities in one place. He wouldn't be surprised if there were some cults secretly working down here, not that he knew of any that existed...
.
.
.
...actually, no he did. Evilus.
"Bring him in here." Lyze said as they entered a room with a series of chains running along the room. The chains came into the middle of the room from the walls instead of the ceiling, and the mechanisms to draw them tight were also on the wall. There was a table nearby full of torture instruments and weapons and under the table was what appeared to be a chopping block.
All shreds of humanity in Lyze was gone at this point. What was left behind was something dark and unforgiving, a sentiment all came to realize, Canoe most of all as his eyes widened upon seeing the contents of the room.
"You know what to do big guy." Lyze motioned to Ottar. Within moments, Canoe was chained manacled in the shackles and Ottar had drawn the chains tight enough that the man was forced to kneel on his knees while his arms were stretched out so much that it forced him to bend his back forwards a little.
"Are you going to tell me what you are going to do now Odr?" Freya asked.
"Just a second." He replied as lifted a hand to Canoes' throat while the other clamped the man's mouth shut. "'Snatch'".
Something appeared in his hand, and from where Freya was standing, it looked like something tubular with flaps at an open end. At the same time Lyze released his iron grip on Canoe's jaw and the man opened his mouth to yell out. But even though his mouth emulated a pufferfish, no sound was to be heard.
"Don't bother." Lyze said as he straightened and walked over to the table, tossing away the contents in his hand without even bothering to look where he'd thrown it. "I took your voice box from you and everything else that could possibly give you some kind of voice. There won't be a peep from you anytime soon." Lyze said coldly as he picked up a small knife, an axe, a mallet and oddly enough a couple of nails.
"You stole something from his body, from the outside?" Ottar questioned.
"Yep. If I wanted, I could take his heart from him and he wouldn't even know." Lyze turned back to Freya. "Now I will tell you. As I mentioned once before, in my old world there existed mentions of you and other gods of the Norse pantheons, just like many others of other pantheons."
"Yes you did, interestingly enough. I've actually wanted to hear more of that sometime soon." Freya said, intrigued. Indeed it had been quite shocking revelation that day they'd spent together, one which she didn't understand fully yet but Lyze had promised her he would explain at some point.
"Well consider this a history lesson on my end." Lyze said as he tore open Canoe's shirt from the back. The man jerked as his fear began to rise to unprecedented levels and his feet began thrashing about. Lyze motioned to Ottar to kick the chopping block over to him which the Boaz did. It was extremely heavy and not one that would be easily moved, much less by a level one like Canoe.
"The punishment I am about to enact upon him was one that Vikings, the group of people who worshipped the Norse gods, would use to punish traitors and generally people who had lost their honour, much like this idiot." Lyze placed the chopping block under Canoes feet, telekinetically holding them down as he mercilessly hammered a nail each into the raccoon man's feet. Canoe began thrashing wildly trying to scream but no words would come out. Ice cold gripped the criminal's heart. "They were also very fond of you Freya, or at least your counterpart from my world."
"Really?" Freya's eyes lit up, undisturbed by what was happening before her. Any other woman would have probably felt immediately terrified at the nonchalant cruelty...but not her. Oh no. In every universe, the Norse gods were known for carrying a streak of sadism in their hearts... of which hers was being gently caressed by the boy's cruelty. It only made her love him more, the man trapped in the boy's body, a person unafraid to get their hands bloody.
"Yes indeed. Although I don't know if she actually existed and they'd actually met her at some point. But yes, the red-headed goddess of love and war that rode a chariot pulled by cats into battle was very much revered." Lyze began heating the knife with fire magic until the tip of the blade was red hot.
"Red head?" Freya asked, a little bit off-put as she stroked her beautiful silver locks. "Cat pulled chariot?"
"Their depictions, not mine. Anyway, this punishment was usually a means of sacrifice to Odin, the leader of the Norse pantheon. If the punished could bear with the punishment, he'd regain his honour and enter Valhalla peacefully." Lyze leaned forwards and gently cupped a hand under the trembling man's chin. "And if they didn't bear with it, and screamed while showing obvious signs of pain...well they were doomed for eternity I guess. I don't know much lore beyond that." He poised the knife behind the man's back and Canoe felt the heat of the knife on his bare skin as his back tensed helplessly for what he knew what was about to come. "Consider this not to Odin, but my tribute to you Lady Freya, for facilitating me an opportunity to do this to one of my enemies. This punishment was known as..."
Lyze straightened behind the man and put a hand on his shoulder so the knife would be guided correctly. This was the first time he would be doing such a thing...but he doubted it would be much harder than skinning and gutting an animal after a successful hunt.
"...Blood Eagle."
---
What followed thereafter would have been something to give a person nightmares for the rest of their life. But such was Ottar's devotion to his mistress and his already steeled nerves from seeing people devoured alive by monsters, and such was the intrigue and excitement of Freya at the prospect of Lyze's sacrificing to her that neither were perturbed at all.
Rather they watched keenly as their new friend performed a ritual that would technically be of their people's in another world. There they were the only ones privy...to how much of a monster Lyzof Keele could be.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment and Review!
Read ahead on my Patreon:
Patreon/ Vulkizaro_Zoromi
For commissions:
Ko-Fi/ vulkizarozoromi