Eris, the Sword Maiden... A level seven monster whose powers were not just in physical form, but in her ability that touched upon the divine in being able to see souls of people beyond the shell of life they had around said, soul.
Seeing her standing so calmly next to Materia, I took a deep breath before I smiled and said. "Well, hello Materia. How are you feeling now?"
I was obviously stunned to see the duo here, but as I took in Materia's form more. I realized I just very fucking unlucky. As the somewhat petite beauty was clad in a nice summer dress and wearing flip-flops of all things.
Which meant that they were almost certainly staying in one of the hotels nearby the port until Eris found my soul from a distance... Hell, it was likely that she probably got a laugh out of how easy it was to pick out my soul with how I was on a ship in the middle of the massive Lake of Melen.
"I am doing so much better Jake! Hehe, I been driving my sister insane as I been helping my Familia members do some chores around the mansion and she doesn't want me running around so much haha!" Materia said happily as she all but bounced over and then without a moment of hesitation I felt her light form slam into me with a hug that made me still and look at Eris who was behind her.
The Sword Maiden just gave a natural smile before she shrugged as Materia's thin arms tightened around myself as the 'blind' swordswoman said calmly. "Materia has wanted to show her thanks to you for helping cure herself... But she is still shy and even after rehearsing what she wanted to say, she-"
Materia let go of me with a dark flush crossing her ivory pale skin as she ran over to Eris and took her arm that wasn't holding her sword staff with a teary pout. "Eris! You can't say that, it's embarrassing!"
A cough rang out from behind me and I looked back at Tina who coughed and I smiled saying. "Tina, Tamamo. Please escort Astraea's ladies back home, I need to speak with Materia and Eris."
I could feel Astraea giving me a long look from out of my vision before her measured voice spoke out. "Very well, please lead us on ladies."
And without any fanfare I watched as my two girls took the Astraea familia members off the ship and out into the city towards our home.
Leaving me alone with Materia... And Eris, who was the threat.
But as I refocused on Eris, I saw her visibly sigh before she looked towards me with her covered eyes and said. "I am not going to drag you back to Orario Jake. Understand that here and now I am not your enemy nor is the Hera Familia itself."
My lips twitched at that and before I could retort Eris looked down and so did I only to see the most devastating of puppy eyes from Materia which made me shudder as her ever green eyes reflective light almost hurt me down to the soul at the sight. "Erissss, you promised to be nice." Materia spoke with a quivering lip.
I couldn't help a chuckle as even blind, Eris shuddered before she looked away and I spoke up more calmly. "Alright, come on there's some covered patio's over there. Let's talk and establish what's going to happen."
My words seemed to fit Eris's mode of thinking as she nodded and we three walked across the port to the mainland to the little park in front of the lake that had some covered tables that were empty that would give us some privacy and once we were there and sat down.
We got into the meat of things, as Eris asked me bluntly. "Why did you flee Orario? Albion didn't think you were a coward nor thought we were your enemies in all reality. Only the Zeus Familia has harmed you and yours."
Materia looked at me in concern at hearing Eris's words and after a moment of thought, I replied honestly. "I didn't want to be put into a gilded cage by your Familia. Putting out elixirs and making weapons en-mass for people that although kind, wouldn't let me grow to my full potential."
And at that, Materia grimaced as she herself knew exactly what I meant, as her magical lung and heart cancer was worse than her sisters and had resulted in her barely being able to walk for long without needing a lengthy break.
Her entire life used to be living in the Hera Familia's gilded mansion which was a cage only by writ of her weak body.
Eris tilted her head to the side before she slowly nodded in agreement. "That is a fair thought process Jake, but you are weak. You can die ever so easily and your worth as one of literally a half dozen smiths in Orario left that can work the greater metals makes you invaluable... That is not including your abilities as a Tamer, of an almost literal divine tier alchemist who makes elixirs and enchanted items as well."
She gave me a long look as she said bluntly. "Miach, Dian-Chet, and other gods of healing, medicine, rebirth, and other domains even if they cheated slightly in using their Arcanum couldn't heal Materia or Alfia, but you could."
And that was the result of my power, my cheat being an out-of-context source of solutions as my weapon and armor trials to gain magic, and skills then and there. Was a perfect representation of how my Upgrade cheat was able to take my idea's and sources of powers from other universes.
I brushed a hand across my face before I said plainly. "My value is what it is. But full stop, I refuse to live within a gilded cage... As I remember Shenhe very clearly wrapping and bending some metal around like legs to bind me to a table like they were chains."
Materia had a wry smile across her face as she muttered. "Shenhe is nice... She just doesn't understand social norms at all, she just wanted to make sure you would have stayed there and healed from your broken shoulders and not run off."
But before I could respond Eris gave a slight hum before she spoke out. "In either case Jake. As I said before, I will not be attempting to take you away back to Orario, you are free to live your life and I hope that you are still willing to consider any commissions from the Hera familia."
After a moment of thought I slowly nodded. As Eris, had been nothing but kind and reasonable to me even if some other members of the Hera Familia were trying to keep me overly close.
That and I really didn't want Materia to turn her pout at me if I acted like an ass so I nodded and said more calmly. "That goes without saying. I want to grow stronger, level up, and have a good life... If you ladies want to purchase or trade things with me that is perfectly fine. In that same vein, I have acquired the materials I needed for Alfia's cure for her own issues."
Materia leaned up over the table and slapped the table as she cried out in excitement. "Seriously! You have the cure!?"
I awkwardly smiled Eris coughed and gently pulled Materia back as her summer dress's small cut at the top exposed her pale flesh of her chest under her dress with how she leaned over the table. "No Materia, he said he has collected the materials themself, he hasn't had time to actually make the cure."
I nodded in agreement as Materia pouted slightly before she smiled and asked excitedly. "Wait so could I watch you make it?"
To which I wiped away my smile and said firmly. "No, I can't do my craftsmanship with people watching over me. I even only let Lady Hepheastus watch me craft for a couple of times before I went on my own way."
And Eris nodded as she said softly. "Very well, I myself do calligraphy in my spare time and I would hate someone standing over me as I am doing such precise work... And Materia, we do not want Jake to fail his concocting do we?"
Materia's face scrunched up at Eris's rightful prodding before she nodded reluctantly but with that said I took out a flask from my side pocket and took a drink before I asked curiously. "So whatcha ladies doing out here in Melen? Just a vacation or something else of importance?"
"Oooh! I wanted to go swimming out in the safe parts of the lake that are caged off from monsters entering, and uhm... I really like seafood so I been eating a lot of that today hehe." Materia giggled at the end mischievously as Eris rolled her eyes.
"Yes... Seafood you aren't supposed to be eating anyway with the regimented diet the medics have you on to allow you to build up your strength." Eris groused before shaking her head and continuing.
"I myself have a bit of social... Cleansing to do here in Melen, the Evil Familia's have overstepped with their rampant slave trading and I will be needing to clean up their members before sending their gods to be chastised by the divines of Orario."
At Materia's uncomfortable look, I raised an eyebrow before a thought struck me. "And what about the slaves then? Will they be released or something?"
As I remembered all too well the screams of cheers, the screams of fear and humiliation at the Flesh Market. The elves, cat beastkin mother and daughter duo, the humans, and even amazons that were being sold had their 'Free Will' ripped out from their souls by the insane goddess Libertas.
Eris's face went cold for a moment before she slowly answered bluntly. "It depends on their orders... If they haven't been sold and had their buyer designated as their master, then nothing will happen to them. Then I won't touch them at all, but most masters give their slaves orders to kill their killers to avenge them."
I drew a hand across my face at hearing that and for a moment there was silence until Eris asked. "Unless you have some wonderful cure for such an affliction given by the mad goddess Libertas in taking people's free will."
I gave Eris a dark look as I damn well didn't have one... Though on the other hand?
I mused on the thought and I did have some thoughts. If it was a magical contract or effect could I make and do the challenge for the Noble Phantasm Rule Breaker from Medea in the Fate universe?
Or try to make some scrolls of Dispel Magic or a Dispel Materia from Final Fantasy?
The real question was should I even get involved in this situation to begin with?
After a minute I realized that although I wanted to get stronger, to live a good life... I wasn't the type of person who watched a box of puppies floating down the river. If I could help someone who desperately needed it, I would help them if I could.
So I exhaled and after a moment I nodded and said. "I am not sure, but I have some ideas that could help Eris." I looked towards her and she tilted her head to the side as I asked. "Do you think you could get a couple of those slaves to me? To see if I could remove the control over them and restore their free will?"
And before Eris could even respond Materia clapped her hands excitedly and said. "Of course, she can! Eris is one of the strongest members of the Hera Familia so of course she can haha!"
Now it was Eris's turn to be put on the spot before she exhaled and said with some amusement. "Very well then... Will you need the slave's master still alive Jake?" She asked simply and after a moment I nodded.
As being able to see and maybe have some way to work out the connection between slave and master could be a help in freeing them.
With that all said Materia looked around and seeing the setting sun she pouted and looked back to me and spoke. "Well Jake, I probably need to be going to bed as I am getting tired from running around all day... Could I see you tomorrow again?" She asked with her hands being put together pitifully making me chuckle at the sight.
"Alright alright Materia, you be a good girl, I will be here tomorrow, as I will be taking my ship out again around noon, and I imagine you plan on bringing the slave or slaves tonight right Eris?" I asked the blind woman who nodded simply as she regally stood up from her chair.
"Indeed, Materia come with me now. I will put you to bed before I have my own obligations to do tonight." Eris said more seriously with Materia who got up without a fuss and I watched them both leave before I exhaled at all this.