My muscles, my bones, my organs, every single piece of my body hurt separately. The pain wormed itself into my brain, slowly entering each fold separately, changing my idea of the word ''.

was stubbing your toe, or breaking a knuckle. was all those things that didn't matter anymore. This wasn't . This was .

My brain apparently finished being filled with liquid Agony, because it dulled into the background, only to be replaced as the feeling entered my spine. Each vertebra, I could feel it separately. Each disk, each rib attacked.

I could tell the location of everything in my body, which was a new feeling. I knew where my kidneys were, they were the balls of Fire just under my ribs. My liver, a bowl of Lava. My heart, a critical Reactor Core. Lungs, Inflatable bags of Liquid Napalm.

The oddest thing, during all of this, was that it didn't go away. Normally, pain dulled the nerves after a certain amount of time, but this never did. If anything, I could tell my nerves were getting stronger, more effective, quickening my reflexes and response-time.

I'm sure time passed, but maybe it didn't. Heightened amounts of Pain had a tendency to stretch, (or change entirely,) the concept of time in the mind. For all I know, I hadn't even spent a single heartbeat after Loki touched me.

At one point, I thought I might pass out, and drift to heavenly sleep, but the pain reached my waist, and I heard myself finally make a noise, groaning as the pain invaded my loins.

My sense of smell started fluctuating, then my hearing, and my eyes darkened, shutting off my sight. My tongue felt like a piece of rubber in my mouth. Inversely, my fingertips, when they touched the wooden floorboards, could tell me exactly what type of wood it was, when it was last sanded, how long it had been here, how old the wood was... details that were completely lost on me before.

That sense remained, then my taste took the same route, heightening insanely, and I realized I could taste every piece of food or plaque in my teeth, until it was all burnt off.

Next was hearing. I could hear the people downstairs, on the third floor, playing a game of cards, it sounded like. My hearing managed to focus, slowly, and I heard Loki speaking very slowly to her people.

I theorized that time was slowed for me right now, and focused on getting my senses back.

My smell returned next, and I realized I needed about six baths filled with bleach, because I could still smell Engine Grease under my fingernails, from when I helped Johnny with his car, three weeks ago... I had held the tools and the flashlight.

Sight was the last sense to return. I could now see the grains in the wood, the ones I could feel. Dust motes in the air flew across my vision, followed by white blood-cells on the surface of my retinas, and inside my pupils.

I looked up, and saw individual shafts of daylight, each collecting to create the whole.

I tested my muscles, one by one, and found them adequately adjusted, so I lifted my chest off the ground, sitting back on my knees slowly, and cracked my neck.

"Ow." I grunted, summarizing the process for the people who were watching.

I had lost track of time, but I could see now that the sun had moved only about 15* on its path, which meant that an hour had passed, roughly.

Loki patted my shoulder, sending ribbons of a sensation that I would have called Pain less than an hour ago, shooting from the spot. "Welcome to the Loki Familia, Xavier Dorian... we have some things to talk about... for now, get some rest. We'll talk more when you wake up."

I stood slowly, straightening my back and legs. "I'm fine." Speaking sent more sensations down my vocal cords and tongue, and even my teeth vibrated, but I simply clenched my cheeks and toughed it out.

She blinked slowly, and the Dwarf grinned, speaking English this time. "He's got Guts, that much is true, eh?"

I blinked quickly, as I felt my senses start to dull a little, taking the edge off, so to speak. Soon, the over-active nerves calmed, and I grinned as I felt my awareness come back within margins I could work with.

"Most people pass out as soon as the pain stops, or prefer to take the Initiation while Asleep. Well done." The tall elf woman nodded approvingly.

I nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Loki grinned. "I caught a good one, huh gang?!? Well, since you're up and about, let's not waste any time!" She handed me a sheet of paper, and I blinked, trying to focus so I could read it.

I found I couldn't, and the elven woman took it gently, reading it quietly for me to hear. 'Xavier Leopold Dorian: LVL 1

STR: E465 DEX: E450

DEF: D530 MAG: H130

WPN: D501 SKL: N/A'

"Decent Stats, for right out the gate!" She smiled and handed me the paper.

"Very good, yes, but expected, because you were already a Warrior." The little boy nodded.

I blinked. "Your voice is surprisingly mature..."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm a Hobbit, and ."

"Oh!... sorry, I guess. Didn't mean to assume." I hummed.

He nodded. "I'm Finn, by the way."

I blinked again, very slowly. "The Lvl 8 Finn?"

He grinned. "That's me."

"Damn. Okay then. Cool, nice to meet you." I grinned, and grabbed my shirt, pulling it on.

"You need to be armed... !" Loki suddenly screeched, and I covered my ears, hissing softly.

The eleven woman tittered quietly, and schooled her features before I could look at her.

A tall man with silver hair and matching wolf ears walked in, grumbling. ", Loki? I was sleeping!"

She pointed at me. "Meet Xavier Dorian, my newest plaything! He needs weapons, and armor! I want you to test his skills in combat, determine what type of weapons he needs, and then take him to the Tower for whatever he needs. Your budget is 30,000 Val!" She grinned simply.

He blinked slowly, and then looked at me. "Sigh... whatever. Come on, brat."

I hummed. "Is it alright if I go with the Dwarf instead? I'm not a dog person."

His ears stood straight up, and he slowly turned around. "I'm a Wolf, Brat."

"Sorry: Canine Person. I'm not a Canine Person. I prefer cats." I shrugged.

He grumbled, and looked at Loki. She shrugged. "I don't care. You're taking him."

I nodded. "Okay, I won't complain. Let's go, then, Mr...?"

He eyed me, seemingly to make sure I wasn't being sarcastic. "Bete Loga... you just call me Bete." (Beta-Bete.)

I nodded. "I'm Xavier Dorian. Call me as you like."

He nodded. "Come on, then, Brat Dorian."

I raised an eyebrow, and followed as he walked out.

"Oh! Money!" He halted, and stuck his head back in. "Oiii, Loki! Pay me!"

She tossed a bag of money at him, and he caught it easily, attaching it to his belt.

"So... you're a Wolf, huh?" I asked, walking next to him, forcing my muscles to obey me.

He noticed, and stopped walking. "Did you get accepted into our Familia?"

I nodded. "Yes. Hurt like nothing I've ever felt, but I can take it."

He nodded, hiding his expression as he walked forward. "Hm. Yes, I'm a Wolf."

"So, are there a lot of Wolves in Orario? Like a pack? Or are you all lone-... bad joke, sorry." I grinned guiltily.

He snorted humorlessly. "No, not many. And we're not loners, we all have Familia's. Much more cats than wolves, really. You that new, huh?"

"I'm from Midgard, so... yeah. Been in Orario two days, outside it for about a week." I responded easily.

He huffed. "Great... you know how the Dungeon works, then, you're registered as an Adventurer?"

"I'm registered as a Citizen? I didn't want to push my luck, and apply as an Adventurer, and then Loki refuse me, leaving me totally screwed, as far as adventuring goes." I shrugged.

He nodded. "Got it. I'll get you registered today, then, while we're out getting you weapons. What style of fighting do you do? I can tell you do, but I can't tell what."

"Muay Thai? It's uh..."

"The art of Eight Limbs? I've heard of it. Fought a few practitioners. Pretty decent for fighting humans, but you'll need a weapon to fight monsters." He hummed, scratching his cheek.

"I am proficient with a spear, staff, daggers, and several kinds of Swords. Muay Thai also teaches those. Though, Johnny is much better than me with a sword. He's a Savant at longswords." I nodded.

He looked over, without speaking.

"Johnny is the man who came with me, when I came through the Portal. He's recovering right now, he was Gutted when we got here. We were unarmed and unprepared." I shrugged.

"You should never be unprepared or unarmed." He shook his head.

"We don't have monsters in Midgard, okay? And like you said, Muay Thai is good to fight humans. As humans are the opponents in Midgard, I was more than ready for anything that wasn't from a different dimension." I grunted defensively.

He hummed. "I guess. At least you're not a weakling, as humans go. Here's the Training Room." He opened a set of double-doors, and we walked into a large dojo.

"Cool... I ran a dojo a lot like this... well, mine was in a Warehouse, not a castle, but hey, details, eh?" I grinned.

He raised an eyebrow. "You were a teacher?"

"Yes. I taught the younger students, to build a foundation, so they grew up and got even stronger." I nodded, stretching slowly, to test if my limbs were stiff.

He nodded slowly. "Good. If you make them strong early, they aren't weaklings, growing up. Now... attack me." He stood still on the mat, staring at me.

I nodded, and darted forward, throwing a punch directly at his eyes. He caught it easily, and my arm folded, sending my elbow into his nose with my body's full momentum.

Unexpectedly, my elbow was the one that cracked, not his nose, making me hiss in annoyance.

He nodded. "Good. Again."

I brought a knee up into his diaphragm, and then followed through, kicking my foot straight up in a split, catching his chin on the way.

He leaned back out of the way, and my foot slammed down on his chest, taking him to the floor. I leapt back as he swung his legs in a long arc, sweeping himself off the floor in a deceptively simply move.

When he turned to face me, I was already back in his space, sending jabs at his eyes to blind him, as my feet worked themselves in to restrict his footwork.

He dodged everything with insulting ease, and then swung a right straight at me, telegraphing it across my line of sight.

I ducked, bringing a foot up, and bracing against his stomach, launching myself into the air.

He followed, surprising me, and kicked one heel down into my stomach, ramming me down into the mat.

"Your body is like steel, man." I groaned, sitting up.

He blinked. "You're able to move? Hmph... maybe I didn't hit hard enough."

"We've established already that I'm one tough bastard, yes?" I chuckled, and stood up, dusting myself off.

He nodded. "True. Come on, we've got to go see the Hephaestus Familia."

I nodded. "Sure. Dunno what type of armor I'd use..."

"You'll need some bracers with blades on them... clawed gauntlets... and some boots with spiked heels, knees, and toes. Custom stuff. For now, we'll get you a sword, some bracers, leather armor, and some shin-guards." He scratched his hip, and then waved his hand. "Let's get going to the Tower."