(A/N): Still looking for ladies to join in on the fun! Please! Don't be shy!

I'll be posting the characters I've ironed out very soon; I need to summarize where appropriate as well as ensure everyone's in the right format and such.

Anyway, back to it!

Chapter 5: The Tale Of Aledria

Later That Afternoon- Rivira, The Inn

I woke up with a jolt as I looked around frantically as my heart began to race.

"...Where am I?"

"Finally awake?"

I turned around and much to my relief, it was a familiar face. I smiled as I rose from the bed.

"Zekko!"

He approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Good to see you're still breathing beautiful," he said with a wink.

My thoughts immediately drifted to Takashi.

"Where's-"
"In good hands, don't worry your pretty little head," he said.

I sighed deeply.

"They...were too much for us," I said.
"You two did great against those things...Akio and Matilda didn't have much work to do when they finally arrived," he continued.

I shook my head.

"...I wasn't strong enough,"
"And no one expects you to be a hero Ayame...you've got a good heart but you're not a god nor are you a high class sorceress...it," he said.
"He...risked his life to save me twice," I said.

Zekko nodded.

"Sounds like the Wolf Tamer alright," he said.

He then turned to the right and pointed. I then noticed that Takashi was laying down, his eyes closed and bandages all over him. At his side was what I presumed to be his familia.

"He saved the girl with the whip on her belt according to them and he's the one who helped Hestia get to where she is now," he explained.

I nodded slowly.

"How bad were his wounds?" I asked.
"I can answer that,"

I looked to my left to see a woman...dressed in rather revealing clothing.

"He got cut up a lot by those Lygerfangs...if Akio and I were even five minutes later, he would've died from sheer blood loss," she explained.

She then let out a deep breath.

"Because of his injuries, he won't be fit for the trip back to Orario for at least a week depending on how quickly his body recovers because there's only so much that magic can do," she continued.
"But he's going to be alright?' I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"He's no pushover; Takkun's got willpower like no other person I've ever met," she said.

She then turned to me, examining me from head to toe.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm fine," I replied.

She nodded slowly.

"You were absolutely exhausted; you burned through two elven stamina draughts before you finally awakened," said Zekko.
"...I guess I got carried away with producing that whirlwind to stop their advance," I replied.

Zekko scratched the back of his head.

"You bought enough time for Nana, Akio and I to get there...that's what matters," replied Matilda.

I looked around frantically, suddenly realizing that Meiryo was nowhere in sight. Matilda smiled.

"Are you looking for that Orarian Ghostfeather? He's in the kitchen eating," she explained.

I sighed in relief as I lay back down.

"We'll have you guys back on your feet in no time," she said.
"...Thank you,"

I allowed myself to go back to sleep, but not before giving Takashi one last look.

"...You have good friends you can depend on...I envy you,"

Later That Evening- The Tavern

"Good to see you up again elf boy," I said with a wink.

Takashi rolled his eyes.

"How're you feeling Takashi?" asked Amie.
"Annoyed that this sling is preventing me from doing much...but otherwise I'm alright," he replied.

I hugged him close.

"Don't ever scare me like that again you little brat...I have enough stress looking out for everyone else and I don't need you dying on me," I snapped.

I released him leaned away, only to see a humble smile.

"I'll do my best Nana, you have my word," he said.

For some reason, whenever he smiled like that...it made me feel all warm inside. Maybe it was because I had gotten accustomed to his kindness, maybe I was beginning to see him like my actual family instead of just a friend or maybe it was because I just turned into a softie. Whatever the reason, it was enough for me to smile back at him.

"Did we get anything?" asked Takashi.
"Two minotaur horns...didn't get any Lygerfang hide," replied Akio.

Takashi nodded.

"My bow was snapped when we were trying to get out of there so I'm going to have to get a new one if we intend to do any hunting," said Takashi.
"You're in no condition to even be thinking of doing that," I snapped sternly.

Takashi shook his head.

"I'm not going to be sitting here doing nothing...besides, I can simply brew a potion to repair my broken arm," he said.
"With one hand? I'd love to see you fail," I replied with a snicker.

Vanna returned with two large mugs. Takashi took one of them and took a sniff before smiling.

"Elven Softbrew...my favorite," he said.

He took a large gulp of the drink.

~ o ~

To say that I was overjoyed to be able to see everyone again was an understatement. After I received those wounds and passed out, I thought I would wake up in the afterlife...only to see Matilda sealing my wounds with her healing magic. I awakened temporarily and barely managed to crack my eye to see Ayame was safe. From that moment, I decided to myself that it was worth the risk...though I really do need to stop thinking in such a linear manner; if Hestia ever found out I did that to save a stranger, she'd probably beat me to a pulp.

Then here I was now...my arm in a sling and bandages covering about 80% of my torso thanks to Matilda...

Speaking of Matilda, I was very lucky that she was still here because if she decided to go back to Orario...it's highly likely that I wouldn't be alive right now. I never would've thought that helping her out a few months ago would end up being one of the reasons I'm still alive...

...

Four Months Ago- Just Outside Of Rivira

"Good hunting today,"
"Indeed, we got a lot of mapping done around floor 17 and we even managed to get some drop items to sell,"
"This'll help a lot with the saving...because it would be good to take Akio and Vanna here; they can learn about this place,"
"Agreed,"

Fang suddenly stopped, looking towards the rest.

"What's going on?" I asked.
"I heard screams,"

I jumped onto her back.

"Let's check it out,"

She carried me as quickly as her legs could go until we happened upon a woman...being chased by a pair of killer ants. Upon closer examination, the woman's armor was in such terrible condition that she was practically naked. She was...incredibly voluptuous and judging from her ears, she was a Cat person. I removed my bow and jumped off of Fang to reach a cluster of trees.

"Get her out of here, I'll distract one of them,"
"Be careful Fang...you know what happens when they bite you,"
"I'll be careful...now go,"

I saw no reason to not trust her; she's never let me down in the past. She sprinted off and managed to catch one of the ants off guard. I then aimed carefully before letting loose an arrow, hitting the one approaching the woman right at the base of the antennae. The arrow managed to clip the entire appendage off, sending it into a mad and random frenzy. It knew it was only a matter of time before the ant learned to adapt to a single antennae so I took my chance, darting over to her before picking her up into my arms.

"Need to work on my strength at some point..."

I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me and managed to get into a tree as I examined her wound. Much to my horror, it was an ant bite.

"I've never tested an elven brew on a Cat person before...time to find out if it will work,"

I removed a bottle of Elven Purge from my bag and held it to her lips.

"Drink this or the venom will kill you," I said.

She managed to get it all down and much to my delight, the wound sealed itself shut. She slowly opened her eyes but flinched at the sight of me.

"Who're you?" she asked.
"Takashi Mashiro...what are you doing out here on your own?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Well...fortune doesn't exactly favor me..."

Present Time, Later That Afternoon- Rivira Springs

"Ahh...this was definitely worth the wait...and after a good day of the dungeon too?" said Nana.

Hanna snickered softly.

"Who would've thought a place this nice is all the way down here in this hellhole of a tower," said Matilda.

I looked away, losing interest in the entirety of their conversation. I looked at Meiryo, who was in a tree looking down at me.

"Feeling better mistress?"
"Far better...though I'm not sure what would be next for us,"
"We should start with you getting back to your usual self...though Zekko did indeed survive the ambush, we no longer have any of our friends...we're essentially alone,"
"...It looks like I'll never find the one who killed my family,"
"Never say never...you've at least made friends in all of them,"

"Ayame!"

I snapped from my thoughts to see that Matilda had appeared in front of me.

"Why're you all the way over here?" she asked.

It was incredibly difficult to keep my eyes away from her absolutely massive bosom.

"I usually keep to myself," I replied.
"Why's that? A lot on your mind?" she asked.

I turned away from her, suddenly feeling self-conscious of myself in comparison to her. She seemed to notice my thoughts and for some reason, grabbed me in a hug.

"Come now don't be shy! We're all girls here!" she said in a sing song voice.

I shook my head and growled.

"Are you thinking about Takkun?"

I opened my mouth to answer but once I tried, nothing but air came out of my mouth. In a flash, she had just caught me completely off guard.

"Worried about him?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"He saved me...twice," I said.

Matilda nodded.

"He doesn't seem like it from afar but he's one of the kindest people you will ever meet...it's because of him that I'm still alive and it's also because of him that I'm able to work here in Rivira...

I put a hand to my chin.

"Why is he so selfless?" I asked.

Matilda's face changed from happy to somewhat melancholy.

"It's because of what happened in his childhood...his father was killed and his mother was taken and sold into slavery," replied Matilda.
"...How do you know that?" I asked.

Matilda shook her head.

"I spent a month with him and really got to know him...all jokes and mishaps aside, he has a lot on his mind everyday and it astonishes me as to how he can still find it within himself to help every adventurer that he can," she said.

She then looked at me.

"It's his life's mission to find his mother and bring the ones who killed his family to justice, that's why he trains so much and it's part of the reason why he goes out of his way to save everyone he can; he wants to get stronger to be able to save her," she continued.

I sighed softly.

"I had no idea that the Wolf Tamer was such a humble person; everything I heard about him made him seem like a silent anti-hero," I said.

Matilda smiled.

"I have to admit...he's very handsome and he's probably the closest friend I have right now...if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now,"

She then put a hand on my shoulder.

"In all the time I've known him, I've never seen him go so far for someone before; every time he saves someone it's like it was a walk in the park but he literally knocked on death's door for your sake...so he must've seen something in you," she said.
"Is it because I'm an elf like he is?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Maybe it's because you can speak to that hawk of yours or maybe it's because he just finds you interesting...whatever the reason, you can count on him to help you with anything you need done, no matter how small or big it is,"

I sighed deeply.

"Well...most of my belongings were lost in the dungeon so I'm going to have to get myself back on my feet," I said.

Matilda snickered.

"Takkun does so much work and has so many friends that it shouldn't be any trouble to work something out for you,"

She then hugged me.

"You can count on his familia...I know that you are a part of Ares's family from looking at your tattoo but honestly, a war machine of a nation isn't what you need right now,"

She turned to look at the others.

"I've known these people for barely a day and I can already already tell you that they're friends worth keeping,"

I nodded slowly.

"They are all of Hestia's familia?" I asked.

Matilda nodded.

"I'll...keep that in mind,"

Later That Evening- The Tavern

"I'd like to thank everyone for being here tonight...and after everything we've gone through these past few weeks, I think it's safe to say that we've become somewhat of a family," said Nana.

I nodded in agreement as she looked to each of us.

"For some of us, we've been family for years and for others, merely days but it doesn't take away from the fact that we are all in this together," she continued.

She raised her mug.

"We all know what's at stake whenever we decide to step foot in that dungeon and now more than ever, unity is necessary to take on the challenges ahead and I'm glad that all of us are here right now because I wouldn't trust my life to any other person because all of you have proven to be the absolute best of the best," she said.

A small round of cheers and applause followed her words as she looked to Matilda.

"I'd like to personally thank our new friend here for saving the life of one our own...without her, I doubt that he would still be breathing right now," she said.

Matilda smiled and shook her head.

"After all he's done for me, this was the least I could do," she said humbly.

I looked around...but saw no sign of Takashi anywhere.

"Takishi Mashiro is the man of the hour here...but he's unfortunately still recovering from those injuries..."

She took a deep breath.

"I don't think I've felt so worried about anyone in my entire life because he isn't just a member of my familia...he saved my life and he's not just my ally...he's also my friend,"

A collective cheer indicated that everyone agreed with her.

"Our mission is simple; get a good haul and head back home to our goddess who is waiting ever so patiently for our safe return,"
"Then you're in luck,"

Everyone turned to a man who was leaning against the doorframe.

"The 17th floor boss has been spotted, seen heading towards the middle of the area,"

Nana raised an eyebrow.

"Who're you?" she asked.
"A man who's interested in making a profit," he replied.

He then looked to Zekko and then to me.

"You two are the only two survivors from that ragtag group of losers from before eh?"

My fists automatically clenched but before I could do anything, the man fell to the ground. Just behind him, was Takashi.

"Get out of here Markos, no one's interested in your scams," he snapped.

The man got up and looked at Takashi with venom in his eyes.

"Get out of here and don't come back," said Takashi.

The man got up and walked out of the tavern as Takashi entered the room.

"He's a scavenger who likes to lure people into unwinnable battles and then take all their loot himself...but he's not lying when he said a floor boss was spotted,"

He looked at his arm.

"My arm will likely be healed by tomorrow if I rest but there's the matter of getting gear for everyone," he said.
"Yeah...this place isn't exactly cheap," sighed Akio.

Takashi smiled.

"Which is why I called in a few favors,"

As if on cue, three people entered the room. The first was a man, no older than 30 who was wearing a blacksmith's apron.

"The large man's name is Jethro, he's the lead blacksmith around here and the one you go to when you need quality armor and weapons made," he explained.

He then looked to the second person, who was an elf woman wearing a dark brown dress, as well as an apron.

"This is Irina, she's the one who takes care of all things Ranger so if you need leather armor, bows or arrows? She's the woman for the job," he continued.

Irina then grabbed Takashi by the head and rubbed her first into his hair.

"This little brat's done so much for me that I couldn't help but say yes to his request," she said.

The third person then stepped up.

"My name is Aaru, I'm the one you come to if you need any sort of materials; I have friends who gather many things in their travels," he said.

Takashi broke free of Irina's grip and cleared his throat.

"Everyone get your gear sorted out; we're leaving bright and early in the morning," he said.

...

Takashi's Room

"I'll get to work on that bow right now," said Irina.
"I appreciate it," I replied.

She handed the potion we just managed to brew to repair my arm.

"Thanks for the help," I said.
"You're welcome...now get some rest; there's no way your familia will be able to take that thing down without you at your best," she said.

She left the room as I let out a sigh.

"Never imagined myself on the sidelines..."
"As Nana so rightfully put it, you're not invincible,"

I laughed softly as Fang rubbed her head against my ribs.

"I was worried for you...but I trusted you to take care of yourself on your own,"
"That must've been difficult...I'm sorry for forcing you to do that,"
"Your friends were just as worried as I was,"

I looked at my broken arm before swallowing the potion in one go. I could immediately begin to feel the effects; the pain that surged from my arm throughout the whole day was disappearing quickly. I could feel the bones mending themselves and within minutes, my arm felt as good as new. I removed it from the sling around my neck and examined it.

"Good thing Irina had some extra herbs to spare..."

A knock on the door broke me from my concentration. I opened it...to see Ayame.

"Do you have a moment?" she asked.

I nodded and stepped out of the way to allow her to come inside.

~ o ~

I let out a deep breath as I took a seat in a chair. He sat on the bed, stretching his arm out.

"You've already made the potion?" I asked.
"Worked as well as I hoped it would," he replied.

I nodded slowly as I looked at Fang, who seemed curious as to the reason I came in here.

"I wanted to ask you something...if you'll answer," I said.
"Depends on what the question is," he replied.

I pulled the necklace from under my dress and held it up for him to see.

"This is all I have left of my family," I said.

Much to my surprise, Takashi brandished a pocket watch as well as a necklace of his own.

"The necklace was made by my mother and the pocket watch belonged to my father...so I suppose we share that in common," he said.

I nodded.

"I...haven't been completely honest with you," I began.

I put my hands together.

"Neither have I,"

I looked at him to see that he had removed the necklace and was holding it out to me.

"My mother is all I have left in this world...I have no idea if she's alive or not but I know that until I get stronger, there's no way that I stand a chance of finding out, let alone save her," he said.

I took the necklace and examined it. It was a teardrop made out of a sapphire.

"She used sapphire because it's my birthstone...in my family, the 14th birthday is an important day for any male elf because it signified their true coming of age...it's the day when we are recognized as hunters,"

He sighed deeply.

"My mother taught me everything I know because she was a strong adventurer...but I never got the chance to be given a Falna until the day I met Hestia all those years ago,"

He looked at me.

"You've had a past similar to mine...it's the reason why you are here on your own aren't you?"

I sighed softly.

"To tell you this...I'll have to go back to that day ten years ago..."

Ten Years Ago- The Aledria Household

"Is everything in order for the journey tomorrow?"
"It has been done according to your specifications, rest assured it will be done,"

I watched as my father put a hand on his servant's shoulder.

"You've done well...it won't be long until we're swimming with riches," he said.

I felt sick to my stomach as I turned to my mother, who was still tinkering with the necklace in her hands.

"Mother...why do you look so scared?" I asked.

She looked at me, smiling as tears ran down her cheeks.

"The day I have long since seen coming is finally here...and you need to leave my child," she replied.

I looked at her in disbelief.

"Leave? What do you mean?" I asked.

She closed her eyes as she put the necklace around my neck before handing me a book.

"You've learned a great deal of magic since you starting practicing...now is the time for you to learn your next spell, this is the last grimoire in my possession and I want you to use it," she said.

I swallowed hard as I opened it and looked into it.

"Grant me the power to create life...as well as to protect it," I said.

I felt the knowledge surge into me as I looked to my mother who was smiling at me.

"You've become so strong Ayame...I'm so proud of you..."

She then looked to the window.

"You have to leave, right now before our fate befalls us," she said.
"But-"

She hugged me close to her.

"Gently grant safe passage from the heavens to the earth...Featherfall,"

Much to my astonishment, my mother picked me up and then shoved me out of the open window. I thought I was going to fall to my death...until I floated down and landed gently.

I looked behind me...to see my mother was right; a large carriage was approaching.

Present Time

"Your father...was Halor Aledria?" asked Takashi.

I nodded slowly.

"He was involved with smuggling and slave trading for a long time...I didn't come to understand what he was doing until it was too late...my house was burned to the ground but that doesn't change the fact that my father did things that are unspeakable," I growled.

I felt tears come to my eyes.

"My mother was an amazing woman...she took care of me whenever he was out doing the horrible things he does and she raised me to be a mage...I fully intend on bringing those slave traders to justice," I said.

Takashi suddenly approached me and looked at me with a very serious stare.

"The path of revenge is not something you want to walk down...if you're bringing them to justice, do it to prevent any other person from suffering the same fate as our parents," he said.

He closed his eyes.

"For a very long time, I wanted to take revenge for my father's death and for all the awful things they've likely done with my mother...but I realized that revenge does nothing but darken one's judgement and sends them on a path of destruction from which there is no turning back,'

He took one of my hands in his.

"When you hear anything, or if I hear anything about these traders...we'll bring them in, together," he said.

Half of my wanted to wrench my hand from his grasp but for some reason, I believed him. He had no reason to lie to me like all the others I've met...he's done nothing but take care of me since he met me and he risked his life more than once to keep me safe. Even now, when I was fuming with rage from the memories of the past...I still couldn't help but feel comforted by his mere presence; it was as if I was with a kindred spirit. I felt tears come to my eyes as he moved closer to me.

"You haven't spoken about this with anyone have you?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"You've kept all this pain inside of you for long enough...no one should have to suffer like that," he continued.

He held my hand gently.

"I won't tell a soul what you've said...you have my word,"

I threw myself into his arms and cried into his chest. He slowly placed a hand on the back of my head, stroking it gently. I cried for my mother and I cried for being the daughter of someone whose caused so much pain.

I cried for all the loneliness, pain, malice and sadness I've suffered without flinching until now...

Now, I felt safe.