IMPORTANT: Hello. So, I decided that I am going to post a new chapter on Saturdays, but not every Saturday. Why? I feel like if I push myself, then the final product won't be up to my standard.

So expect updates on Saturdays. On the bright side, at least the next two weeks are secure.

"Speaking"

Individual thoughts/Mindscape talk with the twins

*Ability/Spell*

...

One of the members of Loki Familia was relaxing by the entrance to the eighteenth floor, the entrance that comes from the seventeenth floor. She was level two, so her hearing was better than average, enough to hear a monster, but not enough to hear someone hiding their footsteps.

She looked over to the entrance after she heard rocks sliding down the path. Now, she was on alert. She was confident in taking on the monsters of the middle floors. Her latest status update showed three of her basic stats were rank D, so she was eligible of ranking up if she did something to impress the Gods.

What she didn't expect was someone tumbling down the entrance, the cloak flying comically off them before it covered them. "Uhm, are you alright?"

Ignoring the adventurer, the figure grumbled, "They should have warned me that it was a slope. They turned towards the adventurer, "Ah, hello!" Hestia, in all of her grace, was sitting on the grass of floor eighteen, where she shouldn't even be at all. The only reason she hasn't been found out was that she was suppressing her divine presence, so this adventurer doesn't know that she's talking to a Goddess. They don't even know the rules for the Gods.

The stunned female just looked dumbfounded, her weapon at her side. "Yeah… I should probably bring you to the captain."

"Oh, which familia are you a part of?"

"Loki…" she replied. They watched the happy-go-lucky figure, with an impressive bust for her size go sour at the name.

"Stupid Loki-no-boobs, always getting in the way."

"Goddess?" a certain white-haired adventurer's voice carried to Hestia's ears. She turned with a wide-eyed look and smile.

"Bell!" she leaped onto him, forcing him to the ground and she started crying, "You made me worry about you, and I was so scared that you were going to break your promise to me, and I-"

"I'd never break my promise to you, Goddess," Bell said, stroking Hestia's hair.

"Well well well, if it isn't Bell Cranel in the flesh," a new voice said, further confusing the poor female Loki Familia adventurer.

"Who are you?" Bell asked.

"You can call me Hermes. So this is the Little Rookie, huh? Never mind that, it is good to see you're fine." Behind Hermes, was Asfi, who gave Bell a once over before looking away. Her internal thoughts, however, said something else. She was evaluating him tactically. So, this is the adventurer who broke the record? She was certainly curious, even if she showed no interest prior.

"What are you doing here?" Bell asked.

Hermes gestured to the entrance, "It was thanks to them that we're even here." At the entrance, still covered in the shadows was Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa. Bell seemed to recognize them, but he wasn't malicious. "We came to retrieve you and the Vlahos twins."

"About that…" Bell said, scratching his head but before he could, there was another voice.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Mr. Cranel," a green-hooded adventurer came up to Bell. He finally managed to get Hestia off of him long enough to stand.

"Miss Ry-" a finger was placed on his lips while Ryuu raised a finger to hers to say shush. She couldn't exactly be found out here. It would be bad for everyone. While the reunion was nice, the adventurer finally got her act together.

"So, uhm, I'll show you to the camp, but tell me what familia you are in," it was a simple check. There were certain familias not allowed to mingle with one another, it causes too much tension.

"Hestia Familia, Hermes Familia, Takemikazuchi Familia," half a dozen or so voices replied. The adventurer obviously didn't expect that and stumbled back.

The surprises didn't stop as they heard yet another voice, "Is that you, Lady Hestia?"

"Irene?!" Hestia asked as she immediately went to tackle her. Indeed it was Irene, with her newly-infamous Dia Familia cloak secured around her shoulders. The youngest member of the familia intercepted Hestia and hugged her gently, and even though Hestia was not her Goddess, she could feel the animosity rolling off her. Hestia took note of the exhausted look in her eyes, they were puffy too. She had been crying; recently, it seemed.

No one else was with Irene, as the higher-ups of Loki Familia were in a meeting and she was respectfully asked to sit out. She understood that their privacy was valued, and the inner workings of familias are off-limits to non-familia members. So, she wandered aimlessly around. Irene had figured what the meeting was about, so she decided to head outside the camp, and she was glad she did.

The excited hug took a tender moment and Hestia squeezed just a bit tighter. Everyone else started to crowd around. "Ah, so this is the famous Aspis, granddaughter of the Great Mage," Hermes said and Irene had no idea what to think of that.

Irene then noticed who this was and immediately realized, "You shouldn't be here! Lady Dia told us this one rule, so I'm giving you a chance to explain yourselves."

Hermes raised his hands in a placating gesture, "Well, the quest that Dia made told us to find you, Bell, and…" he seemed to realize who wasn't present and he felt the full glare from one Irene Vlahos.

"Unless you don't want a black eye, I'd suggest you halt that train of thought," Irene growled, her mood turning dark once more, her intent nauseating to all the adventurers present. It's taking all she has to not think the worst. He's survived worse before.

"I'd suggest that you do not harm him," Asfi said, coming to the defense of her God. Temporarily, the intent was solely focused on her. It made Asfi start to sweat, but she kept her cool.

"Thank you, Asfi, I can always coun-"

"Because I'll be the one doing it," her glasses reflected the light just right to give off an intimidating aura. Hermes gave a manly squeak in response, to which he then complained about not always resorting to violence, but the Hermes Familia captain tuned him out, much to the amusement of everyone else. Even Ryuu felt the muscles in her mouth move, but her expression didn't change.

Irene pointed to her, her tone lighter than it was previously, most of her intent dropping altogether, "I like this one." Asfi smirked.

"Bell," Hestia spoke, getting the attention on her, "where are Welf and Miss Supporter?"

"Right this way," Bell gestured back to the tent that was farther away from the camp, but only just. Mikoto stiffened, but she regretted her actions, even though it was under their captain's orders.

Irene hung back, stopping right by Mikoto, giving her a once-over. It wasn't flirtatious, but Mikoto couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. The Far Eastern girl stuttered, "I'm sorry, I know we-"

"Yep, definitely his type," Irene commented at random. Mikoto looked to Ouka, who shrugged and Chigusa was just confused at the exchange. The three members of Takemikazuchi Familia followed after Irene. The quarter-elf spoke, "Listen, I'm not upset about the pass parade, and no offense, I have more pressing things to worry about."

Ouka replied, "None taken, but my decision would have been the same no matter what."

"Spoken like a true adventurer."

Once everyone, except Hermes and Asfi, was inside the tent, Mikoto was the one to get down to the dogeza position in front of Bell, Welf, Lili, and Irene. This position was for begging for a severe transgression. "We apologize for our actions, and we beg for your forgiveness."

Ouka repeated his statement from outside and Welf was the first to react, "You got a lotta nerve saying that to my face."

Bell cut the tension, "Well, in your position, I would've done the same thing. I know it's shameful to say, but given your options, you took the best one. I cannot fault you for that."

"But I can," Irene's voice cut in. Hestia tried to intervene, but she continued speaking, "Because of you three, I have no idea where he is and I almost lost my mind. Thankfully, Riveria and other members of Loki Familia helped. I know he's alive, but I don't know where he is. The worst place for him to be in his condition would be the deeper floors."

"How far down?" it was Ryuu who spoke. Irene noticed the mask now covering her mouth. But, Irene could tell it was her. No one that beautiful could hide so easily. However, seeing the lengths of hiding herself made her go along with it.

"Well, if the King wanted us to get strong, nowhere lower than the fortieth floor," Irene mumbled. The mention of the Freya Familia's captain sent an icy chill through everyone's spines, and it was pretty warm today down on the Dungeon.

"He's in the deeper floors at level three?!" Ouka exclaimed. "Even for him, that's dangerous territory. Most monsters are level three or four."

Irene grit her teeth, "You think I'm not aware of that fact? I can't contact him, otherwise, I'd have already left by now."

"Contact him? How?" Mikoto asked.

"Counter statement: Name a rare magic spell that has to do with twins," Irene pointed. No one responded for a while.

"Lili doesn't think that there is a documented skill like that," Lili spoke with a firm voice, confident in that answer.

Irene sighed, "I seem to be the exception to that. Isaac-" no one commented on how her voice shook, but it regained its confidence immediately after, "he and I share a spell that allows us to communicate mentally. However, there is a range limitation and has high Mind efficiency, and I don't know how expansive the deeper floors are, or if he has any Mind to spare, but I know he's alive. All I felt is static silence."

Mikoto grew increasingly worried, but even she couldn't go down to the deeper floors to help, even if she really wanted to. Her grip on her katana's handle tightened with anger directed at herself.

"You said the King, why him?" Welf asked. Of course, this was a sensitive topic. So, the smith had to tread cautiously.

Irene answered without any hesitation, "I believe Lady Freya wishes to poach us from Lady Dia. I'd rather die than go to a Familia like hers. If something happened to Lady Dia, Isaac and I wouldn't transfer, and she couldn't make us. I'd even think we'd leave Orario if that's what it took."

Everyone had the same reaction, even Ryuu's mouth opened in shock. That statement carried a weight most would never go to, but Irene said it with conviction like the twins have already had this conversation.

"Are you crazy?" Lili was the brave one to ask.

"I'm hanging on mentally by a thread, Lili. I already broke down once. If Isaac isn't found, I don't want to assume the worst, but Lady Dia will be distraught. None of you saw us almost a decade ago. You saw nothing of what we witnessed," Irene said. "I want nothing more to charge down there and find him myself, but even I know that's not a good idea except for getting me killed."

At this point, the meeting ended for the Loki Familia and Riveria immediately set off to find Irene. She was anxious about what she was going to do. When she found them at the entrance, she let out a relief-filled sigh. Then she noticed Lord Hermes and Lady Hestia, and spoke within yelling distance, "You are breaking a rule by just being here!"

Everyone's eyes went to the High Elf vice-captain, except for Irene, who just glanced in her direction. "Already told them that. They wanted to see Bell, and check on us, so what's the plan?"

Regret filled Riveria and Irene saw the look, "You're leaving." A statement, not a question.

"We've been ordered to return to the surface, yes," Riveria started but was cut off.

"Are we that worthless in the eyes of your familia?" Irene spoke softly, and her words had the desired effect. When she's away from Isaac, she's the opposite of her normal personality. If Freya was able to see her soul, it would be blazing black. The white dot would be shrouded in the mist. Alas—and thankfully—Freya's not here, but with Irene feeling like only half of her is here, she has nothing to fall back on.

"That's not even remotely true, Irene. If you let me finish, there is good news. Myself, Tione, Tiona, and Ais are staying here, while Finn, Gareth, Bete, and Lefiya head back to the surface to report to Loki. For safety's sake, they won't mention you two," referring to Hestia and Hermes, "in their report. However, you will go to the Guild and report you entered the Dungeon, am I clear?"

"Yes, Lady Riviera," the two deities responded, knowing the High Elf means what she says.

The High Elf turned to the rest of the party, "Please head to the camp, I need to speak with Irene, in private." Her eyes went to Lord Hermes and Asfi. "Perseus, do not use your magic items to spy on us."

Asfi nodded at the thinly unspoken threat. Whatever this was, it was private. Hermes, however, wanted to explore the floor. Obviously, his one time in the Dungeon, he was going to get a look at what he can. Everyone but Ryuu left, and she was curious. As an elf, well, it was her business too.

"Good news when?" Irene asked impatiently.

"We plan on going down to the lower floors to look for him," Riveria said, raising Irene's spirits. Irene had a hopeful look on her face, but was shut down as she continued, "you're not coming."

Well, shot through the heart and she's to blame. "What?!"

Riveria continued with a calm expression, "You have to be level four to enter the deep floors comfortably, and I am not risking you. You need to wait here for when we bring him back. We set out tomorrow after Bete does a supply run. We need to restock."

"But I-"

"Do not disrespect me. You are to stay here and wait," Riveria said in the Elven language, her voice never rose, but even Irene knew what it meant. Elves could not refuse the order of a High Elf. While Irene was a quarter-elf, she was still an elf. Her pride as a human said rebel, but that piece of elf said obey.

"Fine, I accept, but I refuse to be content with this," Irene had to force those words from her mouth before turning on her heel and walking away. She was angry. Words didn't begin to cover the full extent of her anger.

Everyone else watched from a distance, as she strode away, clearly annoyed. Ryuu understood what was said and looked at Riveria, "You swore to her in the Elven Language?"

"We swore to each other, but in the end, as much as I detest it, I am a High Elf. Elves, no matter if they are half, quarter, must obey an order from us."

"You know she will try to follow," Ryuu pointed out, eye closed.

She sighed, "I know, but if she's smart, she'll realize that it's for her own good. I don't want to get down there to only find him…" Ryuu nodded, knowing how that train of thought was going to end.

Isaac surveyed his current surroundings, him being on the thirty-eighth floor, and he knows nothing about it. At least, he can't remember what it was about. On the very bright side, he was close to the entrance, whether they realized it or not, but Isaac also felt like it was a test. He continued to check over his equipment, and he found his longsword actually in its sheath. He thought he dropped it in his fight with Goliath. The details are hazy, but that was one he remembered clearly. "So, the eighteenth floor, hmm? Irene's probably there," Isaac said to himself. "Oh, sis, I wish I went with you. Why the hell was I so stupid?"

Crack

The walls of the Dungeon sensed its prey, and it was eager to feed. Isaac, knowing that trying to fight in his condition was a bad idea, quickly scrambled to his feet and down the tunnel in front of him. Hopefully, the monsters don't have a keen sense of smell. He was certainly hoping that the tunnel he was in led up and not down. Thankfully, his prayers were answered as he ascended a staircase that led to the next floor. One down, nineteen to go. Well, this was suspiciously easy for that. No monsters in sight or hearing range. The quarter elf found himself in the White Palace. Wait, isn't this… Isaac paled and was half-tempted to take his chances down on the floor below.

A Monster Rex resided on this floor, and if it wasn't killed recently, then Isaac was in for a very bad time. "How the hell am I going to get out of this one?" he murmured aloud, trying to fill the void. The void only Irene could fill, but then his thoughts drifted to that one girl he saw. Why did his heartbeat so rapidly at that moment? It wasn't love at first sight, right? That's cliché as hell. He'd want to get to know her first, then take her on a date, if she was interested. Still, these were thoughts Isaac could entertain once he made it out of the Palace. Nothing else would stand in his way, except a baker's dozen of floors and then some. He didn't even know what day it was, what time it was, or if something else was happening behind the scenes.

Indecision grasped at Isaac, he was trying to work his half-sober brain to pull off a miracle. He also had a feeling that someone was watching him, at least, he thinks. He could be wrong and it's paranoia setting in. Isaac once again peeked up the thirty-seventh floor and felt nothing. The Dungeon was silent. Most arrogant adventurers would think it was safe, but to Isaac, it was not. He was in more danger now than he was before.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose and he ducked. Something wooshed over his head. Isaac pulled out his daishō and looked for the monster. All he saw was a floating sheep skull. "So, that's not creepy at all." Then, it moved.

Isaac barely brought up his blades to block, and the shockwaves of pain reverberated up his arms into his shoulders. This is stronger than me, I can't fight this. Twisting his blades, he sent the Skull Sheep—as he would later find out it was called—careening off to his left and he booked it. Might even develop Escape from this, considering the amount of running and hiding I'll be doing. His thoughts were his own internal monologue, and even if he could contact Irene, she wouldn't be able to come down here. It was too risky. Isaac ducked again, stumbling slightly as he felt another whoosh of air. The Skull Sheep caught up with him, and it seemed angry for a dead animal.

It leaped at him again, but this time he wasn't fast enough to dodge. His grip still strong on his weapons, it sent him humbling across the floor. One minor detail that eased a few of his nerves, the Monster Rex wasn't spawning. Either it meant it was actually confirmed to be killed, or it didn't find him worthy, and honestly, both options were great, despite the Dungeon insulting him this way. He even heard the sheep rattling its teeth. So, am I getting swarmed? Probably.

His hazel eyes found the exit to the room, and therefore his goal, but the deeper levels were expansive, so it wouldn't be the only arena in the area.

Either way, Isaac had to focus on not getting chomped and devoured by a skeleton sheep in a creepy black robe. His throwing knives will be useless, "Shit, I didn't bring a bone saw," he muttered jokingly. Maybe Welf can make something like that.

After hearing the echo of the Skull Sheep leap off the ground, Isaac rolled and readied his daishō, holding them both in a reverse grip. As the Skull Sheep tried to change course, he launched his attack. The swords cut through the bones with ease, but it almost jerked the blades out of his hands. Yep, not ready for these floors.

The Skull Sheep disintegrated into ash, and Isaac realized how tired he was. "F-Fuck. When I get my hands on those Freya Familia members… No, you can't, not without them claiming something ludicrous." Isaac sheathed his daishō, not bothering to pick up the magic stone. He did, however, reach for the cloak. It smelled horrible, but if it kept him hidden, he'd accepted smelling like death.

Now, he just had to make sure he didn't become another pile of bones. With that being said, he realized he was at the door to leave this inner place. Isaac didn't have a clue what to expect going forwards. "Are one of those shortcuts around? That'd be pretty useful right about now," he whispered, as if he were to speak too loud the Dungeon might summon more monsters. Shouldn't it be spawning more of them? This time, when he spoke, he aimed to test something. Irene? Can you hear me? He waited five… ten seconds before trying again. No response. "Damn, maybe I'm too far away? Honestly, this Dungeon only goes down, how big is this planet?" One would think that going down, you'd eventually hit the center of the planet. That didn't seem to be the case. He stumbled against the wall once he let go of his mindscape spell, forgetting that he was pretty close to Mind Down, which in his current predicament… would spell death. Dying wasn't in Isaac's repertoire.

Letting a couple of his theories fly at the lack of monsters, he exited what was called the Throne Room. His eyes peeled, he continued forward, or backward in some cases.

However, someone was watching him with curious eyes. By not looking directly at them, they were not spotted. They needed more information, and once they reached a certain point, there was a test for Harpe and the goal?

Survive.

Now, Isaac had to admit, this was a lot easier than he thought it was. He was currently on the third-most outer wall of the thirty-seventh floor. His encounters with monsters were few to none, and by that, not a single monster was to be seen after that Skull Sheep. Isaac was already paranoid enough from being in this section of the Dungeon, but to not see a single monster? That was pretty suspicious. His tanto resided in his hand, a few throwing knives resided in the other. Thankfully, the paths of the thirty-seventh were somewhat laid out, but it still felt like a maze. He's already in a Dungeon full of labyrinths, there's no need to make it even more complicated.

The walls themselves even look different, they seemed dirtier than the walls previously. And even still no monsters. Irene was positive that some of the more deceiving monsters resided on this floor. Isaac remembered that, so where were they? He pushed past the out wall and continued on, but the main path was blocked so he had to go a different way.

Another factor pertaining to the situation, Isaac hasn't seen a single adventurer either. No one seemed to be in the Dungeon, and that's what scared him. He was scared that he was going to die down here alone and no one would find him. Flashes of the Ganesha Familia's retrieval team barreled around in his mind. He didn't want to end up on one of those. He didn't want Irene to see that. That would break her. Let this make it, come on. Isaac felt a small headache after that.

"Shit, that's a sign of Mind Down, isn't it?" While Mind Down is a preventable condition in the Dungeon, getting it while solo usually means you're easy pickings for the monsters. Isaac reached into his pouch and pulled out one of his potions. He eyed each one carefully, as it was a little hard to obtain a light source. He found the one for Mind and downed half of it in a single gulp. He could feel the headache subsiding, but it still lingered under his skull. Wiping his mouth, "Okay, now back to trying to find my way off this floor."

Isaac continued to follow the path laid in front of him, but couldn't help but feel that it being blocked off was purposeful. The Dungeon is able to heal itself, so whoever did that, it must have been recent. There's no other way to describe it. Someone was down here with him, but it looked like they had no intentions to help. Not surprising, it's probably that Cat Person who has a hard-on for Lady Freya.

Which isn't that hard to believe, ironically enough. Freya isn't a Goddess of Beauty for nothing. It's those that serve her and carry out her deeds that are the rotten apples. He wonders if there was a side of Freya that was actually yearning for something, a genuine connection perhaps. Nevertheless, Isaac continued along with his hand on the dirty white wall. He felt as if he was being led somewhere, and he wasn't going to like what he found.

He still kept the covering from that Skull Sheep. It felt like days ago he fought that thing, but it was only a couple of hours. "Why the hell did I have to be so stubborn and stay behind?" Isaac asked rhetorically. No one answered him, as per usual when it came to him speaking. Who knows, maybe there's a monster with intelligence out there.

In the shadows of the Dungeon, the same figures were trailing him, "Why would they do this to one of their own?"

"It beats me. All these humans are the same."

"Then why have you been intercepting every single one of our brethren before they reach him? If you didn't care, then you wouldn't be here."

"Shut it."

A third voice entered, "Now boys, stop fighting and help me come up with a plan so he doesn't get slaughtered in the Colosseum. He's not ready for it, and honestly, when she saw him, she wanted to meet him."

Irene hated herself at this current moment. She hated feeling so gods-damned useless. She couldn't help them. She couldn't stop him, and she couldn't bear to see the result. Her heart yearned for her brother's safety. The Dungeon was cruel and it would swallow him up if he wasn't careful. After this little trip, she was going back to the library and lecturing Isaac all about the middle and lower floors. Then, she's going to hit him and then cry. Maybe not necessarily in that order.

What's worse was being barred from accompanying the retrieval party. That annoyed her more than anything. Of course, Mama Riveria had to come out around her.

At the moment, she was inside her tent. Bell, Welf, and Lili were exploring the floor. Right now, she wanted to explore it with Isaac. Where are you, Ani? Please let me help.

Hope sparked in her chest, there wasn't static, but there was no response either. So, Irene concluded that he's up and moving, but that wasn't enough to completely lift her spirits. She needed to see him, alive, and with her own eyes.

The tent flap opened and in strode in the Amazon sisters. "Hey, Irene!" Tiona's cheerful voice didn't make Irene smile, but it was somewhat perfectly timed because her next thoughts were going to be terrible and self-deprecating.

"Hey," Irene responded in a toneless voice.

"That's weird, I thought you were Irene, not Ais," Tione's voice came next.

A scoff erupted from the quarter-elf, "Puhlease, I'm not as pretty as her."

Tione and Tiona shared a look, "Wanna rethink that statement? Irene, you are very pretty, just imagine a regal dress on you. I could take you shopping one day!"

Irene thought about it for a moment, "Well, yeah, it would be nice, but…"

Tione knew this distraction wasn't working, "You're worried about your brother."

Irene couldn't help the wince that came immediately after that statement. It's true. She can't help but worry. "I want to go with you guys."

"Well, why can't you?" Tiona asked, sitting across from Irene.

"Elven Language," she offered as an explanation as she leaned back with her hands behind her. Her cloak was draped over some random crate, and she took her hair out of her braid and attempted to straighten it.

"I see," Tione said, while Tiona asked if she could style Irene's bronze-colored hair. Irene held out the hair ties and clips and let her go to work. She didn't have a problem, she just wanted to see if this would distract her.

"Woah, your ears are so cute!" Tiona said as she brushed her hair out of the way. Irene's ears are elven, yes, but they look mostly human. Isaac's are the same way, humanoid on the bottom before slightly being elongated at the top. Unlike normal elves or half-elves, their ears protruded outwards. Quarter-elves' ears protruded upwards. Yet, with only a limited amount of elven blood, she still looked beautiful. It might also have to do with the fact that Irene and Isaac are Quarter High Elves.

The aforementioned ears went red with embarrassment, "Y-Yeah, but don't point that out!"

Tiona's laugh made Irene focus on that, "Why not?" she pouted. "Tione, look, tell me that they aren't cute?"

The elder Hiryute twin smirked, "Sorry Irene, but I have to agree with my baby sister. They are adorable."

Flustered, "W-Whatever, are you going to style my hair, or are you going to run your fingers through it?" It was soothing, and that was when Irene realized how tired she was. Has she been up for a whole day? More? Her eyes started to droop and she yawned. "Was this your plan all along?" Neither of the Amazon twins said anything, all but confirming it. Soon enough, Irene was laid across Tiona's suspiciously soft thighs. "Wow, thisss way comfier than I imagined."

"Don't worry about it, sleep," Tione spoke softly, gently replacing her sister's fingers in her hair. "We'll find him."

Before Irene fell asleep, she said, "Just bring him back to me, please." A tear escaped her eye as she finally let herself drift.

The tent opened again and the Amazon sisters looked up to see Riveria and Ais looking in. "Has she finally slept?"

"Yeah, but aren't you hiding something from her?" Tione questioned.

"By our language, I'm not liable to share that with you," Riveria responded. If they were smart, they would not question it further.

"Riveria, secrets are harmful if found out in the wrong manner, so please at least make an attempt to tell them both, okay?" Tione, being the reasonable one, said.

"Let's continue this conversation elsewhere. Sofia warned me that they like to feign sleep," Riveria said. Tiona and Tione gently readjusted Irene's limp body to be much more comfortable. Then, the quartet set away from the sleeping quarter-elf.

Riveria was right, however. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, there was a whisper, "What are you hiding from us, Riveria? Is it that terrible that you don't want to tell us? Or is it our reaction that you fear?" With that question on her fatigued mind, Irene faded into bliss.

...

You can already guess who I'm bringing in, and I realize that it's far too early, but nothing's stopping me anyway. I wanted to make this believable, but oh Chapter 10 is going to hopefully have an impact.

I apologize if any 'fight' or action scenes are lackluster. I admit, one of my weakpoints.