AN: So hello all, it's been a while hasn't it. Sorry about that I've just been very busy with real life. Started a new job, had Christmas rock up, had to deal with a busted up car. Run of the mill stuff that just takes up time. That said I do appreciate all those who stuck with the story, and those who messaged me too, both about the story and out of concern, I appreciate the thought.
That said I have but an overall summary of my thoughts on all my active stories, so feel free to check that out if you follow any of my other stories.
Other than that here is the next chapter, I think I may need to refresh myself on the source material soon, as I've not worked on the story for a while, and so don't have all the pertinent plot points and events in my mind any more.
Other than that I hope you all enjoy the chapter and leave a review. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi or the Elder Scrolls.
( - )
(Last Time)
In fact by the time Welf crossed the distance and joined the battle two thirds of them were already dead, and the rest were utterly panicking, which in turn made it even easier for the two smiths to finish off the last third. The whole fight taking less than two minutes, and leaving behind twenty or so small monster crystals and a couple of drop items for the victors to collect.
"So this was easy," Azoth said, swinging his axe up and resting it on his shoulder as he looked over at the thunderstruck Welf. "How about we head down to Level Five next, and kill a few dozen monsters down there to warm up? After which I reckon we can head further down to Level Ten, hopefully something down there can put up more of a fight!"
"Erm, yeah right…" Welf muttered looking around at the now empty cavern in surprise. "Sure, why not…"
( - )
Chapter 9
( - )
(In the Dungeon)
Swinging Wuuthrad around Azoth could both see and feel the axe's heavy, ornately decorated blade easily cleave through the large, grotesque body in front of him.
The creature letting loose a screech of pain in response, it's colossal mass lashing out in pain and anger. Its form, which easily stood over nine feet tall looming over the Snow Elf.
Azoth wasn't sure what the pig faced creature was, but from what he could see it was an immense, mottled, grey mass of fat, muscle and sadistic cruelty.
Leaping back as the creature let loose a howl of pain and anger, Azoth managed to avoid a heavy swing from one of the creature's fellows. A quick smile crossing his angular face, even as he then darted forward, one of his armoured boots landing on the attacking creature's club as it smashed into the ground. His hands whipping around as he then swung the long hafted axe at the surprised beast, his violet eyes gleaming with delight as his axe bit deeply into the thick flesh around the attacking creature's throat.
Crashing backwards onto the misty floor, greyish black blood fountaining out of the tear in its neck, the creature could only let out an agonized gurgle as it frantically spasmed on the ground. Its giant, dirty grey hands, each of which looked big enough, and strong enough, to crush an average person's skull, scrabbling at its futilely throat as it rapidly died.
Ignoring this pitiable sight, Azoth instead continued forward, his blade swinging up and around again as he hacked down the one he had previously injured, black blood showering down on him and the mist enshrouded ground below him, even as he dodged around the beast's collapsing body and slammed his axe into, and through, the spine of another of the beasts.
This, this was fun.
Exploring the city of Orario, his new base. home, that was all well and good. So to was meeting new and interesting people, some of which belonged to races he had never even heard of before, whilst others were Divine Beings. Divine Beings that weren't like the ones he knew, as in they weren't absolute psychotic monsters.
All of that was interesting, and exciting in a way.
But it didn't hold a candle to the feeling of being in battle.
Sure his current foes were comparable weak when compared to some of the things he had fought over the years. Hell he had fought bears that were tougher than these ogre like beings.
Despite this though, he could still feel his heart racing and his soul soaring as he darted through the half dozen large lumbering bodies, his axe a grey silver blur as he cleaved through his enemies with ease.
It was a difficult feeling to describe really, the sense of oneness and joy that came with doing something you excel in. Which in Azoth's case at the moment, was fighting.
If he could liken it to anything, he would say it was like the feeling he had when he was working in the forge. The heat of the embers scorching his skin and causing sweat to bead down his face. The ache in his arms as he used a hammer to pound a lump of metal into a work of deadly art. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that came with completing a project.
Honestly, Azoth was a bit of a strange elf, and he knew it.
He was not very magically inclined, nor was he all that good with a bow. Art, poetry, music, none of that came easily to him either, not as easily as it seemed to come to high elves, dark elves and wood elves. There was a reason he had been kicked out of the Bard's college after all, and it wasn't just because he refused to go on one of their many 'quests' to find the multiple instruments and items that the wasters at the college seemed to lose.
No, out of all of his kin, the only ones Azoth really felt any kinship towards were the Orismer, or the orcs as they were commonly called.
They were a warrior race that excelled in smithing and lived by a strict code of honour and duty. All of which Azoth could get behind. On top of that the orcs were shunned by the other elves, ignored and despised.
As the last of the Snow Elves, or at least as far as he knew, he could understand the feeling.
From what he had found out, when his kind had needed help; and had gone to their kin, the Dwemer, for aid they had been tricked, abused, blinded and enslaved.
Considering the way they were treated by their cousins, was it truly any wonder that his once proud race had devolved into the monstrous Falmer?
Azoth shook his head at that thought. His mind was wandering. If this had been an actually challenging fight, such a lapse in concentration could have been fatal.
With that thought in mind, Azoth wrenched his axe blade out of the skull of one of the beasts, and then turned and jabbed Wuuthrad forward like a spear. The spike tipped head of the axe stabbing up and into the throat last of the beasts.
A look of shock crossing the creature's piggy face as it realised what had happened. Only for Azoth to finish it off with a bolt of chained lightning to the face, the lance of crackling, white lightning erupting from his free hand and frying the creatures brain. The force and ferocity of the blast incidentally causing its small beady eyes to explode too, splattering Azoth with black blood.
"Disgusting." Azoth muttered, taking a step back as he saw the creature fall back and then explode into black dust, a small purple soul gem falling to the misty ground, even as its essence, like that of its fellows, was reabsorbed by the Dungeon.
From what Hephaestus had told him, the monsters down here never truly died. They were sort of like dragons in that their souls continued to exist, even though their earthly forms were killed. Give it a few days or weeks and these creatures would be respawned somewhere within the Dungeon, no doubt with a supreme hatred of axe wielding elves.
Rolling his shoulders, Azoth gave a cursory glance down at Wuuthrad's flawless blade, inspecting the ancient weapon for any potential damage.
Not that he expected to see any. If the blade could still keep its edge after crushing and breaking through Alduin all but impenetrable scales, then the chances of it getting damaged whilst using it to filet some porky monsters were all but non-existent.
"That was…" A voice spoke up behind him, attracting Azoth's attention as he swung his axe around the blood sliding clean off of it and spattering onto the dark ground as he did so. "That was impressive." The voice finished.
"Thanks," Azoth smiled warmly, strapping his axe back onto his back as he turned to face his redheaded companion. "You didn't do that bad yourself. That must have been a good dozen Imps you cut through with that big 'choppa' of yours."
As he said this Azoth's violet eyes flickered over to redheaded Smith's weapon of choice. It was a five foot long, single edged sword. One which had a slight curve to it, a long hilt and no guard to speak of.
The most noticeably thing about it though, and the reason why Azoth couldn't help but think of the weapon as a 'choppa', was the width of the blade. The blade must have been six inches plus wide at the tang, with the blade then gently tapering to the tip. The sword itself looking less like an elegant blade, and more like a cross between a falchion and meat cleaver.
"They're just Imps." Welf replied brusquely, deliberately looking away from Azoth now and instead out at the dark, and misty area around them.
Smiling slightly at the younger man's actions, Azoth let out a chuckle. "Aye, they may just be Imps. But with nasty buggers like them, quantity counts a lot more than quality."
Welf shifted at these words, but didn't immediately reply. Instead he continued to stare out at their surroundings for a moment, before he turned back to Azoth and noticeably changed the topic of the conversation. "So how's the armour holding up?"
Allowing the change in topic, Azoth glanced down at the once immaculate and brightly polished silver armour, and then grinned.
Three or so hours in the Dungeon had certainly taken their toll on the protective gear. The light armour was now spattered with black blood, and encrusted in dirt. Small scratches and nicks also littered the pauldrons and chest plate, damage caused by the general wear and tear of battle, and something that could easily be buffed out in an afternoon.
"Not bad, not bad at all." Azoth replied with a smile, his lip curling upwards as he saw a flash of satisfaction pass across Welf's face for a moment. As a smith himself, Azoth knew the feeling. It felt pretty good to have someone acknowledge your hard work.
"I'll admit it's a bit light for my tastes. I usually prefer heavier, more durable armour. But it is definitely doing its job, that and I'll admit it is an oddly refreshing feeling to feel so free and light on my feet in a battle." Azoth continued, he knew what it felt like to be complimented for his work, but he didn't go out of his way to flatter people and stoke their egos.
Welf's smile faded at this, but didn't quite turn into a scowl. Instead the redhead looked thoughtful. "You got any suggestions?"
"I would try experimenting with different materials. If you want the armour to be light, but still strong, then it might be worthwhile to look at using monster hide and scales to reinforce the armour. That is if you want it to remain light and flexible, whilst still retaining its strength." Azoth said, pausing for a moment a thoughtful look on his face as he examined the armour. "I mean it's not bad, but to get the lightest of the armour you've needed to make the metal thinner, which in turn has effected its durability, and the ease with which it picks up wear and tear."
Azoth flicked his finger against a centimetre deep nick on the edge of his pauldron to emphasis his point. If he could equate the armour to anything he would say it was similar to a poorly made set of elven light armour. Better than nothing, but not as good as it could be.
Again Welf frowned at this, but he didn't dispute Azoth's words, or act petulantly. "I see what you mean but it's easier said than done. Picking up the high quality materials you're talking about is pricey. Don't get me wrong, Lady Hephaestus is generous, but if we want the really rare things we have to get them ourselves, and to do that we need to sell our wares to make the money, make a contract with another Adventurer, or group of Adventurers. That or we have to head into the Dungeon to harvest them ourselves."
Azoth hummed at that, his brow slightly furrowed as he pondered over what Welf had just said. "So why not just make a contract with an Adventurer? There are certainly enough of them around Orario."
"Like I said, that's easier said than done. Everyone in our Familia is constantly on the lookout for good contracts, and sure like you say it's easy enough to make a contract with a Level One, or even a group of Level Ones, but those types would barely make it past the tenth floor." Welf sighed as he said this, and looked around at the floor they were on now, the tenth floor. "What you need is a strong Level Three, or maybe even a Four or a Five. If you get one of them then a contract is lucrative! If not, well it's harsh to say, but it's not even worth the effort."
"Fair enough, so I'm guessing that's why most of you lot just sell your stuff on the fourth and eighth floor of the tower?" Azoth asked. His brow furrowed as he once again found himself comparing this whole 'Familia' thing with being in a Guild.
"Yeah, most of us do. But only those that are over Level Two and have been recognised by Hephaestus can sell things on the Fourth floor, and as you might have noticed, that's where you can sell things for ridiculous prices." Welf's tone was noticeably bitter as he said this. "Up on the eighth floor though, well you're lucky if you can sell anything at all. Especially if people only buy your things because of your name, and the expectations that come with it."
This, Azoth, mused must've been what Beckendorf had mentioned before. The Crozzo magic swords and the fame attributed to them.
Honestly, a part of him was curious about them, and whether they could hold a candle to one of his enchanted swords, or maybe even his legendary blade, Dawnbreaker.
Still, glancing at the scowl on the boy's face and the way his hands had clenched into fists at his side, he could see that this whole thing was a touchy subject for him. A touchy subject that he wasn't too keen on going into right now, especially considering how little he knew of the boy.
No, Azoth decided as the silence continued on for a few more moments, he didn't want to touch that subject at all. Honestly he had never been very good at this kind of thing, tact, subtlety and sensitivity, it was not his thing.
"Damn, well I suppose we should head a little deeper into the Dungeon then. I'm yet to be satisfied by these weaklings. Plus, if I'm to start working in my new forge, and crafting a new set of armour, then I think I need to familiarise myself with some of the materials I'll probably be working with." Azoth said with a nod, clapping his hands together loudly as he did so, before he turned and started walking. Starting to collect up some of the larger magic stones that the ogre things had dropped as he did so.
"Right," Welf echoed, a hint of relief in the younger boy's voice as he sheathed his blade and joined the white haired elf in collecting up the magic stones. "The Dungeon's not exactly the best place to be chatting anyway, especially this low down."
Azoth hummed at that. "By the way what were those big ogre things I killed?"
"What?" Welf replied. A confused expression on his face. "You've never seen an orc before?"
"An orc?" Azoth started, his violet eyes widening slightly. His lips twitching upwards slightly as he did so, before a moment later he let out distinctly un-elf like snort of laughter. "That's what you call those things?"
"Yeah," Welf frowned. "Are you telling me that you, a Level Six, has never seen an orc before?"
"Oh no, I've seen orcs. Those things though, those are nothing like the beings I know as orcs. Those things are more like bigger, yet weaker, versions of trolls." Azoth smiled, shaking his head in amusement as he imagined the reaction of an Orismer to one of those 'orcs' he had just killed.
"Trolls?" Welf asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Yeah," Azoth nodded, before he jerked his head and started walking, Welf following along after him. "Pretty nasty monsters to fight if you're new to Adventuring. But once you've gotten a bit of experience and some good gear, well, they're honestly little more than a nuisance."
Following along beside him, Welf listened in with interest as Azoth continued to tell him about trolls, including their strengths, weaknesses and appearances. His brow furrowing as he tried to remember whether he had heard of things like them before, even as the duo continued walking through the tenth floor. With Azoth occasionally unleashing a blast of lightning or whipping out his sword to deal with any monsters that were unfortunate enough to cross the Level Six's path.
Welf marvelling every time the elf did this, both at the older man's reaction times, and his senses, as more often than not he acted before Welf was even aware they were in danger, easily cutting down War Shadows, Orcs, Kolbolds and Imps with tremendous ease and speed.
It was as he was witnessing this, that Welf perhaps for the first time, truly released the stark difference in strength between a Level One and a Level Six. Sure it was easy enough to imagine the difference in theory, but when one actually witnessed a Level Six fighting for the first time, well it was pretty extraordinary.
( - )
(Sometime Later)
As the two of them reached the end of the Tenth Floor and began to walk through the surpassingly large, rocky passage that led the way to the Eleventh Floor, a floor deeper than Welf had ever been before, and a floor lower than Azoth had first suggested they would do. Welf couldn't help but ask Azoth something that had been bothering him.
"Hey Azoth," Welf began. The redheaded Smith's blue eyes narrowing slightly as he stared through the gloom at Azoth, his eyes flickering from the tall, broad shouldered elf, to the glowing blue orb that was bobbing about in front of them.
"Hmm," Azoth hummed back, his violet eyes flickering to Welf for a moment, before he went back to looking further down the gloomy tunnel.
"I've been meaning to ask about your magic. You know that 'Magelight' thing, and the lightning spell you use." Welf continued, looking forward himself now as the pathway began to get slightly steeper and a reddish glow appeared further down the tunnel, visible proof that they were nearing their destination, the Eleventh Floor.
"What about them?" Azoth replied easily. His tone as relaxed as ever, something Welf had quickly noticed was the norm with the laid back elf.
"Well it's just I've noticed that you don't need a chant for them?" Welf continued curiously
"No I don't." Azoth replied, his hand dropping down to the hilt of his sword as the pathway flattened and they neared the end of the tunnel and the beginning of the Eleventh Floor. "I have more spells than just those two though. They're not the most powerful spells mind you, there are much much stronger spells out there, but they're useful enough. That and they're low cost in terms of magicka and none of them require chants." Azoth looked sideways at the surprised Welf as he said this, before with a shrug he continued. "Think of it like an additional Skill. They are fast and quick to use, but lack the power of those spells that take longer."
"Oh, okay." Welf nodded, not sure what to say to that. Azoth was a distinctly odd and mysterious person, and a very powerful one at that. Not just due to his Level, but also because of his weapons and magic too. Welf didn't have to be an expert to notice the sheer perfection of his two weapons. Nor did it take him long to work out just how useful the skill to use chantless spells must be, even if they were, like Azoth said, not that powerful.
"Keep your guard up, we're here." Azoth shot back suddenly. The white haired elf unsheathing the first two inches of his blade as he did so, even as a ball of crackling lightning appeared in his offhand.
Seeing this Welf unsheathed his own sword, his mouth firming up into a thin line as he gripped the two handed weapon tightly in front of him.
Stepping through the entrance, the duo soon found themselves in a dark, stone walled cavern, one which was currently lit by several merrily crackling torches that were bracketed on the walls.
"Hmm, not quite what I was expecting." Azoth said dryly, his lip quirking upwards even as his Magelight dispersed into nothingness.
Noticeably Welf could see that the floor, like on Floor Ten, was covered in thick, swirling mist.
From beside him Welf remained tense, his eyes roving the area around him, just as he knew Azoth was probably doing beneath his relaxed façade.
"Ah well come on then, we'll have a look around. See what this floor is like, and then probably head back. We don't want to push it too far, eh." Azoth smiled, easily drawing his sword as he did so, even as he led the way through a nearby rocky passage. The two of them easily able to walk side by side as they did so.
"It kind of looks like the fifth floor in its make up, but with the mist from the ninth and tenth." Welf mused as he looked around in interest, his eyes flicking this way and that as the duo walked through the gradually widening passage, both of their weapons still at the ready as they kept an eye out for any danger.
"Maybe, these things all start to look the same to me after a while." Azoth replied easily, his gaze still surveying the area in front of them as the passage continued to widen. Openings noticeably beginning to appear as they headed deeper into the floor, openings that branched off in multiple different directions. Some of the openings in the rocky walls spanning several metres in diameter, whilst others were little more than a foot or so wide.
The number of openings growing with every step they took, until soon enough the two of them found themselves walking through a labyrinthine mess of tunnels and caverns, all of which were lit by luminescent fungus that grew on the walls. The light from the ensconced torches having long since disappeared as they walked deeper and deeper into the Eleventh Floor.
"It's kind of eerie that we haven't come across anything yet, don't you think?" Welf muttered to Azoth about ten minutes later, as he looked around, his white knuckled grip on his weapon as tight as ever, even as a single, solitary bead of sweat trailed down from his forehead.
"Oh they're out there." Azoth replied softly, his grip on the hilt of his sword much lighter. The slight smile on his face somewhat putting Welf at ease as the other Adventurer idly looked around, inspecting their surroundings with interest. "They're following us, and lurking in the shadows of those many tunnels, watching and waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Welf asked nervously, turning to look at one of the many gloomy tunnels that surrounded them, only for him to flinch slightly as he saw a large shadowy shape shift backwards, deeper into one of the tunnels and away from the dim blueish light that lit up the area they were in.
"For us to venture into one of the tunnels so they can ambush us, or maybe for there to be enough of them to successfully surround and kill us. That or maybe they're just curious, and working out whether or not we're worth the effort of killing." Azoth shrugged as he said that, and came to a halt, his violet eyes boring into one of the larger tunnels, watching as a large, dark shape shifted about deeper within the tunnel. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I still haven't figured out whether or not some of the monsters have intelligence and sentient thought. Or whether they are just driven by instinct and a kind of low cunning."
Before Welf could reply to Azoth's odd musings, both he and the Snow Elf were interrupted by a sudden roar from one of the side tunnels. After which a massive shadow erupted from one of the larger passages and into the main one where they were stood.
The shadow soon revealing itself to be a mass of white fur and muscle, two giant white furred arms lunging forwards, even as a set of think, glistening teeth were bared.
Almost immediately Welf reacted, giving ground as he backed off from the large Silverback, one of the more dangerous monsters that dwelled on floor Eleven and Twelve. The colossal mass of muscle would turn him into mincemeat if he allowed it to hit him. Silverbacks after all were very strong, and also pretty heavy.
As he thought this, Welf saw Azoth do the opposite of him, and lunge forward, his magical sword flying out of its sheath in a blur of golden metal, before, with just a single slash, the white haired elf carved a deep slash into the monster's chest, drawing a shower of blood from it, even as he shifted to the side and darted back, allowing the creatures heavy mass to tumble passed him.
Raising his sword as the Silverback hit the ground with an almost deafening bellow, Welf was just on the verge of rushing in to finish off the downed monster before it could get up.
Only for him to stop as, literal moments after Azoth delivered his slash and the monster hit the floor, fire erupted from its bloody wound, catching alight its thick fur as unnatural, fiery golden flames rapidly enveloped it. The fire burning with supernatural ferocity as it rapidly started to consume the fur and scorch the flesh beneath, burning the wound creature to death in mere moments, even as Azoth continued forward, not even looking back.
Welf however was still struggling to tear his gaze away from the now, blessedly quiet, and smoking corpse of the Silverback, not noticing as he did the screeches coming from nearby passages as other monsters started to flood into the main cavern they were in.
No instead his gaze was on the dead monster in front of him, his throat beginning to constrict as the stench of its burning flesh and fur filled his nose, even as the monster began to disintegrate into black dust. A single cut, and a nonfatal one at that, that was all it had taken to kill the beast.
Seeing the deadly results of that single slash, Welf couldn't help but stare. He now desperately wanted to have a look at that magic sword, Dawnbreaker, that was what Azoth had called it.
"Welf. Focus." Azoth called out, his movements swift and graceful as he practically danced through the swarm of monsters, never staying still for a moment as he moved with every slash, his blade a golden blur as he didn't waste a single movement, each one delivering fiery death to one of his foes.
"Er yeah right, sorry!" Welf called back, cursing himself for getting distracted. This was the dungeon, even a moments distraction could spell death, especially for a tiring Level One on the Eleventh Floor.
With that in mind Welf ran forwards, his large blade swinging around to cleave an Imp in two, after which he lunged to the side to avoid a heavy swing from a club wielding orc. With him responding in kind by lashing out with his sword, slashing the large monster's belly open, and then bringing it to the ground with another with slash to one of its tree trunk like legs, and then finishing it off with a thrust through its throat.
"Nice," Azoth called out to him, the elf's hair not looking as white as it had before, as blood and gore spattered his face and hair, even as a manic smile spread across his face. His blade dealing fiery death with every slash, scaring the monsters around him and stopping them from massing up, even as his other hand unleashed explosive balls of fire every few seconds.
The guy looked like a manic, with burning creatures falling to the ground all around him, whilst other monsters tried in vain to flee from him, only to be blasted to pieces by his 'weak' fire spell.
The sickeningly sweet smell of melting, charred flesh, mingling with the stench of blood and burning fur, hair and who knows what else, even as Azoth continued his destructive rampage.
The elf's actions pushing the monsters back and, Welf noticed, drawing their attention to Azoth and away from Welf. Which in turn allowed him to skirt around the sides of the melee, cutting down several confused, and scared monsters with relative ease.
This was not a battle, it was a slaughter.
( - )
(Sometime Later)
Sheathing his sword, Azoth spent a few moments surveying the decimated area around him. Sickly sweet smelling smoke lingered in the air, mixing with the silvery mist that seemed to infest the labyrinth like floor.
On the floor he could see dozens upon dozens of monster soul gems littering the floor, along with the occasional 'drop item'. The hide of orcs, the teeth of Silverbacks, armoured plates from Hard Armoureds. There were dozens of trophies from the battle lying around.
Already he could see Welf moving around collecting up the remnants of the monsters, whilst Azoth stayed on guard.
Looking around the misty area, he made sure to keep his hand on his sword. His eyes narrowed as he looked into the different passages that led into the main chamber. A large ball of mage light now floating far above his head, with him constantly maintaining it as it shone a silvery blue light all around, adding to the light from the glowing fungus on the walls.
"So what did you think of your first trip down to the Eleventh Floor?" Azoth asked idly, turning his gaze from his surroundings and instead to the redheaded Smith as he did so.
"Active." Welf replied, pausing midway through bundling up a thick, furry white hide, his blue eyes flicking over to Azoth. "There were a lot of monsters. Too many for even a group of Level Ones to handle. I mean, that fight just now. That was ridiculous!"
"They weren't that tough." Azoth shrugged, a slight laugh leaving his lips as he looked around the cavern again.
"Maybe not for you, but for those of us who aren't Level Six, they were." Welf replied dryly.
"Good point," Azoth acknowledged his lip quirking upwards. He hadn't quite gotten used to this points and level system that was used here. Back in Tamriel they didn't have these levels or statuses, and very few people ever got blessings from Divine Beings, or at least permanent blessing. It was all still pretty alien to him.
Welf smiled slightly at that and stood up straight. Before he could reply with the quip he had likely just thought up however, both his and Azoth's attention was instead drawn to the other side of the cavern, to the largest tunnel that led deeper into the Dungeon.
"Do you hear that?" Welf whispered, dropping his bag of monster soul gems and materials to the floor, as he instead reached for his sword.
"Yes," Azoth replied, his expression more relaxed as he turned to face the commotion. Though he did still draw his sword slightly, loosening it from its scabbard. "Voices, hmm, and footsteps as well. My guess is another group of Adventurers."
Raising his head Azoth sniffed the air as he said this, ignoring the foul stench of burnt monster flesh as he instead tried to use his heightened senses, courtesy of being a werewolf, to identify the newcomers. "No, I'm pretty sure that they're not monsters. For one they're talking, and for another I think there are a lot of them walking this way too, and by the sounds of it they have some wagons with them too?"
Azoth cocked an eyebrow at the last part, listening closely as he heard the voices becoming more distinct. Though the rumble of wagons and, was that the slight grumbling and growling of some kind of beasts, were still distinguishable.
In response Welf shrugged, his expression nonplussed.
Soon enough however their curiosity was answered as the golden light from a number of lanterns began to shine on the far wall, announcing the group's arrival, even as they exited the far tunnel and entered the cavern.
Frowning for a moment, a slightly bemused expression soon crossed Azoth face as he eyed the newcomers.
There must have been about thirty of them all told, all of them armed with an assortment of weapons, and wearing a whole range of different types of armour. One thing the Adventurers for that was what they surely must be going off of their garb and the fact that many of them looked human or elven, had in common though, was that they were all wearing red masks.
Not just any masks though, but masks that looked like they had been designed to look like the head of a mammoth, complete with the trunk and the tusks.
Stifling a snort of laughter, Azoth cast a sideways look at Welf.
"The Ganesha Familia." Welf said, rolling his eyes now, even as the convoy approached. The wagons they were pulling behind them in clear view now, revealing the large cages that sat on top of them, within which monsters could clearly be seen.
Some of them recognisable, like the Silverbacks and Hard Armoured. Whilst others weren't so recognisable to Azoth. Such as the giant boar like monster, and the one that stood like a man but had fur and the head of a bull.
There were likely even more caged monsters there that he didn't recognise, however many of the cages were covered up, or were bordered up with wood.
Relaxing his grip on his sword slightly, Azoth moved to stand to one side, following Welf as the larger party continued on through the cavern.
"Hey there fellow Adventurers!" One of the mammoth masked men at the front of the column shouted to the two of them. The man in question; a thin individual with a green half cloak and a simple short sword sheathed at his hip, stepping out of the convoy and approaching them as he did so. "Looks like you've all had a time of it. What did you do, fall into a monster pantry by accident?"
"More like a monster ambush." Azoth shrugged, speaking up for the two of them as his fellow Smith seemed to have gone very silent, even as the convoy continued passed them now, heading off in the direction of the upper floors.
"An ambush, ey?" The man frowned. "Well sounds like you two were lucky to come out of that alive. The monsters lower down in the Dungeon do tend to be a bit cannier than their brethren further up. You two must be pretty high level to have survived."
Azoth shrugged at that, and instead just thrust his hand forward. "The name's Azoth, Hephaestus Familia. The quiet one behind me is Welf, same Familia."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kazuma, an Executive in the Ganesha Familia." The brown haired man smiled, taking Azoth's pale hand in his own. His grip noticeably strong, and his hands very calloused.
Azoth nodded at that, his violet eyes flicking from Welf to the other Adventurer. Curiosity welling up within him, over the other Smith's sudden silence, and the fact that Kazuma also seemed to ignore the redhead.
"So I have to ask. What are you doing? You know transporting monsters up to the surface, surely that's not allowed?" Azoth asked easily, a relaxed smile on his face giving credence to his lackadaisical outward attitude. Even if inwardly he was tense and ready to spring into action.
He still didn't know enough about this place, and he wasn't about to assume that all Adventurers were decent, law abiding people. After spending his formative years growing up in the Thieves Guild in Riften and as an ex-bandit, he knew for a fact that a lot of people in the world tended to be somewhat rotten.
"True, unless you have a permit of course." Kazuma grinned, completely unperturbed by the question, his green eyes flicking over to the wagons as they rolled passed, before going back to Azoth. "The Ganesha Familia specialise in taming monsters, and so we often head down here to collect new ones. This lot though is for the upcoming Monsterphilia festival."
"Monsterphilia?" Azoth queried, his lip quirking upwards as he tested the odd sounding word out. "That sounds… odd?"
Kazuma let loose a bark of laughter at that. "Wow, you must be a newbie Adventurer. The Monsterphilia event is a once in a year thing where we, the Ganesha Familia that is, head into the Dungeon and capture some monsters, and then show them off in the colosseum, you know the one up on the surface. It's a real spectacle, and you know, it shows off our skills to the masses, advertising our wares so to speak. Hell if you're interested there are even some opportunity to try out your hand at taming, and in front of an entire crowd too."
"So it's a circus?" Azoth asked, his expression still amused.
"Of sorts," Kazuma grinned. "Anyway, time's a wasting, and I'm going to need to head off. It was nice meeting you Azoth… Welf, stay safe down here, right. Floor Eleven and below isn't for newbie Adventurers, especially not for such a small group. As you've probably realised by now, it's dangerous down here."
"Right, I'll keep that in mind." Azoth nodded, watching as the brown haired man sent the two of them one last grin and a wave before he then jogged back to the where the rest of the convoy was just leaving the large cavern.
"Arsehole." Welf muttered as Kazuma disappeared around the corner and out of sight. Once again leaving the duo alone, the redhead looking particularly pissed off now as he went back to collecting all the fallen monster drops.
"I'm guessing you know him?" Azoth asked, helping Welf out now as he too began to collect up the fallen stones.
"Yeah, he's a Level Five Adventurer with the Ganesha Familia, and a real arrogant bastard. He tried to get me to make a sword for him once, a magic one, and when I refused. Well, he got pretty nasty about it and attempted to force me too. Fortunately Tsubaki was around at the time and told him where to go, but still, he spread rumours after that, and, well… he's not a good person. Don't trust him, no matter how chummy he seems." Welf bit out, packing away the last of the stones in his bag before he stood up.
"Oh don't worry I had no intention of doing so. I've been an Adventurer for a while now, Welf, maybe not in the Dungeon or in Orario, but I've seen quite a few things, and met more than my share of scummy people." Azoth replied, patting Welf on the shoulder as he did so, before he headed off in the same direction the Ganasha Familia had gone, back to the surface.
"Are we heading back now?" Welf asked.
"Yeah, I think I've seen enough for now. Plus we picked up enough soul gems and materials for the moment." Azoth nodded. The magelight following him as he led the way back to the surface, Welf, now weighed down by a heavy bag, walking along behind him. "That and I want to check out this Monsterphilia thing."
"Hn, it's overrated." Welf grunted.
"Maybe, but I'd like to check it out all the same." Azoth shot back, the two of them quickly heading up through the Dungeon and back to the surface. It had been a pretty successful trip into the Dungeon today, all things considered.
( - )
AN: And so for those who like a bit of action, this was Azoth's first foray into the Dungeon. Now though he is headed back to the surface to spend more time acclimatising, meeting his fellow Familia members and of course checking out the local events like Monsterphilia I'm sure nothing will go wrong with that…
That said I might also catch up with the gods and goddesses a bit, what with the banquet scene. Though whether I cover that fully and the changes Azoth's presence makes, or whether I just reference it I'm not decided on yet. There are changes, some important, but at the same time. Well I'm not decided yet, I just know it needs to be covered in some way.
That said I think I will start working on updating one of my other stories first, maybe the Last King, or potentially Oncoming Storm, or Atlas, or maybe even A Light in the Dark. Suffice to say I haven't decided yet, and will instead, depending on my time, choose whatever interests me the most at the time of writing.
Other than that thanks a lot for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. A bit of convo between Azoth and Welf, some introspection on monsters, a bit of action and a meeting with another Familia. One which tends to be glossed over and treated as a running joke in canon.
Thanks for reading and I hope you review or that you at least enjoyed the update.
Catch you later.
Greed720.