I held my forearm still, as the runes were engraved there.

"So you're sure this is what you want? I've never seen someone get a speed enhancer Runed before..." the man tattooing me hummed, dipping his needle in a bowl of glowing liquid, which I'd provided as pure magic.

"Yes. Speed, Strength, Durability, Dexterity, and all the poison resistance you can give me. Lots of people want me dead right now, I don't want it to be by dagger or poison." I grinned tightly.

He laughed a bit. "I understand that, at least... what about Magic?"

"Yeah, Magic protection to, if you have those. Price isn't an issue, I'm good for it." I nodded, leaning my head back.

The tattooist shook his head. "Young elves, always so confident..." he began tapping the needle against my skin, carving the patterns all the way into my bones, it felt like.

As soon as I was sure he was finished, he started another, and I relaxed, almost meditating to pass the time.

A slim man burst through the door, huffing heavily. "Sir... Dorian..." he wheezed.

I blinked, and raised an eyebrow. "What's your rush, boy? Am I being summoned by Loki?"

"No, no! There's two elves at the gates, the guards wouldn't let them in, cause they don't have passes... they said they were looking for Xavier Leopold Dorian, and they were his family!"

I tsk'ed, looking down at the unfinished rune. "Okay. Johnny, I'll need you to go sort the situation, and take them back to the Club, okay?"

He smirked. "Like you need to ask. I'll be back in a while." He darted out, pulling the runner behind him, and I sighed.

The tattoo artist hummed, his long ears twitching. "Not many elves have large families. You should feel very lucky..."

"There's only four of us. It's not a large family." I waved my free hand, and tsk'ed as the cuts protested.

"Keep still... and four is a very large family among Elves. Most are only Two. Some are even lucky enough to have both parents, and have three... but a fourth..." he shook his head.

I nodded slowly. "I see... so you -we- don't have many children?"

"No... not many at all. Once a lifetime, for most Elf women... elf men can have multiple, with different women, but that's rare..." he shrugged, and started tapping again.

I leaned back, humming a soft tune.

---

"And you're finished. Well done, I've never seen anyone take that many at one time and stay awake!" He grinned.

I chuckled. "I almost passed out a few times. Anyway, thanks. Here's my Emblem, for the costs-"

"No need for all that, do you have 60K Val?"

I hummed, and nodded. "Yeah?"

"That'll do." He held out a hand.

I placed six thick coins in his palm. "You're sure?"

"Yes. Now go on, you've family waiting!" He grinned.

I hummed and stuck the emblem into my pocket, then darted off towards the club.

---

I skidded to a halt when I saw a tall woman in midgardian clothes wrestling Johnny to the ground, choking him harshly.

I laughed loudly. "Come on, Johnny! Can't you beat a skinny woman with no Valna? Shame on you."

"Didn't... huff... wanna hurt her..." he wheezed.

"And You regret that decision, don't you?" I smirked patronizingly.

"Shaddup... cough!!!"

I hummed at the woman who was standing up. "Hey, Aunt Zoë. How's life been treating you?"

"It's been better, you know. My nephew disappears off the face of the planet, and, a month and a half later, I end up in some fantasy world, with POINTY EARS!" She groans in annoyance.

I laughed. "Yeah, well. Better than what happened to us when we went through... Johnny got his guts ripped out of him. Had to stuff them back in. Nasty job. He's healed up pretty well, though. Where's Mother? Report said two women."

"Report?" My mother's voice sounded from behind me.

I turned, smiling. "Yeah, the runner came and told me, just a Bit ago, that two women were outside the gates, looking for me. I couldn't leave my position, so I sent Johnny. You look well? How's the Orario air treating you?" I grinned.

She gripped my ear, Lightning Quick, and I yelped in pain as she tugged me down to her level. Every elf or beastman in attendance hissed in sympathy for my pain.

"" She roared in my sensitive ear, and then dragged me by it, grabbing Johnny as well, one in either hand.

She kicked open the doors to our club, and growled. "" She barked at Alex, who had approached, concerned.

Alex flinched and took a step back, nearly shaken to tears, and Johnny freed himself with insulting ease, hugging her swiftly.

He glared at mother with the devils own rage. "" He hissed, and led Alex upstairs.

I stood up. "For the record, we've been staying here for about a week. We took over the place, and got rid of the forced prostitution, drug trafficking... we cleaned this place up. And also for the record... there are no prostitutes in this room. This is a Jazz Bar during the day." I said firmly.

"Well you're not staying here." She snapped.

"Actually, I co-own it, so... yes, I am. And unless you want to sleep on the streets, so are you. This is our home, for now. We're saving up to buy something nicer, but the housing market here is... cutthroat." I smirked at my little joke.

She glared at me, a thunderous expression in her eyes. "Boy, so long as you live under my roof-"

", how the have ! You now live under my roof." I snickered gently.

She looked ready to explode a second time. "Don't you sass me, boy, I raised you, I birthed you, and I will send you back to our creator, so help me God-" she growled.

I sighed. "Listen, Ma. This place isn't so bad. And I have a job to do, so I have to leave you here, but... please be nice. I'm sure, once you've calmed down, you'll think about this rationally. So breath... and relax." I breathed deeply, gripping her shoulders.

She breathed deeply, then twitched. "I smell nothing except alcohol and sin."

"Correct, but just breath." I smiled.

She grumbled, but breathed deeply, crossing her arms.

"Good. Now. I'll show you and Zoë to your room, and later I'll get you a wardrobe, but for now I'm very late for work, okay?" I asked.

She hummed. "A job? Hmph. Well, at least I taught you one thing right... Johnny can lead us to our rooms. You go on to work, I didn't raise you to be tardy."

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "The kitchen is behind the bar, if you want to stress cook, mama." I smirked, and darted out of the way of her half-hearted smack to my head. I kissed Zoë's cheek, and smiled happily, sprinting out towards Loki's castle.

---

"So your mother and aunt came through as well... do you think it's a Fluke? Or perhaps only people with your Blood can go through?" Loki hummed.

I shook my head. "I don't know... but they turned into elves as well, and I've figured out why."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"Every being in Orario has magic in them. Every single one. But we didn't. So when we passed into a realm where the airexudes magic, it permeated our cells, and us, basically. The result being, we're now elves." I shrugged.

She nodded. "True... and what do you think would happen if you went back?"

"Well... if I'm now reliant on magic to survive... I'd probably die if I stayed too long... and now that all of us are here, there's no real reason for me to go back. So I'd just get my affairs in order, donate it to charity or something, and then come back. I actually like it here." I shrugged again.

She chuckled. "Yes... well, I'll do as you said, during my next jaunt over... but for now, what are your plans for Freya?"

"Wait. She's pissed, and she found a way to get her revenge that isn't connected to her... but she made a mistake." I smirked.

Loki smiled. "Ooh?"

"Yes. She spoke her plans outside the Council Chamber... and I'd left the recording device you gave me there, just in case. She plans on telling the Cult of The Immortal that I'm a Demigod, and killing me would give them immortality." I smirked.

She hummed. "You have a plan. Tell me."

"The contact she's sending Ottar to? It's not actually a Cultist. I stole the uniform off the Level Three I killed, without anyone noticing. One of my girls, not contracted to a god, will read a script. She's a very good actor... and they'll wait... and wait; but no attack will come. Freya will get angry, and I'll make sure there's several Mirror's open when she admits to opening the portals, and trying to have me killed. If that doesn't get her sent back to heaven, I don't know what would." I shrugged.

"How will you get her to a place with Mirrors?" She asked slowly, spinning in her chair.

"I'm going to ask her on a date. And you're going to guard me against her powers." I smirked.

She stopped spinning, and blinked, then laughed raucously, slapping the table. "You're going to have a with a goddess of love and beauty, being enchanted by her, then it like a mean Prom King?!? Oh my!!! She'll be so embarrassed she'll send herself back to heaven!" She cried out merrily.

I bowed deeply, theatrically. "Thank you, thank you, I accept monetary donations to my act... now for the tricky part. I need three things to happen to make this smooth."

"Only three?" She asked archly.

"Yes. Three. One: I need the perfect date with a goddess... and I need several gods and goddesses to know about it, and be curious enough to 'sneak a peak'."

"Easily done, goddesses are a nosy lot." She shrugged. "And the date... yes, that, too, can be arranged."

"Good. Two: I need Ottar to be kept busy, as well as all of the others from Freya's Familia. Maybe... a War Game? Something that will acquire her entire peripheral attention." I nodded.

Loki grinned slowly. "I like you... done."

"And three: the most important one... I need a secured location, a house, so that I can plan without a god's eyes finding me." I nodded.

She hummed. "I know a few places I could sell you... you'll need a good chunk of change for all this, you know."

"Exactly. I will get into the dungeon with Johnny and see what can be done about my monetary situation. My goal?" I asked.

She hummed. "Ten Mil Val should be more than enough."

I nodded. "Alright. I'll get back to you soon."

"But Dorian... you've forgotten something."

"Oh?"

"The Expedition. It leaves in a week. So your plan will have to wait about two months if it isn't done today. Right now."

I smirked. "Why's that? I can manage on my own, if you make me immune to her womanly wiles."

She laughed. "Tell you what! I bet you the House you want, that you can't pull this trick off."

"And I'll bet my life that I can. After all, Loki, isn't that the best type of Trick?" I grinned.

Her laughter at that moment sunk into my bones, and rattled them. My hair stood on end, my heart stuttered, my lungs froze.

I had never, in my life, heard a sound of joy such as this; so filled with malicious rage, and hatred, but also joyous victory.

It was as if the Devil was laughing at God's funeral, standing on the throats of Gabriel, Michael, and Rafael, whilst sounding the horn of Wormwood in a happy reverie.

I shivered, and thanked my lucky stars that this insane deity was my .