Chapter 14:

Otohime and Urashima were at the clinic for Urashima's check-up. They had been there all day, with Urashima going through multiple blood tests and treatments. When Airmid saw the old scar tissue, she insisted on a thorough examination. She would not allow a single diseased-ridden bacterium. After many tests, Urashima had been given a small break to rest, and the two were now eating dinner between appointments.

"Say ahh!" said Otohime, bringing a spoonful of rice to Urashima's mouth.

Ura rolled his eyes but opened his mouth to accept the food. Otohime giggled as she repeated the process. The reason she had to feed him was that his prosthetic arms had been removed so Airmid could adequately clean and restitch his stumps.

The Dea Saint returned to the room, face passive as usual. The last thing to do was put Urashima asleep and dig into his arms to check for infection. She took away their empty dinner bowls before administering a small dose of anesthesia. Ura slipped away into unconsciousness.

As Airmid cleared away dirty dishes and prepared her tools, she said, "You don't have to be here. He'll be asleep for a while anyway."

Otohime nodded, smiling, "I know, but I want to be here," she reached out to brush away a bit of his hair, "Besides, he looks so peaceful like this."

As Otohime cleaned up the space around her faithful bodyguard, she noticed a strange little pouch hanging at Airmid's side.

"What's that?" asked the Far Eastern, leaning in to get a closer look.

Airmid followed the other girl's line of sight and grabbed the small bag. She brought it up to face level to properly show it off.

"This is a special dust mixture based on another variant from Melen. Apparently, the original worked to repel monsters. My new dust combination attracts them," explained Airmid.

"So, that powder is for attracting monsters? I'm guessing to force them to gather?" asked Otohime.

The Dea Saint nodded before getting to work. She carefully drained old puss from the scar tissue and set to applying anti-septic cream. She worked quietly and diligently. She was about halfway through the process when they heard the first roar.

What followed was a series of shrieks and screams from humans and monsters alike. The clinic shook, and the sound of frantic footsteps was heard. Airmid frowned as she stood up.

"You are a level four, yes? Please follow me," said the Dea Saint, heading out the door. Otohime followed, casting one last look at the knocked-out Urashima as she went.

They came into the hallway to find many Dian Cecht Familia members running around in chaos. Airmid grabbed the closest nurse.

"What's happening?" she asked, her face pulled into a frown.

"Monsters have begun to rampage all over the city. A crowd of them are heading this way!" replied the young attendant, "We're trying to get the patients to a secure room. And find some adventurers to man the doors!"

Otohime stepped up, "I'll go man the doors," she looked back where Ura was resting. She didn't have any weapons, and hand-to-hand combat wasn't her specialty. That left one option.

The ordinarily carefree girl's face was grave as she turned to Airmid, "I'd like to borrow that monster attracting dust of yours," she turned to the other nurse, "And don't send any other adventurers. Keep them in reserve."

The nurse seemed skeptical but nodded before she continued on her journey. Airmid arched an eyebrow but passed her bag of dust over.

"Anything I can do to help?" asked the greatest healer in Orario.

Otohime nodded, "Keep the people inside, no matter what you hear. And keep my Ura safe, please."

The last word was a desperate plea.

Airmid nodded, and the two women split. Otohime walked to the entrance, draping the bag of monster attracting dust around her neck. She strode with purpose, trying to get into the right mindset for her magic. The Princess began chanting as she walked.

"Great destroyer, thou are the devourer of worlds," a consuming black aura surrounded her, "You who would cleanse the world of the pure and impure, I beseech you," the lights started to dim, "Give me a fraction of your form," Otohime's mind began to cloud. She ran for the entrance, "Let me strike true terror into those who would look upon me. Let me be the one who would burn the world. Black wings envelop me! Burn this sack of flesh and give me thine true scales!" She felt her skin hardening, and it suddenly became hard to speak. She had to finish soon and prevent an Ignis Fautuus. The doors were right in front of her now. She burst outside to a horde of monsters, staring at the dust sack she carried with her.

As a child, Otohime had no magic. Which was strange. Usually, all royal family children, especially those close to succession, had at least one spell when they first received their status. In the beginning, this made her jealous. She wanted a cool magical power like her siblings. Mostly, she wanted it so they would stop bullying her. Getting it through…was much worse than she had ever imagined.

"Harbinger of doom! Give me your strength! Dracona Forma!"

In the arena, all of the spectators were too shocked to move. The first roar had been followed with silence. Then another great roar came, and the entire place turned to chaos. Citizens were scrambling, Guild workers were running around trying to establish communication, but it was the adventurers who sprang into action.

"Tiona, Ais, head to Daedalus Street!" commanded Riveria. Loki Familia was already running out onto the streets, "I'm going to find Lefiya and Elwin and start setting up an emergency healing center. Tione, go alert Finn!"

Hestia Familia was right on their heels.

"Miss Mikoto, take to the skies. Help Miss Ais and Miss Tiona find the monsters," began Lily, "Master Welf and Lady Haruhime, go with Lady Riveria to find Mister Elwin. Master Bell, you and Miss Ryuu will be with the Sword Princess. Lily is going to get Lady Otohime."

Something pinged Hestia's intuition, though. As the rest of the group began to split, she grabbed Ryuu's arm, "Ryuu, I want you to stay with me. There's something off with this…"

Ryuu looked confused but nodded, placing her faith in Hestia.

The rest of Hestia Familia began their operation. Mikoto finished chanting her magic and took off in flight, searching for monsters. Bell, Ais, and Tiona followed. The other party, consisting of Riveria, Welf, and Haruhime, went to find their mages and begin working with the Guild. By the sound of the roars, whatever was on the surface had been mostly contained to Daedalus, for now. That meant that the Guild employees and their assistants would be attempting to set up a barrier manned by whatever fighters they could find. Nobody knew how many monsters there were, though, so Lily had to start running fast to find their Princess and bodyguard.

Meanwhile, Hestia went looking for Guild employees to find out what was going on, and Ryuu followed. The elf had one hand on her blade and was checking every shadow for would-be attackers. The little Goddess found a pink-haired Guild staff scrambling with some papers.

"Hey! Any idea what's going on here?" asked the Goddess.

Misha shook her head, "The best we know is that some monsters found their way out of the dungeon, through that other entrance."

"Knossos," said Ryuu, memories of rage filling her mind. Hestia took one of her hands. Ryuu remembered to breathe, and to focus on protecting her precious Goddess.

"What's Ouranos and Fels doing about it?" asked Hestia.

"Master Fels has opened up the occulus communication stones," replied a new voice.

Eina Tulle was there now, a beacon of calm, not because she was calm, but because she had to be. Due to Eina becoming a more trusted member of the Guild in the past year, she was privy to some of its darker secrets. By proxy, Misha also figured out what happened as Eina's best friend and right-hand woman. Guild workers came flocking to her for orders, which she handed out with deftness. With one hand, she signed papers granting various requests and trades for supplies from Familias, and in her other hand was a white stone, which she offered to Hestia.

The Goddess took it and bent down to speak in private, "Hey Fels, any idea what the hell is going on here? Is it…you know?" Hestia bent down to whisper, "The Xenos?"

Hestia would never seriously entertain the idea that Wiene, or any of her friends, were behind the attack, but something seemed off. Something was niggling at the back of her brain.

"No, Goddess Hestia, I don't believe the Xenos are involved. At least, not the Xenos we know. I'll be asking Lyd if he heard anything, though," said Fels.

"Alright, then what can I do?" asked Hestia.

"Help the Guild keep organized and calm the people," responded Fels.

"Understood."

Hestia gave the stone back and turned to the Guild. The tiny Goddess got to work wrangling the employees; Ryuu smiled at their shocked faces. Everyone was used to the old Hestia, who was incredibly lazy and more than a little self-centred. She was still those things, but she had learned that there was a time and a place for it. This past year, she had found her own source of strength. Hestia had learned to take charge and act like a Goddess from Lady Athena. She wanted to be more than just her old worthless self. The itty-bitty Goddess had grown just as much as the rest of them.

Ryuu took up a lookout position surveying their surroundings, trying to keep an eye out. She was the first to spot the approaching shadows. One was particularly large and racing ahead of its pack.

Ryuu drew her new wooden sword and went to meet the Bloodsaurus baring down on them. She spared only a thought to the fact that a creature from as far down as floor thirty was here now on the surface. The elf was launched herself in an arc, her sword crashing down into the beast's skull as she plummeted. Unfortunately, the beast didn't come alone.

"Get everyone back in the arena!" Ordered Ryuu. The Guild was quick to comply. Adventurers who had been spectating were quick to join the elf and form a defensive line. They may have been competing rivals only a couple days ago, but now more important matters were at stake.

In the air, Mikoto flapped her wings as she soared. She shouted down the location of every beast she saw, "Another monster up ahead! Three turns to the left!"

Tiona, Ais, and Bell followed. Tiona had no weapon, only her fists, and Ais had to borrow a sword from a nearby vendor. The only one armed was Bell, who brought his weapons with him everywhere these days. Hakugen, and the Hestia Knife, traced lines of white and black as they tore through monsters.

Behind him, Ais was internally giddy. She was finally getting to fight alongside Bell! Her joy was only tempered by the fact that there were innocent people in danger. She ran alongside Bell, covering his flank as they tore through the monsters. He would shout a warning, and she would respond. Or she would start an attack, and he would finish it. Their tag-team work was most excellent. They were quick to communicate and shout orders.

"Just how many of these guys are there?" asked Tiona. She enjoyed fighting as much as the next person, but there were still many monsters out there. There were also many people in the crossfire. It wouldn't be long before the innocent got caught in the way.

What was strange, though, was the monster's behaviour. Occasionally, they'd stop and sniff the air. Then, they would change direction and start rampaging somewhere else, like they were looking for someone.

Bell noticed the oddity too, but to him, it seemed familiar. As if he had experienced this situation before. It wasn't until he saw a rampaging silverback that the pieces started to come together. His stunned expression almost cost him, though. The great ape almost punched him, but Ais was never going to let that happen. She turned to reprimand Bell for his carelessness when the boy started shouting.

"The Goddess is in danger!" cried out Bell. He turned then, calling out behind him, "I have to go! I promise I'll be back soon!"

Before Ais or Tiona could respond, Mikoto called out another monster's location. The samurai herself soon faced trouble, though, as flying monsters took notice of her. They swarmed the girl and forced her into aerial combat. Thankfully, she was also armed. Every member of Hestia Familia knew caution.

Mikoto proceeded to swoop and dive as she swung her katana, cutting through enemies. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as she began to utilize her new status to its fullest effect. The monsters in front of her cut like paper, and their magic stones rained down to the streets.

Unfortunately, there were still a lot of harpies to deal with. They swarmed the girl, and eventually, they could start dragging her down with their weight.

"Arcs Ray!"

An arrow of light shot then, and the weight lifted from Mikoto's body. Below her, Elwin and Lefiya took up supportive positions. Riveria used a small plaza to set up a command position. As the most senior adventurer there, everyone took heed of her words. Haruhime was there too, doling out items that they must have picked up along the way.

"Kazuchi!"

A blast of fire got Mikoto's attention. Welf aimed skyward with his magic sword, trying to hit the other aerial targets. Mikoto took that as her queue to return to battle.

Overall, things were going well. Although there was mass panic in the streets, no one had been majorly injured…yet. Which was why Bell was so worried. Upon seeing the silverback, the boy had a flashback to a similar event from over a year ago. This was like Monsterphilia, and at that time, the gorilla's target seemed to be …

"Goddess!" shouted Bell.

He had returned to the colosseum square to find Ryuu locked in combat with a rampaging loup-garou. This beast was different than the others, though; it seemed to study how Ryuu fought. The creature took its time in the fight and didn't rush into an attack. The monster blocked one of her sword swipes and then grabbed her blade. It used its monster strength to try and pull her in. The elf was able to kick away, though, and gain some space from her opponent.

Bell ran over and joined Ryuu. Goddess Hestia was working as hard as she could with the Guild to get citizens off the streets and into the arena. The colosseum was an easily defendable position, and there were already a lot of people just hanging around anyway.

"Bell, look at that thing's weapons," said Ryuu, bringing his attention back to the battle.

In the white loup garou's hands were metal swords, and when Bell really looked, he saw metal gauntlets hidden by the fur. This creature was armed and dangerous, and it seemed to recognize Bell. When it spotted him, the monster's mouth changed? It took a minute for Bell to register what the action was; the monster was smiling at him. The creature raised one of its stolen blades in a challenge.

"What's going on here?" asked Bell. He had expected mindless monsters to be targeting the Goddess, possibly charmed by Freya's magic, not whatever this was. This creature seemed to be brighter than it appeared. And if it was keeping up with Ryuu in combat, it had at least level five potential.

Bell was drowning in the possibilities, his thoughts a turbulent mess. Then he heard his vice-captain speak.

"Bell! Deal with the implications later! For now, we must face the challenge in front of us," declared the elf. She had read his mind, per usual.

The two took off then, an unspoken word to begin their assault. Their teamwork was flawless. As Bell and Ryuu weaved and dodged, the monster had no idea where to turn. One second, he'd be crossing blades with the scrawny boy, and then he'd howl in pain from the crushing attack to his knee by the elf.

It howled in rage, swinging a massive arm with surprising speed. Ryuu had the wind knocked out of her. Since she would need a moment to recover, Bell began duelling with the beast. His blades sang as they sparked off the wolf monster's knives. Even if the beast was stronger, Bell was faster and more agile. He could dodge every blow and have the time to be able to abuse every opening he saw. Cuts started crisscrossing the monster's flesh. Unfortunately, this was no adventurer, who was constrained by four limbs.

The monster used its great jaws to bite into Bell's shoulder next. It shook him like a rag doll before the boy was thrown across the square. The boy rolled away as quickly as he could, knowing that the beast would try and leap on him. Ais had explained as much in their practice bouts. Just as he got his feet under him, the beast was there. They resumed their deadly dance of daggers. Thankfully, in its addled rage, the monster had forgotten about the elf. Ryuu was there in a flash, at just the spot Bell needed her to be.

There was no need for talk; the two adventurers fought as one. In their Familia, Ryuu was often the only one who could keep pace with Bell in sparring. Beyond that, though, there was a much deeper bond. It was not long till they had brought the creature to its knees. At a signal from Bell, Ryuu took up a position behind the monster, sword raised and ready. Bell hovered in front of it, hesitant at his next action. At Ryuu's nod of encouragement, he mustered his courage.

"Excuse me, but you can you talk?" he asked, dreading the response.

The monster was quiet for a minute, and then it opened its mouth, "They call me Petron."

The creature's voice was rough and hoarse from misuse. Its canines were an acidic yellow colour, just like its eyes. The monster's words confirmed Bell's worst fears; this creature was a Xenos.

"Why are you here?" asked Bell, "Do Lyd and the others know about this?"

The loup-garou made a sound that must have been a laugh, "Those pathetic mongrels? I serve a much greater master, Bell Cranel. One that remembers your failure. Today I was supposed to ruin you, and that pathetic Goddess of yours," the monster looked over the panicking masses, "but this works just as well," Petron howled one last time, "I have fulfilled my tasks, now you do yours!"

Before Bell or Ryuu could respond, Petron jabbed his own claws into his chest. With a sickening wrench, he pulled out his magic stone and crushed it in his hands.

His last words were, "Better to die my own hands than a traitorous human's."

Everything turned to dust after that.

Bell stood there in shock, uncomprehending, until he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned to find Hestia looking up at him.

"Are you going to be ok? Or do you need a second?" asked the Goddess. Her face looked terribly worried, and she seemed to hold her arms ready for a hug.

Bell breathed slowly and replied, "I'll be ok. Besides, there is still much to do," Bell looked at his Goddess, "Please stay close today; this reminds me too much of Monsterphilia."

Hestia nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. Still though, who did this?"

A terrifying roar came in answer; It was the sound of a dragon, but also not. For Hestia Familia, it was the worst thing they heard all day. They recognized that roar.

That was the sound that finally woke up Urashima. As he sat up, still groggy from the anesthesia, he took in his surroundings. He was in a large room with many people, many of whom were dressed like him, as patients. A small knot of lightly wounded adventurers stood in front of the barricaded entrance. Urashima pushed himself up with his hands (someone had been kind enough to install his backup prosthetics) and walked to the adventurers. At the back of the group was the Dea Saint, who was studying the door. She turned at the sound of Urashima's steps and nodded.

"I see you've woken up. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Where is Otohime?" was his response.

Airmid motioned to the door, "She left to go fight the monsters and protect the patients," Airmid frowned, "She didn't carry any weapons, though."

Urashima felt his heart pounding, "You let her go alone?"

Airmid's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "My duty is to protect the people of this city. No one else was in a position that could help her. Besides, she is a level four. I doubt there are many creatures out there that could defeat her."

This woman didn't understand, though. If Otohime left to fight a mob of monsters without a weapon, and Urashima was one of the people she had to protect, she would go with the worst option. Before anyone could object, the new level four charged through the barricade. This was bad, oh so very bad.

When he exited the clinic, he almost ran face-first into Lily. The young prum had made her way through the city, dispatching monsters as she went. As a level three, the battles had been much more manageable than she anticipated. At the sight of her fellow Familia member, her hackles dropped. Then she noticed he was alone.

"Lily was hoping that the stupid Princess didn't actually do it…"

Any small hope that Urashima held vanished, "Then the roar from earlier?"

"Lily believes that we should be on our way," the prum turned to run, Urashima right on her heels.

"Please be safe…" he said in prayer.

In the Far East, all members of the royal family had to undergo a rite of passage. Even before the Gods and Goddesses descended to the mortal plane, generations of Princes and Princesses had journeyed to the dragon's breeding ground up in the mountains to claim their destiny. The coming of the immortal deities had simply made the tradition more critical. Now, the journey was made multiple times in one's life; all to achieve the fabled feat of adventure required to level up. Otohime was no exception. In fact, she had more reason than most. She honestly didn't care if she ever became empress, but she needed to be strong to guarantee Urashima's safety. So, when she finally reached D levels in her stats, she volunteered as fast as possible for the next mountain expedition. She was on her way to becoming a level four.

Five nobles also had to make the journey, each from various branch families. They all looked down on the Third Princess, who they thought had never experienced tragedy. They all believed the First Prince's rumours that she kept a leper as a pet. They hated Otohime. Which was why they abandoned her in the mountains.

The young girl, who had only recently turned eighteen, had wandered the range for quite some time. Otohime had not found a beast worthy of a feat and was not allowed to go home until she did. Slowly, she ate through all her provided provisions. After that, she had to turn to hunting for sustenance. It was on one such hunt when she finally felt the presence. Since her hunger had dulled her senses, she had not noticed the dread. In the beginning, Otohime had assumed that the feeling in her stomach was just starvation. Then the wind kicked up. A sense of malice and despair washed over her; it was so strong that it paralyzed her. She felt a hot breath exhaled on her back, and then she remembered nothing except fainting…and a singular eye.

When Otohime woke up all those years ago, fear of the beast overtook her. She scrambled down the mountain to warn Lady Amaterasu, and her father, of the incoming calamity. Her fear of being too late was misguided, though. When she got home, all she found was peace. When the young girl told her story, most looked at her like she was crazy. Only three people believed her. The first was her beloved Ura, the second was her father, who was wise enough to take any and all threats seriously. The final one was Lady Amaterasu herself. The Goddess called for Otohime one day to update her status and discuss recent events. That was when the Princess levelled up.

Except, she had killed no monsters. In her confusion, she explained to Lady Amaterasu her journey. She explained how she had failed to kill anything. The part Amaterasu hung on, though, was her encounter with the beast she barely remembered. The usually kind and patient Goddess grilled Otohime for hours on her story. Eventually, the Goddess grabbed Otohime by the shoulders and swore her to secrecy. She was never to repeat the story of her journey ever again.

That same status update was when she gained her disgusting magic.

Back in the present, in Orario, Ganesha Familia did their duty. The city's guardians had mobilized perfectly and proved why they were still one of the most trusted Familias. In fact, they were so efficient that only one monster was left rampaging.

Apparently, some kind of new irregular dragon creature had appeared and was rampaging throughout Daedalus Street. It had already destroyed numerous buildings. The strange part, though, was that it only seemed to target monsters. If any adventurer was foolish enough to try and kill the beast, it defended itself, but other than that, all humans were left alone. A squad of level four adventurers had tried to put it down already, only to be left unconscious and bleeding.

That meant that it was Shakti's turn now. She had taken off across the city to bring the beast down, or at least hold it back till Loki or Freya Familia arrived. By all accounts, this was a powerful beast.

When Shakti finally caught sight of it, her breath hitched. The Dragonoid figure stood on two legs, a black whip-like tail trailing out behind it. Overall, the beast was three meters tall, at least. Its scales were black, with the occasional gold piece glimmering in the sun. It had vaguely humanoid arms and hands but with massive foot-long claws at the end. A great trail of horns went cascaded down its back, like hair. The beast also had a pair of reptilian wings, but the worst was its head. The creature's skull was caught somewhere between human and dragon. The eyes bore the vertical slit-like pupils of its kind, but its mouth still held the circular shape of a person: there was no elongated snout, just a delicate nose.

The half-dragon was bent over the ground now, sniffing. Searching for more prey, perhaps? Curiously, unlike other monsters ('or even Xenos' thought Shakti), this beast did not seem interested in magic stones. However, it was still a monster.

Shakti pushed off the ground, slamming her shoulder into the beast. It stumbled backwards and swung its head, searching for the attacker. When it found the level five adventurer, it swung its great tail. Shakti raised her spear in defence, but it appeared that had always been part of the dragon's plan. The tail wrapped itself around the haft of the spear, and the dragon pulled. Shakti was sent crashing forward, straight towards the beast. She felt its claws catch her and start closing around her head.

Before the beast could squeeze too tightly, though, Shakti stabbed its hand with a dagger. She had angled herself to slip a blade between the scales and was rewarded with a cry of pain. The beast dropped her in pain.

Shakti grabbed her spear off the ground and turned. With a tremendous thrust, she pierced the beast's leg. Now hobbled, the dragon began flapping its wings.

"Oh no, you don't!" screamed Shakti. She jumped into the air and slammed her fist into the dragon's head. Knocked sideways, the beast forgot its plan to fly. Rage overtook its mind. The dragon swung her head back around and opened her maw. The courtyard lit up as a great gout of flames poured out.

Shakti had to jump up onto a building to avoid being burned. As she came back down, spear pointed towards the earth, one of the dragon's scaled fists punched out into her ribcage. Shakti flew back and crashed into a high tower. Dazed, she started to fall towards the ground.

Thankfully, someone caught her. Tiona and Ais had been nearby when the fight began. Now, the Sword Princess saw a dragon, and her blood boiled.

"Tiona, she's mine," said Ais, stepping forward, "Awaken: Tempest."

Her blade came forward at full speed. The greatest monster killer in Orario was now sheathed in magic. Her Avenger skill burned her back. Ais Wallenstein swung her blade, aiming to decapitate the beast then and there. She was inches away…

About to kill another disgusting dragon…

"STOP!"

Just as her blade was about to cut through the creature's neck, she heard Bell's voice. Her blade halted, and her head turned. Bell came sprinting, Hestia on his back. Ryuu was not far behind. Mikoto, who Ais and Tiona had left behind, was quick to touch down as well. Even Elwin, Haruhime, and Welf were there, looks of horror on their faces.

"What do yo-"

Ais never finished her question, though, because the dragon attacked again. Its scaled fist made contact with her abdomen, and the Sword Princess went careening backwards. As she was pushed back but not sent flying, Tiona came to provide support.

"Yo! Mister Argonaut! Why'd we stop?" asked the Amazon, totally confused. Her fists were still raised towards the beast, but something felt horribly wrong. This was like when she had seen that Vouivre…

"Tsk, another sympathetic monster?"

The rest of Loki Familia executives had arrived, as well as almost every other top-tier adventurer in the city. The only people missing were all of Freya Familia. Bete, who had spoken, dropped to the ground, ready to do battle. He cracked his knuckles and marched forward. This creature wasn't going to hurt anyone else.

The irregular dragon, now surrounded, looked wary. Its head swung side to side like it was searching for someone. It paid no attention to the incoming executioner. However, just as Bete was about to begin his assault, Ryuu jumped in his way.

"This situation is much more difficult than you think, Bete Loga," said the elf, a mask of calm.

"Like hell it is! Now, move, elf! I don't care what alliance we have!"

Before the two could come to blows, a final voice rang out. Everyone turned to hear it, even the dragon.

"Stay away from her!"

Urashima Taro jumped down, Lily sprinting behind him.

"Oh, her, huh?" remarked Finn, quietly checking his thumb.

The dragon seemed to recognize Urashima, as its head dropped to nuzzle him when he got close. There were tears in Ura's eyes as he returned the gesture.

"You idiot Princess, you did this for me, didn't you? Well, it's over now…time to turn back," replied the bodyguard.

Something changed in the dragon's body language then. It adopted a more human stance, almost like it was shy. But an encouraging nod from Urashima kept it going. The dragon snorted before sending one last disapproving look towards Bete. Then, for lack of a better term…it shifted. The scales grew smaller until they looked like shredded human skin. The wings receded with an awful pop sound and left holes where they had once been, which oozed blood. The tail, too, seemed to slither back inside the body, a spot of flayed flesh all that remained. The claws retracted into well-manicured nails, leaving puss that fell to the ground. The horns on the back smoothed out into glossy black hair. And lastly, the reptilian eyes blinked and were normal. They were a familiar golden colour.

Those eyes shut just as quickly, though, as the Princess passed out on the spot. Urashima supported the now unconscious and injured Otohime, draping her in a blanket he had found along the way. He scooped her up in his arms, her body unshifting. The rest of the city stared on as he marched away. Varying looks of shock and disgust were on everybody's faces. The most horrified was Ais, who contemplated what she had almost done.

Later that day, when the streets had been cleaned, and the people calmed, a coalition of some of the most potent Familias met in Babel. There was to be an impromptu meeting to go over this shocking development.

One year ago, from the original assault on Knossos: Tsubaki, Shakti, Asfi, and Finn from Hephaistos, Ganesha, Hermes, and Loki Familia, respectively. Also in attendance was Ryuu. Hestia Familia had been specially invited by the Braver himself to attend the meeting. However, it was a unanimous decision not to send Bell, who often struggled with these negotiations. Instead, they chose to send their stony-faced vice-captain.

The five top-tier adventurers sat around a great table, with Royman and Fels also in attendance on behalf of the Guild.

"Ok, Finn, what's the situation?" asked Tsubaki. The high smith had no need for pleasantries. The sooner this business was settled, the better.

"Well, as we all saw, monsters invaded Orario. It seems like their origin point was Knossos, under Daedalus Street," Finn raised a hand when several people opened their mouths, "I have already stationed some of my Familia at the entrances under the city. We will be starting a full-scale investigation tomorrow."

"Then why are we here?" asked Tsubaki, "Seems like you already have the situation at hand."

Finn shook his head, "While we may have area secured, I don't like the idea of not knowing who was behind the attack."

Shakti snorted, "Please, this has Freya's name written all over it. She is one of the only people who would still have a key to Knossos," she looked at Ryuu, "Gale, I'd imagine that you saw how the monsters hunted?"

Ryuu nodded, "As did Goddess Hestia and Bell. Apparently, after pooling their information with mine, they think Freya has tried this before."

Ryuu had told the rest of the captains about what had happened at Monsterphilia last year.

When she finished, Finn started again, "That adds up with what Loki knows as well. That's twice now that Freya has brought monsters into the city…Royman, what does the Guild plan on doing?"

The fat elf rolled his eyes, "What can we do? Without any hard evidence, there's nothing to be done about it. We're barely able to keep our current restrictions in place as it is."

Before the rest could speak, Ryuu raised her hand, "You all should know, there's something else. There was a Xenos among the monsters."

Ryuu explained her and Bell's battle with the white loup-garou. By the end, everyone was staring at Fels.

The old philosopher hunched over, "For a while now, the Xenos have been in a state of…I guess you could call it Civil War. There are a growing number of new Xenos that refuse to believe that humans can be anything but hateful." Something shifted under Fel's hood, "If Lady Freya really is behind this attack, then this faction must be her ally. Only the Xenos would be able to lead monsters from the deep floors all the way up to the surface. No humans would know the right paths."

Tsubaki's nose scrunched, "If these new Xenos hate humans so much, why ally with Freya? It was her lot that slaughtered them last year."

A mournful chuckle came from the skeleton, "You look for a reason? These creatures are angry as they should be. I do not know how Freya convinced them, but I am sure that all it took was an opportunity."

"Opportunity for what?" asked Finn.

"Vengence," responded Ryuu.

"Even if they would die?"

Ryuu's eyes narrowed, "When it comes to vengeance, you don't care what happens after you get it."

The words of the infamous Gale Wind hung over the room. These creatures didn't care if they lived or died, just that they took as many people as possible with them.

Fels waved a hand, "As I said though, this is only a fraction of the Xenos. I will be in touch with Lyd to see what else he knows," Fels turned to Finn, "For now, investigate Knossos." Then to Shakti and Tsubaki, "Protect the people."

"And us?" asked Ryuu.

Royman stood up and pulled out an envelope, "At such times, the people look to adventurers for safety and security. Hestia Familia must go forward with their expedition if only to reassure the city that everything will be ok."

The head of the Guild placed the envelope in front of Ryuu. Obviously, there was more to this expedition than met the eye.

Ryuu glanced to Finn, "And will the Sword Princess and Thousand Elf still be accompanying us?"

Finn nodded.

Ryuu turned to Asfi, "And what of you, Andromeda?"

"I, and part of my Familia, will be leaving Orario for a short period," replied Perseus, "After the upcoming Denatus, Lord Hermes has a mission for us to accomplish outside the city. Aisha Belka, and a few others, will remain."

Before anyone could object, Fels spoke up again, "Lord Ouranos has personally sanctioned this mission. Hermes Familia's new objective is of the utmost secrecy and importance."

At that notice, Finn nodded, "Alright, anything else?"

"Yes," said Ryuu, standing. In front of the assembled Captains, the elf bowed as deeply as she could.

"On behalf of my Familia member, Otohime Nakamura, I extend her deepest regrets and apologies. At the time, she only did what she thought was best to protect the Dian Cecht Familia clinic. She does not ask for forgiveness or to escape punishment."

Tsubaki shrugged, "No one died, right? And the only people who got hurt were the ones stupid enough to challenge her." The one-eyed smith smirked, "Right, Shakti?"

The captain of Ganesha Familia glared at the smith, "I know of no such thing," Shakti turned to look at Ryuu, "But I agree with the cyclops, just this once. Today was a day of tough decisions for us all. I do not hold a grudge against your Familia, and I do not blame Otohime for my injuries. Who's to say what would've happened if she hadn't used her magic? Tell the girl, no one in Ganesha Familia blames her."

At that statement, Ryuu let out a long breath. The last of the day's tension eased from her shoulders. Obviously, this would do little to erase the guilt that Otohime felt, but at least there would be no legal repercussions from offended parties.

"With that, I end this meeting," declared Finn.

End of Arc One

Character Profile:

Otohime Nakamura:

Level Four

Status:

Strength: D 531 Defense: E 489 Dexterity: D 596 Agility: D 555 Magic: G 246

Abnormal Resistance: E

Magic Resistance: E

Spearman: G

Magic:

Dracona Forma: Turns the caster into a dragon-like monster. All stats are exponentially increased at the cost of total loss of mental faculties and mind-down when the spell is ended. Magic must be actively ended by the user, or else dragon form remains. Along with increased stats come the physical and magical traits of a dragon.

Skill:

Devoted Heart: As long as a beloved one is kept in mind, the skill bearer cannot be charmed by people or monsters.

Synthesis: User has a low-grade physical health regeneration when under direct sunlight.

Sunshine: User has increased stats when in direct sunlight.

Dragon Slayer: Heavily increases all abilities when fighting dragon-type monsters.

After a little bit of time away, here's the next chapter! Pleasure to upload this one! And now that we're getting closer to catching up with the series on Archive, I finally feel good enough to start responding to the reviews that come up with the chapters!
To the Guest: Hello, regarding people discovering Alfia, it is not something to happen soon. This is something important to Bell, so it is going to be a very long time till he feels like he can trust the people of Orario at large.
Pix25: You thought the tournament was intense? It only continues to escalate. Well after a small break and breather that is. First we have to relax a bit and make a set up for the expedition. Its going to be great!
Thanks again to all the favorite and follows! See you all again soon!