Author's Notes: This fanfic is an English translation of my fic "L'antre de la folie (douce)".

English is not my mother tongue, I write in French. This is an amateur translation, done mainly with the Google translate tool, proofread by friends of mine to help me.

This translation is above all functional, it will not always have the subtlety of certain turns of phrase that I do in French. But, if the translation is correct, it will already be good.

I thank my friends HĂ©lios, WedgeTalankar, Marakeii, JenamTheBrave, Faisselle and Asmodeus for their help.

To my readers, I hope you like it, have fun.

Chapter 1: Budget issues

Two groups of adventurers faced each other, underground, illuminated by numerous crystals diffusing a soft light in the area. Each group wore traces of the different hassles encountered along the way as they journeyed through this treasure den. Because no, they weren't in THE dungeon of Oratio, but in a distant place that was said to contain a treasure.

The adventurers were from two differen tfamilias, those of Hestia and Loki. Each group had passed through a different tunnel and neither suspected the other's presence until they came across the hallway supposed to lead into the treasure room. However there was no particular hostility between the two groups, who stared at each other in silence, obviously just as tired as the others. How did all these people end up there? For that, we need to go back a day.

Oratio, the city of the Dungeon, city where gods and humans come together, where legends are made and undone, where many adventurers come to seek glory, wealth and power. Sometimes the Dungeon offers them what they wants and sometimes it demands its tribute.

But the Dungeon wasn't the city's only point of interest. In such a teeming city, we could no longer count the number of rumors, gossip and other legends with all kinds of treasures. The majority were silly fantasies, but some people still liked to tell them and bring them to life. And it was one of those rumors of wealth that would catch the attention of two Familias whose fates were often linked.

In the large living room of the Hestia Familia mansion, a scowling brown prum was consulting various papers in front of her and her gaze grew darker the more notes she took.

Raaaaaaa! Our accounts are in the red!

What is it Lili ?

Asked the young man who was the captain of their Familia, with his usual innocent look and his gentle smile.

It's that our budget is becoming catastrophic, Master Bell !

Come on, miss supporter, I'm sure you're exaggerating, as usual.

Said her goddess, casually slumped in a sofa, while continuing some unimportant reading.

No, I'm not exaggerating Lady Hestia! Between the maintenance of this immense mansion, the living costs, the tools and materials for Master Welf's forge, the abysmal cost of our immense bath, not to mention your spontaneous luxury desires, I guarantee you that our budget is sinking. With the five of us, our trips to the Dungeon are clearly not enough. And I'm not even telling you about the running costs for our expeditions there.

Is it so bad?

Bell timidly asked the question, even if he was the captain, he still couldn't resist the little prum when she was like that.

But don't worry, I've already planned the solution. I got my hands on this treasure map.

Come on Lili, you surprise me, even I know that kind of stuff is unreliable.

Bell was no longer the naive little adventurer he was when he arrived in town, ready to believe anything and everything. He was still surprised that a person like Lili, although accustomed to cunning, spoke of such an object. She gave him a teasing little laugh before resuming proudly.

Do not underestimate me, Master Bell, I have investigated the subject well and I think we have something really authentic. Leave me the day to decipher its riddle and tomorrow, we go on a treasure hunt.

For once, it was Bell who was skeptical, but if that made Lili happy, he wouldn't have the heart to deny her this little outing that would change their minds.

At Loki's familia mansion, the morning had been kind of busy, it had started with a magnificent explosion that had the whole neighborhood panicked. In short, it included some practice, a Lefiya a little too motivated and a loss of magic control which had resulted in an entire part of the mansion to collapse. And let's just say tha twhen the goddess Loki saw the costs of repairing her house, she looked somewhat pale. Not enough to go broke, but enough to make a substantial hole in their budget. And when you have a big familia focused on exploring the Dungeon, with all the costs that entails, it necessarily delays all long-term projects.

At least that was what the Familia's captain, Finn Deimne, had calculated, under the eyes of a Lefiya who spenther time apoligising as Riveria lectured her and as the goddess of the place could only cry in front of the mason's estimate.

Well, it seems we're lucky, I kinda randomly got my hands on a treasure map.

Everyone in the room then looked at him with astonishment, thinking they would never hear that coming out of their captain's mouth.

I know, normaly, I wouldn't take this any more seriously than you do, but out of curiosity, I investigated a little bit and it ended up looking pretty serious. There is a riddle about the location, but nothing impossible, it will make a somewhat original outing for us tomorrow.

And this is how two prum sended up on the same treasure, which led the two groups out of Oracio, a three-hour walk, leading them into a forest. However each had a slightly different map and the two groups had each found a different entry.

The entire Hestia familia, which came down to five people, had made the trip. So it was in the company of Welf, Mikoto and Haruhime that Bell and Lili happily found the underground entrance, proving the veracity of the map.

Almost a good mile away, it was a larger group who was also happy to discover an entrance. Finn made the trip, as had Lefiya, because it was basically her fault. Seeing as they had nothing better to do, Riveria and Gareth joined in. Tione was there too, always ready to stalk her captain, Tiona had come with the reason that it would be fun and had managed to drag Aiz with her. And Bete had come grunting and saying it would be a waste of time, but everyone suspected he was just bored and didn't want to miss the outing.

So it was each on their own that the two groups crossed the place which quickly put their patience to a very severe test. There was nothing dangerous in itself for adventurers with a bit of experience, but this dungeon seemed to have been trapped by a teenager on hormones with questionable humor.

The following hours were made up of unexpected slides, sliding on oil, surprise showers, lowcost flamethrowers, cloth dissolving jelly, teasing tentacles and all the anthology of what were commonly called idiot traps.

When the two groups found themselves at the fork leading to what seemed to be the last room, both were just as tired and bored as each other. And above all, each understood the other didn't have it any easier on their way there.

Without saying a word, Finn walked over to Bell. And very prosaically, he held out his hand, saying only one thing.

Fifty-fifty ?

O-Okay.

Replied the hare, equally jaded from his day, before shaking hands with the prum to make their treasure sharing deal. Strangely, no one could find fault with it, anyway, seeing as the day had unfolded, it was likely that the rumor was exaggerated and that there was not really a great fortune at the end of this adventure.

The common group therefore ventured into the last hallway, which led to a large room lit by magic lamps. The white stone walls were adorned with intricate esoteric symbols. There was in front of a wide staircase which allowed to climb on a kind of large stone platform. Behind the platform there was a large double stone door and above it a sort of balcony.

As soon as the group was far enough along, a curtain of light sealed the top of the stairs and the access to the platform. Then a great powerful and solemn voice resounded in the place.

WELCOME NOBLE ADVENTURERS ! I WAS WAITING FOR YOU !

To be continued…

thanks to anEnthusiasticNerd for his reviews who help me a lot^^