I turned away from Riviera's mildly offended look, and then touched the Dragon Bones and Scales, then the pure carbon ingots I'd bought from a vendor in the Hephaestus Familia for relatively cheap.

Then I breathed deeply, and spoke my incantation for Cinder Ella, a short stanza from a much longer poem.

"little girl,

do not sharpen your soft curves.

do not allow the world to harden you,

do not allow it to morph your kindness

into a gun,

nor your sweet smile into a knife.

."

The metal and bones didn't move for a moment, but I growled, and reached out mentally, grabbing them, and accepting them as a part of myself, and my Bones.

Immediately, they seemed to liquify, and follow my commands. I focused on the smallest of details, building my armor from the skin outwards. Within minutes, I stood, fully armored, and kitted for war.

I shook myself, bouncing on my toes, then testing my full range of motion. The muscles responded well, almost like regular muscles. The spell actively pulled magic to fuel the transformation from the air in my lungs, just like I'd designed it to.

Riviera spoke up. "That... is rather interesting. I wasn't aware you could use shapeshifting magic to create armor..."

I chuckled softly. "It's more of a biological augmentation, but so be it."

She hummed. "I'm not sure I see the difference, but I don't see the point in arguing."

"Wonderful." I nodded, and started working on contracting the armor, creating the vest I'd designed.

It obeyed my commanded silently, and liquified, sliding under my clothes, which had just barely survived all of this.

I changed my clothes quickly, dressing in the nicest clothes I could find, and then armed myself. "Alright... then let's go test out my new armor." I grinned.

Then I remembered Johnny, and sighed, looking at him. "Oh. Right. The old man. ! !" I snapped.

He popped up, and groaned, cracking his back slowly. "Coffee... or Whiskey..." I tossed the bottle I'd gotten from the bar at him, and he snatched it out of the air nimbly, even with his eyes closed. "T'anks..."

"Get up and armed, old man, time to go kick some ass. I've got a plan, to make sure no Lvl 2's show up." I smirked.

He grumbled, but yawned, and stood up, drinking the whiskey with one hand while he dressed. Riviera hummed. "And... this plan? May I hear it?"

"I'm going to spread around Orario that there's an Herb on Floor 6 that can help you Level Up immediately, but only if you're Lvl 1, and I am in possession of it." I smirked.

"There's no such herb. That's ridiculous." Riviera sighed.

"So is attacking someone in the same alley twice. I never accused the Freya Familia of being smart, only pretty and strong. I like this idea." Loki appeared swiftly, grinning.

"Then, I'm going to let some Lvl 1 Freya Familia members know that I am located at the end of the Tunnel on the south End. I'll be waiting at the end of that tunnel. The smart ones will never show, but the dumb (and therefore weak,) Adventurers will challenge me. And I'll defeat them. Simple." I shrugged.

"Not simple at all... but I suppose for your twisted mind, it might appear so." Riviera hummed softly.

"I knew I liked you, Dorian." Loki winked, and pranced out of the room. "Rumors to spread, la-la-laaaa~~~!!!"

Riviera sighed. "And when your plan goes sideways? When you're suddenly not able to fight the enemies, because there's too many, or a Level Two decides to get the herb from you, or a First Class Adventurer, so as to sell it?"

"That's what the Old Man is coming for. He's my backup." I grinned.

"Backup. I'm the fuckin' cavalry..." Johnny grumbled, and tried putting on pants with one hand... and limited success.

"Put the whiskey down for a moment, no one is going to steal it, you imbecilic !" I hissed at him.

He blinked slowly, and set it down. "Oh. Right."

Riviera walked away, shaking her head. "Tione, go with them." She said to someone off-handedly.

"Whaaaaat?!? Why meeeee?!?" The amazon whined.

"Because I'm tired, and you're not !" Riviera snapped back, and walked away.

The Amazon grumbled, but leaned against my doorway. She gazed at Johnny, and hummed. "You're kinda sexy for an old Elf, you know. Maybe it's the muscles? Not many elves have muscles." She smirked.

Johnny chuckled. ". Only Xavier calls me that, little girl. I'm 36, almost 37. You're not even young enough to be my daughter, you don't get to call me old."

She hummed. "I thought elves lived for thousands of years before they got old and scruffy?"

"I've only been an Elf for about three weeks, little girl." He grumbled.

She hummed again, and her sister whacked her skull. "Stop being rude, Tione, you know better!"

She didn't seem fazed. "Well, you're coming with me. I don't wanna be bored."

"You're both too noticeable. I need someone who doesn't stand out. If I have to have a baby sitter, I don't want it to ruin my plan. Where's Finn?" I asked.

The hobbit appeared. "I'm summoned? Some twisted scheme of Loki's, no doubt? Nice armor, by the way."

"My plot, actually, but Loki likes it, and thank you, I worked very hard on this armor." I grinned. "Also, you're my backup, should a Level 2 or First Class Adventurer appear."

"Okay." He shrugged, accepting the situation.

I grinned. "Great, then let's start off, hmm?"

---

I whistled a tune, spinning a dagger on my knuckles. Testing the reflexes and dexterity of the Armor had revealed that it was almost exactly as dexterous as me, though 'Almost Exactly' wasn't 'Exactly'.

Finn glared at me from under his hood. "Would you stop whistling?"

"Would you rather I ? We Italians are a musical people." I shrugged easily, grinning.

I heard something in the tunnel, and quickly covered my face again with my armor. Three tall men, all wearing advanced armors, came down the tunnel confidently.

"I recognize that one in the middle... he's a Level 2, the others must be his lackeys." Finn murmured.

I nodded. "Well well well, my little spiderweb catches it's first prey... you know, they say Victory is sweeter than any mother's milk..." I smirked for show, then remembered my face was covered, so I laughed, to create an egotistical persona for them.

"Pushing it a bit..." Johnny whispered, leaning against the wall lazily.

"I'm acting, shut up." I snapped back, which got the adventurers attention.

The trap under them opened, and the Lvl 2 leapt away in Time, though his lackeys fell into the small pit, barely up to their waists, filled with wet concrete I'd whipped up.

While the Lvl 2 was looking backwards in confusion, I advanced, and slammed my knee into his face with all of our combined momentum, plus my full physical strength.

He flew back, his nose bleeding and bruised, but not broken, and landed on his feet.

I blinked. "Wow... they weren't kidding! You Level Two bastards are pretty tough, huh?" I grinned and darted at him, jabbing at his throat. He simply disappeared, and I ducked quickly, his foot scraping my skull.

That small impact shook my balance, but my non-balancing foot rammed into his groin, knocking him back a step, and also making him fall to his knees, yelling in pain.

I laid into him, pounding him into the ground with no mercy.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes, and grabbed my throat, easily lifting me off of him. "?" He snarled.

I grinned. "No idea what you're talking about, you dickless shit-stain. " Then I punched him again in the face, just to be saucy, before he threw me away from himself, growling.

My back slammed into the wall, just as Johnny's foot went upside the man's head, sending him reeling.

I used the time to whisper a spell, clenching my quartz Sphere in my hand, then slapping it to the ground just in time, as the Level Two recovered, and swung at me.

His fist slammed into my barrier, as the Sphere of Magic Symbols appeared around me.

I took a deep breath, and released it, calming myself, and then reciting a poem about Loki. "Hail to my lord, flickering flame of Ásgarð,

Burning brand of Jotunheim. Hail to you,

Laufey's son, Scar-lip, Sky-traveler, Giants'-son,

Mother of Sleipnir, Wolf's-sire, father of Hela and Jormungand.

Hail to you, Shapeshifter, skilled thief and magician,

Always surprising with your sly, bold ways;

Bringer of unforeseen gifts, bringer of changes,

Bringer of endings and new beginnings.

."

The adventurer yelped as his limbs started shrinking, and soon he burped out a Ribbit, glaring at me from his height of eight inches off the ground.

"A... giant... ." Finn said slowly.

"I turned him into a fucking toad, you're damn right." I smirked, tucking my crystal into my pocket.

Then I felt a giant weight in my mind, and my vision went black.

---

I woke up with liquid in my throat, and coughed it out, groaning. "What in all things fucked up was that?!?" I growled.

"That, was a Mind-Down, which you would have known, if you weren't so busy being a cocky little brat." Finn snapped at me, then poured the rest of the potion in my mouth.

I drank it, and then grumbled. "For the last time, it was acting! A-C-T-I-N-G!"

"Not that, no, that was well done. No, I mean you prancing around, learning massive amounts of spells, but almost no magical Knowledge! You are lucky I was here with Mana Potions, prepared for this! You're a ! ACT LIKE IT!" He roared, then glared at me.

I grinned. "Awww! You do care!"

He groaned. "It's like I'm talking to a human version of Loki! Never a straight answer! Always joking!"

I smirked. "You don't wanna see me serious, babe. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." He ignored me, and I stood up, to find a toad still glaring at me. "Huh. So... if I turned him into a toad... is he still Level Two?"

"Ryan Wincer, Level Two for the Freya Familia... I think so." Finn responded, reading the tattoo on the toad's back.

"Wo~ow... very nice. If only a princess would kiss you back to normal..." I smirked, and picked up the frog, dropping it in his friend's shirt.

He howled in pain as the small frog kicked him repeatedly, and I hummed. "I see he's just as strong as before. Interesting."

He finally worked his way out of his minion's shirt, and I picked him up again, dropping him into a sack.

"I've got an even better idea... Finn? In your. Expert opinion... did I gain XP from turning him into a frog?"

"Well... you used magic, so I should think so. Why?"

"Because fighting them all is... wasteful. It would be so much better to turn all of Freya's pretty puppies into ugly toads, and give them Back to her." I smirked.

The two men caught in cement started shouting, begging me to leave them alone.

I looked between them. "Here's the deal. I only need one of you to take this bag back to your mistress... so which one of you will it be? Which one of you will be a good doggy, and not a toad? Hmm?"

The left one, who had a large nose ring, simply punched his fellow in the chin, knocking him out. "I ain't getting turned into a frog." He snapped.

"No... you're more of a snake, aren't you? Betraying your friends... so cold-blooded." I woke his friend up, and pulled him out of the concrete, then handed him the bag. "Hold this. Don't move, or I turn you into a fly, and let your friend there snap you up." I grinned savagely.

"I-... okay." He mumbled.

Then I turned to his 'buddy'. "Now as for you..."