Deeper They Go for More Trouble

Somewhere on Floor 13 of the Dungeon, Mikoto and her group who were bravely going through the Dungeon to get further down are now running away with one of their own being very wounded with an axe on her back.

Mikoto saw three Almiraji coming at the group from behind and she quickly killed two with a single slash and stabbed one through the stomach.

"Mikoto! Come on! Don't fall behind!" Ouka called out.

"Right." Mikoto nodded as she sheathed her sword and regroup with the others.

Mikoto look at one of her comrades and friends being carried on Ouka's back and feeling worse for herself that she couldn't do anything to protect her from one of the monsters' attacks on them earlier on this floor just when things were going well for them.

"(Hang on, Chigusa. We'll get you all healed up soon, I promise.)" Mikoto thought determined.

"I'm sorry, but we can't afford to lose anybody." Ouka apologized with the tone of hating himself for letting this happen.

"There is no need for you to apologize, Sir Ouka. The party needs to stick together." Mikoto believed.

"Look out! Hellhounds!" One of the party members alerted of black wolf monsters coming towards them.

"There's a room up ahead! Let see if we can hide in there!" Ouka hoped they could lose these mutts.

(With Bell's Group)

Fighting against a horde of Almirajis was a little easy for them at first until more and more started to show up, putting the Hestia Party to fight a little harder, the white rabbit monsters continue to hop on their attacks on them.

"GET AWAY?!" Mirim swings her sword to cut through six of them at once.

Risty and Welf destroy two to three of them each while Lili quickly fires her arrows at the foot of each Almiraji for Bell and Leina destroying them with their own attack.

"Please tell me we're getting close to finish?" Mirim asked, starting to feel a little exhausted.

"I don't know, they just keep coming." Welf panted.

"I heard the old saying about rabbits multiplying, but this is fuck up ridiculous." Risty angered of the situation they're in.

"(I knew coming down here would be tougher, but I didn't think it would be this tough.)" Leina thought feared something bad could happen to them at any moment.

"Try pushing through, we have to make it. Somehow." Bell said, refusing to lose hope.

The Takemikazuchi Familia kept running from the monsters until he stops upon seeing something up ahead and Mikoto caught up to him.

"Sir Ouka, they're starting to catch up to us! We need to retreat and come up with a new strategy." Mikoto suggested, and then look towards the group Ouka is looking at.

"(That boy with the white hair, isn't he…)" Mikoto thought recalled hearing tales about a white-haired boy with amazing feats.

"We're gonna have to run through them, Mikoto." Ouka said much to Mikoto's dismay.

"We can't do that! They're in trouble." Mikoto refused to leave their problems on to another Party group.

"I'm much more concerned about the lives of my own team members than a bunch of strangers." Ouka stated.

Mikoto didn't like this idea and she knows that her teammates do, but with the monsters chasing them and one of their teammates down there is nothing else they could do except to run back up to the surface and get Chigusa the help for her injury.

"Look, I know you don't agree with on this, but you can yell at me all you want later!" Ouka said as he ran ahead, going through with his idea.

Mikoto really hated how her group are forced to be put in a situation like this but feared she can't have a say in the matter.

While Bell and Leina are fighting off the monster rabbit, they saw another group running for their lives and ran past them without even looking at them for a second.

"It looks like we aren't the only ones having a tough time." Risty commented on seeing that group.

"Uh-oh! It's not over yet!" Lili alerted, fearing of what that group just did.

"They pass paraded us!" Lili shouted in rage.

Then a bunch of Hellhounds came into the room howling viciously as they have found some new prey to feast on.

"Oh no, now there are evil wolves!" Mirim gasped.

"Damn it, those fuckers left these wolves with us now!" Risty cursed.

"We'll have to retreat for now! Lili, see any way we can go?" Leina asked.

"Yeah, head for that passage!" Lili pointed at one path.

The Hestia group hurry onto the path as the two group of monsters ran after them while Mikoto's group is running to safety, but the swordswoman did not like how this had gone and wish they could've found a better way.

"I'm not sure if we can keep running like this!" Mirim pointed out in fear.

"Just keep running! They're gonna catch us if we don't run faster!" Lili said.

"I got this!" Bell stopped and turned around to unleash a big Firebolt right at the Hellhounds killing some of them.

But three more Hellhounds jump in to attack the white hair boy only for Mirim to step in and the red forcefield activate protect herself and Bell from the Hellhounds which Risty used her Boomerang Mace skill to destroy them.

"Is everyone still in one piece?" Leina asked.

"I'm exhausted, but no injuries on me." Welf informed.

"We're still alive and kicking ass…" Risty said but heard some growling sounds.

"Come on…!" Mirim exclaimed as she fell on her knees.

"Just how many more are coming?" Leina asked.

"I'm sorry, Lady Leina, but that just how the lower floors like this one works." Lili said.

"You know, this reminds me of what Ryuu said to us about the Dungeon, back when we were eating at Hostess of Fertility." Leina mentioned.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think about that too." Bell nodded, remembering what Ryuu said to them.

"Mr. Cranel, Miss. Vance."

(Flashback)

"The Dungeon is a cruel place. It'll overwhelm you with small challenges until eventually you're left with an impossible and painful burden." Ryuu warned to the two rookie Adventurers.

"Like the Dungeon is trying to break one's will?" Leina asked.

"…You could say that. You buckle, you give in, and you collapse like a castle made of sand." Ryuu said with the upper half of her face being covered by the shadow of her hair.

(Flashback End)

Bell, Leina, and everyone in the group continues to fight through the horde of the middle floor monsters, doing their very best to fight off as many monsters as possible while staying together.

"You don't have time to rethink your strategy. So, once its prey cries out in anguish, weaken to the point of exhaustion."

Bell notices some small pieces of stone falling from above and looks up with his eyes widening to see the ceiling is starting to crumble.

"The Dungeon finally bears its true fangs."

"(No… There's more!)" Bell thought gasped.

The ceiling collapsed with some bat monsters coming down and the place has some more big rocks in the way, everyone was lucky that they gather around Mirim, and she quickly use the forcefield to protect them though it causes her to feel exhausted even more.

"I… I'm not sure if I can keep doing that." Mirim panted with her cheeks blushing.

"Just hang in there, we'll get through this! Somehow…" Leina hoped for something of a plan to get them out of this.

And then two Hellhounds from the higher point on top of some piles of rocks, and they're both ready to unleash their fire breath attack.

"(The middle floors… They are indeed stronger than we thought… But even so, I refuse to give up!)" Leina thought clutched onto her sword, not wanting to go down like this.

"Wait a minute… Down!" Leina realized something.

"Lady Leina?" Lili noticed that look on Leina's face.

"Everyone, I got an idea to lose these monsters!" Leina shouted as she pointed her sword down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, girl! What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Risty asked, getting a bad feeling about this.

"I hope you all can forgive me for this, but it's the only way for us to survive!" Leina said with her sword glowing golden bright.

"Are you fucking crazy! We don't even know if we'll survive this?!" Welf yelled.

"We have to trust Leina on this!" Bell decided to go with Leina's plan.

"Now you're crazy!" Welf yelled at Bell for agreeing to do this.

"It's not like we have anything else left to lose." Risty sighed.

"Here goes! Dragon Tail!" Leina unleashed her attack on the floor below them hoping for an escape from these monsters.

(With Hestia)

Something didn't seem right to the Goddess of the Hestia Familia; her children should have come home by now since it has already been one day when they were going for the 13th floor of the Dungeon, and it feels a little longer.

Hestia hurries over to the Guild hoping to find out what is happening to her children.

"You look like you're in a hurry." Echidna said, running up to the Goddess.

"Echidna!" Hestia surprised to see her here.

"I was on my way to your place to see if you needed some company, but something tells me you're gonna need more than that." Echidna explained.

"You're right, I need to know if Bell and the others are back yet." Hestia nodded.

(The Guild)

After making their way to the Guild, they saw Eina working there which is good since she helps with Bell and all, Hestia told her about Bell's group going to the 13th floor and has not been back since yesterday.

"What? That is awful! Are they still down there?" Eina asked, feeling horrified about this dark news.

"I can only assume so." Hestia nodded.

"I haven't seen them around and they obviously haven't been here either, haven't they?" Echidna asked.

"No, they haven't. At least I haven't seen them." Eina shook her head.

"What about you two?" Eina asked her co-workers, but they haven't seen the group either.

"Something tells me they're in deep trouble, and I'm just talking about the floor they're on." Echidna felt her instincts are telling her that they're in big trouble.

"In that case, I will order a request to go in the Dungeon to find Bell and the others!" Hestia decided, and Eina wasted no time getting that in.

"Bold move you're doing, Goddess Hestia. But you do know that going down there is gonna be very risky since you and the other deities have sealed away your divine powers, and there's also the fact of what happens when a God dies." Echidna pointed out the danger.

"I know, but I can't just stand still when something is happening to my children." Hestia said, showing her determination to go find Bell and the others to make sure they are okay.

"Hestia." A voice said.

Hestia and Echidna turn around to see the God Takemikazuchi along with Mikoto and Ouka.

"Take?" Hestia surprised and confused.

"Anything we can help you with?" Echidna asked.

(Down Floor 15)

By some miracle, Hestia Party are still in one piece and every single one of them is alive as they are walking together with Bell carrying Mirim for support and Risty doing the same with Leina.

"You doing okay, Blondie?" Risty asked.

"Yes, just exhausted from having to use my energy for that one attack." Leina answered.

"Man, how awesome are we? We managed to escape those monsters by going down two floors." Welf pointed out that not any rookie party members could do that.

"I was hoping we'd go upstairs." Mirim exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we're still okay and we just need to hold on until we can find the exit." Bell said, hoping to find one soon.

But when the group made a turn hoping for a staircase that could lead them up, they come across another dead end with no way to find a path to escape the Dungeon.

"Fuck, this is getting us nowhere." Risty cursed.

"Now, what do we do?" Mirim asked, and clenches onto Bell when a monster roar can be heard.

"Bell, I'm scared." Mirim said.

"Don't worry, we'll figure out a way." Bell promised.

"Lili, Risty, isn't there any place on the Dungeon that can be like a safe haven for us to rest for a while and maybe find some help to get back up?" Leina asked.

Lili and Risty do some thinking about where to find a place to rest up, and then they remember about one place that they could definitely go to rest up though that all depends on getting their alive.

"There is one place in mind, but it's risky." Risty said.

"Yes, we have to make our way down to Floor 18." Lili suggested.

"But that's further down? The monsters are only going to get stronger!" Welf pointed out.

"Just listen, you idiot! Floor 18 is actually a safe zone for us!" Risty yelled a little.

"A safe zone?" Leina confused a little.

"Yes, it's a place where monsters don't actually appear down there, none at all. We can definitely rest there; we could also meet up with higher level adventurers who might be on their way out of the dungeon. We'll have a better chance of surviving this." Lili explained.

"I'm glad to hear there are safe zones in the dungeon." Leina smiled.

"Yeah, but there's only several of them." Risty said.

"So, we do we go to Floor 18?" Bell asked.

"See that wide opening over there? That is called a pit, it's a great shortcut that'll get us to Floor 18 by going straight down and there are more of them in the middle floors too." Risty pointed at a pit with her mace.

"Yes, it's the most useful path when being overwhelmed by monsters." Lili nodded.

"But what about the floor boss? Some of them are huge, like the one on Floor 17." Welf asked.

"Floor boss! No! Please don't make us fight one too!" Mirim scared.

"Will you cool it? We don't have to fight one at all!" Risty stated.

"The boss on floor 18 is known as Goliath, but the Loki Familia should've already beaten him. And when you should consider his average recovery time, we should barely make it." Lili explained.

"Oh my, it looks like the steaks are very high." Leina commented.

"But even so, I believe we have to do this. Right, Bell?" Leina looked to her beloved as he knows this is the only way for them to survive.

"Right." Bell nodded.

But then the group heard footsteps coming, Bell and Lili quickly prepare themselves while Welf grabs onto his sword just in case.

"Hello, are you all fellow Adventurers?" A young woman asked.

"Oh, it's just a girl. And a very cute one." Welf grinned, but Lili just smacks him with an elbow on his side.

"I am so glad to have found other people! I've been stuck on this Dungeon floor for over two days and the hiding places I've been in aren't working anymore! I need help!" The young woman explained.

"Don't worry, we're just about to head somewhere that'll be safe." Bell said.

"Thank you, my name is Menace and I am in your care for the time being." Menace introduced herself and bowed at Bell.

Menace is a well-toned young adult female with black hair and blue eyes. She wears is adorned with an elegant golden headpiece with a cobra at its center. She wears a jeweled breast plate that reaches only midway through her bust along with blue and white striped panties below a translucent cloth at her front. Her arms are also wrapped with a white cloth. Breasts size: G-cup.

"Wait, did you actually come here all by yourself?" Risty asked.

"Yeah, I've been doing this on my own for around a year now and only been on the upper floors. I thought I was ready for the lower ones, but I underestimated on how dangerous the Dungeon truly is. And gone down further than I originally intended." Menace answered.

"Kinda like me." Bell chuckled.

"Wait, white hair… red eyes… Are you by any chance Bell Cranel?" Menace asked.

"Save the questions for later. We gotta make our way down to floor 18 now." Risty stated and everyone quickly made their way. And hopefully there won't be any monsters along the way.

KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!

Bell and his group have found out the hard way of how dangerous the middle floors are when it comes to the monsters trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers and strength, let's hope they'll be able to find their way to the safe zone with a new face joining them.

KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!