Balm in Gilead: Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Nobody Special

Chapter 24: Nobody Special

“And that’s how my trip to Rivira ended,” I said.

“So you didn’t get to the 20th floor?” Hestia didn’t even try to hide her relief. “Phew—I mean, i-it’s good that my beloved daughter knows when to turn back.”

“Favorite child,” Lili murmured.

In response, Hestia tackle-hugged her onto the couch.

The three of us sat in the annex of Hestia’s Church, no longer the basement. We’d restored the building using my new steady stream of income as a level two adventurer, coupled with Hestia’s salary and ample help from Ais (paid for in delicious, delicious jagamarukuns). Now, instead of one tiny room in the basement, the church had a wide and brightly lit main foyer, rooms for several people including Hestia’s in the annex, and a large hearth where the altar once sat. Hestia’s Hearth burned always with a cheerful flame: never blazing too hot or smoldering too cold, ever just enough to make you feel at home.

The basement had been converted into a kitchen, most of Ais’s help had gone into that part of the renovations.

“Don’t be like that, Lili-chan!” Hestia snuggled into Liliruca’s arms like a burrowing parasite. “You’re my beloved child as well! Super beloved, ultra beloved!”

“H-hey!” Lili flailed, batting weaking against Hestia’s shoulders. “You can’t just squeeze me like a toy, silly goddess! Lili has bones.”

“I knoooow!” Hestia squeezed tighter. “All boney elbows and ribs when my Taylor brought you home. Did you eat enough in the dungeon, Lili? I have extra Jagamarukuns. Oh, we could go to the Hostess again to celebrate. Wasn’t your favorite meal the spaghetti?”

Lili mumbled something inarticulate, but most importantly, she never told Hestia to stop. Eventually, she even hugged her back.

Hestia had decided that Lili needed more love, and so she’d attacked that problem with a fervor of unrelenting hugs and affection.

“If Lili eats the jaga-kuns, Ais will kill her…”

“Nu-uh.” Hestia shook her head, rubbing her cheek against Lili’s. “I can always make more. Ais likes them freshest anyway.”

I laughed. “She almost pulls them right out of the fryer when you’re cooking them.”

“I keep telling her not to. She’ll burn her hands!” Hestia said.

As a level six, Ais could probably swim in lava, and I meant that in how neither the incinerating heat nor the swimming through rock would provide her with any particular challenge. But the gods treated their chosen children as an odd blend of indestructible soldiers and soft breakable children.

Maybe they were right, both ways.

“I’m surprised Ais isn’t here already.” I stood, stretching. “It’s about time for us to leave.”

“Hehe.” Hestia smirked as she finally let Lili free. “That flat chested idiot is probably upset that her favorite child loves me more. Oh, but—” Her eyes flicked towards me. “You’re not planning to go all the way back to the 19th floor, are you?”

I shook my head. “I need to get a new hammer.” I’d bought one in Rivira, for probably ten times what it was worth, and it was a shitty piece of scrap. “We’re going to the tower first, getting a weapon for a level two will probably take all day.”

“Mmm, good.” Hestia nodded. “Only the best for my children.”

“Speaking of good weapons for your children,” I said. “We’re thinking of upgrading Lili’s crossbow.”

Lili tensed, leaning away from Hestia.

“Hmm…We should have the money. I’ve been working hard!” Hestia flexed her arm. “I made a huuuuge commission the other day. Plus, I was saving up because I knew you’d wreck all your gear again, Taylor.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m not that bad.”

“You haven’t had a weapon last for more than a month,” Lili said.

I drummed my fingers against the metal of my prosthetic. “I’ve only been an adventurer for a few months.”

“Yes, that’s why it’s so impressive,” Lili replied.

“I actually thought Taylor would finally ruin her armor.” Hestia pointed to my simple breastplate. “A hammer made by Hephy’s children should last longer.”

A knock came at the door, cutting off the rest of that conversation.

“Ah, that must be Ais-chan!” Hestia hopped off the couch. “Hellooo!” She opened the door, revealing a blonde, but not the one we were expecting.

“Greetings, Goddess Hestia.”

I stood as well. “Pollux?”

The man, a member of Apollo’s Familia nodded. “Good, my brother and I were looking for you.”

I pursed my lips. “I wasn’t aware that we had a meeting.” Slowly, the rest of us filed out into the Atrium. I’d repurposed some of the more intact pews into viewing benches around the fire, and Ais sat on one of them. She waved.

“Ah! Ais.” Hestia waved back. “I didn’t know you were here, why didn’t you knock?”

Ais pointed at Pollux. “He insisted he was here first.”

Pollux cleared his throat. “It’s only natural that members of allied Familia be given precedence.” He arched an elegant eyebrow at me. “Though, I was surprised that no one was here to announce our arrival.”

Hilarious.

“We’re still a small Familia.” I smiled. “We don’t have the members of the vaunted Apollo Familia, to waste a level one as a receptionist.”

“As long as you’re aware of your shortcomings.” The implied insult flew over his head, but then, Castor and Pollux were both level two, and probably didn’t think much about the many level one members of Apollo’s Familia. “It was a bit concerning to find the door unlocked.”

“Everyone is welcome at the hearth,” I said. It was Hestia’s only requirement. “But, as a member of an allied Familia, I’d love to hear what brought you to our door.”

“Ah, Ais.” Hestia walked over to the other woman, taking her head. “Come on. I have a fresh batch of jagamarukuns waiting for you downstairs.”

Ais looked back to Pollux and me. She made an inquisitive sound, but Hestia waved it off. “Taylor can handle it. She’s my child, after all!”

I hid a small smile at her praise.

“Doesn’t such disregard…grate?” Pollux asked.

That startled a laugh out of me. “I mean, it’s a bit annoying.” Ais might eat us out of hearth and home. “But I wouldn’t call the attention of a level six disregard.”

Pollux hummed. Lili took a seat on the bench next to us, but he ignored her. Regardless of pretense, then, he’d come here for me alone.

“It has been some time since we braved the dungeon together,” Pollux said. “My Lord was surprised to hear that you’d returned from the 19th floor all by yourself.”

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. “I asked when the next time your Familia would be available.” Some time ago. “But of course, as the smaller Familia, we would never presume.”

“Hm.” Pollux waved a hand. “Naturally.”

What a lovely person, I thought. When we’d first met, he had been much more polite. But then, that was back when Apollo’s whole Familia was on their best behavior. Now they’d mostly forgotten about me until today.

“But we are here now,” he said. “Are you headed to the dungeon today?”

“No, I need to get a new hammer. After that…” I glanced towards the stairs. Usually I trained with Ais, part of the vast and ever-growing jagamarukun contract that she’d formed with Hestia.

“Perhaps you’d like to come to our estate. We have more interesting diversions.”

“More interesting—” I blinked in surprise. His gaze had followed mine to the stairs. His mouth had changed, almost smirking. Did he think I was waiting after Hestia? But then why would he look so smug? I didn’t like it.

“We need some equipment for Lili, as well,” I said.

Pollux tilted his head, looking at Lili for the first time. “Your supporter?”

“We’re not such a large Familia that we can neglect any member,” I said. “That’s what I believe.”

He didn’t seem to notice my light rebuke either. Instead, his smirk widened for a moment. “Of course, no child should feel neglected, but after such matters are cared for…”

His offer floated in the air between us, thick with some energy I couldn’t name. Apollo had grown bored with me; I was waiting for him to break off our alliance so I could go back to my normal days with Hestia, now plus a new sister. This offer, the way Pollux presented the offer even, made me wary.

When I didn’t understand something, I attacked it.

“We’d love to visit the Apollo estate again,” I said. “Perhaps even set up a small expedition with some of your level ones. Having a more experienced adventurer helped me immensely when I was a new level two.”

“Excellent.” Pollux nodded. “It is most kind of you to return the favor.”

“We’ll swing by after we head to the tower.” I waved Lili over as I made my way towards the door.

“My brother was waiting for you by the tower, in case I missed you,” Pollux said. “He’ll accompany you to the Familia mansion.”

“I’m…sure I can find my own way,” I said.

“If you like.”

I opened the door, and Pollux nodded before stepping outside.

I shared a silent glance with Lily. She looked just as annoyed as I. Then I stepped outside and bumped into Pollux’s back.

As level twos, neither of us moved. You had to move gently, when you were strong enough to shatter rocks with your bare hands. So for a moment, I was pressed up against this man’s back, his obnoxiously blonde hair blocking my eyes, and then I stepped back and around him. “What’s—”

I caught sight of the other group out of the corner of my eye, and spun. My hand went for a hammer that was no longer there, and my prosthetic fingers caught Lili before she could step in front of me, pushing her gently back towards the church.

Across the street, leaning against one of the broken houses that filled this district, stood a small group of five adventurers. They bore weapons, still sheathed, but they came looking for a fight. I could tell the leader was a level two.

She stepped forward, pin straight brown hair billowing over her bare shoulders. “Finally stopped hiding, huh?”

I looked at Pollux. “Were you hiding?”

“Perish the thought.” His hand rested gently on his own rapier, but I was unarmed and Lili.

In a fight here, I still liked our odds. But I didn’t like that there were odds.

“Well, I wasn’t hiding.” I shook my hands out once, letting my metal fingers rasp against my palm. “So if you were too dumb to come inside, that’s on you.”

“Whatever you want to tell yourself.” She gripped the morning star on her waist, but didn’t draw. “You’re gonna come with us, now.”

“It does appear they’re after you, Miss Taylor,” Pollux said. He didn’t move from my side. “Any idea why.”

“If they’re the Ishtar Familia, one of them was so busy mouthing off in the dungeon that the Goliath snatched her,” I replied. “I can imagine them being upset about that.”

“Indeed.” He shifted his stance into something more ready. “It is quite like Ishtar’s ilk to blame others for their failings.”

“She died, fucking soft-ass,” the amazon growled. “And this doesn’t concern you. Get out of the way.”

“I believe this does concern me,” Pollux replied. “And what should concern you is that there are two of us, and only one of you.”

She frowned, wide eyebrows coming together in a sharp point. “Apollo didn’t teach you how to count?”

Pollux smirked. “I simply do not waste my attention on trash.”

The other Amazons bristled at the insult. It looked like we were about to have a real fight on our hands, and me without a weapon.

Then Lili came back out the door, tugging Ais Wallenstein by one hand. The Sword Princess walked out onto the steps of the church without a care in the world. She still had a jagamarukun in one hand, and as the Amazons shared worried looks, she took a bite of the fried potato treat.

She chewed slowly, really taking her time with it. No one spoke. Finally, she asked, “Problem?”

The leader craned her head to the side and spat. “No. No problems.” She jabbed a finger at me. “Watch yourself, you little nobody. Won’t always have friends looking out for you.”

I watched silently as the five of them turned and vanished back into the alley ways surrounding Hestia’s church. In a few moments, we were alone once more.

“Concerning.” Pollux stood. “My thanks for your assistance, Sword Princess.”

Ais shrugged, taking another bite of her food.

“The question remains.” He turned to me. “Why were they so interested in you?”

“You heard them.” I shrugged. “They’re upset their friend got hurt.”

“And was that the same group you ran across in the dungeon?” he asked. “You didn’t appear to recognize them.”

I frowned. “No. No they were different.”

“Adventurers die in the dungeon all the time, I’ve never known Ishtar to care.” Pollux cupped his chin with two fingers. “Are you sure there’s no other reason for their interest?”

“…Not that I can think of,” I said. “You heard her. I’m nobody.”

“And why would Ishtar care about nobody?” Pollux asked.

The thought lingered in the air for a second, thick with worry.

Crunch, went Ais’s jagamarukun.