Power Corrupts: Expanding the Family (ch.40) (Patreon)

"Ah… fuck me," I cursed, my heart hammering away at my ribs as I looked down at the Dragon Priest. Just to make sure, I stomped on its ribs, shattering them like glass, and its pelvis. Just to make sure that it was down for the count. The ancient robes tore, possibly ruining whatever enchantments were placed on them, but, honestly? If it meant I had to go another round with the thing then I didn't really care. 

Looking down at the sack of shattered bones, I couldn't help but wonder if I had been too cocky. It didn't feel like I was. We went in as prepared as we could, but… this was simply a case of running into a bad matchup. And it made me very glad that I had invested in Mind Defense way back at the start because if it had dominated my mind, between the two of us… only Hestia would have been able to stop us. 

My gaze lingered on its mask for a moment before I reached down and grabbed it. Through my armor, I felt a faint vibration of power. The fabric it was connected to tore away, the ancient threads crumbling away to reveal a face that aged as well as any draugr I had encountered so far. The mask itself, it was hard to tell which one of the eight it was -- provided that there were only eight Dragon Priests. 

But, judging by the faint golden hue to the mask, then my bet was on Krosis. Meaning that the mask should have a twenty percent increase exp to Archery, Alchemy, and Lockpicking. 

And, thinking about it, that was a rather weird combination of enchantments for a Dragon Priest, a practitioner of magic, to have. Alchemy, that one I could see, but the other two didn't fit. So I'm guessing that the tacked-on effects were a dev going down a checklist of the skills to decide. Meaning that there was probably some other enchantments-

"Jericho!" Hestia shouted, running up the stairs, forced to detour over piles of treasure to reach me because of the walls of ice. Her face was torn between panic and relief when she saw that I was more or less fine. 

"I'm fine, the Dragon Priest is dead. It let its guard down around me," I explained, putting the mask in my inventory. It was another item that I knew was enchanted, but couldn't use because I didn't know its effects. And given the dangerous nature of enchantments, I wasn't willing to test the mask out when I had no clue what it did. "I'm fine Hestia," I told her in a much softer voice when she reached me, her gaze going to my damaged armor. 

But she heard the truth in my words, so she calmed down when she reached me. Trailing behind was Lydia, who looked ashamed with herself -- either because she hadn't been able to stop Hestia or because she wasn't able to participate in the fight. "That was too close, Jericho. I don't like that," she informed, hovering around me like I might fall apart with an odd look. 

But she didn't need to. My Health was lower than I wanted it to be, and my armor would need some repairs. Other than that, I was fine. 

"I'm fine," I repeated. "What about Vilkas? He lost an arm. Is he doing okay?" I asked, looking over at the wall of ice with faint annoyance. But, now that it wasn't about to slam into my face, I really took in just how utterly massive it was. Nearly fifty yards over ten feet tall summoned up with a lazy swipe of a hand. 

From this view, it looked like we won because of a careless mistake and, even then, the win was by the skin of our teeth. It felt like if the fight had gone down differently then our losses would have been greater. And I didn’t care for that one bit. 

“Vilkas is fine,” Lydia answered while Hesita hovered around me, almost afraid to touch me. “The loss of his arm troubles him, but he has enough pride as a warrior to not let himself be crippled by the loss.”

That was good news at least. “Is there anything we could do to get it replaced or reattached?” I questioned before I turned my attention turned back to the wall of ice. “The arm should be in there somewhere, so it should be preserved. If we toss it into my inventory, that can keep it fresh until we reach a healer or something that could reattach it.”

As if to answer my question, Vilkas walked around the massive wall, holding his stump. Aela, Farkas, and Lili followed him. The first two were in states of undress with slips of clothing preserving their modesty, but neither looked concerned with it. Or by the cold that the wall of ice plunged the passive room into. 

“The arm is a loss,” Vilkas decided with a sense of finality. His jaw was set and his gaze even. “A healer that could reattach it is in short supply. The only one I can think of is the College, but it’s halfway across Skyrim. And we can’t afford detours.”

He was trying to take one for the team. “We can if it means you don’t lose an arm,” I decided, going to continue but he interjected. 

“Not as important as saving the world,” He argued back, killing my argument with cold logic. “Jarl Balgruuf gave us a month to butter up two Jarls enough that they won’t kick up a fuss when you take away some of their territories to make you Jarl. That’s a tall order without taking a detour that’ll take us halfway across Skyrim. So, the arm is a loss.”

“Unless you can give us access to this Inventory?” Aela questioned, sounding hopeful but quickly looked resigned when I shook my head. Trying to access a party function was one of the first things I tried to do with Lili back when we were building the house. 

“I could just keep it in my Inventory until I’ve gotten Rifften and Falkreath onto my side. It could take about a month or so, but as soon as I do, we can head up to the College to get your arm reattached,” I said, trying to make a middle ground. I really didn’t like the idea of Vilkas losing his arm beyond obvious reasons. He was a decent guy that went toe-to-toe with a Deathlord without thinking twice. “And in the meantime, we’ll chase down leads in the other Holds. It’s too soon to decide you’ll be stuck fighting everyone one-handed.”

Vilkas shrugged as if he couldn’t care one way or the other. “If there’s a way we can save the world and my arm, then I’m all for it. And don’t you think me so helpless that I can’t handle my own anymore,” he said, sounding like he very much intended to keep traveling with us. I was glad for it. One-handed or not, he was still my two-handed teacher. 

I nodded, glad that was settled. While we were talking, Lili walked up and snagged the staff out of the Dragon Priests fingers. She turned it over in her hands before looking up at me, a silent question in her eyes. 

“The girl brings up a good point,” Farkas said. He looked around us at the hoard of treasure, "How are we going to split up the loot? Can your Inventory even for it all?" 

I looked at the mountains of treasure, feeling detached to it in a way because of the metric fuck loads of cash I already had. But an idea formed in the back of my head. An idea that had been cooking since Helgen gave Hestia free reign to design an actual manor for the Hestia Familia. 

If things went to plan, then we would have about three months to reshape Helgen into the trap needed to lockdown Alduin. And that was assuming everything went well and I became Jarl. But putting all of my eggs in one basket was just asking for trouble. That was how I lost my chance of finding the Dragonborn easily, if ever. 

"Hestia," I started, making her snap her head up, apparently as lost in her thoughts as I was. "Do you think it would be possible for you to design a trap for Alduin in Helgen using the money? This and what we have saved up?" 

Hestia blinked at suddenly becoming the center of attention, "Eh?" She hesitated, her brow furrowing as she gave the question some thought before answering. Then she gave a slow nod. "It depends on what you need exactly, but I can design a trap pretty easily." 

"Mr. Jericho?" Lili asked, wondering where I was going with this, so I began speaking my scattered thoughts out loud. 

"Alduin is going to show up near Helgen in about six months. That much I'm confident in. But he's going to be wounded. Helgen needs to look like a soft target that he can swoop down into, kick around, and fly off without any trouble. Alduin can't realize that it's a trap until he's already caught in it. Something that keeps him there and keeps him from opening his mouth," I started, trying to picture what the trap would look like. Hestia seemed to have a much better idea of what I was trying to describe than me. 

"You don't think there should be any obvious defenses for the city against a dragon… but it should be made tough enough that Helgen won't be outright destroyed… and the defenses would have to be kept out of sight until he’s trapped…” Hestia trailed off, mumbling to herself and I could practically see the cogs in her mind turning over the issue. 

“For something like Alduin? We’ll need an army,” Vilkas spoke up, offering his input. “Build a few tunnels underneath the walls with a connection to a couple of rooms like these, and we could flood Helgen with soldiers while Alduin is stuck.” The old bury them with numbers tactic. Honestly speaking, it had its own merits. I doubted that a random guard would be the one taking Alduin down, but they would be a distraction to let someone like me get the killing blow in. 

“The College of Winterhold…” Lili started, looking down at the staff in her hands. “Mr. Jericho said we should get mages on board with the plan.” Aela scowled at the idea of working with mages, but she quickly wiped it away. I was glad for that because I would rather overkill Alduin than not at all. 

“Before we start making plans, we should probably check if the thing we came here for is actually here,” Farkas spoke up. Lili looked thoughtful as she nodded, glancing at Vilkas then at the staff in her hands. I nodded as well, setting my ebony shield down for the moment before I walked up the stairs to the sarcophaguses and looked inside. 

Even as I picked up a massive stone slab roughly the size of the shield that I had just put down, my mind raced. Lili was right, we needed to get the mages on board sooner rather than later. The more time they had to prepare for kicking the shit out of Alduin, the better. Not to mention, the Eye of Magnus. I had absolutely no clue what it actually did, but something like that, no matter what it was, could only be useful. The same with the Staff of Magnus. 

The plan was to endear myself to them over the winter and circumvent the entire college questline by snagging both the staff and the eye ahead of time. But, with the Dragonborn a massive question mark and I wasn’t desperate enough to go to Ulfric Stormcloak, I was going to have to learn Dragonrend.

Not to mention everything else that had to be done -- circumvent the civil war, dealing with the Aedra and Daedra running around… Even with six months, it felt like there just wasn’t enough time to do everything. 

A sigh escaped me as I looked over the stone slab, I saw it was a map of Skyrim with dots marked over it. Locations of dragon mounds. Taking out a sheet of paper and a bit of charcoal, I copied the locations onto my map. There was a lot. Over twenty dragon mounds scattered around in Skyrim alone. Two of which were fairly close to Helgen. Which may have something to do with why Alduin was in the area. 

Meaning… we might have bait to lure him into the trap. 

Possibly. Maybe. Had to give that some more thought. 

“We have the dragon mound locations,” I informed, holding it up for the others to see. Then I turned my attention over to the Word Wall behind the coffin. Recalling Falgear’s request, I pulled out more paper while everyone else either tended to their wounds or started to inspect the loot. My gaze zeroed in onto the word that represented Force. The first Shout that the Dragonborn was meant to learn. 

Sadly, there was no darkening of my vision while dramatic music played in the background. It was just a normal-looking word. Even still, I copied everything down onto the paper with a charcoal shading. The sooner I could learn Dragonrend the better. It took regular people years to master a Shout, but I was banking on my perk Comprehension and my title Astute Student. Between the two of them, that should cut down the amount of time needed to learn a Shout. 

Even it was only Dragonrend, I needed to learn it. 

“Lili thinks that we should split up,” Lili spoke up suddenly, making everyone’s attention turn towards her. “The College isn’t something that should be put off. Lili sees the utility in magic and how it can best be used to support Mr. Jericho, so Lili should go to the College. On Lili’s way, she can deliver the stone to the Jarl in Whiterun.” Lilli looked up at me, her jaw set. “A handful of months isn’t enough for Lili to master magic, so Lili needs to spend as much time at the College as possible.”

An expression of sorrow passed over Hestia’s face. “And I’ll be stuck in Helgen,” she said with resignation twinged with sullenness. Then resolve filled her eyes, understanding that the world quite literally rested on her shoulders. Because if we didn’t stop him at Helgen then I didn’t have a plan B.

Lili was right. We did need to split up. And, even splitting up, we weren’t able to cover every base that I wanted. 

“Vilkas,” I started, turning towards the man. “You should go with Lili. If we cut the block of ice containing your arm thick enough, it should last until you reach Winterhold. You can get your arm reattached. Unless you want to spend a couple of months without it?” I asked and Vilkas actually looked like he was considering it. 

“Aye, that sounds like a plan to me. I’ll keep the little lady out of trouble,” he told me and Hestia, ignoring an indignant expression on Lili’s face. 

“Lydia,” I started, looking at my housecarl, who nodded as she expected what was coming next. 

“I will stay with Divine Hestia and protect her in your stead. This battle has shown me that I’m only a liability. I’m not blessed by a god, nor am I a werewolf,” Lydia said, sending Aela a not so subtle Look that said they would be having words later. 

Hestia smiled, giving Lydia a thoughtful look before she glanced at me. A question in her gaze. I nodded, showing that I had little problem with it. Hestia chose not to announce her decision then, waiting until everything else was settled. 

“Me, Aela and Farkas will head to Falkreath first,” I decided, hammering out a game plan. There were things in that direction that I wanted to get and things I had to take care of before they became a pain in the ass later. “Sound good?”

“Yeah, fine, but what about the loot?” Farkas said, showing that he had his priorities in order. 

Then came the fun part that tested newly forged bonds. Dividing the loot. 

…

Lydia’s head spun, the entire ordeal barely feeling real. From clearing an ancient crypt to watching the following fight and knowing that she was helplessly outclassed. If Jericho, the man she was sworn to protect with her life, had fallen in battle then any thought of avenging his death was outright laughable. 

In all of her years, Lydia had never seen magic used with such ease. If Jericho hadn’t been able to kill the Dragon Priest then they would have died there. Lydia could feel it in her bones. 

But they won. They divided up the treasure with most of the money going to Hestia for whatever was needed to trap Alduin. 

Alduin. The World-Eater. This wasn’t what she expected when she finally became a housecarl and to a worthy master no less. Jericho, Lili, and the others -- they were trying to save the world. 

And she could feel her presence weighing them down like a stone. 

The pure insanity of the fight, it was something ripped out of a storybook. Yet she was stuck on the sidelines because she was not worthy of that battlefield. She had been unable to so much as offer comfort to Divine Hestia as she watched her familia fight. It had been a very long time since Lydia felt so inadequate. 

But, in the blink of an eye, it was over and she saw Helgen in the distance. Not even a full day since they left. People likely hadn't even noticed that they were gone. It was such a jarring change that Lydia half wondered if she had fallen asleep at some point and simply dreamed the entire thing. 

Her gaze flickered over to Aela, who had apparently been staring at her for who knew how long. "What?" Lydia questioned, "If you have something to say, then say it. It's not like you to restrain yourself for another's benefit."

Aela nodded, conceding that point. "If you had stayed a Companion then you would have been a member of the Circle by now." 

"And a werewolf," Lydia added coolly. That had been a surprise. An unwelcome one. "Through the years when a person or animal ends up ravaged and no one could quite figure out by what, I'm guessing that was you?" Her tone was just as sharp as her words, and Aela met her gaze unflinchingly. 

"The first transformation is always the hardest. We do what we can, but-" Aela defended, but Lydia knew Aela. They fought together when they were both low ranking members of the Companions before Lydia decided to walk the path of duty over the path of glory. 

"But sometimes people die anyway. The same people that look up to you as heroes," Lydia interjected. There had been a number of incidents over the course of her life. The occasional livestock being ravaged by some beast, or an unlucky farmer. Once or twice, it was confirmed to be the work of a werewolf, but given how sporadic the attacks were, it was assumed that it was one passing through. Only it was really the pack that had been living underneath their noses. 

Aela's eyes narrowed dangerously, "The Circle’s true nature is a closely guarded secret. You saw it because there was no other choice. You will keep it secret." As much as Aela tried to make the words sound like a threat, it came out like a request. 

"You would kill me to keep this secret?" Lydia questioned, shifting her newest shield just in case. 

"No. I am no murder. But we would be forced to name you a liar and your honor would be stained," Aela said, making Lydia's lips thin. In truth, Lydia would rather die than be dishonored like that. Especially when she knew she spoke truth. But she was just a housecarl and the Companions were the Companions. There was no question on who would be believed. 

"I expected better from you," Lydia responded frostily. Then she turned her judging gaze to Vilkas and Farkas, both who looked like they were trying to put as much distance between her and Aela as they could while still remaining in the wagon. "To lie and hide the murders committed by your members and to worship a Daedric Prince." 

The Companions were the dream of every boy and girl in Skyrim. They represented everything a warrior should be. The fact that they were werewolves mattered little to Lydia -- it was the lying and dishonored that she took issue with. How many of their great deeds were done with tooth and nail rather than sword and shield? The Companions were meant to be warriors, not half rabid beasts. 

Vilkas let out a small sigh, "We do not worship Hircine," he corrected. And was damningly silent on her other accusations. 

"We worship the Nine- er, well, the Ten now, I guess," Farkas agreed with a nod. 

"Will he see it that way?" Lydia questioned, making the three Companions go still, but unsurprised. They likely had considered that same question. "For the power you possess, does he not already own your soul?" 

Farkas let out a sigh as he scratched at his head, "Dunno." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, dismissing the issue with near infuriating ease. "He didn't say anything to us before he descended. Apparently Malacath spoke to every Orc Stronghold before he did. So, we're in the dark where we stand with Hircine." 

"And that doesn't seem like an issue with you?" Lydia pressed with a shake of her head, feeling exasperation rise in her chest to replace the righteous anger. "Things have changed. You won't simply have to deal with the Daedric Prince in the afterlife, but in this life as well." 

A cross expression passed over Aela's features, telling Lydia she leaned more towards the Prince of the Hunt then she did with the Aedra. Impressive, in a way, considering that they were traveling with a Divine. 

However, before the argument could progress, the wagon came to a stop. Now that the wind and words weren't in her ears, Lydia heard the sounds of civilization around them. They were back in Helgen already. Jericho's speeds were truly something else. Especially when he had Lili with an overstuffed bag hanging off his shoulders with Divine Hestia riding on the bar he pushed with. 

Lydia wasted no time exiting the wagon, knowing that both she and the others were too stubborn to change their minds. Most Nords were. Stubbornness was in the blood, otherwise, their ancestors would have fled Skyrim thousands of years ago. She turned her gaze to the large house and the familia standing in front of it as they spoke in low tones. Lydia didn’t have a doubt in her mind that they had their own version of a Talk upfront.

“You’re all staying the night at least, right?” Divine Hestia asked, looking at all of them but it was clear that the question was directed at Jericho. 

He didn’t hesitate to give his answer. “Yeah, we will. Just for the night and we’ll head out sometime in the morning. Vilkas should rest, you know, with his arm and all.”

Vilkas let out a snort, “If you want to stay the night with your woman, don’t go making me the excuse.”

Hestia simply beamed with the pure joy of a woman in love, “Well, if we’re not going to see each other for a bit, then I’ll prepare a real big meal. And to celebrate our victory,” Hestia decided before she gestured for them all to come inside. The house was clearly built with someone of Jericho’s size in mind. Tall ceilings, open areas, and almost too large furniture. 

Lydia started to undo her armor with practiced ease. First, she carefully put down her shield, leaning it against a wall so that it remained propped up. Her reflection stared back at her on the startling black surface. An Ebony shield. She doubted that she would ever see ebony in her life, much less own a shield made of the near-mythical metal. The enchantment placed on the shield was unknown in specific, but it blew back physical blows. 

She had watched the Deathlord fight. It had cowered behind the shield, relying on it. Without the shield, there was little doubt in Lydia’s mind that Jericho could have easily dispatched the enemy far before it had taken Vilkas’ arm. 

That wouldn’t be her, Lydia swore as she took off her armor. She was given the shield because without it, she wasn’t much better than an ordinary guard. Not compared to people like Aela or Jericho or Lili. But she refused to rely on the shield to the point it became her only strength. 

"I have some food from a couple of bandit hideouts," Jericho said, pulling sacks of produce from thin air. It was incredibly odd to see, but Lydia swallowed her questions about such a thing would function. 

"I'll start cooking!" Hestia decided, "All of you just relax, okay?" she said before she rushed off into the kitchen. Lydia stood there, feeling listless and awkward as she watched Jericho remove his armor to be placed on a rack that dwarfed both of theirs. The torso was now completely made of Dwemer metal with a fringe of glass to highlight the detail work of the armor. Jericho had seemed surprised by the change but he welcomed it. 

"Let me help," Aela said, grabbing hold of Vilkas as he struggled to take his armor off with only one hand. He looked frustrated with the offer of help, but he simply sighed and nodded his head, letting Aela help him with his armor. 

"Thanks," he said, looking down at his stump of an arm with almost hateful eyes. "Didn't think I would be losing the bottom half of my arm the first battle we fought together." Then he turned to Lili, who was sitting down on the couch that seemed to swallow her up. Never one to dwell on his failings, Vilkas turned to Lili, “You fought well lass.”

Lili seemed caught off guard with the compliment before she gave a hesitant nod. “Lili is a supporter. She was just doing her job,” Lili dismissed. Lydia found it odd that she spoke in the third person, but Lili seemed rather young. And her aim with that crossbow of hers more than made up for any odd trait. 

“Lili has been doing stuff like this longer than me,” Jericho added, making Lili flush at the praise and bewildered looks she received from the others. And herself. Jericho looked like a Nord that was born with a weapon in his hand. Lili was…

“Lili is eighteen,” Lili informed with resignation. And that was… that didn’t sound right. At the very oldest, Lydia would put Lili around… twelve. Maybe a year older if she was being generous, but Lili seemed younger than that. “Lili is a pallum. Even when Lili is eighty, she won’t look very different.”

“A pallum?” Lydia questioned, having never heard the word before. 

Lili nodded, “Lili’s race is… very rare here. You’ve likely walked by more than a few but you didn’t realize it because we look like children our entire lives.” Lili explained, and that made her paranoid. Especially after the revelation that the Circle were werewolves. Though, Lydia supposed that it was a reassurance that Lili wasn’t a small child. Lili was capable, without a doubt, but if she was around eight or nine like Lydia suspected then she would be forced to question Jericho’s decision to bring her to the battlefield. 

“Either way, you did good,” Vilkas stated, now free of his armor. All of them wore rough and thin cloth underneath their armor, half soaked with sweat and fluids from their enemies. 

Lili nodded, accepting the praise with a pleased look. “Well… you all did too. Lady Hestia is likely thinking about including you all into the familia right now,” Lili informed, delivering the news with a casual ease that caught her completely off guard. Especially when Jericho nodded, finally stripped of his armor to reveal a form-fitting undershirt and a pair of trousers. 

“I don’t believe myself worthy-” Lydia started with a shake of her head. She hadn’t fought or done anything to deserve such an honor. What a familia exactly was remained unclear to Lydia, but if the Hestia familia was anything to go by then it was something like a family. 

Then, as if summoned, Divine Hestia stepped out of the kitchen, wearing an unnecessarily frilly apron and a spatula. “I was hoping to talk about that during lunch…” She said, leaning into the living room. Hestia’s gaze lingered on her, making Lydia straighten in response. She was actually considering it. That was… just how much had her life changed in a couple of days?

Divine Hestia let out a small sigh before she fully stepped into the living room, “Lydia, Aela, Farkas, and Vilkas… I would like it if all of you were to join my familia,” Hestia started, her gaze sweeping over all of them. “You’ve more than proven yourself and, more than that, I know all of you are good people. Jericho, Lili, and I trust you…” Hestia trailed off, and Lydia heard it before she spoke it. 

“But,” Divine Hestia continued, looking at Aela, Farkas, and Vilkas. “Your pact with Hircine… the rules for the gods haven’t been established yet, so not even I know what it would mean if I gave you my falna. So… I can’t.”

Jericho gave a slow nod, “It’s pretty much the same reason why I turned down becoming a werewolf.” He added, and she was glad, at the very least, that Jericho fought his battles with proper weapons. 

Aela gave a slow nod but it was Farkas that spoke. “Yeah… given that Hircine hasn’t spoken to us, and we have no clue where he would be… I guess the old man was right in trying to find a way to get rid of the gift.” At that, Aela scowled, looking torn. 

Vilkas nodded, “It would be an honor to join your familia, Divine Hestia. If you’ll still take us once we figure out how to rid ourselves of the gift of Hircine, then we will happily join.” Again, Aela shifted, looking at both Farkas and Vilkas with an almost betrayed expression, but she schooled her expression a second later. 

“Of course,” Divine Hestia said, giving them both a beaming smile, choosing not to comment on Aela’s obvious apprehension. And Lydia couldn’t comment on it either because Divine Hestia turned to look at her, a bright smile on her face.

Words were caught in Lydia’s throat, but she forced herself to speak. She refused to shame herself. “I-it would be an honor, Divine Hestia,” Lydia said with a small bow, her mind struggling to come to terms with the turn of events. Each hour, her life seemed to change into something that she never expected, and it was in the best way possible. 

“I’m so glad!” Divine Hestia practically bounced in place, looking as overjoyed with her joining as Lydia felt. “Jericho, Lili, take care of the prep for dinner while I give Lydia a falna,” Divine Hestia said, skipping across the living room to grab her hands to lead her to a bedroom. Lydia had time to spare a glance at Jericho, who gave her a warm smile and a nod. 

Lydia let herself be dragged towards the bedroom, taking in the interior as the door closed behind her. Most noticeably was the utterly massive bed. Large enough that a man Jericho’s size could lay down on it without worrying about anything dangling off. Divine Hestia hummed to herself happily, “Lay down face first onto the bed and take off your shirt. I have to give you your falna on your back,” she informed, undercutting any thought that the joining of a familia was… sexual in nature. 

Nodding, Lydia took off her thin sleeveless tunic and climbed onto the soft bed. A few seconds later, Hestia climbed on top of her, straddling her back while her hands were placed in the center of her back. 

“I know that this was a little sudden for you, but I want you to know that I really am happy that you’re joining my familia. I could tell that you really wanted to go out and fight that Dragon Priest guy or those undead warriors, but you stayed behind to protect me,” Divine Hestia said, withdrawing her hands from her back. 

“It was my duty,” Lydia answered, unuse to praise. 

“And I’m always happy to welcome a new child into my familia. For the longest time, I couldn’t find anyone. Then Jericho joined, and Lili joined too not too long ago. Oh- I should tell you a bit about what a falna is,” Divine Hestia realized, and Lydia was thankful for it. 

“I understand it is the source of Jericho’s strength?” Lydia commented, revealing the extent of her knowledge. 

“Sort of. A falna is a blessing from a god that turns experience into physical attributes that can exceed the physical limitations of a mortal. If you lift a lot of weight, you’ll gain points in a stat called strength. The more points you gain, the stronger you become -- but, the stronger you become the harder it is to gain points.” Hestia explained before a faint glow emitted from behind Lydia, the source coming from her back. 

“Jericho is a level 2. He’s leveled up. To do so, he performed a deed that the gods themselves were forced to acknowledge,” Divine Hestia explained, making Lydia nod. That… was something that Lydia had very little trouble believing. Jericho looked like a man crafted by the gods themselves, so him doing something to impress them was very much in character for him as far as Lydia knew him. 

“How?” Lydia questioned, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder and remained perfectly still. 

“There was another familia called the Soma familia and they had hurt Lili. She was a member of their familia before joining mine and they abused her horribly. Jericho found out and challenged them to a War Game. Hundreds of them with several level 2s, but Jericho won anyway.” Divine Hestia explained, a note of sadness in her voice. 

Then the glow faded. Lydia felt a piece of parchment being placed against her back and Divine Hestia smoothed it out before tracing a spiraling circle on the surface. 

“It may be a little difficult for you to raise your stats guarding me, but I’ll talk to Jericho about it so you won’t be stuck here with me all the time,” Divine Hestia said. 

“I take no issue with it. Even if it means that I’ll never unsheathe my sword again, I’ll happily guard you until the end of my days,” Lydia swore, looking up at Divine Hestia to see the god taken back by the sincerity in her words. And Lydia meant every one of them. 

“I’m glad all my children are such wonderful people,” Divine Hestia said, giving her a large smile as she pushed the piece of parchment towards her. Lydia flipped around, glancing down at it with eyes filled with wonder. 

Lydia

Level 1

Strength: I0

Endurance: I0

Dexterity: I0

Agility: I0

Magic: I0

Skills:

Magic:

Hestia pulled Lydia in to her chest, “Welcome to my familia!”