Paladin of Shadows Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Hestia's deep blue eyes met my own. Our gaze was locked in a mutual exchange of wills and trying to sus out one another's thoughts until finally, Hestia broke the silence after I asked her what she wanted in a contract. "I want you to respect me as your own goddess Jake Bariss, nothing more than that. And in return for the same respect you give Freya, I will bless you."

A light formed in my hand as I laid it across my chest and then I responded simply in agreement with my voice tinged with the power of my soul as I closed my eyes in preparation. "Yes, I agree Hestia." And I could feel my Hestia's essence flowing into my body as her divinity found my soul... Seemingly inspected it and then after a moment I could feel her divinity embrace my soul as part of her own.

"Ooh that feels weird. Its like giving a good long hug that you don't want to let go of." Hestia muttered as I relaxed feeling the comforting feeling of Hestia's divinity that was like a gentle hearthfire embracing me as I lied in front of it.

A gentle humming noise rang out with Freya speaking with amusement. "Hmm, I agree Hestia though I would describe it differently due to the contract I have with him being a bit more binding... In any case Hestia, you go ahead and update Jake's Falna so we can see his skill."

I opened my eyes hearing Freya's words and I smiled seeing the excited flush crossing Hestia's face so I just pulled off my thin chainmail and then with some mental effort I made my slime body glove fall down my body to pool around my waist so Hestia could touch upon my Falna.

Freya walked over and I raised an eyebrow as she sat beside me as I sat sideways on the chair I got so Hestia could come over and sit behind me on the couch to work on my Falna. "Ok!" I heard Hestia seemingly slap her cheeks or something as she mentally rallied herself and as I felt Hestia's divine ichor land upon my back I was instead captivated by Freya as she gently cupped my chin as the shorter Hestia was working on the Falna on my back and couldn't see over my shoulders.

Also, the projected holographs and weird magical nonsense that come up out of a Falna as she works on it also basically blinded her to anything else.

Freya without a word kissed me upon my mouth with her soft lips pushing into mine needily and I shivered feeling her deluge of Charm slamming and washing off my soul like how water would run down a coat of seal's fur.

My eyes closed as her hand gently cupped my jawline and then slowly dipped down my neck and onto my chest as her smooth hand laid over my heart she slowly broke the kiss and with her glowing purple eyes staring directly into my soul through my own eyes she whispered ever so quietly into her ears as Hestia was making weird noises behind us at reading my Falna. "This is mine, Jake."

But before I could reply or anything Hestia cried out. "Yup, he got a new skill!" Which ended the moment as I shivered feeling Hestia shoving my Falna's magical stuff back into my soul through my back with her placing a paper on my back to which my Falna translated the info so we could all read it.

[Jake Barris Lvl 1]
[Stats]
[Strength- 35 I]
[Endurance- 56 I]
[Dexterity- 52 I]
[Agility- 63 I]
[Magic- 42 I]
[Development Abilities-0]
[Skills]
[Birth of Domains-] [Allows the user to make a contract with a god or goddess via a vow or contract to allow the user to gain a skill/spell that doesn't take a Falna spell slot in the domain in which he contracts with the god or goddess.]
[Valhǫll-] [Warriors including the user of this skill of the matching Familia of the user, passively recover mind, stamina, and from wounds with much greater efficiency.]
[Laris Prytaneum] [People whose Falna has been graced by the goddess Hestia while adventuring with the user will have increased Excellia gain. User has majorly increased fire resistance.]
[Magic-]
[Valhalla's Rest] [Short Chant] [In the echoes of the ancient lore, Restore, renew, Forevermore, By the Vanir, by the Sacred Tree, Healing now.]

"Huh... So my family aspect of the Hearthfire is what you latched onto. Its still still super broken skill though haha!" Hestia cheered as she hopped off the couch and did a little dance of joy at finally having someone in 'her familia'

Even Freya gave an amused glance at Hestia's little jig of joy but I also had a thought that hit me that made me tilt my head to side to ask. "So how are we going to spin this? I mean gods and goddesses don't share Familia's right?"

At hearing my question Hestia and Freya shared a look before Freya spoke more seriously. "Yes, Jake you are mostly correct as our situation is very unusual but not at all unprecedented as the two main ruling Familia's in Orario in the Inari and Amaterasu Familia share lower leveled members between the goddesses updating them until the Renard chooses which goddess they rather follow."

I raised an eyebrow hearing that as it honestly confused me how Inari and Amaterasu had become the 'queens' of Orario with Amaterasu being in the lead with a level nine, nine-tailed Renard who was the captain of her Familia. "How do they share them? And how do they keep the peace between the Familia's and their own egos as divines?"

Both Hestia and Freya gave me a look at mentioning the 'divine ego' but they couldn't deny the truth to my words in normal cases but either Hestia spoke first with a bit of a wry expression. "I don't really know the Far East, divines that well. So Freya you explain it!"

Freya shook her and gave a fond exasperated smile to Hestia as she said gently. "Thats because whenever the Pantheons of other parts of Tenkai came to your faction's side you would just go hide in your temple." Seeing Hestia's utterly unrepentant look Freya sniffed and then continued as she elegantly folded her hands together while sitting next to me.

"Amaterasu and Inari share a mostly unique history as they were best friends in Tenkai with Inari serving as her beloved retainer and second in command in divine affairs with Amaterasu trusting her with all but the most major of affairs. Amaterasu trusts Inari so much that when they decided to make a new mortal race when Genkai was being manipulated by all the divine's hands." Freya took a breath and then continued with her eyes closed as though she was looking back countless millennia back to those days.

"They came together to make the Renards with Amaterasu creating their powerful souls to cast the greatest of magic, while Inari crafted their bodies to house that magic and in doing so they inherited the goddess's traits in having the fox tails."

After finishing her explanation Hestia then added on excitedly as Freya leaned forward to take a drink. "Even though all the divines aren't allowed to use our Arcanuem lest we get booted back to Tenkai as our divinity being used will make the dungeon rage. All the divines basically have ways to work around it! Like my cooking and homework is beyond anything a mortal can do, my friend Hepheastus will use hints of her arcanum to make enchanted weapons no mortal smith can create. And those two, being the ones who literally created the Renards are able to cheat the Falna a good bit to help them a lot!"

Freya nodded with a hint of distaste crossing her face as she muttered. "Indeed... With Inari crafting the body, and Amaterasu creating the soul. As they work together they can manipulate all growth factors of the Falna so that Renards within their Familia will grow faster than any other Familia along with having the best chances to getting skills and the best versions of Development Skills."

My lips twitched and I couldn't help spitting out. "Isn't cheating and like ruining your divines game down here in Genkai?"

Peals of laughter rang out as Freya held a hand to her chest as she looked at me in fond amusement while Hestia snorted with Freya saying through barely held in chuckles. "Oh dear yes. But when Ouranos who is spending his every moment keeping the Dungeon sealed away and from eating the gods and all of Gekai says that it is more than fine and that any other form is cheating is welcome..."

"Then the gods can't do anything and are instead looking for their own ways to cheat. Besides the other gods are just calling the two the game managers as they don't interfere with Orario's affairs besides Amaterasu having festivals thrown randomly in her 'honor'." Freya finished with an eye roll.