Chapter 11: Movement in the Shadows

It had barely been ten minutes since the battle on the fifty-ninth floor had concluded, but Loki Familia quickly began readying themselves for departure under Finn's command. Scraping together what items they could, the Familia somehow managed to get everyone healed—at least enough that they could walk—before the lot of them began making their way back to the fiftieth floor where their base camp awaited.

They were all veteran adventurers, and so they knew that they needed to move quickly if they hoped to avoid the next wave of monsters on the fifty-eighth floor, and so to do exactly that they dashed their way up and through the Dragon's Urn, the nickname for the floors where the Valgang Dragons exerted their power.

"So...does this mean we can think of that creature as part of the advance guard of the main force, then?" Riveria asked Finn next to her. They were around the vicinity of the fifty-first floor as the party continued their full-steam sprint toward the camp, the safe-spot so to speak where monsters did not spawn.

"I would say so, yes." Finn nodded in response as Tiona and the others took out any spawned monsters they encountered along the way with a vocal passion that fully demonstrated the wondrous power of healing items. "There's no doubt about it. Both Aiz and Lefiya already witnessed that crystal orb leeching a monster's power and transforming into that feminine creature, did they not?"

"Aye, I've heard that, too. Still..." Gareth piped up with a wheezy voice from Riveria's other side, saying nothing about the heavy wounds inflicting his body as he ran.

Neither he nor Riveria could hide the anxiety they were feeling at their Pallum Captain's statement as they continued on their exhausting advance.

"Then that would mean..." grunted Gareth, continuing to wheeze.

"Indeed—" cut off Finn, for he had been comrades with the dwarf long enough to know what was implied.

Far above them however, "—The main body of that creature lies elsewhere," uttered a voice in the Chamber of Prayers beneath the Guild Headquarters, the darkness illuminated by nary a few torches scattered across the room.

Ouranos and Fels had witnessed the entire battle unfold thanks to the magic crystal attached to Aiz's loin guard, and both of them were just as disquieted as the executives of Loki Familia.

"Then that means whatever it was that which birthed that crystal orb fetus...the true form of that corrupted spirit...lies somewhere much farther down. Past the sixtieth floor and beyond..." Ouranos hypothesized, his voice low.

It almost seemed as though the spirit's scream after her defense was shattered by Riveria's spell had actually been a cry for help. And the wall of tentacles that had risen up to protect her was, in fact, from a floor much farther below.

"Taking into account the way the terrain, environment, and ecosystem of the fifty-ninth floor was also completely transformed, I believe it's safe to say the true form of this enemy dwells much deeper within the Dungeon," Ouranos continued.

Fels listened in silence to the venerable god before responding with a sigh, his black robes shuddering. "This situation is even more unthinkable than we could have imagined. In Zeus' time… not fifteen years past those floors were the Glacier Territory…. such a radical change of the landscape worries me very much."

"Then those hybrid creatures. They're a result of this corrupted spirit, too... To think that one of the spirits of old, sent to save humanity, would end up being the cause of everything threatening Orario now..."

"A bit ironic, isn't it?" Fels murmured languidly. "There have been signs of this abnormality for many years now, but we've not been able to perceive its existence until now...Is it just as we thought, then? Could its recent increase in activity be due to Aiz Wallenstein? Or… the other person I met with near a month ago?"

"We can only assume," Ouranos replied with a nod, his brine-colored eyes narrowing. "There are, of course, a number of things we'll need to determine regarding this corrupted spirit's true form; however, that is—"

"—A problem for a later time… and perhaps something best investigated by alternate means" Finn asserted as the party hurried its way through the Dungeon's labyrinthine passageways.

"What Aiz and the others witnessed up on the twenty-fourth floor...the crystal-orb fetus? Starved for meat and feeding off other monsters? It began consuming magic stones from monsters like those violas and evolved into a woman-like creature just like we saw below —or, should I say, a demi-spirit."

"You don't mean..." Gareth responded somewhat fearfully.

"I do." Finn nodded. "Our enemy is using those portable crystal orbs, growing them using magic, and sending them to the surface...almost as though they're hoping to summon a fully mature spirit aboveground."

Even Loki Familia, the second strongest familia in Orario, had barely been able to eke out a victory against the demi-spirit on the fifty-ninth floor, it was that powerful.

If one of those things were to make its way to the surface—or even worse, if there were multiple crystal orbs already making their way to the surface...

The city would be destroyed. It would never last against one of those feminine creatures, let alone an army, but perhaps that was not entirely the case.

Riveria's and Gareth's faces hardened at the news regardless.

"It wouldn't be hyperbole to say Orario would be doomed." Finn smiled bitterly as he licked his thumb. It wasn't too difficult at this point to read into just what Revis and the remnants of the Evils were plotting. Riveria and Gareth, too, began to realize the gravity of their situation.

Riveria muttered, "Mayhaps… we will need the one known as Saber's power… Ais describes him as equivalent to a Level 10 Adventurer… and the highest level that had been was The Empress… Saber's power outstrips her by a level… and that too is Ais' conservative estimate… not to mention Hestia Familia has another with the same strange naming sense… Lancer, perhaps he too is as strong… for the sake of Orario perhaps an alliance with Hestia Familia should be on the cards?"

"We need to get this info to Loki…. alliance or not… she's smart enough to know how to wrangle other gods and goddesses into helping us. He shouldn't bear any ill-will towards us… but I'd rather open negotiations after discussing it with Loki. As soon as we're ready, we'll head back to the surface."

"Right."

"Understood."

There were no objections as the adventurers headed for the exit.

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

The Guild was as busy as ever that day, many adventurers coming and going. However, none of their footsteps or voices reached the inside of the consultation box in the corner of the lobby.

Within this soundproofed room, on either sides of a desk sat Bell and Eina, across from each other, with the half-elf advisor in question pouting at a Bell who looked apologetic. The half-elf huffed, as she turned sideways, her cheeks puffed up and her eyes closed "Bell… you've stopped visiting me for so many weeks… and now you show up?"

Bell bowed his head up and down rapidly, before facing the floor as he spoke loudly "I'm sorry Miss Eina! I mean… I've been training and going to the Dungeon… I'm sorry that I couldn't visit you!"

Eina huffed, before looking at Bell from the corner of her eye. To her it would seem that the boy was truly apologetic and so she smiled softly before turning, "Hmm… I guess that's fine Bell… I understand that your Familia members are very powerful… and experienced… but I'm your friend as well! You visiting me makes me happy okay? If you stop doing that… I'll stop being your advisor!"

Bell looked aghast before he continued to apologise rapidly, bowing his head up and down like clockwork, for indeed before the Servants had made it into his life, it was Eina that had guided him throughout the beginning of his career as an adventurer, and the fact that she considered him visiting her to be a meeting between friends made him feel guilty that he had not been doing so for a while.

Eina giggled before she spoke, "Well… you're here now! What do you need Bell?" Bell raised his head, nervously smiling before he spoke, "Oh um… right, I mean I'm now contracted with a smith… and he fights with us in our party… I mean he's the first party-member I've had that's from an outside familia… Lily doesn't really count cause she joined our Familia near instantly… but I thought I should tell you! Oh um… his name is Welf Crozzo!"

"Crozzo? I apologize if I'm wrong, but if I remember he's a smith that is part of the Hephaistos familia...?" spoke the half-elf, placing a finger to her lip as she did so.

"He is...So they really are that well known? Err… I feel like a parrot repeating this… I mean Lily and Saber both told me this already…" spoke Bell, rubbing his hair unconsciously.

"I believe so, yes. Whenever adventurers or people in this vicinity hear the name Crozzo, that's the first thing that comes to mind, that or their magic weapons."

Four days had passed since Bell received his new weapon and he was just now passing on the information to his adviser. Eina forced a smile as she listened to Bell talk about his new ally and contracted smith. The young man's name alone was enough to start a new conversation, and seeing Eina's elven heritage it was common sense that it was not an entirely pleasant topic.

"But, it's surprising."

"Eh?"

"That there's someone with the name Crozzo in Orario, who's not a popular blacksmith. He should be well known throughout the city by now. A famous blacksmith like that isn't someone who can stay hidden for long…. whether the fame is fame or infame… that depends."

Bell however, knew the reason for Welf's anonymity was quite simple, for he'd heard it from the smith himself: He rejected all clients who requested magic swords, and the reason was his distaste for the items.

To put it simply, it would be extremely difficult for Welf to be recognized as a Crozzo without making magic swords. The only people who knew the truth were members of Hephaistos Familia as well as Hestia Familia. By contrast, the prospective clients who didn't know the details tended to treat Welf as a "fake" Crozzo.

Over the days, Bell had heard Welf recount instances from his past such as "A Crozzo who won't make magic swords is useless to me", "Why do you even make normal weapons then? if I wanted normal weapons I'd go to a high-class smith… useless Level 1!", and even "Hah!? Fake Crozzo! I'll report you to the Rakian military!"

With those who sought Welf out saying things like that every time, rumours of his existence had never truly emerged from the shadows, and for a blacksmith who lived on the reviews spread by word of mouth, it was a troublesome existence.

While he wasn't disappointed in Eina...Bell was sad to hear that the average person's reaction to the name Crozzo was only to think about their magic swords, though he could not fault them either, for the stories Ryuu had told him certainly put their power into perspective.

"Excuse me, but back to what we were talking about before." spoke Bell, cutting through the thoughts Eina was having about Welf Crozzo

"Ah, yes...Well, can I see it, please? It's merely customary…"

Switching gears, Bell reminded Eina why he'd come in today. A suddenly nervous Eina stood up, her face stiff as a board. Bell followed suit. Turning his back to her, he took off his armor and inner shirt.

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength: F367

Defense: G278

Dexterity: F389

Agility: E465

Magic: E402

Luck: I

Eina's jaw dropped when she saw Bell's Status. Her lips quivered for a moment before she forced her mouth shut. Only eight days had passed since he levelled up to Level 2. Despite that, his highest Basic Ability rank was already E, four levels up from the lowest rank of I.

If it wasn't clear before, it was clear now, Bell was a prodigy that came into existence once in a thousand years… perhaps beyond that, for near half of all adventurers stayed at Level 1 for their life… and Bell was climbing through the levels like they were so many easy rungs of a ladder.

Eina muttered, "Bell… I wonder… your nickname might as well become Divine Prodigy from Bright Prodigy… you're growing so fast! Right… I don't even need to give you permission to go to the Lower floors… your cell might be unbalanced but you have a Level 3 equivalent with you… however… I hope I don't need to remind you that you should stay safe!"

Bell chuckled nervously, before he recalled Gilgamesh' somewhat humorous words, "Does your advisor believe we wish to become vegetable sellers? An adventurer is meant to adventure… if one does anything else… then how could they be called adventurers? Ridiculous! The humanoids of this world both intrigue and confound me with their stupidity."

He bowed to Eina, though he was still recalling how the Archer was growing at an even more ridiculous rate, though that could be explained by how the King was extraordinarily battle hungry as well as the fact that he might as well not be able to be damaged.

Gilgamesh Ur

Level 1

Strength: D699

Defense: A899

Dexterity: C644

Agility: C603

Magic: E489

Indeed this was growth of doubly monstrous nature, for Gilgamesh had stopped going to the Dungeon as often as he used to… well for something that Bell could still not fully grasp, he was taking the goddess Loki on a date every other day… and the King seemed to laugh more every day.

He shook his head, before he bid farewell to Eina, and stepped out of the Guild. He would head to the Dungeon, where Lily, Welf and Lancer awaited him.

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

The same goddess however, was walking with the aforementioned boyfriend as she headed towards the usual high-end establishment she would go to when trading information with other deities.

Gil was accompanying the feisty goddess because in his own words, scoffing as he did so "What sort of partner would I be if I did not do such a thing?" to which Loki had giggled as she let him tag along.

Right now, out of the corner of her eye she was observing the spirit blow at the fringe of flaxen hair that protruded across his face out of some measure of annoyment.

Indeed, Loki had been flummoxed when she learnt of his true nature, which was of two thirds god and one third man but summoned as a Spirit, and had scowled at Hestia for 'having all the luck'… though she wondered if she could somehow get Ninsun to spill the beans on what else her son liked… well unknowing son that is.

"Well, not all the luck", the clever goddess chuckled to herself, for indeed the charmer walking next to her had become her boyfriend after all. But for how long was the question… for in a sense, he would remain in the world for as long as Bell lived, and seeing as to how the Falna prolonged life in the higher levels, and the boy's rapid growth, meant that he would stay on for a very long time….though it was relatively short for a goddess.

Ofcourse, Loki would not be Loki if she hadn't looked into the probability of getting Riveria to contract Gil later on, since Elves lived for four to six times as long as humans, and would certainly outlast even the young boy, and the odds were quite in her favour for doing so.

They were holding hands as they walked through Orario, and Loki was content to keep her silence as they left so many streets behind. It was not a couple minutes later that they found themselves outside the saloon, to which the demigod turned towards her, smiling as he did so.

Behind them however, Arcs was trailing them, completely tired for Loki running him around town over the week, today he was doing the trailing for someone needed to act as a bodyguard, and Gilgamesh would not do something so boring, no matter who it was for. Well that was not entirely accurate, if the scenario posed any true danger, the King would do the job, but as it was, being a bodyguard right now was a waste of his time that he could better use to shatter his master's record.

His face turned serious as he leaned forward, whispering in her ear "Loki… I do not need to remind you of this, but my Familia finds the wine god suspect. The spear-wielder believes he's upto something with Penia… of what I did not care to learn further."

Loki nodded, for she'd always found Dionysus suspicious, but this was simply additional confirmation, and then the unexpected happened, the blonde planted a soft kiss on her cheek before he laughed uproariously as he walked away, his hand raised behind him in an offhand parting. Even for the one he adored, Gilgamesh was still Gilgamesh, but Loki would not have it another way.

Loki gently rubbed her cheek, gobsmacked… for indeed it had been her first kiss… of any sort, indeed while the Trickster goddess lambasted many other goddesses for being virgin, she was much of the same… fondling her children wasn't the same, nor was jokingly asking Soma to marry her.

She laughed at this, before she sealed her expressions away as she walked into the establishment, and directly into the usual private room, where unsurprisingly she found Hermes and Dionysus seated opposite each other.

As she pulled up the third chair and sat in it, "Soooo...what exactly's goin' on here, huh?" Loki eyed the other gods sitting with her at the circular table while putting on an expression that one could describe as decidedly miffed.

The room in its entirety was soundproof, and hence sensitive conversations could be held, but Loki was well aware that either of the gods could be using loopholes in the Arcanum to record the same.

Across from her position sat Dionysus, with his eyes closed, and Hermes, a delicate smile colouring his face, hiding the devious god's true nature, not that Loki believed in the façade anyhow. She tapped the table twice as she waited for a response.

"We're all victims of the same crime, are we not? So we're all in the same boat. Wouldn't it make sense to share whatever information we can?" came the soft voice of the slender, blonde god.

"Enough of the Mister Nice Guy act." Loki didn't even hide her dubious expression as she studied the sweetly smiling Hermes, though this was just as much an act to let Dionysus open up, for an overconfident opponent played their hand too easily.

Bodyguards for the three gods waited a short distance away from the table against the wall, standing with their eyes closed as they monitored the proceedings in silence. Dionysus had brought Filvis, Hermes had brought Asfi, and Loki's was obviously Arcs.

"You'll tell me what this is all about, won't you, Dionysuuuuuuuuus?" Loki pouted, exaggerating the name so as to disarm the god further.

"I apologize, Loki, but you'll simply have to trust us. I'm afraid I'm as unwilling a participant as you are," Dionysus replied equally as despondently, his eyes closed. Finally, he let out a sigh. "For the time being, shall we get on with the topic at hand?"

Reluctant as she was, Loki began relaying to them what information she knew, it was necessary to extract information as well.

She explained the series of events that had taken place in the days Aiz and the others had been gone on their expedition.

"Even if remnants of Evilus have infiltrated Orario, those creatures and their friends probably reside deep, deep within that Dungeon...Alas, people like me have no way of searching for them! But no! The more I learn, the more serious this situation becomes! So I thought to myself—maybe I shouldn't poke my nose in after all?"

"Oh, please, Hermes. We're beyond your 'explanations' at this point…. if one could evencall them that."

Dionysus continued, "And yet...this being who'd dare take the name of 'Enyo'...? It's almost like a declaration of war aimed directly at the gods of Orario, not at adventurers even."

Loki grasped the opportunity, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin, "Isn't Enyo a name Ares sort of adopted once? Perhaps da musclehead's had enough of losing wars and is going for political intrigue dis time?"

There. The glint that had passed Dionysus' eyes for a fraction of a second had not escaped Loki's notice, though whether Hermes had also noticed was not known to her. Almost offended, Dionysus spoke, "If Ares was capable of such a thing, and Orario would have come under his yoke centuries ago… no, Enyo is someone else."

Loki nodded, playing it up as she added her musings, "Could also be a warning to the Guild. At any rate, right now we pretty much just hafta wait fer Finn and the others to return with more info" after which the three gods spoke one by one. Their guards continued to stand in silence, simply listening to the discussion unfold.

When it seemed they'd covered most everything, the gods took the conversation up a notch, approaching the main issue at hand—

—What exactly they needed to focus on right now.

"Those black cages the Evils were trying to cart around on the twenty-fourth floor...with the violas inside them..." Hermes pondered.

"I think it's safe to say they were attempting to bring them to the surface via the Babel tunnel," Dionysus replied.

"Yeah, but even if the Guild turned a blind eye to 'em, there's no way they'd be able to haul those giant things out without gettin'seen...yeah?" Loki said.

The three of them exchanged glances. "Which means..." "I'd say so." Loki nodded toward Dionysus before continuing. "Babel's not the only one. There's another one—at least one more." Her red eyes opened from a pair of thin slits as she got to the core of the matter. "One more entrance."

That one and only giant tunnel leading into the Dungeon might not actually be as "one and only" as they thought. Almost as though confirming her suspicions, a tiny throb began pulsing, on- off, in the back of her mind. Her godly intuition was never wrong, though having a demigod spirit boyfriend to provide information didn't hurt.

She folded her arms, before continuing, "Let's look at it logically, where else do we find monsters on Genkai? All da land monsters escaped from da Dungeon long ago… but we all know that the ocean has them too… perhaps the Dungeon branches as wide as it does deep… so the second entrance could be a lake or something somewhere else."

The three gods nodded at this, though both of the gods looked unconvinced seeing which Loki moved to continue the discussions in other avenues, though her suspicions of the wine god kept climbing.

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

"Bastards, I've already told you everything I know… for fuck's sake… ugh…" came the growls of the swarthy trafficker as he flung his plate at the bars of his cell, quite unsuccessful in his venture to escape, for the bars were meant to hold Level 5 Adventurers, certainly capable of holding back a crippled Level 3.

"As you can see, the man's remarkably un-cooperative, though we've found out which Familia he's from… Civateteo, it's a bit of information that's pointless cause she rules quite a few cities in Warusa, and her Familia is more rabble than anything co-ordinated, so contacting her would both take far too long, as well as won't let us know anything about this… waste of space." came the clipped voice of Shakti Verma, the captain of Ganesha Familia.

Arash could most definitely laud the Level 6's dedication to upholding rules and conduct as she seemed to be leaving no stones unturned in uncovering the trafficking. Well it was to be said that Ganesha was the Lord of the Masses, and the safety of those in Orario mattered to him a lot.

This was not unsurprising for Arash, perhaps if the spirit of whoever it had been Ganesha had possessed during that Lostbelt had not overwritten his personality, he… or rather she would have undertaken the duty of correcting the Lostbelt with fervent speed.

She'd hand-waved Arash's taking down of the Level 3, or rather the Guild had seemed to have provided the relevant false explanation Lancer had cooked up long ago, such that she would not suspect him of hiding his level.

She continued, professionally, "Indeed, it is only due to you that we learnt that he intended to traffic those women into Astarte Familia. We held it over him, and he admitted that she was his… patron, but he seems to have been so low in the hierarchy this group operates in that he doesn't know anything else."

Arash spoke, "Astarte is involved yes… and though the Entertainment District in itself is as large as a city… it is impossible to assume that Ishtar is unware of this, even if she only turned her eye away from the proceedings, bringing in such large batches of victims would need to have the support of quite a few more gods."

Shakti had a pensive expression on her face as she spoke, "Indeed, Ishtar should know of it… or have some inkling of what's going on about under her heels, but whether it's with her approval or indifference we can't tell. Trying to confront that Familia is a fool's endeavour as well, my Familia might have eleven Level 5s but Ishtar knows her territory well, and has large numbers on top of that."

Arash nodded gravely, "So Ganesha Familia cannot be seen openly antagonising Ishtar Familia? I assume this is where I come in?"

But before either of them could get in a word, another voice came out, it was the voice of a young lady "Not alone that is…"

Arash turned, and beheld a tanned black-haired women standing in front of two other Ganesha Familia members. She stood at roughly 5'7, and her hair was cut short, similar to Shakti's, while a hood rested on her neck. Her face was beautiful but chiselled, and a scar ran across her right emerald colour eye, though the eye itself seemed unaffected as it assessed Arash.

She was wearing a duster jacket, though one could see a dully glinting segmented silver breastplate shining from underneath it. The duster clung to her breastplate closely, though the aforementioned armour seemed to in turn be padded underneath with some sort of soft material so as to take on blunt trauma well.

Upon her elbows and knees the shine of guards made of a similar metal glimmered, though her pants were made of some sort of leather that was unfamiliar to Arash, perhaps a monster drop. Wrappings clung to her leg as well, though whether it was a stylistic choice or otherwise, Arash could not decide.

Her choice of weaponry was a long blade slung across her back that Arash recognized as a nodaichi. More curiously however was what was in a sheath at her hip, something that clearly appeared to be the pommel of a shortsword type blade. Strapped to both her feet were atleast eight well-crafted throwing daggers, though perhaps she was carrying more inside her jacket?

Arash was befuddled, for someone to carry blades that required such differing styles was something that would never be seen in his homeworld, but here, in the world of the Dungeon, where so many cultures blended, perhaps it was not uncommon all the same. His clairvoyance kicked in and so he realised that the woman was somewhat proficient in what was essentially western swordplay as well as a more curious style, something that Arash recognized but could not quite place.

"Chh… coming all the way from Sorshana… to find that the bastard Hudogi's already been imprisoned… atleast that's one group of women spared… this archer type fella seems competent, so if we're working together as independent investigators, I suppose it could be waaaay worse" were the thoughts in the person's mind.

He smiled cheerily as he spoke, "Ah, I assume you're from the same region as this… thing, missy? Authorities sent to prosecute him?" to which the girl seemed surprised as she spoke, "Of a sort… Indra Familia was meant to take care of this, but I was from Maat Familia and I'm here to investigate. Oh… I'm Mahari Wanduso" as she proffered a hand.

Arash grasped it firmly, shaking it thrice before speaking, "Arash Kamangir."

Arash nodded right after, "I see… though you mentioned being part of the Maat Familia in the past tense? Are you not part of it anymore?" to which the clearly experienced adventurer nodded, "Indeed, I'd been there as a Level 2 for seven years, though I've been part of the familia since I was four, twenty years ago, I temporarily left the Familia to head to Orario. I intended to Level Up to four as part of a different Familia before I head back, though I assure you I'm perfectly combat ready."

Shakti interjected, "Indeed… Mister Arash, you will find that she has an impressive dossier of cracking down on crime, and her experience coupled with your own power should help us make in-roads into forming a solid case against Astarte. "

Arash nodded, before he offered spoke, "I see, well, Miss Wanduso, the sooner we get to it the better, Astarte Familia should still be expecting their… delivery, and our capture of Hudogi is still unknown to those at large, the delay will have them on their nerves and so…"

Wanduso continued, "They're bound to slip up sooner or later, though staking the Entertainment district is not an idea that I'm particularly fond of… but you are right, time is of the essence, and the sooner we get on with it the better."

Arash chuckled and so the pair bid farewell to Shakti before they left the small Ganesha Familia outpost on the edge of the city. Arash spoke, "Miss Wanduso, may I enquire as to what you're proficient in? We'll be working together, and I'd say knowing what we both are capable of is going to be helpful."

The woman chuckled as she spoke, "Just call me Mahari." to which Arash smiled good-naturedly, "I see, then call me Arash, missy." She spoke, "As a Level 1 all of my parameters were S rank, and even now as a Level 2 I have S rank parameters… seeing as to how most adventurers Level Up with only one of their parameters at D, I should be capable of taking on weaker Level 3s. My skills are with the blade, though I have one magic, which manifests as a form of levitation."

Arash nodded, before responding, "I see, I'm … close enough to a Level 4, though my main skills are archery… and so as to reassure you, I will tell you Missy, that I am… very good with the bow."

Mahari chuckled at this, as she cracked her knuckles by clasping her hands together and stretching them outwards "I see, the design of that bow certainly gives that impression, but it reassures me that you're as powerful as a Level 4, I'm certain that we can handle this task… I'm curious however, do you have any magic?"

Arash paused at this, "Hmm… of a sort, I can see into the future… though it isn't as useful as you'd think it would be." He said, crossing his arms behind his head. Mahari stopped, as she smiled in awe "That… sounds amazing, but I'd assume you'd know best if you think it isn't that useful. Being an archer would be doubly good here, you'll have plenty of vantage points up here in the city, and I bet your arrows pack quite a punch, seeing as to how you're a Level 4."

Arash chuckled, though the bit about it being not that useful or that limited was a complete lie, Clairvoyance rank A was very powerful… he knew only five who surpassed him in that fields, Gilgamesh, Arjuna in his Alter form, Merlin, Goetia and… Solomon… may Ahura Mazda bless his soul.

Where they could see fully through the past, future or present, Arash could read minds and limitedly see into the future…not that he would read her mind right now, he would give her that much respect as his partner on this mission. Suddenly, a flash of curiosity struck him and so he asked, "I understand that a person's Falna is not sealed unless their god is sent back to heaven… but you can't gain any more excelia as you are right now right?"

Mahari stopped, and Arash wondered if he'd said something wrong, when the woman's cheek flushed, "I'd forgotten about that… I'd meant to join Ganesha Familia but realising I'd get postings as a guard… kind of made me not want to do that. I mean, I'm a big believer in justice… but I don't want to do guard duty… but you're right… excelia from this would be good, and if I can't get that…"

She seemed to panic as she continued, "Goddess told me to seek out Demeter… but she's also a farming type familia… getting excelia there would be tough…she also mentioned Artemis… but she's relocated out of Orario quite a while back… aaaaah!" placing a hand on her head as she panicked.

Arash pondered it as he spoke, "I'm from Hestia Familia… and I'm certain the goddess would welcome you in… even if for only as long as you level up. We do have the current record holder, missy, so I assume we're doing something right?" he finished, quite cheekily.

Mahari seemed to mull this over as she asked, "Will your goddess welcome me? I mean you seem like a good dude, and so your Familia should be cool as well… but if she doesn't like me, I'll be back to square one."

Arash chuckled, "Not at all, she'll positively jump at bringing you in, apart from herself and Lily there are no women in the Familia… the remaining five of us are all men. And she's very friendly to be frank."

She seemed to be mulling it over as she unconsciously hummed before she spoke, "I mean yeah, if you're the ones holding the record, y'all must be doing something right, and you have the power of a Level 4 as a Level 1 due to… that stuff with leylines. Right, let's go!"

Arash chuckled as they changed direction to the Hearth of Bravery, and when they arrived there was a sharp intake of air from the veteran adventurer. She seemed to be flabbergasted at the size of the home, and momentarily forgot to breathe before she spoke, "Right… haha I see, y'all earning enough for this building makes sense but… damn this building is huge, I wouldn't mind staying here… and your highest level on paper is 2, heh… Aight, let's go in?"

Arash nodded, before he opened the layers of gates and walked in, before turning around, slow-walking as he did so, "Hmm… Bell, Lily and Lancer should be in the Dungeon… lady Hestia'd said that she'd be staying home today… so I guess she's in the captain's office, so come on."

Mahari nodded slowly, as they ascended the stairs of the central tower complex, while she still took in the sights. Arash seemed to have remembered something as he spoke, "You were from Maat familia right? Did your goddess know Osiris?"

The women seemed to ponder this as she fidgeted with the hilt of the shortsword before the figurative lightbulb appeared over her head. "Yeah, I think goddess spoke about him, he picked a fight with Zeus centuries ago and was banished from Orario… he set up shop somewhere in the north if I remember, goddess mentioned that he was begging her to redirect some female Adventurers to his Familia… seems like a perverted character to me."

Arash chuckled a she spoke, "Well this used to be the perverted god's Familia home centuries ago, we purchased it a while back and refurbished it… I joined after that, but apparently there was a giant pyramid inside the residential quarters, imagine how annoying that would be?"

The woman chuckled before she spoke, "Yeah I could certainly see that… I mean I used to live in a pyramid-type home as well, but putting a pyramid inside a residential section inside a fortress just sounds absurd, as well as definitely something a god would do."

Arash mused this, "Pyramid-type home huh…I wonder…", as they ascended the last flight of stairs, the Persian archer asked, "Is the god Ra in the same city as Maat?"

Mahari was not expecting this as surprise lit her face before she spoke, "Yeah, he lives in a gigantic Pyramid… it's really really big, but that's kinda expected seeing that he's tied for the strongest familia with Indra over there in Sorshana. Both used to live in Orario only a few decades back, hence they have Level 5 Captains who are both elves, and surprisingly they get along well even now, which is a good thing seeing as to how most adventurers there are Level 1s or 2 at most."

"Heh, giant pyramid, brings back memories… that pharaoh nii-san who called me pure and honest, ah… shooting down the sun…even if I blew him up all the way back then, good thing he still liked me in Chaldea…"As they stood outside the door to Saber's office, Arash asked one thing, "Out of curiosity… what's the name of Ra's Pyramid?"

Mahari was clearly intrigued with the interest Arash was displaying but she spoke, "Hmmm… it's the Ramesseum Tentyris… but is there a reason you're that interested?"

Arash stopped, as a full smile appeared on his face, "Ramesseum Tentyris huh… yeah let's just say I've met… Ra twice… a long time back, it was an interesting experience twice over." for after all, was a Pharaoh of the Sun not the same as the Sun God?

Arash shook his head as he pushed open the walnut door, and was greeted with the sight of Hestia studiously peering through papers under Saber's oversight. Saber seemed surprised to see Arash, and his surprise only deepened at seeing the adventurer next to them.

Hestia looked up, before cheerily speaking, "Oh hey Arash… who's the lady with you? Is something going on with my other archer child as well?" as she pointedly stared at Arash, her eyes twinkling.

The twenty four year old swordswoman flushed, but Arash responded quickly, laughing loudly, "No, no not at all Lady Hestia, remember I caught some traffickers? Well Ganesha Familia gave me a quest to independently investigate how much Astarte's involved… this is Mahari Wanduso… Level 2 Adventurer from Sorshana, Missy's come here to investigate as well as join up with us."

Mahari quickly composed herself as she spoke, "Yeah Lady Hestia… I was part of Maat Familia back there… I came to Orario to investigate the matter as well as Level up atleast twice before I go back… I know that I'm asking a lot to be part of your Familia for only a few years… but I hope you don't reject me."

Her gaze focussed on the floor, it would seem while the adventurer was confident in combat, and even cheery with other adventurers, being near gods seemed to make her timid of a sort. Hestia laughed loudly as she energetically jumped up from her chair before walking forwards, "Now now, don't say all that, honestly, I've wanted another woman in the Familia for some time now… I mean all my boys are lovely, but a goddess can feel outnumbered too you know?"

Her ponytails twitched before she continued, "Besides, I've never met Maat myself, but Artemis used to tell me she was a sweetie back up in Tenkai, I can't possibly reject you! So will you join my Familia?"

Mahari seemed taken aback at the goddess' bubbly nature, but she smiled as she spoke, "If you'd have me!" to which Hestia clapped her hands together before she spoke, "Okay boys, shoo, get out of here, I'll give her my Falna… it'll only take a bit, then you can come back in."

Arash and Aurelian exchanged a look before they left the room. Aurelian raised an eyebrow as he saw the wide smile on Arash's face as they waited outside the door. It was not that a smile was uncommon on the archer's face, indeed he was almost always smiling, but not usually this widely.

Arash seemed to pick up on this as he spoke, "Oh, it's nothing… I was just reminded of a friend by something she said, heh well in a sense he is Ra, so them sharing a naming convention or rather… a name for their pyramids makes sense."

Aurelian was lost as he spoke, "Ra? I'm afraid I do not understand, Arash." to which Arash sheepishly adjusted his wristguard as he spoke, "I keep forgetting that you weren't in Chaldea… you'd have meshed in well, but yeah she said something to me about Ra's pyramid-home in Sorshana, the Ramesseum Tentyris, and I was reminded of Ozymandias' Noble Phantasm of the same name."

Aurelian seemed to understand as he nodded, "I see… your words of Chaldea ever make me wish I was summoned as well, to fight alongside heroes from all over the globe to restore Human History, as well as the Emperors that preceded me… heh, that certainly sounds like a great prospect."

Arash seemed to muse this as he spoke, "Yeah I suppose it would… you'd have been a great help no doubt, I mean another First Class Servant couldn't have hurt, heck I'm certainly sure Julius, Augustus, Nero and Romulus would hound you with appreciation for saving the Roman Empire from collapse. I can imagine founder-nii san go AHHHH YOU SAVED ROMA! TRULY THAT IS TO BE A ROMAN!"

Aurelian rubbed his beard sheepishly, chuckling at the statement as he spoke, "Gallienus and Valerian both deserve large credit for the same as well… they should have also ascended to the Throne I would think." then the sheepish expression gave way to interest as he asked, "It's a wonder I haven't asked Lancer to recount this… what classes were the Emperors summoned as?" folding his arms as he leaned against the wall.

Arash juggled with how to explain Nero's multiple forms as a Saber before he shrugged and spoke, "Hmm, Caligula was a Berserker, Augustus as both a Lancer and a Saber, Nero… well the missy was summoned as a Saber two separate times as well as a Caster… Romulus… well… your Founder was summoned as a Lancer as well as in his divine form Romulus Quirinus whom qualified as a Grand Lancer, both very different from one another."

Saber seemed taken aback as he spoke, "I see… Nero was an Empress rather than an Emperor then? That is certainly strange but not unexpected… but how about Emperor Julius?" to which Arash winced, before continuing, "Normally Julius should only qualify for Rider and Lancer, but he was forced into the Saber class… and distorted due to that."

Arash continued, "Distorted as in well… he was made grossly obese, but nothing more. Indeed he was also summoned as a Rider later on… and was quite normal at that."

Aurelian stared at Arash before a low chuckle emerged from his mouth, "Obese huh… I wonder… I am in my prime as a Saber… but I can also be summoned as an Archer, Lancer, Rider and even as a Shielder, perhaps in an extraordinary case even as a vessel for my father as a Divine Spirit… I wonder how interacting with all of my forms would be like."

Arash chuckled at this as well, for even this paled in front of Heracles, who could be summoned in all classes barring Caster. But there musings were interrupted as a loud female voice, muffled by the door rang out, "Alright you two, come in!"

As the two Servants walked in, they were greeted with the sight of the two ladies already gossiping; clearly a sign that Hestia was relieved and overjoyed that there was a third woman in the house, though she would no doubt want more. Hestia offered the Status Sheet to Saber and Arash, who peered through it together.

Mahari Wanduso

Level 2

Strength: S954

Defense: S984

Dexterity: S978

Agility: S980

Magic: S999

Abnormal Resistance: G

Magic:

Defteri Apergia: Short Chant Magic that allows for the levitation of weaponry for combat purposes. The more the weapons levitated, the harder it is to focus. Its activation is signified by a dim azure glow along the user and the weapons.

Afxisi Kyma Kymatismos

Skill:

Choros Lepidon: Increases Parameters when fighting with sword-type weaponry. Allows for the user's wielding of two or more blades without loss of skill or speed, even if the extra blade is not in hand. Allows for the user's rapid learning of new sword styles and swordsmanship.

"Ho… now I see, you use your blade in one hand while the other fights in a completely different style, all the while floating as it does so. Indeed, this is a valuable combination of Skill and Magic, many Adventurers would be hard-pressed to fight an opponent like this, especially seeing as to how they face more monsters than humans." spoke Saber, impressed with the Status sheet he was viewing.

Arash mused this as he interjected, "Hmmm, two or more blades… so you can fight with three at most, missy?" to his investigative partner and now familia member, intrigued at the concept.

She nodded as she spoke, "Yeah, I could dual-wield two shortsword length blades with a third floating, but I instead choose to wield the nodaichi as the shortsword attacks them from a different vantage point, though I can switch it up if needed…. I do that cause I have some knowledge of both styles."

She blushed as she continued, "It's like a great combination of having a two-handed sword's reach and a one-handed sword's speed, and all without having to compromise for a middling length sword… though I also use throwing knives when needed. Though it's kind of hampered by how I've never had a formal teacher in swordsmanship. Most of Maat Familia were Magic Casters, and the few melee users were dwarves who loved axes."

Arash chuckled at this as he spoke, "I see… I see, you could turn out to be a fearsome swordswoman…a very fearsome swordswoman indeed, seeing as to how you've bypassed the limit of humans having only two hands to wield swords with."

His eyes opened a bit more as he continued, "I once knew a swordswoman who would have loved to teach you her Fifth Force… it would have worked well for your style or…hmmm… perhaps not… you do use a two handed blade rather than two blades in your hands… maybe the Sword Saint or Brojiro would have helped you better… but nevermind all that, Saber here is a prodigy in his own regard, you'll like his tuition in the days to come."

She nodded, mildly confused by Arash' words but still excited that she could receive instruction in the sword with someone with the title of Saber. The man in question however spoke, "I am Saber… but my name is Lucius Domitius Aurelianus… you may call me Lucius or Aurelian… I do not mind either, as for training you with the sword… I am not an absolute prodigy with the blade, but I have some great skill in that field, so I hope you shall not be disappointed."

She smiled, but a cough interrupted their discussions, it was Hestia who spoke, a full feet below even Mahari, "Boys… she's part of our Familia now! If Loki and her Familia know what you all are… she should as well right!"

Arash chuckled, "Well, Lady Hestia's right… Mahari, I'm Arash Kamangir… and the leyline explanation? That's kind of false… I'm a spirit, more precisely, a Heroic Spirit, that is the spirit of a deceased individual whose fame was high enough that they entered the Throne of Heroes."

Mahari looked very flummoxed at the idea that she was talking to a ghost, but Saber motioned for her to take a seat, for indeed the explanation would go on for a fair bit longer.

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

Lancer right now was observing an interesting experience, for he was seeing Lily kick the blacksmith Welf, for some strange reason. Welf seemed to be unaffected as he continued to sit without a care, as they were on the thirteenth floor, the entrance to the Middle Floors, nicknamed the First Line.

Why it was named so was obvious, for high-level adventurers had been the one to give it that moniker, for crossing the 13th was the first step any freshly minted Third-Class Adventurer would do. Lancer had already been down here, not only when fighting much further down with the insatiable Archer, but also weeks ago when he'd killed Goliath.

This floor in particular was a flat, circular maze, not too complex, but certainly a layout that Bell and Lily would need to put effort into memorizing. The smith, Crozzo on the other hand was an enigma for Lancer, who had been as much of a magus as he had been a scholar and a king. For one to deny oneself their inherent art of making exceptionally powerful mystic codes, was something that would be unheard of, and maguses would roll over in their grave at hearing the same.

The party was currently resting, having just slaughtered a horde of middle floor goblins, as well as a few Hellhounds, which normally would have posed a great threat to a Lily who was fighting, but not with a Servant keeping watch over the entire party.

As Lily stopped kicking Welf and went over to chat with Bell, Lancer decided to strike up a conversation with the smith, "Welf… perhaps this is an unpleasant topic, but may I enquire as to why you do not like crafting mystic codes?"

Welf seemed to be surprised, but certainly not annoyed or anything as he slowly responded, "Ah, that term, Mystic Codes, you and Saber both use it… but I suppose that's a small thing… I don't like making Magic Swords because… they betray their wielder, for they break."

He continued, his face pensive, "Rusty swords, though abandoned, forgotten, and even scorned for being out-of-date, still carry out their purpose, unchanged from the time they were designed… they don't lose their worth when a newer model appears cause they can still cut when rusty, still stab when broken, and until the blade is removed from the hilt, they will continue to work. Heck, even the hilt can be used as something to parry if it's long enough."

He continued, "Magic swords… you only get one use… maybe two, and while it might be powerful, you're left with nothing after that… something as unreliable as that is something I can't abide as a smith… especially after all the burning Rakia did with my ancestor's weapons… however… your Captain, Saber… he told me that I should try remedying this by furthering the art… maybe he's right… I'll definitely try."

It was interesting, the smith's ideology, to forego power out of his principles, but it was not uncommon, for he had met many other Heroic Spirits with similar ideologies. He gazed over at Bell and Lily, who were collecting some drops together, and mused how much they'd changed.

Bell, the boy who more often than not ran from monsters, was now just barely tempered by Saber's training, and Arash's existence as a whole. Lancer had no illusions over what he himself was in comparison to the great hero Arash Kamangir, but he was proud that he still had something to do with helping the boy grow as well as reconnect his magic with that of his aunt's.

It was not to say Bell was already the perfect hero, no that would be impossible at his age, but his good nature was already comparable to Arash in its brightness, something Lancer admired… no, was outright awestruck by.

What were the boy's motivations? Some of his grandfather's words to rescue a girl and marry her certainly still remained, some of Arash's nature to whole-heartedly save people in any way he could was there, some of his motivation to become a hero in place of his deceased aunt was also there, but the simple answer was that the boy was motivated by the general idea of becoming a hero, and all the little details were just that, little details of a prelude to a greater story.

The type of hero Bell Cranel would become would not be one that had two sides, but a hero that all would revere and celebrate. One could say that Arash was how the boy would have become if he was to fight a war for the sake of the people against other people, but here, in a world where the only enemies he had to trample were monsters, perhaps in the end, he would shine brighter than the great mortal hero praised and admired even by proud demigods.

He chuckled softly before his gaze turned to Lily, there was a Pallum… no a person who had known hardship. Forced into what was indentured labour by her own parents ever since she was born; forced to scrounge around doing odd jobs, being cheated, cheating others, trying and failing to escape; forced to mature far beyond her years by the world around herself.

And still, the girl had not fallen to despair or intoxication, sure… one could claim that Lancer's presence had strengthened her resolve, but adding 1% to a 99% did not detract that it was still a 99, she had wrangled the effects of the divine wine out of her body, and forced herself to surpass her limits all with her own willpower.

Indeed, her strength of will was so strong that the divine contract of this world had recognized its existence by granting her a skill, "Mind of Steel". In her own way the Pallum had exhibited heroic traits, but she had no desire to become a hero.

She was content with treating the white-haired boy like a younger brother, Arash and Gil like two older ones, and himself and Saber as her uncles of a sort, even treating the smith like an annoying distant cousin. It was a good thing, for the path of a hero was filled with thorns and nails, and for one such as her who had already despaired once, contentment and security in a family was the best thing she could have asked for.

And seeing all this, and hearing the thought out answer of the smith, even as a magus how could he condemn the smith's displeasure in making weapons that would betray the wielder? For even such a desire was heroic in a fashion.

He spoke, with his voice low as he summoned the minor portal and reached through it, "As a magus… perhaps I would call you foolish, but as a scholar, I can certainly appreciate your ideology… and as a warrior, your will to master your spirit blood… and as a king, its curse. Here, a book about the art of crafting mystic codes… it is not exactly up to date… but I feel it should help you in the path you wish to take."

As the smith slowly took the tome with a conflicted expression on his face, he spoke softly, his eyes widening as he flipped through the first few pages, "I… I don't know how to thank you, I mean I'm not sure the principle is the same… but this should give me some ideas."

Lancer simply chuckled in response, "Keep being a friend to the boy, he needs more that are his age." to which Welf simply chuckled, "You don't even need to ask."

Their chat was interrupted by a low growl filling the tunnel, and with it came the sight of a pack of cow-sized hounds with fire in its eyes and mouth. Lancer spoke, standing up slowly, "Well… let's get back to it." and the trio of young adventurers responded with a resounding "YES!" as they prepared their weapons.

Chapter 11, more of a filler chapter but eh, I'll see you around in a few days.

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

Candidates:

Rider: Iskander, Ushiwakamaru, Perseus (Successful Shinji)

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

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

Berserker: Darius III, Mysterious Heroine X Alter, Vlad III

Pseudo-Divine Spirit: Ishtar, Chiron.