I step out of the carriage after it comes to a stop. I can walk on my own now, but it still hurts. It''s mainly just my ribs and right arm now, but that makes sense; they were damaged the most. After all, I stretch and crack my neck. We didn''t stop on the way back and just came straight here. I try and move my arm; I can move it to just under my shoulder now but no higher, and that''s only because of my vitality and Seti healing me whenever he could on the ride back. Seti and Zhao leave the carriage too, and we head inside and collect our pay: one hundred GM each. I don''t know if I''ll be able to go back to F rank pay after this. We head outside, and the E ranks immediately depart except Ravi, who stays behind and taps his communication crystal on mine and says, "I owe you a favour. If you hadn''t beaten that troll, my quest would''ve been called a failure, and my reputation would''ve been tarnished, so if you ever need help, I''ll be there for you." With that, he leaves following his team. My arm aches again. My fingers tremble from the pain, that troll really did a number on me, but when you think about it, the gains from that fight were worth it. Even though I got my ass kicked, I also got quite a bit stronger, and some of my skills forcefully evolved, and I learnt something: I''m not invincible; I can be hurt; I can be killed; I need to remember the lesson I thought I''d already learnt. This isn''t a game; the stakes are real anyway. I haven''t checked my stats in a while, and they went up quite a lot in that fight. "Status Window"
Status Window
Name: Ethan Watts
Age: 19
Occupation: F-Rank Adventurer
Origin: Hellenika
Class: Undetermined
Fame: 20
Status: Demi-God
Title: Son of the Primordial Chronos
Stats:
Strength: 67
Dexterity: 63
Endurance: 58
Vitality: 63
Qi: 64
Magic Power: 22
Luck: A
Charm: A
Charisma: A
"Hey," I hear, surprising me. My status window disappears, and I turn to face Eudora. "Want to come to Olympus with me?" She asks with a smirk, "Olympus?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her sudden question, and she nods, "Yeah, home of the gods of the Greek domain." She pauses. "I contacted my father on our way back, and he wants an audience with my saviour." I blush a little in embarrassment. I never thought I''d be called somebody''s saviour. "You''ll likely be rewarded, you know." She teases, trying to convince me, but I''m not sure. It''s not like I saved her for a reward, but I have to admit I am interested in seeing Olympus. "I don''t know." I admit it, and Seti walks over. "I''d go if I were you; even if you turn down the reward, earning favour with a family like the Theodorakis'' will be a huge benefit." I nod, and he continues, "Plus, it''s not every day somebody gets to go to Olympus." Eudora nods, and I sigh, "You make a fair point." I pause and rub my chin, racking my brain. I really didn''t save her for a reward, and it feels kind of cheap going to receive one, but what Seti said makes sense too: "I''ll go." I finally decide, and Eudora flashes me a toothy grin. "I''ll let Dad know we''ll set off tomorrow, ok?" I nod, and she and Jay walk off, and I turn to Seti and Zhao, who''s just joining us. "Enough politics and negotiations; let''s go grab some food and booze." Zhao suggests, and I nod, "After the quest we just finished, we definitely deserve it."
My eyes slowly open, and I lift myself from the hard floor. I must''ve drunk a lot last night because I barely remember it, but I''m feeling better than I thought I would. To be honest, I was expecting a hangover, but I''m fine, which is nice. I was never a big drinker back on Earth, and part of the reason was the hangovers. I was always too busy to deal with having a hangover, so I just didn''t drink. I get up and take a shower and get dressed. I take back my armour and sword, but I decide to check out my sword again just in case I need it for whatever reason, and then I head on over to the carriages where Eudora and Jay are waiting. "Hey, you''re early." Eudora says, and I rub my neck and say, "Yeah, haha, I wasn''t expecting you two here already." Eudora smiles, and so does Jay weakly. He''s definitely shy, but I think we can become friends with time. I hear a loud noise and smell smoke as if the air itself has lit ablaze, and slowly a flaming chariot lands, and the flames cease. "This is our Theodorakis Chariot; only our family can use it for travel; it was a gift from our great ancestor modelled after his own." Eudora says as she runs her hand along the side. This is modelled after Apollo''s chariot; it''s a sleek white and gold chariot with leather seats inside. Eudora jumps in, and Jay gets in at the side of her carefully, and I follow suit, sitting at the other side of her, and the old man who brought it here says, "Ready?" We all nod, and flames explode out from around the chariot and roar to life as they lift the chariot off of the ground, and we begin flying to our destination. I turn to Eudora, "Who''s that? I don''t want to be rude." She says, "That''s Dad''s personal butler, Orren Phokas." I nod, and he says from the front, "A pleasure to meet you, sir." Not knowing what to say, I just answer formally but bluntly, "Likewise." I stare down at the landscape beneath us. I never went on a plane on earth. My foster family were not very well off, so they only went on a few abroad trips, and I didn''t go with them, not wanting to be a burden. Looking back, I wish I''d gone more, spent more time with them, and appreciated them more... I should''ve done more.
The chariot slowly descends, the flames simultaneously slowly dying out as they descend until finally the flames die out just before we land, and we all step out of the chariot. "Jay, the young mistress and master will be meeting the family head; you can come if you want, but..." Jay shakes his head. "I''m alright, thanks." Is he that bad also? "Please don''t call me young master; I''m certainly not deserving of that. Just Ethan will do." Orren nods and says, "Young mistress, Mr Watts, please follow me to have a meeting with the head of the family, Archon Theodorakis." Jay walks with us inside but heads elsewhere while we follow Orren through two huge golden doors which open as we walk towards them, and we step inside of a great hall lined with seats full of people. "Members of the branch family." Eudora whispers, "They don''t need to be here, but they''d never miss a chance to kiss my dad''s arse." I wasn''t expecting that manner of speaking from Eudora. It seems like she doesn''t like the branch families. We walk to the end of the hall, where there are about ten marble steps and then five seats; only two are taken. The biggest two are a man with golden slit eyes and long black hair with tints of grey; his face is so serious it''s almost terrifying, and next to him is a beautiful woman with hazel eyes and brown hair. She looks like an older Eudora but less captivating. I turn to Eudora and then realise I''m staring and look down before looking back up at Archon, whose gaze is piercing, and I kneel and bow my head. "Excuse my manners, sir; I do not know of formal greetings in this world, so I chose to greet you how we do on Earth." I hear whispers among the branch families about my lack of etiquette and my disrespect, but nothing from Archon until a deep, boomy voice almost growls the word. "Silence!" in such a calm yet threatening tone it''s chilling. "Stand up, boy." He continues, and I stand up, locking eyes with him, sweat dripping down my face as the pressure of his stare is stifling. This man is a descendant of a god. Not just that, he''s the strongest of a family of them. There''s no telling how powerful he is. If he wanted, he could probably kill me before I could even comprehend what happened to me. His mouth opens slowly and... "Everybody clap for my daughter''s hero!"
The crowd erupts into cheers and clapping, which surprises me and feels weird; the claps and cheers seem hollow and empty. I look over at Eudora, who is seething with rage. I see why she hates them. They''re fake; they only do anything to gain favour with the main family. Archon raises his hand, and they go silent within moments, disgusting. The woman next to Archon catches my gaze. "You have our eternal thanks for saving our daughter, child." I nod, and before I can say anything, Archon is standing in front of me. When did he even move? I couldn''t even register his movement. It''s like space itself folded and moved to his will. He stares down at me from right in front of me; he''s only about an inch taller than me. But I feel as though I''m staring up at a mountain with a summit I could never hope to reach; his aura is suffocating. "Did you save my daughter to gain favour with my family?" He asks calmly, yet his words stab at my very soul. I feel death''s grip, and I can tell that one wrong move, one wrong word, means death; he will end my life without hesitation, without guilt. I can feel the bloodlust radiating from him. "No, she was my teammate." I said, forcing the words out despite every fibre of my being telling me, screaming at me, to not talk back to this man, but I push through: "I would''ve saved any single one of them even if it cost me my own life." Not a single word was a lie, and I think he can tell since he retracts his bloodlust and flashes me a smile – not that it makes him any less terrifying – and he disappears instantly, reappearing in his chair in an instant. "Breathe, boy," he says, and I realise I haven''t been breathing and take a deep breath and fall to my knees. "Are you ok?" Eudora says, her voice cracking with fear and worry as she drops to her knees beside me and tries to help me as I struggle, gasping for air.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Eudora helps me to my feet, and Archon gazes down at me. "Boy, name a reward." He says, and I simply say, "The only reward I need or ever needed was your daughter''s safety." I feel Eudora''s grip on me get tighter, and I look at her to find her blushing, and then I hear a haughty laugh. I look over at the cause of the laugh, Eudora''s mother, who stares back at me with a wide grin before nudging Archon''s shoulder. "Honey, don''t you think that boy would be a great husband for our youngest?" Archon''s eyes widen, and beside me I hear "Mother!" as Eudora lets go of me and protests, "You can''t just decide that for me on your own." Archon stays silent as Eudora protests against her mother, but she''s not the only one protesting. All around the hall, the members of the branch families have some things to say. "Preposterous," one says. "Ludicrous, this commoner marrying into the main house." Another chimes in, "That lowborn needs to know his place." I clench my knuckles so hard they turn white. I want to speak, but it''s not my place, so I have to just accept their words: "SILENCE!" Archon shouts, his booming voice making my knees tremble and almost give out, and he stands up, addressing the branch families, "How dare you lowly born Nephos talk down to a demigod of our great pantheon?" All of a sudden, all of the branch families are once again gazing upon me, but differently now. I can feel their greed: "He''s a demigod; well, of course, he''s worthy of our family, then." One says, "I wonder who his parent is; maybe we could gain favour with them." "He''ll certainly go far if he''s a demigod; it''ll be good to tie him down to us." Disgusting, pathetic, vile – those are the only things I can think up when listening to these pigs. A second ago I was lowborn; now I''m worthy? Archon takes his seat again and holds his hand up, silencing the branch families. "Anyone who disrupts me from now until I allow you to speak again will die by my hand." All of a sudden silence – I can''t even hear breathing. You could hear a pin drop in this deafening silence, and the Archon''s gaze is on one man – me. "Choose, boy, will you take my daughter''s hand in marriage?"
I look at Eudora, who looks flustered. "Can we discuss?" I point at Eudora, and Archon looks confused. "You don''t seem like you''re giving Eudora much of a choice here, so I''d like to hear her opinion about all of this." Archon and his wife both smile, and Archon says, "Orren." As soon as the word leaves his lips, Orren, who had disappeared at some point, appears next to Archon. "Yes, milord?" Archon, not missing a beat, says, "Take these two and let them eat while they discuss their marriage." Orren bows his head even lower and says, "Of course, milord." Disappearing and reappearing before us, "With me, please, young mistress and young master." He sets off toward the door, and we follow along, leaving the hall and heading through the corridors until we arrive at a huge room with a long table. We sit opposite each other and don''t speak as the maids bring out a feast. We wait until they''ve finished bringing out the food and struggle to keep eye contact. I''m only nineteen, and she''s only twenty-three. We''re both so young. I mean, she''s a beautiful, amazing woman, and I know I''d be extremely lucky to be able to marry her, but I don''t love her, and I always believed one day I''d marry for love. "What do you think?" I ask her, and she gasps as if she wasn''t expecting me to speak. "I was being genuine about it – this is as much your choice as mine... Eudora, do you want this marriage?" She looks down and says, "I wouldn''t be opposed." I grab her hand, shocking her. "Eudora, be honest with me. Do you want this marriage, or do you just want to do what your mom and dad want?" She looks at me like I''ve seen through her, and she pulls her hand away. "I—" "Eudora…" I say, and she looks me in the eyes. "Tell me you don''t want this marriage, and I''ll go in there and tell them I won''t do it, consequences be damned." Eudora looks at me, but differently this time. She''s never looked at me like that. "I''ll do it." She whispers and takes my hand. "Let''s do it if you want to." I do too. I think ever since I met her, something''s been drawing me towards her, and maybe this isn''t love, but I see no reason why it can''t become love. "I want to."
We go back into the hall together, following after Orren, who guides us back before Archon and his wife. "Have you made your choice?" He gazes over at me and Eudora. "Both of you."
Quest Received: Power Play
You are in a position to gain standing and power
Objectives:
Get engaged to Eudora Theodorakis
Gain the Blessing Of Apollo
Rewards for completing this Quest:
+60 Fame
Two skill-upgrade tokens
Five stat points
Penalties upon failing
Loss of right to Inherit Chronos'' power
Issued by Chronos and Apollo
Seriously, and not just from Chronos this time but Apollo too. This so-called father of mine seems to hate me making my own decisions, but it''s a good thing I''d already decided anyway. All of a sudden, Eudora takes my hand, and I smile at her before turning to Archon. "I''ll marry Eudora Theodorakis, but I ask one thing of you." I say proudly, and Archon gazes down on me and says, "Speak." I notice he didn''t call me boy this time. "I''d like to keep my last name if possible." The branch families begin making noise again, but Archon raises his hand, and they stop, and he says, "So be it. Members of the Theodorakis'' family do not marry until they are over the age of thirty anyway, so you have lots of time to make decisions." I bow my head, and he stands. "So it is official: Ethan Watts will marry Eudora Theodorakis, my youngest and member of the main house." He slowly walks down the stairs and past us. "For your reward, son-in-law, I will allow you to try and receive the Blessing of Apollo." The crowd once again roars into outrage, this time mostly about the fact that I, an outsider, will receive the blessing when they, the branch families, don''t. Archon visibly rages, and instantly he''s among the rows of people holding a fat old man by the throat. "Did I not warn you? The next time one of you interrupts me, I''ll kill you." The man he''s holding by the throat cries desperately, trying to kick his feet and reach the ground and trying to loosen Archon''s grip on his throat, "P-Please, sir." He barely squeaks out as Archon''s hold on his throat tightens, slowly squeezing the life out of him. "I''m feeling generous today since I''ve gained a new family member." Archon turns to me, "Son-in-law, you may choose if this man lives or dies." I see what he''s trying to do; I will be the one saving him, which will help me gain favour with them. "He''s pathetic; it''d be worthless to kill him." I say, and Archon smirks, appearing next to me before the man can even fall to his seat, the red marks on his throat obvious. "Let''s go." Archon says, and Eudora and I follow him out of the hall.
We come to a stop in front of a huge statue of who I can only assume is Apollo himself. "I won''t tell you anything about the blessing, not from what it does to how to get it. I will not help you in any way because I see in you unrivalled potential, and I want to know if I saw correctly." Archon pauses. "Stand in front of the statue and look up at the sun; that''s all I''ll give you." Archon and Eudora stand back, and I do as he says. I stand in front of the statue and look directly up at the sun, and all of a sudden, I feel a crushing weight that pushes me to my knees and heat much hotter than anything else I''ve ever felt. It''s as if the sun itself has directed its fury unto me, but I won''t fall. I slowly lift myself up, resisting the weight on my back and shoulders, ignoring the stench of my burning skin.
"Skill Upgraded: Heat Resistance = F --> E"
I manage to get to my feet, and I stand in the pressure and heat, stubbornly refusing to fall, not allowing myself to collapse despite how badly I want to just give up.
"Stat Increased: +1 Strength"
"Stat Increased: +2 Endurance"
"Stat Increased: +1 Vitality"
I stare back up at the sun unrelenting, and it''s as if the sun smiles back at me as the heat and pressure abruptly stop.
"You have received a Divine Blessing"
I really did it. I take a deep breath. My skin isn''t actually burnt; the heat must''ve just tricked my brain into thinking my skin was being scorched.
"Blessed by: Apollo"
"Benefit Gained: Fire Affinity"
"Sub-Skill Upgraded: Fireball = F --> E"
"Sub-Skill Upgraded: Fire Spear = F --> E"
"Skill Upgraded: Heat Resistance = E --> D"
"Benefit Gained: Solar Rejuvenation"
"Benefit Gained: +15 Magic Power"
"Quest Completed: Say "Claim" to claim rewards"
Claim
"Distribute your five stat points"
"Three in strength and two in dexterity" I feel my body strengthen immediately. I clench my fist, testing out the new strength.
"Use your two skill tokens"
Rank up swordsmanship and body enhancement.
Skill Upgraded: Swordsmanship = F --> E" "Subsequently all Sub-Skills have been upgraded"
"Sub-Skill Upgraded: Body Enhancement = E --> D"
"Fame has been applied"
"Congratulations, son-in-law. I knew my eyes weren''t deceiving me; within you is a potential so deep, so bottomless, even I cannot say how far you can go." He means it. In his eyes, I can see it in them. He''s proud of me. "Thank you, sir." He waves his hand and smiles. "Please call me Father." I nod, and he turns to Eudora, "Take Ethan too, Thaleia, please. Eudora, he should learn our swordsmanship before you two and Jay head back to Mercari." Eudora nods, and he pats her head and goes back in. I''ve seen so many sides of a single man in one day; he can be ruthless and then immediately switch to being a doting father. It''s incredible. I wonder if I''ll ever be that strong. "Come on." Eudora says, and I follow on behind her until we reach a detached house on the corner of the estate. Eudora knocks on the door, and out comes a tall woman almost as tall as me; her arms and face are scarred, and she looks me up and down. "Who''s this?" she asks. Eudora, who says, "Auntie, I''d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Ethan Watts." She looks me up and down yet again. "So this is the one who saved you from the troll." Eudora nods. "How did you know?" Thaelia goes inside and grabs a battleaxe and says, "Your dad told me." Before looking at me, "I assume you''re here to learn." I nod, and she says, "Fine, but I want to test something first. The report we received from Eudora had some interesting stuff I''d like to see, so give me your all." She says as her eyes glow red, and I unsheathe my sword and enhance my body, "Status Window"
Status Window
Name: Ethan Watts
Age: 19
Occupation: F-Rank Adventurer
Origin: Hellenika
Class: Undetermined
Fame: 80
Status: Demi-God
Title: Son of the Primordial Chronos
Stats:
Strength: 71+14.2
Dexterity: 65+13
Endurance: 60+12
Vitality: 64
Qi: 64
Magic Power: 37
Luck: A
Charm: A
Charisma: A
She begins to charge at me with her battleaxe, and I block the blow, ready to fight back.