I told you, sporadic updates. Now, I wanted to omit the section with Bete and Loki, but it felt like I needed to extend the POV focus out to them. I did keep it in though.
Also, I wanted to reach a certain point, but I think the last few paragraphs give you a few ideas of what I plan on doing. I am mixing it up and I think it's going to go well...
Enjoy!
"Speaking"
Personal thoughts
*Ability/Spell*
...
Making sure that everything was in place on his armor, did Axton actually move to the door. He noticed Ais shooting him looks and he sighed, "Listen, you don't need to-"
"No, you listen," her tone was forceful, showing that he was going to listen whether he liked it or not. "You didn't tell me about this skill-"
"Guardian."
"Excuse me?"
"My skill. It's called Guardian. At least, that's what I've called it. Apparently, it keeps track of who it was activated for. So far, it's been for you, and just recently, Lefiya," Axton explained at his sister's confused face.
"You say this like you have spoken to it," Ais said, her trail of thought momentarily forgotten.
"I haven't but it certainly feels like it. The skill is a part of me but it won't hinder me at all," Axton felt a stab of guilt at seeing his sister being worried.
Ais grabbed his arm, "Why did you never tell me?"
"It never came up," he replied simply.
"Liar," she accused.
Axton covered her hand with his, "It's true, but I was more worried about you. I wanted to stand by your side, this skill would not hinder me no matter the consequence. Besides, someone has to watch to make sure you don't go overboard."
"Why put yourself at risk?" She then asked, still not happy. Her imaginary 'sibling ranking' was going down because she felt as if she didn't consider how he felt...
Axton turned to seriously regard his sister, "I could ask you the same thing. I'm the one who pulled you out of the Dungeon when we were children. We still are children, but the point stands. You were the one who ran in with reckless abandon and I had to save you. Loki's number she rattled off was almost accurate." Ais was stunned at his stern tone. He sighed, "Sorry, but we both don't have a right to be upset with each other. We hid things and we both had our reasons. Water under the bridge?"
Axton's hopeful expression made Ais smile and she hugged him. "I'm still… upset over you hiding it, but I can learn to accept it."
The tension almost visibly leaked off his shoulders and curled into the hug, "That's all I ask. Now, don't we have a Dungeon to crawl in?"
Ais chuckled once, "Of course, but be careful."
"You say that like I'm going in there as a fresh level one. I always try to be careful, no matter the floor."
If only...
The Wallenstein siblings left the Manor following after the group. They walked through Orario with a purpose as they headed towards Babel. They made idle chit-chat, and of course, children were drawn to the siblings. Axton, of course, greeted all of them that came up, shook their hands, and played with them along the way.
No wonder why he saw women looking at him with poorly concealed lust. He chose to ignore it, after all, one set of eyes was on him. When he turned to look, she looked away. Looking down, a child was grabbing his hand, a young little girl, her ears were elongated. He immediately panicked, knowing how most elves hate being touched but kept a cool composure.
As it turned out, the mother and father, both elves, didn't care. They were trying to raise their daughter without those customs. When he saw them nod, he picked up the girl and set her on his shoulders, cheering her on, telling her she could be this tall one day.
Ais watched with a small fond look, easily picked up by her Familia members present. The most important one was Lefiya. Her mind went to wonder what kind of children they'd have. Upon thinking that, Lefiya blushed. At this point, the young elf was a brilliant crimson any time something regarding him was brought up in a lewd manner. If anyone noticed, no one commented on it.
Riveria particularly noticed that once Axton had returned the elven daughter to her parents, she whispered something in Axton's ear and whatever was said, made Axton flush.
Of course, Tiona was the first to ask him, "So, what did she say?" The Amazonian wrapped her arms around the Prince's neck.
"Uh… it's really embarrassing," he shrugged.
"Well?!" Tiona urged.
"The girl, her name's Nella, called me her 'onii-san' and that was something I wasn't expecting today. I just like children, they're carefree and don't have a lot to worry about…"
"Awwww!" Tiona cheered, "Look at you, making all the children love you! Isn't that right, Lefiya?"
Axton's heart thumped in his chest as she called out their young elven mage. Both made a point to not look at one another, else they be subjected to teasing. Well, they did it anyway, so it didn't matter.
Finn and Riveria watched the younger members squabble amongst themselves. "We used to act like that, right?" A teasing smile was on the Pallum's lips.
The High Elf carefully regarded her Captain, "No, we acted much worse. Our verbal bouts often turned to degradation. So, I'm pleased that today's generation isn't like us. It shows they've grown."
"Yet, you still seemed worried about something," Finn pressed, knowing his Vice-Captain has some hidden tension locked away. "It's Axton, isn't it?" He lowered his voice so only she could hear.
"I'm not questioning your decision, but was it wise to let him tag along?"
"He's recovered and he's taken it easy in the meantime, thankfully. And it's not like we're going on an expedition. We're simply going to the Dungeon like any other adventurer. This is to help Tiona and Ais's respective debts," Finn reasoned.
They were all valid too, and the High Elf knew it.
"If I believed he was not ready, I would have told him he wasn't allowed to enter. We will be fine," he finished. As he did though, his thumb thumped.
Finn's guard was up, but now even more so. Riveria noticed and subconsciously raised hers as well. Something was going on and once they stumbled across it, they were in for it.
"Alright, Ais, Axton, you two are the vanguard. Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya, you three are middle guards. I and Riveria will be in the rear guard. You two will be protecting her. Lefiya, be prepared. I know this is the upper floors, but that is no reason to let your guard down." Everyone gave nods to Finn's plan as they stepped on the first floor.
What awaited them was only a catalyst to something far eviler.
The trip to the eighteenth floor was lackluster, especially with the synchronicity of the Wallenstein siblings tearing up the front. Where one left an opening, another filled it. One counters, making an opening, and one slashes, killing it. All without communication. That's just how they worked. The Amazonian twins looked with wonder, even though they've seen it time and time again. Bete did actually look interested, but if he was caught, he'd deny it. And Lefiya…
...where to begin?
She was completely and hopelessly watching with all of her attention. These two adventurers, members of the same Familia, were simply breathtaking. Her eyes often strayed away to Miss Ais, but they'd quickly follow Axton. Not that she could see with their level five speed working against her.
When they finished, they didn't look winded. In fact, they looked bored. "That was a great warm-up. I almost missed coming in here," Axton said, sheathing Requiem. He bent down and started picking up the magic stones in his path, to which Lefiya realized that she should be doing that. After all, she was wearing the backpack. She was the supporter. "Axton, let me do that."
He turned to her, "Nah, it's fine, I'm just picking up the ones in my way. Ask Ais if she needs some help."
"That would be nice…" her soft voice carried over in the cavern.
"Shall we continue on to the nineteenth?" Tiona suggested.
Finn shook his head while pulling out a bulging sack of drop items, "We can exchange these down there. Of course, at their rates, and it is not like we need these materials."
The group agreed, so they pressed on. The process repeated time and time again until they reached the Great Wall of Sorrow. Goliath was recently killed, so nothing bad was going to happen, at least not for another few days. Goliath spawns on a two-week cycle. Walking past that, the Loki Familia entered the eighteenth floor. The large tree that sprawled out over a majority of the floor provided shade from the 'sun' on the floor.
The ceiling was literally a large batch of crystals that glowed in the 'daytime' and dimmed in the 'nighttime'. Nothing special except that. Being only one of two safe zones—at least known safe zones—in all of the Dungeon, they took the small opportunity to rest.
What made this entire situation sketchy was how deserted the town seemed., not that anyone noticed yet. No one saw the golden-onyx eyes darting about, lips turned in thought. "Should we set up camp like we normally do?" Tiona asked.
"That seems impractical since we didn't bring equipment to set up camp," Tione responded.
Finn had a pensive expression, "Well, how about staying at the inn for a change?"
"Are you serious, Captain? If we stayed at any of the inns, that would be a small fortune, even for us," Tione regarded her man seriously.
Finn waved off her concern, "That's fine, this time, it's on me."
Axton, meanwhile was putting the pieces together, "Is it me or does this place seem… hollow?"
"So you've noticed it too," Riveria said, speaking for the first time since they entered the Dungeon. "The town certainly feels off, and people look terrified of something."
"Is it because of us?" Ais asked. A valid concern, not often does a group of level five and level six adventurers just waltz into the town. After all, there are maybe less than sixty first-tier adventurers in Orario. The second-tiers are nothing to scoff at either.
"How can something happen at a time like this?" A man with an eyepatch exited a small building, right in the Loki Familia's line of sight.
"Bors!" Finn called.
The man turned and sighed, "Great, the Loki Familia. At a time like this?"
The Pallum Captain pressed on, "Has something happened?"
Bors, the leader of this rogue town, rubbed his chin, contemplating something. He decided it wasn't worth lying about it, "There's been a murder at Willy's inn. Judging from the remains, recently."
This captured the attention of the first-tier adventurers. "We're listening," Axton spoke, having recovered slightly faster than the rest. The young boy didn't want to admit it, but he felt a chill go down his spine.
Little did he know, Ais felt the same chill.
Bors led the Loki Familia to Willy's inn. It was really a carved-out rock with holes for windows. "You know, I didn't want to get you involved since it doesn't concern you."
"We do plan on being guests in the inn, so naturally, we want to know," Finn explained.
Ais and Axton were staying close by to Lefiya. It seemed like they came to an unspoken agreement to protect the little elf. Riveria was watching with a keen eye. She kept her reaction to herself. Bors continued down the hallway, passing a few more doors. They actually weren't doors, but curtains in front of the room.
The one-eyed man paused before entering, "If you're squeamish, which I doubt any of you are, but if you are then cover your eyes." He revealed the room and everyone bore witness to a brutal murder.
Lefiya only saw a glimpse before a hand covered her eyes and she was swiftly escorted out of the room. "Will you stay out here?" Lefiya's vision returned to see Axton looking at her with an uncharacteristic frown.
Axton wanted to preserve her naivety, and maybe he's being selfish, but he'd rather not have her scarred for life on something like this, and there was a time like this that Lefiya showed her true age. "Yeah…" The young Wallenstein moved to leave, albeit slowly, but her grip on his wrist never left, "Could you stay…?" Instead of replying, she was brought into a firm hug.
Making sure to sharpen his hearing, Axton whispered, in what could be considered an unintentional husky tone, "I'll stay as long as you'll let me…"
Back in the room, Finn was slowly becoming his Braver persona. "Do you have any suspects?"
Bors looked at the body like it was a common topic, "He was with a woman. I don't need to tell you what they were doing here. She was most likely the culprit and she had disappeared before Willy got back this morning."
"What conditions led to this? There aren't any witnesses?" Riveria asked, arms crossed.
The leader of Rivira shook his head, along with Willy, "No, he rented out the entire inn for the night. It worked out because no one was expected to be here."
Tione took over, "Can you tell us what the woman looked like?"
"I couldn't, I didn't see her face, her hood extended all the way down to the floor. I was only lucky to see a red strand of hair. My eyesight is better than most, but even I couldn't see more than that. This guy was covered in armor, so there was no chance of identifying him," Willy lowered his head, "I just can't believe it."
Finn and Riveria shared a look, and they both came to the same conclusion. Willy wasn't responsible. "Do we know what Familia this guy's in?" Axton's voice came through the door as a mere whisper, and only the members of the Loki Familia heard him. Tiona repeated the question for him, she got a small 'thank you' in response.
"So we have a murder, the perpetrator is a woman, and we don't even know the identity of this poor fellow," Finn summarized.
"That's one way to put it, Braver," Bors said. "Now you see why I didn't want you involved. We'd rather not have rumors of something going on down here. We also don't want more of these popping up. I mean, the guy doesn't even have a face. Usual marks from monsters never aim to decapitate, so I had to go out and acquire this." The man reached into his sleeveless jacket and pulled out a glass-tinted jar of liquid. He popped the cork.
"Status Thief, an item that can pick any lock a deity puts on an adventurer's status," Riveria said, with a hint of accusation. "Desecrating a corpse isn't something to be praised for."
Outside the room, Axton squeezed a little harder than normal but quickly stopped when Lefiya winced. "Sorry, I'm just hearing things that I'm suddenly very glad you aren't hearing."
"T-That bad?" the elf whispered. When she looked up, she realized how close they were. All she had to do was step on her tiptoes and…
"Yeah, it's pretty bad," Axton replied, noticing as well, but trying to play it off. His flushed face only grew worse as he realized his position. He'll bear through it. It would be one of those 'mementos' and he'll need those.
"Unless you got any better ideas, Nine Hell, this is how we operate down here," Bors replied, completely unapologetic. He leaned over the dead man's back before letting a single drop fall. The drop impacted and spread like a ripple in water. A very familiar Familia seal appeared one that shocked everyone in the room, and Axton didn't need his hearing to hear this. "The Ganesha Familia?!"
"You can read this right?" Bors asked Riveria. The High Elf was able to read bits and pieces of the Gods' Language, but even for her, there was a lot unknown about the Deities that descended into the lower world.
"Yes, the symbol matches with that of the Ganesha Familia. His name is Hashana Dorila, level four…" that information made her pause.
Bors was outraged, but also in disbelief, "If this woman killed him so easily, then no one is safe."
Outside the door, Axton and Lefiya were still… in contact. But after hearing that, he needed to step outside. "Let them know I'll be outside. I won't go far, I promise?" he added after seeing Lefiya's doubtful look.
"I'm going with you," Lefiya said, Loki's suggestion still in the forefront of her mind.
The two left as the conversation inside the room picked up. Ais turned her head to the door, having heard her brother's conversation. Tiona and Tione were staring at Bors and Willy as they conversed.
"So, the suspect is a woman," Bors started.
"...and an adventurer who can kill a skilled level four…" they both turned to the Loki Familia, who by the way, is mostly a female familia. That little detail was something Finn caught onto.
"Well, it adds up, you just got here, acting like you don't know. One of you could have seduced him to drop his guard," Bors started. He shot a look to Ais, who was expressionless. The, to Riveria, who raised an eyebrow which gave off a threatening aura. Then, he went to Tiona, but quickly dropped that claim when he looked at her 'assets'. "Definitely not her."
"Hey, I could seduce any man I want!"
Willy and Bors shifted their gazes to Tione. Both of them flushed, "She definitely seems suspicious."
Tione sighed, stomped her foot on the ground, and screamed, "You filthy little shits! I'm saving myself for the Captain! Do not fuck with me or I will grab the little thing between your legs and rip it off, you hear me?!" They both winced in phantom pain, and little did she know, so did Axton.
"As you can see, they currently don't possess the skills needed to seduce the opposite sex," Finn said in exasperation. "Still, what was the motive?" His eyes went over the torn bag of belongings.
"It seems a bit extreme for a simple burglary," Riveria pointed out, having noticed the bag. "It looks like she was looking for something."
"So, she had a temper tantrum?" Bors asked.
"Correct, which leads me to believe that if she didn't find what she was looking for… she's still here in town." Gasps rang throughout the room. "If you wanted something so bad, that you'd kill for it, would you give up so easily?"
That question gave the group a lot to think about.
Bors cleared his throat, "I'll get everyone assembled so that we can discuss what we've learned here."
Various agreements were given, but it was Tiona who asked, "Not to be the one to break up the moment, but… where's Axton and Lefiya?"
"They've stepped outside," Ais answered.
A pause.
"Should we be worried?"
Turns out, they didn't need to be as the two of them were just outside Willy's inn. Seeing the relieved faces of his Familia made him joke, "I must have a bad track record if those are the faces you're making." That gained him exasperated looks, even one from Lefiya. "Point taken."
Tione looked down to see his hand currently entangled with someone. That someone seemed oblivious to it though. The elder Hiryute grinned, "Getting comfy?"
Axton looked at Tione in confusion, "Getting comfy in the Dungeon means death, so no."
"Uh-huh, so what are you holding?" She pressed. Lefiya had been very aware of what she was doing. Since Axton was concerned for her safety, he took her hand in a light grip, one she could get out of with ease. Okay, easily. He was barely holding it because if he was actually holding on, he'd shatter her fingers. The young mage was trying to keep her reaction under wraps.
That statement from Tione seemed to be an awakening for the others as they noticed. What they didn't notice was a smile tugging at Riveria's lips. "If you must know, I didn't want to expose Lefiya to things that can produce scars. I know we're adventurers, but sometimes I think the lines blur. We're still children, developing children. Images we see now can haunt us later."
Finn nodded sagely, knowing Axton had a point.
He wasn't done though, "I know it can be seen as selfish and it's the life we live but if Lefiya wants to go back inside and look, I won't stop her." Only then, did a small flush could be seen on his face. Ais gave a small smile at her brother, one he noticed and flushed even further, much to his chagrin.
"I'll go and see… the body…" her voice was shaky, and her grip tightened on Axton's hand, but he smiled nonetheless.
I should be lucky that Bete isn't here, he'd make a snide comment. "Do you want me or Ais to accompany you?" A look to his sister was made, and she nodded slightly.
"Can you come with me?" Lefiya asked, still slightly scared of what she was going to see, but she was confident if she had someone to ground her. She then clarified, "Both of you?"
The Wallenstein siblings each took a side to Lefiya and guided her inside. The Familia noted that even though Tione teased them about it, her hand had not left Axton's. Ais walked calmly beside them both, surveying her surroundings. Axton was too, but his glances to Lefiya were taking half of his attention.
Riveria rolled her eyes, Young love… She was happy that her ward was finally starting to realize it. Her smile slipped off her face and was replaced with a frown… Does that mean…
The High Elven mage realized that she was going to have to give them something that was only a parent's responsibility and that was to give them...
...The Talk.
The trio emerged a few minutes later, Lefiya looking shaken, Axton looked guilty, and Ais looked unaffected. "Don't worry, I'll be alright. It was a lot to take in."
"If you say so, Lefiya," Axton whispered before giving his attention elsewhere.
Bors had worked quickly though and assembled everyone currently in Rivira. The Loki Familia had taken center stage, "Alright listen up. We're looking for a woman capable of killing a level four. We all know that plenty of men have fallen for a woman's seductive charm," he cracked a grin, "which is why… We need full-body inspections of all the women!"
The men in the audience cheered with joy while the women were seething with rage. Ais and Axton looked at each other and back at the audience before looking disinterested. Of course, Riveria interjected, "Don't be ridiculous, we'll be the ones inspecting the women." She meant literally every member of the Loki Familia except Finn and Axton.
The young elf tried to get the women to line up, but they apparently had other plans. A crowd of women had surrounded the two of them, both of them sweatdropping. Both Finn and Axton looked very uncomfortable. Lefiya was angry. Far angrier than she ever thought possible. She wanted to rip every single one away from Axton. Upon that realization, her anger faded in mortification. Am I… no no, that's not possible. I can't think of him like that… but would it be so bad?
While Lefiya was having a—potential—lover's crisis, Tione put her foot down, her anger and rage coming off. The intent was rising, "Get away from him, you dirty whores!"
Axton was reminded why he liked being a guy but was painstakingly reminded that being a guy in the Loki Familia he was targeted as eye candy and some of the women were insistent that he was thorough in his search. He prayed for a miracle.
"What is this?" Ais asked, confused herself.
"I don't know…" Lefiya said, shaking her head. A moment later, Ais noticed a chienthrope, clutching a bag, looking fearful. Something that Axton noticed and immediately dashed to his sister's side.
The women didn't see him leave, and the young Wallenstein felt a little bad for his Captain. He's level six, he'll be fine, probably. "What's going on?"
"We need to cut her off, directly north from us, chienthrope carrying a bag," Ais said. She took off in a dead sprint, Axton a second behind.
"Wait you two!" Lefiya shouted, following them.
What everyone missed was an adventurer watching the trio go. One emerald eye was visible, the other covered by a bandage. They moved to follow. Their prey was in their sights, and they weren't going to escape unharmed.
Before we hit the main course, let's check in with the Goddess and the tsundere werewolf, shall we?
Bete was taking a nap in the main common room when Loki walked in, "Aw, did they leave you here to mope? Are you the only one around? Where's Royalty and the rest of the executives?" The Goddess did feel a little bad for having to scold the wolf so much, but his attitude is just who he is. At the very least, Loki cares for all of her Familia. Ignoring the politics that come with the territory, the Trickster enjoyed the idea of having people to look after. To watch them grow up—level-wise—and become real adventures brings Loki something that she once found unattainable. Not that she would admit it to anyone.
Drowsy and a little irritated from being woken up, he still responded, "Dungeon, apparently.
"Well, that's upsetting. They left you behind, poor little wolfy," Loki teased.
"Like hell they did!" Bete slammed his legs on the table, "I'm here cause I wanna be. They coulda begged me all they wanted, it ain't happening."
Loki did have a reason she was looking for them, but Bete will have to do, "Whatever. Listen, I need to do some investigating, and I need an escort. You mind?"
The werewolf's ear twitched at the subtle insistence from his patron deity. What could you possibly need me for? Go ask one of the weaklings if it means that much to you. Though Bete would never admit it, and even though he was not a cat, he was indeed curious.
The duo left the Manor will swiftness, and Loki was carrying a magic stone lamp. The answer made it all too clear when they arrived in the sewers, "You could have mentioned that we'd be walking in the sewers."
The red-headed Goddess explained her reasoning, "I had something I wanted to investigate. Tione and Tiona were down here after Monsterphillia. I'm sure you were aware of Axton's hospitalization."
Bete took the information in silence. He saw how Axton looked, and once Loki explained what his skill was, the wolf saw him as someone to respect. He already did, but it was the fact that he'd endure it just to make sure he was able to protect the people he cares for. He wouldn't tell anyone, not even Loki, that he had snuck into his room and just sat there. Reliving memories must have been painful, and having left the Vidar Familia only a few years back. To think that kid would run into the Dungeon just to get her out… "I am…"
"Well, those monsters that they fought sprouted right from under the street, meaning somewhere in here, there might be a clue. I've been poking around." She paused as she came across a gate, more importantly, a gate that had been used recently. She turned to Bete and the wolf sighed. With a single motion, he kicked the gate open, the lock that was on it shattered to pieces.
Only a few steps down, a literal river was running through the area. "Hmm, this got flooded, but why?" His ears twitched and he turned to see Loki giving him a look.
"Gimmie a ride!"
Context, Loki. Bete thought internally, much to his embarrassment. "No."
"Aww come on!" Loki began to pout like a child, "I don't want to get my shoesies wet!"
"Hell no! It's not even that deep!" Bete scoffed, "Who cares about shoes? You realize we step in far worse shit in the Dungeon?" The wolf turned to hear her pouting and having a temper tantrum of her own. After a solid minute of whining, did he give in, and that's where he found himself carrying his Goddess on his back. She was at least courteous to hold the light; even though Bete could see somewhat decently.
"You know, you'd much rather it be someone else up here!" Loki joked. Ignoring his growl, she continued, "You'd rather it be my little Aizu!"
"Shut your mouth or I drop you!" Bete threatened.
"You wouldn't dare!" Loki retorted. To make good on his threat, he let go of her for a moment, making her almost lose her balance, her arms flailing in response, "Okay I believe you! Please don't drop me!"
Serves you right, Bete thought.
After walking down the path, they passed an opening and Bete paused, taking deep sniffs of the air, "I smell something. Two somethings… someone was down here. It's faint, but I'm able to catch the lingering fumes." Something moved around them, and Bete was quick to react. "Loki, get off."
It wasn't up for debate, so the Trickster followed the demand. The water was only just under her heel, so her shoes would be fine. Bete walked down the walkway, which originally wasn't a walkway. Something busted through the wall…
That was soon answered as three monsters slithered out from the wall, "Jackpot."
"Stay back, Loki," Bete's whole persona switched. He wasn't about to be a weakling like that rabbit. The wolf leaped through the air and decapitated one of the monsters with a single kick. The second monster quickly replaced the first, and being as fast as he was, dodged it.
He rushed back in and kicked its body, only for it to shrug it off. Scoffing, he leaped into the air once more, dodging the third Viola's vines. These look similar to those things on the fiftieth floor. Doing a front flip, Bete used his momentum to ax kick the Viola who attempted to vine him. The remaining one was nimble.
However, not nimble enough, but Bete wanted this over quickly. After all, he couldn't exactly destroy this place as it resides under Orario. Taking out the support beams here could cause a cave-in, collapsing part of the city. That was a fine that he never wanted to see. "Fuck it," he cursed, pulling out a blade from a side holster.
This blade was unlike most. It was a magic blade, imbued with the power of fire. His Flosvirt boots were able to absorb magic energy, such as this blade. Putting the blade up to the orb on his shin, the fire now coated his legs. The God Nezha would have been happy to see a temporary 'fire walker', if only for a moment. Tossing the crumbled blade aside, he charged forward, dodging a wayward vine before leaping up, "Burn in Hell!"Bete's foot collided with the head of the Viola, which caused an explosion that heated the room. Even Loki felt it, and she was behind a wall.
The Viola didn't die immediately, having slammed into the wall. Bete turned to glare at it and dared it to try attacking once more. It disappeared soon after, dropping a magic stone. "Quite the performance, Bete."
Vanargand walked up, rolling his shoulder, "Can't believe I had to resort to a magic weapon." He bent down and picked up the decently-sized magic stone. "Lookie here. You're coming with me.
"Well, we found something, but nothing that points to the puppeteer."
The two returned to the surface, Babel in sight, just as dusk dusted Orario. "So this had the same magic stone?"
I think I know why it has the same stone. "Tione got her hands on one from the fiftieth. I have to say, they bore a striking resemblance to one another. An evolved species probably."
Loki had a pensive look on her face as she walked, "Huh…" Something is not adding up here. When she looked up, Bete was looking at someone else. "What's wrong?" She turned seeing the company, "Ah, Dionysus! Fancy seeing you, what's up?"
She walked forward a step toward the blond God and his follower before Bete grabbed her arm, "Wait a minute, Loki." At her confused reaction, he sniffed the air, "That scent I smelled down in the sewer?" His amber eyes bore into the elf who stood next to the God. "It belongs to them."
A tense silence followed. Oh, Loki thought.
Meanwhile, the girl carrying the bag was running up the crystal stairs of the eighteenth floor. She had to get out of here. She heard about the murder and she was pretty sure that the guy died because of what she was holding on to. No doubt they consider her a suspect, running away from the scene of the crime being an obvious factor.
Some people really underestimate the sheer size of the Dungeon. It's like walking into a whole new world. Sadly, there are no magic carpets… yet. The girl checked over her shoulder to see a young elf chasing after her. "Where are the other two?"
Those 'other two' landed in front of her, one who had an impassive mask, while the other looked concerned. The chienthrope fell to her knees, exhausted. "Miss Ais, Axton! Good… you caught her…"
"Do I know you?" Axton asked, looking directly at the girl. She looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
"We should leave the interrogation to the Captain," Lefiya suggested. Ais agreed after a moment of contemplation.
That got the girl to react, latching to Lefiya's arm, "No, please! Don't take me back there! If you take me back, I'll be the one dead!" Her eyes filled with genuine fear and tears, crying into the young elf's torso.
Axton hummed, "She's telling the truth. Whatever he had, it was important. Important enough to kill. Let's go somewhere private to talk, and I expect answers, am I clear?" That wasn't normal Axton. The Sword Prince has come out to play.
The girl nodded vigorously as they set her down near what looked like a sawmill. A sawmill, in the Dungeon? Next thing you know, someone will have a Jagamarukun down here. Ais would never leave, Axton thought.
"My name is Lulune Louie, Hermes Familia. I ran because I thought I was going to die," she said.
Axton watched over the surroundings, but still asked, "Who would want to kill you, no offense…"
Lulune shook her head, "None taken…" She clutched something to her chest.
Ais's thoughts immediately started working, surprisingly, "Did you happen to take something from the man who was murdered?"
"Yes," she admitted. "I was given a quest. Simple, really. All I had to do was go to a specific tavern, pick up the package, give it to my employer. The person who gave me the package was Hashana. I didn't ask further questions. I don't even know what this is."
"How did you get this quest? Who hired you?" Axton inquired, interested even more because time was running out. The chill was returning, far more fierce than before. If his tone leaked desperation, no one noticed, and he prayed someone did.
"I don't know…" Lulune dropped her head before bouncing back, "I swear it's true. I was heading home from a bar and this person in black robes appeared and demanded I take this quest… the reward was good too. I really wish I didn't take this damn quest."
Ais offered a solution, "Then, we'll take it, to ease your burden. Axton, despite the situation, smiled at his sister's offer. The elder Wallenstein took the package out of the bag, a wrapped-up ball. Underwhelming to be sure.
"I don't care if you look, but I was told not to show it to anyone," Lulune said.
Ais unwrapped it, Lefiya and Axton watching over her shoulders. All three gasped. Inside the ball was something that looked like a fetus. It had four arms resting across its small body, and what seemed to look like wavy hair. Axton got very bad vibes from this… thing.
The Sword Princess's posture became tense, her eyes filled with fear. This foreboding feeling made her unstable, and it compounded, double-down, and went to hell as the fetus opened its eyes. At first, it was little, but it set eyes on Ais and Axton, its eyes widened and leaked a feeling that set both of them on edge.
Axton knocked the damn orb out of her hands and they used one another to support themselves. "Keep that fucking thing away from us!" he hissed. He was tempted to take Requiem and shatter the damn thing.
The two would recover, but only for a moment. Things were only going to get worse, no one was safe.
Finn, Riveria, Tione, and Tiona were all fighting in the central square of Rivira. Why you may ask? Because a whole gang of Violas decided to come in, extreme home makeover style. "What's the situation?" Finn asked, twirling his spear with ease.
A magic circle disappeared as another Viola shattered like glass. "Terrible," the High Elf stated bluntly. "Most adventurers are not equipped to handle these monsters. They are overwhelming Rivira."
"Looks like they'll have to rebuild…" Finn said as his thumb throbbed with an intensity that made him pause. He was about to tell Riveria, but a scream pierced the Dungeon. Nothing sounded more fearful than this.
"AXTON!"
Normally, this wouldn't be so bad, but this was the Dungeon. Moreover, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part of all…it wasn't Lefiya's voice like he expected…
...it was Ais's voice.
...
I admit, this one is a little more 'canonized' than I probably intended, but nonetheless is a setup for next chapter. Forgive me for my negligence.
