Chapter: Date with the Goddess [1/2]
Made By: Eternal_Jokr
A/N: This fanfic is open to criticism and opinions, tell us what you think in the comments section and leave your support. Thank you
---
The early morning rays of Orario filtered timidly through the cracks of the heavy wooden door of the abandoned church, cutting through the dimness of the basement with beams of dancing light.
Dante opened his cosmic purple eyes, instantly awake, just as an adventurer's instinct demanded.
However, he did not move, the soft and welcoming weight resting against his chest kept him anchored to the old worn-out sofa in the living room.
The space was narrow, forcing them into close proximity, Hestia was lying on top of him, her head nestled in the crook of his neck, with one of her legs thrown between his and an arm lazily draped over his abdomen.
Both remained completely naked under the sheets, which barely managed to cover the immensity of Dante's shoulders and the voluptuous curves of the goddess.
Hestia's fair skin seemed almost radiant under the morning light, free of any trace of Jagamarukun oil or the exhaustion of the previous day, on her face, there remained only an expression of absolute serenity and a slight smile at the corner of her parted lips.
She let out a slow sigh, the warmth of her breath brushing against his chest.
Dante took a deep breath, taking in the soft aroma of her black hair, now loose and spread out like a dark mantle over his chest. He looked up at the rustic stone ceiling, listening to the peaceful silence of the basement, a silence that for the first time... did not feel empty or lonely.
Dante remained motionless, his arms wrapping around her waist to ensure she wouldn't slip off the narrow upholstery, careful not to wake her, he moved his calloused and bandage-free hand, sliding his fingers gently across Hestia's soft back.
Upon feeling the touch, the divine runes of the Falna engraved on the skin of his back seemed to pulse with a mild warmth, a silent response to the eternal connection they had sealed that night.
Hestia let out a whiny sigh and snuggled even closer against his body, mumbling something incomprehensible as she sought the warmth of his chest. Dante simply relaxed his body back against the sofa mattress.
The Dungeon and the Monsters could wait a little longer, that morning belonged entirely to his goddess.
Keeping his body perfectly still so as not to break Hestia's sleep, Dante let his mind, previously focused solely on survival tactics and Dungeon dynamics, wander for the first time since he had arrived in that labyrinth city.
Fixing his eyes on the cracks in the stone ceiling, he reflected on Orario.
It was a paradoxical place. A metropolis erected over the ribs of a dungeon, a place that breathed greed, glory, and blood in equal measure.
Outside, thousands of adventurers were waking up at that very instant, driven by the frenetic desire to level up, to accumulate valis, or to simply not starve the next day.
He himself, just a few hours earlier, had been immersed in that machinery, tearing apart an Orc on the 12th floor and dealing with Rose Fannett's fury at the Guild.
And all of this for what? For the entertainment of the gods.
The gods of Orario. Immortal beings who descended from the celestial world (Tenkai) because they were bored with eternity.
They created that system, the Falna, distributing their blessings as if they were pieces on a giant board game.
Dante knew that, for the vast majority of those deities, mortals were just disposable pieces in their millennial rivalries, pawns used to inflate their egos at divine banquets.
The sheer grandiosity of Orario camouflaged an immense and cold loneliness. If you failed, the city would forget you even before your ashes were cleared from the Dungeon floor.
But then, his gaze descended to the petite goddess asleep on his chest.
Hestia was the opposite of all that. While the other gods bathed in luxury and commanded armies of subordinates from their haughty 'palaces', she was there, sharing a damp basement and an old sofa with him.
She had spent the day frying Jagamarukun under the sun, burning her fingers in the hot oil and exhausting her voice on the surface just to ensure he had a hot bowl of stew when he returned.
She didn't see him as a display piece or a tool to reach the top, she cared about his life.
Her panic upon hearing about the Orc didn't come from the loss of an investment, but from the genuine fear of being alone again, of losing her other half.
Dante felt the warmth of the runes on his back pulse once more. His Falna was different, inverte, corrupted, adapted to his own nature, but the root of that power still came from her, a trace of a deity forcing herself to adjust to an anomaly.
Their situation was absurd in the eyes of Orario, a single adventurer and a goddess with no possessions, defying the logic of the labyrinth with every descent.
However, what had happened that night, the mutual and silent surrender that left sheets and clothes scattered across the floor, had transformed that basement into something that no other great Family seemed to truly possess.
It was no longer just a contract of convenience. It was a pact of flesh and soul.[1]
Orario could continue with its cruel machinery, and the gods could continue playing their games at the top of the Tower of Babel.
But down here, in the tight space of that worn-out sofa, Dante knew exactly who he was fighting for.
He did not seek glory for divine banquets; he would descend to the deepest level of that hell if it guaranteed that, every morning, he could return to protect the serenity of that smile.
This time he would not fail to protect those he loves and whom he swore to protect.
This deep conviction weighed on his chest, more solid and real than any steel he had ever wielded.
Looking at Hestia, feeling the soft warmth of her breath and the subtle touch of her skin against his, a silent oath carved itself into Dante's soul.
He had already known the pain of loss, the bitter taste of helplessness, and the emptiness that remained when steel was not fast enough or strength failed at a crucial moment.
The world outside was merciless, and Orario didn't forgive the weak either.
The dungeon swallowed entire dreams and spat out ashes, while the gods watched from above, immune to the tears of mortals.
'With nowhere to go, and nowhere to return to, with no goals or reasons to dream. My life was always like this until I met you...'
But there, on that narrow sofa, in the arms of the goddess who had bet everything on him and who had burned her hands on the surface just to support him, Dante knew that the past would not repeat itself.
He was no longer just a man fighting for his own survival or a pawn thrown into the labyrinths of fate.
He was her shield, just as she was his beacon.
If the Inverted Falna demanded from him the price of blood and pain to reach the top, he would pay every drop with pleasure.
If the monsters of the dungeon or the conspiracies of the great Families tried to threaten the peace of that forgotten basement, he would reduce them to dust.
Dante tightened his arms slightly around Hestia's waist, bringing her even closer, sealing that promise in the silence of the morning.
He looked at the door, knowing that battles would come and that danger was inevitable. But this time, it would be different.
This time, he had something real to come back to. This time, he had a Family to guard. And he would not fail to protect the one he loved and whom he had sworn, with every fiber of his being, to keep safe.
The light squeeze of Dante's arms around her waist finally caused Hestia to begin emerging from her deep sleep.
She let out a whiny murmur, stretching her legs through his and rubbing her face lightly against the curve of Dante's neck, like a feline seeking more warmth.
When she slowly opened her eyes, finding herself facing the immensity of those purple eyes shining like an infinite cosmos already fixed on her, the goddess's face lit up instantly.
There was no longer any shyness of the previous night; in its place, an explosion of pure and unfiltered affection emerged.
"Dan-teeee~" she chanted in a voice raspy with sleep, a radiant and silly smile opening on her lips.
Instead of getting up or trying to cover herself, Hestia used the support of his chest to push herself up a bit higher, sliding her naked body over his until her face was just inches from his own.
She held Dante's cheeks with both of her small, warm hands, showering his face with loud little kisses on his cheeks, chin, forehead, and finally, a lingering peck on his lips.
"Good morning, my hero! My Handsomeadventurer" she exclaimed in an enthusiastic whisper, her eyes shining full of passion as she swayed her shoulders, making her black hair fall like a cascade over the two of them.
"You have no idea how wonderful it is to wake up and see that you are really here, stuck tight to me" She pressed her forehead against his for a moment.
She rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him from below with a completely melted expression, while tracing invisible circles on Dante's defined abdomen with the tip of her index finger.
"Did you know I had the best dream of my life? And the best part of all is that I woke up and saw that the best part of it was real... You holding me all night on the sofa like this, so firm, so protective..." She let out a dramatically love-struck sigh, puffing her cheeks out into an adorable pout.
"I think Jagamarukun and the Dungeon should be canceled today. I just want to stay here, glued to my Dante, forever! Will you let me, will you?"
Hestia snuggled in again, hiding her face in his neck and delivering a few more affectionate little nibbles on his skin, overflowing with all the love and sweet possessiveness she kept in her chest.
Dante couldn't prevent the corner of his mouth from curving into a discreet smile, a rare glimpse of pure lightness that Orario would never dare to see on his face.
The contrast between his ferocity and Hestia's overflowing cuteness was almost comical, but it was exactly that chaotic and warm energy that brought him back to life.
He moved one of his large hands up the goddess's bare back, placing his palm at the nape of her neck, among the silky strands of her black hair, and gently pulled her down, silencing the enthusiastic chatterbox with a calm and deep kiss.
Hestia let out a muffled sigh of surprise, but soon melted completely, returning the affection with her palms pressed against his chest, her fingers lightly scratching his skin in pure delight.
When the kiss ended, Dante kept her nestled against his chest, his arms firm around her waist so she wouldn't roll off the narrow sofa.
"Canceling the Dungeon for a day doesn't sound like such a bad idea" murmured Dante, his raspy morning voice vibrating directly against Hestia's body.
"But I don't think the owner of the Jagamarukun stall would be very happy if his best saleswoman missed work".
Hestia puffed her cheeks in a dramatically upset pout, though her eyes were shining with happiness.
"Ah, it's not fair to use logic against me so early, Dante" she complained in a whiny manner, though she started laughing right after, spreading a few more loud kisses across his neck. "But alright...if it's to guarantee our copper coins and support my hero, I can handle the heat of that oil. Only, before either of us gets off this sofa... I demand at least another ten minutes of a very clingy hug. It's a divine order".
Dante let out a low laugh, a comforting vibration that Hestia felt against her own ribs.
He tightened the hug, covering the goddess's bare shoulders with the thin blanket to protect her from the cool wind that was beginning to blow through the cracks of the basement.
That morning, amidst the dimness and the squeeze of that old upholstery, the outside world and all its threats seemed infinitely distant.
Hestia let out a dramatic groan of protest when the mandatory ten minutes of hugging came to an end.
Dante, demonstrating the same determination he used to face the monsters of the labyrinth, gently disengaged himself from the goddess's legs and sat on the edge of the old sofa.
The blanket slipped, completely revealing his bare back marked by runes and scars. He passed his hand over his face, shaking off the last remnants of sleep, and stood up. With his usual lack of ceremony, he walked over to the corner where his combat clothes were laid out.
"Alright, time to get up" Dante said, his raspy voice now assuming the practical tone of daily life.
"Just five more minutes, Dante..." Hestia whimpered, rolling across the narrow upholstery and wrapping herself completely in the blanket, looking like a small white cocoon from which only her messy black hair emerged.
"If you don't get up now, we're going to be late" he countered, putting on his dark pants and adjusting his belt.
The sound of Dante getting ready made the goddess finally give in. With an upset pout that soon turned into a smile upon looking at her adventurer's physique, Hestia jumped from the sofa, letting the blanket fall.
Unashamed of her own nudity after the night they shared, she walked with quick steps to her wooden chest to choose her garments.
The basement was taken over by the familiar sound of the preparation routine.
Dante washed his face with the remaining water and began to wrap the clean bandages around his calloused arms, while Hestia brushed her long black hair with energy.
She put on a loose white dress and, with careful adjustment, fitted it perfectly.
Hestia approached the counter with quick steps, subtly pushing her hip against Dante's to carve out her space at the narrow mirror.
Dante took his mint sprig, dipped it in the clean water, and rubbed it lightly until it turned into a powder, mixing it with coconut oil.
Hestia did exactly the same, imitating his movements with a contained energy that made her swing her shoulders.
For a few minutes, the only sound in the basement was the rhythmic noise of the two brushing their teeth.
Dante kept his usual focused and serious expression, moving with precision, while Hestia looked at him through the mirror's reflection, her cheeks puffed and her lips covered in a light white foam, trying to contain her laughter at the domestic and intimate situation they found themselves in.
In a moment of pure mischief, Hestia looked at him, crinkled her nose, and let out a muffled grumble due to having her mouth full, pointing at her own reflection as if she were making a scary monster face.
Dante just looked askance, raising an eyebrow, but the amused gleam in his cosmic purple eyes betrayed that he found it funny.
They leaned together over the basin to spit and take clean water from the bowl for rinsing. After swishing and cleaning her face, Hestia let out a refreshing sigh, displaying a smile of perfectly white and shiny teeth.
"All done, fresh breath and clean teeth" she declared, turning to him and playfully exhaling near Dante's face. "And yours? Let me test it".
Dante let out a brief laugh, stepped closer, and sealed his lips with hers in a quick but possessive kiss, which left Hestia with flushed cheeks and a silly smile on her face.
"Now, Orario is ready for us" she whispered, clinging once again to his bandaged arm. "Approved~"
When both were properly dressed and cleaned, Hestia approached Dante, who was finishing buckling his boots. She intertwined her hands behind her back and leaned her body forward, looking at him with shining eyes.
"You know, Dante...we've worked so hard lately. You fought an Orc yesterday and my arms are sore from frying so much Jagamarukun" she began, casting a suggestive look. "The Dungeon can wait for a day, and my boss at the stall owes me a few hours off... What do you think about us doing something different today?"
Dante stopped what he was doing and looked at her, arching an eyebrow.
"Different?"
"Yes! A date~" Hestia exclaimed, her cheeks gaining an adorable rosy tint as she hopped with enthusiasm. "Just the two of us. No Dungeon, no reports for Rose, no smell of frying oil. We can walk down the Main Avenue, eat something delicious at the goddess Demeter's snack bar and... well, just be the two of us, strolling together through Orario".
Dante observed the overflowing enthusiasm of his goddess. He thought of the Dungeon, of the dangers of the floors that awaited him, and of the constant need to get stronger.
However, looking at Hestia's radiant smile and remembering the silent oath he had made at dawn, the one to protect her happiness at all costas, he realized that fighting made no sense if he couldn't enjoy the moments of peace that very fight was supposed to provide.
He finished adjusting his clothes and walked to the basement door, stopping before opening it and looking back over his shoulder.
"A date sounds like a good idea" Dante replied, allowing a subtle smile to appear on his lips.
"Let's go before the Avenue's shops get too crowded".
Hestia let out a squeal of pure joy and ran toward him, grabbing onto his bandaged arm tightly and pressing her body to his as they crossed the threshold, ready to forget the weight of the world, even if just for an afternoon.
------------xXx------------
After leaving the basement with renewed energy, the two walked arm in arm through the stone streets of Orario.
The morning breeze warded off the sun's heat, making the walk pleasant as they distanced themselves from the hustle and bustle of the Main Avenue and entered the quieter alleys of the commercial district.
"Dante, before we go to Demeter's snack bar, we need to make a stop" Hestia announced, pulling him lightly by his bandaged arm.
"I want to take you to a very special place and introduce you to some amazing people. You don't know them yet, but they are great friends of mine".
Dante just nodded, letting himself be guided by the goddess.
A few minutes later, during which Hestia told him a bit about who they were going to meet, they stopped in front of a modest establishment, whose facade displayed a wooden sign painted with blue paint, which read Blue Pharmacy.
The scent of medicinal herbs, dried roots, and fresh potions drifted through the entrance, creating a calm and welcoming atmosphere, very different from the opulence of the pharmacies controlled by the powerful Dian Cecht Family.
Hestia pushed the door, making the small metal bell ring at the top.
"Miach! Naaza! Look who I brought for you to meet" Hestia exclaimed with her usual animation, practically dragging Dante inside the room.
Behind the service counter, a young girl with long brown hair, purple eyes, canine ears, and a tail, belonging to the Chienthrope race, raised her eyes from the vials she was organizing.
Naaza Erisuis, the captain of the Miach Family, wore her simple apothecary clothes. Her right arm, a polished silver mechanical prosthesis covered by a long sleeve, moved with a slight metallic hum as she adjusted her posture.
Shortly after, coming from the back of the pharmacy with a morta and Pestle in hand, appeared the god Miach.
He possessed long blue hair and a serene and gentle expression that instantly conveyed peace to whoever entered there. Despite the obvious financial difficulties of his small Family, he wore a warm smile on his face.
"Well, if it isn't Hestia" Miach said, placing the object on the counter and wiping his hands on a cloth.
"It's always a pleasure to see you here. And this must be your famous adventurer".
"Yes" Hestia puffed out her chest, overflowing with pride as she pointed to the young man beside her. "This is Dante! My only and incredible dependent. Dante, these are Miach and Naaza. They take care of the Blue Pharmacy and, believe me, their potions are the best and most honest in all of Orario".
While Hestia finished making the introductions with all her pride, Dante realized that remaining excessively reserved in there would be a slight to his goddess's only true friends. With a calm and deliberate movement, he brought his bandaged hand to the edge of the hood of his dark cloak and pulled it back.
As the fabric slid down his shoulders, the shadow covering his features vanished, completely revealing his face under the soft light entering through the pharmacy windows.
What was revealed there was a youth of breathtaking and exotic beauty, capable of rivaling the most beautiful creations of the lower world.
His hair was a brilliant silver-white, strands that seemed to capture and reflect the morning light like fresh snow. His eyes, of a deep cosmic purple, shone with a magnetic intensity.
Crossing his cheek, there was a striking scar, accompanied by another more severe one that cut vertically across his left eye, giving him a dangerous and experienced air.
To complete his unique appearance, certain purple tattoos branched out in a mystical and symmetrical pattern along the sides of his face, shaping themselves perfectly to his angular features.
The effect of that revelation in the room was instant.
Naaza, who until then maintained her usual posture of boredom and indifference, froze in the middle of adjusting one of the vials. Her canine ears perked up abruptly and her brown eyes widened. A rosy flush rushed quickly up her cheeks, leaving her completely disconcerted.
Accustomed to seeing rough adventurers worn down by the Dungeon, the sight of this youth, who mixed the imposing stature of a warrior with almost divine beauty, his tattoos, and silver hair, caught her totally by surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words simply vanished.
Even the God Miach blinked a few times, surprised by the striking look of his friend's dependent, before opening an even warmer smile, recognizing that the Hestia Family carried a unique treasure in more ways than one.
Hestia, noticing Naaza's shock, crossed her arms and puffed her chest with a victorious and intensely possessive smile, as if saying: "Yes, he is all mine".
Dante, oblivious to the overwhelming impact his appearance caused, took a step forward, evaluating the environment with his cosmic purple eyes, but relaxing his posture before the genuinely friendly aura of the god and his captain.
He made a brief bow with his head, demonstrating the respect he maintained for those who supported his goddess.
"It's a pleasure to meet you" Dante said, his raspy and firm voice echoing through the silent space of the pharmacy. "Hestia spoke very highly of you. Thank you for being good friends to her".
Beside him, Naaza finally managed to close her mouth, hastily averting her gaze while clearing her dry throat.
Her canine ears twitched, still pointed rigidly in the direction of the silver-haired youth, and she began to fiddle with the potion vials with sudden haste, trying to disguise the blush that stubbornly refused to disappear from her cheeks.
After a while, Naaza observed Dante from head to toe, her ex-adventurer instincts immediately capturing the imposing presence and contained strength in the youth's muscles, in addition to the unusual pattern of the bandages on his arms. She let out a low sigh, allowing the tips of her ears to relax.
"So you're the guy who's been clearing floors alone..." Naaza commented, her voice soft and slightly monotonous, but without hostility.
"The goddess Hestia almost had a breakdown from worry the last time you took too long to return from the Dungeon. It's good to see you're in one piece. If you need cheap healing potions... we always have some with small cosmetic defects, but they work well".
Miach laughed softly at his dependent's peculiar hospitality and extended his hand to Dante.
"Don't mind Naaza, Dante. We are very happy that Hestia has finally found someone so strong and dedicated to walk beside her. Orario can be a difficult place for deities without large Families, but having a trustworthy companion changes everything".
Dante shook Miach's hand, feeling the sincerity in the blue-haired god's grip.
He looked at Hestia, who was smiling radiantly upon seeing her adventurer integrating so well with one of the only people who extended a hand to her when she had nothing.
At that moment, surrounded by the scent of mint and potions, Dante felt that the bonds of his small Family were expanding beyond the walls of the basement.
"She's right about the potions" Naaza continued, resting her chin on her silver hand as she looked at Dante. "If you're going to go down past the upper floors alone, you're going to need more than luck"
"Our regular healing potions cost much less than Dian Cecht's, and the effect is the same. I myself can prepare a discounted batch for the Hestia Family".
Hestia, noticing the overwhelming effect her hero had caused on the apothecary, did not miss the opportunity.
She glued herself even more to Dante's bandaged arm, intertwining her fingers with his and casting a victorious look at Naaza, although she was overflowing with gratitude inside.
"Ah, Naaza, you are an angel! See, Dante? I told you they were the best people in Orario".
Dante looked at the blue vials lined up on the shelves and then at Naaza's mechanical arm.
He recognized the weight of that sacrifice; he knew that every scar and every prosthesis in Orario told the story of a mistake or a cruel battle in the Dungeon.
The fact that Miach and Naaza were willing to help, even while facing the immense debt that suffocated them, showed the value of that character.
"I accept the offer" Dante said, taking a pouch with a few gold coins from his belt and placing it on the counter. "We didn't come here for work today, but a good adventurer never refuses reliable medical supplies. Consider this an advance for the next batch".
Miach looked at the coins and then at Dante, a look of deep respect crossing his gentle features. He knew that for a beginner-level solo adventurer, every coin was hard-earned.
"Thank you, Dante. This will help us buy more fresh herbs for this week's stock" Miach thanked with a slight nod of his head. "As you mentioned you didn't come for work...A day off, then?"
"Yes!" Hestia replied promptly, clinging to Dante's arm again with a radiant smile. "We are on a date, we're going to eat at Demeter's snack bar and walk through the whole city~"
Naaza let out a rare slight smile, wagging her canine ears lightly.
"A date, huh? Make sure to take good care of her, Dante. If you make her cry, I'll ensure your next healing potion tastes like crushed toad".
Dante let out a brief nasal laugh, the light atmosphere of the pharmacy completely disarming his usual defensive posture.
"I'll keep that in mind" he replied, looking at Hestia, whose face had gained an adorable rosy tint with Naaza's teasing.
"Well, we don't want to hold up the lovebirds" Miach said, gesturing cordially toward the exit. "Enjoy the day. The Dungeon will be there tomorrow, but moments like this are what truly give meaning to our stay in this lower world".
With warm farewells and promises of a future visit for business, Dante and Hestia left the Blue Pharmacy. As they stepped out into the sunny street, the aroma of mint still accompanied them, and the spirit of the date seemed even more alive.
Hestia looked up, quickening her pace beside her hero, ready for the next stop of that perfect day.
---END---
To be continued....
[1] [A/N: Again, they did not carry out the act.]