Thanks to the sounds of the city starting its day, I returned to my senses.
My body felt hot and my eyes heavy.
Seconds passed until my vision adjusted to the darkness of my shelter.
I took a deep breath of the cold morning air and looked around. I could feel the weight of Lili's head on my lap, she was still sleeping.
I noticed my PDA on the floor, turned off, probably out of battery.
I have several more packs of batteries, but I still have to be careful about deliberately spending those things.
Well...
I slowly moved Lili off of me and she grunted when she no longer had my thigh under her head, settling into a ball and hugging the pillow in her arms tighter.
It was funny seeing her like that.
I should buy more pillows...
I adjusted my boots, picked up my PDA and left it on the table.
Good, I think it's time to do that order for magic stones.
I have a few saved, but if I want to gain a good reputation with the people who can smuggle tactical gear across worlds, then I need to impress them.
Maybe we can test the waters on the eighth floor. My two little companions have guns, so we might be able to do it... although they still need practice, so I'd have to guide them.
It shouldn't be difficult, depending on how much they are willing to listen to me.
Although... no, there shouldn't be a problem with that.
I know that they both trust me, so they will certainly listen and follow my advice and orders.
They're rookies, but they're certainly not like the misfits I had as a unit two years ago.
It's a damn miracle that we all made it out alive after spending a month together in the Zone, no doubt a mix of luck with, I'll sound a little arrogant, my ability to guide them.
That month was the first of my stay in that shitty place and it certainly served as a trial by fire.
I wonder what happened to them...
Fuck Makarov, but the others were... uh, peculiarly funny.
They made that boring place something more passable.
Whatever.
I grabbed a pack of batteries from my shelf and swapped them with the dead ones from my PDA, turned it on and again left it on my table.
Being as quiet as I could, I grabbed the same AK-74M from yesterday and used my tools to remove the mount along with the scope and replace it with a PSO-1 reticle on top.
Today I plan to be the support, I would like to get Bell and Lili to achieve good battle coordination, and then adjust to their style once they achieve a good synergy.
I folded the stock of the AK-74M and set it aside, then grabbed a Saiga-12, a Russian shotgun with the same modular capability as any other AK-74, so in theory I could put a PSO-1 on it and slugs, but that would be stupid.
I will use it if the threats are numerous, since it is a semi-automatic shotgun with a 5-round magazine.
I just changed the handguard and put a grip under it, as well as a flashlight and laser combo to disorient any monster with a quick flash in the eyes.
I also folded its stock and left it next to my rifle.
"Those stocks... they're weird..."
I turned around and noticed Lili's sleepy gaze, who was watching me with a neutral face.
"Yeah, well, it didn't matter to those who made the gun." I told her. "Either you make do with the stock or you change it, there is no in-between for this design."
"Oh..."
"It's not like it's bad per se." I approached and sat next to her. "The rifle is fine, it's a magnificent piece of engineering."
"Hmm..." She hummed. "It's too big for me." She said with some discouragement.
I combed her hair. "That can be fixed, we just need to change the stock, barrel and that's it, it would be perfect for you to use it."
She finally got up and sat on the couch.
"Right." She mentioned while rubbing her eyes. "How do you do that modification thing?"
I could certainly teach her some gunsmithing, it would be fun to be able to talk to someone about it and not be the only gun nut around.
Although I think I'm influencing my little friend quite a bit, certain habits of mine are rubbing off on her...
"I could teach you now." I told her as I checked my watch, it was just about to be 7 and I promised Hestia that I would bring Lili in the morning to do the Familia conversion. "We have almost an hour before Hestia leaves for work, do you want to learn?"
A sweet smile graced her face as she stood up and placed the pillow on the couch. "Sure."
I also got up and went directly to grab an AKS-74U from my shelf, her following behind me and looking at the different weapons that were there. "Uhm..."
"Yeah?"
"What is the name of this weapon?"
I looked at what she pointed to, an MP5K.
Good choice.
"HK MP5 Kurz." I replied. "Kurz means short, that's because this is the small version of this weapon." I told her as I put down the AKS-74U from where I took it and grabbed an MP5 from the same shelf, the weapon's design was stock, meaning I didn't make any modifications to it. "This sexy piece uses the 9x19mm caliber, has a 30-round magazine and was designed by the same company that manufactured your MP7, Heckler & Koch."
I used this particular weapon to raid an abandoned building crawling with bandits in Limansk, part of a Duty assignment and I haven't touched it since.
I removed the empty magazine I had and retracted the charging handle all the way back. "The weapon of choice for law enforcement operators, without a doubt, a great piece of history." I ended up reinserting the magazine and hitting the charging handle, it returns to its original position with a satisfying click.
I turned to Lili, who was staring at the gun with her mouth slightly open.
She blinked several times before swallowing and saying. "I admit, that looked pretty sexy."
I couldn't help but laugh at what he said.
"Do you like it?"
She stretched out her hands and I handed her the submachine gun.
"How... how did you do that?"
"Grab the charging handle on the left side of the barrel and pull it all the way back, then raise it until it locks into that hole." I pointed out to her, to which she responded with her actions. "Now, hit it."
Her confused gaze met mine.
"Come on, don't be shy." I told. "Hit that baby with all your might."
Still with some hesitation, she raised her left hand and slapped the gun quite hard.
"Oww, what the hell…" The handle came free and returned to its original position. "That hurt." She said as she rubbed the back of her hand with her cheek.
"Well, the weapon's frame is quite hard, so it's normal."
"No, it's not that, it's just..." She examined the MP5. "With my strength stat it wouldn't have been-" Her face brightened slightly. "Oh..."
"Something happens?"
"It's true, I no longer have Falna."
Interesting, so losing the Falna returns you to a normal state?
I should ask Hestia, it would be fatal if I lost the Falna in a fight or something like that.
"Don't worry about that, then we'll get Hestia to give you a new one." At my words, she smiled slightly. "So don't get discouraged."
"Alright."
Heh. "Well, putting that aside, how about you help me maintain this weapon?"
"Maintenance?"
"Yes, we have to dismantle it and grease its parts, as well as clean the dust residue accumulated inside to avoid failures when firing." I explained to her. "You know very well that a mistake can-"
"Be lethal, yes, I know." She answered me. "I understood it when we fought those guys in the forest..."
I would like to say that I hope we never meet those guys again, but after what happened, I surely have a bounty on my head from that faction.
"Bring the gun, I'll show you how to take it apart."
"Sure."
From the shelves I took a bottle of Hoppe's No.9 cleaning solvent, as well as a toothbrush that I use for maintenance, a few pieces of cloth and a small copper wire, and then left everything on my work table.
She left the MP5 next to all the cleaning materials and watched curiously.
"Now, while weapons may look a little complicated just from a superficial perspective, they're really just a bunch of mechanical parts making the most of the laws of physics, let me show you." I sat down at my table and began by removing the magazine and the safety pins from the fixed stock, disassembling it after doing that. "This is the stock of the gun, see?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "That easy?"
I took the toothbrush and, with the other side of the brush, tapped the pin that held the trigger guard in place. "Yes, that easy." I answered her as I separated the mechanism with the rest of the weapon and put it aside.
"Oh."
"Each weapon has its own disassembly method." I added as I retracted the charging handle, making the gun's bolt assembly, (what fires the bullets), come out smoothly on the other side. "Your Makarov, for example." I pointed to her gun that was right next to her on the table, holstered on her belt. "Take it out, I'll teach you how to clean it so you can do it on your own."
"Oh, okay!" She responded as she went for her gun.
I continued disassembling the MP5. All that was left was to ungroup the bolt assembly, which was quite easy to do and, in less than a minute, I had the gun ready for maintenance.
Lili turned to my side just to see the gun, now completely disassembled. "Wow, that's it?"
I opened the pot of cleaning solvent and bathed some of the white sheets of cloths with it. "Yes, and I hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty because cleaning is a task that every firearm owner must get used to."
With the cloth dipped in the cleaner, I rubbed the metal pieces lightly. There was no need to scrub or be so harsh, that's what the brush is for.
"Hm, well, I don't mind." She answered. "Since I was little I had to open monster corpses to make a living, so it's not a problem for me."
...
"Okay, then pay attention." I lifted the piece I had in my hand, it was the bolt. "The firing mechanism tends to get dirty often due to the gases released by the explosion of the gunpowder in the cartridges, what happens here is that-"
"Uhh..."
I turned to her.
She was confused.
Ugh.
"Let's start from the beginning then." I stopped what I was doing for a moment and pointed to her gun. "Give me a bullet."
She racked her gun and handed me the 9x18mm cartridge that was ejected. "Do you know how one of these works?"
"You said that with something called gunpowder... yesterday... I don't know, I was paying more attention to the landscape..."
Eh, you get the idea.
"Good." I pointed to the tip of the cartridge. "This is the bullet, it is what is fired from the barrel and what kills people, but that is not the only important thing that makes up all of this." I gestured her the cartridge. "You see, inside each one of these there is a mixture of chemical compounds called gunpowder which explodes inside the chamber of the gun, causing a large amount of chemical energy that is converted to mechanical energy when the bullet ends up being propelled at high speeds through the barrel of the gun... you could even say that every time you fire a gun, you perform a controlled explosion on your hands."
I handed her the cartridge, which ended up getting a bit of dirt from my hands, but she didn't say anything as she watched it scrutinizingly between her small fingers. "But... if this thing here is called a bullet, what about everything else?"
"Good question." I stood up and quickly reached for a bullet casing I had lying on the floor, then sat down again. "How is this called?"
"You told me it was called a casing when we were firing those weapons."
"Exactly, and it's what contains the gunpowder and the bullet itself."
"Ohhh..."
"Yeah, ohh." I turned the casing and showed her the back of it. "Now tell me, what is this?" I ended up pointing out the now burst primer.
"Uh...I don't know."
"It's called a primer, it's what makes the gunpowder explode." I explained, to which she nodded, seemingly understanding. "Very well, now that you know how a bullet cartridge works, I'll tell you that the explosions made by gunpowder release carbon gases..." At her confused look, I corrected myself. "Erm, gas, yes."
"I see..." Her gaze wandered to the pieces I was cleaning. "But if it just releases gases, why does the gun get dirty?
"Gunpowder combustion." I replied. "What ends up dirtying the weapon are the small carbon particles released in the explosion, which leaves some residue between the metal that needs to be removed, otherwise you run the risk of a malfunction."
"I understand." She put the cartridge on the table and looked at her Makarov. "How often do you recommend cleaning the gun...?"
"You'll discover that the more time you spend maintaining your gun." I took the brush and began to clean the carbon residue that was stuck to the bolt. "Just like any other gun... plus you have to check it from time to time, you're not going to shoot it all the time and hope it doesn't get dirty."
"I see..."
I scrubbed the bolt enough and set it aside, then continued with the spring mechanism. "Well, unload your weapon."
"Okay." She removed the magazine and cocked the pistol, catching the bullet in the air, to then look at me with a smile.
"I give you points for style." I told her. "Now put that aside and pull the trigger guard down."
"Trigger what...?"
"The ring around the trigger."
"Oh."
She did so and the piece went down without any problem.
"Now take the slide and pull it back with all your strength, then you will have to push it up to remove the piece."
"Wait, it's that simple?"
"Yup."
"Hm... How? Like this...?" She grabbed the top of the gun and, supporting herself with the table, did as I told her, the spring of the barrel creaking under the force. "Yes, that's fine, now up."
She pushed it and, with a click, the Makarov's slide detached from the weapon, revealing the locked barrel and its spring.
"Erm... was that right? Didn't I break it?"
At her slight nervousness, I laughed. "No, you did well." I continued cleaning the smaller parts and then set them aside. "Take a look at your weapon and tell me if it needs any cleaning."
"Okay...and how do I know if-?"
I showed her the bolt, previously silver in color, black due to the carbon residue on it. "If it looks this dirty, then it needs cleaning... although it really depends, there are some weapons that work very well even if they are dirty, but maintenance is a task that should be done regularly, no matter how well the gun is doing, do you understand?"
"Yeah, right." She responded, then observed the pieces of her weapon carefully. There were few of them, so she will surely finish her analysis in a few seconds.
While she did that, I applied some of the cleaner inside the receiver and chamber of the gun itself, and then began scrubbing it with the brush, the residue dirtying my hands as it came off the metal.
"I can see some dirt inside..." Lili mentioned, checking the barrel of her gun. "Although it's not as dirty as your... uhm..."
"MP5."
"Yeah, that."
It makes sense, after all, she hasn't used her gun much since I gave it to her.
In fact, I'd be impressed if it was the same as this MP5, I only gave her that Makarov a few days ago, after all.
Her MP7 should be the same. I took care of cleaning and oiling it before giving it to her, so it shouldn't need any maintenance for now.
What if you need it? Well, I just hope another death squad doesn't ambush us like a bunch of bandits ambush a Stalker who just found his first artifact.
Eh, wait...
We could go artifact hunting today.
Well, that and get more magic stones to gain some reputation with the contrabandists.
I'll be carrying my Svarog and a couple of lead containers if the opportunity to hunt for artifacts arises.
Yes, it sounds like a good idea.
"Yuri?"
"Ah?"
"You looked a little lost there, is something wrong?"
Oh.
"It's nothing." I finished with the receiver and tied another piece of cloth soaked in the cleaner to the end of the copper wire I had on the table. "I was just thinking about a few things."
"Hmm... can I know what?"
Heh, you little curious cat.
I smiled at her as I ran the cable through the barrel and cleaned the inside, the fabric being stained with carbon residue everytime I pushed the wire inside the barrel. "I was just wondering what kind of crazy things we'll see on your status sheet once Hestia updates your Falna."
She smiled too, but her smile looked more discouraged.
Now it's my turn to worry a bit.
"Eh, yeah... don't get your hopes too high..."
I waited for her to continue while I finished cleaning my gun.
"Lili's abilities-" She shooked her head. "My abilities have been somewhat stagnant for a while." She answered. "I honestly don't remember how much, but that's one of the reasons I was so frustrated before, so, uhm..."
Tsk...
I put everything aside and wiped my hands with another piece of cloth.
"Well, it's not like you don't have a chance to grow now."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"It's my skill." I told her. "It grants an excelia bonus, that's what raises one's abilities, right?
"Oh, right... I kinda forgot."
"Then, unless you see me as a despicable person." With my index finger, I touched her little nose. "Now you can become stronger."
A peculiar gleam highlighted her hazel eyes and her expression changed to one of slight shock.
Then, she pursed her lips and looked away.
"Yeah, you're right..." Was his only response.
I am most of the time.
I took a can of Brunox gun care spray lubricant and began spraying the moving parts of the MP5, being the bolt and trigger mechanism, and then began reassembling the firearm. "Don't be discouraged." I told her after doing that. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm a lot weaker than you about that, haha."
She rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. "Don't you want to do some arm wrestling? Surely you can't even beat me, after all, Naaza beat you~"
This girl...
Her mocking smile was irritatingly funny.
Without a doubt, she has been the biggest help I have had in feeling like a normal person again.
Is this what my father felt when he returned from Afghanistan?
I could never quite understand him, he was always a peculiarly quiet man, but when I joined the army, he hugged me the tightest he had ever hugged me and made me promise to come back and have a beer with him.
I would have liked to hear more of his stories about the war, he seemed... quite nostalgic when talking about those times.
So this was how he felt...
Now I understand why mom used to complain a lot about-
"Yuri?"
"Hm?"
"You're, uh... doing it again."
"What?"
"You seemed lost in thought... are you sure you're okay?"
I miss my family.
...
"Yeah, don't worry about it." I smiled at her and left the assembled weapon on the table. I then proceeded to clean the surface of any dirt that might have stuck to it with a rag I had lying around. "I'm done with this, how about we clean your gun now?"
Still watching my face cautiously, she nodded. "Alright."
I should avoid spacing out like that again, I only end up worrying her.
There is no reason to feel melancholic. After all, I'm not alone anymore...
"Okay, pay attention because next time you'll be the one doing this."
She laughed and, with that bright smile she wore, gave a military salute gesture. "Will do!"
And to be honest, I couldn't have a better company than my trusty supporter right now.
"That's the spirit, now, look closely and mimic what I'll do..."
"Vladimir!"
I bit into the piece of bread I had in my hand and finished my can of beer.
"Looks like the boss is calling you, boss."
Yes, I know, I fucking know.
I turned towards the voice that was calling me.
"Yeah?"
A folder of documents was placed on the table where I was sitting with my team.
"New mission." The man we had a contract under spoke. "The boss wants you to take your miserable asses to Russia, he needs you there for something."
Huh? Why does he want us in Russia now?
"Reason?"
"Read the fucking document."
Alright.
"Okay, and when do we leave?"
"In less than an hour, so get to the helipad at once." The guy spoke, and then left the dining room to who knows where.
Well, shit.
I turned to my men. "Okay guys, looks like we have a new job opportunity."
"Shall we prepare the equipment, boss?"
"Да, also the grenade launchers and explosives that we have stored... call the others if you need help."
Volkov smirked and patted the shoulders of the other two sitting in front of me. "No problem." To then stand up and trot away.
I sighed.
I took the document folder and took out the papers that were inside.
Looks like we're going back to the homeland, huh?
Hooray, I couldn't be more excited.
Fucking hell...
Let's see what all of this crap is about then.
. . .
Wait, what the fuck?
"So... what are you guys doing today?" I asked my children.
Well, not biological, that would be impossible for a goddess like me.
I am referring to the members of my Familia.
Yuri and Bell were sitting on the couch with black caps over their faces because I ordered them not to look while I gave my blessing to little Lili.
"Go to the Dungeon, I guess." Yuri answered me. "I have a pending assignment and I would like to finish it soon, so there is that too."
Curious, I hope it's not something that ends up putting them in danger again...
"And what is it about?" I asked.
"I must deliver magic stones, nothing too difficult." He answered. "Besides, we're better armed than we were before, so don't worry, we'll be fine."
"Hmm." I hummed. "I imagine you won't have another crazy adventure today."
"Rest assured, I'll make sure Bell doesn't get into trouble."
"Hey! Why me?" My beautiful son responded with some irritation under the hat he was wearing.
I sighed.
I honestly didn't want any of them to get hurt, my little heart couldn't take it.
"It better be that way." I told Yuri.
When I was finishing adjusting Lili's Falna, something curious happened.
"Hm?"
"Something new?" Yuri asked.
This skill... heh...
"Ah, no... no, it's just..." With a piece of paper next to me, I copied Lili's status and patted her shoulder, indicating that she could now take down her sweater.
When I finished, I placed her status sheet on her hands. "Here you have."
"Goddess Hestia?" She asked me, her face confused as she took the paper in her hands.
Cute.
"It's your new skill." I told her. "It's kind of peculiar." I turned to my two sons on the couch. "You can see again, you two."
Yuri and Bell took off their caps. "Finally, light." The oldest of my children complained.
"These caps are kind of peculiar." Bell mentioned, inspecting the object in his hands. "Why the design?"
Yuri stood up and adjusted his cap on his head as he approached us, Bell following behind him. "Simple, compact and prevents sunlight from damaging the eyes."
I stood up and went to the small table in front of the sofa, where there was a small cup of tea.
I took it in my hands and drank.
...
Ahhhh ~
"Eh?"
"Huh."
"What are you looking at? Oh..."
Liliruca Arde
Lv 1
STR: I 42 - I 89
VIT: I 45 - I 68
DEX: H 141 - G 234
AGI: G 270 - F 312
MAG: F 320 - F 370
MAGIC:
Cinder Ella
Your wound is mine, my wound is mine, the eco is the signal of midnight.
SKILLS:
Artel Assist
When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, the skill helps compensate for this with an increase in basic abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight carried.
Midnight Toast
After toasting with the divine nectar and surpassing its effects at the same time, both form a unique bond between souls, allowing them better communication, as well as an excelia bonus for both to stabilize the abilities between the two. Soulmates seek to be equals, after all.
Without fear of the past and with anticipation for the future, tonight we toast because we are, and will be, equal under the cold gaze of the moon.
"My abilities went up quite a bit..." Lili mentioned. From here I could notice the small tears that began to form at the edge of her eyes.
Oww, I want to hug her!
"When was your last status update?" I asked her as I placed the cup on the table.
"Well, it was several months ago..."
Hmph.
Stupid Soma...
"So that great leap in skills is due to all that contained excelia." I explained to her. "Your dexterity and agility increased quite a bit, which is to be expected from adventurers who are more inclined towards long-range battle, such as archers or supporters."
"Oh, so I'll also see those two skills grow?" Yuri asked as he looked at Lili's status sheet, Bell next to him doing the same.
I guess they trust each other so much that Falna's privacy doesn't matter to them.
Wholesome.
"It actually depends on your actions since, as you know, excelia is the memories and experiences converted into skills."
"Interesting."
"Hm-hm! If you fight hand-to-hand, you will see your strength rise. If you get hit, your vitality will increase." I started explaining. "If you run or practice how fast you are with your hands, agility and dexterity will increase, the same works with magic, which increases the more you use whatever magic you have available... although I think Lili would be the only one who can develop that ability for now "
Although I am also somewhat new to this whole Falna thing, so someone with more experience in this who can explain it better to them would be very helpful.
Wait, didn't Bell have an advisor or something...?
"Now that I think about it." I put a hand to my chin. "Bell has an advisor in the guild who could better inform you about this, maybe you should go ask her." I told them.
"Ah! So we could also register you two as part of the Hestia Familia!" Bell exclaimed.
I snapped my fingers.
My son is a genius!
"Good idea, Bell!" Oh, how it makes me want to crush him with a hug! "Then you guys register with the guild and I'll go to work."
I lifted the cup and drank my tea.
Ahhhhhhh ~
When I finished the relaxing liquid, I put the cup down and noticed Lili's sad face.
Wait, sad?
No, it was more like... melancholic.
Well, I guess that's normal after being trapped for so many years in a Familia that didn't even care that she existed. Surely being free at last is still something that she has not fully assimilated.
Ow...
I would have hugged her with a lot of love if Yuri hadn't beaten me, he noticing her sadness and crushing her in a hug that even warmed my heart.
Cute.
I watched her wipe the tears from her eyes and continue reading her status sheet.
"Oh? Is that a... new skill?"
"Huh, it says 'both'." Yuri mentioned.
That's right and I have a little theory as to why.
"And that's why I think that what Lili has, you will also have as soon as you update your Falna." I explained my hunch. "Do you want me to do it? I still have a few minutes before I have to go to work."
"Eh, I don't see why not."
"Okay! Now, my children." I pushed aside the little ones of my Familia. "Hush! I need to see Yuri's back."
Bell and Lili walked away while my jacked oldest son took off his shirt and sat on the edge of the bed.
Puff, what a show-off.
Haha.
I climbed back into bed and, with the same needle as always, pricked my finger to update Yuri's Falna with a drop of my blood.
After a little more than a minute and a half, I finished and was able to observe his status.
At least it's not as ridiculous as Bell's point jumps.
Yuri "Grishka"
Lv 1
STR: I 0 - I 7
VIT: I 0 - I 15
DEX: I 0 - I 9
AGI: I 0 - I 10
MAG: I 0
MAGIC:
SKILLS:
Revenger
Role Model
Midnight Toast
After toasting with the divine nectar and surpassing its effects at the same time, both form a unique bond between souls, allowing them better communication, as well as an excelia bonus for both to stabilize the abilities between the two. Soulmates seek to be equals, after all.
Without fear of the past and with anticipation for the future, tonight we toast because we are, and will be, equal under the cold gaze of the moon.
41 skill points for just kicking an idiot's ass, not bad.
Without a doubt, Yuri is someone interesting.
And, although I wouldn't openly admit it, watching the fight between his memoirs was entertaining.
I copied his status onto a sheet of paper and patted his back.
When he put back on the same shirt he had been wearing since yesterday, I handed him his status sheet.
My two other children who were watching didn't take long to approach to take a look at Yuri's Falna.
It made me smile.
"It says better communication." Yuri mentioned. "What does that mean?"
I shrugged. "That's for you to find out."
Bell turned to me. "Is it normal to get equal skills?" He asked and I could tell in his tone of voice how slightly jealous he was at not getting something similar.
I got out of bed and went to the hanger where I had my coat waiting for me. "Yes, although... I'm sure the skill the two of them share is unique."
"It's true, you were the only ones who drank the wine."
"Yeah, and that thing sucked." Yuri responded with a smile. "But it was worth it, otherwise our little ray of sunshine wouldn't be here with us." He ended up hugging Lili from the side again and crushing her with his strength, much to her shame and pain.
Aww.
"Hehe."
I noticed how they both turned to Bell, who was looking at them while laughing lightly.
He realized his mistake too late when Yuri extended his other arm and crushed him in the hug as well.
I couldn't stop my lips from curling upward the longer I looked at them.
Too... cute...
The three of them had certainly become very close in the short time they had known each other, which melts my little heart.
I wanted to continue seeing them like this, but I have to go to work.
I just wanted, from the depths of my very being, for them to continue smiling.
"Ah! What are you doing standing there? Come here!'
A-Ah?
They looked at me with expectant eyes and smiles on their faces, waiting for me with open arms, undoubtedly inviting me to the embrace.
"Erm, but I have to go to work..."
"Work can wait, family can't."
"B-But-"
"Ugh, she resists." Yuri stopped hugging the teenagers and pointed them towards me. "Get mom."
"W-What do you mean mom!?"
I couldn't escape the warmth of their arms, both attacking me mercilessly with their love and joy.
"W-Why? Guys! Come on, I have to-"
"Hestia." Yuri interrupted me. "Anyone else in your place would have told us that they wouldn't help us... they wouldn't have accepted a violent man and a helpless girl." The sigh. "Still, you did it, you let two strangers into your Familia and I really... really thank you." He finished with a smile.
That...
Oh, It's not fair! You made me cry a little...
I didn't think accepting them into my Familia was so important to them.
Hm...
"Oh, shut up and come here!" I said to Yuri, who laughed as he stood up and joined the group hug.
They may be part of my Familia, but now? I consider them more like my family.
And to be honest, I wouldn't change this for anything else.
When it was finally time to say goodbye to them and go to work, I couldn't help but miss the warmth of all three of them.
Now I had more reasons to get up every morning... and that...
It made me feel very proud to have children as wonderful as them.
"Alright, grab your things and get ready to kill because today we need to get a lot of magic stones." I said to the two protegés in my charge as we walked down the stairs of my shelter.
I opened the door and the sight of my lovely home greeted me.
I walked over to my metal chest and started taking out boxes of shotgun shells, as well as ammunition for Lili's MP7.
"Take ammo and pack it inside your backpacks, you don't want to run out of bullets in the middle of a fight."
Bell and Lili walked over to grab their respective boxes of ammo.
In passing I gave him the same chest rig that I lent the boy yesterday, he will need it to store his cartridges.
"And what are you going to wear today?" Lili asked as she refilled her magazines.
From the chest, I took out a folded backpack.
6Sh118, a large backpack that I stole from a group of Russian Spetnaz who were sticking their noses where they shouldn't.
"Today I plan to be the supporter." I told them. "I feel like you guys need to acclimatize to fighting as a team, and luckily for you, I was a recruit instructor at some point in my career, so I'm going to guide you."
"Uhm..."
I turned to Bell. "Yeah?"
"Wouldn't... wouldn't it be better if you also stay at the front? I-I mean-"
"If you're worried that everything might go wrong, don't be." I told him as I pointed to the two guns that were on my work table. "I'll be at the rear and make sure none of you are in danger, plus we won't be fighting other freaking Stalkers again, just Dungeon monsters."
"Oh... I see..."
Tsk, I hope he hasn't developed any trauma from what happened.
Ugh, poor boy.
I could see Lili approach him and pat his back lightly.
Yes, give him moral support because I'm busy now.
I expanded the backpack and carried it on my back.
It's not as big as the one Lili has, I could even say it's half as big, but that's enough.
I used it a lot when I was still worried about stealing things from my enemies' corpses.
It will now be used to store magic stones.
To compensate for the lack of space, I also took out a smaller backpack for Lili.
An LBT-8005A field backpack. Not big enough to interfere in combat, but durable enough to carry several pounds of weight.
"Lili, take this." She took the backpack in her hands with a confused look. "Put the most important things of your own backpack in there."
"Hm?" He looked at the backpack for a moment, until her face lit up with understanding. "Ah, you think that with this backpack it will be easier for me to fight."
"Exactly, now get the rest of your equipment in there and get ready."
While they did that, I started transferring what I had in my previous kit to this one, being canned food, bottled water, batteries, a few bullet casings, medicine, essential things.
Also boxes of ammunition, mainly 12x70 pellets, 5.45x39mm bullets and .45 ACP.
At the same time, I packed a Svarog anomaly and artifact detector, a device that, unlike its predecessors, has a static anomaly detector device thanks to the anomalous frequencies registered in its database and displays them on the LED screen with icons. representative for each anomaly.
It can also detect anomalous formations unknown to science, which is great.
It's perfect if the theory I have about Earth turns out to be true.
That the fucking world died.
It's... horrible to think about and I don't really want it to be true, but...
I just hope my family is okay.
"Ready, Yuri!"
Good.
I took off the stab vest and the shirt I was wearing. They would be impractical in the Dungeon, so I needed something lightweight, but still able to protect against the monsters' natural weapons, their claws and teeth.
I put on a t-shirt and a thin sweater over it, but that won't be my armor.
I dug deeper into my chest and pulled out a special outfit.
It was a heavy green coat from a liquidator's suit from the time when normal people still lived in Pripyat. Made of lead sheets for protection against Gamma radiation.
In its base version, there is nothing special about it, but I used it so many times running errands in Cordon and Garbage that I added things to it over time.
In addition, it protected very well from radiation, which is a lifesaver considering the absurd number of small anomalous areas in Garbage with radiation levels that exceed what is safe for the human body.
What I mainly changed about the coat were the materials, adding internal Kevlar fabric for vital parts, internal pockets to store small items such as pistols, and solid carbon fabrics to increase durability as well as protection for arms and thighs without increasing the weight so much.
On top of that, I always wore it with a forest green plate carrier vest to, as usual, avoid getting turned into swiss cheese.
I took out both pieces and put on the coat first, buttoning only the torso.
The only thing I have unprotected now are my calves, so I'll have to be careful with that.
"Why the coat?" I heard Lili ask.
"Mr. Yuri looks kind of cool..."
"Radiation protection." I responded to my supporter as I put the vest over me, adjusting it with the velcro. "Maybe we get the opportunity to go back into the Zone, so it's just in case."
Bell tilted his head to the side. "Radiation?"
"Invisible poison that is transmitted through the air." I explained to him in a simple manner. "Believe in me when I say you don't want to breathe or be touched by it, so I'll also be carrying a respirator for you too, as well as protective glasses."
When I can get them radiation protection, I won't hesitate to make them wear it all the time.
"Oh, was that the awful thing from last time?"
No, surely that smell of sulfur in the air was due to something worse, but so far it does not seem that the amount to which we were exposed was lethal.
"Yup."
Plus, gas masks would just be uncomfortable for them since I doubt either of them are used to wearing rubber masks all day like I am.
"Ohh...and what is the Zone?"
"Lili, explain it to him."
She sighed and began to tell Bell what she knew about the Zone.
Which means she's not telling him everything because she doesn't know much about it either.
Ugh...
I left them talking while I double-checked that everything was in place.
Once everything was ready, I nodded satisfied and took the weapons that I had already prepared along with their respective magazines, placing them in the pockets of my plate carrier without problem.
I let my Saiga hang from the strap I had it attached to and checked the chamber of my AK-74M rifle. "Alright you two, do you want to go on an adventure?"
Lili loaded her MP7 while Bell checked the barrels of his shotgun. Then they both looked at me and nodded with a smile.
Awesome.
"Then lets go." I told them as I headed towards the stairs, them following behind me.
Once we left my bunker, we walked down the ruined and desolate street that led to the rest of the city. The morning sun illuminating the statues, temples and ruined churches with its light.
It was a sight that made me smile.
"Mr. Yuri."
Hm... that makes me feel old.
"Just call me Yuri, kid." I told. "Putting that aside, what's up?"
"Well, I just thought we should go straight to the guild to register you guys... I understand it's illegal not to do so and I really wouldn't want to get us into trouble..."
Wha-? No fucking way.
Ugh, well, whatever!
"I guess we shouldn't do it as soon as we've recieved a Falna, right?"
"Uh... what?"
"I mean, is there a time limit or something before they put our asses in jail?"
"Oh... I think the limit is one week..."
Fycking hell, kid, you make me worry over nothing.
"Then don't get worked up, let's go see Naaza first and then go to the guild, what do say?"
"But why Naaza?" Lili asked.
"I'm curious about that thing she was talking about... I mean the potion she was going to develop."
She nodded, understanding.
"Besides, I want my revenge, I can't sit still knowing that she is stronger than me."
Both of them laughed at that.
"Ha, well, maybe we can stop by that restaurant again, perhaps Syr missed you." I nudged the white-haired teenager next to me, who reddened slightly, but said nothing.
Oh come on, it's no fun if you don't respond.
Armed to the teeth, we walked through the lively streets of Orario, people giving us strange looks along the way, but it was nothing I cared about.
We continued until we were stopped by a certain little person.
"Ah! Good morning, guys!" Syr greeted, being accompanied by a woman with pointy ears dressed in the same uniform as her. Both were carrying paper bags with various supplies.
We were still far from the restaurant, so they must have been buying groceries.
"Continue our way, if you don't pay attention to her, she will leave us alone." I told the two teenagers in my care.
"W-What? Hey, Mr. Yuri!"
I chuckled as I turned to greet the young woman. "Hey."
"Hello Syr!" Bell greeted quite cheerfully.
Lili only greeted her with her left hand.
She, stomping, approached us, her friend following behind her. "Hmph! I can take a joke, but at least don't ignore me!" She exclaimed to us, her cheeks red.
She blushed deeper with embarrassment when she noticed my barely contained laughter.
"Oh, come on! Mr. Yuri! It's no funny!"
"Pfft... okay, okay." I let my AK-74M hang from its strap. "Hello, want to say hi to Bell?"
Professionally ignoring my comment, she continued. "Are you going to the Dungeon today?"
"Yeah!" The boy shouted in my ear, as he was next to me. "Ah! S-Sorry!"
I gave him a light smack for that.
"Then follow me!" She told us happily, skipping a little in her walk.
We looked at each other, the three of us... well, four, counting the pointy-eared woman who kept staring at us.
She sighed and followed Syr.
Heh, why not?
We did the same the next moment.
When we arrived, she turned to us and spoke. "Wait here for a second!" Then proceeded to enter the restaurant.
The pointy-eared woman looked at us and shook her head. "Excuse her, she is like that with everyone she knows." She said, and then also entered the premises.
Wow, quite a serious woman.
We waited there for a few minutes until the waitress returned with the same basket she gave Bell the other time.
"Here you go!"
I lightly pushed Bell, who understood and took the basket from Syr's hands while lowering his head. "Thank you very much, Syr." He responded with some nervousness.
Oh boy, with that attitude people are just going to walk all over you.
"Thank you for the breakfast, Syr." I told the waitress, who smiled happily in response. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go to work."
"Good luck!" With that final farewell to her, we turned around and continued through the crowded streets of this city.
"What's in there?" I asked Bell, who lifted the cloth off of the basket and checked inside. "It appears to be sandwiches." He answered me.
Interesting .
"Of what?"
"Uhm... I'm not sure."
Huh?
"What do you mean by that? They're just sandwiches, right?"
"Uh..."
I leaned over the boy's shoulder to see-
What the fuck?
Well, it looks like... I don't know, blueberry jam? Why the fuck is it purple...? It doesn't even look edible.
"Put that away, we'll eat it later."
"Alright."
We continued until we reached the Blue Pharmacy, so I entered first, the little bell on the door announcing our arrival.
"Welco-" Naaza stopped as she watched us enter. "Oh! Hey guys!" She greeted us with a smile, her tail wagging from left to right. "What brings you here?"
I extended my arms in warm welcome, even though I am the one entering the premises. "Hello, my doggy friend!"
"E-Eh?"
"And what happened yesterday? About that thing." I asked as I leaned over the counter.
She shook off her confusion by shaking her head and continuing to smile. "It was great! Miach-sama took it upon himself to convince-" She looked away and her brow furrowed for a second. "To cinvince Dian Cecht to take away our debt, so we no longer have to worry about ending up on the street."
Dian Cecht?
"Amazing." I took off my backpack and left it on the ground for a moment. "What was the debt for anyway?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it instantly.
With that expression she was making, even Bell could tell that she didn't wanted to tell us.
"Oh well." I raised both hands in front of me in surrender. "If you don't want to tell us, so be it... anyway, I'm glad everything turned out well in the end, so I'm hoping for a discount here, haha."
She smiled weakly at my joke.
I bent down to pick up my backpack. "We were already leaving, take care-"
"W... wait..."
Hm?
She sighed and slowly lifted the sleeve of her robe, (which had a long right sleeve and a short left one), revealing her arm...
No, that doesn't look like a human arm, more like that of a mannequin.
I noticed it because of the slight glow of the skin and the joints with shiny stones embedded there for a reason I didn't know. It probably works with magic.
Overall, it looked, but at the same time not, like a human arm.
Or... that of a dog person?
...
Maybe that was the reason why her hand felt so cold yesterday.
"Blyat."
She frowned, confused. "That?"
"Nothing." I shook with one hand in front of me. "Is that a prosthesis?" It certainly looks like one.
She, speaking as softly as I had ever heard her, said. "Yes... M-Miach-sama gave it to me..."
Holy fuck...
I waited for her to continue. "It was a few years ago... when I was still an adventurer, I... I was attacked by a monster and I lost..." I noticed how she began to tremble visibly, it's surely a horrifying memory.
I put my hand on her shoulder to bring her back to reality.
In the calmest voice I could muster, I told her. "There are times when remembering the past will only hurt you... take a deep breath and calm your nerves, that is behind us and, although the memories come to torment us sometimes, take comfort in the fact that you are still alive."
Almost being swallowed by a monster is a horrifying experience and one I can sympathize with...
I rolled up my coat and sweater sleeves and showed him my left forearm.
There was a nasty scar from the time a blind dog almost ripped off my arm.
Or was it a pseudo-dog? I don't really remember, the beast was unrecognizable after I finished brutalizing it for that.
"A monster bit me here once." She grimaced when she saw my poorly healed wound. "After five days of agonizing pain... the monster died."
Her furrowed brow unfurrowed and her grimace disappeared, her expression being replaced by momentary confusion until she got the joke and I could see the slightest suppressed smile on her face.
That's right, laugh, life is too short to feel sad all the time.
Haha... ha...
I'm a hypocrite.
...
"I can believe it." She replied, breaking me out of my thoughts. "You smell so bad that I wouldn't be impressed by the fact that your skin is poisonous."
Hearing Bell and Lili laugh behind me only added to the embarrassment I was feeling. "Hey! I bathe regularly."
Did it really smell that bad? Fuck... I didn't have enough water to bathe recently, so I've been waiting for it to rain again.
"Oh yeah? Do you even know what a shower is?"
Wait, wait, wait...
Shower?
"Do you... do you have showers here?"
She cocked her head to the side, her amusement replaced by confusion. "Hm? Well, yes, people bathe regularly..." She smiled again with a mischievous gleam. "Not like you."
Oh... you b-
As much as I would like to strangle her now, we have things to do.
"I'll keep it in mind." I finally said.
"Right." She shook her head. "You interrupted me in what I was saying."
"Well, continue then."
She took a deep breath and again showed us her arm. "A monster tore it from me a few years ago, it was... painful, traumatizing even, I can't get close to any monster without starting to shake and... well, now I'm unable to fight again."
"I see... and how did you get the prosthesis?"
She rubbed her seemingly porcelain wrist. "Miach did it, he went into debt with Dian Cecht for it. Dian is... the competition." She rolled her eyes. "When the other members of my Familia discovered what my god did, they all abandoned us, so the only person who stayed with him was me." She smiled reluctantly. "A useless adventurer who can no longer fight..."
Ahh... how shitty.
"And yet you managed to get your Familia out of debt with your own ingenuity."
Her surprised gaze met mine.
"It was your idea to make that potion you talked so much about, give yourself more credit, you deserve it."
"B-But without you guys I won't-!"
"Naaza." I interrupted her. "Friends are there to lend a hand whenever someone needs it, don't paint your efforts as the achievements of others."
I saw her frown again and breathe heavily.
Your face is going to get wrinkled at this rate.
After a few seconds, she sighed, walked around the counter and stood in front of me.
"You're infuriating." She told me, and then hugged me. From here I could hear Lili's indignant whine and Bell's surprised gasp.
Woah, I didn't expect that.
"Thanks..."
Hmph.
I patted her back. "Don't worry about it."
She stretched her other arm toward my two companions. "You guys come here too." She said with a smile.
I noticed Bell's doubt and Lili's slight indignation, but they both put aside what they were feeling and approached for the hug.
"I love you guys." She ended up hugging all three of us quite tightly.
At least she was pretty happy, if her tail wagging furiously from left to right was any indication.
All for friends, I guess.
Still, it hurts.
Apparently she realized how hard she was squeezing and turned away from us, her face red with embarrassment.
Finally! Heckin air...
Bell rubbed his ribs, as did Lili.
"Erm... sorry."
It seems that you don't hug people often.
Ouch. "Ugh, you're welcome..."
Second group hug of the day, I guess.
"Oh, wait here a second!" She told us before retreating to the back of the store and returning with a sealed vial filled with a light blue liquid. "Here, I know it's not much, but it's what's left over after creating what I now like to call... double potion."
Interesting name.
"I assume it does something." I told her as I took the vial in my right hand.
She smiled and puffed out her chest with pride. "This potion is capable of recovering health and mind at the same time, perfect for recovering health and willpower to continue fighting the monsters in the Dungeon. It's my pride and it would be that of this store too if we had not exchanged the recipe to that guy..." She finished with disdain.
"Thank you, I'll have it in mind." I responded as I put the vial in one of my vest pockets. "I'm glad to know that everything is settled." I adjusted my backpack and signaled to my companions who stopped slacking off and got ready with me to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have things to do."
"Ah, one last thing!"
Can't you say it all at once?
"Shoot."
"I wanted to tell you that if you need help with anything, I'd be happy to lend you a hand."
It's always good to have pending favors to collect.
"Likewise." I told her as I turned around and headed for the door. "Stay safe."
"Good hunting out there!"
...
"Thank you, Naaza!"
"See you, Miss Naaza."
I left the store in silence, Bell and Lili following behind me once they said goodbye to the dog girl.
I only gave them a glance before continuing walking, this time towards the guild to do the registration thing.
"So... do they really have showers here?" I asked to no one in particular, hoping either of them would respond.
"Yup!" Lili did. "Although your smell isn't that bad..."
Thanks, I guess.
"You only smell like blood and sweat." Bell added innocently.
Great.
"You get used to it." It was the only thing I told him.
"Yes, I realize that." Was Lili's quick, cheeky response. Her smile radiating such smugness that I couldn't help but dind it funny.
...
Pfft...
I ruffled the hair of the irritating brat walking next to me.
"H-Hey, watch it!" She complained with a smile as she tried to remove my hand from her head.
"Why don't you tell me where I can find a shower? It would be bad if some monster detected us because of my smell and ambushed us."
Lili gave up trying to free herself from my hand and simply sighed in defeat.
"In the guild there are showers for adventurers." Bell mentioned, answering my question, so I turned to him. "I've rarely had to use them, but they're free to use twice a day, so when you sign up you could... uhm, use one."
Bell, you are just as your goddess says.
I left Lili alone and instead started harassing the boy by grabbing him in a hug and pressing his ribs. "You're a fucking genius, kid."
At that moment, I knew how ticklish Bell was.
I left him alone the next minute because I didn't want him to wet his pants.
We arrived at the guild without problems and stopped in front of the building.
I briefly checked my watch, it was around 10:30 in the morning.
There's still time.
"Very well, kid." I spoke to Bell. "Show us the way to the adventure."
"Alright!" He exclaimed, and then entered the Guild with quite the enthusiasm.
Lili smiled with amusement and shook her head, to then look at me for a second and follow Bell.
I stretched my arms to get rid of any future cramps.
"Let's get this over with."
For the first time since I arrived here, I entered the Guild.
The interior was quite large, with an area where there were several chairs and tables, as well as another where a large board was surrounded by different types of people who shared something in common.
Every single one of them were armed in some way or another.
And actually that is the only thing to notice here, the rest of the space is used in lines of people in front of the desks where the employees of this place were in charge of serving the adventurers.
I'm not going to mention the different decorations of the place because I have no idea how to describe it.
A mix between modern and rustic, perhaps? The potted plants all over the place and the weapons along with the shields that hung on some walls gave that feeling.
Still, this place has an atmosphere comparable to that of a bank. I think I can even feel the wind from what I assume is some form of air conditioning, which is absurdly cool.
Magic, I have to assume.
Fuck it, I've already accepted the crazy reality I live in now, there's no point in being surprised by things as insignificant as magical air conditioning.
Lili was waiting for me a few meters ahead. Bell, on the other hand, was in front of one of the desks talking to a young lady with pointy ears, brown hair, and glasses.
I never knew the name of her race.
Asking won't be bad, will it?
Better now than ever.
"She's an elf, well... more like a half elf? I dunno, but yeah, that."
Huh, this thing about Lili being able to understand me without exchanging words is kind of weird.
...
And also quite useful now that I realize it.
"I think it has to do with the skill." She responded, watching Bell and the employee talk. "It said 'better communication', so I guess that makes it easier for me to understand your empty head."
...
She turned to me and stuck out the tip of her tongue in a mockingly manner.
I ran my gloved finger across her tongue, to which she spat the other way. "Bleh! Why did you do that!?"
I ignored her with a smile as I approached Bell.
"...you have to meet them, they are very cool!"
The woman talking to Bell clapped her hands and smiled. "That's great, Bell! I imagine you're going to bring them in to register as soon as-"
I interrupted their conversation by approaching with Lili. The elf woman eyed me cautiously while Bell smiled upon seeing the two of us.
"Good morning." I greeted, Lili doing the same, but only with a hand gesture.
"Oh, good morning... who could you be...?"
"They are the two new members of my Familia, Eina!" Bell exclaimed quite cheerfully.
People were starting to look at us strangely because of that, but I ignored them.
Eina's face, if I have to assume, lit up with the same level of spirit as Bell's and she spoke to us with a charming smile. "Are you Bell's party members? It's nice to meet you! What are your names?"
I nodded. "My name is Yuri."
Lili bowed slightly. "Mine's Liliruca." She did it more for good manners than respect.
I have no idea how or why I know that.
I watched Lili turn her head and wink with a smug smile, as if to say, "I told you so."
I think I understand what it meant by better communication.
Eina leaned over the desk in her cubicle. "Mine is Eina, Eina Tulle! I'm Bell's advisor." She introduced herself with a smile. "So, did you come here to update your registration? Or are you new adventurers?"
Lili pointed to herself. "I need to update my status." She responded, then pointed to me. "He needs to register, he's a new adventurer."
I prefer to be called Stalker, but whatever works for these people, I guess.
Eina adjusted her glasses. "I see, in that case, wait for me here for a second." She retreated to one of the shelves behind the cubicles and pulled out a couple of papers, then returned to us. "This is the documentation that will go into the Guild registry, so filling in all the blank spaces is required." She finished, handing us the papers along with a pen and a pot of black ink.
"You first." I told Lili who, with exaggeratedly elegant movements, took the pen, dipped the tip in ink and began to write on her paper.
Well, I hope this place doesn't have grammar rules that I'm not used to, otherwise my paper will look like shit.
"If it gets complicated, let me know." She told me without looking away from her paper. "I could help you."
I'll keep it in mind.
"Are you new in town?" Eina asked me. "Your companion mentioned that you are a novice adventurer."
"Ah, if you'll allow me, Eina..." Bell interrupted, catching the elf's(?) attention. "Yuri here it's m-much more experienced than us..."
If it's not clarified by anyone, I'll just keep calling her elf.
The elf woman looked at me in surprise. "Did you belong to a Familia before, Mr. Yuri?"
I shook my head. "Nope, this is my first time." Her face changed to one of confusion. "Bell means that I have more experience fighting horrific beasts."
Her expression calmed. "Oh, I understand that. I have met people with exceptional skills in combat, but I must warn you that the Dungeon is not a place where things will be very easy for someone who has just joined a Familia."
Interesting fact.
"What do you recommend?" I decided to play along, mostly because I didn't want to reveal that I was in the Dungeon without a Falna and get in trouble with these people later.
She smiled, looking pleased with herself.
Something tells me that the reason is because I decided to listen to her advice.
"First of all, I recommend you get an advisor in the Guild as soon as you finish your registration, since-"
"You're Bell's advisor, right? Why don't you become our advisor too?"
Finding someone else is a lot of work now and we have to go to the Dungeon, so she will be enough.
Plus, she's Bell's advisor and since he's still alive, she was doing a good job until we ran into him.
"O-Oh... well, that could work too..."
Lili patted my arm and handed me the pen. "Here."
Well, time to fill out this silly paperwork.
"In that case, I would have to fill out other paperwork with you to make it official and-"
"Let's do that another time, okay?" I interrupted her without stopping writing.
Generally, they were basic questions like my name, age, etc.
Probably most of these spaces serve to make it easier to keep track of the people living in this great city.
"I-It's okay..."
The language itself wasn't difficult to write, although that's probably because I understand everything without any problem.
Once I finished, I handed the paper to Eina, who began to read my information, as well as Lili's.
"That would be all, right?"
She didn't answer.
In fact, she seemed undecided whether to look at me or the paper.
Finally, she broke the silence. "Uhm..."
"Something wrong?"
"How... how old are you?"
Huh?
"Twenty-four, why?"
The mouths of the three of them opened in surprise.
...
Oh, hell no.
"T-Twenty-four?" Bell asked, as if he was afraid to know the answer.
"You're twenty-four!?" Lili shouted, attracting everyone's attention. "You seem older than that!"
I felt my right eye twitch in irritation.
"You look like a ten year old."
She turned around indignantly. "Hmph! Old man."
...
"Okay, okay! I'll behave..."
I only gave her one last look before sighing and addressing Eina with a tired voice. "Yes, I'm twenty-four, do I look too old?"
"Erm...n-no, not at all! Uhm...well, maybe a little bit."
Ugh.
"How old?"
"Uhhh..."
I waited the 30 seconds it took for her to spit out a response.
"Thirty... fiiiive?"
Oh, you have to be fucking kidding!
"Hey, l-let's better leave that aside!" Yeah, you better change the subject before I get up on that desk and choke you in front of everyone.
Try to survive two fucking years in the Zone and look as young as before.
Shit, I sure have wrinkles on my face from all that time stressing about whether I'm going to die from hunger, thirst, radiation, anomalies, mutants, or another moron's next bullet.
...
I should shave my beard.
And take a bath.
Right.
"Do you have showers here?" I asked, remembering the conversation from earlier.
Eina adjusted her glasses. "Yes, they are reserved for adventurers and employees, do you require one right now? You would have to make a reservation, but we could make an exception... after all, it would be a good idea to get rid of that smell you are carrying if you plan to head to the Dungeon."
The fact that she said all that in a professional tone makes me understand how many times she had to go through something similar before.
Doesn't make it any less embarrassing, she literally told me I stink to the face.
...
I don't blame her, I probably would have done the same thing in her place.
I shook my head in response. "Not now, but make me a reservation for around 6 in the afternoon."
She smiled as she wrote something down in a notebook. "Okie-dokie! Now, not to be annoying or anything, but I have to tell you something important."
If a 'Guild' employee says it, surely it must be.
I watched Bell tilt his head to the side, intrigued like a cute rabbit.
"No matter what happens... please don't venture beyond the 5th floor... yet..." Eina looked quite uncomfortable talking about this. "There have been reports of strange formations in the Dungeon and several adventurers have mysteriously disappeared in recent days, so please don't venture too far..."
So other adventurers encountered anomalies too? That's weird, I don't remember seeing any beyond that psi column.
They must be recent then.
"Strange formations you say?"
She looked unsure whether to continue speaking or not.
I decided to press for information. "We thought about going to the Dungeon, but if you don't tell us what we should avoid, how do you expect us to stay safe down there?"
Now she seemed to have a conflict inside her mind, making various funny expressions as we waited for a response.
God, young people today are ridiculously nervous.
"Well... the Loki Familia is investigating these strange formations as we speak." She explained. "We don't really know what they could be, but we have indefinitely stopped entry from the 8th floor onwards to any low-class adventurers who wish to descend. ...although we can't really do much to stop anyone, there are simply so many paths that the only thing we can hope for is that everyone is aware of the danger they are exposing themselves to by exploring the Dungeon in this time of uncertainty..."
Mysterious strange formations? Lack of information and prohibition of passage by the authorities? It sounds a lot like that novel... I don't really remember the name now, but I think it had to do with a picnic.
Anyway, these are the same circumstances under which the Stalker phenomenon began. The illegal entry into the Exclusion Zone by people who got carried away by their curiosity and desire for greatness.
And I know a lot about stalking, so this 'emergency' can be quite useful for us.
Formation of anomalies in the Dungeon means that there is a chance of finding clusters of anomalies from which to hunt artifacts.
Yes, I sold all my artifacts a while ago, so a new pair wouldn't hurt.
I was right to bring the Svarog.
I smiled internally. "It's okay, Miss Eina, we won't go too deep into the Dungeon." I told her to try to calm her concern. "We know what we are and are not capable of doing, so we will take our precautions."
Eina sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear it." It left a bad taste in my mouth to lie to her when she told us that quite genuinely, but as the saying goes: no risk, no win. "If you encounter anything strange on the way, avoid it at all costs and be sure to come back to report it... well, I won't keep you here any longer, if you are ready to descend into the Dungeon, then I wish you the best of luck."
I bowed slightly and said. "We'll keep it in mind."
Lili copied the gesture while Bell said goodbye to the girl briskly. "See you, Eina!"
Now, with the title of adventurer to my name, I made my way towards the Dungeon, Lili and Bell following behind me.
As we descended, I felt a small wave of anxiety wash over my body.
I took a deep breath and loaded my AK-74M assault rifle with both hands.
"Let's do some cleaning."
Hello!