Balm in Gilead: Chapter 6 (Patreon)

 Hestia didn’t know what to think of her new job.

On one hand, she’d gotten a pretty good deal from Hephaestus. On the other, she really didn’t know the first thing about weapons. Hearths and Forges were completely different things, you know! Still, Hestia knew how to make people feel welcome, be it in the shop, or in the basement of a collapsed church!

“Have a nice day!” She waved as the latest adventurer exited the shop, a grin on his face and a new giant slayer claymore (patent pending), hefted over his shoulder.

“Yeah! Thanks, goddess!” He shot her a thumbs up as the door to Hephaestus’ shop closed behind him with the gentle ringing of the bell.

She let out a sigh. The job was also a lot easier than working at the food stand, but with more downtime between customers that Hestia wasn’t sure what to do with. Though… those stretches of downtime were shrinking both in number and duration.

Maybe Hephaestus and Taylor were onto something about her?

Hestia shook her head. She just liked people, so it made sense that people liked her back right? Right? If she were a good saleswoman, she wouldn’t have only one child in her Familia.

Though, thinking back to those early days, perhaps telling people she was trying to recruit that they’d be living in the basement of that abandoned church hadn’t been the best idea. Hestia brushed it off. Customers was one thing, a lot of them clearly wanted to buy the shiny new sword or breastplate in their hands, but Hestia wouldn’t ever tell her children anything but the whole unvarnished truth.

Well, when she had an unvarnished truth to tell them anyway. Things were looking pretty varnished right now, even if she was only working as a shop clerk for a larger, more successful goddess. 

“Fufufu.” Hestia giggled to herself as she tidied up the till, marking down the sale she’d just made with a crisp hand. “Just you wait. One day, the Hestia Familia will be the greatest of all, and then Hephaestus will work for—”

The door to the shop opened again, and Hestia snapped back to the counter (and the little stool Hephaestus had gotten for her to stand on). “Welcome to Fires of the Forge! What can I—” Hestia blinked. “Hephaestus? You’re back really early.”

Usually, the red-haired goddess spent most of the day in her own personal smithy, or else working with her children on their own projects. It was rare to see her around the shop before closing time. 

“I finished.” Hephaestus flipped the shop sign to closed, before moving to the counter. It was only then that Hestia noticed the large case sitting in her friend’s hand. “Took a bit longer than I expected, but that’s what happens when you get a bit rusty, I guess.”

“Rusty?” Hestia tilted her head. “Hephy, you’re the best smith in the entire world!”

Hephaestus nodded. “And that’s why I’ve been getting rusty.” She gave a small smile, lone eye crinkling. It struck Hestia then that she might have a habit of befriending people who were missing pieces of themselves…

Well, Freya was her friend too, and she wasn’t missing anything, so Hestia was probably just imagining things!

“Hmm?” She smiled. “What do you mean?”

“There’s been no reason to push my craft. In a way, I’m almost thankful your pushy little daughter dumped such a tough job on me.” Hephaestus blew out a breath, rubbing the back of her neck. “Though, I could have done without getting bargained down so much in front of on of my own children…”

Hestia giggled. “Taylor is like that! So, by finished, you mean…”

“Yeah.” Hestia set the case down on the counter. “I have it right here.”

She flicked open a simple latch, revealing a…

Hestia gasped.

“Wow!”

Hephaestus gave a deprecating chuckle. “It’s nothing much. Now, a full suit of armor on the other hand…” 

“It’s amazing!” Hestia reached out, hands ghosting over the metal without touching it. Even though she was goddess, to touch the metal arm in front of her felt like it would be sullying something truly divine. “I… I can almost feel something from it.”

Hephaestus blinked, before her gaze returned to the piece of armor. “So, it wasn’t just me… huh?”

“Hephaestus?”

The taller goddess shook her head. “It’s nothing, just… Maybe Soma was onto something after all.” She frowned, fingers drumming against her arm. “If it was just something small, materials alone would have sufficed, but for something this complicated… it felt like I really needed to put my all into it.”

Hestia paused, but then her eyes widened. “You mean you think you’re reaching the same level as…”

Hephaestus opened her mouth, then stopped, unsure.

Then the door behind her slammed open. “Dar-ling!” A familiar voice echoed through the shop.

Hestia jumped. Hephaestus’s eye widened, a look of shock coming over her as she started to turn. “A—”

A blond missile slammed into Hephaestus’s stomach, sending the goddess of the forge stumbling back into the counter. “Darling! I missed you so much.” Hestia blinked before breaking out into a big smile.

“Dite-chan!”

“And Hestia’s here too!” 

Aphrodite, despite being only a few inches taller than Hestia herself, managed to rope the black-haired goddess into her hug. “Oh, it’s been too long!”

The blonde gave them both a good snuggle, before dropping to the floor. Hestia smiled, taking in her friend’s mortal shell. 

Aphrodite was beautiful of course, in a petite, angelic way that seemed to compliment Hephaestus’s own striking form perfectly. The white shift, barring a smooth stomach and graceful limbs was, screamed god of love.

“Thanks so much for looking out for my Wife while I was still in Heaven, Hestia-chan.” Aphrodite leaned forward, pecking Hestia on the cheek. “And just so you know, in case you ever decide to graduate from that pesky Virgin-goddess status—”

Hephaestus’s hand clamped down over Dite’s mouth, even as Hestia giggled. The red-haired goddess sighed. “I’m sorry for my husband.” Her tone, however, was fond. “He really doesn’t know how to control himself.

Aphrodite just crossed his arms beneath his flat (but no less eye catching for it) chest and continued to smile.

*~*~*~*

Liliruca Arde didn’t know what to make of her new ‘employer.’

On one hand, she knew—or known, as it were—that Canoe was no slouch, even for a level one adventurer. And yet, this woman, Taylor, had managed to kill him.

On the other hand, she’d let Lili go with the lion’s share of the stones she’d already gathered that day. Nearly a fifty thousand Valis that Canoe had been hoping to put towards his contributions, all hers.

Lili worried her lip as she sank a knife into the next batch of killer ants. Had it been because Taylor was too hurt to fight?

It must have been.

Right?

There was no reason 

She glanced towards the adventurer.

Taylor stood facing one of the unexplored tunnels of the ninth floor. Her gaze shifted often, to the point where even though Lili was ostensibly in her blind spot, she doubted she’d be able to pull off a sneak attack without Taylor noticing.

Lili still wasn’t sure if that was something she wanted to do in the first place.

On one hand, Taylor didn’t beat her, and didn’t cheat her on her share of the profits. (Not to mention that 60/40 was a far better split than anyone gave supporters), but on the other… something about her put Lili on edge. 

Maybe it was that Lili had a feeling that Taylor knew exactly how much gold was supposed to be in each pouch, even if Lili was the one carrying all the stones. Or maybe it was how Taylor seemed to be a lot stronger and faster than she’d been against Canoe, even though it had only been a few days.

Lili didn’t know. What she did know was that this was the most lucrative job she’d gotten in her whole life, and regardless of what Lili decided to do in the future, she didn’t want to skin the sheep before she’d sheared it a few times.

She stiffened, glancing up to see Taylor watching Lili from the corner of her eye.

After a tense moment, the woman turned her gaze back to the tunnel.

Lili swallowed, and moved on to the next ant. 

“You know.” Taylor began, “I’ve been wondering something for a while now.”

Lili paused, hand tensing around her carving knife. “… Yes?”

“Why’d you ask to be my supporter?” Taylor didn’t turn, but Lili could still feel the attention on her. 

“Lili… doesn’t understand.”

Taylor sighed. “This would be easier if you stopped acting too.”

Lili stiffened.

“W-what do you mean?”

“You saw me murder the person you were working for.” Taylor glanced over her shoulder again, a dry expression on her face. “The next day you walk up to me and ask to be my supporter instead. And then I’m supposed to buy this little cutesy act?” The woman quirked her lip. It was perhaps the most expression Lili had ever seen Taylor make.

“At first,” the woman continued. “I thought you were looking for revenge. Or maybe you thought I was an easy mark.” Lili’s breath caught in her throat. “But it’s been a week, and you haven’t’ done anything untoward at all.” Taylor let out a single chuckle. “So, I figured I’d just cut out the middleman and ask you. Before we go to any actually dangerous floors.”

Lili swallowed. “I… I just want someone strong who can protect—”

“Don’t lie.”

Lili jerked to a stop at the sound of Taylor’s voice. She looked up, eyes wide.

“If you can’t tell me, fine.” Taylor shrugged. “We just won’t party together after today. But don’t lie. I’ll know.”

Lili swallowed. “What happens if… Lili lies?”

Taylor hummed. She twirled her mean looking pickaxe once, resting it on her shoulder. “Well, I guess we’d have to call it quits, and I’d take us back up to the tower.” Taylor chuckled again at Lili’s doubtful expression. “What? Did you think I would kill you or something like that?” She shook her head. “I won’t. Unless you force me to.”

Lili narrowed her eyes. 

Taylor waited, with the patience of mountains.

“… I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Taylor sighed. “Back up we go then.” She stretched, moving back towards the hallway they’d came from. “For what it’s worth, it was good working with you.”

Lili said nothing, mutely putting the last few magic stones into her backpack and shouldering it. “Lili has liked working with you too, Miss Taylor…”

Taylor nodded. “You can keep the day’s haul since we only did a few hours. Call it severance pay.”

Lili blinked, glancing at the woman. At once, she started to think it was a trick.

But… why would Taylor lie to her, in the middle of the dungeon, when the woman could just as easily kill Lili outright and no one would care?

Unbidden, a single word escaped her lips. “Why?”

“Hm?” Taylor glanced over her shoulder. “It’s less than you’d usually be taking, from a full delve, isn’t it?” 

“Well, yes, but…”

Taylor just shrugged. “Let’s put it this way. I—” She stopped. 

Lili stopped a second later as she caught the same sound that Taylor had heard.

Multiple footsteps, from both ends of the passageway.

Taylor dropped her arm to her side, pickaxe shifting into a different grip, as four adventures came around the bends of the tunnel.

Two in front, and two behind.

Liliruca swallowed. They were all Soma familia.

A shift from the corner of her eye caught Lili’s attention. She turned her head to see Taylor regarding her again, dark eyes silently gazing at her. Lili shook her head frantically.

After a moment Taylor seemed to accept the truth, and looked away, back to the four men who’d stopped just out of easy weapon reach. “And what can I do for you lot?”

The man in front smiled.