-3rd POV-
"So this is Orario. Damn, it's huge," muttered Angel as he looked at the bustling streets of the city.
They had finally arrived in Orario, though it took a little more time than expected. Besides the super long line, Uriel, Angel, Francis, and Alex had to pay a fee for the entire registration process.
For such a medieval era, they had some sort of documentation and citizenship requirement to be allowed entry.
Luckily, the Artemis Familia paid for the fee since they had no Valis to their name. Francis also promised to repay them once he sold the monster parts at the guild.
This whole process took two hours. By the time they entered, it was already sunset.
"So, this is it, huh? Thanks for the help, Artemis. It probably would have taken us much longer to get here on our own," said Francis with gratitude.
But, of course, that wasn't all he was grateful for. Tents, spare clothes, food—the Artemis Familia had helped them a lot during their journey.
"Mhm, no problem. So, what are you going to do now?" asked Artemis.
"We'll head to the guild to sell the monster parts we collected. I'll also look into which Familia we can join."
"I see. Be careful— not all gods are good or kind. Stay away from Apollo especially. The bastard will probably target Uriel," warned Artemis with a scowl.
As one of the Virgin Goddesses, she had a few unpleasant 'interactions' with Apollo in the past. The last time he tried something, Artemis tied him to a tree and used him as target practice for her bow. After that, he stopped bothering her—though she highly doubted he'd give up if he met Uriel. Even Artemis had to admit that Uriel was a first-class beauty.
"Don't worry, Artemis. I'll make sure to steer clear of him," Francis reassured. He already knew how much of a prick Apollo was from the anime. From the start, he wasn't going to let them get anywhere near Apollo's domain, wherever it might be.
And if he does end up targeting her, let's just say that Francis will end up getting a new pair of boots.
With a nod, both parties said their goodbyes. Rethusa and Lante were sad to see them go, especially Lante. She knew they would eventually part ways but couldn't help feeling she'd miss them—especially Francis's cooking.
After their farewells, the group of four headed toward Babel Tower for the guild. It wasn't located inside the tower but close by.
"Hey, did you two get any rewards for arriving in Orario?" asked Francis.
"Yeah, I got five tickets and this skill called [Shadow Phantom]. It creates a blue physical phantom that I can control to fight alongside me," said Angel.
"Same here. I unlocked a crafting skill for my arm. All I need to do is learn recipes and do them once, and then my arm can auto-craft them," added Alex.
"What did you get, Francis?"
"Not much. I got five tickets and about 50,000 Glimmer."
[A/N: Glimmer in destiny is a sort of programmable matter, and can be turned into anything. It is also a currency in-game and in the world of destiny.]
As the three brothers were chatting, they suddenly stopped in their tracks.
"Did you notice it?" Angel whispered to Francis.
"Yeah, I did," Francis replied. The aura in the area felt tense. Though the streets were crowded with vendors and people, it seemed like everyone was on edge, as if they were expecting the next disaster to strike.
"I guess I haven't told you about Evilus. I'll explain it later—" Before Francis could finish, a dreadful sensation washed over them. It felt as if someone was licking their very souls.
The three brothers quickly drew their guns and scanned their surroundings to find the source of the feeling.
"Did you feel that?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, it was disgusting," Francis responded.
"...I think I know where it came from," said Francis, pointing to the top of Babel Tower. Both Angel and Alex followed his gaze in realization.
"Freya!" they thought simultaneously.
Though Francis forgot to mention Evilus, he didn't forget to give his brothers a basic rundown of the Danmachi world. One of the key figures was the crazy goddess Freya. The sensation of their bodies being licked must have been her gazing at their souls.
"Shit, she knows about us," Angel muttered.
"Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it. Let's go," Francis sighed as he holstered his gun. He noticed that their reaction to Freya had drawn some unwanted attention.
"So, what, we're just going to sit back and wait for that lunatic to hypnotize all of Orario just because she wants to mess with us?" Angel complained. He hated the feeling of being watched, especially by a lunatic goddess.
"What, do you want to storm the tower and get rid of her? Angel, you need to understand that, even with all our abilities, we're weak," Francis retorted. He didn't like it either, but they had no choice.
Even if Guardians were god-killing entities, he wasn't sure if he could even do the "Godkiling" so soon into their journey, especially if it was Freya.
"He's right, Angel, especially when she's got a level six or seven adventurer at her side," Alex added as he put away his gun.
"Tch," Angel reluctantly holstered his weapon.
"Is something wrong?" Uriel, having noticed their tense reactions, had also drawn their swords. They didn't know what the threat was but followed their lead.
"No, it's fine... just a stalker," said Francis with a frown, casting a wary glance at Babel Tower.
-Freya POV-
All souls have a color and can be attributed to different things—emotions, personalities, even skills. These attributes are what shape a soul.
But I've never seen such a pure white soul.
It was as if he was light itself, shining his divine luminescence upon all mortal beings.
A god?
No, that's not it.
Hmm?
There's something else deep within him... something obscure, dark. It's almost non-existent—no, it's hidden. Sealed deep within the darkest parts of his soul.
Fufu~
The other two are interesting as well, but their souls are just above average.
The girl, though—the blonde one—she's intriguing. Her soul burns bright red, brighter than any soul I've ever seen... well, second to the older boy.
Oh?
They seem to be drawing their weird and exotic weapons, frantically looking around as if... searching for someone.
As I watch them panic like headless chickens, the older one calms them down and points directly at me.
Surprise washes over me. Such keen senses! Even gods can't usually detect my gaze when I look into their souls, but this mortal can.
Fufufu~ How interesting.
Oh, I'm already getting excited~
"My goddess, shall I retrieve them for you?" Ottar noticed my interest in those four.
"No need to. But do tell the guild receptionist to give them a little... 'nudge,'" I replied. There's no need to rush things.
"As you wish," Ottar replied. Such a sweet child and one of my best.
Despite knowing he will never fill the seat of my Odr, he keeps it warm for when my beloved finally stands by my side.
I can't wait to meet you~
-Francisco POV-
After realizing that Freya was eyeing our souls, we decided to ignore her, despite the uncomfortable feeling.
I asked Uriel if she felt like something was licking her insides, just to check if she could sense her gaze, but Uriel just gave me a weird look and said no.
I guess only my brothers and I can feel it. Maybe our souls are extra sensitive since we've died once already?
"Stop daydreaming, we're here," Alex snapped me out of my thoughts. I noticed the green building in front of us with a sign that said... Wait, I can't read this.
I should probably learn how to read and write in the Gekai language later.
Anyway, it was obviously the Adventurers' Guild, given that multiple armored people were coming in and out. I also recognized it from the anime.
As we entered, I could feel the stares of several adventurers on us, watching and scanning our every move.
Things have been tense for them lately. For all they know, we could be Evilus psychos looking to blow the place to smithereens.
We walked up to the counter, and one of the guild workers asked, "Hello, what can I do for you?"
"We'd like to register as adventurers."
"All four of you?"
"Yes, we came together."
"Alright, just wait a moment while I get the paperwork." She scrambled to the back, and after a few minutes, she returned with a pile of papers.
It looked like a lot, but it would probably be split between the four of us.
"Here you go, just fill out everything," she said. I nodded and took the papers, but then realized—
"Um, miss, I can't read," I said with a wry smile.
"You can't read? That's fine. It's common for adventurers not to be able to read," she replied.
"Hehe, sorry."
I had asked Uriel earlier if she knew how to read, but she didn't either. Her parents hadn't taught her yet.
"Alright, Francisco Lopez, 16, no level, foreigner." After that, we finished registering everyone. It took a while, though.
"Now that you're all registered, it's time for you to choose a Familia," she said. Reaching under the counter, she pulled out multiple books.
"So, what type are you all looking for? Crafting, exploration, producing?"
Hmm, this is tough.
It might be best for Alex to join a crafting Familia due to the new auto-craft feature of his arm, but I don't want us to split up.
Hestia hasn't descended yet, so she's not an option.
Freya is a lunatic—enough said.
The only real option left is Loki. She might be annoying, but she takes good care of her Familia, and we'll need strong backing, especially since we'll have to fight Evilus eventually. No matter what, I'm sure my brothers and I will get dragged into that conflict.
"It seems you're having trouble deciding. May I recommend the Freya Familia? Besides being an S-class Familia, they take very good care of their members," the receptionist suggested with a smile.
Ugh~
It seems like Freya pulled some strings in the guild.
"Thank you for the recommendation. I'll keep it in mind, but I'll continue looking through the book just in case," I replied.
I didn't want to seem suspicious, especially since I was supposed to be new in Orario.
Knowing Freya's personality, she'll probably pull more strings to get me to join her Familia. By pretending I'm considering the option, hopefully, she'll be less pushy and won't make any drastic moves.
At least not until we join another Familia.
By the way, I've already decided we'll join the Loki Familia.
It was between Hephaestus, Loki, and Miach since they're the only gods who are decently good.
But since we're all mostly battle-oriented, I chose Loki.
Wait, I almost forgot the most important thing.
"Ah yes, I also have some monster materials I'd like to sell."
"Monster materials?"
"Yes, we harvested them from monsters we encountered on our way to Orario."
"I see. In that case, please show me what you've brought."
"Of course." Reaching into the bag at my side, I began taking out monster parts. Little by little, a huge pile of them was placed on the desk.
Almost everyone, including the guild receptionist, stared at me in shock.
By the way, the materials weren't coming from the bag—they were coming from my system storage. I just made it look like they were coming from the bag to create the illusion that the bag had spatial storage.
People will focus on the bag instead of me, who actually has the skill.
"M-my, that's a lot of materials."
"Yup, now if you would." Nodding, she took the monster parts to the back to be evaluated.
-30 minutes later-
She returned a while later. It seemed like it took some time to count everything.
We got about 274,721 valis. I'm surprised we got that much money, but considering how my brothers and I slaughtered monsters for XP, it makes sense.
It was always on sight.
I also asked when recruitment would happen for Loki and Freya. Both take place tomorrow morning.
Just to be clear, I'm not going to Freya's recruitment—I'm only making it seem like I'm considering it to buy us time.
"So, what now? Are we staying in an inn tonight?" Uriel asked.
"Yes, we are, but before that..."
It's time for a wardrobe change!
-3rd POV-
"Hehe~, does it look good?" Twirling in a circle, Uriel happily showed off the new dress that Francis had bought for her.
[Uriel PIC]
Never in her life had she worn such a beautiful dress, and the fact that the man she liked was staring at her with a gaping jaw made Uriel even happier.
Snapping out of his daze, Francis quickly complimented, "Of course, you look great!"
Originally, he had just come to get them all some new clothes since the ones they had were the only pair gifted by the Artemis Familia. But after spotting a few outfits he thought would look good on Uriel, Francis couldn't help but spend his share of the money they earned from selling monster parts to buy the dress for her.
But Uriel wasn't the only one getting an upgrade.
Alex sported a simple blue shirt with a string tie at the neck and brown pants.
Angel opted for cargo pants (he was surprised they even existed in a medieval world) and a long-sleeved black shirt, which perfectly complemented his spiky white hair.
However, among the three brothers, Francis was the one who dressed in a... unique style.
"Seriously, Shanks?" Alex asked incredulously.
Francis was decked out in red floral shorts, a slightly open white button-up shirt, black flip-flops, and—most unnecessarily—a black coat draped over his shoulders to complete the look.
He also had his [Griphon] sword strapped to his waist with a sash, and his [Ace of Spades] pistol hidden just in case things got... physical.
"Yes, and if you have a problem with it, you'd better be ready to get your ass whooped," Francis warned. As a proud weeb, it had always been his dream to dress like this and wield a sword—standard Isekai stuff.
After hearing his threat, Alex immediately shut his mouth.
He knew all too well how scary Francis could be when he was angry.
When Francis made a threat, it wasn't a promise—it was a guarantee.
Seeing his brother quiet down, Francis wore a wide grin as he admired his new attire.
"Alright, let's go!" he exclaimed, brimming with enthusiasm.
-Francis POV-
After leaving the clothing store with our new was, the gang and I started wandering through the streets of Orario. We had everything we needed for today and tomorrow's Loki Familia recruitment.
Originally, my brothers protested that we should stay inside our rooms until tomorrow because of Freya. But I wasn't about to let some psychotic—yet admittedly hot—goddess ruin my Isekai adventure.
So, we went for a democratic vote. And guess who won? Me, of course. With a little threat and having a beautiful girl like Uriel on my side, in times like these, having Uriel is a huge advantage.
Looking back, I tried to talk to my brothers. "So, see anything you li—wait, where the hell...?"
No one was there.
Luckily, I had a plan for this.
'Quinella?' I called out mentally, using our telepathic connection.
{Don't worry, I'm always monitoring their positions,} she responded, instantly calming me down.
I let out a sigh of relief. Good, no need to panic. I should go find—
*Sniff*
Oh?
That smells good.
Following the delicious scent, I found myself in front of a food stall run by a middle-aged man frying up potato snacks. Wasn't this where Hestia worked in the anime?
"Sir, can I get one?" I asked.
"Sure, kid, that'll be 150 valis," he replied.
I nodded, handing him the money, and he immediately got to work. It might take a while for him to finish, so I decided to use the downtime to draw some new items from the system.
'Draw five, if you would.'
<[Affirmative. Five new items and skills obtained]
<[Luocha's Pendant (C){Honkai: Star Rail}
*Description: Due to the power of abundance being constantly used through it, with this pendant the wearer can heal up to 40% of total health instantly, though the mana cost varies based on the amount healed. It will also automatically heal the wearer by 40% if their health drops below 50%, once per week.
<[Sticky Paper x5 (E)
*Description: Sticky on one side, writeable on the other.
<[Simple Straw Hat (E)]
*Description: It's a straw hat, what else did you expect?
<[Glimmer x60,000(E-EX){Destiny}
*Description: Glimmer in Destiny is a sort of programmable matter, and this programmable matter can be turned into almost anything.
<[Flying Thunder God Technique(B+){Naruto}
*Description: By entering a dimensional void, users can instantly teleport to a technique formula's location whenever they please, regardless of distance
[Notice: Chakara will not be endowed to host due to Chakara's rank being too high. [Flying Thunder God] technique formula will now be changed and reworked to be able to be created with mind/mana or until the host obtains chakra through system Gacha or rewards]
----------
Huh, no chakra, but that makes sense. Imagine gaining the whole Naruto power system from one technique alone! At least I still have cursed energy, even if the variety of techniques for it is limited.
I should get some ink and paper later to write the technique formula, though I do have sticky paper now. Maybe I could even use my blood infused with mana.
As for the pendant—Otto-I mean Luocha's—that's a solid healing tool. I could definitely use that.
"Here you go, lad. One potato snack for—huh? When did you get that hat?" the man asked, his face puzzled.
I chuckled. "Thanks!" I said, grabbing the snack.
Oh wow, the smell was heavenly.
Taking a bite, I was hit with the incredible taste of crispy fried potatoes and gooey melted cheese. Damn, it was even better than I thought it would be.
Maybe the ingredients in this world are just naturally better?
"Um, one potato snack, please," said a soft voice behind me.
I turned around to see a girl with long golden hair and golden eyes, wearing light armor. Wait a minute—Ais?
I was stunned, not just because it was Aiz Wallenstein, but because she looked like her canon self. She should be much younger right now, considering the timeline. But she looked like her 16-year-old self.
That means... this is an alternate universe?
"Sorry, lass, the weirdly dressed boy got the last ones," the vendor said. "And who wears a black coat over pants?"
Oi! I will have you know that this is an official Shanks cosplay! You could never comprehend the immaculate drip I'm wearing!
Ais' face fell, looking like a kicked puppy.
"Oi, want half?" I offered. No way was I letting a girl like her stay sad over a potato snack.
"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"Yeah, I don't mind." I snapped the snack in half and handed her the side I hadn't bitten into.
She hesitated for a moment, but once she caught the aroma, she gave in and started eating with obvious delight.
Heh, the way Ais eats kinda makes her look like a squirrel. Adorable is the only word that came to mind. Her innocent aura, mixed with her airheaded nature, made her even cuter.
Without thinking, my hand reached for her head, gently patting it.
Her body flinched at first, and I thought I'd messed up. 'Shit! My habit of head-patting Uriel kicked in,' I panicked internally.
But to my surprise, Ais leaned into my hand, nuzzling it slightly. I felt a bit awkward since it was unintentional, but I wasn't about to stop.
Her hair was so soft and silky.
I could already imagine Loki, Lefiya, and Bete's faces if they saw this. Loki would throw a fit, Lefiya would probably freak out and threaten me, and Bete would just be... well, Bete.
"Kyaaa!!"
"Watch out!!!"
Screams of people suddenly rose, and crowds of mobs began to run away.
Taking my hand off Aiz head, I unsheated [Gryphon] and prepared for battle. Ais was the same, unsheathing the sword on her waist.
I looked around, keeping my eyes and senses open for when the enemy revealed himself. It was hard to find the threat with all these people running around me.
I suddenly noticed a man in a robe from the edge of my peripheral vision. neither did he have a weapon nor did he prove hostility.
But he was running straight at us, considering the people he was running at were me and Ais, this was basically a suicide run...suicide.
{Francis, to your right! he seems to have some sort of magical bomb attached to him} suddenly warned Quinella
Shit.
"Ais!" I shouted as I relalized what he was trying to do, but it was to late, we were already in his range.
*Booooom!*