For the adventurers of Orario, visiting the Guild's headquarters, the Pantheon, was a near daily ritual that was an integral part of their lives. In this particular building, men and women could receive mercantile offers, trade in their magic stones or other loot from the Dungeon, and pick out the latest quests. To say that the Guild was the very lifeline of Orario's residents alongside the Dungeon would not be hyperbole. And yet, for many individuals, their awareness of the Guild's true purpose would always be lackluster. Deep beneath the main floor of the Pantheon was a cavernous chamber that housed a great secret. For within this place, regarded by the gods and goddesses as Orario's Room of Prayer, one of the first deities to have descended to the lower world maintained the balance between the city and the Dungeon.
Sitting atop a stone throne was Ouranos wearing the finest of white robes and a black hooded cloak. Despite his status as one of the great gods, Ouranos was forced to remain in the Room of Prayer for the sake of all humanity. Without Ouranos' steadfast prayers and chants, Orario would collapse within a matter of weeks as the Dungeon's denizens poured out into the surface world. It was his actions that soothed the Dungeon from breaking the contract between the heavens and itself. So long as the purpose of the Room of Prayer was met, then there could be some semblance of stability for the people of Orario. However, Ouranos had heard some troubling news from several of the Guild's employees, all of whom answered to his authority.
The appearance of a new monster on Floor 40 was disturbing to say the least. A creature with the power to fight off some of the best fighters from one of Orario's finest combat-oriented Familias on such an early floor was unheard of. Usually such monsters only existed on the deepest reaches of the Dungeon, say past Level 70. In the past only the strongest of the Zeus and Hera Familias could successfully fight off such beasts. Through his prayers, Ouranos attempted to discern whether the Dungeon was in breach of the divine contract through the creation of this new creature so near the surface, but alas to no avail. There was nothing but silence from the Dungeon. If Ouranos were to get any answers, he would have to find them elsewhere.
"My lord, I see that you're equally troubled by the news as me." A figure near the base of Ouranos' throne stated.
Cloaked from head to toe in a thick blackened cloak, the individual's features were all but completely hidden. The voice sounded quite distorted to the point that figuring out whether the speaker was male or female was difficult. Regardless of their appearance, Fels was Ouranos' most trusted associate. A mage of ancient origin, Fels acted as the god's observer in both Orario and the Dungeon.
"Hm. You're correct in your assumption." Ouranos's tone was gruff and with a hint of exhaustion. Eons of being stuck underground performing the same ritual would have that effect on anyone, even a god. "It's unusual for such a monster to roam the higher floors."
Fels nodded their cloaked head. "Based on the descriptions within the tales spreading throughout the populace, though admittedly we must consider such hearsay with a grain of salt, could this new creature be a Xenos?"
Ouranos had considered that particular reality when he first heard of how the monster bested both the Sword Princess and the Captain of the Loki Familia. Its actions appeared deliberate and perhaps demonstrated a level of higher intelligence. For the past several years now, Ouranos through Fels had established contact with monsters from the Dungeon that possessed unique self-awareness and sentience. It was apt to say that these Xenos, as Ouranos and Fels labeled them, were most human-like with their magic stones acting as pseudo-souls. Therefore, the idea of this "Black Knight" of Floor 40 being a Xenos was quite plausible.
"Fels, I find it prudent that we discover the true nature of this 'Black Knight' as soon as possible. I would like you to reach out to our Xenos friends to see if they had heard any news and if they could aid in our investigation." Ouranos decided that this approach was the best course for now.
Upon hearing Ouranos' words, Fels bowed. "As you request, Lord Ouranos. I will contact Lyd and Ray to see if they can offer their assistance. I will head for the Dungeon at once."
While Ouranos made his move in his search for this "Black Knight," discussions regarding this latest monster threat were occurring at Stardust Garden. The members of Astraea Familia were gathered together in the main hall to discuss today's operation. All eleven young women who made up the Familia's ranks were of various minds on the news of a powerful creature on Floor 40. Naturally, with such different opinions, talks were becoming quite heated.
"We should delay the mission at least until we can get more information about this 'Black Knight' or whatever the hell it's called." Lyra pointed out as she folded her arms against her chest, staring down the Vice Captain of Astraea Familia.
"Oh, I never took you for a coward, Lyra." Kaguya's response was immediate and as acerbic as ever. "Taking on high level monsters is part of an adventurer's duty. We all know the dangers of the Dungeon. Whether the creature is simply more powerful than usual, makes the duel all the more thrilling."
Lyra frowned, irritated at being called cowardly by Kaguya and was tempted to unleash a diatribe of insults. Still, Lyra knew that Kaguya's style of speech was usually this annoying to deal with. Moreover, there was some truth in her Vice Captain's words. Their responsibility as an exploration Familia almost guaranteed their confrontations with increasingly stronger monsters in the Dungeon. The fact that the Astraea Familia was one of the more powerful Familias with nine Level 4s and two Level 3s was testament to their capability. Yet, Lyra could not shake off the ominous feeling she was getting, especially when she heard at the bar just who exactly had faced this Black Knight. "Yeah? And what about the Loki Familia? The rumors going 'round range from their outright defeat to not even being able to lay a scratch on this thing. A source I talked to claimed that their Captain and even the Sword Princess pretty much tucked tail and ran from it. You think we stand a chance, when Loki Familia couldn't?"
"Mere gossip." Kaguya dismissed with a flourish of her right hand. "You know how the people are. For all we know, the Loki Familia has not officially given any statement. We saw all their members of the expedition return save for one, whose demise apparently wasn't even related to this Black Knight. If this monster really was so threatening, I have no doubt that the casualties from their expedition would've been much higher."
"Uh, um, didn't the stories say that it was seen on Floor 40? So wouldn't we be nowhere close to its last position?" A soft voice mentioned offhandedly.
"Evilus was spotted around Floor 30, which is where we're supposed to be headin'. That's way too close for my comfort." Lyra said flatly. Despite her rather colorful appearance, Lyra was far from reckless. As she had once told Ryuu before, Lyra made sure to assess every situation she was in and to take advantage wherever there was an opportunity to do so, which was why she kept herself alive all these years. She did not like the idea of going anywhere near the Dungeon with both Evilus and the Black Knight in the area. A nightmare scenario that Lyra had considered was being caught in between both of these threats.
Before Kaguya could say anything further, Ryuu interjected herself into the conversation. While she personally thought that Lyra and Kaguya each had valid points, Ryuu believed that this kind of disagreement was probably unhelpful on the day of their planned investigation of the lower levels for Evilus activity. Thus, she sought out Alise' input, since their Captain was the one to have the final say. "What do you think, Alise?" Ryuu ignored the slight glare from Kaguya. She only focused on Alise, whose face was completely serious; a far cry from her Captain's usually cheerful self. Whatever decision that would be made today could affect the very safety of their Familia. Such a burden surely was a difficult one on Alise's shoulders.
"Kaguya… Lyra… you're both right. This whole 'Black Knight' monster definitely forces us to reconsider some of our planning." Alise nodded to herself as she spoke. All eyes of the Astraea Familia were on their Captain as she revealed her thoughts on this complicated situation. "While the stories about the knight do concern me, we can't just let Evilus roam around the lower levels plotting who knows what? It's our job to make sure that Orario and all the people in the city feel safe from those who chose the side of evil. Here's what I propose, we don't allow our investigation to go beyond the 35th Floor, which gives us I think enough wiggle room from where the Black Knight is supposed to be. If we discover that Evilus' operations go beyond Floor 35, then we call in reinforcements from some of the other Familias like Loki and Ganesha before engaging."
Kaguya and the rest of the Familia seemed to nod in agreement with Alise's assessment. Lyra on the other hand let out a soft sigh. "Well, I guess I can agree to that." It was not an ideal strategy as there were still many risks, but Lyra would take what she could get and believed that Alise's approach was reasonable enough.
Alise beamed with a wide, happy grin. "Well, don't I come up with the best ideas. Great work, Alise. I've got brains and beauty, teehee." She stated proudly as she complimented herself. The entire Familia groaned in exasperation at Alise's typical proverbial pat on the back.
Kaguya smiled thinly. "Oh, what I'd do to smack that grin right off her face." Though her words were as biting as ever, there was a look of fondness in her eyes. Alise would always be Alise.
Alise's quirks and charisma were simply part of her charm as a leader, and while everyone might complain over her braggart tendencies, they all fully trusted their Captain with their lives. Thus, the operation in the lower levels of the Dungeon would proceed as planned.
On the top floor of Stardust Garden was the bedroom of the Familia's resident goddess. As the symbol of justice and one of the virgin goddesses, Astraea bore an air of kindness and regality. With a cascade of walnut brown hair framing a face that could charm any person with its unnatural beauty, Astraea wore a dignified dress that consisted of her favorite colors pale blue and white. Overall, Astraea truly looked the role of a goddess or a human princess.
Today was a difficult time for the goddess. Every day that her Familia went off on a mission, especially one as dangerous as confronting Evilus, caused Astraea to worry. Though Astraea trusted the ability of the young women she viewed as her children, like any mother, there was a sense of deep concern. Especially since the death of one of her own Ardee Varma at the hands of an Evilus plot, Astraea always prayed to the heavens for the wellbeing and safety of her children. Thus, she was presently kneeling on the maroon carpeted floor next to a small table, hoping for the safe return of all her Familia. After several minutes of offering her prayers, Astraea slowly rose from her current position. As she moved, Astraea felt her body bump against one of the wooden legs of the table. A loud crash resounded throughout the room as an empty teacup, which she had placed near the end of the table earlier in the day after having her morning tea, fell to the ground. The shattered pieces of white porcelain were strewn across the carpet as Astraea simply stared in worry. Could this be an omen of the future to come?
As the Astraea Familia began their quest to explore the lower levels of the Dungeon for any sign of Evilus activity, their presumed targets were busy at work on Floor 30.
"Careful with that, you idiot!" Jura Halmer yelled at one of the other Evilus-aligned Familia members, carrying a hefty bag. Said member, a Dwarf, nearly dropped it, not realizing how heavy the sack was as he lifted it from the wagon that was filled to the brim with similarly sized containers. "You let that drop, and my blade'll be the least of your concerns when you've blown all of us up to pieces." Jura snarled.
The red haired beastman and high-ranking member of the Rudra Familia shook his head from the near accident. Incompetent. Jura thought in exasperation. Any missteps with these explosive Blazerocks, and the incoming Astraea annoyances won't be finding any trace of Evilus here. It had cost the Rudra Familia a near fortune to both purchase and smuggle in this hefty amount of Blazerocks into Orario and then the Dungeon. While the initial plan for Evilus had been to set up a single Blazerock in various corners throughout the city, the executives of the organization had a last minute change of heart, deciding that the explosives would be better put to use in a trap against the Astraea Familia. In their struggle for chaos and supremacy in Orario, the all-female adventurer group under the namesake goddess of justice had been the biggest thorn in Evilus' side.
For the past few weeks, the members of Rudra Familia and the other Evilus-aligned Familias had been purposefully leaking information on their whereabouts to lure in the Astraea Familia. The latest message from their spy informed Jura and his compatriots that the Astraea adventurers had taken the bait and were heading toward the lower floors to "bring them to justice." Jura watched in sadistic excitement as the others carefully placed the Blazerocks in a concentric formation throughout this ashen forest on Floor 30 with the mages using a spell to transform their appearance to match that of the rest of the rock formations in the environment. Jura could not wait until the fruits of their labor would end up with eleven Astraea Familia corpses. He failed to contain a maniacal cackle escaping his twisted smirk. Soon, all those bitches'll finally be dead!
Thank you for taking a look at A Myth Awakened by Tremelay.
See you at the next update!
- Tremelay