Danmachi- Hell’s Forge

"I didn't know you were also a cook." hephaestus says with a surprised look.

"I'm not, but then again you don't need to be in order to know a thing or two about it. Smithing or magic is no different." I said with a shrug.

"This is indeed true!" Ganesh says with a smile as he clapped his hands before pointing them at the arena "Behold, the show begins!" he said grandly as a gate opens and a large reptilian form lumbers out of the gate, an infant dragon.

From the opposite side of the arena another gate opens an a man with darker skin and short brown hair walks out with a whip in hand. I immediately identify the whip as a magic item as the glowing mana stone in the pommel of the handle gives it away. The man begins to circle the Infant dragon and sending a crack of the whip stinging it's flesh whenever it moves in a way that was aggressive.

"I see, you use active suggestion and pain reinforcement to tame the beasts. Much the way one might raise a dog not to defecate in the house but to go outside instead. Though obviously much more forcefully as this is a grown monster despite what the name may suggest." I said casually as I watched.

Ganesha was taken back before grinning widely "What a frightening level of insight! Not more than five minutes have passed and you have already deciphered our taming methods to a basic degree!" he says loudly with a clearly impressed tone.

"I make magic items regularly and need to understand the how and whys involved so it is only natural I recognize similar principles in play. I imagine there is a deeper level of taming done in private to make sure that the suggestions become absolute and the beasts don't rebel at some point?" I said curiously and the god stiffens.

"I can't answer that I'm afraid, familia secret." he said a lot less enthusiastic.

I just nod at this as I hadn't really expected an answer. I didn't really need one either as it was the next logical step from this loose taming that we were being shown. After all you couldn't guarantee absolute obedience from a monster with such a surface level of conditioning. All it would take was a twitch of instinctual reactivity from the monster in battle for it to betray and flee or attack it's tamer if this was the full extent of the taming.-

'Perhaps I can create something that could automate the taming process without the need for a tamer? Hmmm, best not. That may not be much different than slavery if the devices could be used on people as well.' I thought idly as I watched the taming go on.

Once the basic obedience of the monster was acquired it was led out and a few more minutes went by before a new person came out a gate with a monster by their side, one that made me shoot up from my seat immediately.-

"Is something wrong with this Almiraj?" Hephaestus asked confused.

"I have seen only one other monster like that in the dungeon and it asked me for help. That Almiraj has a soul." I said seriously.

"What!?" 

"Preposterous!?"

Hephaestus and Ganesha exclaimed at the same time but for VERY different reasons. 

"You know what makes that monster special then?" I asked Ganesha whose soul was clearly shaking in panic.

"You must be mistaken, that monster is nothing more than a tamed beast used in shows!" he said with a very forced smile.

"Theres no point in lying to me, not about this. I have a skill that allows me to see the souls of anything that possesses one, god, mortal, beast or monster, if it possesses a soul I can see it. That Almiraj has a soul and your own soul betrays you, you know what makes it different than all the other monsters." I said firmly.

"You have [Soul gaze]!? How!? Hestia has no ties to death!" he exclaimed in disbelief as his godly lie detection ability didn't trigger.

"You are correct in that she does not, I however do." I said holding up my palm and sparking a ball of hellfire into existence above it.

"A divine flame in the mortal realm!? This cannot be possible!" he exclaimed in horror as he no doubt felt the sparks of true hellfire within my flames on an existential level.

"Until I saw it for myself I would have said the same about monsters having souls but here we are so want to spill the beans or should I go ask the Almiraj instead?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"I can't make this decision, only Ouranos can." Ganesha said seriously.

"The guild knows? Geez how big of a conspiracy have I stumbled onto?" I muttered surprised by what he said.

"It's not a conspiracy, there is no harm intended in concealing it but it's complicated. Ouranos can better explain." he said helplessly.

My date with Hephaestus was abruptly cut short at this point as this was far too important. She seemed a little annoyed by this until I promised to make give her a real date at a later time. She was still slightly upset after that but much less so since she wasn't really losing anything despite our date getting cut short like this.-

Ganesha led us to the guild building where we got a lot of odd looks and he requested an urgent meeting with Ouranos from Royman himself. 

"I will see them." A stern male voice spoke through the air of the office and the guild head bowed and opened a passageway in his office that was dark with the exception of torches that lit the way.

The three of us walked down the narrow stairway with only the sound of our breaths, steps and the flickering of the torches to be heard.-

Soon we entered a large dark chamber that had thick bland pillars of stone holding it up and a single path of braziers leading to a throne set on a sort of raised pyramid structure. Upon the throne sat a pale skinned old man with white hair and dark robes with eyes that seemed to pierce through you. The sheer power radiating off of the guy however and the vastness of his soul told me exactly who this was, Ouranos.