Desire

by Ignus042

Bell's journey from the Deep floors to the One-Eyed Black Dragon as he seeks to not only unravel the mysteries of the dungeon, but the secrets behind Ais Wallenstein, the Xenos, and the hidden shame of Ouranos.

5. Part V

In the throne room beneath the Guild sat a tired, elderly god. None but the mage Fels, now patiently waiting in attendance at the foot of he throne, could have seen the tell-tale signs of stress in the deity. The white-knuckled grip on the arms of his chair revealed his anxiety to be finished with a particularly unpleasant task; the furrowed brow clearly painted the strain in his eyes. "I want that book."

Fels agreed. "It may be vital we learn everything possible about Zeus' heir. But..."

Ouranos did not appreciate the implication behind Fels' heavily sigh-laced halt. "You think Zeus wrote for vanity? That there is nothing of value there? You believe it possible that Zeus, with the hundreds of years of cooperation we shared, would have left us without anything at all?" He shook his head. "No. There must—there must!—be something."

The black-robed mage quietly noted the tapping foot mostly obscured by his master's robes. He was desperate. "Of course," Fels said. "I will see to it at once."

In his office, Finn closed the unique copy of Dungeon Oratoria for the last time. They had come from Ouranos' chamber the previous evening and he had stayed up all night to read the book in its entirety and make note of every discrepancy he could find. Stacks of notes piled next to him, but he wasn't sure what to make of them. There were a few interesting indicators that related to the current political scene, but most seemed completely pointless—sometimes only a single word had been altered in a story—and there was nothing of significance surrounding what he really cared about—Albert's story, the last tale of Dungeon Oratoria. He had even called in Tiona, with her near-encyclopedic knowledge of heroic tales, to see if she could provide any insight. There was nothing there.

Pushing off his desk, Finn leaned backwards in his chair, idle gaze sweeping the ceiling without taking in any details. His focus was intently focused inwardly as he pondered the biggest question he never thought he'd ask:

How do I kill a god?

Technically, it would not be at all difficult. When a deity came to Gekai, the rules of the lower world meant they came in a mortal body. They were as weak as any normal person without a falna. A broken neck, a knife in the heart, a well-placed arrow—any of these would do. The only reason deities were not killed—other than respect, of course—was fear. The idea of the all-powerful being you just murdered sitting in judgement of your soul was a terrifying prospect. Finn frowned. But every god on the surface was bound by rules; Cel was not. If she were not instantly killed—if she had a single moment to think—then she could use arcanum to heal her wounds. How did you kill a being that could kill you with a thought? Was there a single viable offense or defense against such a foe? His frown deepened. The only way he saw this happening was by dancing as many distractions in front of her as possible while a hidden blow came from behind. Tricking a god was a difficult process, but not impossible. In Heaven, Loki had killed several gods. True, she had use of her arcanum...but so had her prey. He made a mental note to speak to her that night.

Many other concerns plagued his mind, but the most immediate was the question of reaching Cel in the first place. The Xenos and Ouranos agreed she was on the bottom floor of the dungeon, but how deep was that? How many unknowns would they have to conquer before facing the most difficult battle any mortal could dare comprehend? And even if they could adapt to and overcome those challenges, how much of their fighting force would be left to take down the insane goddess? Loudly drumming his fingers on the desk, Tione burst through the office door.

"Did you call, Captain? I thought I heard you signal for assistance?"

Only letting a polite grin escape him, Finn felt warmed inside. Tione's exuberant pursuit of him was ridiculous at times, but her attitude and loyalty never failed to entertain or reassure him. After pulling a disappointing all-nighter with Zeus' book, Tione's bouncy manner lifted his spirits considerably. "No, thank you, Tione. I was just lost in my head for a moment."

The Amazon nodded as she turned, attempting a seductive hair flip as she left. The result was a Level 6 hair whip denting the wall, causing the shelf above it to jump. Tione cried out in frustrated embarrassment as she deftly caught the falling objects...except for one. A small porcelain figure—some atrocious thing called a 'Hummel' Loki claimed was high art—slipped from the top of the pile of things in Tione's arms and shattered on the ground. Beet-red and wide-eyed, she apologized again and again as Finn waved off her words.

"It's okay, really," Finn said kindly. "I hated that thing anyway. The way its eyes kept following me..." he gave a theatrical shudder. "You did me a favor, really."

Carefully placing everything back on the shelf, Tione smiled shyly. "Well, thank you, but...still. I should have been more careful. I didn't mean to make everything fall. And..." she waved a hand at the dent in the wall. "I'll arrange for somebody to fix that."

"Wait..." Tione turned back excitedly—while very, very carefully controlling her hair this time—as her captain called after her. Finn grinned as the beginnings of a plan formed. "Tione, I need you to do something for me. Send a message to Ganesha and his captain, Shakti Varma. I have some questions I'd like to ask them in person as quickly as possible."

She nodded enthusiastically, thrilled to be tasked by her beloved. Finn chuckled to himself as she turned to leave. There was chalk and dust in her hair from the wall. "Tione!" Already in the hallway, she leaned back into the office around the door frame. "One last thing. Don't get anybody to fix the wall. I rather like it the way it is."

Face flushing again, Tione beamed before running to carry out his command. Finn took a few moments going to sit at his desk, waiting to make sure she was gone before smiling at the new feature in his office. It definitely made him happier than Loki's decoration had. Shaking his head with a final chuckle, he went back to work.

The Hostess of Fertility was near empty when Bell and Ais arrived. They had just returned from the Xenos Hidden Village. Like Finn, they had recognized time was precious and so set out immediately. Finn's directive to "drum up support" was met by a great deal of enthusiasm by the Xenos. Gros had no trouble finding recruits. The gargoyle was back in charge of the village on the twentieth floor. With the threat of the hunters gone, Lyd had returned to the lower floors to lead the new low-born Xenos. Gros dispatched messengers immediately—the Xenos were honored to march with surfacers. Mission accomplished, they left the dungeon to find the sun's glow peeking over the city walls. Ais accepted Bell's invitation to breakfast at the Hostess.

Bell was surprised when the Hostess' girls let them in without a fuss despite their breakfast hours nearly ended, but didn't question it too closely. He and Ais were hungry, sure, but he had really asked her to a nice breakfast to make her slow down. Understandably, she had been extremely tightly wound since Ouranos' chamber the night before. Bell wanted to take a moment, just for her, where she could reflect on the fact that she wasn't alone. They were going to get her mother back—it all started with this invasion, and they had just scored a major victory in getting the Xenos' support.

The warm environment of the Hostess did the trick, Bell thought, watching Ais put down a healthy, hot meal. The lines around her eyes had vanished and he could feel the pressure lifting as she smiled. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you." Bell met her hand halfway as she reached for him. Holding hands on the table, they did their best to ignore a surprised meow followed by a heavy thump as the other waitresses subdued an excited Chloe. The two enjoyed the rest of their meal in peace, drawing out their time together as long as possible as they swapped stories about their childhoods. When she told him how her father came to her rescue as a little girl, telling her that one day he hoped she'd find a hero that was all her own, Bell couldn't help but blush at the eyes she made at him. He was pretty sure he'd melt if she looked at him that way for much longer.

Happy that another mission had been accomplished—making Ais feel better—Bell regretted that their breakfast date had to end. But, they each had things to do. As an executive in her familia, Ais had to check in with Finn and Loki and see how else they could use her. Bell, too, had to check in with Hestia before going to the Guild. He was going to be a part of the invasion, which meant going deeper into the dungeon than any adventurer in history. He recognized they would all be challenging the unknown...but before then, he wanted to fill in the knowledge gap as much as possible. Both of them reluctant to part, Bell made to stand first when a deep female voice told him to stay a moment.

Momma Mia approached their table. "Took you long enough," she grumbled, hands on her hips.

"Umm..." Bell wasn't sure what to say. He shared a look with Ais, who shrugged. "Long enough for what, Lady Grand?"

"Bah!" The dwarf waved away the appellation. "Just call me Momma, or Mia. And it took you long enough to quit jawing and finish your meal. You know I got business to do, right?"

Bell bowed his head, stuttering an apology.

"Ah, save it. I know why you came in here." The tall dwarf examined Ais with a deep expression. "We know the signs. It's why we let you alone. But now I gotta pass on a message." She leaned in, resting her knuckles on the table as she said in a low voice "Lady Freya offers Finn her full support. She's already sent Loki a stockpile of items and money as a gesture of goodwill."

Ais joined in. "That's wonderful, thank you...but why tell us this? If Freya and Loki already made a deal, or are making a deal, why bring us into it here, now?

Mia half-turned and stepped back from their table. Ryuu, Lunoire, Chloe, and Anya stood together a few paces away. "Because," Mia continued, "I want you to tell Finn there's some additional firepower headed his way. My girls want to help; who am I to stop them?"

Bell looked at all of them gratefully. Then he remembered. "Momma Mia...aren't you Level 6? Will you be coming as well?"

She shook her head. "No. I gave up on that life a long time ago. I look after the Hostess, and the Hostess helps look after Orario." She grunted. "And if my guess is correct, I'll be of far better service here anyway. If Finn succeeds, he'll need help on the surface." An extremely dangerous aura emanated from her as she scowled. "And you make sure, Sword Princess, to tell Gareth that if any of my girls gets so much as a scratch, I'll take it outta his hide!" Grabbing their plates, she headed towards the kitchen. "Go on, now!" She yelled. "Get outta here. With only me, May, and Syr, this place is gonna get interesting."

The girls followed Ais and Bell. Outside, the two thanked each of them before Lunoire and the cat people left to go train. Ryuu remained for only the briefest moment, only asking the two exactly how long until the invasion began. Nodding in understanding that the clock had just under two weeks on it, Ryuu bade them good fortune, saying she would meet them soon.

Watching her go, Bell asked Ais "How much do you think Freya knows?"

The knight shrugged again, looking much more pensive. "No idea...but it seems her ability to gather knowledge—particularly concerning Loki Familia—is considerable." She frowned. "I hope she really is on our side."

"I think so," Bell said after a moments silence. He was thinking of Syr's promise. "After what happened, I don't think she'd play us like that." Speaking for a few more minutes, they finally said their goodbyes.

Checking in with his familia took much longer than anticipated, but it wasn't wholly unpleasant. Hestia had decided to tell her followers exactly what what was going on. They were extremely displeased by the thought of not being able to accompany their friend and captain on the invasion, but they understood the level difference meant they'd only be in the way. Still, their worry and concern over the unknown meant they wanted to spend as much quality time together as possible before he left. They refused to let him leave before sharing a meal together, and afterwards Bell had to spend some time with Welf in his forge. After a few hours and apologizing deeply, Bell eventually found his way to the Guild.

Eina was just as worried as Hestia Familia, and far more angry in expressing her concern. Grabbing his arm in a vice-like grip the moment he set foot in the lobby, the half-elf hauled him into a side room before demanding to know what was going on, brandishing papers in front of his face. Taking them, Bell saw the first was the announcement of him reaching Level 5. The second was approval for a release of information—Eina had been instructed to teach Bell everything the Guild knew about the dungeon past the fiftieth floor.

"Written by Ouranos himself and stamped by Royman, Head of the Guild!" Eina slapped Bells chest, hard. "Why, Bell? What is going on?" She turned away from him; Bell thought he saw a tear sparkling on her cheek. When she spoke again, her voice was very soft. "And why are you going to be in the middle of it?"

Eina was shocked when Bell turned her around and hugged her. "You've been an amazing friend and the best dungeon advisor ever," Bell said. "I can't really believe what's going on either, but..." he let her go, looking at his hands as he held them in front of his chest. He clenched his fists. "I have strength, and it's being called on to help secure a better future. For everyone. For Ais, for my goddess...for you. You keep telling me that adventurers shouldn't go looking for adventure, but...this one found me. I have to go."

Bowing her head, Eina turned again before wiping her eyes dry. Facing the young man, she guided him to another room, the furthest away from the main hall. The walls were lined with cabinets, each with some serious-looking locks that only a first-tier adventurer could break...or one, sad Guild employee with a key. Opening one and carrying a box of files to the table in the center of the room, Eina directed Bell to sit. If they were going to do this, they were going to do it right.

On the twelfth floor of the dungeon, sweat dripped from the brow of a lone elven maiden. Moisture stained her blouse and her hair was uncomfortably plastered to her neck, but her concentration never faltered as she chanted. Holding her left arm at the ready with a ring of stored magic around it, Lefiya thrust forward her staff with a cry of "Firebolt!" immediately followed by her left with "Cannon!"

There was never even a cry as the monster mob that had been charging her fell to the ground, adding to the pile of corpses littering the floor around her. Nodding with a satisfied grin, Lefiya looked forward to showing Riveria the results of her training.

In the little forge set on the Hearthfire Manor grounds, Welf was absorbed in his craft. The night before, Hestia had explained to everyone what was going on in the depths of the dungeon...and that Bell was going to be in the middle of it. He had initially been enraged at the request Hestia made on Finn's behalf—to make as many magic swords as possible. He was set to refuse Finn, refuse his goddess, refuse Bell...but he couldn't. Hephaestus' words rang in his ears as he began working: "Stop compromising allies for your pride."

With a final stroke, Welf moved to temper the blade before checking it in the light streaming through the half-shuttered window. Satisfied, he quickly attached the handle before setting it atop a pile of finished swords. Considering his work, he was pleased in spite of himself. He had promised not to tap into his skill with magic swords in order to reach Hephaestus' level. That promise was intact. He had no intention of asking her opinion of his work or even of showing them to her. Still, she was right to say nothing was so fragile as hollow steel. Considering the incredible nature of the task Bell was joing Loki Familia in, there was no room for error or misgivings, so he forged on with the most powerful motivation he had. He forged with her, Hephaestus, in his mind. She may have been a goddess, but if the invasion failed, even if it took ten thousand years, Cel would reach the surface and she would be killed. Welf grabbed another ingot and tightened the grip on his hammer with something approaching a snarl on his face. He could never allow that to happen and he would be damned if he didn't pour everything he had into his work. Ready to drop the ingot into the crucible, a loud cough broke his concentration.

Tall, lithe, red-haired, and wearing an eyepatch and a contented smile, the Goddess of the Forge herself leaned against some barrels on the opposite end of his shop.

"What the..?" Welf placed the metal in his hands back on the shelf and set his hammer on the anvil. A suspicious nagging pulled at the back of his mind. "How long have you been there?"

"Over six hours," she said to the young smith's dropped jaw. "You had just finished a blade when I came in. I called out, but you were so focused you began a new one without even hearing me. I had to interrupt you this time, though" She grinned at him. "Much as I enjoy watching you work, I do have things to do, you know."

Sheepishly, Welf scratched his head before offering her something to drink, pointing to some cheap ale tucked away on the shelf behind her. At her nod, Welf closed the distance between them, carefully reaching for the bottle. The redheaded goddess was squarely in the way, but refused to move as the smith reached around, brushing against her as he pulled the ale from its resting place. Unused to having visitors, Welf apologized for not having glasses.

Hephaestus took a swig from the bottle before setting it between them, using a barrel top as a makeshift table. "Quite alright." She watched Welf grin as he pulled a draught of ale. "It was quite something, watching you make a magic sword. The process was unlike anything I've ever seen. And I've been around a long, long time."

Welf shrugged uncomfortably. "It's not skill. Not really. It's blood, not effort. I wasn't going to ever show you any of this. This isn't my way of reaching you."

The goddess smiled. "So that's still your goal. Good." Welf raised an eyebrow. "It's important to aim high," she said with a wink.

"Well, you think awfully highly of yourself," Welf smirked.

"I am a goddess, you know."

The two drank companionably for a time before Hephaestus decided to get down to business. "Some of my familia are joining the invasion force. Your work will be keeping a lot of people safe, including my children. I'm glad you were able to put aside your pride for Finn's request."

"I shouldn't compromise my allies because of it." Welf supposed he shouldn't be surprised she was a part of everything going on. For an operation so big and important you needed the best—that was her.

She smiled at his words. "Aw, you do think of me."

"Every time I pick up a hammer. And sometimes without one."

Wow, Hephaestus thought. Tsubaki may have been right. I really need to practice on flirting. Thank goodness he's just as bad as me. "What about things other than magic swords? Worked on anything lately I can examine?"

Welf frowned. "Not really. Just about everything I've done for several weeks has been custom orders; they're already with their owners. Maybe I have something over here..."

Watching him poke through his shelves almost brought a blush to Hephaestus' face. A smith's space was very personal. Taking another drink, she casually turned to examine the other side of his shop. Behind her, a muttering Welf continued rummaging around, his path taking him by the window. For an instant it became much darker on her side of the shop...except in the far corner, a few feet from where she stood. A soft white light came from the floor; it had been obscured by light coming from the window. Curiosity piqued, she skirted around a spare anvil by the door. On the floor behind it lay a sword.

From a few feet away she could already feel its aura. Her mind instantly went to the knife she kept in her desk at home—the knife Welf made just before she invited him to her familia. He had been young, arrogant, and eager, scrapping with other smiths for a spot to set up shop. She had watched him work on that knife and, after feeling the passion he had for his craft, made him an offer. This blade felt the same, only far more refined and far, far more intense. Her lips began to tremble as she approached. Squatting to pick it up, a jolt shot up her arm and made her heart beat rapidly. Biting her bottom lip, she vaguely noted that her knees had become dangerously weak as she slowly stood. She was of two minds. The voice in the back of her mind appraised it as a blacksmith: mithril, flawless, balanced, light, first-tier attack power, non-magical. But for one of the only times in her long existence, her thoughts as a woman took the fore: passion. The sheer amount of raw passion Welf had put into this blade made her breathing erratic. She was desperate to know—how had he forged this? What had been in his heart when he made this? Most smiths—Welf included—would have said they crafted with ideas, goals, or visions in their minds. But true craftsmen held their goals in their hearts and trusted their minds and bodies to follow its instructions as they became one with the metal they worked. Somehow, somewhere, some way, Welf had become the first smith she had ever known on Gekai to cross that barrier.

"Sorry, I don't really have anything worth showing you."

"Hmm..?" Hephaestus turned, the softly glowing white sword held delicately in her upturned palms. "What about this?"

Welf stared at it with a critical eye. He seemed confused before recognition dawned. "Oh! Yeah. Forgot about that."

The Goddess of the Forge was incredulous. All that passion burning in her hands, the level of raw accomplishment...and he forgot? I swear, she thought. If he gives it some stupidly accurate name like Jonetsu or Shinka, I might think he's actually a god in disguise. "Explain."

Welf nodded. "It was during the Rakian invasion, just before going to meet my father. I came out here to clear my head. When I stormed in here...I felt pretty lost. Very twisted and confused. But when I had metal and hammer in hand..." Welf thought for a moment. "I started working that blade without thought. I had no plan. I thought at first about the lessons my father and grandfather taught me as a boy. Then I thought of everything I learned from you. And then...I only thought of you. I was about to face all the demons from my past, and the only way to screw my head on straight was...you." He scratched his head. "Afterwards I set it on the anvil on my way out the door. Guess I set it down to close to the edge and it fell out of sight. Completely forgot about it 'til now." He moved from his head to scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose it isn't proper to have a sword without a name. How 'bout Heart Fire, Shinka? Or, I suppose maybe...?"

"...passion."

"...yeah!" Welf looked surprised. "Passion, Jonetsu. What do you think?"

Praying her knees wouldn't give out, Hephaestus calmly asked if Welf liked his shirt. Smiling wickedly at his confused response, she said "Weapons test" as she used the white blade to slice through his shirt from neck to pants, her 'attack' continuing to cut clean through his belt buckle. Ignoring his stuttering and spluttering, Hephaestus turned to bolt the door, stabbing the blade through the door above the latch to prevent anyone from entering. Grinning salaciously, she said "I would very much like to feel that passion."

Sputtering turned to gaping before the young man's scrambled mind congealed enough to enable actual thought. Standing up straight, Welf grinned back.

In Twilight Manor, over a dozen people crowded in a semi-circle around Finns desk.

"I don't know where Hephaestus is, Finny," Tsubaki said. The half-dwarf looked confused and vaguely irritated. "She was supposed to have been back hours and hours ago."

Finn nodded acknowledgement. With the exception of Hephaestus, he had assembled the deity and captain of every major player he was able to convince to consider joining forces. Ganesha and Shakti; Hermes and Asfi; Goibniu and Culann; Dian Cecht and Airmid; and Freya and Ottar. Loki, Riveria, Gareth, and Ais were also there, as were Hestia and Fels, though the mage stayed invisible and unobtrusive in the far corner. He had sent messages, plied every bit of leverage he could, called in favors, gave out a few, and pressed the Guild for backing in every way possible to get to this point. It had only been a day since Finn set the deadline, and those before him had only agreed to listen to his proposal. If he couldn't secure support today, the invasion was dead before it began.

Finn told Gareth and Riveria to go ahead and brief the others. The projects he assigned them were the reason for the short timetable. Both were recruiting from other familias—Gareth was in charge of gathering adventurers and training them to work together better; Riveria was leveraging her status as Orario's strongest mage and a High Elf to attract and train as many elven mages or magical swordswomen as possible for Loki's Fairy Force. Considering their objective, only adventurers Level 3 and above were being taken. Effectively, Loki Familia—Finn, to be precise—was requesting the strength of Orario. This meant that every familia who participated had to put their own adventures past the upper floors on hold, and that Loki Familia would have the greatest military force ever assembled since Zeus and Herra were deposed. Naturally, every other deity, adventurer, and citizen was suspicious of this. Finn's fame combined with Guild backing helped ease the minds of the public and many smaller familias, but the big and upcoming familias wanted to keep their upper-class adventurers for themselves. If Finn could convince the people in his office today to join him, then his expedition, as it was known to the public, was a coalition force and other familias would be more willing to lend their strength...particularly since Finn had convinced the Guild to back contracts supporting Loki Familia's recruitment efforts. Two weeks was hardly enough time to recruit, train and deal with the political ramifications afterwards, but if he took any longer then familias would pull out and leave his coalition weaker. Also...he watched Ais in the back of the crowd, soaking up every word as Riveria updated the group on her recruits. If he took more than two weeks, she would go off on her own. He had to get it done.

As soon as the High Elf finished she left to continue drilling her recruits. Gareth followed, keeping his brief simple and direct: "I got about thirty raw recruits who don't know how to work together. I gotta go fix that."

Finn took the stage afterwards. To the gods and captains he told the truth about their goal, but, for operational security, asked them to keep it among themselves, insisting on keeping the whole plan secret until they reach the safety point on the thirty ninth floor. There was much shock and disgust among the entire gathering at Ouranos' machinations, but they understand the need for action and secrecy. Each of them agreed...with one exception.

"No!" Dian Cecht grabbed Airmid by the shoulders and ushered her to the door. "Preposterous! Foolish in the extreme! Airmid is the greatest asset of my familia; I will not throw her away on a fools errand!"

"Lord Dian Cecht, a moment!"

Ignoring Finn's plea, the business-minded god stalked away from Twilight Manor, driving Airmid before him the entire way.

Finn frowned through the window at their hasty retreat. Without Airmid, things could quickly become...problematic. She was his insurance against the unknown. "No matter," Finn said, turning back to the group. "I will speak to her later. I'm sure she'll come around."

Loki perked her ears up. "Ya mean...ye'r gonna ask her to go against her god's wishes? Bold."

Finn's hand cut through the air. "She's a specialist. More than that, she's a specialist we need. I've worked with her before—if she's not on the field, there's a very real chance we never even get close to Cel." He took a deep breath. "I'll absolutely circumvent the gods. Cel thinks this world—the mortal world—is her playground. She takes everything we are and makes monsters of us. We have been tasked with ending that threat. The business sensibilities of an affronted god mean nothing next to that."

The others having already agreed to do something about Cel, the prum captain decided to take a more Gareth-like approach to the end of his brief. "We will split into two squads. Shield Group will consist of Level 3 and Level 4 adventurers. I believe, based off of today's results, that the final number of recruits we get will be sufficient for the second squad, Spear Group, to reach the safety point on the fiftieth floor without fighting at all. The goal is to save as much strength and use as few items as possible so that when Shield Group secures the fiftieth floor campsite, Spear Group is completely refreshed and ready for action. Spear Group will consist of adventurers Level 5 and above with select Level 4 supporters and Riveria's Fairy Force. Any questions?"

Only one hiccup, Finn thought as he dismissed everyone after a few rounds of logistical questions and answers. Not too bad. He lifted his coat off the back of his chair. He really must speak to Airmid as quickly as possible. He hated the idea of his plan having a single point of failure, but Airmid's skill and abilities really were unique.

"Captain..?"

"Ais." He hadn't realized she had remained in the room. "This is actually good, I wanted you to do something for me."

"Yes?"

Finn picked up Zeus' book and handed it to her. "Please give this back to Bell. I couldn't find anything useful in it. Maybe he'll see something I missed. Also..." he quickly scanned the room. "Tell Bell that when we get to the bottom of the dungeon, he's on Corrupted Spirit duty. His special attack...it may be the only thing we have capable of taking down a Great Spirit. It's certainly the fastest. And speed is critical." His eyes hardened and his lips curled into a sad, bitter frown. "We neutralize the threat quickly with overwhelming force. We go for the kill. There is no time for finesse or flair or honorably defeating an opponent. We are going down there to kill. Period." He put a hand on Ais' shoulder. "This is something neither you or Bell has ever done. Make sure you're both as ready as possible."

Slowly, Ais nods. "Understood, Captain. But..."

Finn was heading toward the door. He stopped for her to finish. "Yes?"

Ais held Zeus' book tightly to her chest. "What do you think is meant by the 'race of heroes'?"

Finn cocked his head. "Where'd you hear that phrase?"

The girl shrugged. "It's something Loki said. I heard her mention it to Lady Hestia one of the days I went to visit Bell. She said it was something Zeus used to talk about? And since Bell was brought up by Zeus..?"

"Hmm." Finn thought. There was nothing about that in the book. "Sounds like something Loki and Hestia may have had personal experience with. Loki knew Zeus on Gekai, and, as I understand it, Zeus and Hestia had some sort of acquaintance in Heaven."

"Okay," Ais said. "I'll ask one of them later, I guess. Good luck with Airmid."

Book still clutched tightly to her chest, Ais walked with Finn to the gate where they parted ways; he to Dian Cecht Clinic, she to the Guild. A pretty human receptionist, Misha, showed Ais to the furthest advising room where Bell and the half-elf Eina were pouring over monster information and floor plans. They started at the interruption, but quickly relaxed when the door shut again. Handing over the book, Ais decided to stay for a moment. She rather liked watching Eina teach; she was a strict disciplinarian in the same vein as Riveria. She sympathized with the beads of sweat that formed on Bell's brow when at her questions and no-nonsense demeanor...but she also found it quite humorous. At least, she did until Eina began asking her questions, stating "If you're here, you're learning." Unwilling to suffer harsh elven teaching methods any more than she already had and blushing at Bell's playful smirk, Ais stood to leave just as the door opened.

Royman, Head of the Guild, entered. "Bell Cranel," he said. "I have a request from Lord Ouranos."

Ais and Eina frowned as Bell looked questioningly at the strange, fat elf before them. "Uh...yes..?" he ventured.

"The book," Royman said stuffily. He clearly thought himself above being an errand boy picking up a book...but his god had been most adamant he get it. "Your copy of Dungeon Oratoria. Ouranos would very much like to read it."

"I don't mind..." Bell said slowly, "...so long as I get it back within the next few days. Since getting this I was in the hospital for three weeks and then Hestia, Loki, Finn, and everyone else read it. I'd really like a chance, you know?"

Royman clearly did not relish taking negotiations from a young boy of an adventurer, but Ouranos had told him something like this would probably happen. "Of course," he said. "Lord Ouranos wishes you to know it should be no longer than a week."

Agreeing, Bell handed over the book.

The next eleven days flew by in a maelstrom of activity. Bell hardly left the Guild; Eina insisted upon perfect recall of her lessons. No freebies were given; no mercy offered. True to his word, Ouranos returned the book a week later; Bell used the little free time between lessons to read what he could. He felt those brief reprieves were all that kept him sane, at times.

Ryuu returned...with her goddess, Astraea. It had been a shock meeting her; Bell had never before heard of a deity returning to Orario after being forced out of the city. The Goddess of Justice gently reminded him her exile had been self-imposed at the request of her child; now her child had found peace, she was returned. News of her return hit the city like wildfire; Bell was astounded by her popularity. The day she came back she had been offered a Guild loan on very easy terms in order to move back into her old familia home, Stardust Garden, and had half a dozen elven maiden familia members before the day was out. Ryuu had a familia again...but, she told the awestruck Bell, this didn't mean she wouldn't honor the promises she made to those who had become her family over the past several years. Astraea had also given her first status update in over five years—she was now Level 5. Bowing a quick exit, she said she wished to speak to Finn, requesting permission to join Spear Group.

As Finn had said, all Orario was drawn into the fight. The result was a logistical nightmare. Almost every store had a shortage of one thing or another as Finn authorized mass purchases of items and support components. The deadline he gave the city for their departure was two days away , which meant he was holding the might of the city hostage for two more days—had it not been for Finn's behind-the-scenes dealings with Ouranos and the resultant Guild contracts issued in support of the invasion, there may have been a mob to kick Loki out of Orario. As it was, the Guild kept merchant's pockets full and issued a series of quests to those not participating in the invasion to place resupply caches throughout the dungeon. Many of these quests were pointless to the success of the actual invasion —many marked cache locations were not even anywhere near the route his forces planned to take —but it offered bored adventurers a better way to occupy their time and kept them flush with cash.

Finn now had over a hundred adventurers. In a city of thousands, only a fraction chose to brave the dungeon for a living. Most familia's kept their numbers small, usually out of their patron deitiy's preference for a certain personality type, or skill set if they were a specialist familia. Only a handful of deities —like Loki, Ganesha, Freya, and Apollo before he was disbanded —had followers in the dozens or the triple digits. There were less than a thousand adventurers in Orario; half of them were Level 1. Of the remaining five hundred or so, a great majority were still at Level 2. That Finn had acquired the allegiance —or, at least, the use of —so many upper-class adventurers still astounded him. More astounding were Gareth and Riveria's latest reports:

They were actually working together.

It was rough, they said; extremely unnatural for them to cooperate with such a wide variety of people and familias. There was a concern that this infant spirit of cooperation was only visible on the surface...that in the dungeon they would revert back to old habits and not maintain defenses or coordinate attacks as they should. It was a valid concern, but Finn would take what he could get. If it absolutely came down to it, Spear Group could supplement Shield, though that was far from ideal.

Running the numbers in his head as he spoke to the recruits a final time, Finn scanned all of them assembled in the courtyard outside Twilight Manor. Gareth had brought in almost seventy adventurers; plus Loki Familia's own muscle, they had around eighty five adventurers...plus Riveria's Fairy Force. Loki Familia had seven elves in the group, mages or magic swordswomen capable of concurrent chanting. Riveria had recruited an astounding twenty additional elves, all heeding the High Elf's call. Smiling in the back of his mind, Finn finished and bade them get a status update and as much rest as possible. He would see them in front of Babel.

Returning to his office as they filed through the gates, Finn rested back in his chair. His concerns ran a little deeper than he cared to consider in front of others. There were teamwork and cohesiveness issues under the surface that hadn't been stressed...yet. Under attack in the dungeon —and particularly, Finn feared, when details of his plan came to light later —there was great risk of things falling apart tragically. Finn ran through the list.

Freya Familia was the largest concern. Finn did not doubt the sincerity of Freya's support, but he did doubt the temperament of her followers. Freya Familia had different operating standards than Loki Familia. Their Lady had given them the order to help, yes...but her followers had a tendency to liberally interpret orders. Freya had supplied a large number of first-tier adventurers and they were all independent-minded. As Finn understood it, their captain, Ottar, was only able to enforce any sort of order or unity to a certain degree through force or threat of force. When it came down to it, was there any way to ensure their reliability? Finn didn't know.

Ganesha Familia was central to his plans. They were large, well-organized, loved by the people...and lackeys for the Guild. Finn had learned a great deal over the past several days. He had regular meetings with Fels and Ouranos and had learned —partially from Ouranos himself, partially from Zeus' book —that Zeus Familia had once secretly been the military arm of the Guild. Zeus Familia had discovered the Xenos sixteen years ago and had been working with the Guild to try bringing them to the surface. Ganesha Familia had used their skill as tamers to take over that role, organizing events like Monsterphilia to get the public used to seeing monsters above ground. Finn had no doubt they would follow orders exceptionally well...so long as nothing he ordered conflicted with anything the Guild might want. He would have to make sure Ganesha and Ouranos left no doubt in their minds —so far as they were concerned, Finn was the Guild, now.

Hermes, too, was in the employ of the Guild. But that wasn't all —Zeus' book painted a picture of their relationship that nobody had guessed at before. Lackey wasn't he right word and partner was too strong a word...however one would characterize their relationship, Hermes undoubtedly served Zeus with great zeal. Or, rather, he served the idea that Zeus was the one to complete the Three Great Quests. Thinking on the matter, Finn was surprised at the integrity and constancy of the famously neutral god. But, therein lay the problem: Hermes believed in Zeus so much, he would do anything to ensure Zeus' legacy —Bell. Finn was confident Hermes' people would obey orders just as well as Ganesha's...unless Finn misused Bell. The big issue there was that 'misuse' could mean a lot of different things. Bell was a powerful first-tier adventurer; Finn needed him in the field. If Hermes decided Bell should be kept safer, Finn would lose Hermes and half of Hestia Familia, and everyone else would be greatly endangered as a result. Thinking deeply, Finn concluded a personal call to the god would be best. If they could establish an understanding, his people would fall in line.

A good working relationship with Goibniu and Hephaestus meant he didn't have any problems there, though Tsubaki did have a penchant for wandering off instead of following orders. Finn grinned at the ceiling. At least that was a simple problem. He'd let Riveria wallop her a few times with her staff; she'd like that. He didn't have any worries about Hestia Familia either. They had supplied two adventurers. Bell, obviously. The other was a sorceress Finn was not at all inclined to take until he saw her magic first-hand. He immediately assigned the girl, Haruhime, to the baggage train, afforded the same security as Crozzo's magic swords.

Finn's smile vanished. There was one last fly in the ointment. He had successfully acquired Airmid...expressly against the wishes of her god. Dian Cecht was a ruthless businessman, Finn knew, but still a god of healing. He did not believe he had to worry about any sort of retribution now. He wasn't capricious or vengeful; he conducted business. No, Dian Cecht was a concern for after their return. He made a note to speak to Loki. Perhaps she could speak to him, god to god, and come to an arrangement. That would surely soothe him more than dealing with the upstart prum who stole his greatest child.

Sending messages to the familias he was concerned about, as well as a status update to Ouranos, Finn thought he could use a rest for himself. Without thinking about it, his eyes found the dent in the wall near the door. Staring for several long moments, the small prum shook himself before standing. Rest later, work now, he thought, heading to Loki's room. He subconsciously touched the dent as he head out the door. There was too much at stake.

Two days later, the entire city gathered to witness the most impressive army of adventurers ever banded together. Traders and opportunists of all stripes mingled through the crowd hawking wares. Ignoring the excited fanfare and bubbling curiosity coming from the crowd, Finn addressed his troops. The respective gods of every familia participating were present, lined behind Finn. Everything had been orchestrated to place power in his tiny hands; but it was the prum himself who commanded authority. Raising his spear to the dungeon, the warriors cried out as they set to follow their entrance plan.

Being such a large group, Finn decided three separate groups of thirty to forty people apiece would be necessary, leaving about an hour between each departure. They would meet up on the eighteenth floor, gather the pre-positioned supply caches, and Shield Group would escort them down to the fiftieth floor.

Just over two hours later, Finn's group was the last to enter. As the light faded, everyone's jaws set —many of them would never see sunlight again.

They made their way through the dungeon at a modest pace. The upper floors were passed in a flash and soon they entered the labyrinthine middle floors on floor thirteen. This area featured upper and lower layers of dim, cramped, maze-like tunnels. For seasoned upper-class adventurers, this area should not have posed any problems. Finn had fallen from the lead, working his way to the rear, speaking with his people as he went. When a warning cry came from the front, Finn rushed forward, thinking there was an irregular monster prowling. He was not ready for the sight before him.

The tunnel was completely clogged, bodies from the first two groups laying scattered and even piled in places as far into the gloom as he could see. Immediately calling for a rear defensive position, a strike team to the fore and healers to immediately administer aid, Finn checked several of the bodies. None were dead; they looked poisoned somehow, or drugged. A few were conscious; several were frantically checking their fellows, not showing any ill-effects. Questioning them thoroughly, Finn yelled for the healers to use magic for healing rather than items. Confused, those passing out items corked their vials and fell back for the mages to do their work. Finn pulled Airmid aside with the adventurer he had just spoken to.

"Tell her what you told me," Finn ordered.

The man looked so nervous he was about to be sick. He knew what he was about to say bordered on blasphemy. "Well, Lady Airmid, this is a big mission, yeah?" He slowed down as if begging her to understand. He looked relieved when she nodded graciously. "Well, you see...a lot of the lads were nervous. The excitement of the unknown, the chance to work with Braver and other legends. Being relied on by them, actually! It's a really big thing. Well, a lot of the lads were nervous, and, like a godsend, all of a sudden there were these salespeople offering free potions and such. 'Cures your anxiety, keeps you fit!' you know? The group commanders initially told them to bugger off, but they were all uniformed and the guys were so nervous..."

Airmid was looking extremely wary. "Uniformed..?"

The man nodded. "They all had the same familia marking on their chest." He pointed at the emblem sewn onto Airmid's blouse. "That one."

"Thank you," Finn ushered the man away with instructions to help the ill. He fell in next to Airmid, who looked extremely sick herself. "Dian Cecht must be really unhappy about losing you."

The saint was frozen. When she was finally able to speak, she could barely manage a hoarse whisper. "It cant be...my lord is rough when it comes to business, but to believe he would hurt anybody...and for me?"

"It's not you fault," Finn gripped her shoulder. "But we can't focus on this right now. We are in a compromising situation. I need two things: I need these people on their feet and moving, and I need all the medicine we bought from Dian Cecht checked. Can you manage that?"

Shaking herself firmly, the healer nodded and strode towards the middle of the group of injured, beckoning her handmaidens along the way. Before she could get into position, however...

"Airmid, child."

Dian Cecht, suppressing his divine aura, stood several meters behind them near the exit to the twelfth floor. He was flanked by two hooded, heavily armed adventurers. He was grim as he continued addressing Airmid. "You have disobeyed a direct order from your god, child. It is time you return home. Now."

Finn had seen the saint overtaxed, suffering, and in conflict with dark forces of terrible power. Facing her god who had hurt people to persuade her obedience allowed Finn to see something he had never seen on her face before: the saint was openly crying.

"How could you do this!" She demanded. She held her arms out as she spun to take in everyone in the confined space. "This is not what we do!"

The god angrily silenced her. "You are too valuable to me to lose! I do not care how many of these people get injured or die; it's more clients for us! I do care about losing you. And I," his eyes took on a decidedly unpleasant gleam, "will do anything necessary to bring you back."

Tears flowed down her face at her deity's words. "This is where we are needed, Lord Dian Cecht," she cried. "Can't you see this is where I can do the most good?"

"You do the most good behind the counter in my shop," Dian Cecht seethed. "But I see you will not be persuaded. Very well," he smiled cruelly. "On your own head be it. Seize her!"

On either side of her, Airmid's handmaids each grabbed an arm.

"You won't die from this," Dian Cecht said. "Finn will see to that. But you are responsible for what's about to come." The two adventurers on either side of the angered god picked him up and ran for the entrance as he stopped concealing his divine presence. The dungeon shuddered in a sickening, wrenching way. Dian Cecht was carried through the entrance up to the twelfth floor just before the thirteenth floor was sealed.

They were trapped in a narrow tunnel, two-thirds of the invasion force was down, and something was coming.

The walls shook as grinding noises echoed through the rock, rising and dimming with stomach-curdling irregularity. Then the monster appeared. From the tunnel above them it tore through the ceiling —a Black Dungeon Worm. Regular dungeon worms were fairly small; they could burrow into the ground and chew through walls, could leap great distances and had a strong frontal attack. From the front, they were basically nothing but row upon row of grinding teeth. From any other angle, however, they were extremely soft and fragile. Any Level 2 adventurer could dodge it's leaping attack and strike it from the side, killing it.

This Black Dungeon Worm, summoned from Cel's anger to kill a god, was taller than Ottar and almost as wide. It's black hide resisted the few blades that could reach it as it tore through the ceiling...and made its way straight through the floor an instant later. The roof and floor of the dungeon healed after the irregular monster passed. A seven foot section of the tunnel that had been filled with Finn's troops was suddenly empty.

The grinding sound from below grew louder as the irregular set up for another pass. "Fan out!" Finn ordered. Black irregular version or not, it was still just a dungeon worm and those still on their feet were almost all Level 5 or higher. "One person every five feet, protect the injured! Bring this thing down, fast!"

His people began to spread out, but they weren't fast enough. Further down the tunnel, beyond the light Finn could see, terrified screams echoed...and silenced. Just before the worm began burrowing back into the rock, the grinding noise had taken on a disturbingly wet sound.

Finally in place, each adventurer listened for the approaching worm. It was very faint...and then it wasn't, rushing the middle of the group faster than before.

"Ais!" Finn felt the trajectory of the worm heading straight for his executive. "Now!"

The blonde knight dodged to the side just as the worm exploded into the tunnel where she stood a moment before. Desperate flashed, adamantine blade sinking deep into the side of the creature. A terrible gurgling and chewing noise bubbled from the depths of the creature —its spinning teeth were breaking against her sword, bouncing around inside it. It was being torn apart from the inside by its own teeth.

With a final downwards slash, Ais moved out of the way as the monster corpse fell before her. Guessing the location of its magic stone based on regular worms, she took careful aim and struck. The worm dissolved in a puff of ash as its magic stone was destroyed. Finn watched Bell run to her; satisfied she was okay, Finn turned to Airmid.

Her handmaidens were no longer restraining her; from their wide-eyed expressions, they had not been read into their god's plan. Airmid looked at each of them. Finn, unfortunately, had enough experience to know what those looks meant. He didn't argue when she wordlessly pointed to the now open exit to the twelfth floor. She was sending them back, alone. Airmid was staying with them, but she had lost her support.

"Please," she whispered to Finn. "I will heal them, if you can get everyone closer to me."

It took a few minutes, hauling everyone who remained closer to Airmid, but before too long everyone was on their feet. Ordering them to continue, Finn clenched his teeth when asked about the bodies. "Leave them."

It was an unpopular decision, but nobody fought it. They all wanted to be out of the tunnels as quickly as possible. Finn dropped back to where Airmid was, but she was not yet up to speaking, other than to apologize for her god. "There's nothing you need apologize for. This is my fault; I misjudged him."

Out of tears, the saint stared ahead as they walked. "So did I."

They walked for some time before Finn spoke again. "I know you will do your best. I have complete faith in you, Airmid."

The girl walked on.

They reached the eighteenth floor not much later. Camp was established and roll call taken. They had lost over thirty people in the attack; five had been recruits for Riveria's Fairy Force. The worse news came when Airmid came to the command tent.

"It's all of them, Finn," she said. "I checked all our supplies. Absolutely everything Dian Cecht sold you is poisoned. It's not something I've ever seen before. I can heal the effects of the poison, but I don't know how to remove it from the items themselves. And it's not just the healing items. Somehow, he got somebody near the food supplies. The entire stock is worse than useless —it's dangerous. We have to destroy them before we go on."

Finn rubbed his forehead. "Get on it. Task whatever people you need to do the job, but I want you doing something else. I'll give you some of my people and I want you to check out the other cache sites. Dian Cecht was our largest supplier, but not our only one. I want you to make sure he didn't get to the others. We had excess food stores brought down as well, lots of dry goods. Bring back what you can." While he was speaking, he pulled out a list of cache locations and the familias they had been purchased from, handing it to Airmid. "Take Bete, Tiona and Tione for protection. Raul will organize a group to haul the supplies back."

Gareth entered as Airmid left. "Finn." His voice was sober in a way Finn very much dreaded. "You might want to get out there. I think we need to put that glib tongue of yours to use. Help impress the importance of what we're doing on those who remain."

"Those who remain?"

The dwarf nodded. "At least a dozen mercenaries fled to Rivira or have returned to the surface. On top of what we lost on the thirteenth floor, our fighting force is down by more than a third. We need to stop the hemorrhaging."

Angered but understanding, Finn went to survey the camp. The discontent was palpable, even among his own people. Gareth was right. They needed to rally. Calling them together, he spoke. Calling upon them to honor the dead and remember their roots as adventurers, Finn eloquently painted their mission as critical to the future of Gekai, one that would change the face of the world forever. He ended with a challenge. "If that is not a worthy goal, then you are free to distance yourself from the title 'adventurer'. Stay in Rivira or return to the surface if you must. I will only take true adventurers with me past this point."

By that evening Raul's work teams had hauled several crates of food and medical equipment back to camp, each having been checked by Airmid personally. There was less than Finn had hoped for, but there were still a few more caches up to the twenty fourth floor. After that, they had to make due with what they had. By the next morning, Finn discretely spoke with the captains of the other familias. There had not been a single desertion in the night.

Doing their best to continue according to plan, Gareth took charge of Shield Group. Having recruited and trained them, he was natural choice. Two days and no casualties later saw them to the safety point on the thirty ninth floor. They had had to make some detours earlier to pick up the additional supplies—thankfully clean—but otherwise it had been a remarkably decent journey. Gareth, however, had concerns.

"I don't know, Finn," he grumbled in private. "They're not coming together like we hoped. And with the unexpected loss of manpower..?" He shook his grizzled head. "We may not be able to reach the fiftieth with Shield alone—not if you want a meaningful force left over to hold the camp when Spear Group leaves. We may need to tap into Spear's strength prematurely."

"You may or may not get the numbers you need," Finn replied cryptically. "It's time to tell everyone the score."

Finn had already apprised the captains of the situation; here at the half-way point, the others would be informed. A handful of the other captains counseled against the decision, claiming that excess knowledge would create rifts in the ranks. Any news resulting in discord at this stage of the operation was unnecessary. Finn insisted, however, on three grounds. First, his troops had a right to know what they were marching into. Second, he needed them to accept working with the Xenos. Lastly, if they succeeded in their quest, Finn had the uncomfortable feeling they would have to stay banded together on the surface—at least for a time.

The same shock and disgust their captains displayed in Finn's office echoed on their faces when Finn explained that those killed in the dungeon never left the dungeon. Letting that simmer for a few moments, he continued by explaining about the Corrupted Spirit and Cel. Rage, fear, confusion...a wild mix of barely-restrained emotion swirled in the crowd as they alternated between glaring at Finn and at their respective familia captains behind him. Seeing their silent support of the tiny prum, the adventurers' mutters petered off to a tense silence. It was a lot to swallow all at once...but the gravity of the situation they had been called on to resolve and the trust they placed in their leaders was enough to make them continue following.

Until Finn brought up the Xenos.

Reincarnated adventurers or not, many refused to work with monsters, period. The next several minutes were gut-clenchingly tense as Asfi, Tsubaki, Ottar, and others worked to calm their people. They tried to push a single message: this is a temporary alliance. We're not trying to change your ideals...but we need to accept their help. They were largely successful until a loud scoff came from near the middle of the crowd.

Alfrigg Gulliver, oldest of the four, Level 5 pallum brothers in service to Freya, shoved several second-tier adventurers out of the way, clearing a path to Finn. His three brothers followed closely behind. Sticking the butt of his spear into the ground, he naturally assumed a stance not-dissimilar to Finn's own as they stood only a few meters apart.

"Do you all hear this?" Alfrigg seethed. Around axe, hammer, and greatsword, eager hands shifted restlessly as the brothers watched Finn. "He wants us to make nice with monsters! Those loathsome, hateful beasts that have killed so many of us —so many friends and loved ones! You," Alfrigg's voice dripped poisonously, "call yourself the 'Pride of the Prums'. You are a lie; a damn conceited fool!"

"We are here," Finn calmly replied, "to eliminate the single greatest threat the lower world has ever known. From the monster hordes of ancient times to today, the source has remained unchallenged. You may be a part of it..." Finn casually flicked a speck of dust off his spear, "...or you may leave; betraying the surface world, betraying your goddess, and betraying the noble spirit of the prum race."

"You accuse me of betrayal?" Alfrigg raged. He held a hand out to his brothers as they took a step forward; he had enough to control to try another tactic. "And what will happen to the surface if you do manage to kill Cel, Finn? If there is no more dungeon to challenge us, how will adventurers continue to grow or make money? How will Orario survive?"

Several adventurers looked at each other uncomfortably. They hadn't considered that before. Finn had successfully rallied them moments before with noble ideas about putting down the monster adventurers were made to defeat...but now it seemed like Finn was taking away their livelihood. Alfrigg tapped that fear to fuel support. "You would use us as meat and leave us with nothing after the job is done. Magic stones are the lifeblood of Orario—Orario, jewel of the world! You would have that jewel crumble to nothing as thousands of people are displaced from their homes. No. I'm going to lead any adventurer that wants no part of this out of the dungeon right now." He leveled his spear directly at Finn's heart, his brothers fanning behind him. "Unless you think you can stop us?"

Calmly waving down those who stepped next to him, Finn took a step toward Alfrigg. The sign was clear—he would handle this without any outside interference. The restless hands that had been fondling weapons now became clenched fists—the Gulliver Brothers were enraged that this one Prum thought he could take all of them alone. Their combined aura grew into a dark cloud as their rage mounted. Finn remained calm as he spoke.

"Of course."

The spear that thrust for Finn's heart was pushed aside as Loki's captain moved past Alfrigg, tripping him before dodging a hammer blow and striking against the one holding the axe. Finn moved gracefully through his enraged attackers, baiting attacks and delivering counterstrikes. When Alfrigg found his feet and moved to re-engage with a bellowing roar, Finn slipped out from between his attackers; dipping low, he swung the Fortia Spear wide. The blow caught Alfrigg across the chest and sent him tumbling into his brothers, all four hitting the ground.

"Orario has many things the rest of the world lacks," Finn was standing calmly in the same resting position as before the fight started. "The city will go through a period of adjustment, but the people here are too strong to crumble so easily. And if your lifestyle demands leaving those thousands of lives—and potentially the entire world—at risk, then it's time for a change." Eyes narrowed, Finn held his spear against the brothers as they scrambled to their feet. "I offer one chance. Be a part of this. I will not allow rebellion."

Hammer, greatsword, and axe sagged as the younger prums considered...but a spear flashed as it met Finn's own. Half a beat behind, the other three supported their brother in the vicious, but short, battle. Nursing head wounds, at least two broken arms, and a deep gash running slantwise across Alfrigg's face, the beaten, disarmed Gulliver Brothers knelt before the superior prum. Standing tall, Braver ignored the fallen before him as he addressed the crowd. "We are all in this together. We will defeat Cel and every other foul thing that lurks in the depths of this dungeon. For the rest of time the surface world will be free from the tyranny of monsters; never again will a comrade fall to tooth or claw; never more shall a parent fear through the night for the child they just put to bed. And it will all be because of you—all of you. The members of this invasion will be remembered for all time as the heroes who slew the greatest, darkest, most vile threat mortalkind has ever known. Now, we have a camp to set up. Fall in!"

His last words with said with such authority, nobody thought to disobey. Moving quickly to carry out his orders, Finn was quickly left with the Gulliver Brothers still kneeling before him. Finn narrowed his eyes. "I gave an order."

Alfrigg blinked in surprise. Standing, he stowed his spear respectfully before hauling up his brothers. The four left.

"Well done."

Ottar stepped beside Finn, holding out an elixir. Finn took it with thanks and poured it down his left side—he had kept himself together pretty well, but the pain was mounting. Alfrigg had scored a deep hit, the head of his spear slipping between his ribs. He didn't feel any damage to his lungs, but he'd still have Airmid take a look. He nodded to Ottar.

"You're the one who said Freya Familia adventurers responded to strength. I dislike dueling my own soldiers...but the cost of not making them fall in line was too high."

"Indeed." The great baoz nodded.

Excusing himself, Finn was soon flanked by Gareth and Riveria. Quietly unpacking their things, Airmid arrived. Finn smiled; his friends had noticed the hit, but had not interfered, trusting him to get the job done. Setting up the first tent, they ordered their prum friend to rest as soon as Airmid cleared him. Tione arrived moments later; she, too, saw the captain get injured. Rather than interfere with his plan or embarrass him by making a fuss in front of other familias, she spoke quietly and carefully to Riveria and Gareth as her captain rested. Unwilling to entirely trust their allies, the three agreed to stand watch on Finn's tent all night.

Several tents away, Bell, Ais, Lefiya, Haruhime, and Ryuu sat around a fire. Ryuu was telling them about searching for Astraea. It was the first time she'd spoken to her goddess in over five years. She very much looked forward to whatever future awaited them on the surface after this quest. Eyes lightly misting over, she said "The people of Orario missed Lady Astraea almost as much as I did. However Orario may change, justice will never disappear." The elven warrior hugged her knees as she leaned toward the fire. "Never again. The city owes Finn quite a lot."

"How do you mean?" Bell asked. The others were equally curious.

Ryuu smiled broadly. "Finn ordered the Guild to back the loan that allowed Astraea to buy back our old familia home; almost as soon as she was in the city, we had a place to house and train new recruits." She beamed. "I already have six new sisters waiting up top."

Shocked congratulations rolled in from around the fire. They were happy for Ryuu, and wondered what Finn was thinking. They were all thinking the same thing in the back of their minds—after this, Orario would never be the same. Finn had known it, too, and had taken steps to ensure it wouldn't slide back into another Dark Age. What else had Finn done?

Haruhime, with her love of hero stories, and Lefiya, with her admiration of the elven warrior, broke the silence by asking for more stories about Astraea Familia's exploits. The happy elf, now blessed with two families, told delightful thrillers and comedies to the enraptured audience around her. Partway through the tale of how the youngest elven maiden of the group had once confused dungeon ivy for cilantro while making dinner, Ais tapped Bell's shoulder. Jerking her head to the side, Bell got up and followed her away from the others.

"How are you doing?" Bell asked once they were safely out of earshot. The fire flickered dimly in the distance. Bell thought the reflection dancing in the golden knight's eyes was very beautiful.

"Fine," she said. Through their connection he felt a small swirl of emotion twist in her depths. "I think. Everything we're doing...I can only think of this as a step towards rescuing my mother. Part of me rages to rush in and get it over with; part of me thinks we shouldn't be here. That we should be fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon. But...I trust Finn. And Riveria and Gareth. They say we should do this, and they've never led me wrong before. I understand that the others here don't get that—they're not in Loki Familia, after all—but I'm angry that people like the Gulliver Brothers and," her eyes flashed dangerously, "Dian Cecht can oppose him with so much at stake. I don't know," she whispered sadly. "Maybe I just have to much personal stake in this."

"No," Bell said. Ais looked at him with surprise. "We all have a personal stake in this, because we're all part of the world this threat affects. I think the more personal stake you have in it, the harder you'll fight and the better we'll all come out in the end." He took her in his arms and drew her close. "After this, I promise—we'll get your mother back. I'll be there for you every step of the way." He paused as something worked through his hair. "Um...huh?"

Ais giggled into his neck as she continued playing with his hair. If he hadn't felt it through their connection, he would have thought she was just messing with him. "I like this," she said. "It's very calming. Just taking a moment like this with you..." She thought for a moment. "It feels...cleansing."

Bell nodded slowly. She really did feel lighter; happier. "I get that. Maybe I should try." Feeling her smile widen against his neck, Bell raised a hand to her hair and began stroking the long, golden strands. "Whoa," he breathed to Ais' giggle. "That really is peaceful."

Separating, they held hands and turned their backs to camp. There were no crystals here like in the Under Resort, but the swampy terrain dimly lit the dungeon with balls of swamp gas rising and bursting in the distance. The effect was mesmerizing.

"You could..." Bell choked. Ais looked askance at him, head cocked. "If you wanted...that is..." Bell shook his head, scolding himself for being so nervous. He took a deep breath. "Would you like to stay with me, tonight? No funny business," he said hastily to the girl's suddenly round eyes. "It's just that this," he gestured to the two of them; alone; together; "is nice. I want more of this."

Ais leaned into him, favoring him with a soft smile before closing her eyes and resting on his shoulder. "Me too. Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Heart doing multiple backflips, Ais grabbed her sleeping mat from her tent, quickly explaining what was going on and apologizing to an excited Tiona where she was going. "Oh, Lefiya's gonna hate this!" she exclaimed. "Oi, Argonaut!" She stuck her head out the tent to see a beet-red Ais and an—if possible—redder Bell standing side by side. "Don't do anything I'll have to kill you for, yeah!"

Waving and laughing with a slightly terrified expression at Tiona's full-toothed, smiling threat, Bell led Ais to his own tent. Whereas Loki Familia and the others had packed larger, multi-person tents, Bell was the only male from Hestia Familia present, so he packed a small, single-person tent. He blushed, hoping Ais wouldn't read anything into that; he had been so into the moment, he really had forgotten the lack of room. Fortunately, Ais slipped inside without comment, quickly laying out her mat as well as possible before patting his mat beside her. Laying down, Ais rolled over and shimmied back into him.

"Leave the armor on," she said without moving as Bell sat up, working the straps to his breastplate. "We are in the deep floors, now. You never know what might happen."

Bell thought about some of the things he had seen down here before. "Right."

"Also, Lefiya may try to kill you in your sleep."

Ais laughed as Bell choked off a cry. Turning over, she pressed down on his chest until he lay next to her. Wrapping her arms around him, he carefully did the same until they were comfortably intertwined. Smiling at the level of peace she hadn't felt in years, Ais drifted off to sleep. It only took a few moments for Bell to appreciate the happy expression on her face before he relaxed. In under a minute he was asleep. They held each other until morning; no angry elves came to murder them.

Nobody came to murder a certain prum, either. Finn hadn't been surprised to see Gareth and Riveria standing outside his tent when he woke, but it was slightly flustering when Tione angrily pushed a bowl of breakfast into his hands and told him to never hide injuries again. He thanked them and told them all to get some rest—they had a couple hours before reinforcements arrive.

"Ah," Gareth said, stroking his beard. "The Xenos are meeting us here, eh?"

Nodding, Finn said "Their leader is a lizardman named Lyd. I set Ganesha Familia the watch last night; they're the most level-headed and have experience with—or, at least, have long had knowledge of—the Xenos. There shouldn't be any trouble, but we have to get through that and then rush through eleven floors. You three go rest until Ganesha's people raise the alarm. I'm going to make some rounds of the camp til then."

Setting out, Finn was not encouraged by what he saw. Checking in with the other captains revealed there had been no violence or desertions, but there was a notable lack of chemistry between familias. A few times, Finn discretely ordered his own familia members to aid or mingle with their hired help, but most of these advances were rebuffed. Finn continued his rounds for the next three hours until a sentry gave a cry. Rushing to be the first on the scene, Finn grinned madly at the approaching sight.

In neat rank-and-file, nearly fifty Xenos marched professionally to Finn's camp. Coming to a crisp halt at their commander's word, they disbanded in a calm, relaxed manner as Lyd called "Fall out!"

Opposite the unified Xenos force, the segregated groups of surface adventurers appraised the monster's professionalism. There was grumbling among the adventurers, shortly followed by shocked silence as their commanders—shamed by the discipline the Xenos exhibited—came down on them.

Finn greeted Lyd as the lizardman approached. "We're all set here. How are things on your end? Do your people need to rest?"

Lys shook his head. "No; we are fresh and ready to march. The second Hiden Village appeared not too far from here; we camped there and only began moving a few hours ago. We are ready to press to the fiftieth floor."

Finn nodded. "Have you divided your people into appropriate power levels for Shield and Spear Group?"

Grinning, the lizardman held up a fist. "Spear!" A dozen Xenos stood smartly at his command. "Rest!" They sat down. Doing the same commands to indicate the members of Shield Group, the other captains looked on enviously. Even Finn was impressed.

"The Xenos have amazing discipline."

Lyd shrugged. "Remember: when most of us were alive—and I mean really alive, in normal bodies—we were soldiers." He surveyed the people behind Finn with an amused expression. "They don't seem to like us."

Finn felt the expressions painting his back and the hungry way the captains observed the Xenos. "I think it's more envy than anything. Mixed with a little bit of unease."

"No time for that," Lyd said. "Are you ready to go?" At Finn's nod, Lyd turned to the Xenos. "Spear, fall in! Command transferred to Finn Diemne! Shield, fall in! On me!" In seconds, there were two groups of soldiers in five neat rows ready to march. Moving to take his position at the front of the Shield Xenos, Lyd addressed them. "You know what we have to do. For every hope the Xenos will ever have—forward!"

"Fall in!" Finn commanded. A hundred yards away, Gareth echoed the order. Finn had to work at hiding the smile the rush of activity brought him. Adventurers loved rivalries; seeing someone better organized than they—particularly monsters—was the needed catalyst for getting their act together. A minute later, the Spear Group Xenos attached themselves to the back of Finn's group. The Shield Group Xenos reached Gareth's formation and Lyd transferred command to the dwarf.

As they marched, Finn was amazed to see his troops getting better over time. It seemed the discipline of the Xenos was infectious. He thought on the Xenos condition and Lyd's words. Most of them had come from a time when cooperation had been essential for survival. They had lived and breathed war and never let familia differences get in the way—for a great many Xenos, familia was never a concern. They had been regular men and women without a falna, from a time before the gods descended. It was discipline and courage that pushed back the monster hordes all those years ago—it would be discipline and courage that carried the day again, Finn was sure. He felt greater confidence in the future of Orario without the dungeon and the falna-based warring economy it relied on.

The Xenos-adventurer mix in Shield Group proved effective. The group tactics honed in the Xenos were easily applied to the more independent-minded adventurers, now they saw a challenge. Following the shortest known routes to the next level down as quickly and efficiently as possible, they reached the fiftieth floor before the day was out. Setting up camp, Finn was ecstatic to see his people helping each other more. The Xenos, integrated into their respective groups, had waited for their commander's order before setting up, but once they moved their work was done in less than half an hour. His people were trying to emulate the Xenos, but some of the ways they performed tasks had happened too fast for them to properly emulate. Finn observed a handful of Xenos cautiously approach a group struggling to rapidly set up their tent frame. With a few words and hand gestures, the Xenos quickly had it up. Laughing at the astonished faces in front of them, they took it down before doing it again more slowly.

This was not universal. There were several instances of the Xenos being scowled away from adventurers tents and for the most part they camped and ate apart from the others. Finn made a note to ask Lyd and the Xenos Spear Group to join him in the command tent for dinner.

That night, the final plans were laid out.

"Shield Group will remain here to hold the camp," Finn said to the gathered captains and his own executives. "We will leave a majority of the food and half the medicine, but just in case I want them to arrange foraging parties into the forest. Our stores should be supplemented as much as possible; there's no telling how long this will take. Spear Group will actually be three separate groups—Spear, Fairy Force, and Support. Spear will be the nineteen first-tier, non-mage adventurers we recruited plus the dozen low-born Xenos Lyd provided."

"Excuse me...low-born?" Shakti, Ganesha Familia capatin asked.

"Born lower in the dungeon," Finn said. "Depending on what level they gained awareness on, the more powerful they are. Every Xenos assigned to Spear Group is at least equivalent to Level 5." Shakti nodded, understanding. "I will lead Spear. Riveria will lead Fairy Force; there are twenty-three mages and magic swordswomen in the group. They are effectively a mobile fortress. Not only do they have a powerful cannon attack, but their area-of-effect barrage-type magics are real jaw-droppers. Most importantly, they can cast powerful defensive spells. Fairy Force is going to be the core of this attack; our rallying point. Airmid, I want you in the center of that group. They'll keep you safe, and you'll protect all of us." The young human woman bowed. "As I want every first-tier adventurer focused on attacking, Support will be Level 4 adventurers led by Asfi. Have you selected the twenty people for your squad?"

Asfi stepped forward, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I have. All Level 4, they understand the importance of support in critical situations. They won't run around getting in your way."

"Excellent. All told, there will be seventy five of us breaching the final floors of the dungeon. To get there, we are going to take a shortcut from the fifty second to the fifty eighth floor." He smiled at the questioning looks on everyone's faces...except for Shakti and Ilta, the two Ganesha Familia members assigned to Spear Group. They looked wary—Finn had discussed this part of the plan with them and their god on the surface. They were assigned a very special task after reaching the fifty eighth floor. "Yes, a shortcut. We're going to bait the Valgang Dragons to fire at us near the entrance to the Dragon's Vase. The closer to the ramp up to the fifty-first floor, the better. From the entrance ramp, Support will roll out the Salamander Tarp."

A wave a "What?" assaulted Finn's ears. He grinned. "Salamander Tarp. Similar to the spirit flags we had made to defend against demi-spirit magic. It's essentially a large, fire-proof blanket fitted to a collapsible metal frame. Goibniu Familia worked around the clock on it for almost the entire two weeks we planned this, and every magical craftsman and seamstress in Orario was pulled for the project. We assemble it on the ramp, then Support rushes it to the hole followed immediately by Fairy Force and Spear who will board the Tarp and descend. Support will immediately return to the tunnel where they will gather the rest of our supplies and follow us down; that should be enough time for the rest of us to subdue the floor and proceed. To the next part of the plan. Shakti..."

"Hold on a second, Finny," Tsubaki waved a hand. "You want us to jump down six floors?" The prum nodded. "You do realize that whatever falls has to land, right? And even if we don't get squashed into paste when we hit the ground, there's no way our supplies won't break when they fall."

"Unfortunately, my own familia expeditions have proven that a first-tier adventurer can safely fall through six whole floors. Well..." Finn jiggled his hand side-to-side. "Somewhat safely. When the tarp gets laid out, Fairy Force will take the center and Spear will surround them in a standard circle defense. There are several mages with air magic; Riveria has worked with them and assures me there will be a safe landing, for both people and equipment."

"Bold," Lyd spoke from the edge of the group. "I like it."

Finn grinned at him. "You're going to love what's next. When we subdue the immediate area on the fifty eighth floor, it is very important to leave at least one Valgang Dragon alive. Shakti, Ilta; go ahead and brief the group."

All attention on them, Shakti cleared her throat. "Once all other distractions are clear and the odds are overwhelmingly on our side, the final monster will be in the most pliable position to be tamed."

Silence followed. Tsubaki looked from her to Ilta to Finn and back. "You mean...tame a Valgang Dragon? Like, make it obey you?" Shakti nodded. "But...that's a Monsterphilia parlor trick! Monsters can't be trained..." She looked at the serious faces around the room. "...right?"

Ottar answered. "Monsters have a single desire: to kill their way to the surface. However, if challenged, they reveal something greater than base animal intelligence. They have the ability to be taught...and offer allegiance to the stronger party."

Shakti and Ilta nodded, impressed at the Warlord's knowledge. They decided to ask about it. "How did you come to know so much about taming?"

Stoic, Ottar replied "My Lady has many desires." He left it at that. Nobody dared ask more.

"Well," Shakti recovered. "He's right. It's the greatest secret of Ganesha Familia," she said, gesturing to Lyd. "Most people don't think about it, but we are able to tame monsters because there's more to them than people realize. We challenge the adventurer in them...and they answer."

The silence stretched out as her words sank in. Gareth jumped in. "Do you really think you two can pull it off, Lass?"

"With your help," Shakti nodded. She looked at Ottar. "And yours. Ilta and I have the most experience..." she narrowed her eyes at Ottar, "...I think. We should be the team to tame it. With Gareth and Ottar each taking a side, it should be fairly simple. You don't even need to hold it for too long; just a couple minutes."

"Minutes," Gareth scoffed. "We're strong, Lass. But Valgang Dragons are just as tough. And on the fifty eighth floor, 'minutes' means everything we just killed will have respawned and you'll be up to your necks in 'distractions', as you put it."

Shakti ran through the process in her head. Sharing a look with Ilta, the two frowned before Shakti nodded firmly. "A minute," she said. "We can work fast and the dragon will be injured, but we can do it in a minute."

Finn's ear perked up. "Injured? Will it still be able to breath fire?"

"Definitely. Just don't ask us to make it fly in a straight line or expect it to have good vision."

"Not a problem," Finn continued. "After the dragon is tamed, they will direct it to burn another ramp downwards—essentially, we're turning the dragon into a very large, very fiery drill and will use it to reach the bottom of the dungeon. We repeat the Salamander Tarp maneuver as many times as necessary until we reach Cel. This is the fastest way of reaching the bottom, bypasses the most danger, and exposes us to fewer unknowns. Presumably, the lowest level will also be the biggest. We will be walking in an entirely unknown world filled with unknown threats, not to mention its occupation by an ancient Great Spirit and a god who uses arcanum. This is why Shield Group was so important—I wanted Spear to be in top-form when we descend." Finn spread his hands across the camp table between him and the others. "When we arrive, all effort should be centered on killing Cel. We have no reasonable idea what her arcanum can do, but there is evidence to suggest she can use it in ways that confound regular deities. Be aware: she will most likely be able to use arcanum to heal wounds instantly, so don't waste effort with strikes that won't kill her instantly. Concerning Cel, quick and clean is the only way. I have several distractions planned; all it takes is one blade to sneak unnoticed behind her. The second objective is the Great Spirit. The only solid information we have about them is how their gift made normal mortals powerful enough to challenge ancient monsters. We have no idea what aspect of power this spirit represents, what god it belonged to, or why it is in the dungeon now." Finn squeezed his spasming thumb. Everyone in the tent had heard of Finn's legendary instincts; they latched onto every word even more readily than before. "Until Cel is dealt with, try to leave the spirit alone, if possible."

At the back of the tent, Bell grinned.

"Any questions?"

"Yeah," Tsubaki put a hand on her hip and smirked widely. "I heard you got little Welfy to make some toys for us. When do we break those out?"

"Welfy...Crozzo?" Asfi was stunned. As leader of Support, she thought it significant that she was responsible for handling that kind of firepower. "Crozzo magic swords?" Tsubaki and Finn nodded. "How many?"

"Know those three big boxes you've been lugging around since Babel?" Tsubaki said. Asfi nodded, light-headed. "One of those is medicine, one is the Salamander Tarp, and the other is chock-full of magic swords with enough power to reshape Heaven. Each." She laughed as Asfi subtly reached for a tent post for support. "Yep! Be careful dropping that down all those holes!" Asfi paled even further. "I hate to say it, but...that redheaded brat really knows his magic swords. Wasteful little..."

"Alright, Tsubaki." Finn cut her off gently. There was no stopping her once she started in on her old familia member. "Any other questions?" There were none, so Finn dismissed them with instructions to rest as much as possible before the final push.

"Captain..?"

Finn looked up. Tione was the only other person in the tent. His thumb usually tingled when she was about to do something inappropriate...but there was nothing, so he said "Yes?"

She sidled closer to the table. "How is your side? I brought some more elixir and some bandages. It's not even been a whole day yet, but those kinds of wounds can get worse if you don't take care of them. Which you haven't been."

Finn nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Tione. If you leave them here, I'll take care of them presently."

"Oh, no you don't," the Amazon forced the small prum into his chair and arranged her items on the table. Quickly fetching a small bowl, she filled it with hot water from a pot hanging over a fire just outside his tent.

"That wasn't there before the meeting." Finn pointed his chin to the fire.

"I started it just after the meeting began," she explained. "I could see you were still hurt. It's more important to take care of you. Besides, I can listen and start water boiling at the same time." Dipping a clean rag in the bowl, she said "Alright, now. Shirt off, you stubborn pallum." She fixed him with a stern glare. "And after this, you rest!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Finn chuckled as he removed his shirt and let Tione dress his wound.

The next morning, a cry rang out across the campground.

"Oh, come on! That's just not fair!"

Tiona, tongue sticking out, gleefully told Tione that for the past two nights Ais had altered her sleeping arrangements. "Yep!" She exclaimed to her sister. "And she's been looking very happy and well-rested, too!"

"Dammit!" Tione raised her fists to the dungeon ceiling. "Why do you always have to kick me out, captain! You could have been healed already if you accepted my loving touch!"

Finally settling down, the two Amazons quickly set to work breaking down their tent. Only taking what they needed for combat, every item left behind was carefully stowed in their folded tent and packed neatly in the center of camp. The Xenos discipline and work ethic astounded them as they made their way through camp. Given they had no idea how long they'd be gone, the Xenos of Shield Group had worked in shifts through the night harvesting trees. A solid pallisade had been erected around half the campsite, with more trees brought in every few minutes. Before too long, this would be a fortress.

"Wow," Tiona was impressed. "Look at 'em go!"

"We should be going too," Tione grabbed her sister, but it was hard to tear her eyes away from the Xenos handiwork. "We're heading out in a minute."

Finn was speaking to Lyd, applauding the work that had been done and telling him to make sure the other adventurers contributed.

"Already done," the lizardman said. "After seeing what we were doing, we couldn't stop them from grabbing axes. I think I'm going to have them dig a nice latrine pit next."

Laughing, Finn clapped the lizardman on the elbow. "Glad to have you with us, Lyd."

"Likewise."

The two saw the Amazons approaching. "Excellent, good morning!" Finn called. "Have you eaten yet?" When they shook their heads he led them to the command tent. It was being left up for Gros and Raul's use—they were in charge of Shield Group holding the fiftieth floor. Every other member of Spear was there sharing a meal before assembling at the ramp to the fifty-first floor.

Ais really does look happy and well-rested, Tione thought, as the young woman handed her a bowl of eggs and rice. It must be nice. She shuddered thinking about the last time they prepared to enter the fifty-first floor. Even if there were no nasty surprises like last time, they were still going down to accomplish an impossible goal. She would give anything to have her beloved give her comfort like Ais had. She quickly beat herself up for the thought. She was a warrior—she'd be fine so long as she could fight. An uncomfortable nagging gnawed at the back of her mind thinking about their previous fight on the floor below. Bell Cranel had saved them...she had seen him for several days now, but hadn't gotten the chance to ask him about it. Apparently, Tiona had the same thought.

"Argonaut!" She mumbled with her mouth full. "You gotta tell us! What was that insane attack you used to kill all those monsters on the fifty-first floor before?"

Shyly scratching the back of his head, his gaze went from Ais' politely curious face, to Tione's stare, to Finn's encouraging nod—sitting the next table over, Tiona's questions had attracted his attention as well. Haruhime, sitting next to Ais, told him it was okay to go ahead. Finally, he said "It's a heroic strike. My goddess says its the ability to overcome even the most overwhelming odds. I can charge it for one minute per level, but the more powerful I make it, the more damage I get in feedback."

"Feedback?"

"Yeah. I tried punching a monster with the skill and broke my hand; whatever weapon I use gets destroyed if I charge too much power. Well, every one except the Hestia Knife. I figured out how to do a few other things with it, like double-charging the ability. I try not to use it too often, though."

"Aww, why not?!"

"Because it takes a lot of Mind...and I don't like breaking lots of weapons. Besides, it doesn't really involve skill. It's for..." Bell frowned. "Well...I guess it's just for killing. I've only used it in bad situations where it didn't matter if I defeated or overcame or beat an opponent—I just needed it to die."

The Amazon twins, Ais, and Finn all nodded. They'd been there. They were surprised when he gave a small chuckle.

Ais cocked her head at him. "What is it?"

Bell waved his hand. "It's just...when I first met your familia on the eighteenth floor and Tiona started calling me Argonaut...and when you asked about getting stats to level 'S'...I thought you guys had somehow read my falna while I was unconscious."

The three girls looked at each other. "Wait." Tiona leaned in excitedly. "What are you saying?"

"That's the name of my skill, the heroic strike skill. Argonaut."

There was dead silence for half a moment before Tiona split the air with an excited shriek. "No way!" She got up to dance around the table. "Oh, man! Tione, Ais! There's no way we're gonna lose! We really do have Argonaut here!"

Bell cringed as Tione rolled her eyes and forced her sister to sit. "So...wait." He looked around. "You didn't know?"

"Nope!" Tiona sad happily, looking at him dreamily like a hero had come right off the page in front of her.

"Knock it off," Tione said. "It's just the name of a skill, he's not really a hero from thousands of years ago."

"You have no sense of fun."

"Why you..!"

As the two sisters bickered, Ais leaned in. "Is that really the name of your skill?" When he nodded, she said "Wow. Now there'll be no living with Tiona. Why..." she trailed off. "How did you even get a skill like that anyway?"

Bell grinned shyly. "Remember the fight with the minotaur where I became Level 2? Well, you were about to save me...again...and I couldn't just let that happen. I couldn't allow myself to continually be saved by the girl whose hero I wanted to become. So I got up and told myself I wanted to be a hero who could overcome any odds, to be the hero who could protect the girl." He scratched his head again. "Yeah. That's how I got Argonaut."

Ais' blush could have fried an egg. "Well. That explains why you were always so nervous around me. I thought you were afraid of me, you know. You hurt my feelings a lot."

"...sorry."

She leaned into him with a smile. "I think it worked out." Noticing Finn stand, she poked at the scrapping sisters next to them. Glancing where she pointed, they quickly dove back into their breakfast. "You should eat, too. When Finn looks like that, we're about to head out."

She was right. In no time at all Spear had mobilized and they were entering the fifty-first floor. The Xenos immediately proved a valuable asset. Beings born of the dungeon, they could sense the presence of incoming monsters far more accurately than the surface adventurers. In the labyrinth of the fifty-first floor, with its many sharp corners and crossroads, this extra few seconds of forewarning kept the invasion force out of any real trouble. A few colonies of deformis spiders were encountered near the beginning, but they were quickly dispatched. Finn was pleased at the Xenos strength and forewarning and by the number of first-tier adventurers here; with this force, he felt confident they could clear any floor the dungeon could offer. But clearing floors wasn't the point. Power had purpose, and the purpose of this force was to kill an insane god. He had to deliver them to the deepest part of the dungeon while they were still strong and whole. They pushed forward.

They shortly arrived at the battleground they had fled several weeks ago. Finn noted with interest that the crater where the demi-spirit had been born was healed, as was the hole where it had fired at him and Ais as they ran. More interstingly, the green substance on the ground had not grown into a thicker, more jungle-like scene. Even the air wasn't as humid as he remembered. The entire green mass under their feet seemed...dead.

"Odd," Gareth grumbled next to Finn. The prum nodded as Gareth looked around. "Not only that; don't you think we'd have run into more resistance? We've seen a good number of black rhinos and those detestible spiders...but nothing like we'd normally expect."

Riveria came to Finn's other side, nodding in agreement with the dwarf. "Indeed. Do you think Ouranos is exerting more power to restrain the dungeon?"

Finn shook his head and scratched his collar conspiculously. Looking close, they noticed a small red jewel sewn into the fabric, hidden amongst the embroidery. Their captain had an oculus planted on his collar. "No. Ouranos wouldn't waste strength at a point like this when adventurers can handle things just fine. But you're right—the dungeon does seem a little lax."

"The dungeon never makes things easy."

"The dungeon really is a capricious bitch."

Finn smiled as Riveria and Gareth voiced their distaste for the situation. "Agreed. However easy she's making things for us now, we'll pay for later. I fear the Hell of the deep is going to be worse than any of us could possibly imagine." He sighed. "Cel is preparing for our arrival. Let's not keep her waiting."

They reached the ramp to the fifty second floor a couple hours later. Making sure Shakti, Ilta, Ottar, and Gareth were ready, Riveria ordered Fairy Force to have their spells ready while Support put together the Salamander Tarp. Being the fastest—much to Bete's irritation—Freya Familia's Allen Fromel was sent to bait the dragon. Crouching near the end of the ramp a few meters from the rest of the party, he loitered with a palm flat to the ground, feeling for vibrations. Soon he stood, legs tensed as a rumbling sound welled up from below. Throwing himself to the side, a lance of dragon fire burst through the ground. Two or three more bolts followed, steam rising from the molten rock rimming the newly created tunnel.

"All forward!" Finn yelled. As quickly as possible, Support ran out the tarp while Fairy Force—its mages with skill in air magic concentrating very hard—took up the central position, Spear surrounding them. Arranged, Finn yelled "Drop!"

It was a rapid descent, but despite the unusual footing situation the first-tier adventurers were able to compensate. Over Gareth's head, Tione eyed her captain suspiciously. "Please tell me you didn't get this idea from me knocking that stupid hummel off the shelf, Captain!" She scowled when he grinned at her. "You'll remember—that thing broke!"

"But you're not made of porcelain, are you?"

Scowl slipping, she slowly smiled and winked at the pallum. She'd show him what she was made of.

Several heavy thumps rocked the Tarp as they fell and Finn saw the strain an the mages faces. Dragon fire was striking them from below; the Tarp held up superbly. "We're nearly there!" he called to Riveria.

The High Elf nodded. Raising her staff, she shouted "On me...release!"

Streams of energy of all sorts shot over the adventurers heads as over a dozen upper-class mages released barrage-type magic. Red, blue, white, green, yellow and many other colored bolts of magic issued forth from the center of the group, rising up before turning sharply to speed past the Tarp. Not-so-distant explosions and roars rocked the fifty eighth floor. The residue of so much expended magic was so sharp it burned Finn's nose, but Riveria was already using her skill to soak up the leftover energy and recirculate it back into Fairy Force's reserves. They had time to launch two more devastating barrages before they landed. A fourth was being prepared when Finn ordered them to halt. Scanning the area, there were only three dragons left.

"Wow, Fairy Force is awesome!" Tiona exclaimed. "They got almost all of them!"

Indeed, there were a great many monster corpses on the ground with clear signs of magical trauma...but there were far fewer corpses than there should have been if the floor had been normally occupied.

"Shut up, idiot," Tione snapped. "Can't you see something is wrong?"

"Quiet," Finn told both of them sharply. Now was not the time for animated discussion. "Shakti, Ilta—you're up. Gareth and Ottar assist them. Everyone else, take care of the two flanking dragons and form a defense perimeter around the last. I want our new tunnel made and everyone ready to go the moment Support gets here."

So many first-tier adventurers working in sync made light work of the two dragons Finn targeted. The third now had the two strongest adventurers in the world attached to each wing joint, holding it immobile as Shakti and Ilta worked. The process was...not easy to watch.

As Ottar said, monsters acknowledged strength and allied themselves with the one who subdued it. Ganesha Familia put on taming shows during Monsterphilia where tamers would face a wild monster, consistently beating it in combat and occasionally directing it with their whips. Like breaking a horse, only much deadlier and much greater force had to be applied. Still, the tamers at Monsterphilia won the monster's obedience without damaging them. It took time and patience, but it was possible. With the shortened time frame, Shakti and Ilta were doing everthing possible to force the monster to submit to their will. They looked slightly sick as they carried out their work; there was very little skill in what they were doing. It was more along the lines of torture.

Taking an eye and ripping asunder a wing, the two proceeded to dodge its attacks while Ilta cracked her whip authoritatively in front of it while Shakti—who refused to let her subordinate perform such a distasteful task—continued to maim the beast.

"That's enough," she called to Gareth and Ottar. "Let him up; the last part has to be between beast and tamer, alone."

Ilta faced the lamed Valgang Dragon. Dodging a final strike, she flicked her wrist sharply. He whip drew a long scarlet line along the dragon's nose. It reared its head with a snort, like it was going to attack again, but another whipcrack, and another, and another, forced it back and away from Ilta as she advanced. Stepping boldly in front of its large jaws, Ilta cracked her whip a final time and held her hand low to the ground. Followng her hand, the creature's head drifted down until it rested in the dirt. Snorting smoke, it blinked at Ilta before closing its eyes in submission.

"It's ours," Ganesha's Level 5 Amazon said, wiping her brow.

Noises from the tunnel above them signaled the arrival of Support. "Excellent work. Do it," Finn said.

Ilta guided the dragon facing away from the party. Once set, the dragon gathered its noxious acid at the back of its throat and launched a fireball at the floor. As it burrowed into the ground, color swirled behind the flames is it ate deeper into the rock. A sense of forboding filled Finn's body. "Ais! Tempest, now!"

Thick black smoke rose from the hole the dragon created. The heavy, suffocating mass quickly filled the room, but Ais was able to choke out her magic. Tempest funneled the smoke away from the party and to the tunnel above them where it dispersed over the next several floors. As the flow of smoke billowing up gradually lessened, Finn didn't think they had to worry about smoking out Shield Group on the fiftieth floor; the floors above them were so large the smoke probably hadn't risen much past the fifty fifth, if that. The room finally clear, Finn looked down the shaft to see a handful of openings to other levels below them before the tunnel disappeared in darkness. There was nothing to indicate the source of the smoke. Checking around the group, he was glad to see there were no ill-effects. He noticed Bell speaking with Ais, who then pointed to him. Bell followed her finger to meet Finn's eyes. Nodding at the girl, he approached the prum.

"Ais said you haven't encountered this before, but...we recognize the smell. It's what the green stuff demi-spirits feed off of smells like when it burns. We learned that in Knossos, when Asterius died."

Finn's eyes narrowed. "You're absolutely sure?" The boy nodded. "Hmm. Well, I don't see any sign of the green substance now. Perhaps it all burned away...perhaps it was left as a trap of some sort. Perhaps we accidentally hit a demi-spirit nursery or some sort of food storehouse." He looked down the tunnel again. "It doesn't matter. Our mission hasn't changed. Maybe it will be even easier, if we really did destroy something important to the Corrupted Spirit. Perhaps even jewel fetuses were stored there gathering energy and we just destroyed them." Tearing his eyes away from the tunnel, he asked Asfi for a lantern. Opening the shutter as wide as possible, he ignored Asfi's gasp of protest as he dropped it down the opening.

"Is it...is it still falling?" Bell asked. "It's so hard to tell."

"It's stopped," Finn replied. "And it's not just the end of the dragon's range. That's the bottom of the dungeon. We're there."

Bell snapped his head toward Finn in surprise. "How can you tell?"

Gripping his tingling thumb, Finn winked. "Just a hunch. But my hunches are usually good." Quickly setting up the next descent, Finn ordered the dragon be sent first. As the dragon slithered down the hole, Spear Group arranged itself as before, with the addition of Support in the middle, and followed it into Cel's abode.

As they fell, Finn grew increasingly grave. The tamed dragon had stopped making noises; even the air seemed devoid of sound as it rushed by the group. A strange, otherworldly placidness enveloped the group as they fell through silence and darkness. When they reached the bottom...there was nothing.

Disturbingly, there was absolutely no sign of the tamed dragon they sent ahead. Not a single monster waited for them, not a single roar or bellow greeted them. This did not mean there were none, Finn thought grimly. In a completely foreign world, perhaps the monsters here had camoflauge or some sort of invisibility magic...but he didn't really believe that. Whatever occupied this floor was powerful enough that monsters didn't need to prowl. Catching Asfi's eye, he ordered the Crozzo swords be handed out. There was one for every Spear Group member, including the Xenos. He saw several people jump in surprise as they felt the awesome firepower now in their hands.

Finn began appraising their surroundings again. He was surprised by the lack of jungle terrain. He had thought the earth goddess, with her method of raising demi-spirits, would have transformed her realm into a green hell, but this...this was just empty. The floor was wide, open, and very tall. Finn sensed that it was as high as at least any three other deep floors combined. The effect was very...airy. He frowned. Perhaps Cel was more like Ouranos than even Ouranos believed.

It was very dark; there was no source of light on this level. Fortunately, Asfi had a number of other lanterns and magic stone devices of her own design to pass out. The floor was simple dirt, no different than one might expect on the surface. With no indication of where to go, Finn asked Lyd if the Xenos could feel anything.

The Xenos had odd expressions. Lyd raised a shaking finger. "That way," he said. "It's strange...this deep...the mother..." He shook his head and his focus became a little sharper. "We can feel her, but it's strange, Finn. I feel that she's in the center of the floor...but also in the floor. All around us." The lizardman shifted uncomfortably. "She is watching us."

"Are you going to be okay?" Finn cast a critical eye at the Xenos. If they were being interfered with, they could prove a liability.

"Yes," Lyd nodded. "This floor is massive; it will take some time to reach her. The sense is just...a little surprising, that's all. We will be fine by the time we reach her."

Ordering them to fall in, Finn trusted Lyd's instincts to lead them through the dark. There was no resistance at all, but even after hours of oppressive silence they had yet to reach their goal. Even the usually chipper Tiona couldn't overcome the gloom that settled on them.

Bell shifted his shoulders like he was trying to ease off a heavy burden. "It's like a god's aura," he whispered to Ais. "It you focus on it, you can feel her. All the pressure weighing down on our shoulders...it's like standing next to Lady Hestia or Loki, only heavier. Darker."

"It is a god's aura," Finn reminded him. "We're getting close."

A single lightsource shone ahead. A deep, dark purple laced with bright white, like a stomcloud heavy with lightning, shone a few hundred yards ahead of them. Canceling their own lights, Spear approached in the darkness until they saw a growth like a tree sticking up from the ground. When they got closer, they realized it was no tree.

Cel's eyes were black, devoid of all life and light. Her face had the beauty of a goddess, but those cold, dead eyes lent her a corpsified nature. Where there should have been legs there were roots sunk deep into the dungeon floor. Finn understood the Xenos feeling of her presence, now. Cel was not an inhabitant of the dungeon—she was the dungeon. Like Udaeus on the thirty seventh floor—perhaps she had drawn inspiration for him from herself—Cel had literally grown into the dungeon and her divine will suffused its walls. Finn reflected this was probably how the dungeon healed so rapidly, responded angrily to extensive damage done, and quickly targeted gods within its walls. The exposed abdomen separating her root-legs and relatively normal upper body featured the criss-crossed pattern of plantlike skin that was the hallmark of hybrid creatures. Her long, pale arms cradled a large amber-colored crystal orb surrounding...Finn's eyes narrowed. It was not a jewel fetus. It looked much more like the description Loki had given of Ais before she had been accidentally revived by Freya. He couldn't see the encased body very well, but it was undoubtedly the Corrupted Spirit that spawned the demi-spirits. But that meant...

Finn looked at the main lightsource that had attracted their attention. It was coming from something shaped like a man. He looked closer. It was man—an old man, or it looked very much like one. The aura of power surrounding it belied any claim it may have to being mortal, however.

Cel had two Great Spirits.

"These are my children." The voice that spoke to them from the darkness was cold and wet and stuck to their souls like fungal rot on a tree. Laughter floated in every word, somehow not at all conflicting with the simultaneous rage, disappointment, and revulsion. "And such good children they are. Not at all like the rebellious ones who led you to me."

The Xenos twitched as she spoke. Finn raised an eyebrow. They looked to be in great pain. "Problem?"

"It's...her..." Lyd choked. "Our bodies were...created by her. She is...gah!" The lizardman cried out as he fell to a knee. Raising a palm to Finn, he hauled himself up; several other Xenos were affected the same way. "She's trying to control us, but she can't. She made our bodies, but our souls are our own. She can't take us...but she can hurt us at will."

"Such poorly behaved children," Cel wept from lifeless eyes. "Just like all those created by the careless 'gods' of Tenkai. I never should have made you. I was convinced to experiment..." her eyes flashed at the old man standing immobile beside her, "...but you were failures. I much prefer crafting new things with the divine spark...what you so quaintly call the 'soul'. Imitating Heaven's version of reincarnation was foolish; it only ends with more disobedience and chaos." She smiled merrily at the adventurers before her. "But you! I cannot blame you for being born what you are. And such delightful toys you will make when I take your spark and forge it anew into a Child of Cel. Tell me," her roots creaked as she leaned forward conspiratorially. "What do you think of my children? Not these," she waved a disgusted hand at the Xenos. "No. My obedient, orderly children—are they not grand?"

"You mean the creatures in the dungeon?" Finn was being deliberately dense, playing for time. He didn't want to provoke her just yet, and he had to keep her focused on him. He had given the signal as soon as she began speaking.

"Yes," Cel smiled broadly. "They are beautiful, well-behaved creations, superior in every way to what those ridicuous pretenders who came after made. Coming into my world and filling it with their nonsense, their chaos and disorder! Like this one..."

Roots shot up from the ground behind her; a scream came from midair and blood shot out in streams as the roots penetrated an invisible body. Knocking off the magical cap that made her invisible, Asfi came into view, suspended by the growths that tore through her body, dagger inches from the back of Cel's head.

"Such rude disobedience." Cel flicked her roots and Asfi soared through the air, landing with a sick, wet thud next to the party. A member of Support was on her with healing items immediately. "None of my children behave so. My so-called 'monsters' are superior in every way. They work together; do not fight or rage or hate. I took the spark left by those lazy, worthless gods who trampled through my playpen and created beings stronger, faster, and with far less argumentative spirits than those contrary mortals they so delighted in...before abandoning them to their own devices. I will take up the slack left by those deities and complete the task begun so long ago—I will take the spark of every living being in this world and make them my own children. They will be cared for as a goddess should mind her children: forever peaceful, forever cared for, forever obedient."

Relief poured through Finn's body as he saw Asfi stir. "Heartbreak and terror," he said. "That's what your 'children'—your monsters!—sow. You hate the other gods out of envy. You cannot create the way they do, so you steal their work and twist it into something foul—the only thing you can call your own."

Cel scoffed. The effect echoed across the dungeon, making the walls and ceiling crack. The Xenos winced at the sound. "You sound just like that fool, Ouranos." The walls cracked deeper at the sudden rage and vitriol in her voice at saying the sky god's name. "What does that old fool know about attentiveness or caring, he who left me here? What do any of those supposed 'gods' know, they who abandoned the world out of selfish boredom! I challenge their right to govern the lives of this world—they could not even secure the loyalty of their First, greatest children." Cel favored the old man beside her and the orb in her hands with a brilliant smile. "I have the fealty of the First Children, the Great Spirits of the lower world! Soon, Ouranos' strength will be expended and I will cover the world with peace and order. Finally, I will be able to create without interference. Now..." Her smile was a sick, twisted thing. It promised pain. "It has been eons since I have had the pleasure of witnessing live entertainment with my own eyes. Please, do try to live more than a few moments, yes?"

With a final, sharp crack, the walls and ceiling of the dungeon crumbled and the sound of wings filled the air. Finn ordered light—suspecting the possibility of total darkness, Asfi had created a large magic stone projector. While not powerful enough to touch the walls in any direction, the ceiling and several hundred feet around them were illuminated.

Black dragons.

Every adventurer in Spear knew the hallmark signs of the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Though it was a unique creation of Cel, the Guild suspected it had been made from an existing race of monsters. Examining the approaching mass of flying beasts, Finn concluded that assumption was correct. The Living End had come from the floor they now stood on, and these were its brothers and sisters.

Finn realized something else—the reason for the size of this floor and its bare nature. Cel, at the deepest level, was not behaving as an earth goddess ought. She was trying to emulate the sky god she was created from. Beasts of the ground may have been her natural strength, but the sky was her passion.

Her passion was now pouring from the cracks in the dungeon, one after another. The first had already reached the edge of their defensive circle. A scream followed by a wall of flame as the adventurer nearest it swung his Crozzo blade made the dragon crumble to ash...but three more replaced it immediately. More would arrive from the outer walls soon and then they'd be surrounded and too outnumbered to do anything...and then even more would be behind them. Finn had led his people to slaughter. This had to be ended quickly. Cel had to die, no matter the cost.

"Riveria!" Finn called, raising his own Crozzo blade. "Offensive magic only—barrage the dragons and use Lefiya to attack Cel." He switched tacts as Riveria called orders to her group. "Spear! Form line between Fairy Force and Cel. Magic sword attack on my mark—now!"

Most of Spear was bogged down on the opposite side of Cel defending Fairy Force in their center; only seven adventurers, plus Finn, were part of the attack. Still—eight Crozzo magic swords going off at the same time made a significant dent on the battle. An entire third of the encircling dragons simply vanished as fire, ice, and wind rushed towards the rooted goddess. The fury of the attack was so loud the echoes rebounded off the walls miles away and caused dust and chunks of collapsed ceiling to rain on the adventurers. Lefiya's Arcs Ray pierced through the wall of mixed magic, heading straight for the goddess' heart.

"Charge!" Finn ran as quickly as possible with his seven companions in tow. He didn't think magic would be enough to kill a goddess. It was relatively slow; she would stop it with arcanum. But if she were distracted enough by the magic for an adventurer's blade to get close...

Abruptly, the magic vanished. Not stopped with a defensive spell or ending at a certain point. All of it...gone. Finn and the others were now running directly for Cel without cover. She smiled.

"So brave...but this will not do. Such naughty children; why don't you play over there?"

An odd wrenching sensation tugged at Finn's core, and then he was alone. Light from the projector shone several hundred yards away...but the beating of wings and deadly snapping of teeth was far, far closer. Ducking low, rows of sharp teeth glinted in the dim light just where his head had been an instant before. Thanking Loki he still had his Crozzo blade, he ran as fast as possible, clearing the way to the rest of Spear. He saw tremendous flashes of magic across the floor in all directions—the other seven must also have been transported away from Cel and had the same idea of getting back to the main party. Screams from different directions told him not all made it.

His sword crumbled just as he made it back to the edge of the light. Five others ran into view, seeking shelter in the defensive shell Riveria summoned. After losing sight of Finn, she changed tactics. Providing the strongest defense she could, Spear had turtled against Fairy Force as the spellslingers in the middle fired as rapidly as possible. Supplemented by Crozzo's blades—which were much more effective in close-quarters fighting since more enemies could be hit at once, each strike taking down massive swathes of dragons—they were safe for the moment. But as Finn dropped the handle of his own broken magic weapon, he knew this advantage would not last...and the monsters wouldn't stop coming.

Then he saw a spell he had never seen before.

In the middle of Fairy Force, Lefiya put everything she had into her recent discovery. Riveria was—or had been—the only known mage able to combine chants. However, as her mentor explained to her, it was not due to a skill or developmental ability unlocked by falna—it was a skill learned by time, experience, and incredible amounts of disciplined practice. Desperate to learn anything that may help her familia—her family—Lefiya had twisted Riveria's arm into teaching her. She had only successfully managed it a few days ago and the results were spotty, but Lefiya didn't concern herself with that now. Her family needed her. She had to come through. Besides, Lefiya thought, it's not like I'm combining a long chant. Embodying the lessons taught by the Way of the Tree and finally accepting the lessons her mentor drilled into her about teamwork, Lefiya became the mage she was meant to be and trusted in the might of those around her while she, almost peacefully, gathered Mind for her strike. Storing the first combined chant on her left arm in a Fairy Ring, she chanted the second before raising her staff and completing the combo: "Firebolt!" She thrust her left hand into the air. "Cannon!"

Her Arcs Ray spell was a heavy-hitting cannon blast that homes in on enemies. Bell's firebolt spell was short, easy to chain, required almost no Mind—especially for a talented mage with deep Mind reserves—and added significant punch when added to another spell. Lefiya smiled as she chanted for the next strike, watching her previous spell split apart. Chaining firebolt had another effect. Analysing the spell, Lefiya realised the attack was actually nine separate bolts of magic. With a little Mind, she could separate those bolts to attack different targets...and each would take on the homing attribute of Arcs Ray. Eighteen bolts of magic struck eighteen targets...and eighteen magic stones were destroyed, clouds of ash scattering in a dark cloud. After her initial salvo, Lefiya decided to use her Mind as efficiently as possible. No longer using her Double Cannon ability, Lefiya cast her short-chain spell one at a time, and with Arcs Ray's short chant time, this meant she was killing nine dragons every ten seconds or so.

Shocked at Lefiya's sudden outbreak, the rest of Fairy Force bared their teeth as they pushed their spells faster and harder. Even when the Crozzo swords broke around them, the circle of attacking dragons could not tighten on their group. It came at a cost, though. Support was fetching Mind potions and stamina boosting items for every member of the group; they had already lost a lot of stock due to Dian Cecht's betrayal...what was left wouldn't last long.

In the background, Cel was laughing and clapping gleefully. Her children would be reborn at her desire, or she could collect their spark and make something new with it. She had nothing to lose—this was all entertainment for her. Beside her, the old man watched Lefiya cast her firebolt-enhanced spells with extreme interest.

As Finn closed with the rest of Spear, two dragons appeared on his left. Knowing there was no way to avoid both, he twisted and brought up his spear, preparing for the blow. It never came. As his spear tore through the throat of the first, the second fell dead. Quickly scanning for his savior, Finn saw he was alone. Sparing a moment to look at the body of the second dragon, he saw a tiny arc of electricity play between two scales. He smiled as he continued running towards Spear. Maybe Bell had been correct after all.

The day before the invasion force left, an incredibly enthusiastic Bell had asked to meet with Finn. Placing Zeus' copy of Dungeon Oratoria on the desk between them, Bell quickly explained that his grandfather had left clues for him. Finn had been unconvinced at the time, but he allowed Bell to walk him through the clues and present his theory. Bell explained that the random details changed throughout the book all tied into the tale of Argonaut he was told as a boy. Finn had lifted his stack of notes over the discrepencies in the book and said that nothing there related to Argonaut at all. That was when the learned that Zeus had passed a different—or, at least, more—tales of Argonaut than the rest of the world knew. Going back to Argonaut's story and matching the word clues to what Zeus wrote revealed a short message—'Jupiter lives'. Finn had no idea who or what Jupiter was, much to Bell's amazement. The young man explained that Jupiter was the Great Spirit that helped Argonaut defeat the minotaur. More than that, Bell believed the reason Zeus had written about it and passed on that message was because Jupiter—a Spirit of Lightning—was a First Child of Zeus. Moreover, the message that he was alive signified to Bell that perhaps the Spirit in the dungeon wasn't corrupted or captured—perhaps they had an ally waiting in the depths to help them finish the job Zeus began.

At the time, Finn had mused that if this were true it would explain the incredible interest Ouranos and Hermes had in the boy. As Zeus' heir, it was possible that he had been groomed to work with a Great Spirit like the adventurers of old. Still, Finn hadn't believed it. Seeing the dead dragon mere feet away changed his mind.

But how to get the attention of the Spirit? If it really had been down here for so long without being corrupted or destroyed it had to be smart...would it consider them calling for a help a sign that they weren't the ones he could help? And how did a spirit and a mortal even bond in the first place? If it took some sort of ritual or required some sort of contract to be agreed on, there wasn't time for it.

"Down, Finn!" The prum threw himself forward at Riveria's warning. The dragon flew inches above him. Green light cracked as jaws pierced Riveria's defensive magic with brute force, cutting short a scream as they closed around an elven mage. The dragon dissintegrated a moment later, the target of one of Lefiya's spells, and the dead elf fell a few feet in front of Finn's face, dark eyes staring into his.

"Get up, Finn!" Riveria hissed urgently. "There will be time later, but not if you don't keep your head on straight!"

Standing, Finn spared one last look at the fallen mage before coming to a decision. Looking to the old man next to Cel, he shouted as loudly as he could. "Jupiter!"

The old man didn't move, but Cel looked delighted. "Ah, so you know my adopted First Child? Such an ornery boy..." Cel licked her lips with relish. "He came to me from Zeus, isn't that right dear?" The old man remained still, eyes fixed in the distance. "Perhaps Zeus would still be here is Jupiter hadn't realized I was the better choice to rule this world. But the Lord of the Skies did for Zeus, and I remain." Cel's hair flailed madly as she caressed the orb in her hands. "But how rude of me! If you are introduced to one, you must be introduced to the other! Gugalanna..." She called to the orb delicately, like a parent fawning over a newborn. "Gugalanna, dear, why don't you come say hello to our guests? I'd love for you to play with them."

Casting the orb high into the air, it hung there, suspended, as the creature inside turned to face the party. It was a small, shrivelled creature. Having had so much of its being chipped away over such a long time, the being inside the crystal was a pitiful sight...until it smiled. The cold malice emenating from the creature was enough to fill Finn's insides with ice water.

"Riveria! Lefiya! Defensive magic, now!" Finn ordered everyone to fall in as close as possible to Fairy Force. "Now!"

The orb began to spin rapidly. As three layers of defensive magic fell on the group, a dissembodied voice slithered across the battlefield.

"I am Gugalanna, Aspect of Death!" The icy feeling in the pit of Finn's stomach melted into a boiling hot sickness, as if he had eaten rot and decay. The sick aura the voice pressed on them was enough to drag even Ottar to his knees. One of Lefiya's defensive spells failed; the circling dragons rushed the barriers, chomping through one and eagerly gnawing at the second. There was no defense against the voice of the Corrupted Spirit. Her mere presence was enough to lay them prostrate. "Soon you will add to my power, that I may add to my Lady's!"

I'm sorry, Finn thought as the second barrier was breached. A dragon was scrambling on the outside of the shell, working its jaws deeper and deeper to reach the defenseless adventurers inside. Then one person inside the group stood.

White robe standing out sharply from her surroundings, Airmid Teasanare, Dea Saint, bore the sickness imposed upon her with unmatched grace as she began chanting. Soon, a harsh white light fell on the adventurers. Finn felt strength return to his limbs as her healing aura enveloped him, the sick feeling soothed away. The adventurers regained their feet, slaying the dragon about to break through as Riveria and Lefiya reinforced their spells and Lefiya cast the third, completing the shield.

As shrill shriek vibrated through the air like a snapped chord as Gugalanna and her master were both simultaneously thrilled and enraged at the challenge presented by this young human woman. Smiling and drooling inside her shell, the sick, dissembodied voice of Gugalanna screeched throughout the dungeon again.

"If you think to humble the Aspect of Death, little human, then you will face legion."

With a mad cry, the crystal orb began spinning even more rapidly, cracks forming on its surface. With a high-pitched shattering noise, Gugalanna's crystalized body broke apart into dozens of jewel fetuses. The force of the blow scattered them in all directions; several dozen bounced off the magical barriers protecting Spear; the rest either hit or were picked up by monsters. In the blink of an eye, the process of converting a normal monster to a demi-spirit was underway...over a hundred times. Once they finished growing, there would be two demi-spirits for each mortal present.

Eighteen magic bolts flew through the air. Three apiece targeted the forming demi-spirits, each digging deeper into the creatures incredibly resistant flesh until the third obliterated it. In a few moments, six demi-spirits had been killed. A victorious roar went up among Spear, but the victory was short-lived. Demi-spirits grew quickly; Lefiya had killed them while they were relatively vulnerable, but now the rest were already finishing maturing and Lefiya had only just begun a new spell. The Crozzo swords were gone and Bell hadn't fully charged his Argonaut skill. Finn had told Bell he was on Corrupted Spirit duty—as soon as he recovered from the crippling sickness Gugalanna inflicted upon them, he had begun to gather energy for his strike. But now there were too many targets for it to do any good. Thinking madly on what to do, Finn almost missed the movement next to Cel.

The old man moved for the first time. Lightning crackled and thunder rolled across the floor as Jupiter, Aspect of Lightning, arced through the air, body coalescing into something that looked like a thunderstorm...and entered Lefiya.

"Ahahahaha!" Cel practically doubled over with laughter...but murder was in her soulless eyes. "Oh, Jupiter! You are far more entertaining than I thought! You really were playing the long game, weren't you, you undisciplined child? I see now, your suggestion that I experiment, your manipulation of the dungeon through me to keep those 'Xenos' safe...you were looking for a way to kill me the entire time, weren't you?" Cel giggled. "And you think that little elf is the key? Oh, I so look forward to using your spark to create something new! It has been far too long since I've molded anything with the spark of a First Child." Cel settled back, every inch the queenly executioner. "Gugalanna, be a good girl and bring me your traitorous brother's spark."

Inside Lefiya's head, it was suddenly crowded. "Umm..."

"We don't really have time for that, now, do we my pretty little maiden?"

"Say what..?!"

"Oh, come now!" Jupiter smiled broadly...and somewhat salaciously. "It's been so long since I've partnered with anyone...I'm used to warriors, but if Zeus decided to send a mage, I'll take it. And so like him to send me such a beautiful young maiden! I really must thank him when we return to the surface."

Lefiya stammered and glared at the male image in her head. "I really have no idea what you're talking about...but if you really are a Great Spirit and want to help us...help!"

Jupiter frowned sadly, but nodded. "Of course. I must save the girl and her friends before attempting to ride off into the sunset with her. Let's do this!"

Lefiya didn't have time to be disgusted with his attitude before lightning flooded her veins. As the demi-spirits swarmed, ready to rip her apart to collect the wayward Jupiter, Lefiya raised her staff.

Whoa, she thought as her spell fired off almost instantly. Nine demi-spirits fell immediately. She didn't know much about hero stories, but Lefiya had spent years in Orario's Education District. She had read many studies on the effects of spirit bonding versus falna. She knew that ancient adventurers bonded with a spirit had roughly the equivalent of Level 4 power or higher depending on the power of their companion spirit. Piled on top of her Level 4 status...

Lefiya cast another chained-spell and nine more demi-spirits fell dead in the blink of an eye. The physical change from her bonding with Jupiter was astounding. It wasn't that her spells were really any faster—she was able to clearly speak much faster which impacted her chant rate.

"That's right!" She was startled when Jupiter's voice came from the back of her mind. "Really let loose! No-no," he said to Lefiya's thought that he was an interfering busybody. "I only have your best interests at heart. After all, you're how I get out of here. And yes, I can read your thoughts. Now, let's save your friends and kill this insane bitch! You cannot comprehend how long I've had to stand next to her-royal-pain-in-the-ass and play nice."

Finn and the others could only stare in awe as Lefiya became Hyper-Lefiya. Lightning crackled down her arms as she fired spell after spell into the cloud of demi-spirits and black dragons. Fire, lightning, and pure energy poured from her body as she sent a spiderweb of magical bolts across the sky, felling monsters by the score. Within moments the room was empty; the rustling of wings still sounded in the distance as reinforcements rushed the fill the gap, but there was nothing alive except for Cel and Spear Group inside their circle of light. Lefiya turned electric eyes to the insane goddess and pushed pure power with all her might. The air sizzled and fried at its passing; every adventurer around her boiled as the sweat on their skin turned to steam in the heat of her magic.

And then Lefiya collapsed.

Her magic disappeared entirely; even the heat didn't linger. It was simply...gone. Applause rang across the room. "Bravo," Cel said, acknowledging the unconscious Lefiya. "That was a wonderful show. So silly, though, to think you can kill a god. What hubris! I am afraid you and Jupiter must be punished, however, for killing my Gugalanna—I rather like the unusual ways her mind worked. She was quite mad, you know. Such delicious thoughts. It's always interesting hearing what an insane person has to say." Cel flicked her fingers as if getting rid of a stray thought. "No matter. I already have her spark; what should I make of it, do you think? Perhaps strengthen my champion...or should I create a new Child?"

"She's going to create an abomination!" Lyd limped into view. A good portion of his leg had been bitten through. "She's going to create a new monster rex right on top of us!"

"You are the abomination," Cel snapped. "You are just as soft, just as contrary, just as chaotic as any mortal who walks the surface! But even they have their uses...Gugalanna quite enjoyed using them as toys and tools to grow her seeds, giving me more children. She gave me the idea to turn those insolent fools into useful servants, cultivators of my garden. I must admit, it did give me joy to see them scurry about at my command. They are not true children of mine...but their independence is great entertainment. Would you like to see?"

Before anybody could respond, roots shot up from the floor, grabbing a Level 4 adventurer from Support. The man screamed as he was dragged—the closer he got to Cel, the tighter the vine around his belly squeezed until, when he was just a few feet in front of her, he burst in half, guts spilling onto the dungeon floor.

But he didn't die.

The roots came from below, entering his body. Taking energy directly from Cel through their connection through the floor, his body jerked and spasmed but refused to pass on. A particularly thick root slowly worked its way up his chest, stopping just below his heart.

"I ask you," Cel's voice was sickly sweet as she cooed to the man. "What is there to be gained in fighting me? I know how you crave power...status...you wish to be elevated above others, to be seen as the finest specimen of a man." The roots drug him closer to her as she spoke. Once he was close enough, she lightly caressed his arm and neck. "Be mine. Become my child and I will grant you my power. I will roll over everything on the surface and they will be powerless to stop me. I will create a new world from the ashes of the old...and you will be at the top. With me." Everyone shuddered as she licked the man's neck before cooing in his ear once more. "Will you take my offering?"

The man was shaking...not entirely from pain. "Yes."

No sooner had he spoke than the root in his chest peirced his heart. With a terrible scream, the roots connecting him to the floor separated into legs and severed themselves from the ground; the skin it created was the criss-crossed flesh of a hybrid. The man's eyes widened as he reached behind him without looking. Instinctually, he flexed his fingers around the hilt of a root sword that rose from he ground. With terrifying speed and strength, he rushed the nearest Spear Group member. With a single slash, Hedin Selland, Level 6 of Freya Familia, fell; cut in two before he could even react.

"My Lady..." the newly created hybrid bowed to Cel, rejoicing in his new power. "This is beautiful! Thank you!" Holding his sword agianst his previous allies, he grinned maniacally as he challenged anyone who thought they could take him.

Without a word, Ottar stepped forward. Glancing at the pieces of his fallen familia member, he calmly readied his sword. And waited.

With a bloodthirsty cry, the hybrid charged the Warlord. In the blink of an eye, Ottar was past the man. Turning slowly, he saw his opponent still facing the opposite direction. Still waiting patiently, it was a moment before the hybrid turned, a sick smirk plastered to his face. Then, along the line where plantlike flesh met human, he slid apart.

For the first time, Cel was silent. Ottar's demonstration of the quality of mortalkind and gods falna over her creations was too much for her. With an enraged roar, all amusement faded from her voice as she screamed for them to die. Throwing her arms outward, a wave of pure arcanum swept toward the group.

A white veil fell on the group as Airmid raised her healing aura. Dia Fratel was an active healing force that affected the results of attacks. It was not a shield like Riveria's barrier magic, which physically stopped attacks.

Arcanum, she learned, was entirely different. The wave of arcanum Cel unleashed was not an attack that relied on fire or energy or steel to deal injury and death—it was death. The power of an insane goddess crashed into the healing light of the Saint...and stopped. Airmid screamed at the sudden pressure as Cel howled in rage, forcing her will more strongly against that of the young woman who challenged her. Strain gripped Airmid's features as she held her spell.

As their wills were pit against each other, Airmid began to lose. She struggled with everything she had, but her personal reserve of Mind had nearly been depleted during the stand-off with Gugalanna and without her handmaids to provide relief, she slowly began collapsing in on herself. Dia Fratel did not splinter or fracture, but it began to steadily shrink as Cel's might bore down on the Saint. A dark purple haze shone through the white light encapsulating the adventurers as the goddess' hungry power pushed toward them. One of the Xenos warriors had the body of an Obsidian Soldier—a monster made of volcanic rock with a large purple light in place of an eye, they were large, powerful opponents...but bulky and slow. As it turned to retreat closer to the center of the formation as Dia Fratel collapsed, part of its shoulder left the confines of the light. The dark purple energy flowing flom Cel rushed upwards along the surface of Airmid's protective shell. When it touched the Xenos...it vanished. Cel's will had, faster than the eye could see, destroyed its body and harvested its soul. Airmid screamed again as she put everything she had into maintaining her magic.

Red and gold shuffled next to her and the sound of chanting sounded faint over the roar of blood pounding in her ears. The next she knew, golden light fell on top of her...and Dia Fratel stopped shrinking. Blinking as the rush of blood to her head ebbed, Airmid looked at the sorceress beside her. The young renart who had accompanied her in the baggage train, Haruhime, twitched her fox ears as she smiled at the human girl. Smiling back, Airmid wasn't sure exactly what magic had been cast on her...but she wasn't going to waste the strength. Standing tall and proud, the Saint bowed her head in prayer as she focused the entirety of her being on protecting those around her...and the will of the goddess lost.

As Dia Fratel pushed outwards, casting aside her arcanum like a maid sweeping a dusty room, Cel stopped her continual assault. Lashing out in rage, whips of arcanum struck the white shell around them with devestating force...but Airmid did not break. Each attack was as fruitless as the last.

Finn, paying attention to the mental clock running in the back of his mind, gave a signal. Ready to enact his final, desperate plan, Finn halted when his thumb spasmed violently. "Protect Airmid!" he commanded. "Below! They're coming from be—!"

Before he could finish, dozens of roots erupted from the ground beneath their feet. For the first time, Spear's large numbers worked against them as adventurers tried to dodge in the confined space of Airmid's safety. Several hit in midair and were impaled; those wounds were healed even as they were caused, though the roots remained where they were—the roots spiking through their bodies coupled with healing magic made every fiber of their being explode in pain as their bodies were ripped, resewn, and torn again in rapid succession. Those that managed to dodge the attacks in midair were not so lucky when they hit the ground. Lashing like whips at knee-height, the roots took the legs of adventurers from beneath them. Most adventurers wore armor over this critical area and their first-tier status protected them from seriously crippling blows...at first. Armor quickly wore down under the heavy barrage og strikes as the roots began slicing deeply through muscle and scoring bone. All that fell had their bodies lashed mercilessly over and over again. Again, Airmid's healing magic kept them alive and regenerated wounds, only for their injuries to reappear. In her anger at the human Saint defeating her arcanum, the goddess turned her magic into a perpetuating loop of torture for those she was supposed to protect. The young woman's eyes were round and full of tears as she maintained her spell, praying for a miracle. She was untouched, largely because of Ais' wind magic. Ais stood next to her and Haruhime, the sheer force behind her wind mulching the roots to harmless bits as soon as it came from the ground...but it also meant they were isolated. Further, Ais could not use her magic to protect everyone—her application of wind wasn't a defense, it was an attack. If she tried using it more broadly, her own wind would cut through the adventurers with more lethality than the roots.

The Grand Bell tolled. Outside of Airmid's protection, Bell's body glowed pristinely white as five minutes of Argo Vesta imbued his sword with power—the Crozzo sword he had saved for this moment. Turning her attention to the defenseless Bell, Cel howled as she raised her hand to him. A blast of arcanum lanced toward the boy, who did not move an inch. At the last moment, Cel's arcanum was pushed away by an unseen force. Cel screeched as she followed the interfering power to its source—Ais, glaring defiantly up at her.

"Aria!" Glee, anger, and surprise mixed in her voice. "Oh, how I have longed for thee! Perhaps this bit of entertainment actually has purpose now you are here. I have wanted you for thousands of years; your spark will make my champion truly invincible! With you, there is no need for me to stop at Gekai. Heaven itself will bow to my will, and order and obedience will reign throughout all of existence. My children come..." The beating of wings filled the air as the dragons from the walls, miles away, finally arrived. Dirt and rock rained down on the tortured, immobilized adventurers as the ceiling cracked again at Cel's command—hundreds more dragons poured from the openings. "You have been surprisingly resilient considering the futility of your task. Perhaps I will make something special of all your sparks. When Ouranos' power fails and hordes of my children roll in waves across the surface world, your sparks will power the creations that lead them! You will become the children that take back the surface in my name!"

Hundreds of black dragons swirled overhead, ready to attack. Of the seventy five adventurers they arrived with, only four were on their feet: Haruhime, a Level One who had already cast her ace-in-the-hole magic; Airmid, who was solely focused on maintaining her healing aura; Ais, busy protecting the two of them; and Bell, outside Ais and Airmid's protection.

"No!"

Electricity crackled as several roots exploded in lightning—six people were up. Lefiya-Jupiter, laying so long under Airmid's influence, had broken free from Cel's arcanum-forced sleep. Rising, Jupiter destroyed the roots around them. Able to chant, Riveria began casting before she even moved to stand; soon her green magic barrier shielded the group. Within moments, Fairy Force was on its feet as they targeted the roots that assaulted the rest of Spear.

"Now, Bell!"

Lefiya's voice was heard clearly over the din of battle. She cast spell after spell as rapidly as possible. Bolts of energy rained around Bell as the black dragons dove and snapped at him. With everything he had, Bell swung the Argo Vesta enhanced Crozzo blade at Cel.

Everyone in the battle—including Lefiya-Jupiter—stood dumbstruck at the power unleashed by Bell's strike. Every dragon between he and Cel disappeared; not even ash escaped the force heading toward the goddess, rooted in place before the devastating blow about to hit her. She raised her arms, casually manipulating arcanum to dissipate the attack just as she had Lefiya's earlier. The power went from the air like it had never been. Staring at the white-haired boy as he stood several meters in front of her, magic sword crumbling to dust, she grit her teeth savagely as she prepared another arcanum blast at the defenseless human...when she froze. Completely immobile except for her eyes, swiveling wildly in wide-eyed rage, she couldn't even scream as a spear pierced just below her heart. Behind her, Finn twisted his blade with finality. He had trusted that Cel would stop the attack and be too distracted to notice him. The oculus on his collar dimly reflected the light from Airmid's magic. And Ouranos had come through at the end, using as much power as he could to hold Cel so Finn could deliver the final blow.

Finn sighed. It was over.

Roots shot through his arms and chest, wrapping around his ribs and lifting him up into the air. The roots tore through the ground as they carried the prum around the goddess rooted into the floor. He found himself face-to-face with the insane goddess. This close, he realized Ouranos had been absolutely correct about her having no soul. Her eyes were more dead than the elf who had fallen in front of him. Looking down at the spear just beneath her heart, she grinned up at Finn as the Fortia Spear crumbled to nothing—there was no hole in the goddess.

"Ouranos," Cel's voice was disturbingly soft even as it seethed with rage. "My supposed 'love', my creator...was that the best you could do? I look forward to remaking you." Another root slowly grew from the floor. Rising to face-height, it whipped out. The oculus in Finn's collar shattered. The root grew to a fine point, playfully dancing in front of Finn's heart. "I must thank you, mortal. Did you not feel it? That old fool used the last of his strength giving you the chance to kill me. But I am eternal...and now, I am free. Already my children rush towards the surface."

Indeed, the dragons around the room where already heading up through the hole they had created...and more kept streaming out of the cracks in the dungeon walls. The vast majority of Orario's strength was in this room—the surface was doomed. And that didn't take into account the monsters on higher levels. If every floor was spawning monsters like this, then it was possible the upper levels had already overflowed onto the surface.

The hordes of ancient times had returned. And it was because Finn had missed. No, worse—he had miscalculated. There were no other plans, no more distractions. Her arcanum was too powerful to overcome. Blood pouring from multiple wounds as the roots squeezed his innards, Finn was left with the same thought he began the invasion with: how do you kill a goddess?

"You smile?" Finn didn't realize he had been. Cel grinned in response. "I think I might make you into my new Gugalanna. You are quite as insane as she, I believe."

"I try to not be so crass..." Finn choked as roots grew through his body. "But Gareth was right." He coughed blood. "You really are a bitch."

Shrieking, Cel plunged the abnormally sharp root toward his heart. The pain never came. Instead, Finn felt himself falling as something cut throught the roots holding him aloft, immediately followed by pressure on his side as somebody bodyslammed him out of harm's way. Landing in the dirt several feet away, Finn rolled to see his rescuer. Then he felt the pain.

Tione, weapons dropping from limp hands, stood in his place—the strike meant for his heart found hers.

Forgetting everything and everyone around him, Finn entered his berserker state with a soul-wrenching roar. All sense of pain or physical impairment vanished as red filled his vision. The roots still in his body splintered and broke, tearing him apart slowly from the inside...but he didn't feel anything as he charged. It was his second missed opportunity. Cel had been examining Tione with great interest—the insane goddess could not comprehend the young mortal's actions. Contemplating things she had never seen before, Cel had become completely unaware of everything outside the young Amazon. Her mystified state was broken when Finn cut Tione loose, throwing her roughly into Airmid's magic veil before planting his dagger deep into Cel's roots. Again and again he stabbed the now-amused goddess as her body showed no mark of ever having been wounded by the prum's relentless attacks. Caught in a blood rage, Finn lost all sight of Cel's divine nature as he unleashed flurries of fruitless strikes. As his dagger flew toward her face, his body froze as Cel held him with arcanum. His knife point was barely an inch away from her head, point directly between her eyes.

"No, no, no," Cel chided. "For a moment I was just as foolish as that pretender sky god. Wondering at the love-sick actions of a mortal woman..." Cel shook her head. "To business. You are strong...and quite insane. Yes," she relished the blood rage that shone in Finn's eyes. "Yes, you will make a fine addition to my champion. Your spark is mine." She reached out; the roots inside Finn trembled in response. "No easy end for you, I think. You have been far too troublesome. Never fear; from pain you will be reborn as part of something greater than you could possibly imagine." The bits of Cel inside Finn began to move in accordance with their master's will. The pain registered even through his berserker state as he was slowly mulched on the inside.

Blood sprayed on the prum's face. Odd, he thought dimly. Shouldn't my blood shoot outwards? Looking up, he saw Cel looking at him oddly. Funny, he thought. I don't remember her eyes being so far apart. Her eyes continued growing apart and the pain in Finn's body—while still considerable—lessened enough for him to focus.

Cel's head was split in two, the blade that did it continuing down through her neck and deep into her torso, ending just before where she was rooted into the floor. The sounds of dragons flying to the floor above them ceased. An unearthly quiet filled the dungeon as Cel's body split apart. Tiona stood behind the goddess' carcass, Urga grasped tightly as the Amazon, grim and terrible, struck again and again. The savage strikes were moist at first as she tore through flesh, but quickly gave way to the dull thump of steel on wood as she ripped apart Cel's connection to the dungon floor. Satisfied the job was done, Tiona grabbed Finn and ran him into Airmid's light, laying him next to Tione. The root had still been in her heart when Finn severed it; it was gone now and the hole in her chest had closed, but Tione's eyes remained closed.

"Airmid! Support!"

Blood pounding in his ears, Finn was vaguely aware that people were shouting around him as he stared at Tione.

"Finn, we need to reach the surface! We need to get Tione out of here, do you understand! Finn!"

Who was speaking? Finn didn't care about words. He wanted to rip out throats and lay waste to everything—anything—that could be thrown at him. Had they killed Cel? Questions, questions—unimportant. Blood. He wanted blood.

"Finn!"

A sharp smack drew his gaze to a tall elf. Jade hair, tattered robe, a staff; not much of a challenge, but she would do. Rushing her from where he lay on the ground, he found himself back on the ground in short order.

"Finn!" the elf sounded chiding...and scared. "You're still in your berserker state! You need to come back—you need to think! You're going to die without help!"

Finn attacked again. Thinking wasn't what he needed. Not what he wanted. He was pushed to the ground again, blood leaking from several wounds. Death was irrelevant.

"Tione will die if we don't get to the surface! We need you to lead us out!"

The blood pounding in his ears throbbed angrily as his heart skipped a beat. Slowly rising, he shook his head. Tione. The surface. He had to get to the surface. Red leaving his vision, he met Riveria's gaze. "Let's move."

Checking his eyes, Riveria placed a hand on him and called for Airmid. "You need assisstance first. We need you for the return to the surface. Tione is stabalized, but Airmid can't do more here."

"How many did we lose?"

He followed Riveria's gaze around the floor. There were five bodies he recognized as first-tier adventurers scattered across the floor, as well as the traitor who became a hybrid and the elf from Fairy Force. Six members of Support lay on the ground. Looking around, Finn noticed there were no Xenos on their feet. All twelve of them, Lyd included, were gone.

"They turned to ash," Riveria said. "The instant Cel died, it seems magic stones lost their source of energy. The Xenos dropped where they stood. The dragons, too—all the black dragons down here just fell from the air. And it's not just monsters." The High Elf jerked her chin to Asfi. Finn noticed for the first time how dim it was—the projector Asfi made was out. "She says all the magic stone lamps and other magic stone powered equipment is dead. Without the Xenos we don't have a guide, and without a light in this darkness..?" Riveria shook her head. "If the dungeon really was an extension of Cel's body and that body is dead, it is reasonable that the entire dungeon has lost every natural light source it had. We can't rely on Airmid's healing light to show the way through however many floors we just went down."

"Sixty six."

Finn and Riveria turned to find Lefiya looking at them shyly. "That's what Jupiter says, anyway. We're on the sixty sixth floor, the bottom of the dungeon. And..." she frowned, as if hearing something unpleasant. "Ugh! Creepy old man..." she muttered. She saw the prum and High Elf exchange a look. "It's nothing; I'll explain later. Jupiter says he can lead us out. He knows the way to the surface."

Ordering everyone to fall in, he has them pick up the dead and wounded as quickly as possible. He and Tiona grabbed Tione's litter themselves. Lefiya-Jupiter took the lead. As Airmid let go of Dia Fratel, Lefiya raised her staff; lightning crackled above it, casting a sphere of light for several meters in every direction.

"Well done!"

Numerous weapons were drawn at the unexpected arrival of a black-robed mage. Finn didnt have the time or energy to tell his troops to put away their blades. He was far more interested in what the mage could do for him.

"Fels!" The prum quickly approached. "Your transportation magic—get us back to Shield on the fiftieth floor then take us all back to the surface."

The Sage shook his head. "I can't do that; there are far too many people. Jupiter knows the way, and with Cel dead the monster threat is ended. Your speed as upper-class adventurers would see you to the surface faster than me taking you piecemeal over several trips. I came merely to offer my congratulations on a task well-done and convey Lord Ouranos' deepest gratitude."

"I need the surface," Finn said. "Not gratitude. Can you take Tione back? Please?"

Fels glanced at the litter bearing Tione briefly before his head snapped to her, his full attention gathered. Finn got the impression that if he still had a human face, his mouth would be gaping. Quickly, he said. "Right away. Miss Teasanare should accompany her."

"I'm coming, too!" Tiona would not be denied.

At Finn's nod, Fels said. "Of course. I can transport one more."

"I must remain with the group," Finn said as he stared at Tione. "I have to be with them when we reach the surface."

Nodding, Fels moved on the wounded Amazon, Tiona and Airmid stepping beside him.

"Do not take us to my shop," Airmid said. "If possible, take us to Miach Familia."

Fels nodded in understanding. He had heard everything that happened on the thirteenth floor through Finn's oculus. In a blink, they were gone.

"Move out, Lefiya! Everyone—follow that light!"

Fels had been right. Without any resistance, they were able to make excellent time through the dungeon. Under normal circumstances it may have been unnerving to run through almost total darkness through unfamiliar terrain. After their recent trials, however, something as simple as following a ball of light was easy—particularly if it meant they could return home.

They reached the fiftieth floor in no time at all. The fort the Xenos had built still stood—it was to be the last legacy of the Xenos, and useless now the dungeon was dead. Shield Group tried to explain they had been getting along when the Xenos just dropped; Finn told them he knew it hadn't been murder. Folding the remaining troops into his group, they all ran for the surface as fast as possible.

It was nighttime when they returned. Fire lit the area; the magic stone lightposts were dead. Scores of civilians and Guild workers were sweeping large piles of ash out of Babel Plaza. More than one body bag lined the streets adjacent the plaza.

"You!"

An angry mob of cityfolk came down on the returning invasion force. They were not armed, but they were excedingly angry. "You! What did you do down there, huh! What do you think you were doing? It's like...it's like..." The mob's speaker trembled, tears leaking down his cheek. "The dungeon went crazy," he said. The mob behind him bowed their heads at the shared horror. "Most got stopped here in the plaza. While you were down there doing whatever fool thing angered the dungeon, the rest of the adventurers were defending the city—like they knew what you were doing would lead to war on the surface!" The leader of the mob spat at Finn's feet. "And how many of them died here! Where were you! And not all the monsters were contained here. Some got into the city before the adventurers could hunt them down. My little Clara..."

Finn lowered his eyes as the man's voice broke. It must have happened just before they killed Cel. When he had wasted his opportunity and given over his rational self in favor of bloodlust.

"That's enough, Gene." A soft voice lighted on the broken, angered man standing opposite Finn. An elven warrior stepped from the edge of the plaza to stand between them. "I understand your loss, but it was not the fault of these good adventurers. Finn Deimne is the reason the monsters met resistance on the surface—without his orders, they would have swept the city. I am sorry for your Clara...but it is nobody's fault."

"Lies!" The man, Gene, raged at the newcomer with all the hatred he showed Finn. "If he really did have those adventurers waiting, then he knew whatever he was doing could cause the dungeon to do what it did! He killed my daughter!"

"No," the elf said. "We failed you. It was our duty to stop those on the surface—defending people from monsters is what adventurers are meant to do, and we, the Astraea Familia, are meant to protect this city." She gently stepped forward, placing a hand on Gene's shoulder as she met his eyes. "Go, bury your daughter. Causing more conflict won't bring you peace, but you can put her spirit to rest."

Lowering his head, Gene sobbed. Squeezing his shoulder gently, she watched the mob disperse. As they rambled out of earshot, she turned sharply to Finn. "What the Hell did you do down there, Deimne?" She demanded.

"Exactly what I said I would, Lelita." Finn sighed deeply. "We killed a god."

The elf's eyes widened before she controlled her emotions. "You mean...success?"

Finn nodded.

Lelita drummed the hilt of her sword thoughtfully. "That explains everything we saw. We were being overrun; I sent our reserve forces to hunt down stragglers that got past our lines, but the monsters just kept coming. Then, in an instant..." she waved her hand at the piles of ash around them. "It's like their magic stones all simultaneously got destroyed."

"They did," Finn said. "Cel was the source of energy behind the magic stones. When she died..."

Lelita nodded in understanding. "There's going to be more fallout than this. We issued a warning against use of magic stone items per your instructions, but the people didn't want to lose their conveniences without good reason...and saying an invasion force was about to kill the god behind the monsters was a reason that would result in a panic. There are a lot of things running on magic stones throughout this city; by tomorrow, I expect we'll be awash in reports of more deaths and injuries—lifts, boat engines, some of the newer, fancier medical equipment. All will have failed because of this. Not to mention the conveniences people didn't want to lose—magic stone ovens, entertainment devices, magical craftsmen and their gizmo's, lighting..." Lelita waved around at the dead lightposts. "You've changed our entire way of life."

"That's what my Finn was made for."

A welcome, familiar voice hit Finn's ears. Loki stepped between Lelita and her follower. "How are ya, Finn? And the others?"

"Tione," Finn said promptly. "And we need to talk about Lefiya, but that can be done later...and in private."

"Right-o," Loki said, craning her neck to look at the elf. An arc of electricity shone in her eye. "Eek! No kidding..." Suddenly serious, she leaned down to Finn's level. "Tione is in Miach Familia Clinic with Tiona and Airmid. I've dealt with Dian Cecht..." Loki scowled ferociously, "...but there's still a lot of work to be done. The requests ya left with Ganesha Familia and the orders left with me, the Guild, and Astraea Familia have been and continue to be carried out. We can handle it, though, with what we have. Go ahead and release yer people back to their familias; I imagine their gods will send 'em out on damage control and end up helping us out anyway..." Finn noted that Loki sounded very sure of that. She had been busy while he was gone. "...so ya go ahead and go to Miach Clinic."

Nodding in thanks, Finn turned to his troops. Sincerely thanking them for their time and effort, he apologizes for the abrupt parting. They all have duties to attend to. Dismissing them to their respective familias, Finn turned to Gareth and Riveria. "You two take charge here. Get everyone home and rested. I know they'll want to see Tione, but I don't want them rushing her right now. We'll organize visits later."

Leaving as soon as his orders were acknowledged, Finn head straight for Miach Clinic. A chienthrope opened the door. Introducing herself as Naaza, she led Finn to the back where Tione lay on the sole bed in the clinic. Tiona and Airmid sat on either side of her. Airmid stood as Finn entered the room.

"She is doing well," she said, moving next to Tiona so Finn could better sit next to Tione. "Her vitals are stable and strong. I can detect no injury in her, actually."

Finn held the sleeping Amazoness' hand. It was warm, but slack. "Why won't she wake up?"

The Saint spread her hands. "I am not entirely sure. I have never seen a case like this before." Watching Finn idly rub his thumb across the back of Tione's hand, she said "I'll do everything in my power to see her on her feet as fast as possible." Naaza coughed beside her. "We will."

Nodding vaguely at the words he only half registered, Finn bowed his head next to the unconscious Tione. He wouldn't leave until she walked out with him.

In the chamber underneath the Guild, Ouranos remained sitting on his throne. There were no more prayers to send, no more dungeon to keep contained...so why did he feel so uneasy? He had spent so long with Cel that feeling her constant presence was a part of his being. She was, in fact, part of his being. When she was killed her personality should have been destroyed and the power he used to create her should have come back to him...but he felt as old and tired as he looked. Something had happened, he was sure of it. What, exactly, was illusive.

The sky god shook himself as he stood from his throne. The dungeon was quiet and, thanks largely to the efforts of Ganesha and Astraea Familias, the city was more or less in one piece. Finn had been correct about Astraea's popularity and her skill at choosing level-headed followers; though only having six members, their interpersonal skill and charisma combined with public opinion of their familia had de-escalated several events across the city before they could turn into riots and looting. Stepping away from his throne, he decided to agree to Finn's last request. Ascending the steps from his chamber for the first time, Ouranos entered the main Guild Hall.

It was packed. Hundreds of people crowded into the space as the receptionists and managers ran mad trying to alay their fears as much as possible. The sight of Ouranos in the lobby shocked the crowd into silence; the shock doubled when he used arcanum. Magic Mirrors spread across Orario. Above every street and in every room of every house, Ouranos' face and voice was clear to all.

"Citizens of Orario," he began. He would tell them the truth...most of the truth. There were still things he needed to accomplish, if his divine intuition was correct. "The unfortunate chaos and disruptive forces acting upon our way of life today are the result of an invasion force I personally authorized. This coalition party penetrated the farthest reaches of the dungeon. On the bottommost floor, they encountered the source of all monsters. Many brave adventurers gave their lives to destroy that source, but destroy it they did. The source was a rogue goddess named Cel." Astonished gasps rose from the crowd before him; everyone, even the Guild workers, were shocked at the blasphemy the primordial god of Gekai uttered. He was sanctioning the killing of a god? "Cel was not a goddess in the way you know. She was insane; troubled in the extreme. And now she is gone thanks to the efforts of Orario's adventurers. During the battle, Cel's resistance resulted in the Dungeon producing vast amounts of monsters; most were killed in the battle at Babel Plaza. The rest died with Cel. Orario—Gekai! You are free!"

Several moments passed before cheers and shouts erupted in the Guild Hall. They were echoed throughout Orario. Turning back to his chamber—he had nowhere else to go—Ouranos frowned the entire walk down. There was one more battle left.

In Twilight Manor, Loki waited until after she had checked on all her returning children before scoffing at Ouranos in private. That old man had some brass balls, lying to everyone like that. Going over what Riveria and Gareth reported and piecing together other bits from assorted stories her children had told her over the past few hours, there was something very fishy going on. She didn't have all the puzzlepieces yet...she had work to do. And she needed Finn. Walking into his office, she looked at the dent next to the doorframe. She and Finn both needed Tione back.

Miach Clinic was too small for everybody to stay comfortably, but nobody wanted to leave. Tiona stubbornly curled up on the floor next to her sister's bed, saying it was far more comfortable than the cell in Telskyura they grew up in. Lord Miach had given up his bed upstairs in favor of the back office; Naaza and Airmid now shared the room. Finn never left the chair beside Tione's bed.

Fingers delicately gripped the prum's shoulder. Looking up, he saw Miach staring down at him kindly. "If you'll excuse me," the god whispered so as not to wake Tiona, "there is something I very much think you need to see."

Squeezing Tione's hand, Finn followed the god to the back office. Over the course of the evening he had been impressed with Miach and Naaza's knowledge and enthusiasm...especially since Airmid had just nodded along with them and easily integrated into their discussion over healing practices. He had wondered why they had such a small, poor familia when they had such skill and passion. Walking into Miach's office, Finn immediately had the answer. Looking at the diagrams of arms hanging all over the walls, Finn sympathized. He would do anything he could to help Tione. "What is it, Lord Miach?"

Pulling two chairs next to his desk, Miach directed Finn to take one. Sitting comfortably, the god placed a small vial on the desk. "Do you know what that is?"

Finn examined it closely. "It looks like it should be a health potion," he said, turning it over in his fingers. "But it's curdled. I didn't know that can happen."

"It can't." Miach carefully took the vial from Finn and set in on the desk at arm's length. "Not under any normal circumstances. Bell Cranel brought this to me after your adventure on the fifty-first floor. I did not understand much at the time...but I detected something extremely interesting—and extremely, dangerously disconcerting—about it. After the events of today, I feel I understand."

Finn leaned forward. "Does this have something to do with Tione, Lord Miach?"

"I believe so."

Finn leaned back, expression sharp. "Carry on, then, please."

"Bell ran through intense fire and came into close contact with a demi-spirit...but that should not have resulted in this. I ask you—was there something unusual about that demi-spirit? Was it unique in any way?"

Nodding, Finn said "It had two distinct creatures on its lower body. Usually a demi-spirit only parasitizes one, but this had two."

Miach nodded, satisfied. "I feared as much. I believe that demi-spirit was unique—and extra powerful—because it was a new experiment by Cel. She was obsessed with creation, yes? I believe that, as a new creation, it carried her taint. Her corruption. That," he eyed the vial warily, "is what curdled the potion. It contains the corruption of an insane god."

Finn was instantly on edge. "When she died, everything connected to her died. The dungeon is no more. Cel is no more."

"And the corruption in this vial should be gone. But it's not just in the vial I sense Cel's taint. I feel it in Tione."

Finn shot to his feet.

"Please, please!" Miach held a calming hand to the upset pallum. "Please, sit. She is in perfect physical health; the quick application of Airmid's magic and the aid she received here saw to that. But I fear she will not wake until Cel is truly vanquished."

Finn sat heavily in the chair. Glaring at the vial across the desk, his instincts said Miach was right. The vial; Fels fearful look at Tione before he transported he to the surface; Ouranos' deceitful announcement; Cel's talk of 'her champion'; Cels comment on remaking Ouranos...he felt there was something there. He needed to think more on it. He needed to return to Loki. "Lord Miach, would you be so kind as to send Loki a message for me?"

"Certainly," he responded kindly. "However, I suggest you speak with Hestia first. If you are amiable, I asked for her to meet us here; she's just outside."

After Finn agreed, Miach rose to invite Hestia into the office. The tiny goddess delicately sat in the chair Miach vacated as she greeted Finn. "I want to thank you for bringing Bell and Haruhime back home alive."

"It was a pleasure working with them," Finn said. "Haruhime, especially. She saved everybody."

Hestia's big, round eyes blinked a few times before she regained her composure. "Helping your family by getting Tione back is more important right now. From what I understand, Cel did not have a soul. All she was was a personality cobbled together out of bits and pieces of Ouranos and held together by the power he gave her."

Finn saw those cold, dead eyes. "Yes. She did not have a soul."

"Yet, she created things. At first she made things like her, but then she figured out how to take the souls—the divine spark—of mortals and reforge them into her own creations. That spark, I think, became the magic stones."

Finn nodded. It made sense. "And when we killed her, her control over them vanished. The souls trapped inside went back to Heaven."

Hestia nodded. "Sure...but maybe not all of them."

A chill went down Finn's spine. "What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking a lot about Zeus and the Three Great Quests. I think Ouranos was wrong; it was a terrible mistake killing Cel before facing the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Bell and Haruhime told me everything Cel said. Do you recall her talking about her champion?"

"She said she would add our sparks—or the sparks of the Great Spirits—to it."

"She said more than that," Hestia said darkly. "She also singled out Ais. She desperately wanted to add Ais' power to it. Also, think about what she said about 'the Lord of the Skies' defeating Zeus. Ouranos himself said that she created the Black Dragon to consume the power of Aria. I believe the One-Eyed Black Dragon is her champion."

"Okay," Finn nodded. "I was already on that track. Do you have any other theories? Anything that will help Tione?"

Hestia raised her hands. "Please, bear with me. I believe I know why Zeus failed. The other Great Quests—Leviathan and Behemoth—were regular monsters. Powered by the souls of multiple Great Spirits, perhaps, but they had a magic stone—their power level was capped. They were limited. And if the stone was destroyed, the monster was vanquished. The Black Dragon isn't a monster. It has no magic stone."

Finn slowly leaned forward, resting hs elbows on his knees. Chin in his palm, he considered. "Why do you say?"

"It's just a theory," Hestia said quickly, "but it's the only thing I can think of that explains Zeus' downfall, how Cel could remake Ouranos, and why," she looked sadly at Tione, "her taint still exists."

Finn frowned, thinking. "I don't follow."

"Ouranos sent you to kill Cel to weaken the One-Eyed Black Dragon, correct? Because otherwise her connection to it made the beast too powerful to overcome. Well...what connection would that be? It had to have been something beyond a regular magic stone...something much more intimate. Something like a part of herself."

"Hmm..." Finn thought about it seriously. "It could be possible. Ouranos separated himself to make Cel; it's entirely possible she used some of her own power to create the One-Eyed Black Dragon. It wouldn't need a magic stone becasue it's not really a monster—it's a part of Cel." Finn missed his desk. He always thought better at his desk. "That explains why Cel's taint still exists and why Ouranos believed killing Cel would make a campaign against the Black Dragon more viable...but how does it explain why Zeus Familia lost or how Cel could remake Ouranos? Why do you say killing Cel first was a mistake?"

Hestia folded her hands together in her lap. "Zeus lost because he fought it like a monster and because he miscalculated his opponent. He believed Cel, an earth godess, would not be able to create anything of quality for the air. But Cel is Ouranos—a sky god. The bottom floor of he dungeon, what was it like? Wide open spaces, filled with dragons? What do all the monsters want, hmm? To be on the surface world, to see the sky." Hestia shook her head. "Zeus went into battle with the wrong idea. The Black Dragon is the most terrifying thing in creation...not because of its raw destructive capabilities or that it houses the essence of an insane goddess—but because it can hold the essence of a god. Do you know of any other creature that can do that?"

Finn had to admit he didn't.

"The One-Eyed Black Dragon is the only thing in existence that can eat a god. And when I say 'eat', I mean consume its power. Cel wants Ais because of her connection to Aria, the Great Spirit of Air, but she never intended to stop there. She wanted to consume Ouranos—she would depose her creator, revenger herself upon the one who locked her away, and rule in his place as Lord of the Skies." Hestia leaned in close and placed her hands on Finn's knees. "I think that when you killed Cel, the personality, the...entity...you slew is gone. She never had a soul; there was nothing holding it together...except the power Ouranos used as glue. That power was not vanquished. It merely sought out itself."

The chill down Finn's spine turned to solid ice. "You mean to say that when we killed Cel, all of her power went into the One-Eyed Black Dragon?"

"Not just her own power," Hestia whispered. "The power of every spark she was holding onto when she died. The adventurers she killed...and Gugalanna. When you killed her, you made the Living End more powerful by far—you imbued it with the full strength of a god, a Great Spirit, and several first-tier adventurers. Worse: the Black Dragon is not restricted by a magic stone. It's ability to absorb power is limitless. It becomes stronger with everything it kills."

Finn closed his eyes. He hated being crass, but..."Dammit." He knew Hestia was right. "And Tione?"

"Her heart was connected to Cel before she died. Tione was separated and her body survived...but her spirit is no longer there. She will never wake unless the Dragon is defeated. She is just like Aria, now. Her spirit is a captive to the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

Finn stood, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?"

Finn never turned back, kicking the door open. "I'm going to rip that beast apart and bring Tione home."