AN: First off: This chapter will be put into parts because im very tired and want to sleeep, so i cut off at what i think an appropriate place and will make the rest of the chapter tomorrow or after i get a few hours of sleep. hope you understand. Actually i wanted to sleep first and then finish the chapter but thought " oh hell, i kept them waiting long enough. I don;t want to make that another 9 hours, knowing how long i can sleep. Might as well release it now, no harm done in any case."

And I know this is very, very late. I dont have any real excuse, but it's not because i've been lazy. First off, i have several things i wanted to do in the story while they are travelling. But i dont know if i can work it all that well into the story. I'll try, but it might end up being poorly exectuted and i hate that.

So, for the first few days i have been agonizing over what to put in the chapter. I eventually, after like three days, decided to make it simpler than what i had in mind. But the thing is that when i began writing in earnest something weird kept happening. I dont know if anyone else has had this problem, but for some reason sometimes i would look at my saved drafts and it would say that i dont HAVE any saved drafts. Which is very odd since i usually have a few at least.

Just drafts of past chapters theat didn;t make the cut and i left alone. Please note that i usually some to this website and write using a web browser on my ps4. So maybe that has something to do with it, but this had never happened before. Thankfully i discovered (after a bout of serious depression as i thought i might have to write everything again) that my saved drafts would come back after a few hours.

So, not too big a deal but it did slow me down a bit too. Anyway, i re-wrote this a lot and the chapter is very short.

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The streets were loud.

Every second her ears were assaulted by the sounds of life. The small clap of shoes hitting the ground, the boisterious laughter coming from small children or friends, the sound of machines whirring endlessly...Everything was so bright, too.

And the smell...

It sickened her. Everything. The sounds, the sights, the smells...

All so annoying. Loud. It made her head hurt.

She hadn't been to many cities. She hated them. The people were the worst. Making so much noise, smelling like they were in need of a good wash. She hated people in general. Being around so many didn't please her at all.

When her brother was still with her they lived away from such things. In a small house nestled within an endless forest, by themselves. They would travel, have adventures, but at the end of the day they always returned to that place.

It was quiet. Comfortable.

It felt like home.

The only one where she truly felt safe, at peace.

Then he left. No. Rather, taken. By her.

Morrigan's doing, she now knew.

Ah...all this noise, all these annoying things...she wanted them to stop. Why couldn't she just kill them?

But, no. That would be "bad".

Right?

She thought it would be. She wasn't sure. None of these people tried to attack her, so she had no reason to kill. She felt the familiar itch to take a life. Lives. But she smothered it.

It wasn't easy. Laborous, even. Tiring.

Yes. That was right. She shouldn't kill without reason. At least that was her current way of doing things. But maybe living like that served no purpose at this point. She killed so many by now that even ten large planets would not--could not--hold all the lives she had cut short. The exact number was unknowable.

But she still thought that letting these people live had some sort of merit. Even if she herself couldn't see what it was.

At the very least she didn't want her hands to be stained with more blood than need be.

After all, she wasn't some monster. Not anymore. No matter what anyone said. Because they didn't matter to her. Their opinions, their scorn, were meaningless. Only one person had the right to judge her. Who's thoughts mattered to her. But not them, not theirs. She wouldn't listen to them.

That's rght. She was different now.

...She hoped she was.

Otherwise how could she face him again?

That brother who was taken from her.

****

Gehenna woke up a long time ago in a dark, seemingly secluded part of a city, wondering where she was. She had ever been in a place such as this, had no idea where this place was located. But it reeked of Apollo.

She had known that it was her long-time companion who brought her here. Wherever "here" was.

But it didn't answer her questions.

It never did.

It used to talk to him, she knew. Her brother. This sword was, after all, a weapon that was forged from his bone, heated by the flames of his soul and cooled in his lifeblood. In many ways, a manifestation of his very being. It was a part him. One piece of a whole.

She loved it.

It reminded her of him, felt like him. It even protected her. Like he used to.

But it never spoke to her. Not once. Never.

She hated it.

...It's silence felt like a rejection from him...

Still, talking to it comforted her. After realizing her questions were meaningless to it she departed from her current surroundings.

She manifested a long, black cloak with a hood to cover her face. But that was not all. She also hid her presence. If she didn't want to be seen then it would be difficult for those of a low level of strength to notice her at all.

Her companion hid itself too, shrinking itself into a necklace with a black sword hanging on it while erasing any sign of it's existence to outside eyes.

It was then that she began to wander the area.

Only a few hours went by, the entire city long since turning on it's nightlife in all it's glory, when under the strong urging of her companion found herself floating in front of a rather luxurious-looking hotel.

****

"So, how far are we until we reach Sol's place?"

Roland sat in front of a kneeling Loki. The other women Loki had with him also kneeled, of course. To Roland's side stood Fenris with her arms folded and sending glares at her father--along with the women.

Loki, despite his current position, still gave off an air of friviolity somehow. As to be expected of Loki, Roland supposed.

"Hmm...at the current speed...maybe a few days?" Loki shrugged. " Won't be long, this thing's pertty fast. Though she could get there much faster if I was behind the wheel. But we don't really have any need to rush things. Even if we wanted to, though, we couldn't. I know you brought back Apollo. Hmph. Damn bastards. Shoulda just let me humiliate him a bit, show that brat what for!"

He let out a cold breath through his nostrils, his eyes blazing.

"...I don't even want to know what sick thing you had planned for him. But that aside...a few days? Alright. I have't sensed any changes with the boys or the girls so their curses should be inactive still. Which means I don't have to rush things. By the way, have you got anywhere with that bead?"

"Huh?...Ah, yeah." He hesitated.

"What is it?"

"...Nothing, it's just..."

"Yes? Out with it."

Loki stayed quiet for a second. "...Well, it seemed my initial impression about the thing was wrong."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that I'm not certain exactly what's inside that bead. You saw it. Something's in there. Something that almost seems alive. And I don't know if we should let it out."

Fenris looked at him and laughed. "What, scared? You?"

Loki glanced at her. "No, your dear old man doesn't scared so easily. But I'm not a fool. We really don't know anything about the curses, who placed them, what that bead might be or anything else about the situation. Also, Roland, you know this is all very strange, don't you? The curses the boys have, given their nature, should have activated by now to some degree or another."

Roland nodded, agreeing.

The curse the boys had would rack their bodies with Soul Flames. Saren's would boil his blood while Jame's would freeze his bones to their core. It was worse than it sounded, too. One simply cannot imagine the pain they would be faced with. Roland would ake the pain upon himself if need be, as he always intended...But honestly speaking he thought the cures they had were straightforward and would activate sooner than now.

Yet they remained completely dormant...How curious

"...Welp. That's all imma say about that. Take my advice: Wait until we reach Sol's place before you do anything. I know you wanted to help the boys and girls get stronger because you have nothing better to do with you time...but really, any action you make regarding them can cause some unexpected bullshit that will probably just be annoying to deal with. So just go and play with that wife of yours in the meantime instead."

Loki made sure to stress the word "wife" and looked at his daughter pointedly.

She stared back blankly, not catching his meaning.

Roland rolled his eyes as he noticed the look Loki sent his daughter.

Really, that guy...

He could only shake his head at the man.

" Yes, well, you input is appreciated." He said coolly. " Waiting until we get to Sol is a pretty good idea, really. I'm sure that if he studies the four a bit he could gleam some sort of insight."

That guy really was one of the most knowledgable people Roland knew. He surpassed Athena and Thoth, even.

...Okay, maybe not more than Thoth. Though he certainly wouldn't lose to him. Solomon was one of those people who you were never sure were truly a genius or simply a madman.

In his case, Sol was both. A genius madman through and through. For various reasons.

For example, the time Sol built a bomb he said was capable of destroying three planets because he wanted to know how cool of an explosion something like that would make.

Or the time he invented giant humanoid robots for himself and Loki so they could have a fight like how they saw on some animated show.,,Although it had, in truth, turned out to be a pretty entertaining battle.

Thinking back, Sol was prone to creating some pretty amazing things for completely inane reasons. And those didn't even take into account all the things he had done with the use of magic. He was always up to something.

" So we just sit back and enjoy our free time, huh. Oh...about the students, how are they?"

"Good enough? I don't know. Why're you asking me?"

"...Wait, don't tell me you just left Abigail to manage them alone?"

"Pretty much, yeah. She does that most of the time anyway. Besides, she has the rest of the staff with her too. She can handle it."

Fenris spoke up. " See how he is? No responsibility at all. Completely worthless."

Her words elicited some discontent among the other women present but they were silenced by a glare. Roland could practically see the sweat build on their foreheads as they stiffened and shifted their eyes, unable to withstand Fenris' look.

Loki expressed heartache. " Ah, my good daughter, why have you become so cold to me? This is his fault isn't it? Turning you against your old man like this, how cruel!"

Roland was the one in question, obviously.

" Now that's really too much of a stretch, isn't it?"

"Indeed. Pervy old man, what my good friend here said is true. How could he be the cause of my disgust for you? You reap what you sow, you know? Don't try to pass blame upon others."

"Since when did you two become friends?"

"Are we friends?" Roland also asked.

"You're a cold one, boss, asking something like that. But of course we are. I'm, like, Grace's bestie. Which means I have to be friends with you."

" Don't push yourself. This is all really going too fast, Let's start as mild acquaintances and work our way up, alright?"

" How mean. I really thought we could have had something special here, you know? I'm hurt, truly I am."

Loki watched the bantering between the man and woman with a peculiar expression where the corner of his left eye slightly twitched.

Those two...This whole back and forth they did...It was disgusting. An abomination. They hadn't known each other long at all and yet they were pretty at ease when talking to one another. It was ridiculous. Dammit, this man, did he have to rub it in his face like this?!

"Both of you shut up. I'm getting a headache. Are you done? Anything else to discuss? If not, please leave. I don't want to look at this anymore. Go. Just...go." He felt like he would be sick. He needed a drink, or a hundred. And a woman. Or ten.

Fenris turned to Roland. "Are we done, then?"

"I guess. Not much else to say, really."

"Good. Being in this vile place any longer wouldn't be good for my health. Come on, Grace will probably be getting impatient."

***

It was around 45 minutes later when everyone, meaning Roland, Grace, Fenris, Morrigan, the three sisters, James and Saren all gathered in the spacious room back at the hotel.

When they arrived Morrigan rested on a love seat with Grace's little new companion lying on her lap while curled into a ball. Charlotte was dozing off on a couch, her little head nestled against Lilith's arm. As for Reina...she seemed considerably calmer than she had previously until she spotted Roland and company walk in.

As soon as she saw him she coughed lightly twice, appeared to remember something, blushed, then narrowed her eyes while muttering something low and hushed that even Roland's sharp ears failed to pick it up.

Currently Grace and Charlotte were being taught some type of game by Fenris while the rest of them sat down. The boys soon stood up and announced that they were going to their own rooms, not comfortable with the weird ttension they felt in the room. They weren't sure exactly where it came from.

Probably from the strange behaviour they noticed by Reina and the glances towards Roland or Morrigan she stole on occasion. Or perhaps the cold aloofness the death goddess showed upon her face. Whatever it was, they really wanted no part in it.

But when they reached the door, opening it... a figure rushed inside at a absurd pace and crashed into them!

The two crashed onto the carpeted floors with great force.

"...Hm?"

A femine voice reached their ears.

"...Twins? Hah. A pair of strapping young'uns, eh? A bit too young, though, from the looks of it. Too bad, you're not exactly all that ripe yet. Oh well. Thanks for breaking the fall, kids. Come, take my card. Call me in about four or five years."

James and Saren, still reeling form their heads knocking against the floor, were too out of sorts to understand the strange string of words the voice let out.

"Mother!" Fenris stopped what she was doing and turned a sharp-eyed glare towards the newcomer. Her hair seemed to stick out slightly like the raised hackles of a wolf.

"Yo, daughter." Mercury got up off the brothers and made a big grin. " Thought you got rid of me, huh? If anything you probably would have expected your father to come bustling in, but it was me, Mercury!" She laughed hartily and used a thumb to point to herself. "Also, in case you're wondering, it's not all too hard to track you down. The nose knows, my dear. And I have an excellent one.

"Hello, Mercury." Roland, unruffled by the sudden appearance of eccentric and lewd goddess, leaned back in his seat and casually welcomed her.

The woman's eyes turned to him, her smile widening. " Ah, Roland? Looking delectable as the day we first met, I see." Which wasn't even three days before now. " If I was a bolder woman who cared not for the various things getting in the way of our union I would jump you right now. But i'm not a homewrecker, sadly. But that aside...what's this?" She took a quick sniff. " Oh-ho, I recognize this scent! So, been busy, have you? With Morrigan, I assume? Or was it perhaps one of the other fine young ladies I see?

Lilith knew she was referring to her and Reina. So she raked a indignant stare towards the woman, feeling deeply offended.

"...Wait, no, it's Morrigan. I can smell it. Weird, I was sure she was too much of a prude to ever get herself laid...Then again she is your wifey. And the mother of your kid. So I suppose even she can get all hot and bothered. Ah, and the Voyeur Girl is here too! Didn't notice her. Looks a bit pale. She alright?"

Reina, hearing her, reacted differently from how her sister did when she was the one in question. Reina could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, thoroughly shamed.

It was because she couldn't deny the woman's words, not at all!

Because, as she was, she was the ultimate voyeur. Knowing this, she wanted to bury her head in the ground.

The woman talked fast and without much pause in her sentences. Even Roland's polite smile became strained when he heard the woman's barrage of words.

Morrigan joined Fenris in her glaring. "Mercury, watch that vile tongue of yours unless you want it removed. We have two children here that don't need your filthy words to contaminate their ears. Also, careful who's husband you dare to make passes at. I would rather not have to clean you out from under my fingernails. Remember, what's mine is mine and anyone that tries to say otherwise will be subject to an early grave."

Mercury blinked. "...Woah. That escalated quickly. Damn. Chick went full-on yandere..." She thought aloud. " Note to self: Try not to piss off the possessive death goddess. Or, barring that, hide behind the husband in hopes of a rescue. "

" Mercury, would you be so kind as to get off the boys now?" Roland inquired. They stiffened up as soon as they heard Mercury's name. Understandable, though. Despite being a bit amused by their reactions he felt it was time to let them up.

"What?" She brought herself back to the matter at hand. "Oh, yeah. Sure thing, sweet cheeks." She rose magnanimously, even going so far as to help the boys up off the floor with a wave of her hand. The two felt their bodies lifted by an invisible force and then drop them on their feet.

The boy didn't take kindly to having their bodies played with by something they couldn't see. Made them uncomfortable. At any other time they might have snapped at the woman. But they felt it wouldn't end well for them if they pissed her off.

They weren't deaf, they heard the woman's name.

Honestly, how the hell did they get involved with people like her? Then had such a uneventful life before now...Or not. But the things they faced were mainly bandits of a weaker magical beast.

"Thanks."

"Thank you..."

Saren and James muttered the words, looking quickly at the scene in front of them, then decided to make their exit once more. They thought that with the appearance of someone who appeared as...unconventional...as Lady Mercury things were bound to get "interesting". Which didn't appeal to them at all.

Grace and Roland made a small wave of good-bye to them as they left, the others in the room focusing on Mercury.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Fenris asked, on guard and ready to flee.

"Oh, nothing important. Aries sent me. For you." She pointed at Roland.

"Me?" He asked. "What does he want?"

"It's not a big deal, really. It's just that he accidentally sparked a all-out war between two nations."

"...Wait, what?"

"Oh, don't blame him too harshly. One army was already placing a rather large and important-looking city under siege."

***

When Aries descended onto the city shortly after that little incident aboard The Delphi to have some fun, little did he expect that not long after his arrival he would witness the scene before him.

To elaborate just a bit, it was the scene that would cause most to avert their gaze. Those sort of people would mind their own business and walk on. Scum that they are.

He was talking, of course, about the ten or so dirty and black-clothed men who had a woman--along with her young daughter--pushed onto the ground.

They probably dragged them here, he knew. This part of the city was a bit aways from the hustle and bustle of the city's nightlife which Aries had previously intended to enjoy. Not many buildings around, and the ones here were not exactly habitable for any but those who didn;t have another option.

The seven men were dirty, but not some common rabble. They seemed trained. Not your usual thugs, that much was sure. The two damsels in distress didn't seem normal either. Their clothes were elaborate and seemed of high quality. The young girl couldn't have been more that 14 or maybe 15 from the looks of it, her long brown hair a light caramel. Unlike the older woman's dark blonde.

Their faces were similar, though, which is why he assumed them mother and daughter. Maybe they weren't but he didn't know so he would stick with that for now.

Ah..getting back to the events unfolding, the men had leering looks that would really make a person's skin crawl. Not Aries', but that was the general inpression they gave.

The man holding down the older woman was speaking.

" ...Fuck that. Don't give me that bullshit. After all the damn trouble we went through catching them we deserve a goddamn bonus. I say we take them both, let these high-born sluts get a taste of what it's like having to live under the thumb of someone for once in their privledged lives."

He took out a knife and cut at the woman's dress, eliciting a muffled sob from the daughter as she witnesses what was happening. The mother also seemed even more terrified, a desperate look in her eye mixed with absolute dread.

She appeared to choke back her tears though. Aries knew why. Didn't do to let out a cry when your daughter is watching. Had the girl not been here, he was fairly sure the woman would have broken down in tears by now.

He was slightly impressed she held it together so far for her daughter's sake.

"Fine, do what you want." The tallest one standing next to the first man said. " Just don't kill them. Our employers need them alive. The woman's brother won't open the gates for a corpse. That wily old fox, he must truly be giving those self-righteous pricks a headache... and not the good kind."

Another man spoke up. "Sir, I would advice against this. When the Rossenheim forces learn what happened to these two, they won't let us live. Even if they're the ones placing the city under siege the two who're leading the army are not the kind of men that let things like this go unpunished."

"If you don't have the stomache for it, go take watch instead." The first speaker spat out. "Make yourself useful."

He was ignored. The apparent leader replied, " By then we'll already be long gone. We're just the ones who drops them off. We can drug them and hand them over to the carriers to sneak them out. By the time the Rossenheim army's leaders know what we did we would already be well on our way to somewhere far out of their reach. Besides, quality mechandise like them don't come along very often, why shouldn't we have a bit of fun after all the shit their government has done? Of have you fogotten what they did to that brother of yours? You can't tell me you don't want some payback."

The rest of the conversation went along those lines. Not long after, the men had their captives clothes in shreds. The leader cast a look towards the girl, telling the others that she was his.

Aries was watching all this very passively. Or at least that's what it would seem like to others.

Inwardly, he was furious. He could stand many thing, but rape wasn't one of them. It never was. There could be many several reasons one might steal from another, or kill another. But there was truly never a reason for rape. None whatsoever. It was cruelty, nothing more. No reason or logic behind it, merely a venting of one's lust upon an unwilling victim.

In his mind, there was probably no greater sin than rape. He felt like it was idiotic that someone would even think of doing that, too. Masturbation must be a foreign concept to the sick fucks who commit rape. Masturbating wasn't as good, but shit, it got the job done well enough.

" Don't cry, girl. A blue blood bitch like you can't be acting all innocent after what your kind has done to others. Think of this as a result of all the bad karma your ancestors have built up over the years. Now come on, shut that whore mouth of yours. I bet you play with yourself every night, huh? Dirty bitch. Hah, I'll also even bet that you'll enjoy this. I wish that daddy of yours was here to see his precious daughter and sister lose themselves while getting fucked by strangers."

The leader of the group let out a strong of harsh words that were rather unlike his previously calm and cold attitude. He seemed to get more crass with every passing second.

When he reached a hand to tear off the dress of the young, sobbing girl, it was time for Aries to snap out of his thoughts and step in.

He had no need for any weapon. He was one. Before the leader had been able to touch another hair on the girl's hair, Aries pried him off of her as if the large man were a mere kitten.

She crumpled to the ground, her face seemed to show relief and confusion at the same time. Or maybe it was more of a stunned look rather than a confused one. Either way.

Aries applied a very slight pressure and the man's neck made a oh-so-satisfying crunch sound as his neck were crushed.

He casually tossed the corpse to the floor while the other men only just realized that an intruder had slipped past and killed one of them.

"Fuck, who's that? He killed boss!"

" He looks familiar..."

"Doesn't matter, murder the bastard!"

"Shit, and we were just getting to the fun part...!"

Chaos ensued. They all took out their weapons, an assortment of daggers and short swords, ready to charge him.

The first man who spoke didn't bother, leaving his companions to deal with the newcomer while he held down the woman to keep her from running.

Aries made short work of them, however, despite the man's apparent confidence in the men's ability. He seemed to think that numbers mattered, that perhaps the first strike from Aries towards their boss was some sort of lucky shot resulting from a surprise attack.

But that was wrong.

As the men came of him, Aries didn't dodge the weapons at all. When a swords came at him, he punched through it, shattering the blade, and sinking his fist into the skull of the attacker. Blood went everywhere.

Then he used another hand to tear the heart from a knife-wielding assailant. The next one was backhanded so hard that he flew several feet away with every bone in his face reduced to little more than thousands of tiny shards. Another man had his arms torn off as easily as one would tear a leaf from a twig.

Several others met similar fates. In fact, he didn't even bother to touch one of them, merely releasing a small fragment of his power. The sheer force of which was enough to completely destroy every bone, organ and muscle in the man's body. Basically he became a puddle of flesh.

The one of the men had any time to even become aware of what happened to them. Aries was so fast that this one-sided massacre was but a very short few seconds. Almost no time passed between one man's death and another's.

Weak, much too weak. You didn't even have the qualifications to lick my shoes. What complete wastes of space.

Finally, the last man who held onto the older woman stared at him with horror. Aries smelt a peculiar scent. Like asparagus mixed with amonia to leave you with a foul-smelling, musty odor.

The man had pissed himself. Judging from that unpleasant other putrid stench that had just wormed it's way up his nose he knew the man likely shat his pants too.

Aries glowered at, towering above him with nearly six and a half feet of restrained agression. He knew that his height coupled with that scar on his chin must have made him look like the worst sort of thug right now, but it didn't matter. His fiery red eyes, like scarlet flames, probably didn't help.

The man coward in front of him, causeing Aries to smile wickedly. " You know, I hear that there's a special place in the other world for people like you. I hope you'll enjoy the endless days of ass-rape by lustful beast with perpetual hard-ons and a penchant for gangbangs. Who knows, maybe you'll even meet those little friends of yours."

He really hoped this was the case. Unless Hades was pulling this shit out of his ass, it should be. A bit of punishment for people like this before sending them onto the next life would only be fair, right? He hoped this man and his pals became cockroachs.

Without another word, he hurled a crimson flame at the man. Then did the same for the others . He didn;t want them polluting the ground with their filthy carcasses.

Aries felt he was being very merciful towards them. If it were Roland here instead he knew that closet sadist would have tortured them. Make them really squeal. Luckily for them that Aries was a truly kind and caring individual. A paragon of goodness who would never result to such things. Indeed.

Great. Now i got blood on me. Really, not just useless, but troublesome as well. Can't even die without causing someone a few annoyances.

This was the final thought that he spared them. In fact, they ceased to exist in his mind from that point on. They were that worthless to him.

The only thing he found irksome was the blood that covered him. Other than that he appeared worry-free.

Aries looked at the two women. They blinked several times, trying to understand what just happened. One moment they were about tto face a fate worse than death, and the next they were on the ground with blots of deep red upon their clothes and the metallic scent of blood clogging their nostrils. Even the carnage from moments ago was gone, causing them to feel as if they had lost their minds.

Aries could clearly hear their hearts pounding erratically in their chests.

He used his hands to help the mother and daughter to stand. They seemed very out of sorts, allowing themselves to rise simply because they had no idea what else to do or how to handle whatever it was that was going on.

They stared at Aries, lost.

"...T-thank...you..." The girl choked out, the words small and full of some strange emotion he wasn't sure he could pinpoint. The woman, hearing her, blinked once more and also offered a belated thanks.

"No problem, my lovely ladies." He smiled, trying to put them at ease. Which actually had the opposite effect, judging from the widening of their eyes and hitched breathing. Undaunted, he went on. " So. Care to point out the nearest restaurant? I'm famished."

The two women's minds seemed to go blank.

***

"I can't thank you enough, Lord Aries." A older male with a mane of salt-and-pepper hair spoke courteously.

Tall and robust, the leader of the city Aries was currently staying at seemed very healthy despite his apparent age. What was his actual title? Senechal? No, can a senechal govern an entire city?

Aries didn't know. He didn't care much either.

He nodded to the man, taking a bite of the delectable pork chop in front of him. It was like it meltedin his mouth, sending all kinds f deliciousness to his tongue and filling him with satisfaction. It was a bit spicy, but had a sweet aftertaste. Coated with some sort of honey-based glaze that was both tangy and sweet, it made him salivate just from smelling it.

There was other things too. Mashed potatoes, scallops, crunchy biscuits slathered with butter, chicken soup and rice...all of it was absolutely divine. So good that it was downright sinful.

This had to be one of the best meals he had eated in a while...

He cut a glance to the chef stationed to the far left of him, a rather comely-looking woman who was just slightly showing signs of plumpness. Though not exactly in a bad way.

This was a woman after his own heart. How the hell did she know his weakness was he stomach? This woman, she was truly formidable! Honeslty, what drug did the woman lace this with? Cause she had to have done that, otheriwise how could these things be so damn addicting?

Hell, he wouldn't mind even marrying the woman if it meant he would be able to have a meal like this everyday...

Having been pulled into his own thoughts, his ears suddenly latched onto a certain string of words by the man that had until just now been like white noise to Aries.

"...Anything you want, you need only ask." He spoke very agreeably.

Aries was intrigued, seeing an opportunity. "Anything?" He raised a brow, smiling a bit.

The man--whose name he either hadn't learned yet or didn't care enough to remember--hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Indeed, my Lord. Anything you wish." His tone went a tad more mild. He had a seret fear the infamously liscentious god would ask for his daughter. Not as if he would be capable of rejecting the man if he did ask...

Aries immediately jerked his thumb towards the chef woman. " I want her."

The woman in question blinked in surprised, looking to her sides with her eyes to see if there were someone else beside her.

"M-me?" She pointed to herself, quietly letting out a question that he wasn't sure was entirely inentional.

"her?" The man's voice seemed incredulous.

Aries nodded easily. He turned to the woman. "Hey, woman, what's you name?"

"Maris, my Lord Aries." She bowed her head respectfully.

"Huh. I'll have to remember that. Welp, your mine now. Hey, old ma--ah...no. Sorry, your name?"

"Dakrin, my Lord. Dakrin Marr."

"Right, Drake. Have someone pack her things. In the morning I'll come fetch her." He started commanding the man as if it were only natural that he would obey. Then he once more addressed the chef, Maris. " I'm traveling with some friends for now, but eventually i'll head back to my temple. Probably. Whenever I feel like it, really. Oh, but anyway, tell me something. What else can you cook?"

And so began a lengthy discussion between the two. Aries wasn't all too overbearing like Apollo could be, or like that Thor, but he didn't have much reservations with ordering about mortals.

The boys, Saren and James, and the two girls Lilith and Reina, were different since they were under Roland's care. So they got special treatment.

As for Maris and this Drake person, Aries treated them different because to him they were on equal standing despite whatever their social statuses may have been prior to his meeting them. He had no afiliation with the man, so he didn;t care for him. But Maris interested him, and so he treated her a bit better.

And she was pretty.

So that automatically made her superior to the older, somewhat annoying Drake. They were both like ants comparaed to him, but he liked this Maris girl. Pretty and a talented cook to boot. Much more welcoming to the eyes than this man before him.

As he talked with the girl, Dakrin felt a twinge of hate. He could understand why a person of Lord Aries' standing would not give him much thought, but to be put on a level below that of even a servant...

Unseen by all those present, for a fraction of a second the man's eye flashed a deep crimson...

It was sometime later that two familiar people, now looking very refreshed and more in control of themselves, entered the room. It was the pair he saved earlier.

It probably went without saying but currently Aries was a guest in the manor where the leader of the city and his family resided. Specifically, the dining room. Complete with a long table and an assortment of foods placed on many plates and bowls of varying sizes.

Obviously he had been brought here by the two women before him. Or, well, kind of. It was more like he just tagged along.

When the two had been kidnapped by the group of mercenaries--Aries wasn't sure they were mercenaries but they were obviously a bit skilled. Most likely they were a small group that specialized in this type of assignment. Lacking a better word for them, he opted to call them mercs for the moment--the entire city guard had been thrown into a flurry of movement in which all availabe personnel had been rallied in search of the two.

As he followed the two women only ten minutes had passed before they were surrounded by guards who all glowered suspiciously at Aries. Which stopped instantly when they were berrated by the two. Probably because they though he would kill them if they hadn't stepped in, probably.

Putting that aside for a bit, he knew that as close as the guards were to them that they would have found the women given a bit more time and at least chase away the group of hired swords. Though by then the girls would have already been defiled. He felt good about that.

Not the part of them being raped, but by the fact that his effort wasn't wasted. He would have saved them either way but if his part wasn't needed then he would have felt slightly discontent since he would have wasted time on something when he didn't need to.

Anyway, getting back to the topic... long story short, he was taken to their home and was instantly recognized by the lord of the city.

To explain why the guards didn;t recognize him...Well, to put it this...Think about it as if he were a politician or something. Most folk wouldn't know him because he were not a part of their personal life like a co-worker or friend would be. He might be important and his choices might affect how they live but generaly people wouldn't pay any attention to him. It would be more likely that he would be recognized by someone higher up. Plebs like the guards or those mercs might find him familiar but they wouldn't think much of it under normal circumstances.

Sure, his face was pretty well known. But it wasn't to the extent of Morrigan or Thor where one was a supremely beautiful woman and the ther was an attention whore who thrived on people's admiration and worship. Since this place was like a vacation spot for gods they would sometimes make appearances. But Aries? No, hardly ever. Ad to that all these varing pictures of him that were only vaguely bearing a resemblance to him and things got alot more complicated.

If he was a beauty like Morrigan or Fenris then people would know him, of that he was certain.

And only the core members of a Pantheon would even be known to the residents of a planet anyway. The countless other mortal-turned-god or demigods were generally left nameless to them.

Plus, who would expect a god of Aries' power and influence to come down to a planet like this, a city like this? Most people would write him off as someone who just looked like him. That is, if they didn't notice the aura of violence and overwhelming force his body usually exuded.

As he was idly having such thought, a feminine voice reached his ears. Lyrical, soft.

"Thank you, Lord Aries, for saving us." The older woman bowed low and spoke her thanks.

"Yes. Thank you, my Lord. Were it not for you..." The younger one's eyes misted up slightly, trailing off. Her response must have seemed too informal or something because the woman and Drake stiffened slightly.

He waved them off. "Sure, don;t mention it. But I advise you to learn how to fight in case shit like that ever happens again. Also...Remember, always go for the cock first, it's a man's greatest weakness. If it's a woman, cunt-punt the bitch. Or get a jab into the armpit. A weak point that spans both genders, that. You know, I think I have a pretty good training manual somewhere..."

He snapped his fingers and conjured a small, unassuming booklet. " Eh, you seem pretty weak so take this. It'll teach you how to use lighter weapons like knives and such. And help you do some muscle training. You seem like you could use it..." The girl was slender and her arms looked a bit squishy.

He threw the booklet at her casually, the faces of the others present showing startlement and other such expressions.

The girl caught it quickly in a panic, holding it rather awkwardly as she looked towards her father and aunt. Making a hasty reply, she said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Lord Aries." A perfect bow was issued.

"Hm." He gave a small grunt of acknowledgement. "So, Maris, as I was saying..." He went back to talking to the chef girl.

The contents of the booklet, if followed strictly and with dedication, would give one some good results. Roland might be a bit annoyed Aries gave someone a manual, if he were here. He didn;t like leaving a person to their own devices when they had no foundation at all to build up form, like how it was with the girl.

Still, the booklet didn't pose any danger to her, Aries knew.

He didn't think any more of it.

But he suddenly had a thought.

" Hey, Drake. So what's with the army parked outside?"

He had noticed it on the way down but it didn't catch his interest until the mercs or whatever they were had mantioned a siege going on.

The man frowned severely. "It's because of those curs, Kallen and Decher."

Aries stared at him. " Yes, go on. Keep in mind I have no fucking idea who those guys are. Please, do elaborate."

Drake let out a cough. "Yes, sorry my Lord. Ahem. " He cleared his throat. " Kallen and Decher are from the Rossenheim Kingdom to the north and the entire nation are servants of Lady Brighid. Lately Rossenheim has been going about conquering lands in her name while forcefully converting all they come across into worshipping her. Now they come knocking at our doors and demand our compliance. The people are scared but we won't be so easily toppled. Those two ruthless fops, they had to have been behind this attack on my family." His hands shook with rage.

"Oh?" Aries raised a voice. "Does that bit--ah, I mean, Brighid, know about all of this?"

She might not.

"I don't see how a person such as she would care all too much so i'm guessing not."

...Hm. He may have a point. But gods like her and Aries used worshippers as a way to easier manifest in physical form on a certain planet. They could become weaker or stronger than other gods depending on how many followers they had.

Like Loki. In general his brother Thor is more powerful in terms of raw power, in terms of how much damage he can put out. Here it was different since he was more popular than Thor. Which meant he could display much more of his true power here while Thor would be a bit more restrained.

Loki would still be able to win against him even if they were on equal footing, however. Loki had too many tricks up his sleeve. That cunning little buggar wouldn't be put down without at least three Thors. That is, if he fought seriously. Loki was not more powerful than Thor but he was a hell of a lot smarter and wily.

Which is why Odin, that old thing, always wanted Loki to take over as King when he eventually retired or whatever. Even though Loki was not of his blood, he was still his son. And he was legally his adoptive son. Not to mention the vast influence Loki posessed. Indeed, that guy had a finger in nearly every pie within the igher Planes. And he wasn't just talking about women. Though that was his favorite sort of dessert.

Anyway, having more followers could increase a god's power not just on that planet but also in general. That was what the more powerful gods did.

At a certain level it was harder to advance in power by one's own efforts so many chose to passively gain power over time through followers. This was a very unreliable method since if somone suddenly killed off a bunch of a god's followers they could be weakened severely... but, well, it still has it's uses.

Of course, other certain high-ranking gods like Aries and Fenris were already so strong by their own merit that this wouldn't make too much of a diffference in their overall power.

And Brighid wasn't weak by any means so it would be a bit odd if she would really have spared the effort to send the two men to conquer cities in her name.

" Huh, I see. Well this all really has nothing to do with me. But if I were you, I wouldn't let this slide. Some arrogant pricks taget people close to me? I'm very territorial, I would hunt the fuckers down and used their intestines to choke the life out of them."

He actually did that once. Or several times. But those were for different reasons.

" ...Perhaps...you're right."

Aries squinted at the man.

Wait, did his eyes just...

"...Yes, something like this can't be left unpunished. Those villains come to us and expect to force us to change our way of life at the drop of a hat. They hire thugs to kidnap my family. If we sit back and do nothing then eventually they'll weaken us until we can;t fight back..."

"Yeah, probably. In a siege like this the defending position isn't something you want to be in. They'll starve you. I'm assuming that the food you grow here won;t be enough to last all too long. It seemed to me that there are too many people within these walls and i didn't see many fields growing food when I descended. Also, your water supply will be gone quicker than you would think. They'll completely block you in . Even your communication with the outside world will be cut off. Then within a month or two I doubt you and your citizen will have the strngth to defend yourselves. And you know how rape-y soldiers can sometimes get."

No self-respecting soldier would even think of it, but it happens. The conquered will always be the bitch of the conqueror.

The women in the room, hearing him, shivered.

Drake seemed to suddenly have a look of resolution upon his face. He inclined his head in agreement with Aries.

" Your words are true. The longer we wait the more dangerous it will be. I had planned to negotiate with them,,,But tonight's events have made it clear that they're a wild animal that has to be dealt with." The man considered. "Thank you again, Lord Aries. You;ve given me much to think about."

The man's sister thought he was going insane. Ws he considering taking action? No, that couldn't be. The brutes from tonight, may they burn in the deepths of hell, had one job: Deliver them to the people who would smuggle them out of the city ant into the hands of Kallen and Decher so that they could be used as leverge.

Harming them was something those beasts had thought up on their own. She was still shaken up by that, as what her niece, but neither of them wanted an all-out war if it could be helped. Could they win against the army outside? She wasn't sure....

Hearing all this, Aries suddenly stood up. "Hm, well, thanks for the meal. If you'll excuse me, I have some things to do. So..." He paused. "...I think i'm just going to go. Maris, I'll be picking you up later."

He then quickly left. He was fairly sure that his presence here made the man a bit crazed. He had that affect on people, especially when they were under pressure.

It wasn't until the next morning that he found out the man would be launching an assault on the opposing forces. Which would drag not just the two armies into battle, but their respective nations as well.

If one was being honest then they know it probably would have happened anyway but he did a hell of a job speeding it along.*

*********

* Some of you might understand why speeding it along could be bad for those who are in a current defensive position. At least having it so suddenly escalate isn't good, you see. Especially when you have civilians to think about.