Chapter 2 – The Conflicted Smith
Somewhere in the home of the Hephaestus Familia, a red haired teen huffs as he wakes up for another day of work. It was early in the morning, around four. The teen had a habit of waking up early. He went to his workshop and turned on the forge, shovelling in the coal before lighting it.
The black smoke rising from the forge and into the air, but no smokestack would be witnessed or formed as the handy magic items that existed on Gekai were used to purify it before it was released into the sky. There, on the blazing forge he put a chunk of metal that he started heating.
His personal workshop was connected to his room, so that he could simply enter it without having to walk around the expansive building, which made it very comfortable and efficient. The workshop itself wasn't that big, given that he was a level one and as such his privileges were minimal. It was barely any bigger than his room, which was around five meder square. It consisted of a kiln, a forge, an anvil, a table, a rack and countless shelves. On the table there were countless tools and even more were hung on the wall. The rack and the shelves also had many of his creations laid all over them.
The higher ranked a member was the better conditions one would have, with bigger rooms, workshops and stronger forges, to smelt high quality adamantite and make better quality equipment. As the high levelled members resided on the top floors, they usually had open workshops, where they modified the roof so it could be removed or added at will and to let it be exposed to the sun and sky. For now though, that was something that the teen could only dream about.
He'd wait for the chunk to turn bright red before working on it for hours. It was a blazing orange as he struck it with his hammer, flattening the malleable metal. This time around, he was trying to make a light armour set, that he'd attempt to sell later.
One thing that no one could beat him at, however, was magic swords. Due to his ancient bloodline, his magic swords were more durable, stronger and more versatile than even what the captain of his Familia could make.
However, he absolutely hated magic swords and refused to make any. Even with the captain of the Familia pushing him to, he would never make one. No matter who asked, low level adventurers or Loki Familia executives, no matter how much they were going to pay for it, a million to fifty million, the teen never made one. He swore to never make one and it would tarnish his pride and sense of value as a blacksmith if he did.
At least that's what he thought. He would later come to understand that there were more important core values than one's sense of pride and that he would one day swallow that same pride. The red haired boy hammered away at the metal for several hours, before the shape of the chest plate started to form. He still had an hour to go and wanted to continue but was interrupted at the sound of someone banging on the door to his room.
"You sleeping Welfy?!"
The teen got up and snarled as he heard the voice of the captain of the Familia.
"Shut up Tsubaki! I'm well awake and busy at work!"
Tsubaki was the captain of the Familia, but Welf being of great interest in the eyes of Hephaestus, she started doting on him, wanting to help him improve his craftsmanship. Welf, was a level one smith of the Hephaestus Familia. A Familia renowned throughout the world, and doesn't rely on the dungeon for an income, though it does rely on the dungeon for supplies. The Familia has nearly twenty members that are level three and above, earning them the 'warrior smiths' title.
The Familia itself, is one of the largest Familias in the whole of Orario, with at least hundred members in its ranks. Each member of the Hephaestus Familia got their own workshop, but weren't allowed to use the Familia logo on their pieces of equipment unless they filled in all requirements to be deemed good enough.
In order for one of them to be able to use the Hephaestus logo on their works they'd have to be: level two, have the 'blacksmith' developmental ability,' be acknowledged by an executive member and finally present it to Goddess Hephaestus herself. If she were to give her approval, then the smith would be allowed to use the Familia logo on their work.
Back to Welf, he'd usually work for most of the day in his workshop before going to the dungeon to try and increase his falna. Whilst his main job is to be a blacksmith, he still needed to grind the dungeon in order to increase his status and eventually reach level two. One of the most common and needed aspects about being a blacksmith is to attain the blacksmith developmental ability. However, developmental abilities are only unlocked at level two and on.
Most adventurers never get to level two, so for someone who isn't even a full-fledged adventurer such a monumental task is near impossible, and Welf has been a level one for nearly four years now. Welf however, was very determined to reach a high level with both his work and status. In order to increase the status of his falna, one of the things he needs the most right now is to find a party. It will enable him to reach deeper floors and it's a lot safer than wondering in alone.
The problem resides in the fact that Welf isn't being very successful in finding a good party that he can cooperate with. He'd always ends up arguing and getting kicked out of the party. This day, Welf decided to make yet another attempt to find a new party. He changed into his usual attires and grabbed his broad sword, strapping it to his back. He then exited the compound, passing by the guards of the manor.
"Hey Welf, going to try with another party?"
The two guards had seen him go and come countless times.
"Yea, hopefully this time it will work out."
He said as he sighed heavily.
"Come on man, I'm sure you'll find someone."
Welf waved his thanks to them and left the manor.
.
Having walked for thirty minutes the red haired teen reached the Guild. He looked at the main entrance and sighed heavily, ruffling the side of his hair, before taking the steps leading up to the entrance and going in. Seeing Misha, his advisor, he went up to her desk to ask for the usual request.
"Are you here to give up?"
That was the first question Misha asked as soon as she saw him.
"Come on Misha have some faith in me, pity me a little at least. But as I've said, I need a party, surely you know of someone who is trying to recruit members, no?"
Misha shook her head with a long sigh.
"How many have you ditched or been kicked out of?"
Welf simply scoffed.
"They are simply unreasonable, they don't understand me."
Eina was passing by and stopped when she saw Misha talking to an adventurer.
"Oh hey Eina. It's just Welfy, he's still looking for a party."
After Tsubaki had first introduced him, the nickname had stuck with Misha, much to the annoyance of Welf.
"They all want me to make magic swords in order to stay in the party. They know I won't."
Eina nodded in agreement and an idea came to her.
"There is a party that might take you in, they are adventurers under my supervision. They are only in two, but they are trustworthy and good people, and they are advancing through the floors really quickly."
Two adventurers usually wouldn't be enough people to call it a party, but that didn't matter to Welf, who wanted to jump on the opportunity.
"Really?! That's fine with me!"
Eina nodded but frowned for a moment.
"But they don't usually come by during the morning. They go straight to the dungeon and only come here late in the evening to return the magic stones. Either you come and meet them then, or I can tell them to come by tomorrow at an arranged time for you to meet them, though if you choose to wait then they usually come here to drop off the magic stones at around eight in the evening."
Welf thought about it and looked at Eina as he came with up with an answer.
"I'll come by tomorrow at around the time they leave the dungeon, so please tell them to meet me here. Thank you Eina, that helped a lot."
Welf said goodbye to the two advisors and left the Guild. He turned to head back home, but his gaze fixed itself on the tower of Babel.
'Well since I'm here it'd be a waste.'
He reached the entrance and looked around seeing the countless parties, with only a few going in solo or in duos.
'Why is it so damn hard to find a party, man.'
He kept whining as he went down the steps and entered the first floor.
"Alright let's get to work."
Welf grinned as he started exploring the rooms looking for monsters to kill. The thing that Welf looked out for the most in the dungeon were drops. Using drops he could make items that he'd sell for a higher price, unfortunately they were every rare. He kept going at it for around an hour, slashing at the monsters, looking out for any monster drop yet none appeared. He understood how drops had a low chance to drop, and on the first floor, the monsters would almost never drop anything, but it was still frustrating to him. Even if they did drop then it wouldn't be of high quality as it was a monster of the first floor. Making the first floor practically useless for anyone who wasn't a rookie.
Welf then found another group of goblins and kobolds, with his sword in hand, he started cleaving through them. This meagre amount of killing wouldn't provide enough experience to even increase his falna by ten points, which is why he is searching for a party. He had tried challenging deeper floors and even went to down to the fourth floor, but he was nearly killed on the fourth floor several times.
This was despite his status being close to D rank in strength, but due to being a smith and a Familia without many strong fighters to teach them, Welf didn't know how to wield a great sword properly. Instead, he used a self-taught style, which impeded his progress as well as his potential. Welf feared going past the fourth floor without anyone to help him due to that. While scared that greatly frustrated him as he thought of Tsubaki and how she probably went to the lower floors alone.
She even went on expeditions with the Loki, Ganesha and Astraea Familia to the deep floors. He didn't like Tsubaki and the fact that she was stronger and better, irked him to no end. It also irritated him that she went on an expedition with so many pretty girls, like the Gale Wind, Scarlet Harnel, Ankusha, the Sword Princess and so on, even if Tsubaki herself was a beauty herself, he'd never admit it. As he was thinking that, he lost focus on his surroundings and didn't notice the kobold behind him. The monster jumped on Welf's back as he was thoughtlessly moving forward.
'Crap!'
Welf tried to turn around but was stopped staggering from the pain as the kobold slashed at his back. A three line claw mark was torn open on his back. There was nothing he could do as it stuck on its back. He tried to grab the feral beast, but he didn't have any strength left to summon as the pain overrode his senses, making drop the sword.
The kobold kept clawing at its back and bit him in between the shoulder and the neck. Welf screamed in pain, his knees gave in, he he fell as the kobold let go and pushed itself off, sending him flying against a wall. Welf turned around just in time to grab the maws of the kobold as it was about to bite him in the neck. But the strength in his right arm was rapidly vanishing due to the wound on his shoulder, his left arm quickly following and his consciousness starting to fade.
Welf started to panic as he felt that his last breath was drawing closer. He still had an ardent passion and goal that was yet to be completed, he had to become a high levelled smith, make a weapon that Hephaestus would acknowledge and be proud of. He still had so much, but it all seemed bleak. It was all about to end.
…
Then it wasn't. The monster screeched, shivering and staggering, his head shooting up in an attempted roar but only let out a screech before the head was cut off. The monster corpse fell limp to the ground. Where the kobold once was, now resided a black blade, with blue glowing runes engraved on the blade. Following the length of the blade, Welf landed his eyes on the long-haired white rabbit that held the sword. The one who had just saved him. As a smith, Welf couldn't help but go back to the sword, the quality and level of the weapon was, even to an untrained eye, beyond all recognition.
"Are you ok?"
Asked the rabbit. Welf was dumbfounded but slowly and crankily nodded.
"Y-yea, thank you man."
He took the hand that the rabbit extended and stood up.
"Sure, just be careful."
Said the white haired hare as he watched over the man who had nearly died just a few moments ago. In the corridor behind him Welf saw another rabbit approaching. He was like the one that had just saved him, a little smaller and with shorter hair. He too seemed to possess some peculiar weapons.
"Onii-sama, is everything alright?"
The other rabbit turned and nodded before turning back to Welf.
"You should probably drink a potion; your back and neck have been badly injured. Welf snapped out of his stupor as the pain overtook his senses again. He reached his pocket and pulled out a vial, drinking the contents that healed up to a major extent his wounds.
He looked at the two.
"Hey, thanks really, I would have been a goner. I'm Welf by the way, a smith."
The taller rabbit nodded in response.
"I'm glad you're alright. I'm Nuri by the way, and this is my brother, Bell."
Welf then handed them a couple of potions each. Nuri raised his hand and shook his head.
"There is no need to."
Nuri like Bell wanted to help people out of kindness not for a prize. The two dreamt of becoming heroes like the ones that their grampa would tell them about.
"Hahaha, take it man. I can afford it, besides, you seem to take on much harder fights. This is the least I can do and I wouldn't want you to die on me after that."
The two smiled awkwardly but took the potions.
"Thank you."
He nodded.
"Well I'd say that's my cue to get the hell out of here. Good luck you two."
.
Welf returned to the surface and immediately started heading home. For some reason, seeing those two gave him newfound inspiration, which he wanted to use on creating his new pieces of armour. As he reached the gates of the manor, the guards greeted him.
"Hey Welf, any luck? W-wait a minute, what happened to you?!"
They then noticed the large slash on his back and the bite mark on his collar.
"Ah, this, well … I got distracted and was overpowered by a monster. Actually I wouldn't be here if a passing by adventurer hadn't saved my skin."
The two listened to Welf and his story in the dungeon.
"Damn, you were lucky though, that those two adventurers helped you I mean. Usually no one would risk their life to help a stranger."
Welf nodded.
"I want to craft something for the next time I see them, to thank them both for saving me and for giving me inspiration."
The two smiled, seeing the fired up Welf.
"Well you better get in and start working."
Welf nodded waved at them before heading straight for the forge, but not before running into Hephaestus. Seeing the smith that she had high hopes for her with shredded clothes scared her frozen, a yelp escaping her lips.
"Welf! What happened to you?!"
She shouted as she ran up to him, checking out his injuries.
"Oh this, its nothing."
Hephaestus glared at him viciously before scolding him. Without being able to oppose her, he let her drag him to the infirmary where he had his remaining scars and wounds fully treated. She then demanded an explanation.
"What's the meaning of this shrewd state of yours?"
As such Welf was then forced to recount the events again for her, telling her of his potential success in finding a party, going into the dungeon, getting attacked by a monster as he was distracted and finally getting saved by two rabbits.
"You were saved … by … two rabbits?"
Welf was grinning before remaining confused for a while as he saw the weirded out face of his Goddess.
"Oh did I say two rabbits? I meant two adventurers. They looked like two rabbits, so I tend to call them rabbits."
Hephaestus giggled.
"Two rabbits, eh? Well I will have to thank them next time I see them."
Welf nodded.
"I wanted to make something for them, something that would help them."
Hephaestus nodded as she took a thinking pose.
"How about a weapon?"
Welf shook his head.
"You remember those weapons I told you about, I saw them for a moment before he sheathed it. It was of quality, high quality. It was a long black Far Eastern blade with blue and purple runes all over the blade and a pair of long white knives. They were magical. They wielded the blades impressively well, shortly before leaving I saw him and the younger brother annihilate a group of Kobolds. Even an untrained eye like me could tell, that they were skilled."
Hephaestus' eyes widened at the explanation.
"Did you just say a Far Eastern black blade and a pair of white long knives?! With runes over them?! Did the runes on the blade form the shape of a dragon along the blade or a lightning bolt with fire and ice wrapping around?!"
Welf was surprised by her sudden outburst.
"Y-yea. I think so. The handguard was rather particular, forming a ten pointed circular star."
Hephaestus grew restless.
"Were the rabbits you're talking about white haired and red eyed?"
"Umm, yea?"
Hephaestus stayed there thinking for a while before grabbing the shoulders of Welf.
"Next time you see them tell them I need to meet them!"
Welf gulped and nodded, considering whether that would be a good idea.
"Also about a gift for them, you can make them armour. You can get Tsubaki to help you, I'll also help you."
Welf nodded and decided to retire to his room before Hephaestus could get any weirder. He had never seen his Goddess like that.
"I hope I haven't just involved those two in something of dangerous."
Welf worried for the two rabbits' future. Going back to his forge he went back at hammering the metal to make his new armour set and take his mind off the weird reaction of the Goddess of the forge.
.
The moment Welf had left them, the pair of rabbits moved in deeper and slayed the countless monsters that charged at them. After a couple of hours of monster hunting, the two decided to rest and chanced upon a wide room. Eina had taught them that damaging the walls and floor of the dungeon would stop monsters from spawning as the dungeon spent time and resources to repair itself.
So, the two started creating large slashes on the walls and floors to create a temporary safe room. Like the first two floors they had cleared, the monsters weren't particularly stronger nor greater in quantity than floor one and two. Nuri looked around to check if there were any monsters nearby but found none.
'I wonder if Eina will allow us to go to the fifth floor.'
Nuri lost in thought, was startled when Bell's stomach suddenly growled. The elder brother turned to a blushing bunny, who stared at him embarrassedly. Unfortunately, they hadn't brought any snacks as they left shortly after visiting their fellow Familia member.
"It seems like we'll have to cut it short for today, Bell."
Bell nodded.
"Today we killed a lot more monsters than yesterday even if we had to take a detour to save Welf."
"True. Now, let's reach the third floor and end it there."
Bell nodded and got up, grabbing his knives that were yet to have scabbard made for the two of them. They left the temporary safe room and headed deeper down from the second floor. Nuri used this opportunity to teach Bell what he could.
The two had an unusual luck or lack of luck depending whose point of view you'd see it from. Hordes of monsters would come to greet them, numbers that none others would see in the first six, maybe seven floors.
However, this was a demonstration of their potential, any other group of rookies that had encountered such a large group of monsters would have been heavily injured or wiped out. The two of them however, sliced through the monsters, gaining exorbitant amounts of excelia and magic stones.
If one were to wish to follow them, they'd simply have to follow the trail of carcasses the two left behind. It took a good amount of time to kill the monsters but it took three times the amount to find and retrieve the magic stones and the occasional drop items that would appear.
Nuri too used this opportunity to train against live enemies. Practicing and remembering what had been imparted in him, trying out and developing techniques that he knew but hadn't tired out, consolidating the foundation of his fighting style and the precision and fluidity of his movements.
He was skilled and talented, just like his aunt, but he was by no means a master. He may have a natural talent to learn and merge what he learnt into his own technique to form a unique and ultimate battle style but at the end of it, it all depended on one's own hard work.
As the two of them worked on improving their fighting technique they made their way down to the third floor, killing then collecting, then repeating the same actions. It was a repetitive task that came to an end when the monsters stopped coming and the two decided to call it a day.
The two rabbit started to collect the magic stones from the dead monsters, which occasionally dropped an item, such as a claw. Having finished the harvest the two nodded at each other signalling one another that it was time to head back.
The two were about to leave when they realized that someone was in the room with them, she stood in the way of their exit and was staring right at them. Them and their earnings. Eyes full of greed and lust. Which weirded Nuri out and caused Bell to nearly yelp seeing the woman's intense gaze, but kept composed. He jumped into his fighting stance, knives pointed at her.
'What's with her?'
Nuri watched the large woman that blocked the exit to the room. She wore leather armour covering her whole body. Nuri was already a head and a half taller than Bell, yet the woman they faced easily towered over Nuri, making Bell feel really tiny.
The woman was tall and fat, nearly reaching the height of the opening to the room. She had brown hair and orange feral eyes. Tiger ears stood atop her head, twitching as she observed with her feline eyes the two boys.
'A weretiger?'
They didn't let their guard down as they stared down the woman, who licked her lips as she observed the two rabbits.
"A handsome one and a cute one. Hehe, you'll fetch a nice price if I sell you to Ishtar."
The two little rabbits had been thoroughly taught everything they needed to know about Orario by Eina and Astraea. That included Familias and their history, along their history and reputation. To say that Ishtar's reputation among Astraea and Eina was terrible would be a massive understatement. The two made them swear to never go near the entertainment district nor get involved with Ishtar, but it seemed like she got involved with them.
"Sell us to Ishtar?"
"Oh, surely you don't think only women can work in the red light district. There are plenty of women that look to have a good time, you know? It's rare but if you're lucky you will find yourselves an elven customer. Besides, someone might even buy you with your pretty looks and combat ability. I've been watching for only a short while but you two are quite impressive."
"I see, thanks for the compliment but we're not neither interested in being sold nor being used."
The air grew tense as they stared at each other, Bell and Nuri on one side, the weretiger on the other. Then the walls started to crack and crumble, giving birth to a couple of kobolds and goblins. Nuri and Bell used this opportunity and jumped back, making the monsters target the woman.
The weretiger wielded a large sword which she used to slash the monsters. The female adventurer must have been at least level two as she effortlessly fended off the group of monsters. Luckily, albeit weak, they provided enough of a distraction for the two rabbits to act.
Nuri got behind her, while Bell charged at her right behind a monster. The weretiger cut apart one of the monsters in half but was surprised as Bell appeared behind dead monster. She barely blocked the knife aimed at her eye, but she was at a disadvantage as she had one sword while Bell had two knives.
As she blocked the first knife, the one in Bell's other hand stabbed her thigh, diving deep in her flesh. She screamed in pain but would scream again as Nuri slashed her across the back. The backed off in time as she retaliated, swinging her sword around, desperately trying to hit them.
"You damn runts!"
Despite her injured leg, she dashed forward with incredible speed that the two could barely react to. In the form of a vertical arc, the sword came down on Bell, who raised his knives to block the hit. However, the strike was much stronger than he could imagine and he barely held on, his knees trembling under the strength of the attack.
"Bell don't block. Deflect or dodge them. Try counterattacking even, but don't block them."
"Hehe, it seems like you're a bit more battle oriented."
Nuri frowned as he watched Bell getting crushed by the level two's strength until she grabbed Bell's wrist and threw him towards the other rabbit. Seeing it coming, Nuri caught the incoming human projectile, skidding back from the impact before placing Bell down on his feet.
The weretiger charged forward and slashed at Nuri, who dodged just in time before responding with a horizontal slash of his. The opponent easily blocked the attack before putting all her strength in a kick that sent Nuri flying. As the wall approached Nuri broke his fall and landed on the wall with his feet, he then pushed himself off the wall and propelled himself towards the weretiger.
His vertical attack was blocked yet again causing Nuri to back off. Meanwhile, Bell had made his way on the other side of the weretiger, the two had now surrounded the aggressor. Both had a deadly look which was the complete opposite of the usual kind smile and gentle looks.
.
Nearby a large boaz who happened to pass by observed the situation with great interest. He watched as Bell and Nuri circled around her. The two nodded at each other signalling to attack. Bell went for her knees while Nuri slashed at her neck. The were tiger blocked Nuri's slash whilst interrupting Bell's attack with a tackle.
After that the three of them started exchange blows which the boaz made sure to watch. As he watched them he made note that albeit weaker than the Gulliver brothers in strength, which he knew that was due to the level difference, their skills were quite impressive, moreover like them, the two were brothers and it was quite obvious to the large man that they had always lived by relying on each other, given their amazing teamwork.
They knew how to reach other's actions and thoughts, they mad plans and executed them with perfect synchronisation. They knew the basics of how to cooperate, they understood the weaknesses and shortcomings of one another and had learnt how to cover for each other.
What was most important to note to the boaz was their trust. They didn't hesitate when executing their plan as they knew they could depend on their partner. He kept watching the fight between the rabbits and the weretiger and concluded that despite being fresh adventurers, they both had incredible skills, potential and teamwork.
However, the bulking man noticed some key differences between the two bunnies. Whilst Bell seemed to be skilled it also appeared like he had just learnt how to wield his knives, which was hinted due to the errors that arose every once in a while such as unnecessary wide attacks. In addition it was clear that he wasn't used to battle, particularly against other people, which was a given since Nuri had been telling Bell what to do on the moment.
On the other hand, the older counterpart was skilled in the use of his blade, minimal movements and always maintained perfect distance. He also appeared to be used to fighting people. The sword style was fluid and precise but also heavy with its attacks, which kept even the level two adventurer at bay despite the inferior level. What the experienced boaz also caught onto was Bell's narrow awareness of the battlefield.
.
The weretiger suddenly grinned and grabbed a small black pellet out of her pouch and threw it to the ground, as it touched the ground the pellet burst and allowed the black smoke that had been trapped within in it to spread in the room.
Bell watched the place where she had disappeared with squinted eyes, but all he saw was the black smoke that clouded his vision. Nuri dashed forward with his sword at the ready and slashed in a horizontal arc towards Bell's head.
"Bell duck!"
The young bunny didn't hesitate to follow the order and lowered his head as Nuri's tachi clashed with the weretiger's own sword. Bell barrel rolled behind Nuri before getting up and preparing for combat again. Whilst he didn't show it, the little rabbit was internally shocked not expecting the sudden move at all.
Suddenly their attention was turned to sound of heavy footsteps approaching them. Three head turned to watch a mountain walk towards them, towering even over the weretiger that had made them seem tiny. Now the two rabbits felt like real ants before the large boaz who stared down at the three of them, locked into battle.
The giant decided that he had observed for long enough so he decided to intervene before either of the rabbits could get hurt. It would be a nuisance to his Goddess if something were to happen to them. Moreover, he heard how Ishtar was involved. If that were to happen there was no doubt that Freya would go to war and annihilate the Ishtar Familia.
It didn't take for any of the three to recognize who the large adventurer was. The massive man looked at Nuri and Bell, a small subconscious smile formed on his face before he turned to the woman and his face quickly turned into a scowl. None of the three had the time to react as the large boaz grabbed his sword and the weretigers head vanished.
Both Nuri and Bell were shocked but didn't dare raise their sword towards their saviour, besides they both knew that the two of them didn't stand a chance at even scratching the mountain in front of them. They could feel it, a pressure, of an undefeatable champion, that seemed to crush them. Then he opened his mouth and started speaking after a solid minute of silence.
"Be aware of your surroundings don't focus on one target alone. Had it not been for your brother, you'd be dead."
"Ah, umm right."
The boaz stared at them in silence for a while before speaking again.
"You two have potential. Is there no one to look after you two?"
The two rookies looked at each other.
"No. Um, we have special circumstances."
Nuri provided only a simple and condensed explanation to the mountain but he nodded not wishing to pry into their current condition. They were the target of his Goddess' objective, he didn't wish to make them suspicious of him, but more than that, there was something other than his Goddess' order that pushed him closer to the boys.
Even though their encounter with the now dead weretiger woman was less than convenient, the two rabbits were happy as they were saved and there was no doubt that their status would rise substantially.
They only felt bad for the woman that died, though she did to do less than questionable things to the two of them, that was just who they were. The loss of life was very significant to them, regardless of whether it was friend or foe, for that they would never wish to kill someone.
Seeing that there was no more need for him, the boaz decided move deeper in the dungeon, so he picked up his bag and started heading towards the stairs that led down to the fourth floor. He only stopped and slightly turned, just enough for his eyes to catch sight of the rabbits as they were about to express their gratitude to him.
"Thank you for saving us Ottar-san."
The Freya Familia captain knew what was coming but hearing them express it caused him to stare in silence for a moment. Ottar let his eyes wander to the soft smiles that were shown on the rabbits' faces before he nodded, hiding a slight smile that grew on his own face as resumed his journey down the dungeon.
Before any more trouble could find them, the pair of siblings started travelling back to the surface. Meanwhile, Ottar dove deeper, wondering if his actions would trouble his Goddess, she had strictly said to not approach them for now, only to look over them from the shadows.
The massive captain happened to be passing by when he spotted the fighting rabbits. There were no orders from Freya, he was just there as any other adventurer, to venture into the dungeon. Yet when he saw them he did the unnecessary, he approached them and saved them. He could have simply helped them from the shadows, but instead he had approached them.
Why had he done that? He himself didn't have an answer to that question. Kindness? Compassion? There was something in the boaz's heart that pushed him to do it, a flame rekindled. A worthy opponent? A strange feeling that he wasn't familiar with had pushed him to protect them, perhaps it was the will to please his Goddess or maybe something else entirely. He didn't know, he didn't understand, he simply opted to follow his heart and soul.
.
Meanwhile, the two had headed back up to report to Eina, who they knew wouldn't be happy at their state nor at how late they got out of the dungeon at. Just as the two had foreseen, the moment she saw them she called them over, massaging her temples she observed and studied the physical state of the two. There were cuts, bruises and blood that was still visible and their armour seemed to have taken a beating.
"What. In the name. Of the Gods. Have you two been doing?!"
The two looked at her and jumped as they gulped under the pressure of her menacing stare.
"We were assaulted by someone."
She barely held herself from screaming.
"You what?! You were assaulted?"
"Yes, a weretiger woman tried to capture us saying we'd be sold for a lot if she were to hand us to Ishtar."
"That Goddess is unbelievable!"
"But we were saved by Ottar."
Eina's anger dissipated at the news.
"Ottar saved you?"
The two bunnies nodded.
"Umm, Freya Familia is full of ruthless and aggressive people, but effectively Ottar is unique in that aspect. He's nothing like the others. He is calm and composed, he's not aggressive and sometimes does happen to save people. Though it is still unusual for him to go out of his way to save you."
Nuri nodded and together with Bell the two smiled at Eina, who couldn't be angry at the two whenever they smiled. She could only sigh in defeat and accept that it was her fate.
"Be more careful, do you get it you two?"
The two nodded, they didn't want to worry their Goddess.
"So, how is it be a secret member of a mysterious Familia?"
The two gave her an awkward laugh.
"Well it's weird, keeping it a secret form the whole Familia, well not that the majority of the Familia even is here."
She raised yet another curious eyebrow. If the Familia wasn't here, it meant that they were either on a quest or on an expedition. If it was the latter it easily meant the two were part of a powerful Familia with several members, including some second or even first class adventurers.
"Well that's understandable. It's unusual, not unheard of but it's absolutely annoying."
Eina suddenly started complaining.
"You two are my charges, came here without a Familia, entered without a blessing then the next day you arrive here and tell me you found a Familia. Though you won't tell me who the mysterious God that blessed you two is and those superiors of mine keep nagging at me, telling me to get you tell me whose Familia you belong to. Those curious bastards can't keep to themselves. Why are they so curious seriously they need to keep their damn nose out of my charges' business. And the Gods whenever some sort of gossip appears they won't leave you alone. Like never. They're worse than that pig, Royman."
She made a cute pout.
"Why are you even hiding it? Is it a powerful Familia?"
"It'd be dangerous and is being kept a secret on orders of our God."
"Ugh, what's with your God?"
The two rabbits remained silent as they watched Eina with great interest. The sight of Eina not being in her advisor mode was very interesting and rather cute to the two rabbits.
"Tell your God that withholding this information, particularly when you level up, is not a good idea because it will bring unwanted attention. Everyone will be curious."
"So it's a double edged sword."
Nuri thought out loud, to which Eina nodded. Ever since they had arrived in Orario the two had to wear a cloak whenever they weren't in the dungeon, more so after they got their weapons from their trip to Preblica.
The combination of their weapons and appearance would garner too much attention otherwise. Even now, as they spoke to Eina they were wearing a cloak. Luckily, when the two first met Eina and got taken in, there weren't many people in the Guild who bothered to pay attention to them.
Except for the occasional glance at Bell's cute face, but Bell wore his hood enough to cover his white hair, so all people saw would be his face and red eyes, only Eina should be aware of Bell's snow white hair. Seeing the large wrapped object on Nuri's back Eina allowed herself to satiate her own curiosity. Nuri and Bell then briefly showed her their newly attained weapons.
"Gift of your God?"
"No, they are gifts that were given to us from our family and the previous Familia we belonged to. Our God took us to Preblica to get these weapons. My previous God told me that when the time was right I'd have to go to Preblica. When me and Bell found a Familia and established ourselves in Orario was when that time had come."
Eina smiled, she was happy that they had someone who loved them so much and more than anything she was happy that they had received something which would increase their probability of survival. It was getting late and as the sky darkened the two got ready to leave, but not before Nuri had the chance to ask a very important question. He was ready to be rejected but didn't give up, so he gathered his courage instead.
"Say Eina, I have a very important question for you."
"What is it?"
"Umm … you see … I …"
Eina saw the uneasy Nuri and blushed a little.
'What is going on? Is he going to ask me out? Hau~ what do I-"
"We were doing well on the third floor, can we get a clearance all the way to the fifth floor?"
There was an awkward silence, then Eina's eye twitched, she looked at him, as he took a step back. Eina was shocked, fuming and in disbelief, a drop of sweat travelled down from Nuri's face as he prepared himself for Eina's wrath. Then it subsided as she sighed with a facepalm, her face seemed to say, 'of course he'd ask.' Eina huffed out and looked at Nuri with an annoyed face.
"Fourth floor, no more."
The two nodded, though they were unsuccessful in managing to get a clearance for the fifth floor it was still a path forward.
'No fifth floor, but at least we got cleared for the fourth one.'
The two then went to the exchange station where they turned in the magic stones. With today's loot they had managed to get 10,000 valis, which was a lot more compared to the 4,000 of the previous days.
Though the two were completely oblivious at how incredible of a feat it actually was for two rookies to accomplish this on just their second run in the dungeon. Back on the first day Eina had remained shocked by the magic stones that the two had managed to gather, much to the unknowing rabbits.
For a two day old group of adventurers to reach the second floor was unheard of, much less for just two of them, but the rabbits did get an earful from Eina in the end regardless of their state. Though she couldn't help but be surprised at how quickly the two progressed.
They were by far the fastest growing adventurers she had seen or heard of. Seeing yet another unexplainable amount of progress Eina told herself to get used to the extreme progress or her head wouldn't be able to keep up with it and she'd end up going crazy.
'These hectic times are far from over.'
She felt it, the two of them would come back to surprise her a lot more frequently from this day onwards. Eina then remembered the conversation she had with Welf this morning.
"Oh right, Nuri, Bell. Could I ask you something?"
The two turned around and nodded.
"You see, I was wondering if you two were aiming at forming a party. Someone this morning was looking for a party. I hoped that you two would join him and form a party. It would make it a lot safer and easier to venture in the dungeon. If it turns out to be successful, you could gain access to the fifth floor a lot more easily and faster."
The two thought about it for a while.
"Well, it would definitely be better to be in as many people as possible when going into the dungeon."
Nuri wanted to find people to form parties, but he didn't trust anyone that they'd come across so far, to the exception of Lyra and Ardee but both were high levelled adventurers.
"That is great to hear. I can see that your doubt is whether or not you can trust the adventurer."
The rabbit nodded.
"Well, if you trust me, I can assure you that he is someone you will find yourself comfortable with. Besides, from what I heard, it seems like you already met him."
Bell and Nuri looked at each other confused, they didn't know anyone in Orario other than Astraea, Lyra, Ardee and Eina.
"When he came back earlier, I heard that he was in a pinch and that he was saved by two white haired adventurers."
The two of the, thought about it and remembered Welf.
"You mean the red haired smith?"
Eina nodded, the two rabbits smiled hearing that.
"Then we'll be glad to form a party."
Eina beamed, whatever gave the two a greater survival chance, would make Eina happy. She was told to not to close to the adventurers she was in charge of. She knew why, mostly after her first adventurer. Every adventurer she had advised until now, had died. She knew she shouldn't get close to the rabbits, but she couldn't help it. She saw them as her brothers and deeply cared about them.
"Alright then, if you come here at around the same time as yesterday, when you leave the dungeon, he will be waiting for you here."
The two nodded and left the building.
.
The two returned home to find their patron Goddess sat elegantly on the couch sorting out a couple of application papers, many came in everyday, dreaming to enter the Astraea Familia. Despite it being an only female Familia there were many males that tried to join in, though Astraea didn't even bother looking at them and set them aside.
Astraea strictly believed that she wouldn't meet other people like Bell and Nuri. Moreover, if there are people like the two of them, they wouldn't be the type to send an application paper to the Astraea Familia, it was merely by chance that she met the two rabbits, fate if she may dare. The only way to meet someone that met her standard was for her to chance upon him and not for them to reach out to the Familia. Ironic one might say but that was just how it was.
That is not to say that she was extremely impartial to males. Even girls had an immeasurably low acceptance rate, otherwise the Familia wouldn't be stuck at twelve members. More before the attack of Evilus on Orario. A bitter memory.
"Welcome back you two. How about getting your statuses updated?"
The two agreed and smiled at the excited Goddess. She hadn't seen the rabbits as she was reading the application papers, when she did her hand went to cover her mouth in her state of shock, in front of her stood two adventurers, their gear, other than the weapons were in shambles.
"What?! What happened to you?!"
.
Bell Cranel
Age: 14
Familia: Astraea
Race: Human
Alias: None
Level: 1
Strength: I0 – H120
Endurance: I0 – H172
Dexterity: I0 – I89
Agility: I0 – H134
Magic: I0 – I0
Skill:
๔̶̨͈͎̋̀͝เש̷̢̳̰̏͂͠เ̵̢̛̩̝̘̰͐ภ̵̠̭̘̻̈́є̴̵̢͖̺̪̄͑͑͗͂͘๔̵̝̹̖̪͕̓г̴̡̡̣̿̕ค̵̲̈͠ﻮ̴̫͐͑̌̓̏͝๏̷͇̞̀̐̒̂͝ภ̵̴͔̻͚̘̩̰̹̍́̾̿̈̀̽̕๒̷̼̿̿̈́͜ɭ̷͉̘͖̤̿͜๏๏̷̤̬̮̬̒๔เ̵̧̘̰̮͊͂̐̚ภ̵͎̻̹̗̠̀́̔̕є– -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Liaris Freese – Increased growth. Growth related to the user's feelings, stronger feelings, faster growth, renders immune to charm. (weakly active)
Magic:
C-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Nuri Celestea Cranel
Age: 16
Familia: Astraea
Race: Human
Alias: None
Level: 1
Strength: I0 – H138
Endurance: I0 – G200
Dexterity: I0 – H189
Agility: I0 – H105
Magic: I0 – I0
Skill:
๔̶̨͈͎̋̀͝เש̷̢̳̰̏͂͠เ̵̢̛̩̝̘̰͐ภ̵̠̭̘̻̈́є̴̵̢͖̺̪̄͑͑͗͂͘๔̵̝̹̖̪͕̓г̴̡̡̣̿̕ค̵̲̈͠ﻮ̴̫͐͑̌̓̏͝๏̷͇̞̀̐̒̂͝ภ̵̴͔̻͚̘̩̰̹̍́̾̿̈̀̽̕๒̷̼̿̿̈́͜ɭ̷͉̘͖̤̿͜๏๏̷̤̬̮̬̒๔เ̵̧̘̰̮͊͂̐̚ภ̵͎̻̹̗̠̀́̔̕є– -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Liaris Freese – Increased growth. Growth related to the user's feelings, stronger feelings, faster growth, renders immune to charm. (weakly active)
Argonaut – A heroic strike, an attack that charges up with time, white and blue sparkles appear when active, the longer it charges the stronger the power. Current charge time: 3 minutes. Concurrent Chanting: Not Achieved
Magic:
E-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"Well, actually we were assaulted."
Astraea looked at the papers in disbelief, her eyes trailing over the status imprinted on it. She knew that the two possessed Liaris Freese which was supposed to increase his growth but she hadn't expected this level of increase.
The effects were beyond her imagination, as she had never seen such growth in her time, not in her Familia nor in any other Familias. That was when she registered Bell's words and her head snapped towards the two of them.
"Who dared?!"
"A weretiger woman. She tried to sell us to Ishtar, saying that a handsome one and a cute one would sell nicely."
'That damn shameless slut of a Goddess.'
"Ottar then saved us."
"I owe one to Freya, huh. Oh well, the important matter is that you two are fine."
Even so, for the two to receive such an increment in status, they must had gone through quite the ordeal if their state wasn't enough of an indicator. The stronger they got the better, after all that was the goal of the Goddess, so that they could one day join the Familia officially.
Initially, she believed that it would take a couple of years, but with this perhaps, the two of them might be able to reach level three by the end of a year. Then she'd allow them in officially, the two just kept surprising her again and again. The more time went by, the more she came to adore and treasure the two.
Thinking about it, had the two asked to join her Familia like most people do, then she was sure that she'd have rejected them. Now that she had them by her side, she realised how foolish that would have been.
Now she could only hope that they would get stronger and soon join the Familia officially, be added to the ranks of the Familia and as they joined they would uphold justice in her name. However, she also realized that they were destined for much more than just being defenders of the city and upholders of justice for her Familia.
She knew how strong each and every members of her Familia was and she had no doubt that they were any less outstanding, no, she was sure the two would rise to become the shining stars of Orario and grow to turn into the strongest in the whole of Gekai.
Unlike many Gods she hadn't come to Gekai for fun and entertainment instead like few, she had come to create a family that she cared about and loved, to serve her purpose in this world and turn it into a better world for those to come. Albeit being secret members, they still bore her falna, thus they were her children and she greatly cared for them.
Unlike her, there were some Gods who were truly nefarious, far worse Gods that she'd have to look out for. Some Gods that came to her mind were Apollo, Ishtar and Freya. Those two maniacs would harass and force anyone who had gained their attention into their Familia. They would go to great extents, following and chasing them around the world, destroying their Familias and homes. Astraea was horrified and preferred to not get involved with them. She'd love to do something about those 'monsters' but with how powerful they were it was hard to act against them, particularly Freya and Ishtar.
Thinking about it, Astraea didn't know why she invited the two boys in the first place. She was just looking to know them better, their valour having struck her the night she was saved by them. Something about them really attracted her to them, so much that she couldn't help herself. Perhaps it's because the two seemed so pure and innocent, like two lost rabbits that shared a loving brotherly relationship, always caring and looking out for one another.
As she observed them, she couldn't think anything but how interesting the two would be, the idea of keeping them a secret being born out of worry and fear of harming them, turned out to be better than expected. She would always stay behind in the manor while her entire Familia went out to protect the city and it tended to get rather lonely. Now, she had them to keep her company every once in a while and they turned out to be a bigger surprise than she had ever expected.
The moment she discovered the origin of the rabbits, the two were already shining under a new light in the eyes of the Goddess. She knew and saw it in them: potential, the potential to become powerful and successful. She saw the heroes they described in them and she knew more than anyone that they could achieve it, just like the many of their first Familia.
She could only imagine what surprises they had in store for her. Alise and Kaguya would have to know as soon as they got back here, otherwise the moment her captain found out she would have Alise pout at her for the next few weeks.
Perhaps she should also tell Ryuu since she isn't as flexible as the others and might have a problem with Nuri and Bell. Besides, having them acquainted with the executives would help the rabbits grow at an even quicker pace.
She then thought of a few days prior, to when she gave them their falna for the first time. She had seen the joy in their eyes, but she could also discern a hint of loneliness, loss and grief. She didn't much about their past, but she did know the God who raised them and as such knew what hurt them, but she wasn't ready to ask them yet.
Even so, she could see that they had faced a lot, perhaps more than anyone did or should have. From this she steeled herself. She would give them a Familia, but more importantly a true family, one that would protect them, love them and that they'd cherish, something that was like what they seemed to have lost.
They'll never be alone again, nor did she want them to experience the tragedy of losing someone they loved. She remembered the conversations she had with them. Mostly the one in Preblica as it was concentrated around their past. They had made no mention of their Familia or family other than their grampa, aunt and uncle. No brothers, sisters or even parents.
Then again, she didn't know, it was just a guess. She knew close to nothing and as she thought before, knowing the tragic past of the two great Familias, she wasn't ready to approach such a heavy topic.
They would reveal it to her one day, but that day wasn't today. As she watched them Astraea felt the urge to protect them, she again mentally swore to protect them and give them the family they didn't have but did deserve. Those thoughts were processed as she worked on their status and as she concluded she sat back down elegantly on the couch.
"Good job out there you two. I'll be heading out to meet someone, I'll come back later."
The aforementioned rabbits turned to her.
"Alright, we'll see you later, but are you sure you don't need someone to accompany you?"
Bell looked worried for the Goddess, who only smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine as long as I stay on the main streets."
She stepped out from the house and into the cheerful wide streets of Orario. As she walked down the road, the sun had already vanished below the horizon. The restaurants and pubs were open, with waitresses welcoming in the customers. Thinking about the rabbits Astraea grew restless. She looked to the right down the street, in her line of sight were the two biggest concerns in her mind.
The tower of Babel and the sunlit manor, where Freya and Apollo resided. She was sure that the two perverts would set their sights on the pair of bunnies, Freya must have certainly already done so. She could feel it, Ottar saved them, meaning that Freya was already eyeing the little rabbits and trouble would soon ensue due to her desires and scheme. However, that added to the trouble if Freya was interested, then so Ishtar would be too.
It was well known that Ishtar was fixated on beating Freya. The two Goddesses had a feud that started long before their descent to Gekai. Ishtar was much weaker than Freya, but she was still powerful and well established. Having control over the whole of the red light district, a valuable and popular district, owning such a place made Astraea unable to act against her no matter her crime.
In addition they had the support of the Guild, though she was working on the corruption that had seeped into the organization with Ouranos, but progress was unfortunately slow and minimal. It was nigh impossible to find any solid evidence to root out the corrupted members of the Guild.
She proceeded to pay a visit to the Hostess of Fertility where she had organised to meet a well-known blue haired adventurer. She arrived at the entrance where she was greeted by the cheerful and clumsy cat person Anya. As usual the Goddess was received by Mia herself who pointed her to a seat by the corner where a blue haired girl was already waiting. Her appearance caused the whole pub to go silent as they all admired the Goddess.
"Kami Astraea. It is a pleasure to be able to meet you here."
"No need to be so polite Andromeda. I was the one who called you here."
"Right, in regards to the Evilus base you asked me about, we have found some clues. I'll be sure to give you a full report by the time Alise-san and the others are back."
"That's good, but what I was actually curious about this time, was if you ever heard of any news about two rabbit looking members of the Zeus Familia."
"Two rabbits? Members of the Zeus Familia? I'm afraid I wouldn't know. However, that God did like to keep a lot of secrets and the only person who could possibly know anything about them would Hermes."
"Yes, which is why I would like to ask your help for that. Don't go too deep with your research, I just want to know why they never appeared as official members of the Familia."
The princess nodded.
"I understand, I'll ask my God about them. Then I shall take my leave."
The Goddess of justice said goodbye to the adventurer before turning her attention to her hands. She sighed heavily and takes a drink from the cup of water in her hands. She thought back to a memory of hers from two decades prior to this day. Her dear friend Iris had departed on a journey around Gekai, leaving her with a prophecy she had obtained from Phoebe. It talked of two rabbits finding their way to her.
Initially she had no clue what that might be, but now it was oh so clear. The two rabbits had found their way to her and were now her beloved children. Thinking about it the prophecy was pretty useless, it only mentioned the appearance of the rabbits and that she should guide them to become heroes. However, there was one thing that seemed important yet she still didn't understand nor did she have answers to.
They of ancient origin are the hope against the calamity that is to come.
But beware, heavy is the price they'll pay, fear for they might succumb.
Those two lines confused her, she knew of their connection to the Zeus and Hera Familia, but what calamity would they stop and what ancient origin do they belong to? The Zeus and Hera Familia had existed for nearly a thousand years, though she felt like that was not the answer. The oracle of Delphi had never been clear, always vague and never what it initially seemed to be like.
The second verse though, had her greatly worried, what was the price that the two rabbits would have to pay? The Goddess' hands clasped her head as she dreaded the thought of losing either one of the two bunny siblings. The two had been with her for no more than a couple of days but they had grown incredibly precious to Astraea.
Astraea ended it all with one final sigh that she had contained as her thoughts sorted themselves out in her head. There was much that she wished to have answered, but she knew she the answers she needed would present themselves to her on their predestined day.
The two rabbit siblings were a mystery that she couldn't figure out. She would watch closely and see how things would develop. With that the Goddess paid Mia and left the famous pub, returning to the rabbits she had thought so much about.
.
The following day, two rabbits came out of the dungeon after a long trip to the fourth floor. The two had started their day early to spend as much time in the dungeon in order to increase their excelia so that they could improve their status. Unfortunately, the two hadn't gotten used to being in the dungeon and their sense of time hadn't adapted. As they emerged from the abyss they noticed that the sun had already sunk beneath the walls while the streets of Orario were now illuminated by the magic stone lamps.
Whilst in the dungeon the two had ventured down to the fourth floor for the first time, after gaining Eina's approval the day before. After fighting for several hours the two felt like the fourth floor hadn't changed much compared to the previous ones, causing them to think about pushing down to the fifth floor … but the idea was rejected recounting Eina's words.
'Adventurers should not go on adventures.'
They knew how dangerous it was to underestimate your opponent and the dungeon was no different. The two certainly needed more excelia but risking their life and a scolding by Eina was not worth it as of now, so the two had no choice but to go back up for the day. On their way to the Guild, the two thought about ways to gain more experience, but the type of experience the two were thinking about were vastly different. While Nuri was thinking about fighting and dungeon exploration, Bell was thinking about how to meet girls in the dungeon.
Poor Bell had been corrupted by their grampa. Back when they were young the old God loved to talk about a 'man's romance.' Thanks to the guidance of other people, Nuri had learnt to not be as naïve as to take the information seriously and had hence sensibly dealt with it. Bell though had a very different life compared to Nuri and hadn't spent much time with their aunt like Nuri. Should Nuri, Alfia or Zald come to know of this corruption that controlled the young bunny's mind, Zeus would probably not live to see another day.
.
They soon reached the Guild building. The inside was very quiet compared to usual due to how late it was. Most adventurers would be done by now and would already be on their way home. The few adventurers currently present were rookies and those who had been injured during a fight, monster or adventurer.
Despite it being illegal to attack other adventurers, it was very common as it was hardly punishable since there was no way to know who did it nor verify the claims of the victims. Other than them, there wasn't anyone else. Looking around they saw that even Eina wasn't present, the girl had probably finished her work.
Without Eina to report to, the two went to the exchange station, to turn in the magic stones. Unfortunately, the two had ran into a problem and weren't able to loot everything they had gotten during their raid. The two kept killing monsters until they realised they couldn't carry any more than what they currently had.
Since then, the bunnies had prioritised the collection of drop items since they were more valuable and collected what magic stone they could, leaving a good amount of them behind. Eina had not expected this outcome so soon and had forgotten to tell them to always destroy the magic stone they intended to leave behind. As they didn't know, they were not ready for was the problem that it would cause.
Amongst the drop items they collected they had also gotten a golden egg, that Nuri was lucky enough to get his hands on. It was dropped by a golden bird, though it proved to be a challenge as it flew incredibly fast.
Before it disappeared Nuri and Bell used the layout to trapping in an area where Nuri had direct line of sight, allowing him to launch his blade like a spear, which luckily killed it. Eina had advised them on how and where to sell drop items, as depending by the type of item, they might have not been sold at the exchange stations. There were other places or people who would buy it for a lot more than what the Guild was willing to pay for it.
Having gotten the money from the magic stones they started aim for the exit to the building when they saw the familiar red haired smith sitting on a bench right by the exit. He was wearing a black shirt with navy blue pants, realising that they must have missed each other when they entered, they approached Welf, who was looking around, clearly looking for someone from the bench he was sat on.
"Hey Welf."
Welf turned the two cloaked figures and began studying them. They didn't seem to be looking for magic swords and the only other reason they might have been looking for him was because Eina had told them to meet him to form a party. They were in two, which met the description of Eina, but somehow he found the voices familiar.
The smith greeted them and questioned them.
"Could you two be the adventurers Eina suggested?"
The two nodded.
"Were you waiting for us?"
"Yes, but don't worry, I just arrived here."
Bell was confused and looked outside. The sky had darkened and that confirmed to Bell that the two were definitely late. Turning around, Bell saw the awkward smile from Nuri, from which Bell understood that it was a lie. Though neither mentioned it to the smith.
"Have we met before?"
The two nodded and gave him a quick peek under their hoods, revealing the white hair, surprising Welf.
"Oh it's you two rab-"
Nuri slapped a hand on his mouth and with the index finger of his other hand he made a gesture to symbolise silence.
"Please keep it down. The reason we have cloaks is to not be noticed too much."
Welf nodded as Nuri removed his hand.
"Well, how about discussing how the party is going to work? Do you have time now? If you don't mind that is."
The two oversized rabbits nodded.
'I'm sure Astraea won't mind if we get back a little late.'
"Let's relocate for now."
The two then followed Welf out of the Guild building and onto the lit up streets of Orario. Soon after, the two arrived at a small restaurant, that only had a few customers. They sat down at a round table and made their orders before Welf turned to them catching their attention.
"So, let's start with the fact that I'm a smith. I would like to form a contract with you, but maybe it might be a bit early for you, so let's think about it later when we get to know each other better."
The two nodded, it was clear to them that Welf was excited about this.
"Well, first of all I wanted to thank you. I'm grateful that you accepted me into your party."
He then eyed the wrapped weapons they had.
"Look, I don't intend to be rude or anything and try to ask about things you don't want to talk about. But, can I ask you about the weapons? You see, my Goddess, Hephaestus-sama, seems to be very familiar with the weapons. She has asked to meet the two of you after she heard of them. She acted really weird, but you're free to decline, I wouldn't want to involve you in something of dangerous or weird."
The two nodded with a giggle.
"About the weapons, we'd like to keep it secret. We have also been ordered by our Goddess to keep them as secret as possible. For now we'll restrict ourselves to telling you that they are very special and powerful weapons. As for Hephaestus-sama, we wouldn't mind meeting her and answering a few of her questions."
Welf nodded with a grin.
"Alright thanks."
Welf started to wonder if the two knew of his name and the history behind it as they didn't seem to be asking about magic swords at all.
"How about we introduce ourselves properly and share some information to come up with a formation?"
"I'm Welf Crozzo."
Both Bell and Nuri knew very well who Crozzo but made no reaction at the name.
"I would prefer if you just call me Welf. Anyways, I'm a high level one of the Hephaestus Familia, I specialize in strength and use a broad sword."
Bell then proceeded to ask a question.
"Say Welf, how long have you been an adventurer?"
Bell had been really curious after seeing the progress him and Nuri had made.
"About two to three years."
Bell was left completely shocked, seeing their progress he could say that both him and Nuri would level up in less than a couple of months. Bell was sure that he himself would get to level two in around two months at this rate.
After clearing that curiosity they casually talked, coming up with a simple formation, before finishing their meals and parting ways. The two rabbits went home while Welf went back to his forge to work. Bell thought about what he heard and understood why Astraea was astounded by their progress. It was completely abnormal, now he understood it.
.
The following morning, staring at the streets from behind the glass window within the home of the Apollo Familia, was a handsome orange haired God. He who stood there observing the people, on the lookout for some new members to scout, or harass, depending on whose point of view one sees it from. At least he should have been, but unlike usual, his attention was drawn to something else. It was the figure of a lone bunny hopping over the streets in the direction of the dungeon.
While watching the rabbit he stood in the middle of the room, not paying attention to the calls of his captain and vice-captain. He couldn't see the rabbit well but he did see his adorable face and bright red eyes.
His eyes closed for a brief moment to revel in feeling of obtaining that perfect creature, but by the time he opened them again the bunny was gone. He faced the sky, the rays of the sun had started shining down on Orario. He knew that he had to find him again and have him join his Familia. Take him as if he was a collectible item.
The two members of his Familia in the room had given up on calling the God and patiently waited for Apollo to snap out of his trance. Mesmerized by the boy, lust and desire filled his eyes. The patron God turned around, finally having returned to Gekai, as his mind had temporarily left for Tenkai.
He suddenly stopped as he saw the human captain and elf vice-captain staring at him. The orange eyes of Apollo met the blues ones of the children. His expressionless face suddenly turned into a creepy smile that matched the distorted emotions that his eyes transmitted. He giggled, then laughed, a hand covering part of his face as ecstasy built within him, a plan hatching inside his head before turning his attention back to Hyakinthos.
"Little rabbit, you look truly extraordinary. As Apollo I will claim you as my own."
Hyakinthos and Lissos knew what it meant when their God said that and the lewd look in his eyes was unmistakable. It seemed like they were to start searching for the rabbit that their beloved sun was looking for. They'd find him then bring him the God, they'd ask him to come, but it didn't matter if he refused, they'd simply capture him with force if need be.
'A cute appearance and a look so innocent you'd think only lambs could provide, he is so my type.'
The God giggled like a maniac at the sensation of collecting another item.
"Now, what Familia does the little one belong to, hehe, I wonder."
"We shall take our leave and investigate immediately."
"Yes, yes. You do that Hyakinthos."
The human looked a little jealous of the attention the bunny seemed to get. It was natural and quite common for Apollo to wish for someone, but the intensity displayed when talking about the bunny almost seemed like the God craved for it. At the thought he started frowning a little, but he loved his God and no he'd do anything the God ordered him to, no matter what. All which happened unbeknownst to the boy, absolutely clueless of the target he became.
.
There in the courtyard right in front of Babel Nuri had already met with Nuri and were sat on the fountain waiting for the third member. Even though it was early in the morning the place was filled with people, most if not almost all were adventurers.
The place was a common meeting place for parties and right now was the starting time for people to dive into the dungeon. Nuri was still in his usual starting armour, with his sword on his back but all of it was completely covered by the cloak he wore. Welf had a large backpack, enough to carry all the magic stones and drop items they would be getting.
The night before, the three had decided to place Bell and Welf as vanguard while Nuri acted as support. However, Welf felt a little apprehensive about being placed in the vanguard as he felt inferior to the other two when it came to battle power. Welf was glad they still accepted to make him a member of their party regardless of his battle capability. Other than the bag he had his trusty broad sword on his back and a small magic sword in his belt, he didn't like them but carried one nonetheless, in case of an emergency.
As he looked at Nuri he was more convinced than ever that the two were different from other adventurers, he was well aware of how arrogant adventurers could be, especially the high-level ones. Even more so as they had accepted him in their party.
He had proposed to split the earnings in a ratio of 10:45:45 in favour for the other two but was quickly denied as they said they would share equally, when possible. When not, they'd divide as nearly as equally as possible. Despite the two to three years difference between Welf and the boys, he had become quite fond of the two, seeing them as little brothers.
'Though they're always saving my ass.'
During the working out of the terms, Welf had also explained that he couldn't work with them every day but could work with them four days a week while the other three days he would be working in his forge. Whilst in the forge, Nuri and Bell would either adventure alone or take a break from the dungeon.
Furthermore, the smith had discovered that there was quite a lot of mystery that shrouded the two bunnies, when he asked them about their Familia, they would just avoid the question. Nuri wouldn't give in but Bell accidentally slipped up and revealed that their Goddess had sworn them to secrecy.
No one knew of their existence in the Familia apart from the Goddess herself, even the other Familia members didn't know that they were in the Familia, to the exception of one person. Welf thought he could probably find out if he kept pressuring Bell for an answer but decided that it wouldn't be taken well by the two even more so if he tried to snoop around the Guild, so he decided to leave it as it is. His train of thoughts was interrupted by Bell who finally arrived.
"Hey, sorry I'm late."
The two looked at him and rose up.
"Don't worry about it, man."
After exchanging pleasantries and talking a little bit the three headed into the dungeon.
"Let's go."
.
Before descending down into the void, they stopped on the platform overseeing the dungeon. Unlike the other day when Welf met the two brothers, he was ecstatic, he looked at Bell who looked a bit worried and then at Nuri who contrarily to Bell seemed eager, with a small grin on his face, noticing the look from Welf, Bell reassured him.
"I'm fine."
Bell wasn't too worried about going down, but more for the party, simply hoping that everything would be fine.
.
Keeping his job as a supporter in mind, Nuri stayed neither too far behind nor too close to them, overwatching the battle, pointing out at any monsters that the two might not have seen, while Bell and Welf stayed at the head leading Nuri through the dungeon. While Welf wasn't as strong as the other two, in his opinion, he was still a high level one who had been an adventurer for a couple of years, which meant he had more knowledge and experience than the two.
As the fight got harder Nuri started assisting them. He saw the two fight and kept wondering about their weapons they used, though neither seemed to use them much as it wasn't necessary with these monsters, since they didn't pose a threat to them.
He wondered what kind of weapons they were, he could tell both were imbued with magic and were high class weapons, they had even caught the attention of Hephaestus which made Welf want to know as much as possible about the weapons. But he restrained himself to wondering where they got those since they seemed adamant about keeping them a secret.
'The less people know about it the better.'
As they entered a room filled with monsters Nuri and Bell decided to take point and have Welf stay in the back. The red haired teen focused on them, he would finally be able to see those weapons in real action. After a while he started to notice that Bell's knives caused a paralysis effect to take place on the target causing it to stagger. On the other hand, he couldn't tell anything about Nuri's weapon if not that they were very sharp.
He was obviously trained, he had technique, his movements were fluent and precise, he would always cut down the enemy, killing them in one slash or thrust, leaving bodies in the way of his path. With the monsters dying rapidly he couldn't tell what kind of attributes the sword had or the effects it had, though he did catch onto a few times where the blade glowed, making him more curious. He also noted that he was incredibly powerful and fast to be a level one, though Bell wasn't far behind.
Freya sat on a chair with a sphere placed in front of her. The round orb had her undivided attention. She sat there as she observed the pair of brothers who caught her attention. She had appreciated the initiative of Ottar in saving them and earning their gratitude, though she was curious by the change in Ottar's attitude.
She had noticed the changes in Ottar whenever he was around the two or the subject of the two bunnies came up. She also observed how deep the effect the bunnies had on him was as even his soul changed, but would keep that to herself. However, he'd have to warn him to not be too close to them, she didn't wish for the patron God of the two bunnies to start suspecting her. Speaking of which, the door opened and closed, and knew that the person who entered was the person she was just thinking about.
"Ottar, what do you know of the red hair?"
Ottar arrived at her side and reported.
"Freya-sama, the human is a smith, member of the Hephaestus Familia."
Freya glanced over at the view only she had of Orario, from the window of the tower of Babel, focusing on the unique souls as they disappeared in the dungeon.
'Who do you two little ones belong to?'
She wandered at who it could possibly be, but sighed in defeat and faced Ottar. For the first time, she had no clue. No one seemed to have a connection with them other than Astraea, whom they saved, but she led an all-girl Familia and despised men. So she was crossed out immediately.
"The smith's soul is also quite peculiar. Nowhere near as beautiful or bright as that of the other two, but not common either. It's a shame, he has doubts and he is troubled. Friendship and pride weigh on each side of the balance. It seems those two feelings are creating a conflict within him."
She analysed the souls with a smile that would make others fall in love instantly.
"Keep watching over them."
Ottar bowed.
"Yes, Freya-sama."
~To Be Continued