When my internal natural clock indicated that it was early, I opened my eyes and snapped out of my slumber.
I took a few seconds to breathe deeply, then checked the digital watch on my wrist.
It was half an hour before 6 in the morning.
I got out of bed and stretched my limbs, a few cracks soothing my body slightly.
Well, another day, another pain.
I walked to the door and opened it, letting the sunlight enter my shelter.
I boiled water and took some cans of food from my storage, my breakfast.
Canned beef with beans, both cooked in my small kitchen. All together with delicious coffee with no sugar.
Not bad, but it doesn't compare to the food at that restaurant.
I doubt they're open at this hour.
I hope they don't ban me from going back in, the food was good.
I finished my breakfast and set the cans aside next to my spoon, then sat on the couch and crossed my arms for a while.
I wish I had a television.
Although I doubt I could entertain myself with it, radio is just fine.
I checked my watch again and realized the time was approaching 6.
Very good.
As I stood up to start getting my gear ready, I heard footsteps outside.
Damn it.
I took the AKS-74U I got aside and held it in my hands.
If it's that same fucker that I tortured, I'm going to shove this gun up his ass.
I stood behind my workbench and waited.
Then, I heard that person who was outside come down the stairs with slow steps.
I bit my tongue when the head that poked through the door frame wasn't some other guy looking to kill me, but Liliruca.
I pressed very hard on the handle of the gun and released the breath I was holding.
She looked in surprise at the barrel of the gun that was pointed directly at her face. "Y-Yuri?"
"Lili, what are you doing here?" I asked her as I put the gun aside and stood up.
"Erm... I meant... to come say hello?"
She knew very well that I didn't buy her lie.
Sighing, she looked at the ground. "Actually, Lili wanted to tell you something."
Great, I hope it's not anything horrible.
"I'm all ears." I told her as I went to get the teapot. "Do you prefer tea or coffee?"
"... coffee?"
Huh, you'd think these people would know what coffee is.
I decided not to respond and instead make a hot cup of coffee.
"Would you like sugar?"
"Uhm... yes."
I put two sugar cubes in her coffee.
I stirred it with a spoon and handed her the metal cup.
"Grab it by the handle, you don't want to burn your hands." I told her as she took the drink. "Leave your things over there and sit down."
Are you finally going to tell me what's bothering you? Took you much.
I pulled up a chair and sat in front of her.
She just stayed there on the couch, her eyes deciding whether to look at me or at the coffee.
I saw her try to taste the drink, just to burn her tongue.
"It's hot." I told her.
"Yeah, I know..."
I waited calmly, it's still early.
A few minutes passed and finally she spoke.
"I..." She put the cup on her lap and looked at the floor. "Lili has a problem."
No shit, Sherlock.
I just continued to look into her eyes as she seemed to muster up the courage to continue with whatever she was going to tell me.
I decided to help her a little. "Lili, I trust you, enough to trust you to watch my back as well as not betray me, now, do you trust me? I know we've only known each other for about... a week, but I want to believe that you trust me enough to tell me the problems you have." She remained silent throughout my speech. "Now, not to pressure you, but if there's really something bothering you... trust me, after all, we're friends, right?"
I could see a small glimmer of hope in her eyes, as if she had a small war going on in her mind about what to do.
Finally, after several minutes, she sighed again and our eyes met.
I really wasn't prepared enough for what I was about to hear.
It left my blood boiling.
I told him everything...
I explained to him about my Familia.
The horrors I experienced.
How I was used by Zanis.
How I was rejected by my own god.
The abuse I received from the other adventurers...
The money I stole from him...
Kanu and what he told me...
I told him everything.
The entire time he was listening, he remained silent, which made me quite nervous and made the little courage I had dissipate little by little.
I really, really wanted to believe in him, but life has kicked me so many times that my heart wouldn't handle being rejected again...
When I finished, he watched me for a few seconds and got up from his chair.
I was waiting for him to yell me, to get mad or something, I don't know... I would be if I were in his situation... or I think I would be, maybe it's just me.
When he crouched in front of me, I only expected the worst.
Instead, he took the cup from my hands and set it on the floor, then focused his gaze on mine.
His almost black eyes, as empty as they used to be, had changed, now showing a feeling in them.
It was compassion.
I wanted to feel offended about that, but I couldn't find enough strength within me to care, I just wanted to keep looking at his eyes.
They were... hypnotizing, so to speak.
Then, he sighed and wrapped his arms around me.
A hug.
Reflexively, I shivered slightly at the contact.
But, when I convinced myself that nothing bad would happen, I was able to focus more on what Yuri was doing.
He was giving me a hug.
A very warm, affectionate and sincere... embrace.
It made small tears form at the edges of my eyes.
If I ever felt this before, I had forgotten.
It was a refreshing feeling, something that made me know that everything was going to be better.
And, for the first time in a long while, I decided to believe in my own feelings.
There was no way I would deny them now that I had met someone who cared so much about me.
I wrapped my own arms around him and we stayed like that.
It lasted like a minute, which felt like a lot longer, especially because I didn't really want it to end, it was too good to be true and I fervently hoped it was.
However, like all good things, it ended and I was left missing that feeling in my heart.
He stood up and picked up the coffee cup from the floor. Then left it on his workbench and reached for his equipment that was scattered around there.
"Lili." He called to me as he slid his 'plate carrier', (he explained me the name), over his body. "I'm really sorry I didn't meet you before."
I did too...
It may sound ridiculous, but... I really couldn't think of anything other than continuing to hug him.
"Now I will return your trust." He told me while he put on his head a cloth mask that covered his entire appearance, as well as his green helmet with a visor. "And I will solve your problem." He finished while checking the chamber of his gun, which he picked up from the table.
Wait...
"Uhm... what are you planning to do?"
"Where is the headquarters of the Soma Familia?"
No, he can't be talking about...
"You're not seriously thinking about-!"
"Don't worry." He denied, cutting me off. "I highly doubt they are prepared for a surprise attack."
"Y-Yuri!" He stopped and turned his head towards me, I could only see his black eyes full of hatred through the holes of the cloth mask he was wearing.
It felt a lot more intimidating seeing him this way.
Where was all that previous affection...?
"I... I don't think that's a good idea."
He stayed there for a few seconds.
"You're right."
Ah?
"I need to change clothes, this is practically shouting to the heavens that it's me."
T-That's not the point!
"You can't! Zanis is level 2! He... he..."
The idea of that... devil hurting him was...
Disgustingly unacceptable, I couldn't allow it, I had to convince him.
From the short time I've known him, I've come to see that Yuri is the practical, straight-to-the-point type of guy... maybe... maybe...
"L-Look... if at least... uhm... if we get you a Falna." Yeah! That! "If we get you a Falna, you might have a better chance!"
At least this will deter him a little...
He hasn't bothered to get a Falna, so I'm guessing he's not going to do it now either and he'll stop, which will give me time to come up with something that doesn't involve him in a massacre or his own death.
I wanted to avoid both.
"Good idea, let's go."
Eh?
"Where to?" I asked him as I got up from the couch.
"Hestia should be home now and she owes me a favor, so I might as well ask her to give me a Falna now, so I can kick the collective ass of the Soma Familia more easily."
You can't be serious...
Uuuugh...
Stop making me feel like this!
"No, you don't have to! Please stop!" I grabbed him by his vest and he stopped in front of the door. "You're only going to get yourself killed!"
He growled and lowered his weapon. "Okay, okay...! I'll listen to you, even though I think it would be faster my way."
Then, he turned to me. "Do you have any ideas? Speak or I'll start chewing gum and kicking ass."
I... uhm...
"First... don't do anything stupid." I told him. "Attack them directly at their base? Come on, you know that's not going to work..."
"Heh, you obviously don't know me."
That doesn't sound ominous at all...
"L-Leaving that aside... maybe... look, if we go with your plan, we would have to buy a lot of resources to even have a chance."
He took off his helmet and seemed to think about it.
"Sounds fine." He responded as he took off his plate carrier and placed it on the couch. "I've been wanting to buy those health potions ever since you gave me one the first time we went down into the Dungeon."
Yes, I still remembered it... that other Stalker was scary...
"Well, then let's get a bunch of potions first if that's what's worrying you right now."
At least I prevented him from going to his own death.
For now.
"Yup." He responded as he took off his jacket, leaving him with a gray t-shirt. "I also want to buy you more practical clothes, Lili, your skirt and hooded top aren't the most suitable for combat situations."
W-Well, you're right, but I would actually prefer if you don't spend a lot of money on myself...
Still, if that distracts him until we find a solution, I guess it doesn't really matter that much.
After all, more practical clothes mean that I will be much more useful to him.
Yes, that.
"Alright."
"Great, today we'll take a break from the Dungeon and spend some time shopping." He said as he put on a small black vest over him and a long hooded coat that he had taken out of his metal chest, as well as his tactical belt. "Still, I would like to obtain a Falna." He added. "Bell is stupidly fast and tough for his age, so I assume his Falna is what helps him."
"That's correct, although it generally takes the average adventurer a long time to gain enough excelia to level up their skills... much longer if they want to level up."
"Hm, any time frame?"
Well, there's the Sword Princess...
"The girl who saved us on the fifth floor." I clarified. "She has the record for the shortest time to go up to level 2, which took her a year to achieve."
He took off his cloth mask and his expression did not show the impression I was expecting.
"Then maybe people don't try hard enough." He mentioned with a side smile.
I couldn't help but grimace.
Now he's just being arrogant.
Hush...
"You're dumb."
"Guilty."
I saw him take something out of his metal chest, but I didn't know what it was, so I asked him.
"It's a safe container." He answered me. "I used it to transport drugs and medicines before, but I suppose it will serve more purpose now that I know about the existence of the miraculous health potions."
Hm.
"Potions aren't that good..."
"For you they won't be, but for someone who always had to rely on medications and conventional medicine it is." He responded with some bitterness in his voice. "Imagine life in Orario without magic potions and you'll know what I'm talking about."
That was really hard to imagine, so I couldn't answer that.
When he finished, he picked up a rather large cloth bag that jingled every time he moved, I guess it's his money.
He put the bag inside a small leather bag and let it hang on his back, in his right hand he carried the 'safe container' as he had called it.
"Shall we go?"
That... silly, cheesy, confident smile he had on his face... I don't know what it was, but it made me want to follow him to the end of the world.
I just sighed. "Yeah, let's go."
I left my MP7 on the couch as well as my backpack, and then went out with him, the sunlight affecting my eyes as well as his from being underground for so long.
He checked his arm where he had that 'wrist watch'.
"It's 7, we might as well pick up Bell if he's not out yet and ask Hestia for a Falna."
Yeah, I guess we could do that.
He's also part of the party, after all, although the Falna part... I really don't know...
It's not that I had anything against her, her Familia is hundreds of times better just for not being Soma, but...
I don't know, maybe it's just my distrust.
The walk didn't last long and we found ourselves at the door of the dilapidated church where the boy lived with his goddess.
"You know, I think it's a hidden basement." He mentioned out of nowhere.
"Hm?"
"I believe Bell and his goddess live beneath this Church." He explained. "It has to be that, because the time I was here I didn't see anything out of the ordinary."
Makes sense.
"Well, now how do we get Bell out...?"
"We might as well yell at him." I responded.
"Good idea." He said, then took a deep breath. "BEEEEEELL!"
Silence.
"Maybe he's not home."
"Wait." He told me.
...
"See? He's asking for more." He took another breath. "Yuri-san!" But he couldn't scream because the boy came out from a wall next to the stand, putting on his boots as he hopped on one foot toward us. "Y-Yuri-san! Why are you screaming!?"
"Ha! It's good to see you now." Yuri responded happily. "We were just about to go out, don't you want to come? Also, is Hestia home?"
"Erm, yeah! And... no... she left in the morning, she told me she was going to be out for a couple days."
"Tsk, well, that makes things a little difficult for me... ahh, never mind." He scratched his chin. "I'll go buy things with Lili because we're going to stock up on supplies, so if you want something just say so and I'll pay."
"R-Really?"
"Yes, I have plenty of money and I really don't have much use for all these Valis." He patted his bag. "So come on, I'll buy you some armor if you want."
I saw the rabbit jump with joy, his spirits quite high after what Yuri told him.
You might as well have given your money to me...
We waited for Bell to bring his own things and set off towards the shopping streets of Orario.
"Quick question, guys." Yuri spoke as we walked. "How exactly does a Falna work?"
Bell was the first to speak. "Well... according to what my goddess told me, your memories and experiences become points that help you improve."
I nodded at his explanation. "Yes, it's called excelia and you get a lot more in life or death situations, so killing monsters in the Dungeon is a good way to increase your abilities."
"That sounds interesting."
"Also, a Falna allows you to develop different types of skills and magic, so getting one is necessary if you want to become stronger and be able to carry my backpack." I decided to tease him a little at the end.
"Oh, that's right, how is Miss Lili that strong? I, uh... I don't know if I could carry a backpack that size on my own..."
"Are you sure asking a girl that is a good idea?" Yuri intervened and, to my amusement, Bell started to look quite embarrassed now.
Cute.
Should I answer that?
Hmm...
Well, I trust Yuri and Bell might be trustworthy.
His goddess is quite gentle, so some of her will reflect on her children, I suppose.
He's a good boy, I want to believe.
Sigh.
"It's a special skill." I replied. "If I carry heavy things, the skill compensates for the weight to help me carry them."
"Ohhh... that skill sounds cool."
Wait, cool? It just helps me carry things better, that's not cool at all.
"I agree." You too!? "With a skill like that, you could carry much heavier weapons in your hands."
Wait, what?
"I thought the same." Bell added. "It would be pretty cool to be able to carry a greatsword and kill monsters with that."
Eh... Ah!?
W-Well... it's not like my stats are high enough to use melee weapons effectively, that's why I preferred to use my little ballista.
I don't have to feel guilty for not having thought about that before, at all.
"Yeah, although your idea of heavy weapons are kind of cute." Yuri answered. "I mean firearms, boy... men busine- I mean... yeah, a very modified PKM for example, or even using damn Saigas with drum magazines without feeling the weight tire out your arms."
Okay, they're getting a little too excited and I feel like I've lost the thread of the conversation.
"Firearms?" Apparently, so does Bell.
"What Lili uses to kill monsters."
"Ohhhh..."
"Yeah, ohh." We turned a corner and I could see the store of the god Miach, the Blue Farmacy. "Maybe I'll teach you later if you want, you might be interested in sawed-off shotguns or pistols considering you're more into melee."
"A-Are you really going to teach me?"
"Yup, why not?"
"Thank you very much, Mr. Yuri!"
I snorted with some amusement, the boy was quite lively for an adventurer.
"Okay, we're here."
Yuri opened the door and the bell rang, alerting the sleepy saleswoman behind the counter, her name was Naaza.
She raised her eyebrows when she heard us enter, but still didn't open her eyes. "Hello... Yuri, Bell, Lili." She smiled. "Nice to see you again."
I'll ignore that she knew it was us without seeing and focus more on the fact that she looked relatively happy because of her wagging tail.
"Naaza!" Bell greeted with a smile.
Yuri just nodded in her direction and walked over to the counter, setting the container securely on top.
I just moved to the side and watched.
"How can I... help you?" She asked, her tone of voice soft and her manner of speaking slow.
Yuri opened the safe with a click. "Potions." He said. "Many."
"Hmm? What kind?"
"Whatever is useful." He replied as he took out his money bag. "I have plenty of money."
Naaza's smile widened. "In that case..."
She bent down and grabbed a box from under the counter, setting it down next to the secure box and opening it, revealing several vials with blue liquid inside.
"These." She mentioned while patting the box. "Are standard health potions, they cost 500 Valis and are generally a go-to for all adventurers who can't afford the more expensive potions."
She pushed the box aside and pulled out another filled with vials of lime-green liquids. "These are mind potions, they cost 9,000 valis and are most useful for magic users and abilities that require the use of mind."
Hm, I haven't really used one of those potions in my life, but I can see the usefulness.
If it weren't for the fact that none of us use magic for combat.
"Yes... I'll let you know the day I buy a wand and start attending Hogwarts."
Uh?
"Anyway, the only thing we really need now are health potions." Are you seriously not going to explain the joke? "You can never be so sure."
Explain it!
Naaza seemed to recover faster from the confusion of all of us because she then spoke about Yuri. "In that case, you might be interested in this..."
She pulled out another box, this one much smaller, filled with potions of a much darker bluish color than the standard ones.
"I present to you..." She showed us the box, presenting it quite cheerfully. "High potions."
To my amusement, he didn't look impressed.
Those potions are the most expensive on the market, behind the elixirs that cost around half a million.
I never had either of them in my possession, so it really felt bad that Yuri was going to spend his money to get them...
At Yuri's deadpan expression, I saw her cough into her hand and explain. "Much better than standard potions, they help heal deep wounds and heavy bleeding... you can never be too sure, can you?"
This girl's cocky smile bothered me, but I won't say anything.
For now.
"That sounds great and all, but... the price?"
"50,000 Valis."
Immediately, he chocked on nothing.
My reaction would have been the same, if I hadn't known the price beforehand.
"F-Fifty thousand!?" Bell shouted upon hearing the price.
I don't blame him, he's probably been adventuring for a few weeks and is still acclimating to Orario.
"Just standard potions will be fine." I told Naaza while my two companions were recovering from the hit to their wallets that they surely suffered.
While I could afford several of these potions with my own money, I didn't really want to spend my money.
I have a much higher goal and I need it for that.
"Oh, okay... how many will you take then?"
I turned my head and looked at Yuri, who squinted at the potion box.
"Anything that fits in here." He finally said. "It's the only thing I could really afford right now." Naaza scoffed under her breath, to which Yuri responded. "Hey! I have money, but I'm not a millionaire."
Naaza shook her head with a smile and began filling the safe container with potions.
I just watched her with scrutiny as she did that.
While they weren't looking, I took one of the potions from the box and looked at it in my hands.
I've heard interesting rumors about this place in the past.
That they mix potions with water is one of them.
I don't see any discoloration that the potion should suffer from doing that practice, so maybe they added some coloring to it to hide it.
Either way, Yuri is about to spend a lot of money for our own good, so we better get the best of the best to avoid unnecessary problems.
And if that means exposing his... acquaintance, as he called her, then so be it.
I uncapped the vial with a pop and, in a second, all eyes were on me.
"Lili, what are you doing?"
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it." I assured while sniffing the liquid.
Hm...
I lifted the vial to my mouth and took a taste of the potion.
...
Yup, it had definitely been mixed with water.
Frauds are not uncommon in Orario, many people fall victim to them due to the nature of this place. Heck, I did the same thing myself several times, but I'm not going to let them do that to him, over my dead body.
"Yuri, these potions have been mixed with water." I affirmed. "Less effective than the normal potion, meaning that if you were to use them in a pinch, you wouldn't have a good chance of survival."
Surprisingly, Naaza remained expressionless as she said that.
The nerve of this woman.
"They are certainly not worth the price you're gonna pay for them." I added. "It's a scam, what do you propose we do, Yuri?"
I saw him frown and look towards Naaza, who swallowed, lowered her head slightly and bent her tail as if she were a scolded dog.
Hmph.
"Naaza, you..." Bell began with some disbelief in his voice.
Given the concrete evidence, there was no doubt.
I smiled, knowing full well that I caught this girl.
She bowed her head even more in sorrow, ha.
"I... hm..."
"You know, it's funny."
Eh?
My confusion was shared by the others because we all turned to look at Yuri.
"Congratulations, you are the second person to scam me."
Secon-?
He began to chuckle as he shook his head, then looked directly at me.
Ehhh...
"Back in my homeland, I would be pretty angry, but now I feel much more compassionate than before." He joked, from the tone of his voice. "But seriously, I did your request without asking for anything in return and this is how you treat your self-proclaimed best client? You're better than this, Naaza."
She grimaced and I couldn't help but feel quite upset.
"Anyways." He said as he inspected one of the potions. "Why?"
So... this woman needs money for rent.
I went through something similar a decade ago with my family, so I can understand it a little.
Nobody wants to live on the street.
Damn, why did you have to make things difficult, Lili?
Ugh...
...
Fuck.
"Well, when is deadline?"
Naaza was visibly uncomfortable. "A week from now..."
Hmm...
Okay.
"Alright then." I left the potion inside the box. "I'll still buy these potions, after all they are much better than what I was already used to, but you have to promise me that next time you won't do the same thing, otherwise I'll really get angry."
She looked down and nodded slightly.
Damnit.
"Look, uhm... if you need anything, as long as it's reasonable, just say it." I feel pretty stupid now. "We will do what we can to help."
I could see Lili make a face and growl under her breath, surely she doesn't like this at all.
Bell, on the other hand, looked at me with admiration.
Yeah, I assume what I said was something a corny storybook hero would say, a thing Bell likes.
So much for being a role model...
"In... in that case..."
She seemed hesitant to speak.
"If it's bringing another monster thing, take it for granted." I said.
She took a deep breath and nodded again.
"Bloodsaurus eggs."
The hell is that?
"Pffft, what!?" Lili shouted at what I think is an exaggerated request.
Bell, to my surprise, didn't seem fazed at all. In fact, he seemed just as confused as I was.
If it's a damn dinosaur by the name of the thing then-
Huh.
Wait, this could be a very good opportunity to teach Lili about sniper rifles.
If they are dinosaurs, of course.
"W-Wait a second, do you want us to get you Bloodsaurus eggs." Lili continued to complain. "Those monsters that appear from the 30th floor!?"
Dinosaurs laid eggs, so the probability of those bloodsaurus being dinosaurs is high.
Also, fucking 30th floor?
"Yes..." Naaza replied. "I know it sounds bad, but please listen to me for a moment."
"How do you want us to-!?" I put my hand on Lili's shoulder and she stopped her angry rant.
"It's okay, let me handle it."
"But Yuri!"
I focused my eyes on hers and she looked away. "Tsk, okay..."
I sighed internally.
"Go on." I told Naaza.
"Sure..." She looked at us blankly. "And yes, Bloodsaurus are Dungeon monsters that appear from the 30th floor onwards... but they can't only appear in the Dungeon."
Huh, interesting, I thought they only did inside that rat hole.
"Oh! Yes, the monsters that roam the surface." Bell intervened. "I used to hunt in my village and I would encounter goblins in the forest, so... that..." He cringed when all the attention was on him.
"Uh-huh." Naaza agreed. "They are also weaker than their Dungeon versions, so it would be much easier for you to get your hands on the eggs." She explained.
I see.
"Like how weak are we talking about?" I asked for.
"They will be slower and more predictable when outside the Dungeon, so the process will be much safer than it appears at first glance."
Sure, god fucking damnit, that completely calms me.
It's not like I'm going against fucking dinosaurs of all things.
Shit...
This time I did make my annoyance heard by sighing audibly. "Well, any specific place we should look?"
She put a hand to her chin. "Maybe the Seolo forest is a good place to start."
Very good.
And where the hell is that place?
"You would have to take a cart to leave the city, preferably in the early morning, since the trip takes a few hours..."
And on top of that, I would have to use damn carts.
I should have stolen a car from the military when I could.
I guess there's no time to cry.
"Okay, we'll do it... if you guys want to do it, of course." I ended up saying that to my two companions.
Lili looked at me and nodded with a little reluctance. Bell, on the other hand, closed his hand into a fist and looked quite motivated.
"It's decided then." I said. "Although don't expect us to do it right away, we have problems to take care of too."
"In that case, please let me know one day in advance." Naaza spoke. "I could guide you and I would like to help..."
Huh, I guess the guilt is pricking in her heart now.
I waved her off. "Whatever makes you happy." I patted my safe box. "How much?"
I left the store with 10,000 Valis less, Bell and Lili following behind me as we walked aimlessly through the streets of Orario.
That joke ended up hurting my pocket, but not that much because now I had a little more than 40,000 left to spend, so there's that.
I was lucky that the potions are cheap, even though they are imitations, but I don't know how much would cost the armor that Bell wants and the new clothes for Lili.
I'll have to divide it into 20,000 each, so they only buy things that don't exceed that limit.
"Well then..." I looked at the shops all along the street, none of them seemed to sell quality tactical equipment, which is obvious. "Where do we go now?"
"Babel is a good way to start." Lili mentioned. "Inside the tower they sell equipment for adventurers, although only up to certain floors, so we would have to search through the stores to see what we find."
Makes sense.
Well, we'll be doing that then.
We changed course towards the tower and continued walking.
"They sell things inside Babel?" Bell asked.
"Yeah." Lili responded. "Mostly weapons and armor, support items are purchased from the market."
"Oh, I see."
I wonder what kind of support items they will be.
Maybe I'll ask Lili later, she has more time in this city after all.
Right, I wanted to ask...
"The weapons here..." I watched the people pass by, the majority of them being armed in some way. "They're mostly swords, aren't they?"
Lili looked at me with a confused look.
"We certainly don't have the weapons that you have." She responded, understanding what I meant. "But we do have other things, like magic weapons."
Huh.
"How powerful would one of these magical weapons be?"
Lili snorted in amusement. "There's really nothing that determines them other than the purpose their creator gave them... you'd have better luck asking a magic weapon smith than me."
It's not like I have much interest in that, but I may find a use for a 'magic weapon' in the future.
I still don't know how beneficialy stupid magic is, so I prefer the feeling of confidence my weapons give me.
After all, you can't teach new tricks to an old dog.
Although, I'm not that old...
Between teasing Bell and playing pranks on each other, we reached Babel in no time.
It still impresses me.
"Any reason for this place?" I asked. "Yes, I know it stops the monsters from coming out or something, but is that the only reason? It would be stupid if that were the case, I mean..."
"I don't really know the details, but, long story short, it used to be the size of a normal building." Lili explained, pointing to one of the three-story houses that were around the plaza outside Babel. "Then the gods destroyed it and made it the size it is now."
It still sounds stupid.
Well, the immortal beings from above did it, I guess they must have been bored.
Lili took us to an elevator outside the tower and marked the 8th floor.
I'm curious how this thing works, because I'm pretty sure it's not the same as back home.
I'm even more curious about how these people figured out how to make a damn elevator of all things.
When the doors opened, I noticed the rustic look of the place, fitting for the 'era', I guess.
There were several people here, surely adventurers, checking out different pieces of equipment displayed on the walls or counters of various stores.
The hallway we were in extended in a curve, probably covering the entire perimeter of the tower, which made sense.
Bell was the most excited of our group, as he walked away a little to get a better view of the weapons on display.
"Wow, this is pretty cheap!" The boy exclaimed as he looked at a small broadsword with a price of 1,200 Valis.
"Yup." Lili said. "Floors 4 to 8 belong to the Hephaestus Familia, although the last floors are the ones that have the novice and not-so-known blacksmiths, so that's why the prices are cheap."
"I-I see..."
I patted the boy's back. "And what are you waiting for?" I told. "Go on, see what you want."
"Alright!" He exclaimed and then wandered around the place, taking a look at all the shops in the place.
I turned to Lili, she staying by my side.
"And you? Aren't you going to buy anything from here?"
She just watched everything from afar.
"Not really." Was her answer. "There is nothing for me here."
Then her gaze met mine.
"Is not my style." She finished with a small smile.
Heh.
"Oh yeah? So what is it?"
"Hmmm." She left her hand on where the handle of her pistol should be. "I like to make noise."
...
I looked away and sighed.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong?"
That was soo weird, even for her.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey! What's so funny?"
I just shook my head as I walked back to where Bell had left, Lili following behind me.
We find the boy in a normal store with weapons and armor alike.
He was in the back of it, staring at a particular piece of metal.
"Something you like?" Asked.
"Ah, Yuri-san!"
Honorifics here are weird, but I'm not complaining.
"Uhm, maybe this..."
I approached the boy and took a look at what he had in his hands.
It was a kind of chestplate with a simple but interesting design. It had a drawing of a rabbit on the back and the name of a certain 'Welf Crozzo' above it.
"Crozzo, eh?"
"Eh!?"
We both turned to Lili, who walked over and snatched the piece of armor from Bell's hands.
"H-Hey..."
"Crozzo!?"
Someone famous?
I doubt it, after all, she herself explained that this floor only has rookie work.
"Is there a problem... Miss Lili?" Bell asked.
Lili was frowning as she looked a little too intensely at the piece of armor.
"Erm... sorry." She apologized, handing Bell the armor back. "It's just that..."
"It's because of the name, right?"
She nodded. "The Crozzos are a noble family that was in charge of making magical weapons... i-it just took me by surprise to see the name in here..."
Huh, well that's weird.
It must be a coincidence, right?
Looks like I'll get to ask someone about magic weapons after all.
That's assuming I ever meet this Welf guy in my life.
Bah, it's not that important anyway.
"Are you going to buy that?" I asked Bell, pointing to the armor.
The boy, for his part, was quite enthralled with the armor in question, so much so that I don't think he even managed to register my words.
"Uhm, Bell?"
"Pft, ah?"
"Are you... are you okay? It looks like you were drooling a bit."
"Oh."
The boy shook his head and looked at the box again.
It had a pricetag of 9,900 Valis.
I said I was going to spend money, so I'm going to do just that.
It doesn't mean it won't hurt later, I still can't shake that feeling of having lost a few million rubles overnight.
I just need to make millions here too, it shouldn't be that easy.
Hard, I meant hard.
Fuck, I just jinxed myself didn't I...?
"Are you going to take a gun with that? Remember I'm paying."
"Okay!"
Bell left the armor in its place and continued looking between the shelves of the store.
I, on the other hand, took the box with the armor and carried it towards the counter where there was a man reading a paper, surely the owner of the store.
He spared us a glance. "I'm surprised someone finally chose that one." He spoke, looking at the box.
I didn't bother to respond and simply waited for Bell to return.
"Does he really like this?" Lili asked as she examined a piece of the armor.
"Do you want a similar one?"
"Hmm... nah."
Bell returned a few seconds later with another dagger, this one with a much thinner blade and an interesting H-shaped handle design.
"This too... please."
I took the dagger in my hands. "And what the hell is this?"
It looked kinda weird.
"That's a Baselard, Yuri."
Oh, I see.
We paid for the items and left Babel shortly after.
"Very well, now the only thing left to do is get clothes for Lili." I said. "How about you choose the store?"
She didn't seem too pleased with the idea of buying clothes for her, but she still told us to follow her anyways.
We left the plaza and entered the streets full of people. Stores of different types selling interesting things.
Relics, books, more potions, and even adventuring supplies, which I find kind of funny.
Finally, after walking around for a while, Lili took us to a particular store, this one displaying small clothes of various designs in the windows.
"Oh, a clothing store for Pallums." Bell mentioned.
"Erm, yeah... it's not like Lili can buy clothes at any other store."
Interesting.
We entered the small establishment, (I had to crouch down slightly), and began to look at the clothes around.
"Just to make it clear, Lili won't accept anything remotely cute." She declared with a tone that demanded zero joking.
I, of course, grabbed a red dress that was hanging around and showed it off. "Really? I think you'd look good in this."
I laughed out loud when Lili turned red with embarrassment and snatched the garment from my hands.
"On second thought! You guys wait outside! I'll choose... something..."
"Yeah, you better do it because we're leaving until you have something else for yourself." I told. "Also, don't be shy with the money, we can earn more later."
"Tsk, alright, shut up already!"
I gave my money to Lili and we ended up getting kicked out of the place by her, so Bell and I sat outside the store, watching people walk by while she picked something out.
"Mister Yuri."
I turned to the boy. "Hm?"
"Uhm... what's the history between you and... Lili?"
Should I tell him...? I don't know if she wants to tell anyone else about... that.
I would be betraying her trust.
"Bad things happened to her." It was the only thing I decided to reveal to him. "Look, something will happen soon... something bad, I know it, so... I would like if you stayed with us after that, you're a good boy and..."
His confused look was somewhat amusing.
"Ugh, whatever." I tried to change the subject. "Do you think your goddess is looking for new recruits?"
"Ah?...oh, oh! You...!"
"Yeah." I interrupted. "And I think Lili might need a new Familia soon too."
"I-I... I'll make sure to tell my goddess!"
I laughed lightly. "I hope so, buddy."
Again, silence settled between us. I could hear Bell murmuring things in a cheerful tone, but I decided to ignore him as I checked my watch.
9:02.
We might as well take another break and train later.
Plus, I need to teach Lili how to use a sniper if we're going after those damn dinosaurs.
Will 7.62x51mm be enough...?
Maybe 7.62x54 R.
If not, then we would have to use 50 caliber, which is expensive... but I suppose it will do the job.
Fuck.
"Boy, do you know anything about these 'bloodsaurus'?"
"Not really... but if you want I could ask my Guild advisor, she should know more about the monsters of the Dungeon."
Hm, that would be helpful.
"Do that when you can." I told him. "I want to know how prepared I should be."
He nodded, agreeing with me.
We continued to sit for a few moments, simply waiting.
"Xa, postmotri na etogo mal'chika."
My ears caught a rather familiar language coming from my right.
Someone was talking about Bell.
I turned around and noticed a couple of guys staring at us while smoking cigarettes.
On any other day I would have ignored them, but the fact that they spoke Russian and that their way of dressing is quite peculiar by Orario standards led me to look at them for a while longer than I wanted.
Apparently, they noticed how intensely I was looking at them, so they said. "What are you looking at?" Although to Bell it sure sounded like any other gibberish: 'na chto ty smotrish?'.
They were both wearing raincoats that looked more like rags than anything else. Balaclavas that covered their faces except their eyes and mouth, as well as thick cloth gloves and worn work boots.
"Yuri-san?" Bell asked me as he saw the strange men, his eyes shining with some recognition as he saw how similar we were dressed.
"Give me a second, kid." I said to my protégé, then stood up and approached the strangers. "Hey." I greeted.
"Get lost." One of them told me. "Haha, you probably don't even understand us, cyka."
"Bitch, watch your mouth." I responded in their language, which left them quite perplexed. "I was just curious to see someone from home in this place of all things."
They both looked at me, then at each other, and back at me.
Then smiled.
"Damn, we didn't expect to find another compatriot here." One of them said as he threw away his cigarette and step on it with his boot. "Where do you come from? I take it you're not from Moscow, otherwise we would know."
"Ukraine." I answered honestly. "Retired Stalker, what about you?"
The other nodded in acceptance and responded. "Russia, Moscow." How strange, Russia doesn't have anomalies... right? "Well, technically the outskirts, there aren't many safe places left in Moscow after the bombs fell."
... bombs?
"Were you a Stalker? You must have some good stories to tell." The other said with a smile.
I ignored that about the bombs... for now.
"Yes, but that was a long time ago." I replied. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here?" I asked, trying to get information now that I seemed to have their trust.
"Eh, we can't say that because of the boss's orders but... we'll make an exception just because you're a Stalker." The other mentioned casually.
Huh, weird...
"Just because I'm a Stalker?"
They both looked at me like I had grown another head.
"Of course! It's your kind who go out to the cities and bring back cool stuff, so you deserve respect."
That is... huh.
Apparently, a lot happened in the week I was away from home.
"Well, back to topic..."
"Ah! Yes, we're here because we can."
Oh.
The other guy elbowed his partner, which earned a pained 'ow' from the other. "We are contrabandists, we bring and export goods." He explained. "We're here because we saw an opportunity to bring back some good resources from this... weird place."
Okey, the normal stuff.
Might as well make friends with these guys and earn some good trading opportunities.
"What exactly are you looking for?" I asked them. "Maybe I can help."
The guy put both hands in his pockets and motioned to the nearby magic lamp with his head. "Fuel, a way to keep machines operational without the need for fossils or stupid nuclear energy." He explained. "We can't afford either with the current state of things, so an alternative would be more than welcome... by any chance, you don't know how those street lamps work, do you? These people don't seem to know what the hell is oil."
I'm so grateful to Lili right now for taking the time to explain to me in detail the uses of magic stones.
"You're lucky, because I know the perfect energy replacement you're looking for."
Both guys looked at me with some disbelief, but kept their composure for the most part.
"Heh, did you hear that, Piotr?"
"More than sure, Vassily."
Vassily took out an old tape recorder from one of his pockets and pressed the record button. "Tell us everything."
At first, they took as a joke the fact that they were magic stones, but when I started to explain to them how those things were engraved in the culture of the people of Orario, they began to understand.
They asked me about the common uses, which I went into in detail, mentioning that they can be used as energy sources, almost like batteries according to the description that Lili gave me, as well as other certain tidbits that she mentioned from time to time.
When they asked me how the stones were obtained, I answered that in the Dungeon under the immense tower that was called Babel.
They were a little skeptical when I told them about the gods and the Familias, but they put their beliefs aside and accepted the madness of this place.
We continued talking until they mentioned an interesting fact.
"Yeah... all of that sounds good, but we can't really do much to get those stones right now."
Oh?
"The guys from the Guild... damn arrogant assholes, they noticed our presence and now they have us grabbed from the balls."
"Elaborate." I told him.
"The moherfuckers practically forced us to legitimize our activities when we tried to buy different assets for our operations." Boris replied as he took a puff of his cigarette. "Pigs, they told us that we need the support of a god to be considered in the commercial fund of the city, otherwise we would be sanctioned and placed under arrest."
I see.
"How about I act as an intermediary?"
They both seemed interested.
"I can go to the Dungeon and bring magic stones to you so that you can develop something with them, as well as other things that you ask for." I told them. "Of course, all for a price, I won't be able to help you at all on an empty stomach."
They both smiled. "We'll see what we can do on our part, but if you're really up for it." Vassily said as he took out a paper from his pocket. "Do you have a radio?" I nodded. "Okay, then write down this frequency, the password is 'sun that rises from the earth'... we'll be in contact."
With a final farewell, they disappeared in the alleys of the city.
I stayed there for a few seconds while I looked at the paper in my hands.
I put it in one of my pockets, I'm sure it's going to be quite useful later, in case I need supplies that could only be found on Earth.
I turned around and noticed Bell and Lili looking at me, confused.
"What was that?" Lili asked, carrying some paper bags in her hands. "Also, was that Russian?"
I nodded at her question.
"Oh, Mr. Yuri's language?"
"Yup." Once again I didn't bother to correct them as I concentrated on the change of clothes that Lili brought.
Well, she wasn't wearing anything that changed her style much.
Over her hooded top she wore a black sweater with a fabric design pattern similar to a Russian polkovnik, which is quite peculiar considering that there is no eastern influence on Orario.
Except for Asia, for some reason.
It still seems strange to me to see people here in Asian clothes.
It must be a coincidence.
Leaving that aside, I also noticed that she now had some red shorts with several pockets on the sides, quite practical.
She changed her cloth boots for more resistant leather ones, as well as the stockings with holes she had for similar ones, but in good condition.
She went from looking like a homeless person to looking like a quite decent homeless person.
"Why the sweater?" I asked.
"It has reinforcements inside." She replied as she turned the fabric over, showing patches of a thicker type of fabric underneath it all, as well as her belly in the process. "Besides, it's warm and comfortable... it's practical."
At least she has new clothes now.
"Whatever makes you happy." Was the only thing I said as she gave me my money back.
It only remained somewhere below 10,000.
"Uhm, I bought a couple more things..." She said, timidly.
"It's no big deal." I replied. "Anyway, how about we rest for today? We could go grab something to eat and get ready to go bloodsaurus hunting tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Lili asked. "Maybe tomorrow it's not the most appropriate..."
"Hm? Why?"
"Tomorrow is Monsterphilia, so the procedures to leave the city would be moved to when the event ends." She explained. "Which I think is fine, so we would have more time to train and..."
Remain hidden, I'm sure that's what she was going to say.
Kanu's threat still keeps her on alert, it seems.
"I see."
"What is monsterphilia?" Bell asked.
"It's just a show." She said. "Members of the Ganesha Familia are in charge of taming monsters in the Colosseum all day and... yeah, basically just that."
"Ohh..."
It sounds like an extreme sport kind of thing.
"Then let's go eat, then we'll see what to do next."
Lunch was interesting.
It was funny watching Yuri apologize to the owner of the place for the commotion last night, he looked so uncomfortable that I couldn't help but laugh.
Then I laughed more when Syr, the waitress, invited Bell to go to Monsterphilia, causing the boy to sputter as his cheeks turned red.
Plus, lunch was delicious.
It feels good to eat in company.
"Okay, get comfortable guys."
Right now we were in Yuri's bunker, Bell observing everything around while Yuri checked inside his metal chest.
I sat on the couch next to my backpack and just looked at the two of them.
"Tell me, Bell, have you ever held a crossbow in your hands?"
The boy stopped fiddling with his headphones and turned to Yuri. "Uhm... just a bow, although archery isn't my thing." He finished, scratching the back of his head nervously.
"Well, then this surely is going to be your thing."
He tossed a gun into the air that Bell caught in his hands without a hitch.
"What is this?"
"Sawed off IZH-43." He answered. "Double barrel shotgun, 12 gauge, vintage boomstick."
"Vin... tage?"
"Bell-san." I called him and made a sign for him to come closer and let me see the 'shotgun' better.
He showed me the gun and I noticed the wooden handle and handguard, giving it a rustic look, more like a small metal crossbow, so to speak.
"Looks cool..."
Bell just started examining the gun curiously.
That until I slapped his hand when he started looking down the barrels.
"Don't do that." I told him.
To his credit, he nodded and didn't do it again.
"Never look down the barrel of a gun, kid." We heard Yuri speak and we both turned to him, who now had a few long weapons hanging from his left shoulder and back. "They are made to kill and they don't discriminate... Lili, teach him some firearms safety."
Bell turned to me and I just sighed.
As Yuri's first unofficial student, it's my turn to teach the new one.
"Treat firearms as if they were always loaded." I spoke. "It won't make much sense to you now, but we'll get to that when we go to the shooting range."
"Shooting range?" He asked in confusion.
I smiled exasperatedly at the young man's ignorance. "Just wait until we get out."
Seconds later, Yuri spoke. "Have you finished meeting each other? I need some help here."
I, as his very good supporter, approached to help him carry the boxes with practice bullets that he took out of his metal box.
Bell followed my example and was given a weapon that almost matched him in size and easily passed me.
I didn't know how to feel about it.
I picked up my MP7 along the way and we left the bunker. We headed to the shooting range, which had new practice targets, as well as a couple of melons in the distance for some reason.
There was also another melon nearby, about 16 feet in front of the shooting range.
I put the metal containers aside and checked my own weapons.
I checked the chamber of my MP7, it was not loaded.
I put the safety on and continued with my PMM, which was in the same state.
Satisfied, I holstered my pistol and looked at the weapons Yuri had brought this time, Bell placing the other one next to the others.
There were three in total, one with a wooden stock and handguard, a long barrel and a small wide magazine, I had no idea what it was called, but it looked remotely similar to the rifle Yuri used in the Dungeon Pantry.
The other one had a completely different appearance than the previous one, black in color and with quite similar rails to my MP7 on which different types of accessories were placed. It had a straight and wide magazine, a little larger than the previous one. It was also overly modified, I think.
Then there was the gun that Bell brought, ridiculously sized and somewhat bulky, with a much wider magazine than the other two and with what is the longest barrel I have seen on a gun so far.
Bell was analyzing the weapons in a similar way but I doubt he could even understand them in the first place.
"Awesome, who wants to go first?"
I shrugged. "I guess Bell." I told. "And the radio?"
He pulled out his 'PDA' and threw it at me. I caught it in the air and turned it on, then searched for the radio.
He had taught me how to use it the same day he gave me the PMM, he said something like it would help me a lot.
I have no idea how, but I guess it just makes searching for the radio easier.
I turned up the volume and left it on the flat stone we used as a table. The 'electronic' melody (according to Yuri) being quite pleasant to hear.
"Brilliant." I heard Yuri whisper. "Plastinki, one of my favorites."
My chienthrope ears perked up slightly upon hearing that.
"What do the lyrics say?" I asked.
He chuckled. "Don't worry about it, just enjoy the melody."
Oh well.
Yuri snapped his fingers in front of Bell. "Bring that box and give me that thing."
The boy walked over and grabbed one of the metal boxes, its contents jingling every time he took a step towards Yuri, who had opened the IZH-43 shotgun as if he were breaking a twig.
"Open the box and give me two shells."
When the lid of the container was opened, I could see several objects similar to bullets, only wider in size and red in color.
"What are these, Mr. Yuri?"
"12 gauge." Was his response as Bell handed him two of said cartridges. "A bunch of lead balls stuffed inside a closed space the size of your thumb and with gunpowder as a propellant."
He proceeded to insert both cartridges into each of the exposed holes of the weapon, the back of the barrels, and then close it again with an audible click that indicated that it was ready to be fired.
With a single hand, he aimed at the nearest melon in the shooting range and pulled the trigger.
The fruit exploded in the same way that the monsters on the upper floors did when he used that other stockless weapon.
So that was a shotgun too?
"Wow!" Bell exclaimed, not having been prepared for the flash of the shot or the sound of the gun.
I was already somewhat used to it, but with these sensitive chienthrope ears, it's a pain.
I returned to normal and put on the headphones.
Yuri placed his other hand under the wooden handguard and brought the weapon up to shoulder height, aiming at a wooden target at a relatively close distance.
Half of the target flew into pieces and splinters when the 'lead pellets' hit it.
Yuri pushed the lever on the gun with his thumb and opened the double-barreled shotgun again, then shook it slightly vertically, letting the two smoking spent cartridges fall to the ground.
That looked pretty cool...
"Illegal in several countries due to the size of its barrel, perfect for short distances and with stopping power like no other." He spoke while signaling the targets. "The IZH-43 is everything a close-quarters fighter will need when in a pinch." He closed the shotgun and turned it in his hands, the handle pointed at Bell as he handed it to him. "There are much better things than this, I let you know, but for someone who is just starting to learn about firearms, this is all you'll need for now."
Bell, with stars in his eyes, took the shotgun in his hands and stared at it for a few seconds.
"How do I use it?"
I watched from afar as Yuri instructed Bell.
"Use this to open the gun, then insert the shells here and close it." I heard him talking while I double-checked my weapons. "After that, just pull the trigger and make sure what's in front of you is really what you want to shoot." With a pat on the shoulder and a "don't kill yourself", I watched him leave Bell and approach me with a small smile.
"Happy for something?" I asked him jokingly.
"Be honest with me, Lili." Hmm? "How good of an aim are you?"
Hmmm.
"We Pallum have good eyesight." I told. "Much better than any other race because we can also see in the dark."
"Then this will be much easier." He answered. "Come here."
I put my MP7 aside and followed him to the weapons he had brought.
"Alright, pick one." He pointed to the rifles on the stone table. In the distance I could hear Bell fire his gun and exclaim with excitement. "From left to right, SVD, SR-25 and M82, calibers 7.62x54, 7.62x51 and 50."
I just stared at the weapons with slight shock.
Those are much larger calibers than 9x18... right? I don't really know much about bullets and all that.
Hm, maybe he'll teach me about it later.
He raised the other three metal boxes I brought over the stone and opened them, revealing some bullets much larger than what I put in my PMM...
Oh dear, that bullet is a lot bigger than my hand...
"Pick the one you want to start with."
"Eh?"
"I have somewhat of a plan for the monsters Naaza wants us to kill, nothing too complicated." He told me. "You'll make sure we get out of this alive, so I'm going to teach you how to handle sniper rifles."
Sniper? Like... a sniper archer?
"Well? Choose one."
I shook my head and took the one that appeared to be the shortest, 'SR-25' as Yuri called it. Plus it looked elegant.
"Yup, good choice." He mentioned. "7.62x51mm from NATO, an organization you shouldn't worry about, you probably won't even hear about them unless it's from me... leaving that aside, this particular rifle has been customized by me, with my money and with my contacts... so take good care of it."
I tightened my grip on the gun, lest I drop it...
"The standard stock was replaced with a Sopmod LMT, the grip is from an HK and the sight is an Eotech Vudu SR-1... there is also the Gemtech silencer, the AFG-2, the Pilad P1 to the side and the Lopro Mini.. "
The more he mentioned how many accessories the gun had, the more nervous it made me feel while holding it.
"How much did it cost...?" I asked.
He put a hand to his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "A few million..."
Whether it was Valis or another currency, it still made me feel like I was holding the weapon of... I don't know, the Kenki?
"Maybe... we better go with another weapon?"
"No, no... just... use it, weapons are meant to be used." He replied while laughing lightly. "It would be better if you to use it than let it continue accumulating dust."
Even so...
Carefully, I approached the flat stone and rested the weapon on it.
It was heavy, but my 'Artel Assist' skill helped me with that, so I could carry it normally.
It doesn't mean that I can easily maneuver this rifle that is literally my size.
Without the danger of dropping it, I found the button to remove the magazine and was able to take a look at the type of bullet.
So this is 7.62x51mm.
I replaced the magazine and tapped the bottom cover to make sure it was in place.
The only thing I don't know now is how to check the chamber.
"It's like the charging handle on your MP7." He told me, him always knowing what I was thinking for some reason.
Hm...
I pulled the charging handle behind the top rail back enough to see that there was no bullet in the chamber through the hole on the right.
Welp.
I pulled it all the way and, with a metallic click, the gun was loaded and ready to fire.
I took a deph breath.
Yuri was at my left, so when I looked at him, he gave me a thumbs up.
I looked at Bell to my right, him having stopped shooting and was now looking at me scrutinizingly.
I knelt down and, with the weapon resting on the stone, I looked through the Eotech scope.
Woah.
"If you want to change the zoom, move the lever above the scope to the right." Yuri explained. "Move it to the left if you want to decrease it."
With my free hand, I started rotating the lever and, to my little surprise, this thing could get really close to the target, a melon over 70 meters away.
I adjusted the 'zoom' to where I was comfortable and placed my left hand on the stock, my right holding the handle and one finger on the trigger.
"Does it have the safety on?"
"I dunno, check if you're not sure."
Hush...
Sure enough, I had to take the safety off the gun.
"Shoot when you're ready."
I relaxed my body and inhaled deeply, holding my breath when my lungs were filled enough.
...
I pulled the trigger and the butt of the gun pushed hard into my shoulder while the bullet exploded the fruit in the distance.
I stopped aiming and rubbed my arm because it hurt a little.
"Spectacular." Was Yuri's compliment. "You're a prodigy at this."
"Miss Lili has very good aim..." Bell mentioned in amazement.
If I keep hanging out with these two, I don't know what will grow more, if my ego or my self-esteem.
I let out the air I had in my lungs with a small laugh that only I could hear.
With a confidence I didn't knew I had in me, I smiled sideways and told them. "Stop it, you'll make Lili blush."
"Shoot again and tell me what you think."
I adjusted the rifle again and looked through the scope.
Hmmm.
I decreased the zoom.
It's still pretty interesting that there are things like this where Yuri comes from...
If they were sold here, it would make a fortune in no-time.
Although I don't think he would want to sell his weapons.
Meh.
I pulled the trigger again, but this time I was prepared for the recoil. The bullet caught a metal target and spun it on the branch it was hanging from.
Awesome.
I put down the gun and took off my headphones to rub my ears.
Those things can be kind of uncomfortable sometimes.
"And?"
"It's great." I told him what I thought of the gun. "Although a little big for my taste... still, I can see why you called it a sniper rifle."
"Good, good..." Silence reigned for a few seconds. "Do you think it can kill a bloodsaurus?"
Ah?
"W-Well, I've heard that they are very big monsters, so I couldn't tell you..."
"Tsk, how big?"
I remember some high-level adventurers talking about that a long time ago. "Like a small building."
Yuri bit his lip and stood there, thinking for a few seconds.
I turned to Bell, who was also a little confused and shrugged as his gaze met mine.
"Fuck."
"Oi, that's not nice."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry..." He sighed. "Take the SVD and try a few shots with it, then tell me what you think... Also, Bell! Why are you not shooting?"
"H-How do you open this again...?"
He laughed. "Come here boy!"
While he continued teaching Bell, I put the SR-25 aside and approached the SVD.
It was almost the same size, if not a little bigger, which meant it was also bigger than me.
It was starting to annoy me.
This weapon had much fewer accessories than the previous one, only carrying a telescopic sight on top similar to the other rifle he used in the pantry.
Still, it had style... I guess? It looked like that other weapon... I don't remember its name, but it also had wooden parts.
Something related to that 'stupid Soviet engineering'?
Eh...
I went to the same spot and crouched next to the rock I used to support the SR-25, applying the same technique with this SVD.
The design of this gun is too different from my MP7 or the SR-25, so it took me a little longer to find the button to release the magazine... because it wasn't a button, but a lever directly behind the stupid magazine.
I checked the ammo, which was a similar size to the previous one.
I guess it makes sense, the numbers were similar.
7.62x51... 7.62x54...
Bah.
I looked through the scope, which I don't think has a way to change the zoom of it.
There was a button on the side, bug it made the image inside the scope light up in a red color.
Interesting.
"Did you understand?"
"Yes!"
"Good, Lili!"
I blew on a lock of hair that made me itch. "Yeah?"
"Why haven't you shot yet?"
"The sight is weird."
"Ah, that..." He walked over and knelt next to me. "That's a PSO-1 telescopic sight, it was born in the 60s and, curiously, it came supplied with the same rifle you're holding now."
I turned the SVD in my hands.
"Yup, you have a piece of history right there." He laughed. "Anyway, the PSO-1 is outdated, but it gets the job done." With his index finger he touched the button that turned off the red glow inside the scope. "The numbers and stripes on the lower left serve to compensate for the fall of the bullet since, as you know, it falls to the ground."
Duh, it's called gravity.
"From right to left, you have from 200 to 1000 meters away, the marks help you position a 5'7 person, use it as a reference." He explained. "In addition, the other notchs below the central mark are used to calculate shots from 1100, 1200 and 1300 meters, perfect for the most talented of everyone, like the great markswoman that you are."
Hmph.
"Giving me compliments all the time won't do you any good, you know?"
He ignored me with a smile. "The lines that cross the sight from left to right serve to compensate for the deviation of the bullet caused by the wind." Oh, like arrows. "It will take some time, but once you get used to it, shooting with this scope will be like second nature to you."
It sounds too complicated, but I like the challenge.
I turned the reticle back on, because I liked it better in red, and focused on the quick little lesson he gave me.
I tried to check the chamber of the gun by pulling on what I think was the charging handle, but it wouldn't let me pull it all the way. Still, I could see that there was nothing inside.
Hm?
"The safety of weapons with a similar design to that of the AK directly locks the charging handle, try lowering the lever on the right."
I did that and cocked the weapon again, the bullet entering the chamber with a satisfying click.
Hehe.
I put my headphones back on with my left hand and then rested it on the stock.
I took a deep breath and looked through the scope.
When I pulled the trigger, I found that the recoil was different, with a little more power you might say. Maybe it's because the bullet packs more punch...? The number is bigger after all.
Still, the padding on the back of the stock helped in not hurting my shoulder that much.
Oh, and the other melon also exploded when the bullet found its mark.
Yipee.
"Try another one."
I, again, took a deep breath to stabilize the gun.
Another shot, a considerable piece of tree bark flying off as the bullet hit its trunk and the target hung at its front.
This is absurdly cool.
I love firearms, I'm not going to deny it.
"And?"
"I still don't think its going to kill a Bloodsaurus..." I lied because I was still curious about that last weapon. "But this one is great too, 10 out of 10, Lili would shoot it again."
"Heh, well, here I have something more convincing for you then." He responded as he approached the last weapon that was on the table. "Barret M82, a weapon from the 80s that, due to its incomparable firepower, became famous in different armies of the countries where I come from."
Hm? Countries? 80s?
"It's approximately 57 inches tall, 29 of which belongs to the cannon, and it weighs around 14 kilograms, although I don't think that will be much of a problem for you, Lili."
Well, carrying things is certainly my specialty, as much as I dislike it.
"Come, I'll shoot this one."
Oh-hoh?
I followed him towards the same rock I was leaning on and saw him deploy two metal rods that the Barret had under the handguard.
"What's that?" I asked for.
"A bipod, helps with stabilization." He answered me while removing a cover that blocked the telescopic sight he was carrying, one of a similar design to that Eotech, but at the same time different. "This weapon uses the 12.7x99mm caliber or more commonly called .50 BMG, mostly because it is a caliber that has been around since the beginning of the 20th century, the meaning of BMG being something that you probably don't care much about... although I could explain it to you, but not now."
20th century...?
As always, these little history lessons don't make any sense, but I'm afraid he'll stop telling them if I said that to him.
They are indeed interesting, but nothing that I can understand well.
History of where he comes from, I guess.
He knelt on the ground and rested the bipod on the rock, the massive butt of the weapon against his shoulder and his hands on the handle and over the sights.
"This particular caliber of bullet is known for its excellent penetration capabilities and how devastating it can be against organic targets."
He opened the bolt of the gun and, curiously, there was no bullet inside the chamber or magazine.
"Hand me one of those." He pointed me to one of the boxes of bullets I brought.
I handed him the projectile larger than my hand and he loaded it into the chamber, releasing the bolt after that, the exaggerated sound of metal rubbing against metal being... oddly satisfying.
"Do you want to know something funny? There was a fourth melon, can you guess where it is?"
I could notice Bell scanning the shooting range for any sign of the fruit, but to no avail.
At first glance, I couldn't see it either, but taking into account the previous explanation, it's surely behind something to demonstrate the 'penetration' capacity of the bullet or whatever.
"See that wall over there?" He pointed to the wall of a partially destroyed house about 100 meters or more away. "I measured it, 8 inches of pure concrete, which seems a little absurd to me for a single-story house, but it serves as a good example now."
He released the safety and, after a few seconds of anticipation, pulled the trigger.
I could notice that the sound was still loud even with the headphones on.
With the wall collapsing in the distance and the remains of the melon raining from the sky, it's safe to say the .50 cal is pretty convincing.
...
Convincingly ridiculous.
"Yup..."
Funny thing that some of Yuri's phrases stuck to me.
"That will surely kill a bloodsaurus." I said
"Right?"
"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" I could hear Bell scream. "That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
Likewise, Bell, likewise...
I crouched down next to Yuri. "Can I shoot it?"
"So what's stopping me from just killing you and taking what you offer by force?"
Tsk...
"The local authorities wouldn't allow it, sir..." I replied while clenching my teeth tightly, these guys made me angry. "You would need the support of a god to avoid raising too many suspicions."
"Ha ha ha." It was his dry laugh. "So... Soma Familia, right?"
Despite being just a couple of strangers, I felt like I was making a deal with the devil.
Still, the rewards outweigh the rest.
"Yes, that and more." I said to the man with dilated pupils in front of me. "Bring the girl and kill whoever is with her, painfully if you can."
The man smiled deviusly, a sight that sent shivers from the tip of my tail to my ears.
"Very good." He extended his hand. "As long as you are loyal, we may have a future use for you."
His gloved hand was in front of me, waiting...
I looked to my side, Ged was leaning against a wall and looking at me with anticipation and some fear, as well as the others.
I shook my hand with his.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
When I could hear the distant sounds of civilization beginning its day, I knew I had to open my eyes.
I stared at the ceiling of my bunker for a solid 30 seconds before sitting on the couch and stretching my arms.
From where I was, I could see Lili's sleeping form on my bed, lying on her side and tightly hugging the only pillow I had. Her white coat and giant backpack were next to my workbench.
Yesterday we spent the rest of the afternoon training with the sniper rifles and shooting guns just because we could.
I taught Bell other shotguns and Lili how to handle a sniper rifle better by example.
At the end of it all, Bell retreated to his basement when the sun began to set, so we said goodbye to him and, together with Lili, we began storing away all the equipment.
It was there that Lili asked me if she could stay the night.
I didn't refuse, of course, so I let her have my bed while I slept on the couch.
Maybe she feels safer with me or she just doesn't want to go home. Either way, I wasn't going to close the door in her face.
After all, she is still harassed by those idiots from the Soma Familia.
At least I'm glad she can trust me more.
...
Maybe the contrabandists will be willing to give me some manpower to deal with that problem if I do them a few favors.
Speaking of favors.
I stood up and, as quietly as I could, picked up the radio that was inside my vest on the floor.
I took the paper out of my jacket and started changing frequencies.
Well, what was it...?
I cleared my throat. "Sun that rises from the earth..."
There was no response for a few seconds.
"Embrace us with your warmth and take us back." Came a hoarse voice from the radio. "You must be the Stalker my boys contacted."
Ha.
"They told me that you guys need a battery change."
I could hear Lili growl slightly, so I turned around and noticed she was opening her eyes.
"Hello sunshine." I said to her, although I doubt she understood me with how sleepy she was.
"Yes, and I would greatly appreciate if you demonstrated with your actions what you told my boys."
"Who... are you talking to?" She asked me while keeping her eyes half closed, probably still sleepy.
"Don't worry about it, keep sleeping." I told her, lowering the tone of my voice, and then pressed the button on the radio to speak. "Consider that done, however, I was wondering if there's anything..."
"Xaxa, a price, right?"
Silence.
"Shoot."
What I need most now is a way to protect Lili and Bell from bullets.
"Tactical vests and plate carriers if you can, nothing too expensive."
With that, I could make custom equipment for them.
I heard the man growl over the radio before answering. "Okay, I'll have your order in a few days... anything else?"
Huh?
"Come again?"
"You're about to solve an energy crisis, boy." He replied, sounding somewhat irritated. "Come on, I can give you something better than damn vests, so talk."
In that case...
"Lili."
"Hm?" She opened her eyes again and looked at me sleepily.
"Do you want chocolate?"
I don't know 'bout you guys, but I think the titles go really hard.
Maybe it's just me...
Well, Lili got to shoot DMRs, now she do be packing heat.
And I'm sorry for the grammar errors, my eyesight It's not what it was before, so things tend to slip. Again, sorry.
Anyways, to Lotus questions, uhm...
Forgot that pallums can see in the dark... I didn't commit the error of saying that Lili can't see in the dark, right...?
Also, the god thing was a joke.
I mean, if I feel something up in the sky look at me then I'll think the same.
To the other question, Yuri is somewhere around 20 to 30, I wanted to reveal his age in a joke but didn't find the right time to do for now. So he looks quite young but not that much, although he would look younger if he gets rid of his beard.
Miach calling him a boy? uhm...
If I were thousands of years old, I'd be treating everyone like children too xD.
He had probably seen some nasty shit in the past too (counting on the dark age of Orario that is) so there's that.
Abnormal resistance would probably protect against radiation and other effects like psy attacks. I mean, it's literally in the name, so maybe I could use it to add even more plot armor =p
Actually, posting this on Wattpad so people can help me with their reviews is pretty clever, I'll try it later, if I'm not busy... playing stalker that is.
I absolutely recommend Stalker Anomaly with the Desolation Mod, along with its hotfix 8. It gives a lot of options for customization of weapons and I love it.
I currently have this abomination of an AK that has like 0 ergonomics and is heavy af.
Also, to the guest that wanted a story about Lili learning guns... I FEEL YOUR PAIN! THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I DECIDED TO TAKE MATTERS ON MY OWN HAND AND WRITE THIS.
Also because I like Stalker a lot and found that it could fit with danmachi.
I originally thought about meshing the two universes together, like the dungeon being a portal between worlds so that the people in Orario could go to the Zone and all of that shit. I got a whole plot inspired by "Into The Radius" about Bell being a Stalker but it was unfortunately lost.
But that was a long while ago, in a time when I wasn't really confident in my own writing skills, so I doubted I could pull off something like that.
Getting a plot out of my ass is really painful, so I just really wait 'till the ideas hit me in the shower. That's the second reason I'm writing this, because it was the idea of the moment.
I tried to write this same story before, but I'm ashamed that it was kind of cliché, so this is more like a rewrite with a bit of "remastered" on top.
It didn't even have a prologue before xd...
Anyways, my account on Wattpad is in my bio.
And yeah, that's all.
Peace.
~ Moi