Kapitel 44: Another Alliance
Shoutout to my new Patron:
braydnpaech
You are a bloody legend!
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~Little bitty pretty one~
~Come on and talk-a to me~
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"Would you care to elaborate on that?" Steve asked politely as he tried to register what the goddess had said to him. "Because even if you are the leading Familia in smith work, you cannot possibly, in all sense of respect just walk up to another smith in another Familia, and just demand him to not make weapons."
"I did not mean it like that." Hephaestus clarified. "I did not come to put a stop to you making weapons altogether. What I mean is the kind of weapons you are producing."
"I've only produced one so far."
"And that 'one' weapon is a massive problem in of itself." Hephaestus emphasised. "Look Mr. Hewer, do you have any idea what exactly that spear is? What you have created?"
"I would assume that since I was the one who made it, then yes I do know what I have created." Steve said plainly.
"Please do not play semantics with me." Hephaestus said seriously. "This is no laughing matter. What you have put into that spear...if it ever got out what it really is, Orario would probably be engulfed in political and economic WAR. First, there will be infighting in the city itself, and then other nations out there will see this momentary chink in our armour and try to exploit it."
"For real?" Ptah raised an eyebrow. "Sheesh Steve, what exactly did you make of that spear?"
"You don't know either?" Hephaestus asked, a little shocked.
"Well he did make it in the Dungeon after all. I have never laid eyes on the thing."
"I was confused on why you hadn't said anything." Hephaestus said. "If anybody could tell what that spear was even better than I, then it would be you."
"You give me too much credit." Ptah said. "I'd say by this point, your talents have surpassed my own. I haven't really cared for exotic smithing for a while yet."
"Nonsense. Nothing I can do even now can measure up to the great wonders and terrors you shaped in the past." Hephaestus smiled at him before returning to Steve. "But regardless, I implore that you do not make such a thing again. That kind of extravagance, that kind of magic...it simply cannot exist in mortal hands."
"It is in the hands of perhaps the most responsible and trustworthy person in all of Orario." Steve said. "You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody more accountable for their charge like Finn."
Ais gave his hand a thankful squeeze as she smiled at him a little. He momentarily looked at her to give a nod of acceptance before returning to converse with the goddess.
"Indeed." Hephaestus agreed. "The captain of the Loki Familia is indeed an admirable and upright person."
"Awwwww, Hephy..." Loki put her hands on her face. "You're making me blush-"
"The compliments were for your Captain, not for you." Ptah said in dangerously low voice. "Shut up."
"Yes sir." Loki instantly shut up just like that as she put her hands between her thighs while Hestia chuckled at her.
"But it brings me to the exact nature of the magic you imbued within the spear." Hephaestus said as she leaned forward and pointed at the Sceptre. "What is in that Sceptre is not present in Fleinn'leptr. First of all, I'd like to ask...where did you learn that language?"
"Language? What language?"
"The runes you carved into the side of the shaft, and then laid with diamond fragments." Hephaestus said as she raised her eyebrow.
"Diamond fragments?!" Ptah yelled before looking at Steve. "Are you out of your mind?! Here you are telling me to be careful when you're just dishing out precious minerals like it's nothing...for aesthetic purposes of all things!"
"Hypocrisy is only fun when you're the one doing it." Steve said cheekily which caused Ptah to grit his teeth. "And to answer your question Lady Hephaestus...I just know it."
"You just...know it?" The goddess asked skeptically.
"Yes." Steve said as he activated his {Deceiver} skill and pushed it to its limit. "There are things that I know which are just present in my mind. I never learnt them anywhere, nor did I hear of them from anyone. I just somehow knew these things, like the knowledge was just plucked out from somewhere and then inserted into my head for me to comprehend. The runic language is one of them."
"Hmm." Hephaestus hummed to herself before she looked at Loki. "Did you never notice the writings on the side of Finn's spear Loki?"
"No I didn't." Loki said. "I've seen the spear before but I just thought it was some special commission. Quality check is your job, not mine."
"But did you not even think of inspecting it once?" Hephaestus asked exasperated. "It carries one of the languages of your homeland for heaven's sake!"
"Errr...no..." Loki could only say sheepishly. "The kids are always getting new weapons. I just thought that Finn struck a bit of luck this time around."
"Luck does not even come close to describing it accurately." Hephaestus as said she turned back to Steve. "Speaking of, there was another thing about that magic I wanted to discuss. Now seeing how powerful it is, I can perhaps in some way accept it given your level. Same with that Sceptre. But it is not how powerful that magic is that concerns me..." Hephaestus paused as she looked at Ais momentarily, and rethought the words she was going to say. "...but that it is completely foreign magic altogether. Could the both of you explain that?" Hephaestus looked between Ptah and Steve.
The way she said 'foreign' instantly hooked the attention of the other gods, while Tsubaki and Ais were left wandering what made them so apt all of a sudden. Tsubaki in particular was still having trouble figuring out what it was about Steve's magic that made it so special. She was at first insistent that it may have been the abnormal strength of the magic, but the way her goddess kept speaking about it indicated another matter entirely. Especially when she kept referring to it as 'foreign'.
Loki and Hestia were instantly on the case though and they stared at the two Egyptians with wide mouths as the meaning behind Hephaestus's word choice fell on them like a ton of bricks. So great was this revelation, it was one of the few times that Loki actually opened her eyes wide, leaving Ais to stare at her boyfriend who had become a little tense all of a sudden, and wonder what more he had to hide.
"You can actually tell that?" Steve said.
"Of course I can." The goddess said back to him. "It is so different in the fundamentals alone. Magic is typically tied down to the earth, and yet the magic you put in that spear seems to speak a different story. Now in regards to that Sceptre, I can recognise the magic of our lands which means you created that using the powers of your Falna from simple deduction. But what other powers you had even before that was what was sown into the spear. Perhaps it even has something to with your level? Am I wrong?"
Steve was about to speak but was silenced as Ptah put a hand in front of him. The air around the Primordial became very tense as he assumed a serious posture. For so brief a moment did he stop seeming like a petulant child but more befitting of his status. He fixed all three goddesses with a stare.
"Before anything more is said on this..." He began. "...I want you to know that everything that you three are thinking at the moment...is true." Hestia and Loki gasped, Hestia more so. "And before you ask...HE knows it too. Steve has met with him and for now, we operate under his permission. He has not cast his final verdict, but Steve has been tolerated to live amongst us. However, we are not ready to put it out into the open. So I would ask you Lopt, as our ally, that you do not reveal anything that was said here tonight. Hestia, for the sake of our friendship, will you hide this?"
"Of course!" Hestia nodded without hesitation. "I would always have supported you anyway."
"Good." Ptah smiled at her before turning to Hephaestus. "Hephy, I can only ask that you keep it to yourself. This coming out prematurely will do more damage than even I can handle and-"
"Of course I'm not saying anything either Ptah." Hephaestus said before a smug grin spread over her face, one that both Loki and Hestia shivered at as this was a side of Hephaestus not many people saw. "On one condition however." The eye-patched goddess turned to Steve specifically.
"And that would be?" The gamer asked.
"One, is that I get to see exactly how you make your weapons and what method you use. Because for the life of me, I just couldn't figure it out. Two is perhaps negotiations for a sharing of resources."
"Resources?" Steve raised a brow. "I really don't-"
"You would not be handing out such expensive materials so carelessly if you didn't have so much more to spare." Hephaestus gleamed. "I also hear rumours of this strange armour and weapon set you've been sighted with...made from a completely different metal no-one has ever seen before. You wouldn't mind...?"
Steve glanced over at Ptah, who just nodded. The gamer sighed before holding up a hand as a Netherite Ingot appeared in it. Hephaestus's eye suddenly lit up as she leaned forwards and tried to to take it.
"I would not recommend that." Steve said to her firmly as he held it back. "This thing alone weighs about a couple of tonnes. The safest you can play with this is in the palms of my hand."
"Two tonnes!" Hephaestus exclaimed.
"And you're just rolling it in your hand like that?" Tsubaki also raised her voice. "Damn...you are strong."
"Fascinating." The smith goddess brought her eye closer to the black metal and then traced a finger over it as a wealth of information flooded her mind again. "Such weight and density! An amalgamation of gold and...some sort of fossilized matter? Ancient monster remains?...Wait, these monsters aren't any I've ever seen or recorded...no, they're completely different! Could they possibly be from-"
"My homeland." Steve said.
"Ah yes, your homeland." Hephaestus said as she leaned back, although she did not take her eyes off of the ingot. "Ancient monster remains that could actually be incorporated into metal work and produce an entirely new kind of alloy, whereas we depend on drop items from fresh monsters to do the job...Yes, sharing resources like that is also one of my conditions. Of course, I don't intend on demanding them for free. I'm not petty or vicious. But I do believe that I have plenty to give as well that could perhaps be worth these things, even if we can't just hand over its value in Valis."
"What are you offering?" Ptah asked.
"An alliance of our own too." Hephaestus put a hand on her heart. "You know from day one Ptah, that I have always sought good relations with you. On that alone, regardless of who joined you, I vowed I would make friends with your Familia as soon as you started one. In our arrangement, I could offer you various connections in the market where you could sell your wares and I could link you with certain special contacts who could help you evade some very irritating restrictions. All of this and the fact I would be endorsing you will boost your reputation and land you a bountiful supply of customers. All I ask is that we share resources and what knowledge we are willing to sacrifice. It has been so long since I encountered anything new, and I'm not letting a chance like this slip by, no matter what anybody says."
"...If that is all there is to it, then I suppose we have a deal." Ptah said a he fixed his own child with a look. "Steve has no problems with it either...do you?"
"None on my end." Steve said as he slipped the ingot back to where it came from. It was not like he'd been doing anything different to the norm when he did forge weapons. "If anything, this is something I was aiming for but was not expecting to achieve until some far point in the future. It works out best for all of us."
"Then we'll put the specifics down on paper at a more appropriate point in time." Ptah nodded at Hephaestus as they closed the deal then and there. Tsubaki just face-palmed at how easily Hephaestus became sorted with this. It was like wherever Ptah was involved, there was special exception for him.
"I don't believe it." Hestia breathed as she turned to Ptah. "All those things you used to speak about...and yet I thought that..."
"I told you I travelled very far." Ptah rolled his eyes. "But as usual, nobody believes me until they have the undeniable truth staring them in the face."
"It was always pretty far-fetched." Loki shrugged. "They were so superficial and crazy, I got bored listening to them, and decided that perhaps we were better off without them."
"...Is that why you flattened my Temple?!" Ptah hissed dangerously as a fire lit in his eyes. "WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME AFTER ALL THIS TIME? OVER STORIES?!" Ptah lunged forward to bonk the squealing Loki on the head with his sceptre but was restrained by both Hephaestus and Hestia as they tried to calm him down.
Steve recognised his god returning to his childish self and so decided that perhaps it was best to leave them now. He got up and beckoned Ais to follow him out of the room. So intense was this struggle that they didn't even notice the two exiting the room and shutting the doors behind them.
"Now you see what I deal with." Steve pointed with his thumb at the small room. "Sorry about his antics."
"It's fine." Ais said. "It's fun seeing Loki all scared like that. She should learn a thing or two."
"My, I didn't know you could be so cold hearted to your own goddess." Steve said dramatically as he leaned with a grin into her face. "I'm kind of liking this sadistic part of you."
"...Stop it." Ais said cutely as the area above her nose became red.
Steve's attention was ripped away though as Ais's breasts started to shake and jiggle for some reason. The sudden movement immediately caused him to turn his gaze there, before he realised exactly what he was looking at. But as with any healthy male, what was the first on his mind but how nice and bountiful they were, of perfect size to hold and even fondle.
This made his cheeks darken and Ais's also as she became conscious of what was happening with her assets and how he was looking at them. The cause however soon made itself apparent as a furry little face with long ears pushed itself through her cleavage and stared up at Steve.
"Albie?!" Steve cried before he looked straight at his girlfriend's face. "Have you kept him in there this whole time?"
"Yes." She answered. "I thought you knew?"
"How would I have known? I'm just wondering how he didn't suffocate in there." Steve looked away before he returned a side-eye to both the girl and the bunny in her breasts and he smiled a strange smile. "Lucky bugger. I'm jealous."
...
Ais gave him one of her signature pouts and tried to push him away. He laughed however and grabbed her arms as she continued to try and wrestle him, although to her marvel, she found that even in his casual playfulness she couldn't escape his grip. Their levels were just so vastly apart.
It reminded her of why exactly she was behaving so comfortably with him in the first place and she slowly stopped fighting him, opting to instead leaning into him, her face pressed against his shoulder-rest. Steve recognised what she was communicating to him and did what he had done to both her and Tiona earlier. He stopped his laughing and laid his head on hers as they embraced for a few moments, just enjoying each other's presence.
"Wanna go to the outside balconies and chill there? I hear they're serving good drink too." He asked.
"Yes please. It sounds fun." Ais said as she took his hand, Albie still sniffling in her cleavage as they walked up the hallway back into the main hall, their joined hands swinging back and forth a little as the music hit them once more. The dance floor had become a little bigger and more people had now abandoned the food tables for a minute to participate in a little tango with their partners for the night.
As they passed by the crowd, Steve accidentally stepped on a trailing piece of fabric connected to the hem of a woman's dress. The dress in question was just an over sized skirt that had an exaggerated trailing behind it while the front was open, exposing the woman's legs and a part of her undergarments. Him stepping on it threatened to yank it off, causing the woman to yelp and turn around, whereby she caught his undivided attention.
"Hey!" She yelled at him. "Watch where you're going!" She snapped while pulling the skirt back up as she had only just managed to save her dignity.
"My apologies, I-" Steve paused as he took in her appearance and it registered who she was. Put simply, she was moderately tall for a woman but she was dark skinned, dressed in less than appropriate garb as there was not much of her upper body being hidden either. She had purple hair and a circlet of gold rested atop it with a bun coming out of it.
Ishtar.
"You had better be sorry." Ishtar hissed. An Amazon who looked to be her plus-one for tonight turned around at the commotion and fixed him with a stare. "You would have been in deep waters boy, if this had come off." The goddess then looked him up and down before seeing Ais holding hands with him. "Huh, Loki Familia? The infamous Sword Princess has a man after all."
"A simple deduction." Steve said dryly, indicating he wanted to move on with this and be on his way. "Now if you'll excuse me, we-"
"Just a moment." Ishtar said as she examined him more, only now taking into account his appearance. He was a young man no doubt, but he had a surprising allure to him. His body was lean yet packed with well proportioned and extremely defined muscles. The scars on his arms were not off-putting but as a matter of fact spoke of a sign of hardship and labour. His face was extremely handsome by all standards. As a matter of fact, Ishtar was confident that this was perhaps the most handsome male she'd ever some across. "It would take a man of extraordinary...taste...to ensnare one such as the famed Sword Princess, who has a heart of stone, or so some people say."
Steve immediately noticed how ever so slightly did Ishtar's eyes glow purple a little. Ais instinctively clutched Steve's hand tightly, not liking this woman one bit. Of course, her identity made it all the more irritable for the girl, especially with how the Amazon was shamelessly checking him out too.
"Not interested lady." Steve said as he held up his and Ais's intertwined hands. "I'm already sorted, so see ya."
"Wait a second." The goddess said to him. "Why the hurry? Let's talk a little. As a goddess of Love, I just have some questions about this previously thought impossible romance going on here. You can't deny me that little bit of interest."
"And which goddess are we talking about here?" Steve asked, already seemingly annoyed.
Ishtar frowned a little as she tried to push her charm more to get him to comply but found something wrong with her ability. It had no effect on him.
"I am Ishtar, goddess of the Ishtar Familia." She put her bare foot forward, lifting the heel as a partition of her skirt fell a little, revealing her smooth, long leg. Ais felt an unfamiliar fire in her begin to prickle at her eyes as something about this act infuriated her. The goddess however was upset as she found to her disappointment that Steve's eyes did not go to her demonstration even a little. "Surely you have heard of me?"
Steve at this moment decided to be an asshole for the sake of it.
"You're Ishtar?" He asked, in cleverly feigned doubt and interest as he put a hand on his chin. "You sure?"
"Yes, yes I am. So you've heard of me?" The goddess's smile grew wider as she drank in his image even more. Yes, he was the most handsome man ever! Tammuz had nothing on this delectable piece of meat before her. Perhaps if she took it just a little more...
"Hmmm, nah." Steve waved it off as he began pulling Ais away. "You can't be her. You don't have enough c*m on your face."
This took both Ishtar and her Amazon companion by complete shock as the goddess's eyes widened to their maximum capacity at this dirty insult. Some gods however who were near enough to hear this put their hands over their mouth as they tried to stifle their laughter. Ishtar's features quickly pulled up into a snarl.
"What did you say?!" She half shrieked, half growled.
"I'm just making the point. As a woman, you should respect yourself and not drag yourself down by pretending to be that whore. Who knows how many diseases she's infested with?" Steve said. "Take my advice, don't pretend to be something you're not. Cheerio!"
He pulled Ais out of the main area as fast as he could. The Amazon, having recovered from the shock looked at her goddess out of slight fear. Ishtar's eyes had become sharp and venomous as she could do nothing but redden in the face as gods laughed around her.
She grit her teeth and clenched her fist, determined on finding out who he was by the end of the day and make him pay for that filthy remark.
---
Out on the balconies where the couples went to spend their time, Steve pulled Ais up to the wall besides the balcony door. He listened for a moment to see if anybody was following them. He then looked at Ais who was looking up at him a little worried and annoyed.
"Steve, that WAS Ishtar. I've fought her members before." Ais said as she frowned. "She's a bad person, and hates being insulted. And the way she was looking at you-mph!"
She was cut off as Steve promptly placed his mouth on hers and began sucking in her lower lip, making her return the gesture as she tried to suck it back along with his other lip. He held the kiss for a good few seconds, before parting and leaving her breathless. He then put a finger on her nose and smiled.
"YOU and TIONA alone. Nobody, no-one else, not even a goddess. You two are the only ones for me, and I will die before I let myself get seduced by a harlot on the day where we made this official between us. Don't worry for me Ais. Do you think they can harm me?"
"...No, not even we could harm you."
"Exactly. If she wants to have a little revenge spat, then let her. I'll scratch her out and then come running right back into your arms. So don't fret over something that is just impossible at all angles, okay?"
"Okay." Ais nodded.
"Good." Steve then noticed how he'd pressed her against the wall during that aggressive kiss of his, and he instantly backed off. "Ah, I'm sorry, I think I went too far."
"Don't be." Ais said as she put her fingers to her lips and blushed. "It was nice."
"Oh, well that's cool." Steve said as he looked around for two chairs. The problem was that there was only one available while the rest were taken up by couples who were enjoying their own cozy times. "It looks like there is only one chair. You take this one and let me see if there's one down in-"
Ais cut him off as she walked forward and pushed him into the chair. She then nestled into his lap as she centred herself mostly on his left leg while she turned to face him and put her arms around his neck. Steve gazed at her in complete shock of this out-character behaviour of hers.
"Ais? How...?" He exclaimed in disbelief.
"Tiona showed it to me in a book." Ais said. "She said it was preparation for the party tonight. She didn't tell me why but I think I know now."
"As do I." Steve said as he looked off into the direction of the Twilight Manor. "She's a great wingman, but she really deserves a good spanking...then again, it would probably be a reward for her." Albie then began sniffling around in Ais chest and Steve looked down at him. "Is he hungry?"
"I think he is."
Steve pulled out a carrot and broke it up into small pieces for the bunny to feed, all the while his lover sat on his lap, under the starlit sky while faraway comets rushed overhead.
Life was just good.
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