Chapter 16
I was still feeling like some one had twisted my heart into a piece of abstract art. But I felt, even deeper, where the concept of 'primal fear' was kept, that I really should get my armour back on. I didn't know what was coming, but from what I knew of the dungeon, when the walls cracked, you got monsters.
The giant 'sun' crystal had split in half, the entire cavern dimming as a black form filled it, threatening to spill out like some primordial bit of tar.
"What's going on?" I asked, strapping down a shin guard without looking, "That... is really big."
Next to me, Ryuu answered, "An irregular. That shouldn't be here." She turned her head suddenly towards the entrance to the lower level, "This may be a problem. We must organize."
"Loki Familia should be around, work with them?" I replied, standing, "So long as we don't panic." I said, feeling brittle inside. I was crashing hard from my last fight, and it was making me almost shiver.
"Kodori-dono." I blinked and turned, facing the sudden voice. I had a hard enough time getting used to 'Miss', but 'Lady'? It was the girl that had passed the monsters off on us. "How can we help?"
"You are?" I asked. Behind her the rest of her band had formed up, mostly looking like peasant samurai, with the exception of a frail looking boy with a tower shield on his back.
"Mikoto Yamato." She answered with a bow, giving her last name first, I think. "These are members of my Familia. I offer ..."
"Mikoto-san." I interrupted, holding up a hand, "Live the day, then we can talk. Help? Help me get the wounded off the field and get the people who shouldn't be anywhere near combat..." I looked at Hestia, making her flinch as if I had just taken away all her snacks, "Out of the way. Ryuu?" She was already gone, "Seems to have gone to get Loki Familia, by far the most experienced here, to help organize."
She simply said 'Hai', and turned to her Familia. They started helping people to their feet and getting them off the hilltop. "Lady Hestia? Help me with this guy." I looked down at the broken man... The man I broke. "Please?"
Hermes and Asfi were gone by the time Hestia had helped me prop the man over my back as gently as possible. He grunted, but took the treatment silent otherwise. From there, we moved as fast as possible towards town. I could already see people wheeling up small ballista and grapeshot launchers to the edge of the cliff. Through the ground I could feel the vibration of monsters making their way up from below. From above, I looked, my eyes going wide as I saw the blob start falling.
We were no where close, and the town reasonably far from the impact site, but when it hit the ground, I wouldn't have been surprised if it knocked things off the bookshelf at home. As it was, I knelt down so I wouldn't fall and drop my passenger. Hestia herself clung to a tree.
It was huge. The black monster, Goliath, I learned it was called at the party, was more than twice as tall as an orc. This one was staggeringly huge. As it stood to its full height, I could feel the air move as it took its first deep breath. It then threw back its head, and roared. A long, deep bellow that announced its birth into the dungeon like a bomb.
Ears ringing, I kept moving. I wasn't running, but away from that thing was priority one, with the injured man on my back. "Over here!" Some one called, "Bring him here!" I didn't know who they were, but we were near one of the many water springs near town. Protected on two sides by the cliff under the town it was a good spot for a triage. "Wow, fighting's barely started, what happened?"
"Demon fox." I said bitterly, "Thank you. Hestia? Can you stay here? Help them? I am going to find a place to help out there." I made a motion with a hand towards the colossus. I noticed a few others, rough fighting types close by, including the Amazon twins from Loki Familia, "You should be mostly safe here."
"Yes. Go help." She said, giving me a little push, "I'll be fine."
I was never good with chaos. A place for everything, and everything in its place. Over the last month or so however, I'd gotten better, much better, at reading a situation and acting, instead of simply seeing a situation, and reacting.
As I ran up the hill, I saw teams of people, four or five on average, getting together, arming, and running towards the entrance to the nineteenth floor. I saw two man crews on all the mini artillery, setting up and firing at the giant with well practised motions. I saw Lilly as she exited the smith shop.
"Lilly!" I called out, running to her. "Where's Bell?"
"Master Bell went to help fight that." She said, pointing to the huge man shaped monster. "Mister Welf is working in the shop on weapons, Lilly doesn't know what to do!"
I put a hand on her shoulder, "Lady Hestia is down by the spring," I pointed back the way I'd come, "I'm sure they could use your help with any injured." She nodded, "Good, I'm going to try and keep that idiot from getting stepped on."
We parted, and I saw the first flash of magic of the fight. Green lightning, white shards of ice, black tendrils. Very flashy, but against something that was probably thirty meters tall, it seemed to do nothing more than annoy it. The light of the cavern had changed to a bloody red, not unlike sunset, but I could still see the black skin of the monster healing even as the magic blasts tore chunks off it.
Flashes of steel came next, people I could just make out in the gloom swinging swords and axes as they jumped around, being no more effective seeming than a bee.
Then I saw the blue white glow peeking out of the trees like some divine firefly. A moment later, as I turned my feet towards the glow and ran with all my might, I heard the familiar cry of "FIREBOLT!"
The great beast must have sensed something, because it turned to face the danger, roaring and letting out a sudden torrent of blue energy from its mouth, its roar hurting my ears.
Only to have the top of its head blown off. Literally. The biggest blast of energy I'd ever seen poured out of the spot the glow was coming from. Bell's shot punched through the middle of the beast's own blast back up its line of fire, and passed through its face. Now missing the top of its head from just above its upper lip, the titan stumbled back a step.
Then 'looked' towards the origin of the blast, and let out a second shot of its own. I got there just in time to see Bell, dazed as if starting to mind down, look at the oncoming blast, and get consumed by it.
He had started to get out of the way, but he was still blasted backwards, rocks dirt bits of tree following him as he landed, smoking, in a heap meters away. My own skin feeling sunburned, my eyes seeing spots from the harsh blue light, I dashed over to him and checked him over.
Behind me, the beast roared again, a quick look telling me it was not only still fighting, but its head had grown back. I turned back to Bell.
No pulse. No heartbeat. No breathing.
Old memories of half remembered training sharpened in my mind as I ripped off his chest plate, tilted back his head, plugged his nose and locked my lips with his.
Behind me, more noise, more magic. Roars and explosions.
Breath. Compress chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Chanting, a language I didn't know. A breeze that felt divine and violent passing near me.
Breath. Compress chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Slashing noises, heavy chopping, the twang thump of old artillery.
Breath. Compress chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Panic setting in, head getting fuzzy, another roar, my world getting brighter.
Breath. Compress chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Sudden darkness, no, shade, and some one sounding like they were holding up the world.
Breath. Compress chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Bell coughed, taking a heaving breath on his own and rolling over on his side. I too needed to take my own gasping breaths, the little spots in my eyes dancing around as I noticed things had changed around me. Behind me, towards the monster was one of the people from Mikoto-san's Familia. A big man who was wielding a spear at the time. He was leaning with his back on the great tower shield the little one had been carrying, the edges of the solid metal drooping as if starting to melt. In front of him, was the little person, hands pushing against the bigger man's shoulders, both of them bracing everything against the shield. Around me, on either side of them, was... Nothing. No trees, no rocks, just burnt barren ground, extending ten meters into the forest.
"Kodori..." I heard Bell cough, turning to watch him get to his feet shakily. "What... I..."
I looked back to the shield bearer and spear man, "Thank you. Talk more later." Figuring that they would probably want to say something about what happened a few days ago, to Bell, I said, "You are..."
Hestia interrupted me, peeking stumbling out of the treeline with Lilly. "A BIG IDIOT!" She promptly flung herself into his arms, the poor boy still too dazed to do more than hug our Goddess.
"Miss Kodori." Bell said, closing his eyes and looking upwards, "Thank you." He then started glowing, the little fireflies gathering around him.
I heard some one start chanting in Japanese. I only followed a half dozen words, but it sounded like a prayer. The spear man still leaning against the shield that was between us and the monster said, "Mikoto-chan is going all out."
I looked off a little into the clearing the monster and the adventurers fighting had made and spotted Mikoto, hands together, feet together, back ram rod straight, looking at the Goliath as she chanted. With a final word she opened her hands slightly, a darkness hovering between them.
And from the ceiling, a spear... no, sword of purple light appeared, more massive than the monster, descending on it even as it looked up and screamed defiance at it. It passed through the beast, vanishing into its body, exiting between its legs and passing into the floor. From there, a purple glow erupted at its feet, and it suddenly knelt down as if some one even bigger had slammed both its shoulders with a giant hammer.
"Her spell is ... magic." The spear man said proudly, slumping down in front of the shield.
I didn't know the word, and the look on my face made Bell say, "Gra-vi-ty. The thing that brings things down when you drop them."
Looking back at him, he and Hestia, who was still clinging to him, though she was looking at the fighting, were glowing like a whole forest of fireflies were around them now. I heard Mikoto scream, turned, and the pressure was suddenly lifted off the Goliath. It had sunk to almost its hips into the floor, its upper body twisted and broken. But even as we watched, it was straightening out, standing.
Like a comet, a familiar looking salamander wool cloak sailed towards the regenerating monster. Screaming like a maniac, I saw the glint of a jagged metal object in his hands, as if he was going to give the Goliath a flying overhand chop. Instead, the vaguely sword shaped object in his hands glowed bright red, and when he swung it down, far too early to actually cut the beast, a massive wave of flame burst forth from the blade. The heat brought me a sudden flashback of when Zanis had cooked me, and I watched as what looked like a small sun was crashing into the crater the beast was standing in.
"So that's what he was talking about." I mumbled, standing, and blinking as Bell walked past me, slow, steady, full of purpose. He kept walking, even as the flames cleared. The Goliath had been reduced to a sort of humanoid shaped wax statue. Even as we watched, the waxy skin the magic sword had inflicted upon it, though there, around where its gut would be, was the black and red swirling glow of a truly titanic magic stone.
"Miss Kodori." I heard Bell say, "Are you coming?" Even though he was technically dead less than two minutes ago, his voice was just as sure as it ever was. He was a hero, and he still had work to do.
I looked back to Hestia, who had tears in her eyes, and started jogging towards him, "Don't miss." And I started running.
Even as I ran, I gathered my magic, that flame inside of me. Inspired by just how brave that boy was, I focused, searched for words, and then chanted as I closed the distance towards the beast. Even as I did, I watched the waxy flesh solidify and regrow, the magic stone slowly covering back up. "For Her a wall, for Her a gate." Again, I was praying, to a very real Goddess, "I stand and let only the worthy pass and deny disaster entry!"
The crystal was almost covered now. I could feel the heat from the magical fire through the bottoms of my boots. I focused my eyes on nothing but the slowly closing gap of flesh, ignoring the flashbacks of being cooked alive trying to cloud my vision. "So that I myself remain worthy in Her eyes!" I jumped the distance bringing my fist back, then forward, opening my hand just as the crystal vanished under newly grown flesh. My arm was buried almost to the shoulder but my fingertips were touching something smooth and cool. I looked back at Bell, my feet kicking out and bracing so my shoulder wouldn't be taking my full weight, I stretched my hand out to him, feeling my body hum like I had just kissed a battery.
I didn't hear him call out his magic. But I saw him extend his arm, brace his feet, and his mouth move. I looked into his eyes as not so much a 'bolt' but a 'beam' of blue electrified fire lanced towards me. As one, we both smiled, and I didn't so much as flinch as the blue firebolt connected with my open palm.
Agony. White hot flame pouring from one end of my body to the other. Super hot, yet chilling at the same time, the energy arced through me. But this time, instead of it going into my feet, into the ground, I imagined my own magic as a pipe, from one hand to the other, feeding Bell's enhanced spell directly into the giant magic stone.
The sound deafened me, my body felt like it was suddenly disconnected from my brain, and then I was falling. An instant later, as my world dimmed I felt a hand grab my ankle, and I was being lifted into the air.
"What a handful they are, these children of yours." The voice sounded like it was being filtered through a metal bucket. "Still, to kill it like that. They must trust each other perfectly."
The only reply was an metallic sounding sniffle. Bits of my body were noticing I was awake, and telling me how much they hated me right now.
"You're lucky Asfi had those potions you know. Have you told them not to be so reckless?" Again a sniffle, then the male laughed, "Not like it would matter I think. Asfi? Is there anything more you can do for them?"
"Yes sir." A moment later, I felt something fuzzy touch my ears, the noise of friction slowly losing the metallic sound. "Her ears look better now." Some one snapped their fingers near first my left then my right ear, making them twitch reflexively. "Yes, reacting normally now."
"ow quit it." I mumbled, in English, then again in Common.
The familiar weight of Hestia flopped onto my side, followed by her usual 'happy angry sad' noises that she had been making almost every time we returned home recently. "You saved him. He was gone, but you brought him back."
"Lets leave them alone for now, Asfi." I heard Hermes say. "We can chat later, Hestia, Miss Kodori, Mr. Bell." The rustle of fabric a tiny puff of flowing air, and the room suddenly felt bigger.
"Stupid Hermes." Hestia mumbled. "Kodori? Are you okay?"
"Everything... hurts." I replied, "Bell?"
"Here." I heard a voice to my left. A few false starts later, I managed to twitch my arm enough to extend it in his direction, my hand closed into a fist. He lightly tapped my knuckles with his, then he put my hand back at my side. "Is it true? Was I dead?"
He was being unusually quiet, no, solemn? "No pulse, no breath, no heartbeat." I said finally opening my eyes, looking up at the blurry sight of Hestia's 'been crying for hours' face. "I wasn't sure I could do it. But I remembered."
"What did you do?" Bell asked, "I remember a dream... But nothing more. Being hit by the Goliath, falling... then waking up."
"CPR." I said, using the English words for the letters. "Mouth to mouth, heart... rub? No... 'massage'?" I asked Hestia.
"Massage." She said to Bell, who in turn...
"Ma-sa-gee. Massage." It was nice to have people who understood your faults.
"Heart massage." I said. "Give my breath to you. Try and force your heart to beat again."
It took a moment, but Hestia blushed from the top of her cleavage to the tips of her ears. My body was awake enough by now, so I very gently brought my hand to my Goddess's face, and swept it across, like slapping her with a piece of silk. Her embarrassment went to shock instantly, but her eyes told me she understood. "Thank you for saving him." She said, hugging me again.
I flailed my arm at Bell again, fingertips catching a bit of fabric, becoming an unbreakable grip, and tugging the boy towards me. "Anything for my Brother." I said, hugging them both. "Now... Is there anything to eat?"
We left fairly soon after I had awoken. Loki Familia had taken care of most of the monsters invading from the lower floor, and were looking none the worse for wear. Ais was her usual calm pool of water, though she did manage to hold a conversation with Bell, sort of, Hestia was almost between them, not quite touching, but certainly not letting them touch either. Welf was walking next to Lilly, and both of them had grim thoughtful looks on their faces. That would have been amusing if I couldn't have guessed why.
I'd have to talk to them later. Being the big sister/brother was hard.
"What a world." I mumbled.
"Nani?" Mikoto hadn't left my side since we started back up. We had walked in silence mostly, her position behind and to my left made her look like my guard. "Oh, sorry. Pardon, Kodori-dono?"
"Iie, sore wa nanimonai." I replied, saying 'no it is nothing.' "Now that we are going. Let's talk." I held up a hand first, "Don't bow, don't put yourself down, and don't fall behind. We are equals here."
Behind her, the rest of her Familia looked down as much as they could, without losing eye contact with my sideways turned gaze.
"We were careless, and lost control of the situation." Mikoto said, "One of us was hurt, our formation broke, and we ran."
"I guessed as much." I nodded, "We," I made a motion towards Bell, Lilly and Welf, "have had that happen before, save that it was intentional. I do not blame you for our party being in the wrong place at the right time."
Again that downcast look. Japanese mannerisms, especially traditional ones, were so stiff. But I could work with that.
"Because of that. Bell, Lilly, Welf and I know how to handle a fighting retreat. Your reason for bringing those monsters was unfortunate, not intentional, so I forgive your lack of training." I thought a moment, then gave her a Hestia version of the Karate Chop of Punishment. I hardly ruffled her hair. "Punishment has been given."
One of the younger of her group didn't quite manage to stop themselves from laughing. Mikoto looked mortified. The matter was obviously heavy on her mind. So I offered a solution.
"I know that our Goddess is friends with your God, so, how about our two Familia do a little training?" I gave her shoulder a pat, "I see from how you all carry yourselves, that you are strong. But your line breaking shows you need a little more."
"It is as Kodori-dono says." She replied, the others looking up and nodding to me.
"Since, once again, almost all of my equipment is in tatters, I expect the next few days to be time off. I will talk with my Familia, and we can find a place to train." I looked at the others, then back to her, "Make sure to get a good sleep, and meet me at the fountain, as the sun comes over the wall."
They all agreed, the lot of them stopping an instant to touch their heels together and tap a fist to their chest in salute. They really were very formal. But I admired that level of discipline, considering they were at best not even out of their teens yet.
I was just about to turn to look ahead, when an unfamiliar hand touched my rear and slid down my tail, followed by a second hand touching my other cheek and brushing down the other side. This of course, had the usual effect, and I nearly fell as my spine tried to exit out of the top of my head.
"Wow, it really does work." A familiar voice said as a pair of darkly tanned arms caught me around the middle to keep me from falling. It was one of the Amazon twins.
"We'll have to thank Arnya." The other said as they let me go and stood to either side of me.
"My poor tail." I said, hugging it to me. It had gotten a little longer, now that I actually looked at it. "I knew she would get me back one day. Employing mercenaries... Evil girl."
"Aww, don't be like that." The less busty of the pair said, "We just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Almost everyone saw what you did." The other added, "What did you even do?"
I shrugged, "Well... Hm. I made sure Bell's magic would hit?"
"But... How?"
I took a quick look around, and picked up three little stones from the floor. "Here, hold this, yes like that." She held one of them between her thumb and forefinger. I balanced the second stone on top, and handed her the last one, "Now, tap that from underneath." She did, the stone on top popping into the air. "Kind of like that."
"Ohhhhhh." They both said at once.
"I made sure it hit the magic stone." I replied before hooking a thumb at the car sized magic stone that we had covered in a tarp and were taking with us to the surface. Another one was just behind that. "I'm honestly surprised it didn't break more than it did. And that you are helping us carry it back."
"We're taking one half, remember." I nodded to her, because yes, everyone had agreed on that. After all was said and done, and the supporters cleaned up the monsters, everyone came away with something. Though Loki Familia, who did the heavy lifting when it came to the monsters from the nineteenth floor, and had two healers on hand to keep actual deaths to zero, claimed half of the Black Goliath's stone. Hestia Familia, for actually killing it, got the other. As well as a few others things.
"Well, congratulations on surviving that, you crazy fox." The busty one said, before both of them gave me a punch on the shoulder and went off again.
"So much energy, those two." I felt my spine try another bid for freedom but settled down as I recognized Hermes's voice.
"I really must say, your Familia is making quite a name for itself." He said as he seemed to walk out from behind Asfi, who was just sort of 'there' when I looked towards the voice.
"You must really get around." I said in English, making him wince at the terrible pun. "I've noticed something, you know, about this place."
"Oh, and what is that?" Hermes asked, while Asfi was looking frustrated at not knowing what I was saying.
"It seems almost too perfect." I replied, grabbing hold of my tail again and idly trying to groom it. "Skip the history, and think simply of 'what is here'."
"Go on." He sounded interested.
"You have this giant dungeon. Finn, of Loki Familia told me they aimed to go past floor 50. This place is a perfect place to gain 'exilia' so that us, the 'children' can gain 'levels'." He nodded, showing me he was following so far, "The Gods put the tower on top of all this to seal it, and keep the monsters contained. Fine, I've read fantasy books about something similar where they didn't do that, and it ended badly, but forget about that."
"A simple summation of our history." Hermes replied.
"It's too perfect. A forest ecology on the eighteenth floor. A water ruin on the... I forget what floor they said it was. The dungeon heals all the wounds we do to it like a living thing, the monsters come back time and time again. A perfect training ground for us Children. But why?"
"Why indeed, Miss Kodori." Hermes replied, "Keep thinking on it, you might find an answer."
He was about to turn, when I said, "Asfi, thank you." She looked and gave me a nod, "And sorry for not ...in...include...including! Aha. You in the talk. I am still learning." She nodded again, following her God as he walked away.
Before I could get ambushed again, I walked over to Welf and Lilly. They were still looking thoughtful and silent, even while they walked together.
"Okay you two." I started, making them both look over/up at me. "What's wrong?"
They didn't answer, or rather, they both opened their mouths to say something, then stopped.
"Right." I pointed to Welf, "You, did amazing. Just remember why you did it, and who you did it for, and you will never regret it." I understood his reasons for not making Magic Sword. As a craftsman, he didn't want to make something disposable. But as a Friend, he did, to save lives. Not for greed or power like his ancestors.
To Lilly, I gave her a smile and said, "Fighting isn't everything. A chair with no legs doesn't work, and a party without its supporter is a lot harder to keep going. You freed Bell and Lady Hestia, helped with the wounded, and even made sure I didn't 'accidentally' drink anything at the after party I shouldn't have." I gave her head a pat, ruffling her hair, "And I know the twins tried to slip me what ever it was they were drinking at least once."
"Miss Kodori can't handle her drink." She mumbled, halfheartedly trying to evade my hair scruffles.
"So. Cheer up a little. When we get back, we'll train with Takemikazuchi's Familia, so they never do what they did again. Welf will do what Welf does best and make more things for us, and you and I can go shopping for more clothes, yet again. And refill your new support pack." They both smiled, though it was a tiny smile, it was a start.
"Sorry sister." Welf said, "I'll have to skip tomorrow." He said, "I have..."
"Tell me later. We won't go into the dungeon without you, or without proper gear." I put a hand on Lilly's shoulder, "Just ask anyone, I never leave people behind for the important stuff."
"Thanks." Welf said, giving my shoulder a punch, "Hey tiny. Just how strong are you anyhow? You lost your crossbow right?"
I left them to return to their usual banter, and walked on my own for a while.
The only other incident I instigated, was when Eina, our ever strict and loving supporter took Bell, Lilly and I aside to do her usual finger waving. I may or may not have given Bell a little nudge, so that he lost his balance, nearly fell on Eina, hugged her to keep HER from falling, and made the two of them blush the exact same shade of red when I said, "See? She is soft."
This turned them BOTH into stuttering idiots, and made Lilly laugh, something I couldn't remember her ever doing.
Eina still lectured us, but welcomed us back as usual.
NOTES!
A little shorter than last chapter, but I figure a new chapter is a better way to get the next bit of story started. As usual, dear readers, I hope you keep reading.