Keys of Divinity Chapter 7 (Patreon)

There was something else that came to mind as Esdeath awaited my answer to her offer to join her own band of merry murder hobos.

What did I actually get from going on missions with her group specifically?

So I was plain and asked bluntly. "What do I get from working with you guys when I can naturally take whatever missions I want later on?"

Esdeath's confident smile grew as she spoke firmly. "Benefits? The glory of a dangerous hunt that will push you to your limits. A pack of fellow hunter's who will stand beside you as we face monsters and 'save' the downtrodden and broken." She almost spat a bit at the saving bit.

But that just made me want to join up with her even less so I shook my head and said honestly. "I am already going to a world where there will be all the monsters and divine horrors for me to kill. I am interested in the misson/commission rewards for sure, but actually throwing myself in a desperate battle to the death with some pyscho who decided to kill all his friends and family because of a shit childhood is not in my best interest."

Would I kill a 'Dark' Harry Potter who got too obsessed with the Confundus Charm and started forcing himself on his mentally fucked up classmates. Sure. I knew I had no problem in doing so.

But was I going to go up against 'Dark' Naruto who fucking ate the Kyuubi and the rest of the Tailed Beasts, to overthrow the evil Civilian Council and destroy the mastermind manipulators that were the Sandaime and Danzo. 

Fuck no. 

I'd rather stay the hell out of that situation. Because throwing hands with a Sage of Six Paths-level entity for little reason was a good way for me to just get cut down or worse.

"I don't think I would fit in your hunting squad, Esdeath. At least for right now, I am still very much at the point in time where I am gaining strength in training, and throwing myself into the meat grinder is just a quicker way to die... Again at that."

Esdeath wasn't offended by my words somehow. She merely chuckled with a throaty tone before she said lazily while pulling down her silver cap.

"I am not offended Jake. You know your own interests, and it's not as though there is a limit to the commissions and missions in the Foundation, so we won't ever even need to compete. But... Unless you want to be one of those broken dolls, you need to understand that it is only in the crucible of a battle to the death that you will be forged into a true warrior."

The room went quiet after Esdeath's little speech until I asked quietly. "And what about you? You speak of those rescused people not with the disdain and hate I would expect from you Esdeath. But with pity instead."

Esdeath herself went quiet for a moment before her hand slowly rose to trace a line around her hat as though to give her time to consider my question.

Then she spoke in a hollow tone. "I don't go on these missions to save those broken-minded women and men out of the kindness of my heart. Or even for the thrill of the hunt. I do it, purely for revenge, and to prove that I myself am not one of those hollow-eyed women who will lick the boots of their captors."

I didn't exactly know what to say about that.

And it was all to make clear that Esdeath was done with this conversation as she waved her hand and said blandly.

"Even in your new world, that Foundation phone you have will still work. So if you do decide you wish to face some of the most horrid fiends in the multiverse with my pack of killers. You can contact me, but if that's all, you are dismissed."

Making my way quickly out of the room as there was sure as hell not going to be anymore small talk. I made my way back home to my apartment as I wondered something after seeing the reminder that, that Esdeath was still broken somewhere inside of herself.

That mention of slavishly licking the boots of their captor wasn't just an idle statement or comparison.

Still, as I looked at my phone as I laid in my bed and saw the deluge of overly excited messages from Marin, I wondered what her 'canon event' was. What had fucked her up to the point she ended up here?

After training and magic lessons tomorrow... I guess I could ask her maybe?

-

After another day of training, and working more on the Gravity spell for the vast majority of it. I was finally free, seeing as I didn't plan on throwing myself back into Esdeath's slaughter arena day after day.

So after a few shared messages with the plucky Marin, we set up a meet-up time and when said time rolled around. I entered the empty art room with Marin bounced boobily over to me with an all-too-wide grin as she said. "Jaaake! I am just soooo duper excited to put you in some magical cosplay haha!"

My lips twitched up into some helpless amusement as Marin's infectious energy was utterly undefeatable.

I cleared my throat and then asked curiously. "Herro there Marin, soooo where do we start here, or you wanna just chill out for a bit?" 

Marin gently patted her cheeks as though to wake herself up and said energetically. "Want to get things started straight up and then we can chill ax afterwards? That is totes fine with me!"

Marin then brought me over to an open area, and she said without any change to her happy expression. "Alrighty! Drop your clothes to your underwear Jake. I need to take some skin-tight measurements!"

I raised an eyebrow before I casually took off my shirt and dropped out my pants, as I thought it was a little weird. It made sense, maybe magical materials needed to be perfectly precise on the length of my limbs or whatever nonsense.

And without any fanfare, Marin knelt down with with a textile measuring tape she looped between her fingers.

But.

Whereas I expected Marin to focus on my junk near her face and blush. Or just not care at all from doing this at all.

The last thing I expected was Marin to literally 'trip' with her face hitting my junk and her loudly... Extremely loudly taking a loud coke line huff of a snort from her nose before she leaned back and coughed with her saying weakly.

"Whoops! I just pitched forward from a sneeze! I am super sorry. Did I hurt you?" Marin said with a flush.

'Yuuup, Marin definitely has some mental problems from being mind-broken before.' I thought helplessly as I cleared my throat and said it was fine even as Marin continued to take my measurements.