Chapter 50: Chapter 49: A Blessing
(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 4/May/2024 4:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)
('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the notes at the end of the chapter.
"..." small moment of silence
"Talking"
[Different Language Dialogue] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)
"He-" Someone was interrupted.
'Thinking'
{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}
(PoV)
(Flashback)
Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
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(Day 15)
'This feeling.... Right... Fey's feathers have a healing effect on the mind... Is she going to be able to bring me back to normal? My daughter might just be an angel since that's the case' Henryk felt calmer than yesterday. It was a sense of calm that was enough for him to strive to achieve his plans from before.
"Papa's awake... Fwaaa!" Fey yawned as she used a talon to swipe off a tear that formed due to the yawn. ('1)
Ray shifted in his embrace.
'When? I don't remember embracing her in my sleep, and I'm sensitive to something sneaking into my bed in my sleep.... Unless... No... It couldn't have been...' Henryk tried to deny his mental exhaustion from yesterday. It made him unable to detect Ray, or so he thought. He completely forgot that she snuggled in when he was still awake.
"Henry?" Ray tried to blink the sleep away from her eyes. She could catch up to things before fumbling in front of the others like the morning 2 days ago, when she showed that part of her to Henryk.
"Little bro" Henryk woke up with some of his life back in his eyes. He woke up with his survival fresh on his mind. And the first thing he did was wake Bell up before the break of dawn to remind him of their second rest day.
"Wakey wakey, bunny captain" Henryk made a joke but it was lost in his toneless, flat voice.
When called a "bunny captain", the familia's resident rabbit woke up. He squeaked a high-pitched cry and attempted to catch Henryk, which ended as well as it could, with Bell slamming into Henryk's side and launching both into a wall.
"T... this... hursts..." Henryk got his just dessert by falling unconscious from the impact.
When he woke up, he was met with Ray being held back by a bored Olympia, who just wanted it to end before Ray tore the poor rabbit's ears off with how high her shouting was.
Henryk later knew that Ray's reaction was justified as Bell almost took his life with that unintentionally strong attack. The momentum his tiny legs could generate was terrifying.
"Little bro, can I go and try forming alliances in your stead?" Henryk asked. He was met with a confused pair of rubies.
"You see, I don't really want to spend my day loafing around. I will try to be productive by doing something that doesn't involve the dungeon then spend the remaining time of day looking around with her, a date if you may call it that" Henryk tactlessly pointed his thumb at Ray, who was flustered by what he said.
"H-henry! What are you saying!" Her wings were raised closer to her protectively. And even though her sentence was structured like a question, she was not asking anyone anything. She was just flustered by the unexpected turn in Henryk's actions. One moment he proclaims himself as an emotionally stunted man, and the next he is deciding on a date between them abruptly.
"Exactly what you heard, Ray. I'll go talk to some people and then go on a date with you. Or do you not want to?" For a moment, she forgot that his voice contained so little emotion it would not have been wrong to label it emotionless. Even then, his invitation was there, and she had no reason to say no. Rather, she saw many things that could be reasons to say yes.
"Nah! We will take her with us, dad!" Olympia and Amber swooped in and dragged Ray away, accompanied by the other girls. Gracie curtsied then followed her younger sisters.
Ray wanted to resist at first but a few whispers from Olympia made her willingly go with them.
"What's the deal? Are they going on a shopping trip between them girls? Or are they gonna beautify Ray in some way?" Henryk asked no one in particular. He just voiced his question since he felt like it.
Henryk did not mind it when Fey soared away, on her way to play with Tiona. Henryk stopped an uneasy Seraph by the door before he lost his chance. She was still not accustomed to him finally showing this side of him, not even after being told of it a few days ago.
"Seraph, I will need you with me for a bit. I need your healing skills for a certain puppy" Henryk would not have heard the end of it had said puppy been present and heard what he said.
"What are you gonna do today?" Norman knew it was him that was meant by Henryk's question.
"O, great prince Dullace, your highness, I will go try flirting with my chosen lady just a tiny bit before doing some warm-up against upper-floor monsters. I will then just relax back here" Norman was the only constant source of intense emotions in Henryk's life, mainly frustration and irritation, making him some beacon of hope for Henryk to cling to the fact that he still has some human emotions left in him. And, well, no matter how bad he may seem to others, he meant the world to Henryk. That did not prevent Henryk from throwing a light "tap" his way to silence his joke. For those wondering, Norman dodged it flawlessly.
After walking through some back alleys, Henryk along with Seraph arrived at the place he had chosen for the first allied familia, Blue Pharmacy. They were a pair of god and child, the child between them being highly talented in brewing potions and inventing new ones. As a bonus, they were a familia whose god already has friendly relations with Hestia.
He pushed the door and entered as he heard the crisp jingle of the bell above the door. A lethargic chienthrope on the counter raised her head to look at the new guests. Once she raised her head, Henryk had a good look on her face.
This chienthrope was a young woman who has brown hair and fur and purple eyes. Her eyes were almost closed, as if she was sleep-deprived or too bored to focus.
She wore a blue and yellow shirt that had a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve. Her right hand was gloved.
"Welcome, dear customer" Her smile and her slow way of talking made her seem sleepy.
"My name is Henryk Williams. And this here's Seraph, my daughter" Henryk already walked all his way to the pharmacy with his mask on. He only wanted those who were close to him to know but no one else. Freya was an exception as she would have kept her gaze on him constantly.
Now, back to the poor chienthrope, whose half-lidded eyes almost popped when she heard that the high-elf-looking lady was a human's daughter. She quickly recollected herself and put on her previous business smile.
"I am Naaza Erisuis, the familia's captain and only member. What can I help you with?" She introduced herself as one would expect from her lethargic-looking face, slowly articulating every syllable of every word she spoke.
"I came here to talk to your god as we have some familia alliances we want to make. When is he available?" Henryk asked while trying not to seem imposing.
After Naaza opened her mouth to talk, another door opened, and her god walked out of it.
"I see we have some visitors, Naaza" Miach smiled. It made Naaza blush slightly. She calmed down quickly.
"What can we help you with, children?" He kindly asked Henryk and Seraph. He somehow already set the tea on a table and gestured for them to join him. Nobody, and this humble narrator repeats, nobody noticed when Miach locked the front door.
'Has he heard us and somehow prepared tea this quickly? That's impossible, as the tea wouldn't have enough time to be brewed correctly' Henryk dwelled on it as he accepted and sat down. He took a sip to show his acceptance of the man's hospitality then was mildly pleased by the surprisingly good taste of this tea. Seraph was more expressive, however, as her ears twitched up and down in delight.
"I am glad that the tea suits your tastes!" Miach was feeling good as his effort was met with success. He wanted to please his guests with some fine tea, a challenge since his tea leaves could not have been luxury products with his current budget. It was a challenge he won.
"Now, should we hear what our guest wanted to say?" Miach's radiantly friendly smile eased them somewhat.
"Lord Miach, we are children of my lady, goddess Hestia. I assume you would know her from previous interactions, correct?" Henryk initiated.
"I do. She is a good friend of mine" Miach confirmed it as the truth as he remembered meeting Hestia on a regular basis and talking to her about casual everyday life. She was recently bragging about her two children and how amazing they were.
"Then this might be for the better" Henryk exaggerated his muted sense of relief.
"What is?" Miach's curiosity started picking up. He was not alone as Naaza's ears were twitching to the side, standing behind her god.
"My captain was supposed to be present, but that could not be arranged for certain reasons. I hope you could forgive us if that looked like disrespect, lord Miach" Henryk apologized. Miach was kind, and he was going to brush it aside even if it was clear disrespect if someone did not press it on the wound or if they said it was not on purpose. But that made it even more critical to apologize to him. Taking the man's kindness for granted would be a mistake Henryk would not risk taking.
"There was no need to apologize since it was because of circumstances. But I accept it, your politeness. Now, speak of your purpose, child" Miach's smile gained another dimension of kindness to it.
"We wanted to form an alliance between our familias. Of course, my lady knows about it. But I came here alone since she would be helping our captain right now" Henryk said as he spread the palm of his left hand up while speaking.
"An alliance, you say" Miach's eyes wandered as he thought about what to ask next.
"I want to agree immediately for Hestia, but there are conditions from both sides to be presented during talks like these. What would our familia benefit from by accepting this alliance?" Miach's demeanor changed. Although he kept up his smile, which still had its characteristic kindness, he also displayed some caution. He was also calculating it from the viewpoint of a leader of a group too. If he agrees, his entire group also needs to benefit to some extent.
(AN: Let's bat an eye to the fact that Miach only has one person in his group, for now anyway)
"For starters, we will provide you with endless supply of blue papilio healing powder and purple moth poison powder. There is also the possibility of being able to provide you with dungeon crops and herbs for your potions in the future. Drop items from certain monsters with medical properties are also on the table if you want to make a request for it, all the way down from the lower floors and above them. In exchange, we ask for some discount, nothing that will net you a loss of course. Then there are the 2 children who might be of use to your familia. I will let them help you in the pharmacy as long as this alliance stands" Henryk gave them the thing he thought of.
After discussing the terms with Naaza, Miach turned back to the duo.
"I see two problems in the terms you presented but one is not really of much importance" Miach said, something that gave Henryk some vague sense of interest. He liked it when someone used their brain and negotiated for something they wanted or were curious about.
"And what could that be?" Henryk already has an idea. In the terms, nothing is related to Seraph at all. Bringing her here means nothing unless he has something he did not tell them yet but was planning to under certain conditions.
"For what purpose did you bring that beautiful young lady?" Miach good-naturedly praised Seraph's appearance, unbeknownst to him sparking a one-sided tension between her and a certain puppy.
"That is for if you agree to the alliance. I cannot tell you that one thing, lord Miach" Henryk put on an uneasy expression.
"Hmm. That is a bit difficult. We need to know all the details if we want to agree to this alliance you are suggesting now. You really cannot tell us, can you?" Miach asked to make sure one last time.
"I can tell you that Seraph's involvement is an offer that you can deny. That much is fine to tell you about" Henryk sighed as he held a palm open in their direction while closing his eyes.
"Well, if it is what you say, we can agree to it. You probably know already, but we are in great debt. We may not be of help to you in the short run" Miach expressed one of his worries. It made Naaza uncomfortable, but she would have also mentioned it if she was the one talking. She would have wanted to make sure they were not going to break the alliance because of the debt.
"I do. It is because of her talent that I made this offer for an alliance here rather than Dian Cecht's pharmacy, an investment before her talent blows up the potion markets. Not to mention, and pardon me in advance for the language, his personality is total shit, the scum of the upper realm, if you will. I would pick you over him for your good-natured and honest personality no matter what he had to offer in exchange" Henryk forgot Naaza's little ploy with her potions. That made him sound a bit too genuine in his praise and she cringed at that.
Miach asked them to wait in their seats while he spoke to Naaza at a distance. They argued for a while, but they came back with a grumpy Naaza and a smiling Miach.
"We think we will agree to it, not before talking to Hestia, however. I need to talk to her about formalizing this alliance on paper" Miach said with a bit of a laid-back tone. He was now not tense anymore.
"Now, about that other offer you talked about?" He eyed Seraph as she was amazed by the taste of a cookie on the table. Her unhidden innocent reaction made him smile.
"What we are offering is something that does not break any laws nor does it defy ethics. And because of the weight of the matter for us, I need you two to swear absolute secrecy about what will happen here" Henryk said and went completely silent while staring the 2 down with his fingers interlocking before his mouth.
"I swear with my ichor, my divine blood, that I myself will utter not a word of what I will see here today, nor will I record it, so long as it is ethical" Miach said without hesitation. He sensed that Henryk said the truth but still emphasized the part concerning ethics. As for his hesitation's nonexistence, it was due to his instincts. He felt as if Naaza needed this opportunity to shine further, and something else he could not really get a hold of.
'Swearing with their divine blood is the same as swearing with their status and honor as a deity at stake. I can take this as a solid oath' Henryk was now slightly more relaxed.
"I swear to keep your secret with me to the grave" Naaza followed in Miach's example. She was not totally sure about this but wanted to see what made her god agree instantly.
"Seraph here can regenerate lost limbs. That is my offer. Does the miss want her right arm back?" Henryk told them part of the truth. Even if they were friends of his lady or allies, they were not HIS acquaintances. He did not know them personally and would not know if they were to keep their mouths shut.
He saw Naaza's expression twist every which way uncomfortably, although it showed some desire and hope. She was also gripping the prosthetic in place of her right arm tightly with her eyes squeezed shot. If it was a person's arm, it would have been broken by the pressure.
"I want it back. I want... my arm... back..." Naaza said as a tear escaped her eye. She did not want to appear weak, but it was inevitable. She was finally given the opportunity to get her arm back.
"Then, let us go to some other room. I do not want just about anyone to barge in and see the extent of my healing abilities" Seraph finally said. Her brief moment of dignity died when they noticed cookie crumbs around her mouth.
Henryk wiped the crumbs away for her, making her flustered. She at least kept her previous expression unchanged.
"OI! MIACH! OPEN THE DOOR! WILL YOU?" An old man's voice was heard outside the door that Miach locked when they started talking.
'Oh! Great! None other than him!' Miach's smile faltered, even almost fell.
"HEY! I KNOW YOU ARE THERE!" The shouting continued.
"I ask for your understanding, Henryk" Miach smiled sadly at the interruption of what was to happen.
"Not a problem you need to concern yourself with, lord Miach" Henryk gave Miach an understanding gaze before turning to Seraph, confusing the god before him. "Seraph, take her with you and heal her while I help lord Miach keep them busy"
"As you say, father" Seraph held Naaza's hand as Naaza finally unfroze. The voice of that abominable old man brought back a trauma of hers.
Seraph and Naaza disappeared into one of the back rooms before the door was rudely busted open. It opened to reveal an old man with greying swept-back hair. His thick beard and mustache were neatly trimmed. He wore white robes with golden embroidery at the edges. Above his shoulders rested a short cape that did not reach his elbow. The short cape was the same color and style as the robes under it. He put on multiple rings with expensive-looking gems adorning them.
His face, posture, gait, actions and other things he possessed or had done sent a message, that he was clearly showing off his wealth in front of the poor while mocking and disrespecting them. That did not sit well with Henryk. Henryk's displeasure almost reached the intensity of a normal human's emotion.
'Dian Cecht, you bastard, I have another familia I will destroy besides Apollo's' Henryk was now developing some very destructive thoughts. He was going to see them come to light.
"Hmm?" The old man squinted his eyes at Henryk and the table with tea set on it.
"Bahahaha! I didn't think you'd have the money to entertain a guest! Not when you always say that you can't even pay the interest alone!" Dian mocked Miach when his guest was around. His rudeness and disrespect were off the charts for a person of his standing.
"If I may ask, how much is my host's debt? I will need that information to know my next step" Henryk said, much to Miach's vexation.
"Ho? Even your guests don't regard you highly now, Miach!" Dian started laughing again. The young woman behind Dian was expressionlessly looking at the back of his head. She was not pleased with his behavior in the slightest.
'Okay. Maybe not the entire familia' Henryk changed his decision.
"Well, he owes me a few hundred million in debt alone. The interest itself is also reaching almost half the debt now" Dian looked down at Miach.
"Is that right? Well, as I said, lord Miach" Henryk turned to Miach, lifting his spirit a bit. "I will be awaiting the happy news" He then proceeded to spit on Dian's face by bowing down to Miach. It was only low enough to be a courtesy.
"What happy news? Hmm?" Dian blocked Henryk's path and was promptly shoved to the side as Henryk paid him and his childish fuss no mind.
'Seraph, remain in that room with miss Naaza. Dian shouldn't see her arm back yet. Also, tell her to keep her arm covered for now. We don't know what Dian might do if he saw their independence of his prosthetic product' Henryk gave her successive orders and she accepted all of them. Seraph immediately started telling Naaza of what Henryk wanted her to know and be cautious of.
"See you later, lord Miach" Henryk called as he ducked under the low doorframe.
"A child of Hestia's does not need to call me so formally, Henryk" Miach dropped the formality between them. He wanted to do it from the start for his friend's child.
"Will do when we meet next" Henryk still disregarded Dian's angry shouting and stomping.
"You disrespectful child! So, you were Hestia's! That penniless wench! She should have educated you better! But what was I expecting of Miach's friend?" Dian crossed a line. It brought his doom closer than he might have wanted if he knew.
'Our familia will meet a swift end one of these days if he does not stop this irredeemable behavior' The quiet woman behind Dian, Airmid Teasanare, was dreading her and her familia members' fates, following this kind of god. She was considering Miach's familia more than ever.
(AN: For those wondering, Airmid was wearing the uniform she uses as a clerk of their familia's pharmacy and did not bring any of her dungeon equipment along, since, you know, she was not going to need it in another familia's pharmacy)
When Henryk heard what Dian called Hestia, he had some really dark thoughts. Let us keep our minds away from those dark thoughts of his. None should peer on them for they will sow their dreams with the seed of nightmares.
"Our encounter is fated elsewhere, Dian Cecht. And I better not hear you disrespect my lady another time or you will meet your end" Henryk rashly threw a threat Dian's way and made his way away from the scene, with Airmid holding onto Dian while thinking about leaving Dian's side soon, before she was swept away in the aftermath of his wrongdoings.
Seraph made her exit when Airmid had to drag Dian away. After their departure, Miach noticed a bag left behind by Henryk. They inspected the bag and found the strength of the potions made from it to be 2 to 3 times as strong as others made of normal blue papilio healing powder.
Another bag contained the poison powder of purple moths. It has the same strength as the healing powder in the other bag. The antidotes made from it will be more effective and need only around a 1/4 of the normal amount to cure poison.
(End of Chapter)
'1:
Eagles have tears that keep their eyes clean and moist just like us humans. Though, a fun fact is that they blink up, not down.
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Sooooo.... The date takes place next chapter. It will be a whole chapter since I have something planned for it.
And how do you think Dian was? Was he accurate to his character from canon? What about Airmid?
Ah! Right! I did not specify the amount of money for Miach's debt since, as you can tell by now, it is not relevant in my story. It is not going to be mentioned since it is never going to be paid.
Also, Airmid small. (149 cm/4'11'' tall)
Now, I will need to tell you that I will go into a hiatus for at least 2 months after uploading the next chapter. A notice through all 3 stories I write will be uploaded just in case.
Have a great time, ladies and gentlemen.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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