Alliance

“Skill enforced righteousness? I was not aware that was even possibly until now but it follows the rules of the falna so I am not terribly surprised.” Ouranos said with a thoughtful look.

“His ability makes him ill suited for fighting alongside the Xenos however even if he will not hunt them himself.” Fells spoke from it’s invisible location.

“Indeed. Any Xeno slain near him might soon be erased from existence as he absorbs the “smoke” that they will be reduced to. Gros might even attempt to kill him due to the threat his very existence brings the others.” Ouranos said with a troubled look.

“Not to be rude but you do realize that I don’t have to fight alongside these Xenos in order to be of use to them right?” I asked bluntly.

“He is correct, I myself have seen a few of his magic items and weapons and can say that if he were to provide them the Xenos situation would likely improve greatly.” Ganesha piped up.

“That is acceptable. So would you be willing to provide such resources to the Xenos, with payment of course?” Ouranos asked me seriously.

“I don’t mind but it’s not entirely up to me, this is too important for that. You’ll need to bring my goddess into the fold and get her go ahead first. This is a matter that would effect our entire familia after all.” I said firmly.

Ouranos nods “I understand and fully intended to inform Hestia before anything was ever truly done for that exact reason. Now then I need your input on this matter Hephaestus.” he said before addressing my date.

“This is a lot to take in. If it’s not too much to ask can I have a few days to think about it? I won’t spread the information but as for helping these Xenos, I have to consider it carefully.” she said with a strained expression.

“Very well, I will not force you to aid a cause you don’t believe in so your silence alone is more than enough.” Ouranos said softly.

“Cool cool so before we all go our separate ways until all the details are settled I have a question that’s been digging at my brain this whole time. What exactly does the dungeon want? Like I know it’s alive since my technique works on it and it reacts when stimulated in different ways but I can’t figure out what the damned thing actually wants.” I said with burning curiosity.

“I cannot answer that question. The dungeon does not have conventional desires. Even as a god it’s wants and thoughts are alien to me.” Ouranos said honestly with the barest hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. “That said I can say with certainty that it is both fond of and exasperated by your presence within it. It has complained in a manner of speaking a few times you have acted unwisely within it.” he said with an amused look in his eyes.

“I have that effect on most people.” I said with a chuckle.

The meeting was pretty much over at that point and we all left the chamber. Ganesha went back to his familia and Hephaestus went to her office. I myself merely shrugged at it all and took a stroll through the city till I got home. I told Hestia that she was going to get called in for a chat with Ouranos though I did clarify it wasn’t because of something bad exactly.-

I couldn’t share exact details since I did promise but did tell her it was related to a possible business opportunity. That calmed her down a lot but she still didn’t like all the secrecy but I could only shrug since it was out of my hands. Things sort of went back to normal after that as I got an interesting commission from Ptah the next morning.-

“I am hosting a ball and need something that will captivate even the most unrefined of artistic palates. Something grand and dynamic, but not gaudy.” he said seriously.

“Gonna be honest here Ptah, you aren’t exactly narrowing things down with that description. I need more, a theme, style or even something you can point at and say you want similar.” I said with a frown.

I loved a good challenge as much as the next guy but this was a ball we were talking about here and that meant that whatever I made couldn’t clash with the vibe of the event too much or it becomes problematic. Art is a funny thing like that, some pieces only shone the best when in very specific thematic placements. Ptah’s vague description simply wouldn’t work this time and I needed something more substantial to work off of.-

“The theme was emotions for the ball which I hoped meant nearly anything went but I can see the problem now that you mention it. It simply wouldn’t do to have you bring some sort of weapon or cold emotionless statue.” he said with a frown of his own.

“Hold up, you said emotions right?” I asked and he nodded. “I think I know exactly what I can make for you then.” I said with a wicked grin.

“I shall trust your expertise than and wait with bated breath for you to complete this order. As per usual money is no object.” he said with a eager look before leaving with a pep in his step.

My idea was of course something I shamelessly was plagiarizing from a popular franchise back on Earth, Harry Potter. To be specific the mirror of Erised that showed ones hearts desire. It also had enchantments I was pretty sure to make one obsess over what they were shown as well but I had no intention of making such a cursed thing. Merely being able to show ones hearts desire alone without the obsession added was more than enough to make the piece an incredibly popular thing.-

I got to work on that immediately and to no surprise at all after Hestia spoke with Ouranos we ended up in a sort of alliance with him in regards to the Xenos. As a show of good faith on my part I even created a sort of illusion projector that transformed the air overhead into an illusion of the sky topside.

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