I left my mother's room, smiling and whistling a happy melody, and then left, searching down small Familia's that had grudges with each other.

My plan was simple. I'd told Loki 'a war game', but what I really wanted, was a 'Familia War.' Several different Familia's, all fighting different battles. I was going to make Four War Games, all at once.

I'd studied the Guild Rules, and the rules specifically stated that War Games were not singular, and didn't have to only be two Familia's. The rules clearly stated that a tournament style was applicable, as well as several other kinds...

I planned on setting up a set of Tournament Style Single and Double matches, between as many Familia's as I could.

A surprising amount of Familia's had some very bad beef with each other, so finding them wasn't hard.

I took notes, and then returned to Loki, who was with Finn, overseeing final preparations for the Expedition.

She looked at me side-long, and smirked. "Come back empty handed?" She taunted.

I smirked and held out my journal, open to the page with my plans. "Not quite."

She whistled gently. "Not just a War Game... you want an actual War..."

"Nothing more distracting to you Gods, right?" I grinned.

She nodded. "Indeed. Well done... make it happen, and we'll talk again."

I laughed. "Gods, so hard to impress." I took my journal back, and then closed it with a Final Snap.

---

The Chief Scribe stared at the plans I'd handed him, thinking deeply. I waited, as patient as any cheetah staring down a gazelle.

"So... have the Familia's signed off on this?"

"Not yet. I wanted your approval before I began, Sir. After all, as the Chief Scribe of the guild, it would fall on your shoulders to make this scenario a reality... and a reality that would Entertain the , no less." I shrugged humbly.

He smiled a little, and licked his lip quickly, like a lizard. "I see... and you say that you want none of the credit?"

"Of course not... I am, after all, one of the contenders. I cannot possibly be a further part of the creation... though I stress that no details are changed in the slightest. I'm sure you understand the very lucrative scenario that will ensue, once I have won this tournament... and I will be sure to show my appreciation for those Grimoire's you so graciously rewarded me with." I smiled as my silken tongue went to work.

He hummed, completely guiltless at the offer of a bribe, sitting in the air. "Indeed... it will be very beneficial... and what's this, you've made?"

He points to the ranking system.

"Ah, yes. Basically, it wouldn't be very fair for a Lvl 5 to get into the ring with a Lvl 2, would it? It'd be over quickly, and no entertainment value..."

"Oh, true..." he nodded.

"So, instead, the Lvl 5 will enter the ring with two Lvl 4's from random Familia's, and the winner, (most likely one of the Level Four's, though it's technically the last one standing,) will fight the next battle, against two Lvl 3's. And so on. If, by the end, a Level 1 from Loki Familia wins... then so be it, I suppose..." I laid it out easily.

"Of course, this will need to be repeated?"

"Oh yes, several times... over the course of a week, I'd say. 'The Caesar Games', I'd call it, eh? And with the strongest Familia's out of the City on Expedition..." I smiled.

"The entertainment value of this will be... rather massive." He nodded.

"Exactly why I brought it to you! Now, let's talk action, and a win for the Loki Familia..."

He nodded. "These fights would compound, and you would only gave to fight a tired Level Three, and another Level Two, and then two Level 1's... yes... quite well done, my friend. I wonder, am I within rights to call you friend, do you think?"

"Should you even ask? In the wise words of one Scholar of Rome, 'What is a friend, but a man who is not yet an enemy?' You and I are not enemies, and so yes, I say we are friends!" I smiled.

He smiled as well. "Thank you, sir... but isn't your Familia leaving for Expedition?"

"Yes, exactly. Therefore, it's only fair to let us have all the Lvl 1 spots, and seeing as this was designed by the Guild, who are non-affiliated..." I smirked.

He laughed softly. "You are a very good fit for Loki... or perhaps Hermes."

"I'll stick with Loki, thanks. Hermes is too much of a Perv for my tastes." I shrugged.

"Alright... and you wish me to invite these specific guilds? Why?"

"I've scouted their abilities, and their power levels, as well as the Guild Records, and found small discrepancies... this battle will lure them all out into the light, and the guild will enact their own punishments, which I suppose will be mostly monetary." I shrugged.

"Ahh, I see. Instead of Blackmailing them, you're tricking them into exposing Themselves. Devilishly clever." He nodded.

I set the stack of folders on the tables. "And, should you need Blackmail, here it is."

He blinked at me. "These... nondescript folders?"

"I like to keep my blackmail studiously organized into folders, based on purpose and severity... doesn't everyone?" I asked simply.

He laughed solidly, his belly shaking, and calmed himself. "I suppose if you must do something, do it right, eh? Ha!" He giggled happily, and took the folders. "Then I will make this happen for you, sir Dorian... but we've not spoken of the Prize?"

"Ah. Yes. The money you'll take from those Familia? The prize, publicly, is some ridiculously high monetary value, or some debt cleared, or a rare item, but to each piece being blackmailed, this tournament is to get their money back... and should Loki's Familia win, we simply get the total sum." I smirked.

He smiled. "Ahhh... interesting... hmm... piece?"

"Yes, a Piece on my Board... I'm playing Chess, Dear Fellow. And you are a Bishop. Don't fail me, my friend." I nodded, and stood, walking out with a wave.

---

I set the finished plans in front of Loki, and simply sat on her couch, reading a book, while she looked at it slowly.

She picked it up, and cracked the Manila folder in front of her. "Ahhh... I, to, like to keep my blackmail thoughtfully organized into nondescript folders and journals..." she chuckled darkly, and then began reading.

That laugh, the one that hurt my bones to hear, escaped her lips as a soft chuckle, but it was more than enough to give me chills.

"..." she breathed, then threw the plans into the fire. "I'm impressed. I'll be more impressed when you pull it off." She said simply, and sat down at her desk.

I chuckled and strode towards the door, whistling a soft tune. Then I paused. "Oh, Loki? I've changed my mind... my mother is quite attached to the Club, not a House, so instead, I was wondering if you'd help me refurbish it, get employees, and generally fix the place up, instead of buying a new place."

She smiled. "Done deal. Buying a house is extremely difficult in this market. Refurbishing? Go hog wild, boy, if you manage this the way you planned, I'll give you anything you want, including Freya's things and apartment."

"Which I can then rent to Ishtar for an ungodly amount of money per month, and receive both her favor and monetary gain... thank you, Loki." I grinned.

She nodded. "Mm... oh! And I need to update your status... you fought nearly 250 people the other day, after all.

I nodded and sent my armor to my wrists, then stripped my suit jacket, shirt, and undershirt.

She sat on my butt again, and I sighed in annoyance.

"I swear I'm not lying, all female gods do it this way, and I don't know how the male gods do this. Stop complaining." She grinned, and pricked her finger.

"Yeah yeah..." I sighed and relaxed.

She quickly updated my stat's, and then whistled shrilly. "Wow... these fights are really kicking you into a new definition of ... your Midgardian Blood is almost like a God-Mode cheat code!" She laughed, and handed me my Status.

'Xavier Leopold Dorian: LVL 2

STR: SSS1140 DEX: SSS1150

DEF: SS1090 MAG: SSS1120

WPN: SS1090 SKL: Yes.

SKL: Juggernaut- Ignore Enemy WPN/DEF, SubSkill-Charge: change all DEX for DEF.

STR+1140 DEX+1150

DEF+1090 MAG+1120

WPN+1090 SKL+ Juggernaut.'

I blinked. "This is... kind of insane, isn't it? And what's this Skill? Juggernaut?"

"Like I said, you can get skills just by doing things the gods recognize, even if they don't give you the Level Up. That's a good skill, only few adventures get it. The parameters for achieving it are to charge a much larger mass of enemies, such as that army you faced, and triumph." She leaned back, sitting at her desk.

I nodded, dressing quickly. "I see... and trading all my Dex directly into my Def...now that could come in handy, a X2240 Defense, huh?" I grinned.

She nodded. "Indeed... especially in this tournament of yours."

I laughed. "Seems the gods up top are just as amused as you are by my antics. Now I must be going, I've got a few fights to start."

She raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't in the plans."

"Not everything is." I smirked mischievously. "I want you to be just as surprised as everyone else when the boot drops."

Her maniacal cackle followed me down the marble halls as I hurried away from her terrifying presence.

---

I sat down in an empty seat at a dive bar in the North Quarter, Cinder Ella hiding my features. I looked like a tall, rather skinny human, though my main features, (hair, skin, and eyes,) were the same.

I scouted for the Level 2's of the Dionysus Familia, my targets, and found that I'd been extra lucky. Two Lvl 3's were with them, all drinking heavily.

I stood, gathering my two mugs of beer, and approached the female of the group slowly, my feet tottering under me as I realized that my Dex-Def Shift had left me with almost no balance whatsoever.

Still, I walked forward confidently, and offered the second mug to her. She raised Emerald green eyes to meet my black ones, and I grinned again. "Hullo there! Fancy a Pint with a weary traveler?" I asked simply.

She chuckled, and pulled a seat over, despite her companion's complaints. "Take a seat, lad, you look close ta fallin' on your arse!" She laughed.

I smiled and sat down. "I'm usually better at holding my liquor, but today the beer seems especially strong!" I slid hers to her, and downed my own.

She chuckled again. "James Monroe, <>, Lvl 2 Freya Familia.. so what brings you to our neck of the woods?"

I laughed loudly. "I just said! The ale, and the women here are much prettier, I must say." I whisper/shouted conspiratorially.

She raised an eyebrow. "That so?"

I nodded slowly. "Yess... Freya doesn't allow the pretty girlsss to !!! It'sss not ..." I pouted.

She shook her head. "Makes sense. All Goddesses of Beauty are Jealous women."

I sighed and leaned back. "So true... and you? Any pretty men in your Familia? Or is Dionysus just as jealous of pretty boys?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'll not comment."

"Oh! I'll take that as a yes. I think all gods are jealous of humans... they made the mistake of appearing human, and so when humans are prettier than them or better in any way... it makes them a bonkers." I slurred. "And ' is more dangerous than a jealous God... scary fuckers, aren't they?" I giggled gently.

The men of the group stood up, cracking their knuckles.

I hummed. "Little quick to anger, these boys..." I murmured. "I thought being Familia to Dionysus made you a , not a ?" I grinned savagely, and the woman sighed, disappearing as the two men rammed their fists into my face.

I flew back, slamming into the bar, and then through it, into the alcohol rack.

I cracked my neck. "Alright, fuck-heads. Let's do this thing." I stood, and swung with all my might at one of the men.

He smirked, and let me hit him. My fist rammed right through his DEF, and he took heavy damage, slamming into the wall.

I laughed, and took the next hit from the second man. His friend wasn't getting up, and he could see that, so he took himself off of 'this guy needs a lesson in manners', and into 'fuck this guy up!'

He sped up, disappearing from my sight, and powerful hits started crashing down on me, but the worst they did was bruise, for now. I finally got a hand on him, and slammed my fist across his jaw with all I had, launching him into the bar as he'd done to me.

Then I clutched my pounding temple. "Maaaan.... now I've got this ringing headache, cause of you..." I groaned, and limped out, looking for the next bar, and the next group of Familia.