Okay, it's been a lifetime since I updated this huh? I honestly wrote quite a few of Danmachi's fanfiction ideas while trying to bring Rda forward, but recently WhiteDragonSky translated this chapter as I'm still working on the rda one, which I should finish in days, I think. Please note that this story will be updated when I am not busy with my principal and I don't know when Chapter 3 or the others will arrive.

Well, Happy reading and see you next time.

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Destroying the creature didn't take more than a few minutes and after confirming there was no trace of it I quickly headed back to the camp. What I witnessed was far from good unfortunately. Among the group there were people who could still move and were tending to the wounded, while others were picking up anything left intact or at least usable. A truly horrible scene to see and the stench of burnt flesh didn't make matters any better. I land and wait for the girl, Riveria, to finish giving orders, once she's done she approaches me, clearly still uncomfortable standing face to face with a talking monster by the looks of it.

"Done what you had to do?" I enquire glancing back at her as she walks towards my direction.

"Yes, have you decided which questions to ask?" she replies stopping two metres away from me.

Taking the cue to continue, I sit down pondering where to begin.

"Perfect, first off, where are we?" at my question I notice her blink in confusion.

"You really don't know where we are?" I shake my head negatively and she stands in astonishment for a moment before answering "I...well. We're currently at the safety point on the 50th floor of the dungeon."

"Safety point? Dungeon?" I guessed a bit that I had ended up in a fantasy world, but in a rpg? really?

"Safety points are floors where monsters don't spawn, however they can climb up or down to access them" she explained stepping into what could be called 'teacher mode' "The dungeon is a huge pit from which monsters are born, and on top of it is a city which serves as a cap to prevent them from leaking out."

"It wasn't exactly what I expected after I woke up, but looks like I'll have to live with it..." I mutter in resignation puzzling Riveria out of her explanation.

"Well?" she muses unsure of the new predicament "The city above the dungeon, Orario, is run by the guild, a neutral faction in charge of running the town, the dungeon and ensuring that the various familia don't cause trouble"

I nod, although... 'neutral' faction? that doesn't convince me much. I decide to address another question to her.

"What is familia?"

"Familias are groups of adventurers who have been granted a faln by their gods, and there are several types-are you alright?" she breaks off midway when she spots my lost gaze.

Is she getting used to read my expressions, or was I so obvious anyone would notice my bewilderment?

'Answer-'

'That was a rhetorical question!' I shout at my Skill before continuing "Are Gods real?" the green haired elf nods "Then why didn't they conquer this place?"

There were two likely and rational situations: either they couldn't or something was preventing them for one reason or another.

"The gods descended from the tenkai (paradise) to the genkai (lower world) sealing their powers, because by law they are forbidden to use them here" she replies while trying to evaluate my expression.

"That doesn't quite sound right, considering the stories surrounding some of them..." By now Riveria has given up trying to mask her confusion and I pick up the conversation "I'll answer your questions after I'm done with mine, so hold off until then" the reply elicits a reaction I didn't expect.

Is that a... pout? Did the stoic elf (for the most part) until now just sulk?

"I accept these terms" the girl sighs disappointed "As I said before, the familia vary mainly according to the hobbies of their god. For example, we in the Loki familia are an explorer group, while in the Hephaestus familia the main members are blacksmiths involved in the manufacture and sale of equipment."

I frowned as I heard the name Loki. If this person is anything like Tom Hiddleston's Loki it's one thing, but if he is faithful to his mythology... it could be a source of trouble for everybody.

"I see... but how about the currency and the market of the city?" I inquire, wondering how the city above my head works.

"The currency here is called Valis and the city primarily handles matters from the dungeon, so the guild has a monopoly on selling magic stones. This is because they are used for a lot of purposes, and adventurers trade the monster drops, while special items like medical plants or minerals can be traded in shops of the familias who use them, or in some cases even to the guild."

"Mn. Now I'm genuinely curious to find out how they're used" I reply perhaps a bit too excited at the prospect of seeing what a city looks like in this world. Riveria noticing the slightly childish side of me is hesitant whether to chuckle or be astonished at the sight of such a scene. After a few minutes she decides not to diverge any further and awaits me to carry on "What are they mainly applied to?"

"Huh? Ah, for portable bulbs, street lamps, water systems...do you know what they are?" she asks puzzled after a moment when she realises that she is talking about technology to a monster that has probably lived most of its life in a very large cave. However her predictions are thrown off again this time.

"Yes, I used to live in a city too before I died and was reborn here" at my reply her eyes widen in shock.

"Wait, what?!"

"for one reason or another I had moved to a place called Japan... I don't know if you heard of it but from where I lived it was in the far east" I point out, and the elf remains frozen at my answer while I raise a sharp eyebrow at her reaction.

"Are you telling me that...monsters do reincarnate and can gain self-awareness?!" the girl nearly screams not believing her own ears, prompting a few confused adventurers who were carrying out their tasks to turn around.

"Huh? Doesn't that happen a lot? Well, I died from a serious illness only to wake up in a 58th floor area with no monsters around..." I reply baffled scratching the side of my head as she continues to stare at me in disbelief.

"I... I understand, sorry for the outburst. I find the news of your supposed rebirth quite... unprecedented" the green haired girl calms down after a few seconds.

"I see... admittedly it's hard to believe me looking like this..." I can't blame her but it's still a bitter pill to swallow. Maybe there's something I can do about it. 'Hey, Grand Master, is it possible to change my appearance?'

"'Analysis in progress... waiting... temporary solution found' it announces and I wait anxiously for the outcome 'During the construction of the host body several modifications were made to fit the set abilities. It is possible to partially reverse the metamorphosis to assume a more humanoid form, but over 60% of the power would be sealed to prevent the host body from collapsing on itself. The most accurate estimate would be to seal off 70% of your total abilities. 'Proceed with the inversion?'

'Yes' I reply without hesitation. After all, I don't want to be in such a hostile and dangerous place. I want to be free and maybe find a place to settle down for a while. I've had enough excitement over the past few days of my stay.

My body dims causing Riveria to flinch and the adventurers to be alarmed, but it is gone in a matter of seconds when their looks of awe turn to confusion as I begin to shrink. Rather than standing on four legs, I repositioned myself on the front ones which converted into humanoid legs. The night-black scales retract, revealing bare flesh which is then covered with pale, immaculate skin. My muzzle shrinks and recedes into a more human shape, the horns on my head bend back and shrink in proportion to my body. My wings, though miniaturized, remain large enough to wrap around my body when folded, and my tail stays long and wide. I still have a few black scales around, but now I resemble a near normal human. My body is quite muscular but not like some unnecessary body builder.

As everyone stares at me speechlessly once again, I glance at my hands testing my fingers a bit, rather happy to have opposable thumbs back, albeit my nails and wings might compromise my cover.

'Can you conceal wings and claws as well?" I ask my Skill who silently proceeds to hide those features too. My wings shrink until they hide in my shoulder blades, and my claws are retracted to regular nails 'Perfect!' "How do I look?"

I ask Riveria who stares at me open-mouthed, for the umpteenth time on this crazy day, unable to believe her eyes.

When she stands dumbfounded I reach over and snap my fingers a couple of times in front of her face, bringing her out of her stupor.

"You...what...how?" she inquires struggling to formulate a sentence.

'Skill 'mimic' obtained'alerts Grand Master and I mentally pump a fist in the air at the news.

"Let's just say that I can" I reply with a shrug and an amused smile "Besides, I doubt they'd let me in my true form would they?"

She nods slowly, not contesting the knowledge of a dragon shapeshifter monster seeking to leave from the dungeon. She curiously inspects my new form, tapping my shoulders, arms, face and horns, attempting to determine whether or not I was real, only to realize later what she was actually doing. I remembered that I was currently naked as well.

"Is there any trousers you can lend me?" I call out, wrapping my tail around my waist to hide my crotch. She blinks and pulls away, covering her embarrassment at being caught out like that, coughing into one hand.

"Y-yes, there will be someone from your size-"

"Riveria-sama!" a blond-haired, hazel-eyed elf interrupts the surreal conversation we were having "...we've run out of elixirs, and there are many serious wounded left! What are we going to do?!"

The mage's startled request snaps the other elf back to her serious self.

"Excuse me for a moment" she states, quickly following her compatriot.

Curious, I follow them and spot about twenty adventurers burned by acid rather horribly. Their armours and clothes were melted off their skin, some were covered in blood and wounds, a few were blindfolded and still pale. For better or worse they were all covered in wounds and burned, and with at least half of those present in a stable condition, and the ones on the ground in a precarious condition. The only people who didn't sustain injuries were mages and archers.

'Do I have any healing abilities?" I inquire disturbed at the sight of those people dying, as Riveria applies a healing spell over some of the wounded with little success.

'Answer: you do not possess curative abilities, but your saliva, like the rest of your body has the collateral ability to speed up any healing process if in contact with injured parts'

You mean I simply have to spit on injured people then?' I retort wryly as I shift back into my dragon form. The idea as revolting as it may be is the only option available right now.

'Answer: correct'

"Riveria, step away" I order the elf girl as she looks at me confused. Noticing her reluctance to move, I decide to show my intentions directly. I pile up some saliva and spit at an elf looking to be middle aged.

She was all set to yell at me but within an instant the wounded man on the ground stands up fully healed.

"Eek!" he shouts in confusion and disgust as the burn marks on his body begin to fade and the missing skin grows back, leaving no trace of the horrible wounds he had as if nothing ever happened.

The members of the Loki family gaze at me blankly, unsure of how to react or take a view on my so-called 'remedy' for a miraculous recovery and opt not to protest. Taking my cue to continue, I proceed to 'treat' the group of injured people who, as shown earlier, soon return to form, in the total silence of the spectators.

I revert to my human form after treating the last dying adventurer.

"You may as well thank me now" I choose to break the ice with a grin revealing my fangs "And give me some trousers while you're at it"

"...You know what? I'm going to stop trying to figure out how this is possible and that's it" an exhausted Riveria replies after witnessing yet another absurdity of the last hour "Nevertheless, thanks for your help, we owe you one".

I nod and look at the remaining wounded.

"Do I have to treat them too?" before the captain could answer a chorus of 'no' shakes the air and I scratch an ear whistling at the horrified noise of the adventurers...heck...a little more subtle next time?

A couple of minutes later a girl with black hair and cat ears comes towards my direction holding clean boxers along with black trousers for me to change into.

"Riveria-san, what about the captain and the others?" asks that same worried girl.

Ah, so Riveria wasn't the captain uh?

"Right, if they came up this far they must have met them, or they haven't yet" mutters the jade haired girl alarmed "Lefiya is with them but we don't know if those creatures would give her enough time to cast one of her spells."

The worry is palpable it seems.

"Eltanin" I state as the others look at me confused "My name is Eltanin, and I have a proposition for you: in exchange for my help in bringing your members back from the 51st floor, you will escort me to the surface. How does that sound?"

For the umpteenth time they stare at me but say nothing since Riveria has the final word.

"Why do you wish to go to the surface?" she asks thinning her gaze towards me.

"Hmm...mainly because I want to try the dishes of this Orario" I answer seriously as the adventurers look at me open-mouthed at my statement "What? I love to eat and magic stones don't taste like anything!" I declare in my defence.

"Ku...kuhahahahahah-!" Riveria bursts out laughing and I look at her with a touch of consternation.

"Ah, I think I broke her" I voice out concerned that she had gone crazy for real this time.

"Ahaha...ahah...no, no...it's just out of all the possibilities..." she muses as she wipes off a stray tear " Well fine, I accept the terms. In exchange for your help we'll take you to the surface with us, you have my word."

Everyone looks utterly bewildered by her compliance.

"Is it really safe Riveria-san? I mean...he's still a monster..."

"Don't worry Anakitty, I take all the responsibility for this choice. So far he has proven to be treatable and he has not made attempts to attack any of us when he had the chance. Once we are on the surface we will bring him to Loki as well before releasing him and see whether he speaks the truth or not"

Anakitty was the name of the cat girl who had brought me the trousers.

"So where am I supposed to search?" I ask still unacquainted with the plan. Riveria responds in kind.

"Did you visit the source of the Cadmuss dragon on your way up?" she asks returning serious after a few moments.

"No, I don't even have a clue about the structure of the floor" I reply with a grimace "I got here by following the air currents, but I can't track a scent I am unfamiliar with."

I admit that wasn't a very dignified way to carry on considering how triumphant I had started out but it was better to be honest on this one.

"Anakitty, you drive him to its destination" ordered the jade green haired elf making the aforementioned girl jerk in confusion.

"What?! Why me?!" she calls out alarmed and slightly scared at the idea of accompanying me. I can't really fault her for that.

"Because you're a level 4 and you know the route, besides I need someone to take him to Finn and the rest" she earnestly replies "I trust in their abilities, they have the skills to make it out alive and well but with the dungeon one could never know so it's best you get there as early as possible"

She seems to understand even if a little appalled. I release my wings, and hold out a hand to her.

"We'd better get moving" I urge as well "You saw what those creatures did to your teammates didn't you? Better hurry before they get cornered."

She stiffens at the memory and hesitantly takes my palm.

"Y-you're right."

"Good, now hold on tight" I reply spreading my wings.

"What? KYAAAAAH~" I don't have any more time to waste so I fly off at my top speed towards the tunnel leading to the 51st floor, leaving behind a Riveria to wonder if it was a wise idea.

A while later, 51st floor...

"AAAAAAAGH-!"

"Raul?!" an alarmed Aki asks. Anakitty was long for a name but she told me I could shorten it to Aki since everyone did.

We flew for the last half hour to one of the corridors, and I held her from under my armpits as if she were a normal cat, although she didn't like the comparison at all, I couldn't place her on my back because she'd take up space I needed for my wings to move, and the spines of my tail would rub against her body hurting her terribly, ignoring the fact they are sharp enough to rip clothes if necessary. This was the quickest way to move. Furthermore she was carrying my bag which was the size of an adult.

A detail I hadn't mentioned before because it was of little importance but I created it using the wing membranes of the wyverns I had defeated. They have very elastic and strong properties, perfect for creating a durable bag.

It's stuffed full of magic stones that I'd picked up on the way up for some snacks or exploration, and I made an interesting discovery. I noticed that insect monsters are particularly attracted to them and it's a perfect diversion to dispose of them if we can't find Finn and the others. Sounds of the confrontation would have led them to us, or we would have headed to them after killing any threats, but apparently they were unlucky and one of their party members 'Raul' was taken.

"I'm speeding up" I warn Aki and she nods, clinging tighter to my arms. I flap my wings harder to quicken and follow the noise which has echoed through the corridors.

While I'm in the air I sense several malevolent presences, so definitely monsters, along with others that should be the rest of the members of the Loki familia. It doesn't take too long before I walk through the corridors and turn a few corners to find a group of people being chased by monsters.

"Captain! Guys!" shouts the cat girl upon seeing them.

"Aki?! What are you doing here!" inquires the blond, very short in height who is supposed to be the captain.

Finn is his name, he has medium length shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes with a fair complexion. Despite a body the size of a child he is over 40 years old, but that is because he is a Pallum.

Pallums are a demi-human race of small people with excellent night vision. I have Grand Master to thank for that. Thanks to its skills I gained a little knowledge about the inhabitants of this world and can identify the different races at sight. He is wearing a yellow jacket over a long-sleeved purple shirt and trousers.

Behind him stand the two groups sent to collect the mission object.

Gareth Landrock is a dwarf with brown eyes and long brown hair together with a long beard of the same colour. He wears a battle attire and boots, a helmet with horns and armour. Leaning over his shoulder is another member, Raul, who was injured by acid.

Raul has short, spiky black hair with brown eyes. He wears a black long-sleeved top, large brown gloves, a broad belt with an object pouch, light-coloured trousers, plain boots and an armour protecting his chest, shoulders and legs.

Bete Loga is a werewolf with grey hair, combined with amber eyes and an elegant tail. He sports a blue tattoo on the left side of his face and a muscular physique. In appearance he is dressed in clothes which makes him look like a butch and equipped with a Flosvirt, a set of mithril leggings which covers even his forearms.

Ais is a very attractive young woman with long golden hair, amber eyes and a slender body. She also wears a battle dress but in black and white, dark arm covers and long blue boots, with her full armour on top consisting of a headdress, breastplate, arm guards, hip and knee guards. She has a sheathed sword at her side, both the weapon's handle and its scabbard are blue and silver respectively.

Tiona Hiryute is an amazon with medium-length black hair and brown eyes. Like all Amazons, she wears revealing robes, consisting of only a strip of cloth around her chest and a sarong wrapped tightly to her waist. She is running barefoot, and for some reason she looks on the verge of tears.

Tione Hiryute has deep green eyes and straight brown hair. Also an Amazon, she dons revealing clothes consisting of a sports bra and red stockings, a short tablecloth around her waist, light blue earrings in her ears, and a few other accessories on her arms and legs. She is Tiona's twin sister but unlike the smaller Amazon she is a little more 'developed'. I note that her weapons don't appear to be dissolved judging by the Kuriki in her hand.

The last member of the group, Lefiya Viridis has long golden yellow hair tied back in a ponytail, round dark blue eyes and pointed ears, similar to any other elf. She wears a pink rosette cloak over a white shirt and a pink corset dress. A purple bow hangs from her collar. Judging by her scope she should be the sorceress Riveria mentioned, taking into account the staff in her hand.

I fly alongside the fleeing members with the adventurer still in my arms.

"The camp was attacked by those monsters and we suffered heavy losses, Riveria-sama ordered me to lead Eltanin here to help!" quickly reports the girl as I analyze the freaks following us.

"If we keep going for another 700 meters straight I can kill them all in one shot" I informed as I sense more insect monsters approaching from different directions.

We were losing them, but they would continue to track every magic signature they perceived until it was consumed. At least as far as I could deduce after what I saw on the 58th floor. When I first spotted them, those things were already eating a corpse of Valgang Dragon, the red dragons of that level. While we were airborne Aki filled me in on some information about the lower floors.

"Who the hell is that cuckold! And why is he wearing my trousers?!" growled the werewolf Bete and I couldn't hide an amused snort, as I started comparing him to an angry poodle in my head.

"We can talk about this later, another 400 metres and we're there" I decide to interrupt the discussion to continue with the plan.

I must admit these levels 5 and 6 are very fast, although in my original form in terms of speed I wouldn't have to break a sweat with them.

"Rather what on earth are those things!?" inquires Tiona angrily and I raise an eyebrow.

I look at the confused Pallum and he shakes his head in exasperation. I decide to give them a little help.

"What you saw are monsters that climbed up from the 59th floor" I reply, receiving shocked looks from everyone present except Aki.

"Are you sure about that?" asks Finn running up and I nod.

"Yes, I spotted them coming up while I was down there, but I can't tell you exactly if they came from the 60th or 59th actually" I answer not completely aware of the details.

"More importantly what were you doing under there? I've never seen or heard of you at Orario, how did you even get there?" interjects Gareth concerned by the information.

"That's a conversation for later. Right now we have other matters to attend to" I reply slowing to a stop, with the others following suit.

I retract my wings and set Aki down on the ground who is teetering from having flown around for a while, quivering slightly disoriented.

"A-aren't you supposed to start the chant?" a concerned Lefiya asks noticing I was still eyeing the hallway with the incoming monsters.

"Not yet" I hum to myself as I wait for the new species to finish joining from the side corridors.

"What are you waiting for?" inquires Finn looking at me seriously as he sees the approaching monsters.

"It would be a hassle to shoot them twice, so I'm waiting for them to finish piling up in the corridor before I kill them" I answer as the last of them regroup, now less than a hundred meters away from us "move further back now"

It's the only warning I offer before inhaling and causing the temperature to rise far too high for comfort. The members of the Loki familia pick up the message and step back as the ground becomes scorching hot. Then I roar. The canal fills with fire, engulfing everything in its path, incinerating the monsters and digging into the stone, soaring was the heat of the flames.

I press on like this until the tunnel and the grooves on the road are flooded, then cease when I perceive no other signs of life.

The adventurers stare in shock at the scenery. I turn to them with an expression between impassive and pleased.

"Good. Now that the pest control is over we can discuss, but it would be better to treat this guy first" I point towards Raul's weakened form "He doesn't look well"

The other adventurers take a glance at the poor acid-stricken man and nod with a wince.

"Did you bring Elixir with you? Raul had ours but they were lost to the acid" Finn asks as the injured adventurer utters an apology amidst pained groans.

"Emh..." Aki looks at me, confusing those present. After a couple of seconds I pick up the message.

"Mn? Oh right, let's go to a bigger room, I can't do it in this hallway" I instruct the rest of the group who only appear more confused.

"Can anyone tell what the fuck you guys are up to?" growls Bete annoyed, expressing everyone's thoughts.

"It's complicated..." sighs the girl in question continuing to walk towards an open and spacious room.

We approach the centre and set Raul down on the floor. I take off my clothes, and before anyone could protest my form darkens back to that of a black dragon.

"What?!" shouts Tiona in shock seeing my appearance.

"H-He can turn into a dragon?" a surprised Lefiya continues, wincing when she feels my magical power.

"That's nice and all, but what does that have to do with-"

I ignored the various startled comments and applied my 'remedy' on Raul. His wounds soon begin to fade as the group of adventurers fall silent at the scene.

I return to my human form and put my clothes back on, but I didn't miss the dark look Ais gave me.

"okay, what the fuck was that?" inquires Bete picking up where he left off earlier.

"Oh? Nothing much, my saliva has healing properties on par with an elixir, but it would have taken me a while to cover the whole range of effect in my human form" I decide to reply with a shrug.

"So? How come Aki was with you? I mean, you're not one of our familia and there weren't any other planned expeditions to the lower floors" Tione remarks suspiciously, after my previous answer.

I notice a certain sense of disdain and distrust from the members, which doesn't surprise me before an idea pops into my head. This was the perfect opportunity to see how they react to the truth, and how diffident I can appear from the people on the surface, I only hope the situation will not turn out too badly.

"I have no clue how the guild deals with expeditions, but I was reborn not even three days ago" I retort impassively "I found the rest of your group while I was surfacing"

I don't have enough time to carry on when I stop Ais's blade with one hand, nevertheless leaving a cut in my palm. When I feel the magic start to spill out of her, I quickly throw her off and she hits a wall. The remaining adventurers seeing the scene hurriedly prepare to attack, however Aki steps between me and her companions.

"Stop!"

"Move over Aki-san, that's a monster!" shouts Lefiya pointing her staff at me.

"I know, but please don't fight-"

I shove her away otherwise Ais would have cut her in two with the wind as well, then leap backwards to break away from the swordswoman, but it doesn't stop there. She attempts to attack me with several lunges which I avoid by moving several times to prevent being impaled, and taking advantage of the moment I grab her last one and freeze her weapon including a portion of her forearm. Her eyes go wide as she tries quickly to deliver a kick to my stomach, but I deflect it in time with my tail then punch her in the face, ignoring the pain her slashes cause all over my arm and she ends up crashing back into the wall.

"Ais-san wait please!" cries Aki alarmed when the blonde gets back up with a bloody face and stares at me with a furious look.

"I'm curious about something" Finn speaks drawing attention to himself "If you're a monster, how are you so able to speak fluent konie and why do you look like that?"

"Who cares captain! We have to-"

"Tione" the Pallum interrupts her, interested in my reply, despite the Amazon's protests.

"You know, I hadn't thought much about the language issue really, after all I'm more than sure that this language we're talking about isn't one that I've ever heard in any of the countries I've been to" I earnestly reply. Another skill from Grand Master probably? "By the looks of it, I think it's pretty clear that they won't let me out if I come up with my true form."

There were several things that caught their attention, besides the fact that my wounds had healed, but they couldn't ask because Ais was already up charging once more. I had dropped my guard for a second and didn't have time to move, I use my left wing to divert her strike and using the momentum I create a strong gust of wind to push the swordswoman away, surprising her one more time. I wince when I feel the cut on the wing resulting in a gash into it. She has taken both the body and the limb membrane, in addition to hurting me with that annoying wind.

"Ais, stop" Finn finally states, and this time the blonde stops and looks at him shocked.

"Why? He's a monster!" she quips with barely restrained anger

.

I raise an eyebrow at the girl's state of mind as Finn and Gareth sigh.

"Why did you help Riveria and the others? What exactly is your goal?" the blond begins to ask staring into my eyes.

"Well, it didn't have to be them, I did it because it came in handy since you're the quickest passage to the surface. Objective? I don't have a clear one yet, but I want to get out of here and go eat some of Orario's typical dishes, maybe find an occupation or something to settle down... I really haven't thought about it too much really."

"..."

"..."

"... "

Silence falls, all of them staring at me unsure whether to take me seriously or not.

"I won't let you" Ais replies coldly "Your claws hurt people. your wings terrorize people. The flames you monsters create have only killed countless humans. I will not allow you to rule the surface as you please." she declares glaring at me with a deep sense of loathing, to the point of wondering what had happened to her in the past to traumatise her in such a way "I won't let you get away!"

While the younger members among those present look confused and concerned at the aforementioned girl, Finn and Gareth glance at each other as if silently communicating something to themselves, and then beckon Aki back.

"Aki what happened to the camp? How extensive is the damage?" inquires Finn and the cat girl turns her gaze uncomfortably towards him.

"Mostly destroyed, Riveria-sama has begun to regroup the others for the retreat" the black haired girl says tensely as the leaders stare at her in disbelief.

"Is it really that awful?" continues Gareth worriedly and she nods.

"Yes. Most likely we would not have held out until you returned" she replies lowering her head defeated, and deep down grateful that things turned out for the best instead "In exchange for Eltanin's help and care for the others, Riveria-san said we would take him with us to the surface"

"Riveria-sama said that?!" asked Lefiya incredulously, similarly to the others.

"Has that old hag gone senile with age?!" blurts out Bete after remaining silent for a long time.

"She can't be serious!" adds Tione as her sister shifts her gaze to me indecisively.

Ais tightens the hilt of her blade.

The two older men, on the other hand, can understand what the other elf was thinking, but they still gambled on making such a deal.

"How are the brats?" asked Gareth worriedly.

"There are several wounded, but no one's life is in danger anymore thanks to... his saliva..." quips Aki a little disgusted, remembering the scene at the camp.

"At least that" breathes the old dwarf reassuredly.

"Well, we'll take you back with us" Finn proclaims.

"Finn we can't! He's a monster and he can be a danger!" protests the swordswoman beauty, shocked by her captain's decision. I observe the situation silently, curious to see how things will play out.

The others also wanted to intervene, but a glare from Gareth warned them to refrain from making comments.

"He may be a monster and he may be dangerous but he also saved Riveria and the others so we owe him a favour" he replied to the incredulous blonde "The fact remains that it will be Loki who will confirm whether he will do anything to harm the inhabitants of Orario or not"

The little captain's tone made it clear to everyone that he would not accept protests.