Ragnar was sitting on the bench with his back facing Skadi, his shirt was lifted and resting on top of his head while looking at an empty jug and a plate as well as some pieces of parchment.
"So… is this supposed to hurt?" The blond tried to look back only for the tall woman to slightly push his head back in position.
"Just a tingle. It's just that I haven't done this in a long while" The words from Skadi did not calm the newcomer, it only made him more nervous.
Without a weapon nearby, the goddess used the tip of the axe that Ragnar had with him to prickle her index finger and let a small bit of blood form on the surface. She let her hand hover over the boy's back and then the little droplet fell until it collided with the pale skin.
Ragnar felt a shiver fall over his back, but a stronger feeling overcame him. Before, when he made the contract with the goddess he didn't notice any change at all but after the ritual he felt different, something that he couldn't describe easily.
It felt like a connection with Skadi.
The drop of blood created a ripple as if it touched water and the bare skin now had many writings and symbols inscribed on it like a tattoo. A giant snowflake rested in the middle with many runic inscriptions and words all over the place.
"Oh?" Skadi leaned forward as she wiped the blood from her finger to look at the information that was projected on the back "Mh…"
"Goddess Skadi, can I lower my shirt yet?"
"Mh? Oh, just a moment" One of the parchments from the table was picked up and unrolled. She placed it on top of the new markings and made a motion with her finger which caused the tattoo to light up for a brief moment. "Now you can lower it." The snowflake disappeared and left no residue, not even from the blood itself.
"So what is this thing that you needed to do exactly, Godde-…?" Ragnar asked and was presented with the same parchment he saw before.
It was an exact copy of the information that had been inscribed, and it was now available for him to read. He grabbed the parchment and hummed as his eyes moved from one side of the other.
"Ragnar Strand… Skadi… I'm guessing it means Familia." He stopped, clenching his hand at the next bit of information "What do these numbers and symbols even mean?! Is it… is it good?"
"Well…" Skadi's voice trailed off "It says that your level is one, your status is not that well developed. But look" She pointed at one of the numbers "Your agility here is different from the rest, which means you are better developed in that aspect."
"That is because all the walking I did to get here!" Ragnar raised his arms in protest "How am I supposed to get stronger if I'm just at the bottom?" His attention went to the axe. Without thinking much about it he grabbed the weapon only to be stopped by the goddess who grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?!" Skadi held a tight grip on the boy's arm as she tried to pull him away from the entrance.
"To get strong of course, that's why I came here!" His attention was on the entrance of the mead hall but when he looked back he felt his heart skip a beat as the goddess had a look of worry in her face, something he was not expecting out of a deity.
"Do you even know what to do next? Haven't you had anything to eat? You are not even registered as an adventurer!" But Skadi noticed that he wasn't pulling on his end and released his arm.
"Then I'll find a way to-…" However, this discussion ended when his stomach growled. There were moments of silence until he gave up, slumping his shoulders at his defeat. "Fine, I'll stay here."
"At least let me get you something to eat. I can imagine you don't have enough money for a proper meal."
Skadi went to one of the rooms in the mead hall while Ragnar put the axe next to him as he sat on the bench. He grabbed the parchment with his information and kept reading it, or at least trying to decipher some of the content.
The numbers were not too encouraging for him. With barely any knowledge or special abilities he felt weaker than before. Was this his true calling? He wanted to get stronger but this was disheartening.
"Ragnar?"
"Mh?" He looked up and saw Skadi holding a small plate with a piece of bread and a jug full of water. "Oh, sorry goddess, I was thinking." He took both and placed it on the table while Skadi sat in front of him.
Ragnar ate in silence, trying to keep some decency despite being overly hungry "So…" He took another bite, "What happened to this place? I imagine it used to look better than this."
"Many things caused the Skadi Familia's downfall. For a long time not many adventurers wanted to receive my blessing and in time we became inactive." Skadi clasped her hands together and looked down. "This never was a big Familia, not even comparable to the most powerful ones in Orario but it was… something."
"So I'm the only one here. Well other than you, goddess, " She nodded. "Maybe I can help move some things, or make some space, or clean the floor… something I suppose."
"Thanks, but that will not be necessary. If the situation requires it then we can work on maintaining Fimbulvetr."
"Sorry, Fimb-… what?" Ragnar repeated those words with his mouth full.
"This entire place," She gestured at her surroundings. "Fimbulvetr is our home, it is the mead hall, the forge, the residences. The entire plot we are in is Fimbulvetr."
"Home…" He muttered, finishing the bread. He had a bitter feeling in his gut, perhaps it was the long trip or the recent disappointment that still lingered. "Well, there's not much to be done tonight but to wait for the morning." Ragnar grabbed his backpack and placed it close to him, then took his axe and he held it close as he started to lay down on the bench.
"Wait, what are you doing?" She raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.
"Mh? I'm going to sleep. I can imagine that if there's a bed in this place it would most likely be yours, goddess."
"Oh, no" Skadi shook her head, standing up from the bench and then trying to pull Ragnar up. "There's no need to sleep here! Please come with me."
He silently nodded and follow the deity "Goddess Skadi, I don't want to be bothersome but I don't think the residences outside are… well, in livable condition."
"And who said you would have to sleep there?"
Skadi guided her child to one of the rooms in the back. He had a peek from the hallway and saw that two rooms; one led to a kitchen which, unlike the rest of the mead hall, looked somewhat decent while the other was closed. However, his attention went to the room in front of this closed one.
It was a square room with no doors or windows but there was a strange altar in the middle. It was a small stone construct in the shape of an obelisk, and near the top was the same snowflake symbol that he saw on the amulet and the parchment. Ragnar acknowledged that was the emblem of the Skadi Familia.
"Here," The goddess gestured at the statue then looked at Ragnar. She saw that his head was low and his hands were clasped together as if praying. "What are you doing?"
"Uhm… am I doing it wrong? Maybe here in Orario it's different or…?"
"No," Skadi let out a quiet laugh. "Please put your hand on the altar."
Ragnar was still confused, but there wasn't much he could do other than to follow his goddess' orders. He placed his hand on the cold stone and much to his surprise nothing happened. The boy removed his hand and that's when the snowflake symbol glowed with a white light and the ground trembled.
The floor was slowly moving down around the altar as if creating a stone staircase that went below the mead hall. He opened his mouth but was stunned by this; Skadi on the other hand started to walk down and motioning Ragnar to follow her.
The floor below the mead hall was preserved differently than the surface level. Despite the dust this basement looked somewhat normal, it was a long hallway with many doors to each side and on the far end there was a set of double doors, also closed.
"What is this place? You made it yourself goddess?"
"I supervised it. I had an acquaintance to help with it too." The goddess led the boy deeper into the hallway. "This is the inner sanctum of the Skadi Familia, here you will find my living quarters, the ones from the upper ranks in our group, the vault and the war room." She stopped at the closest door to the war room; unlike the others this was far more decorated. "And this is your room."
Skadi opened the door and the two walked inside. Ragnar was far more surprised than before, it was an already furnished room but it didn't look like anyone lived there for a long while. There was a king-sized bed and a dresser to the side along with a desk near the door. The walls had many hangers for ornaments or trophies that were removed long ago. There was also an armor rack that had seen better days.
"This… this is almost as big as my home. But…" Ragnar was speechless, turning around to look at the old room. "I just… I didn't do anything to deserve this," He sounded dejected, slumping his shoulders as he was being overwhelmed with the new information.
"So… do you like it?" But Skadi didn't receive any response, instead she noticed the reaction of her child. "Maybe could decorate it more, clean it up a bit. This room hasn't been used in a long time so maybe you could work on it!"
"Uhm… right, I could," Ragnar nodded "So what now?"
"Now? There isn't much to do. You should rest and tomorrow I'll help you prepare." Skadi tilted her head and turned around. "Good night Ragnar." She closed the captain's room and left, leaving the blond alone to think.
He still had a feeling that he shouldn't be there but it was his new home, as strange as that sounded. Ragnar sighed and sat on the bed, it had a pillow and a bed sheet, probably used by someone else in the past.
"Tomorrow is going to be a new day…" He looked down at his hand and clenched his fist, but he didn't have much strength between the trip and being unconscious for several days. His eyes went to the bandage on his arm. "I'll get stronger… I promise." The boy took his axe and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed and put the backpack next to it.
His mind still lingered on so many things like what happened before the trip, Skadi, and what would come next. He assumed that if he wanted to get stronger he would have to face what the dungeon had to offer, it was a risk but he had to take in order to achieve his goal.
After sleeping for what felt like forever, Ragnar yawned and rose from the bed. He looked around and noticed the strange place he was in and it took a moment for him to remember what had happened last night. "Right… Fimbulvetr," He whispered and got out of bed.
Before getting ready for the day he grabbed the backpack and put it on the bed, taking out a new change of clothes. This ones were not too different from the ones he wore on the way to Orario with the addition of a jacket that was perfect for winter, but unfortunately Orario was far from having the cold winds from the north. Even still, he felt that he needed the extra protection.
Regardless, he had a more acceptable-looking outfit rather than the ragged and bloodied clothes he wore before. He left his room and closed the door behind him, only bringing his axe with him that was hanging from the belt.
Walking down the hallway, he found the same stone obelisk with the snowflake symbol to which he repeated the same procedure of placing his hand then removing it to make the stairs appear.
He climbed up to the main floor and yawned as he stepped into the mead hall once again. The destroyed parts of the building were far more noticeable with the sun shining through the huge hole in the roof.
"Morning, Goddess," Ragnar approached the table where he found Skadi was already having breakfast.
"Morning Ragnar. I take you slept well," She turned around and noticed the slight changes in the blond. "Oh, new clothes?"
"Yeah, I thought that if I needed to move around the city people would probably be more keen to talk to me if my clothes weren't destroyed or bloodstained." The captain walked towards the stable and sat on the same spot as the previous night.
The table didn't have much in terms of breakfast, just some bread, apples, peaches and the occasional strawberry that were slowly being eaten by the goddess. Ragnar's options were limited so he opted for the bread once again.
"So…" His voice trailed off.
"So… you want to know what the plans are for today?" He nodded with his mouth still full. "It should be simple. We will go into the city, get your bearings on how to be an adventurer and then…" She paused for a moment, shrugging at the simplicity of the schedule. "Then I'll set you loose, I suppose."
"Can I go and fight in the dungeon then?"
"You are eager to go. I would advise against it but I don't think I can talk to you out of that, right?" Ragnar shook his head. "Then, we'll leave as soon as you are ready."
The breakfast went by uneventfully, there wasn't much talk, only preparation for their trip to the city. After cleaning the plate and brushing off any crumbs on his clothes, Ragnar was prepared to go while Skadi raised the hood on her cloak.
"Goddess, I do have a question: Is it normal for..." He made a circle motion with his hand but clearly gestured at the deity, "Your kind to walk around the city? I know the gods came to the Lower World for many reasons but it was hard to believe at first."
"Well, I suppose it depends on who you're talking to. There are gods who are more outgoing and praised throughout Orario, others like to live a quiet and calm life so I suppose that's where I fit in." The goddess tugged the hood but a faint smile could be seen underneath.
"I see." Ragnar gave a weak – yet nervous – smile back at Skadi "Uhm… shall we go?" A quiet response from the woman and the two of them left Fimbulvetr.
The street in front of the base was not as bustling as the main road and the lights from the night were gone and replaced by the many open shops and stalls being prepared and the occasional adventurer moving towards the giant tower.
Ragnar's attention went to the different options available: there were inns with some people already drinking, potion shops with clients waiting outside, and blacksmiths already putting their forges to work early in the morning. Such was the life of an adventurer he thought but he was nowhere to be able to visit those without any coin to his name.
"So you never told me where we are going exactly."
"The Guild, they manage all the Familia in Orario and they will help you get ready," Skadi rummaged in one of the pockets of the cloak and gave the paper from earlier to Ragnar "You might need to present this to them, they will tell you how to proceed, the dangers of the dungeon and maybe any other advice."
"You've never been to the dungeon, goddess?"
"Closest I ever got was the entrance. We are not prohibited from going inside but it is ill-advised for multiple reasons along with some other restrictions." Skadi spoke and directed her attention to Ragnar whose gaze was going from shop to shop, amazed if not curious at everything surrounding. "Never been to Orario before?"
"Oh? Uh… no. Never left my village before, this is a complete new experience and I'm almost overwhelmed."
"Are you now?" Skadi smiled once more as they continued to walk, curious as the words that the blond mentioned. "How was the life in your village? I take it must've taken quite the push to move out of there."
"Mh… something like that," He didn't elaborate further and while Skadi noticed the short response she decided not to pry for now.
Eventually their walk and small talks led them to a building that stood out compared to the others. It was decorated with banners on the walls, an ornate entrance and a tower next to it with a small bridge.
"Wow…" Ragnar looked up, still amazed at what Orario offered.
"Welcome to Pantheon, the center of operations of the Guild. You better remember where it is since you will be visiting this place quite often." But the words didn't reach him. "Ragnar?"
"Uh… yeah, yeah I heard," He mindlessly nodded.
"I'll wait for you out here."
"Right…" He kept his attention at the building.
"Ragnar?" Skadi tilted her head. "Are you going to enter?"
"What? Oh, right." He snapped back and walked inside of the Guild building. But even though he wanted to focus on getting all the procedures done, he lost his attention due to all the adventurers that were inside as well as the personnel and how everything was being managed.
The interior of the Guild building was divided in two sections. On the right side there was a counter with many adventurers waiting in line; to the left side there was a different type of counter but with less people waiting. Ragnar could see that on top of it there was a sign that was labelled `Exchange.´
He got in line on the right side and advanced, not paying much attention to his surroundings until he felt a little prickle on his hand.
"Huh?"
"Sir, need help with something?" Ragnar looked at the front and saw a girl with brown hair, pointy ears and green eyes looking back at him. Her outfit looked to be standard for all the employees of the Guild "Sir?"
"Ah! Yes, sorry I was distracted." The boy scratched the back of his head. "I was told by my goddess that I would receive help here to become an adventurer. I'm pretty clueless about everything to be honest."
"That's completely fine. Welcome to Pantheon, the center of operations of the Guild!"
"Huh, I feel like I heard that before…" Ragnar whispered, feeling some familiarity with those words. "What am I supposed to do?" He tapped at the counter.
"Well, we can help you get started," The half elf turned around to one of the other staff members. "Can you help a new adventurer? I can't leave the counter at the moment."
"I need to fill in some paperwork" A man who was carrying a few books replied. "Wait, I think I know who can help him," He left the books on a table and left Ragnar's field of vision.
"If you could please follow my coworker he will guide you to one of the rooms in the back where you'll get better guidance as a new adventurer. Thank you for coming. Next!" The girl then gestured at the next adventurer to approach while the blond had to step to the side.
"Please sir, if you could follow me," The other employee at the Guild was standing in front of a door that was next to the counter.
The blond looked back and then at the man that was waiting for him. Unlike the girl, he was a human as tall as Skadi and wearing the same black and white uniform as the rest of the workers.
He followed him down a hallway with many doors either leading to the exchange area or to the one with the counter where he was moments ago; but there were other doors further in which were closed and he could hear voices coming from the inside.
The employee stopped by an open door and gestured at Ragnar to walk in. He took a quick peek and saw that the room was pretty bare, only a table and a pair of chairs but it was only when he entered that he noticed a small bookshelf to the right, and a few paintings as well. There were no windows which gave also privacy to the adventurers.
"Please make yourself comfortable, one of the staff members will soon join you to answer all your questions as well helping you prepare as an adventurer," He bowed.
"Thank you." The boy nodded as a response and walked inside.
Ragnar sat on one of the empty chairs and waited there, using this time to think back on everything that happened so far. His trip to Orario, meeting Skadi and now being part of her Familia; he was just a few steps away from entering the so-called Dungeon and becoming an adventurer. There was going back for him.
"Excuse me, coming through!" The voice of a girl came from the other side of the semi-closed door which opened the moment Ragnar turned his head what he saw was a pile of books entering into the room and with someone trying to make sure they don't fall. "Hi, as you can see I am a bit occupied right now, can you do me a favor and close the door while I put all of this in the table?"
The blond gave an affirmative sound and stood up, closing the door and hearing a loud thud from the books. When he turned he immediately saw a girl with pointy ears and long red hair and with a hair pin in the shape of a flower.
"Hi, sorry to keep you waiting," The girl bowed. "I'm Estherisiana Brymorian, or Esther for short." She remained silent while Ragnar was looking back at her in confusion as if waiting for something "Eh… I-I'm here to be a support – I mean – a g-guide in the Dungeon, I mean Guild I mean…" Esther had to stop and pulled a few pieces of papers from one of the pockets of the vest and started reading them. "I'm Estheri- yes, I did that already," She went to the next paper. "Ah, here," The elf cleared her throat. "I am here to be a guide and introduce you to what the Guild has to offer, as well as provide assistance and answer any…" Esther turned to the next page, "Questions that you may have. Now ask the name of the adventurer and greet-… wait, I shouldn't say that out loud."
"Hi… uhm, my name is Ragnar, Ragnar Strand." He sat back on the chair.
"Alright, hello Ragnar. I am Esth-… wait, you already knew that," She gave a nervous laugh. "My coworkers told me that you are a new adventurer and they thought that it would be a good idea to advise you."
"Advise me?"
"Yes," She sat on the chair, though that blocked her vision with the many books. She had to push them away and caused some of them to fall to the ground. Ragnar was ready to help her but she raised her hands. "Ah! Don't worry, I'll take care of it. But let's get to business, shall we? You have already receive your falna, yes?" The blond remained quiet which made Esther more nervous. "Y-your falna? The blessing given by the gods?"
"Oh, the thing in my back?" He pointed with his thumb.
"Y-yes. I will assume that you are also a level one adventurer or well, soon to be. Do you have a copy of your status?" He nodded and pulled the parchment that Skadi gave him earlier "Let's see, give me a moment." She placed it on the table and took one of the books that fell to the ground. "I wish I could read the God's language like Miss Eina does, but I need to use this book constantly instead."
"Are you new here?"
"I joined a month ago. I was mostly working in the back checking paperwork and helping other staff members until I was sent to the front to help with the exchange. Now, I've been assigned to you." She kept reading the lines in the parchment and using the book for help "Ah I see. Ragnar Strand. 17. Level 1 and from the… Skadi? Familia." She blurted out a question and recoiled. "I've never heard of that one." Esther turned to another book with the cover Familia in Orario "Skadi… Skadi… Ska- ah, here! It says that the Familia was inactive for many years, and due to the contribution made by the goddess and their members to the city, the plot they own was not seized by the Guild and… I see." The elf was immersed by the book's words.
"Uhm… about my status as an adventurer?"
"Oh! Sorry, I got carried away" She coughed "Right, Skadi Familia and your statistics are… pretty normal for a person of your level."
"Aren't they… low?"
"Well, yes. But look at this this, your agility-"
"Is better than my other ones, I know. Anything else that I need to know about it?"
"If I understand this correctly it says that you are… pretty bare. No knowledge in magic, no special abilities… you are blank slate. Limitless possibilities."
Ragnar looked down, processing that information. It was nice to know that he could do anything but was he going to reach that level? Would he be able to become strong enough? It was still the one thought that lingered in his mind.
"Hello? Mister Strand are you still here?"
"Mh? Oh, sorry I was thinking about what you said," He tapped the table. "So how does all of this work? Do I just go to the Dungeon and… fight monsters?"
"If you want to simplify it, yes. The Dungeon is divided in three areas: Upper, Middle and Lower floors. The Upper area will be where you will start, usually you will notice a change in scenery like the walls changing color or the ceiling being different on top of different monsters appearing." Esther grabbed a third book named `The Dungeon´ and presented it to Ragnar. "Killing monsters will make you stronger, they will also drop magic stones which you can trade here at the Guild."
"What will happen if I die?" That was a thought that crossed his mind, the idea that a monster would overpower him and take his life was a risk he considered.
The elf was surprised at the sudden change in the conversation "If you are lucky then maybe another adventurer will take you back to the surface, maybe your goddess will put up a quest to find you but… the monsters are not the only thing that you have to be aware of." She warned and turned the page showing the captain a map of the first two floors and used the pen to point different areas "Now listen here, this is important."
Even though this was the first adventurer she was supervising it was clear that she made plenty of research beforehand as she explained to Ragnar what type of enemies he would face, how to fight them as well as what to be aware of despite being an area for low level adventurers. Many new concepts entered into his brain, knowledge that he could only imagine from the tales that he was told.
"Agh…" The blond laid back on the chair, holding his forehead. "This is too much information."
"Listen! Make sure to pay attention to everything. I don't want you to go to the Dungeon for the first time and die! It will make me feel horrible if everything I did just now was for nothing!" Esther grunted and sat back on the chair "Now, do you have a weapon?"
"Yes," He pulled the axe from the belt.
"Good, armor?" But Ragnar just looked down at himself and shrugged "And you are planning to go into the Dungeon without any protection?" But the lack of response again just made her furious. "Just wait right here, I need to get something" Esther jumped from the chair and left the room immediately, closing the door behind her.
Ragnar on the other hand was waiting, he looked around the room for a bit before he leaned to grab one of the books.
The title was `Orario´ and it had a picture of the city. If he was going to live in there for the foreseeable future he needed to learn more about this place; where to get equipment, maybe even finding other people who would be willing to work alongside him.
He opened the book but the sound from outside distracted him as a familiar voice was getting closer.
"Excuse me, I need to get in," The door opened and Esther walked in with a few papers in one hand and with a leather chest plate on the other. "Now, we can continue to talk." The elf closed the door and put the armor on the table while she sat back on her chair, writing something on one of the papers she brought.
"You are… strange."
"Huh?" She quickly looked up at the blond, her eyes widened in surprise.
"When you first entered you were scared that you were not doing your job or that you wouldn't give a good impression," He smiled, "But then you started explaining everything about the Dungeon and you sounded like you like the topic a lot."
"W-what's the point you're trying to make here?"
"Nothing, it's just that… I guess it's nice that someone might be worried about your life."
"Uhm… t-thanks… I guess," She looked down, slightly flustered at Ragnar's comment and continued to write on the paper before she handed it to him along with a quill. "P-please do write down your signature. This will be your certificate as an adventurer."
The captain eyed the page top to bottom. It had his name, affiliated Familia, level and all the important information about his status only now he was able to read and understand it. It was mostly empty, after all he was going to start his career as an adventurer.
He took the quill and wrote down his signature at the bottom then gave both back to Esther who in return gave him an exact copy of his information.
"You'll keep that one, this one will remain in the Guild's registry and be updated as you progress. Now," The strange elf stood up and walked towards Ragnar, "The Guild will provide you with some basic weapons and armor, in your case it's the latter."
"That's very kind." The captain stood up as well and grabbed the leather chest piece, tapping at it with his knuckle. "Sounds good."
"However, this does not come free. Since we are giving you this piece of armor you will need to pay it back eventually. It's three thousand Valis, but if you are proficient in the Dungeon you'll be able to get that money today, but it will depend on how hard you try."
"So I'm indebted to the Guild?!" He sounded surprised, his first interaction with them not only led to him knowing a bit more of what's to come, but also knowing he already owed money to them. Truthfully he thought about asking his goddess for the money, but what kind of captain would he be? Do adventurers ask for money? He didn't want to show more weakness than he already had. "What would happen if I don't meet the deadline?" He removed his jacket and started to try on the chest plate.
"Well, the good news is that the deadline is a few months, knowing that new adventurers or a small Familia cannot obtain that much money, the Guild offers a good leeway for that." Esther helped the boy get the armor ready, tying and pulling some of the straps on the side and the back. "Be aware that not paying that debt will incur in penalties for both you and your Familia. In other words: Make sure to pay your debt in time."
After putting his new armor on, Ragnar grabbed the jacket and put it on again, moving his arms as if swinging the axe.
"Uhm… mister Ragnar," The captain turned his attention to the Guild member, "I know this might sound obvious and perhaps strange coming from a person you met moments ago but…" She paused, clenching her fists as she slightly tugged her vest. "Please be careful" The elf bit her lip as she uttered the next words. "I would like to see how you progress."
He remained quiet for a moment, as if not understanding what his advisor said. Instead he smiled, "Thank you for your help miss Estherisiana. I'll try to be careful."
"I hope to see you again," Despite the worry she tried to smile back at him.
The two of them walked out of that room and back into the main lobby. "Good luck! Make sure to bring lots of loot back!" The elf encouraged Ragnar as she closed the door while the boy walked out of the Guild hall and back to the streets.
It didn't take long for him to find Skadi, if anything she was walking towards him and with her hands behind her back.
"I take all the time in there was worth it?" The goddess asked and looked down at the armor "Where did you get that?"
"This? Oh, I'm…" Ragnar stopped for a moment. He didn't want to tell her that he had a debt with the Guild because she might help him with it. He refused to accept that help, he wanted to earn the right to be an adventurer and pay the debt himself. "I'm just grateful that the Guild member who helped me gave me this. Maybe I left a good impression!"
"Or perhaps they saw your weakness?" Skadi countered but noticed it did struck a nerve on him "Oh! I'm-… I apologize, I didn't mean to say that. But let me compensate. I only saw you carrying your axe so I thought that maybe you could use some more help."
"Huh?" He tilted his head and the goddess showed what she was hiding behind her.
It was a round shield made of wood with many details in copper; the main body of it was divided in four parts, two of them white and the other two in a dark blue.
"Goddess I… I don't know what to say."
"Promise me you will return from the Dungeon alive," She offered the shield to her child who didn't hesitate to accept it.
He slid his arm under the straps and then tightened it, moving it around placing it in front of him as if to block an attack. Ragnar nodded and smiled at the brown haired "Thank you Goddess, I promise I'll come back and stronger than before"
"Just coming back alive is a good start."
They walked away from the Guild and followed their eyes towards the giant structure located in the center. Each step they took did nothing to help Ragnar who was slowly becoming more nervous.
As they were getting closer, the captain had a better look at the building. Much like the Guild, he was impressed and it was no wonder many adventurers flocked towards Babel.
"Goddess just… what's the deal with Babel?"
"Think of it like a `lid´ for the Dungeon. But it is also a place for business, even Gods can live there."
"Then why do you live in Fimbulvetr?"
But the response was just a hand brushing his head. "Because if I do then I wouldn't be able to spend time with my children. But if you are curious, I was offered to live in the tower at one point."
The conversation kept the boy's mind at ease as they were approaching. They crossed the plaza and entered into the main room of the tower.
A multitude of adventurers could be seen everywhere from different races and wielding extravagant weapons. Some were alone, others were in a party and even there was a bigger group getting organized. A life of adventure sounded cool on paper, but everything changes when put to the test. A boy whose only experience with adventurers was through tales, it was understandable to be afraid.
"Well… here it is, the Dungeon…" Ragnar took a deep breath. While his face was showing composure, his legs that were shaking slightly at the thought of going down. "The Dungeon… where there are monsters and… I will get stronger…" He spoke to no one in particular.
"Are you alright? If you are still unprepared you can come back tomorrow."
"No, I'm fine," He lied. "I said I wanted to get stronger, right? I won't be if I hesitate now."
"It's just a step," Skadi commented. "Once you're down there everything will change."
Ragnar took a step forward but stopped to have another peek at the other adventurers. He took a look at the goddess who was smiling at him.
"Will you return from the Dungeon?"
"I promised it, didn't I? And I will come back stronger." Ragnar smiled back and then took a deep breath. "Just a step… right?"
Despite his anxiousness, the captain walked in. With axe and shield in hand, he walked into the Dungeon, not knowing if he would be able to keep his promise to the two girls he met in this labyrinth of a city.
I had the first two chapters finished by the time I posted the story hence the quick uploads. The third one will have to wait for a bit.
I forgot how the formatting in Fanfiction was and while the story on the .doc looked prettier, here it looks somewhat disorganized. On another note, the story is also posted on AO3 under the same author and story name.
Next chapter it will be the Dungeon and Ragnar's first impressions of what lurks beneath, we'll see how he fares.
There is not much to say but to the person who made the review as a guest my only response is this: What?
Once again, thank you to Jester of Nihil who helped as a beta-reader for the chapter.
Have a good day and I see you all in the next chapter.
