Is It Wrong to be a Grail in search of some Entertainment?

by SpokesOfTime

With the ejection of a Holy Grail to a Universe where it does not belong, Heroic Spirits long since passed, come to life, purely, so the object in question, can enjoy its Vacation. A Dungeon remains to be conquered, and without a war to fight, the Servants will step up to the task, but the question remains, is that all that is happening?

9. Antics

Chapter 9: Antics

"What's up with him?" asked the little goddess as she stared at the back of a retreating Gilgamesh a shirtless Matthias sat down in front of her, having already had Aurelian treat his wounds with his sword. Treating a wound with a sword would be a strange statement for anyone not of their family, but Hestia was used to this ludicrousness by now.

The blonde spirit in question had only just walked out from her office, though the entire time there was a strange look on his face. Indeed, Hestia could only think, "It's like the expression I make when I think of Bell-kun…in a romantic fashion… but that couldn't be the case… right?"

Corvinus had a nervous expression on his face as he spoke, "I think I should tell you after you're done updating the Falna, Lady Hestia… you might not like it."

She sighed at this, "Whatever it is… what exactly did you two get up to in the Dungeon?! I didn't expect status growth like this, now I'm thinking he'll actually shatter Bell's record."

Indeed, for a Heroic Spirit, growth was incredibly difficult, and to see this level of growth boggled her mind.

Gilgamesh Ur

Level 1

Strength: I0-E483

Defense: I0- E498

Dexterity: I0- E402

Agility: I0-C601

Magic: I0-F384

Lancer muttered, "He ended up aggravating the Dungeon by flaring his Divinity up and down so often that it produced two Udaeuses… or is the term Udaessi?… as well as a large Dragon that was on their level… it was certainly a tough fight… But as to his growth, I believe it might be Independent Action affecting it to some degree."

Hestia's face contorted as she processed what had been said, "Two… Three Monster Rexes!? What is wrong with you two!? Should I ban you from the Dungeon!? I'm banning you from the Dungeon! You might be Spirits but if you die, Bell-Kun, Lily and I would all be sad!" she sputtered out at high speed, while her cheeks ballooned in anger.

Lancer nervously chuckled at this, before Hestia then suddenly paused, "Independent Action? But doesn't it say that it only affects growth if he's fighting alone? Weren't you with him?" to which Lancer sighed, "You underestimate how headstrong he is, even as I was fighting beside him, his mind would have thought something like "Oh he is fighting with me… separately". I've no doubt by sheer force of will, he could have that parameter growth apply to him."

Hestia seemed gobsmacked, "Is that even possible!?" but she looked down at Lancer's now upgraded Falna and spoke, "But you're right… you've also gained points, but not to his level… that guy…!"

Mátyás Hunyadi

Level 1

Strength: I89-F389

Defense: I10-F306

Dexterity: I43-G242

Agility: H101-D500

Magic: I52-F302

As Lancer got up, she mumbled, "By force of will… I wouldn't be surprised if he could start breathing underwater just by saying, "The King has no need for air.""

Lancer smiled as he responded, "Don't give him ideas, the other Gilgamesh simply could not be corrupted by All The Worlds' Evils and even claimed one would need thrice more to even stain him, so if our Gilgamesh turns into a fish by willing himself to do so…I'm blaming you, Lady Hestia."

Hestia nodded at the statement apprehensively before she spoke, "Right, but what was that weird expression on his face? It was like seeing some female goddess after she's been charmed by Miach or something." in a jesting tone as she looked at Lancer's face.

Lancer's nervous expression was back at that to which Hestia's face morphed into one of horror, "Don't tell me he did something outrageous like attempt to sed...sed…seduce a female adventurer in the Dungeon?"

Lancer shook his head a she spoke, "No… it was more that he… strung up a bunch of very romantic words as he seduced this… woman OUTSIDE the Dungeon… she then fainted."

He then quickly raised his hands to placate her as he continued, "No don't worry… she took it well… and if she hadn't fainted, I'm fairly certain Gilgamesh would have… what is the term? Ah yes, asked her out on a date or seven before he married her in the future."

Hestia seemed relieved that it wasn't as outrageous as it seemed, but then she spoke, her face scarlet red "Oh… oh no… I mean I'm the goddess of the home, but I don't know if I could handle the wails of a half-spirit infant anytime soon. But if he's going to marry her… she'll be joining the Familia? Or is that not how it works?! Ah… Hephaistos didn't tell me anything about this."

As she rubbed her hair in frustration, Lancer gulped audibly as he spoke, "She… isn't an adventurer…" to which Hestia tilted her head, "A civilian then? That's even stranger!" to which once again Lancer shook his head, "It's… a goddess…Loki to be exact."

Hestia stood ramrod straight as she tried to process the statement, and indeed she was failing to do so as her eyes momentarily turned into the shape of black spirals. It was a minute later that she finally spoke, "A goddess….? Atleast that means no children… but wait… no!? Wait… you said… Loki!?"

Hestia exploded when Lancer nodded at that, "What! Loki!? Of all the goddesses in Orario?! LOKI!? THAT FLAT BRO-"she was cut off by Lancer clamping his hand shut around her mouth as he looked outside the window in apprehension.

Lancer then hissed, "Lady Hestia…don't… say it… that loud. Whisper it if you want to… but I'd rather not see him deploy a Tsunami on you for making fun of his… radiant empress to be."

Hestia's eyes widened as she nodded at this before she whispered, "I'm still trying to process this… I'd never thought he'd have a thing for… you know… flat women!? Ah nevermind…he's still my child… and if he thinks she'll make him happy… wait… if a goddess marries another goddess' child what does that make the two of us? And further more… should I inform Ninsun?!"

She placed her hands on her head hysterically as she spoke, "Should I call Loki daughter-in-law?! Wait… her Familia would then be my grand-children of a sort?! No… no… no! I'm not that old… I don't want to be called grandma by anyone other than the children of the children I have with Bell-Kun…"

She sank to her knees, as she wailed at the thought of being referred to as grandma, though she occasionally stopped to fantasize about her 'real' grandchildren with Bell.

Lancer was disturbed at the entire scene, and certainly did not want to contemplate how a Norse Goddess marrying a Sumerian Demigod who was the 'child' of a Greek Goddess would affect theology and inter-pantheon relations as a whole if it had occurred in his world's Age of the Gods.

As he shuddered at this thought, he did not notice the bright golden light coming from the window of the floor above his head, the light being Grail-kun 'laughing' in Saber's currently empty office.

He quickly prayed to his own God, while he silently hoped that the Christian God was not a little girl in this world, before speaking, "Lady Hestia… Lady Hestia!" to which the goddess woke from her stupor.

He then softly spoke, "Best you don't think about it… and it's not like they're… dating or anything right now. Just… forget about it right now… we'll think about all that some other time."

Hestia nodded as she stifled some tears, before she spoke, "Well… I guess we should go grab Dinner… you're right that I shouldn't put too much thought into something that hasn't even happened yet."

When they arrived at the mess hall, they were greeted with the sight of Gilgamesh dreamily gazing off into the ceiling as he ate his pizza, while Bell and Lily gazed at him in mild concern as they ate their food.

As for Saber and Arash, they were engaged in a conversation, though the latter kept staring over at Gilgamesh with an expression that said that he couldn't quite grasp that the Blonde had attempted to seduce, or rather succeeded in seducing a goddess.

As Hestia and Lancer seated themselves at the table, Kruger happily bounded over and served them their food, while calling out, "If you want second or third servings, don't hesitate! You've put me on contract so don't shy away while I give you good food!"

Hestia mumbled in acknowledgement as she half-heartedly bit into the spaghetti that was in front of her, while Lancer too sidled himself next to Bell as he grabbed himself some of the stew placed on the table.

Bell looked over at his Familia member, his eyes raised in confusion to which the Hungarian Servant simply shook his head in response, indicating that it would be better to drop the topic.

Lily was the one who took the cue as she broke the silence, "Hmmph, Lily wonders about the smith that Bell hired one… but can it be that Mr. Bell's trust was bought by the armour?" to which Bell spluttered as he tried to respond.

Arash was the one who laughed as he spoke, "No… from what I ascertained, that smith is good-natured and did not seek to bribe our Argonaut with his armour, I'd even wager that you'll end up liking his companionship."

Lily nodded at this, for if it came from Arash, who could read minds like books, then it was certainly believable "I see, if Mister Arash says that then it must be true, but Lily is unsure if we can call an acquaintance smith a friend so quickly! Familias should be picky with who they work with… but… since most of us are Spirits I suppose it doesn't matter?"

Saber responded, "Sometimes one can expect allies in the most unlikely of places… and having a friendly smith can never hurt in my opinion." to which Lancer nodded.

Hestia coughed, "That said… Bell-kun… I'm feeling outnumbered with only Lily here! Saber, Lancer, Arash and Gilgamesh and yourself in front of just the two of us! If you're going to summon a spirit again, make sure that it's a girl! Demeter's already been bugging me saying that I'm building up a harem!"

Arash began laughing at these words, but it was Gilgamesh who spoke, still far-away in his looks, "Tell that goddess of the harvest that I have no interest in yourself… ahh…. a different goddess has caught my eye."

Bell and Lily glanced at Lancer, who had begun coughing as he drank from his wine. As the spirit wiped his mouth with a tissue, he mouthed "Don't ask" to which Bell seemed taken aback, but he shook his head as he responded to Hestia, "Hestia-sama, I'm not in control of who I summon! Blame the Grail!"

Hestia huffed, "Grail-kun?! Poor Grail-kun can't be blamed for this!" as her ponytails twitched.

Bell repeated the words 'grail-kun' under his breath, but Lily spoke, "Master Bell is not summoning any female servants purely because he is the enemy of all women! I am sure that Mister Bell would seduce them as well!"

Arash agreed, "I do believe so… why… the entirety of that establishment… the Hostess of Fertility's waitresses are after Bell."

"HUH!?" spluttered Bell, while Lily and Arash both laughed at his actions.

Saber rubbed his beard at Hestia's words "Indeed, it is not Bell's fault that he's curiously summoned four men… even if it is especially curious that three of us are kings. Perhaps if Bell summons a female servant she would be a queen? Ah but that is upto the grail's whims… perhaps you should put up a recruitment poster in the Guild if you would want more women to join the Familia?"

Lancer interjected, "I'd suggest you word it carefully… adventurers might misinterpret your character to be that of a pervert goddess who is after women? But that seems the only guaranteed way to fulfil your desires."

Hestia nodded, though she'd turned mildly red at the thought of being labelled a pervert goddess. Indeed, she knew that Loki had a propensity of attempting to molest her own female children, but she could hardly voice that when her star-eyed lover to be was right here.

Gilgamesh suddenly stood up, "I shall not be disturbed…. I would search my treasury for the greatest necklace that I would endow my Empress with, and besides… I shall head to the Dungeon on my own time tomorrow, so do not expect me to accompany you on your sojourn with the Smith!" and saying so he walked off to his room.

Bell coughed, "Empress?!" to which Lancer responded, "Loki… he's after the goddess Loki… and I'd dare say she finds him attractive as well… just… just don't talk about it, but he brings up a valid point, which one of us should accompany you tomorrow?"

Bell looked over at Arash who spoke, "I think I'll take up a quest or two from the Guild… I have an effective range of Twenty Kilometres, it would be a shame if I could not use it in my stay in this world!" as he nodded at Lancer, who understood that Arash would scour the entire city with his eyesight so as to gather information on various topics.

Lancer mused, "I suppose I could join you two? I'm not particularly tired… even if those Monster Rexes gave me a sound beating."

Bell took in a breath as he spoke, "Monster Rexes?! I thought you'd already killed the Amphisbaena earlier Lancer?" to which Matthias responded, "And that would have been the last one for quite a while if not for that insufferable blonde flaring his divine nature up and down, causing the Dungeon to spawn a pair of the Udaeus as well as an equally strong dragon-thing."

Saber mused this, "I see, so we have a reliable way of training, provided we annoy the Dungeon sufficiently?" to which Lancer shook his head, "Not a particularly good option, It's not wise to test that pit's patience… but I suppose in a sense we can indeed 'farm' these Monsters for growth."

Lily's mouth went up and down like a fish before she spoke, "To think finding a method of causing the growth of Monster Rexes to accelerate is considered mere training… once Lily thinks she cannot be surprised, all of you seek to prove Lily wrong! Hmmph, Spirits!"

Saber chuckled before he spoke, "I suppose it isn't a particularly good thing for you both… and your smith friend. I guess I'll accompany you tomorrow, it's been a while since I've entered the Dungeon either way, and I'm sure Lancer would appreciate the time off to collect more books for his Library."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

====================XeX====================

"Finally, the eleventh floor!" said Welf as he patted his lower back a few times, his weapon still dangling over his shoulder as he announced their party's arrival to no one in particular.

Just like he so vigorously said a moment ago, Hestia Familia were on the eleventh floor of the Dungeon and had just stepped off of a very wide stairwell and into the room that serves as the starting point for this floor. Just like the tenth above it, a thick fog fills every room on this floor except for this one.

With nothing to block Bell's vision, he could see that the floor in here was covered in ankle-high grass just tall enough to hide his boots. There were also several dead trees scattered throughout the room. Monsters can use these trees, described as landforms as weapons.

"Didn't you say this is the lowest you've ever been, Mr. Welf?" spoke the young boy, curious as he was due to his age, while Saber looked around the floor as he carted Lily's backpack, while the little Pallum had her knife and crossbow at the ready.

"Yep, that's right. Sorry about this, Bell. I've thrown a lot of information at you since we met."

At first Bell was really surprised when he had asked to join their battle party yesterday, but after hearing why, he invited him right away, and accompanying them right now was Saber, seeing as to how Gilgamesh had already descended through the floors hours ago.

Since they'd already agreed on a contract with one another and the fact that they would need another battle party member, too, besides the Spirits that is, Bell could most definitely call it a win-win.

"Don't worry about it. And this is all to get Blacksmith, so I'm already involved as it is..." muttered the Blacksmith, almost apologetically.

"Glad to hear you put it like that."

Welf's request had been to help him level up so he could acquire the Developmental Ability that was named Blacksmith, which was interesting for Bell seeing as he only had the ability of Luck, whose effects were yet to be ascertained or determined.

The Blacksmith ability was considered to be a complete game-changer for the smiths who acquire it. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say it can make or break the future for a smith. Mr. Welf explained with a very sad look in his eyes exactly how much more his fellow smiths in Hephaistos Familia could do as soon as they levelled up.

Normally, whenever a member of any Familia goes into the Dungeon, they form a party with other members of the same group... "It's a little embarrassing to say this myself...but what's their deal?! Whenever a battle party goes into the Dungeon, I'm always left out! Can you believe that?"

Welf needed high-quality excelia in order to level up, but since his allies always kick him out, he's had to work solo. Therefore, going deeper than the top few levels is impossible—no one can make it out in one piece. So he started looking to join battle parties with members of other Familias as a last resort.

It sounds like the members—smiths of Hephaistos Familia—have to overcome many obstacles on their own, as well as engage in friendly competition with other smiths in order to improve. But the Blacksmith ability—in other words, levelling up—is the equivalent of life and death for a smith.

Since they're all in the same boat, one could say that most form deep friendships as they fight their way through the Dungeon...though this was not always the case.

Saber spoke, "I see, a lack of camaraderie is evident in your Familia even if one could call it friendly competition?" to which Welf nodded, before a curious look came on his face as he spoke, "Mr…. Saber was it? You're the Familia Captain right? Why are you playing the role of a Supporter today?

Saber chuckled as he spoke, "Indeed, while Bell maybe the highest level of us all in our Familia… physically I outstrip him due to… certain circumstances… and excelia growth is exceedingly difficult for myself, so it's in my interests to help Lily grow stronger while I play the role of the supporter here."

Welf seemed mildly interested but did not press for details as he looked over at Lily, who currently did not have any discernible expression on her face. Bell chuckled nervously, for saying that Saber physically outstripped him was like saying a dragon is bigger than a rabbit.

Saber asked however, a curious expression in his golden eyes, "Is there any other reason why your Familia members do not like working with you?"

"They're just jealous of my hidden talents," spoke Welf in a really sullen voice to which Saber raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "Ho… I see, I suppose your real family has an innate talent for blacksmithing or the like?" to which Welf nodded, surprised as he spoke, "That's a closer assessment than you think…" before he trailed off, having noticed Bell looking at him, before he dropped his shoulders and flashed a warm smile.

"In any case, I'm grateful to you Bell. Familias tend to be picky about who they work with, but I'm glad you could throw that way of thinking out the window." he said, repeating Lily's statements from yesterday night.

"W-well, um...I couldn't exactly refuse, not after receiving all of this..." spoke Bell, while Welf continued to smile at him as Bell took another look at his new equipment before smiling back at the smith.

The armour on my chest sparkles like new, even in the dim light, but an annoyed voice cut through the air, "Lily assumed that we had a new friend… even Arash said that Welf could be trusted… but if a Familia as reputed as Hephaestus's members do not work with him… Well Lily supposes she could understand if was from a familia similar to Soma Familia… but what reason would adventurers from one of the city's biggest Familias refuse to work with each other for?"

Saber tutted, but Welf's face seemed to have drooped down at this, while Bell seemed shocked at the acerbic tone the pallum had taken, "Now, Lily… if Arash says something about a person he can't be wrong now can he?!"

Welf seemed surprised that Bell had defended him so quickly while his surprise deepened when Saber nodded, and to him it seemed they had great trust in their Familia member's ability to judge the character of a person.

He then spoke, "I assure you… smiths can be every bit as cut-throat as alcohol addicts… while much more friendly at times… but…" he looked over at Lily, a toothy grin on his face, "I don't think I'm getting in the way now am I… so what's the issue Small Fry?"

Lily's chestnut-coloured eyes went ablaze at that statement as she shouted, "Lily is not 'Small Fry!' Lily's name is Liliruca Arde!" to which Welf smiled as he responded, almost as if he enjoyed the antagonism; "Okay then! It's a pleasure to meet you Lil' Lily! Let's be friends! I'm Welf Crozzo!"

Saber's eyes widened just a fraction, while Lily's entire demeanour changed, causing Welf to nervously chuckle. It was Saber who spoke, "Crozzo… as in the famed crafters of Mystic Codes… err… Magic Weapons?"

Lily continued, "The same Crozzos that were granted nobility by Rakia for the magic swords they forged? Magic swords that they were masters of to such a degree that they were considered a symbol of their time and capable of setting fire to the ocean?"

She then continued, her voice quivering, "But one day they lost the ability to make their powerful magic swords… some say that was because they angered the spirits of the forest their weapons had burned down, but whatever the reason, they fell out of favour with the king for having lost the ability… and their house fell into ruin."

Welf had a forced smile on his face as he spoke, "I suppose it was too much for me to hope that all of you wouldn't know of my past… but that's not important right now, is-is it? We're here to crawl through the Dungeon aren't we? Right?"

Saber nodded, though his gaze has hardened, "Yes, I suppose it is" before he turned towards the fog, while Welf pulled his weapon from his shoulder. It was a surprisingly wide-bladed longsword with incredible reach, and readied it in that direction.

Crack! Came the sound, indicative of monsters being born from the Dungeon's surface, and indeed the party bore witness to find a pair of orcs extricate themselves out from the wall, much like a baby bird would from its eggshell.

Bell had seen orcs only once before, but he was a fair bit more confident right now, seeing that his Statuses were far higher, but then he paused when more resounding cracks filled the room, to which Welf muttered, "A monster party?" to which Saber nodded as he spoke, "There's no reason to panic… I'm here to provide support, and even restrained with the bag they would not pose a threat."

From any other Level 1 adventurer that might have been arrogance, but even Welf could not deny Saber's words to be mere truth, for it was logical if one thought about it, even if one would discard the veteran aura around the Familia Captain. The room was very wide and there was little chance of being surrounded, and retreat was not even necessary.

Lily had travelled with many battle parties, but this was a different experience for her seeing as to how she was not playing the role of a supporter this time but rather of a front-line commander. Bell nodded at Saber, who nodded back, indicating he would watch over the significantly lower status Lily.

Bell spoke, "Welf… keep close to Lily while that Orc comes close… and Lily, always keep your guard up… I'll deal with that horde of imps" and saying so he dashed forward, beheading a pair of imps as he continued to lead the rest of their group through the floor.

Bell was surprised… very surprised, for before his very path the wind seemed to part, and dust seemed to be kicked up and so he thought, "So this must be the speed of a Level 2… I wonder if I could ever be as fast as Lancer?" as he continued to drive his knife into imps, his body as light as a feather.

He weaved through a group of imps like a stream would through a bed of pebbles, relentless yet serene as he put Saber's knife lessons into practice. It was a slaughter, but still he continued, killing five more in an absolute maelstrom of speed.

As an orc came towards him, he performed a move that he had copied from Ais, his momentary sparring partner, a spin kick that caused the Orc to near fall over. Bell pressed the advantage as he drove the knife deep into the monster's neck, killing it.

He looked over at Welf and Lily, and noticed that Lily seemed to be performing very well for a supporter; no doubt her intense focus on seriously fighting was raising her parameters to a degree satisfactory enough to protect her, the effect of her Mind of Steel.

She wasn't nearly as fast as him, but the pallum neatly dodged, rolled, hacked, and fired her crossbow into a few imps, scoring a kill at the end of the pattern, and yet still had to be hit once. Welf however, was the epitome of brute force, as his swings cleaved clean through an orc, showing that as a Level 1 he could be considered at the pinnacle of the level even as a smith.

Indeed, as he swung overhead, and bisected an imp, Bell thought that it was fair to call him a warrior-smith, for Welf was not holding back, even if some of his movements were unrefined and wasted… well he was only calling them that cause his intense training had allowed him to spot the signs of such actions.

But then suddenly, an immense burst of wind and fire burst past his ear, to which Bell turned, and was surprised to see that an Orc behind him had been disintegrated. He looked over at Saber, who had his bow drawn without much effort despite the large bag, shaking his head disapprovingly at Bell's negligence.

Bell smiled an apology before he turned to face a new howling monster, standing on its two short, stubby legs, covered in a series of shells, a Hard Armoured. Like Killer Ants, these monsters had an incredible defense, and were even referred to as walking iron fortresses that could withstand a muscled dwarf's attacks.

But Bell would not need to analyse the opponent forward, as his trained legs burst forward, his knife cutting clean through the beast, which had not expected the speed. But another of its kind was already barrelling towards Bell, in the shape of a boulder.

He jumped overhead, as he chanted, "Firebolt!" scorching the beast's shell, before he drove his knife through it in a downward thrust. The armour parted cleanly, and Bell was happy to know that the Upper Level's hardest defense could be beaten by himself.

Indeed, Bell realised, he'd driven his knife into an already smouldering corpse, indicative that his electric inferno, Firebolt was on an entirely different level than it had been before his Level Up. As much as he wished to try out Air Dash, it would simply be a pointless utilization of his mind on this floor.

As he dashed forwards in the direction of a pair of orcs fighting Welf and Lily, he had a momentary thought of getting closer to a blonde, female knight… but it passed as soon as it came.

Welf Crozzo however, was now understanding why Bell had been given the name of Nimble Rabbit of Talent, his movements, reflexes, attacks and magic, all of them were centred around speed, and in time if Bell managed to become a First-Class Adventurer, he could perhaps be regarded as the fastest adventurer.

A loud, high-pitched voice burst out, "Heheh! Don't get flattened into a pancake by getting distracted… you don't seem the bad sort but Bell would definitely be sad."

Welf smirked a she spoke, "Lil' Lily, I've figured you out!" as he swung his sword into a large orc in front of him, cutting the cheek of the large pig-man in front of him. He then swung a second time, cutting straight through the orc, before suddenly, a Silverback jumped through the air at him.

His eyes widened as he considered his possibilities, "I can't raise the damn sword in time… can't roll away either…shit." when a flaming arrow burst through the air and sent the flying monkey hurtling backwards with far greater force than it had jumped with.

He turned to a neutral Saber holding his bow aloft, before he smiled his thanks, as he muttered, "That man's some Archer! Now I see what he meant by saying he physically outclasses Bell."

Lily laughed as she spoke, "If you think he's a great Archer… you should see Arash." to which Welf was taken aback, "Is the bow not your Captain's main armament?"

Lily smacked her forehead as she spoke, "Why do you think his name is Saber? Do you think he does something incredibly absurd like shooting swords from his bow? Idiot Smith!"

Welf muttered, "Firing swords from bows… bah nevermind…" before his eyes widened as the implications of the friendly Arash being an even greater Archer than Saber were processed. He spoke, "Hey Little Lily… how far can Arash fire an arrow?"

While the Hephaistos bow in Saber's possession was of great quality, at most he could wager it had a maximum effective range of twelve kilometres… and that for a First Class Adventurer, and Saber seemed strong enough to do exactly that even if he was not an archer or a First Class Adventurer in the first place.

Lily muttered, "Twenty Kilometres normally." to which Welf choked as he kicked an imp, "Twenty!? Normally!? What does he do abnormally then!?"

Lily hmmphed as a response before she filled another imp chockfull of her crossbow bolts, while Welf shuddered at the possibility of the friendly man he had met in Babel firing an arrow from across the continent… that wasn't possible… right?

As Bell kicked the jaw of another Silverback, having propelled himself like a Javelin, Welf winced as he heard the crack of the monkey's jaw breaking, as he chanted, "Firebolt!" scalding the beast in its entirety.

As Bell stood over the corpse of the Beast, Welf smiled as he spoke, "Well I'll be damned… I could get used to this battle-party thing!"

"You are one fast dude, you know that? I didn't even see you fly in." continued Welf, satisfied and awed at what he'd seen.

"I-I'm not exactly sure when I did myself..." Bell muttered, not used to the praise Welf was sending his way.

As their battle against the monster party was finally over, the three of them were taking a break, while Saber was collecting all the stones without any complaint. Indeed Lily had tried complaining that as a Supporter she should be helping Saber but the old man had simply shut her down by saying that today she was Lily the Adventurer and not a Supporter.

They were still in the room, but the aftermath of their battle was visible with scorched ground, uprooted trees and even pieces of the Dungeon's walls littered about. In short it was a complete mess.

"This dungeon-crawling thing sure is easier when you've got a strong ally or allies with you. 'Course I can't rely on you or Mister Saber always saving my ass." spoke Welf, before he looked over at Saber, "Not many adventurers would care to do that, especially if they have a dedicated supporter with them who wants to work."

He then muttered, "Especially an adventurer as abnormally strong as Mister Saber is." to which Bell chuckled, "I suppose it's a habit derived from his being a leader of his army? He was an Emperor and a General of… this country, but he was beloved by his soldiers, I guess military life gives a sense of discipline to one?"

Welf muttered, "A soldier huh?" as his thoughts wandered off at a different life he might have had had he not deserted from the Rakian Army to head to Orario.

Bell flexed his wrist as he spoke, "I have a feeling that I didn't slay as many monsters as I usually do."

"That's the good thing about being in a battle party. Your mind and body don't have to work as hard, and you're free to move however you want. Your allies cover your blind side, but I suppose you want to keep your absurd Level Growth going?"

Bell chuckled at the statement, "I guess… there's a peak I need to reach… and maybe go beyond… but another one of my Familia members is probably going to shatter that record." to which Welf was taken aback as he looked over at Lily enquiringly.

Lily raised an eyebrow at Welf as she spoke, "That's Mister Gilgamesh… he's an Archer like Arash… though he prefers fighting with swords… sort of the reverse of Mister Saber… though it's more like Mister Saber fights with whatever he deems necessary while Mister Gilgamesh uses whatever is most 'fun'. Lily is not particularly close to Mister Gilgamesh, though he and Arash indeed only joined three days ago … but if you can get past his… brash personality… Lily thinks he is a good person."

Bell nodded, though he'd turned white at the mention of the goddess-seducing spirit, as he spoke, "In-fact he's deeper down right now, he has the same problem as Saber… but unlike Saber he's…. hungry for battle as they call it?"

Welf nodded at the statement, before he spoke "I thought we did pretty well, considering today's our first day as a group. We're not exactly reading each other's minds, but our movements meshed...That's all thanks to Mister Saber and Little Lily!"

"Thanks to Lily and Saber?" asked Bell, tilting his head.

"Yeah, while Mister Saber's providing Support and running Protection due to how strong he is, Lily's prior experience with battlegroups allows us to work more cohesively. While her actions seem minor, but she had a big influence alerting us to potential threats as she shot at them, and doing so she did a great job co-ordinating us."

Lily seemed taken aback, but Bell could swear he saw a small blush on her face as she spoke, "I suppose it is due to Lily's skill… Mind of Steel allows Lily to concentrate on everything intensely… while it also raises my parameters so I can fight more effectively, so the concentration doesn't interrupt the flow… of battle."

Welf smiled as he patted her head, "Haha that isn't all of it… you simply know how adventurers should move… it's instinctive I think, Mister Saber should see you have a natural talent for commanding people… maybe he'll teach you how to become the next Familia Captain?"

Lily was about to scowl at Welf patting her head, but she looked thoughtful as she spoke, "No… Lily would only be effective in a small-scale engagement, Mister Lancer discussed it with me properly… the next Familia Captain would have to be someone entirely else."

Welf mused this as he slowly nodded "Ah, that makes sense I suppose… maybe when your Familia is much bigger and you mount Expeditions… you could command a section of the Familia… something like an Executive…. but don't undersell yourself Little Lily, who knows what your skills in those fields are truly capable of!"

Lily was taken aback at the compliment, and she sputtered for a moment before she huffed and turned, "Idiot!"

Bell giggled happily "Its times like these when you really can't think of anything bad to say about supporters... even if they aren't actually supporters in this case!"

"You can say that again," replied Welf as he looked over his shoulder at Saber walking over towards them, clearly having finished collecting all the stones. He had collected everything at a speed any full-time Supporter would be proud of, and he was a mainstream Adventurer-type at that.

Saber smiled gently at the trio, when suddenly Welf spoke, looking behind Saber "Well, whadda you know, we've got even more company. Should we head somewhere else?"

"Hmm, we could do that..." spoke Lily as there was now a few groups of adventurers in the room now who weren't there when their party had arrived. This was expected, for many adventurers passed through these floors.

Higher level parties used this room as a staging area to head deeper since there was no fog, lower level parties on the cusp of levelling up would prowl this floor to get enough excelia to level up successfully.

But no matter which type of party it was, there was an unwritten rule among adventurers: that they would stay out of one another's way as much as possible while in the Dungeon.

Bell spoke, "I suppose we should eat lunch then? There are a lot of people… so we shouldn't need to worry about monsters sneaking up on us?"

Saber nodded, "Very well, I have a mild interest in seeing how other adventurers deal with monsters, so having lunch is what we shall do."

As Saber set down the backpack, Bell looked over at the other adventurers and began to assess them, "They seem experienced… strong too!" and his eye could spot well sharpened weapons and sturdy sets of armour, indicating that a large number of these adventurers could be Level 2 in nature.

There was a particularly well-muscled dwarf, though from his stature one could mistake him for a human, and even if he was Level 2, the same as Bell, making them equal on paper, Bell thought that those muscles certainly held more in them than himself.

There were other interesting adventurers, such as a werewolf with a robust bow strapped to his back, a scantily-clad Amazon leaning on a particularly large battle axe, and a majestic blonde elf wearing a silver white cloak as she carried a wooden staff, showing that she was a pure mage.

All these adventurers too must have had impressive Magic and Skills, to which Bell mumbled "Argonaut" as he remembered his own Skill, which stated it executed automatically when there was an active action… did that mean he should choose to attack something first?

There was a glow suddenly, and Bell dismissed it momentarily for Saber certainly glowed when he wasn't suppressing himself… but what reason would he have to unsuppress his nature in the 11th Floor?

"Bell?" came the gentle voice of Saber, to which Bell looked up, "Huh?" to which the old man pointed at Bell's arm. Bell gasped, his eyes widened as he noticed small specs of light shimmering around his arm, like minute fireflies he had seen in his village.

They were smaller than snowflakes, and if Bell had to guess he would say they were about the size of a grain of sand, and they were rotating around his arm in an endless cycle of sparkling, convergence, dimming.

Welf and Lily seemed just as taken aback as they looked at Bell's face, but the boy himself simply focussed hard on his right hand, momentarily worried that it might fall off or something similar… unless, "Could it be Argonaut?" thought the boy, and Saber seemed to have echoed his thoughts as he spoke, "Your Skill? I do not think it could be anything else."

Before Bell could respond to that, he was interrupted by "OOooOOOOOO!" a ferocious roar that echoed through the entire room that nearly had him double over, clutching his ears to avoid the pain. The Hestia Familia party turned to the source of the sound, the room's entrance.

It was amber-coloured scales that was dragging themselves from the fog of the 10th floor, and in its entrance, Bell could clearly see that the other parties were just as afraid as they were. As it fully entered the room, its red eyes twisted from side to side as it scanned the room, almost as if laying stake to the entire floor as its own domain, and adventurers to be interlopers.

Bell and Lily were not as afraid as Welf was… merely because they knew they had a member who could effortlessly deal with the creature if need be… but another adventurer did not know this as he shouted, "Innn…INFANT DRAGON?"

The tension in his voice was both palpable as well as justified, for at any given time, only four or five infant dragons stalked the Dungeon, and it took a considerable amount of luck or misfortune to encounter one of these Level 1 killers.

The adventurers, in credit to their veterancy quickly formed up away from the beast, as one particularly tough looking rabbit-beastman shouted, "Forget keeping away from each other, we need to keep close to deal with the damned thing."

Saber muttered to Bell, "I believe it's weaker than the Minotaur you fought… do you want me to take care of it? It has been a while since I punched a dragon…" to which Bell did not respond as he readied his weapons.

The few archers in the group of adventurers ineffectually sent arrows raining down onto the tough scales of a beast, and in doing so, merely enraged it further.

But Bell realised that if it was weaker than the Minotaur, perhaps he could help them, and so he shouted, "FIREBOLT!" his now blinding hand raised in the direction of the beast.

What happened then was unexpected as Welf and Lily raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding white light, for indeed a pure beam of white, electric fire had shot itself out of Bell's hand, cutting through the air and then hitting the monster's body.

It had done so with scary effectiveness, sending the dragon upwards, into the Dungeon wall, before then vaporising a large portion of its body. Welf's mouth had dropped to the floor, while Lily had a similar expression on her face.

Saber seemed pleasantly surprised, but it was more to do with the fact of the beam's existence rather than Bell killing the dragon, for indeed the young boy had already dealt with a creature of greater strength.

The former feelings were expressed in just as great quantities by the formation of adventurers, who had jealousy, shock, awe, hostility and even fear plastered on their faces.

The dwarf Bell had been admiring from earlier muttered, his voice easily carrying through the distance, "Now I see why that kid's the record holder."

Several others seemed to be surprised at that statement before they too split apart into their original parties. Some even flashed thankful grins at Bell which the boy sheepishly returned.

Suddenly however, the tall old man next to him tensed, and shouted, more for their benefit than his "THERE'S SOMETHING FROM THE 12TH!" to which the adventurers turned around, for indeed the entrance to the 12th was diametrically opposite to where the Infant Dragon had come from.

It was a large striped tiger, with a pair of oversized fangs and a pair of horns on its head.

Bell had never seen this monster before, but he had heard its description from Lancer, it was a Lygerfang, which was considered to be a monster only a bit below a Minotaur in terms of strength. And by all logic and reason, there was no way this beast should be up here.

Bell groaned, "Another higher level monster where it doesn't belong?" to which Saber conspiratorially chuckled, while both Lily and Welf seemed confused, though for different reasons.

Before anyone could act however, a hundred swords sprouted from the tiger-like beast, making the young boy momentarily think it was transforming into a porcupine type monster, before it keeled over and died.

The adventurers were taken aback, but they were only awed further as they peered into the depths for the identity of their saviour, washed in a bright yellow light.

Ten golden orbs surrounded a very… very… burned Gilgamesh, who seemed amused as he dusted the soot off himself as he walked forwards. In a smug voice he spoke, "I have dealt with the cat for you… you may applaud my actions… little mice."

The group of adventurers were thoroughly gobsmacked, but even so, someone struck his hands together, and in a matter of seconds, a thunderous sound of applause echoed through the dungeon.

To Hestia Familia, who winced apologetically, it was clear that the other adventurers had been charmed by the man's extraordinary Charisma skill. Lily kicked a still applauding Welf, who muttered, "Ow… that hurts Little Lily" to which the pallum girl stuck her tongue out.

As Gilgamesh spotted his Familia and walked over, Saber spoke out of concern "You are burned?" to which the blonde king merely laughed, "A flaming wolf of a sort decided it would like to joyfully wrestle with my perfect self… it had the great pleasure of learning the taste of Enki soon afterwards."

Bell asked him, "Will you be okay Your Majesty?" to which the King laughed, "By Shamash, you may not have summoned me in my prime as a Saber, but if such a trifling injury would lay me low, I would never have found that dratted herb… and my story might as well be called the Lamentation of Gilgamesh." before his face soured as he spoke, "Just call me Gil, rabbit. Sumer is dust by now, and so I shall grant you the honour of referring to me by name."

Welf was thoroughly confused at all the mention of herbs and Saber, but he shook his head as he understood that this was Gilgamesh, the familia member that Lily and Bell had spoken of.

Saber muttered, "Whatever it may be, Gilgamesh, come to the apothecary later." to which the Blonde King raised a hand in dismissal, "I suppose I will, I have selected three necklaces to present as a gift to my beloved… I shall have your opinion on which is the superior one as well, Roman."

Saber sighed, as he beckoned the still befuddled Welf to join them in their upwards ascent. But as they walked Saber thought, "That's right… his Spirit Origin is from near the end of his tale when he found the herb… before he became the Wise King… but after his friend died. I wonder if his boastful nature is merely a moderately thick façade borne of the euphoria he felt when he gained the herb?"

As for Gilgamesh himself, who observed the walking trio of teenagers and their playful ribbing, he smiled nonchalantly, hiding a feeling of sadness as he thought to himself, "Ah Enkidu… if only you were here as well… to see me find love and to take part in this second life…"

====================XeX====================

Arash Kamangir, was right now, perched upon a tree situated on elevated ground three kilometres to the east of Orario, in the Seolo Forest.

Standing still as he was, his eyes were focussed on random events happening in the extra-ordinarily large city that Arash could say was about thrice the size of the Chiyoda ward. Indeed, he knew of the size of the Chiyoda Ward because of the Tokyo Holy Grail War, but that was a story for another day.

Right now however, the Archer in question was darting from tree to tree in blistering speed, trailing a herd of above-ground Sword-stags that had been threatening a nearby village of ranchers.

It was not a particularly tough task, for even if they had the strength of their Dungeon-born counterparts, their hunter was a Heroic Spirit near unparalleled in the art of archery, save contenders who could be named on one hand.

The herd was exceptionally large, with Arash's eagle-like eyes easily counting the total number to be three hundred or so. But this was but a trifle, and to prove so, the lithe man merely took a breath as he launched forth a barrage of twenty arrows at a pace that could only be described as god-speed.

Each of his arrows landed in the middle of the exceptionally large herd with the individual capability of destroying a large boulder, something that could be considered overkill for such weak creatures.

He had already slaughtered 90% of the herd's number with that single barrage, and indeed the Guild had only requested the number be brought down to atleast 30% of its original quantity.

But the Persian Spirit in question could only be described as one thing… a true hero, and it was not in his nature to let even a single monster escape, lest they manage to harm an innocent in the future. That was the essence of Arash Kamangir, one who existed only to save innocent people and accept the wishes of everybody who desired peace.

And so the herd would not just be culled, it would be exterminated in only a couple more minutes. The man again perched himself on a cedar as he spoke, "That's the last of them, huh?" before he chuckled, his brain focussing on the strange world he had found himself in, where gods lived among mortals.

But the man went absolutely still, for his Clairvoyance had activated, and had shown him that six kilometres further to the east was what appeared to be a caravan of six carts, whose chassis were covered in tarps, heading in the direction of what appeared to be a poorly maintained shack.

He had already committed the entirety of the landscape to memory, and knew that the shack should not have any value even as an outpost for weary travellers… so what could it be? He did not need his Clairvoyance for that answer, for indeed his intuition itself told him that nefarious activities of some sort were occurring.

But of what sort remained to be seen, and so he headed out to ascertain exactly that, for even if he was not an Assassin with Presence Concealment, he was still an expert in moving stealthily in various habitats.

It was not a few seconds later that he was on another tree, with a clear view of the abandoned shack, but he had dematerialized himself for it was a possibility that criminals would harbour an individual who had the skills to evade patrols by Orarian guards or Ganesha Familia members.

The caravan itself arrived a few dozen minutes later, for they had been maintaining a slow trot as they traversed low-quality roads which were quite obviously prized for the secrecy they offered rather than ease of movement.

The lead driver was a swarthy hume bunny, wearing some sort of leather vest, which displayed a nasty scar running horizontally across his left shoulder. Arash assessed this man's strength and he estimated that this man was a Level 3, and if he was the leader of the operation, then it would not be particularly difficult to dismantle, and finishing his assessment he peered through the man's thoughts.

"Chh… if that bitch goddess doesn't pay us well for this lot of wenches… I'm ending the contract… I nearly got caught by that bastard Level 5 Varun in Sorshana for swiping this batch… luckily that sand-serpent horde attack diverted him and his Familia… but it isn't worth drawing the eye of Indra Familia onto me if I can avoid it, not to mention that dratted Ganesha makes life doubly tough here in Orario."

Instantly Arash knew what was going on… illegal flesh trade, something the man found to be absolutely detestable and morally reprehensible.

Arash waited patiently, for everyone to exit the carts, as he counted twenty guards including the trafficker, and forty prisoners. They'd lined up the latter in a box formation as the trafficker in charge began to unlock the shack, which no –doubt had some sort of secret tunnel that led to Orario.

A short, blonde pallum collapsed to her knees, no doubt due to some combination of malnutrition and mistreatment, and so a dark-skinned elf growled, "Get up bitch." as he kicked her. It was then that a green-haired werewolf girl covered the trembling pallum's body with her own, as she bared her fangs to the slave-driver in an effort to make him back off.

This was enough to draw all the guards into his line of sight, and so Arash fired, his arrows connecting with all twenty guards, and killing them instantly. The trafficked women all dropped to their knees, crying out in fear at the sudden death of their captors.

The trafficker was dumbfounded as he turned; still not processing that his entire group had been killed when he suddenly found himself on the ground, and looked own to see that he did not have legs anymore. His wails echoed through the air, for the pain was intense.

Arash leaped down from the tree, to which the group cowered further. But the green-haired werewolf seemed to have realised that his actions had been to kill their captors… and he had not harmed a single one of them with his arrows and so she asked, the barest hint of hope in her voice, "Are you here to save us?"

Arash Kamangir looked sad for a moment before he spoke, a soft smile on his face, "Indeed… come now… I'll get rid of these shackles… try to get everyone on those carts, we'll get you to Ganesha Familia in Orario."

Several women began crying, for they'd long lost hope of a rescue, for even if the traffickers had not broken them in, they had still been subject to mistreatment at all levels. The blonde pallum spoke, her voice nary above a whisper, "What of that… bastard?"

Arash's eyes glinted in the sun as he spoke, "As much as I would like to kill the man… you are not the first batch of women this… creature has trafficked into Orario. Ganesha will have him to interrogate." to which the pallum nodded sombrely.

Arash however, continued to read the man's mind, and was satisfied when the subject being broached brought the following thoughts to the man's mind, "That bitch Astarte… I'm done for."

He thought, "Astarte, huh." as he proceeded the man's wounds so he did not expire from blood loss. He continued to help up the women onto the carts before he muttered

That's Chapter 9, and that's a small deviation from canon that begins now. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter.

As for Proto-Gil's statement about being past his Prime, unlike normal Gil, I'm treating him as his prime state was not as an Archer-Class but as a Saber class. His state as an Archer is from the moment when he found the Herb of Immortality in his world, which gave him great euphoria after the soul-rending sadness of Enkidu dying, but when he loses it to the snake and returns to Uruk, he becomes a Caster-type much the same as mainstream Gil.

It's kind of how I'd explain his actions in Prototype to both fit what became mainstream Gil as well as be accurate to his myth: this euphoria allows his attitude to be similar to the brash nature of that of his prime, but his search for love in Ayaka in Prototype is how he tries to fill the hole of friendship Enkidu left behind.

Maybe I'm reaching, but I have to flesh out a character that both is and is not the Gilgamesh we know properly in one way or the other.

All constructive criticism is welcome, both in reviews as well as PM.

Candidates:

Rider: Iskander, Ushiwakamaru.

Caster: Tamamo-No-Mae, Proto Merlin, Alfia.

Assassin: Regend: Saviour of France, Semiramis, Shouten Douji, EMIYA (K)

Berserker: Darius III, Mysterious Heroine X Alter.

Pseudo-Divine Spirit: Ishtar, Chiron.