Detesting The System: Sundering Fate

Beaming at the sight of barren streets as I encountered the gate separating the "Entertainment District" from the rest of Orario, I took a deep breath before entering the P.l.e.a.s.u.r.e Quarter. Taking far longer than needed to perfectly memorize the fastest path to the Ishtar Familia Estate, I hurried along the streets and eventually came upon a massive tower-like construct that with two child-towers of equally size to either side of the main tower.

Naturally, as it was day-time the normally open gates that led to the Ishtar Familia Estate were closed;' as a brothel, it normally operated at night. Thus, I was confronted by two Amazoness Guards and questioned, "Stop! What business do you have with the Ishtar Familia?!" They were unnervingly hostile for some reason.

"I've come with the understanding that the Ishtar Familia sells p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.es. Is that right?" I asked, after taking a step back to show my cooperativeness.

My actions seemed to have brought down the raging atmosphere down a few pegs as one of the guards stated, "That's correct… and if you're coming here, I guess you have someone already on your mind, no?"

"Not quite," I admitted, "But I'm not 'picky' by any stretch of the imagination. I have no doubt the Ishtar Familia, who practically owns this area, has plenty of good options to choose from." Just as I finished my words I thought, 'Wait… that doesn't sound right.' Alas, it was too late as the guards started eyeing me as if it were a rare delicacy.

Apparently pleased, no doubt by my poorly chosen words which were probably misunderstood, the guards started bickering with each other until they settled on sending someone to inform Ishtar of my visit. A short while later, I was invited into the main tower to meet with the Goddess Ishtar herself and to say that I was uncomfortable upon setting my sights on her was a massive understatement.

That sly goddess… If I were to describe her attire as nothing but loose rags covering up her most intimate parts, it wouldn't do justice to the extent of sensuality she was exuding. This was supposed to be a business meeting and here I was struggling to contain an erection. Thank goodness, the Voidseeker's torture extended its will-empowering effects on all aspects of my soul, otherwise I don't think it would be possible to keep a straight face as I Ishtar approached to begin our discussion; actually, I don't think I would have been able to keep my eyes from wandering…

Eventually, we came to sit across from each other in the lounge area of the massive tower-like estate and Ishtar asked me, "I hear you want to buy one of my children."

"If it's too presumptuous to ask for one of your… closest aids… I can settle for someone outside your Familia. I just want someone who's at least had some experience as an adventurer under their belt. The higher their level, the more convenient it would be for me..."

"Oho?" She flashed a most alluring smile my way, but seemed slightly surprised to see it not change my expression. Quickly enough, she disguised what I thought to be disappointment as a faint smile appeared on her face and she said, "Relax. Provided you have enough wealth, anyone in the P.l.e.a.s.u.r.e Quarter can be yours. Even me~" She winked at me, causing a familiar tug of authority down on my soul. But I had triumphed over harsher conditions, so I stood unfazed.

Now raising an eyebrow and opening her mouth to form an "O" shape out of palpable shock, Ishtar moved her body back. She took a moment to recollect herself and licked her lips in my direction before calling for an attendant to fetch her something.

"Tell me boy, whose Familia are you from?"

"Mhmm… Hestia's Familia." As I hadn't exactly taken any measures to conceal my identity thus far, I saw no need to worry about Ishtar. After all, with her network of connections, asking for my identity at the Guild would be beyond easy; the same goes for Loki; there wasn't a point in trying to hide while I was still so weak…

"Hestia? And you are?" She finally asked for my name…

"Keter. Everyone just calls me Keter."

Just as I finished introducing myself, a line up of scantily clad women along with the attendant Ishtar had earlier sent out entered the lounge. The attendant gave me some papers and when I looked at Ishtar for an explanation, she said, "Those are my favorite children's qualifications papers. Essentially, it's a condensed down version of their statuses for you to better understand who you're picking."

Making her way over to my side, I almost twitched from the overwhelming pheromones she was emitting, but somehow managed to pull myself together long enough for her to pat me on the shoulder and say, "You're an interesting kid, so for a one time offer I'll give you ten percent discount~"

Finding it harder to hold myself together while she was so close to me, I honed in on the line up of women before me and read through the papers I was given. Thinking to myself, 'Damn, any of these would do, to be honest. There are plenty of Level two or threes that I could afford before the Side Mission's time limit ran out… Huh?' Reading through one of the resumes, I paused barely able to comprehend why there was such an anomaly.

Raising my head, I saw her smiling at me. Like most of Ishtar's Familia, this girl — or woman I suppose; she was 21 after all — was an Amazoness. She was even beautiful amidst the group of women barely clothed before me and strong, too; at Level 4. However, for some reason, the price to buy her was disturbingly cheap.

"Um, Goddess Ishtar… what's with this price? 9.5 Million Vali for her? Is she sick or something?" I asked, totally unable to comprehend why such a powerful person was rated so cheap.

"Her? She once did something I could count as a betrayal," Ishtar's voice grow naturally dark as she spoke, "So, I did something to make sure she never mess with me again… I charmed her." Sighing, she admitted, "There's no guarantee she'll completely go along with you as the effects of my charm will figuratively enslave her until I'm out of the picture; either dead or back to Heaven. So, if you want her and are willing to pay that price, you'll still have to trust in me as well. She's a very special case..."

'Mhmm,' I thought for a second, 'There's no guarantee she'll be completely loyal? Hestia is a rather neutral goddess, so there shouldn't be a reason Ishtar would turn against me… But still, she's Level 4. A pity I can't buy h-'

My train of thought was cut short as Destiny chirped in to say, 'Hmph! Still underestimating me and my system's power are you? As much as I don't want some s.l.u.t to hang around my beloved, I have to remind you that that soon enough you'll be able to concoct any medicine under the Verse; never mind a trifling cure for a low-level charm. Don't waste this chance...'

For some reason, I felt a pit form in my stomach after hearing the disappointment in Destiny's voice; like I had just been admonished by a parent, only worse… However, her advice and confidence regarding my chances of pulling through this situation as the ultimate victor led me to state then and there, "I want her…"