A week has passed since Ragnar's first incursion into the Dungeon and ever since then he was able to reach the second floor. He would leave Fimbulvetr early in the morning and return in the afternoon full of bruises, cuts and some blood.

Skadi was worried, while the young boy was trying to fulfill his goal, seeing him injured and returning to the Dungeon was not a pleasant sight. Even though he brought more money for the Familia and was able to repay the debt he had with the Guild through a lot of hard work, it pained her to see him stumble back into the mead hall like that.

So she crafted a masterful plan that without fail would convince Ragnar to not go into the Dungeon.

"Please, do not go to the Dungeon today."

"Huh? " Ragnar looked up at the goddess while unwrapping the bandages from his hands "Why? "

"For two reasons: The first one is that if you keep going to the Dungeon constantly you will eventually tire out and fall unconscious. I have seen you return every day with more and more injuries; I know you are an adventurer and you are more capable than a normal human but I would appreciate if you decided to take a break every now and then." Skadi explained, raising a finger.

"I suppose you make a point, goddess. But how am I going to get stronger if I don't go to the Dungeon? " He shrugged, the bandage still hanging from the palm of his hand.

"I am happy that you are so determined in your goal, but do not let it blind you and k-… " The word didn't come out, instead she cleared her throat. "Please, be very mindful of yourself. "

"Okay, you win Skadi. " Ragnar raised his arms and sighed at his defeat. "So what about the second reason? "

"The second one, " she raised another finger. "In case you don't remember, there will be a Denatus today and I will be busy for most of the day."

"A Denatus? What even is that? "

"A meeting between deities, boy." A third voice joined the conversation.

From the entrance of the mead hall came a short man wearing a vest and some armor on top that was obscured by a long beard. He was carrying a box with plenty of vegetables and bread which he placed on the table next to Ragnar.

The boy was surprised, he recognized this dwarf, although seeing him outside of his combat armor was really something else for him. "Wait, you are…" the blond pointed at the newcomer.

"Thank you Thom, I wasn't expecting you to do the delivery this week." Skadi smiled but briefly as she noticed the surprise in her child's face. "Something wrong Ragnar? "

"He… he's the dwarf that helped me! " His finger was still pointing at him.

"Huh? " Skadi's gaze turned to the dwarf. "You really helped my child, Thom? "

"Skadi. You know him? "

"I apologize, I suppose I never introduced myself back then, " the warrior smiled, "Thommerlum Greymantle, captain of the Heimdall Familia and also a fellow adventurer."

Ragnar lowered his hand and bowed with his head. "I don't think I said it enough but thank you for helping me on that first day, Mister Thom… Toerlum? "

"Please boy, just call me Thom. It will be easier in the long run. Or, since we are in the topic of Denatus then you can also call me Molten Maul."

Both Thom and Skadi saw how Ragnar's eyes glimmered, he was interested, curious even about this meeting between deities.

"Back on the topic. This meeting takes place many times in the year, sometimes we welcome the gods and goddesses that decide to join us in the Lower World, or some recent events. We also talk about you, our children."

"And… can I go? " Skadi shook her head which prompted the blond to lower his head in disappointment, the sudden happiness that erupted from him was gone in an instant.

"Don't worry, boy." Thom patted Ragnar's shoulder. "Those meetings end up being boring for us, " he stopped for a second to scratch his beard and to think "I know! How about a walk around the city? That will cheer you up."

"I suppose…"

"Sounds like a plan for you two. I will need to prepare, then I'll head to the meeting. I won't be back until later so enjoy yourselves! " Skadi gave a weak smile to the two of them as she grabbed the box and walked to the kitchen.

Ragnar, already defeated this early in the morning, stood up from the bench and removed the last bit of bandage from his arms. "So, where are we going? " The energy that he showed earlier was slowly coming back but the feel of disappointment stuck with him.

"Let's just walk around and see where the road takes us."

The two of them left Fimbulvetr, with the dwarf leading and Ragnar following suit. He left without the jacket, letting it dry after seeing plenty of combat.

They made their way to the main road and then towards Babel where they could plan better on where to go next.

"So, how do you find Orario? Liking the city so far? "

"Mh? Oh… yeah, I suppose." He looked around at the stores, mostly quiet in the back.

"Your looks, you are definitely not from Orario, " this caught the attention of Ragnar. "Ah, so I wasn't wrong!" Thom chuckled "I can imagine you feel like a stranger in a new city, I know how that felt many years ago, and you also decided to become and adventurer too! You got a long road ahead of you, boy."

"Well, that's… a keen eye I must say, " Ragnar hummed. "But I don't know much about you, Mister Thom."

"Huh, I'm just a dwarf, captain of a small Familia, good as a blacksmith but even better as a warrior. And I'm just level three."

"Level three? That doesn't sound like a lot" But Ragnar got startled when the dwarf turned around.

The top of the short man's head reached the blond's belly, yet despite his height he was still imposing, with or without armor.

"Ask any adventurer! A level one is but a weakling, but level two? Hah! " He laughed "That's quite the heap in power! And don't let me get you started on three and beyond"

Ragnar's eyes gain a new bright once again. The idea of levelling up was enticing and of course, it meant reaching new heights in terms of strength. But it also meant going down the Dungeon and reaching new floors, fighting fiercer enemies and perhaps even teaming up with other adventurers.

To become stronger was a goal, to become the strongest in Orario was definitely a dream.

"Boy." Thom was snapping his fingers as they kept walking "Stop daydreaming or you are going to regret it," he sighed. "So, what brought you to Orario? "

"I wanted to get stronger. Simple as that."

"And you became an adventurer, wise choice. Now, why do you want to get stronger? "

The blond stopped in his train of thought.

In his head he could hear faint voices echoing, the screams of people and fire as tall as his eyes could see.

A person calling out a name again and again.

But he snapped back at reality when he felt a nudge against his stomach. "Huh? "

"I asked why do you want to get stronger? " The dwarf asked again.

"I suppose…" Ragnar shrugged. "I want to be stronger, that is all."

"Listen, one does not `want to be stronger´ for nothing. Some people wish to become heroes, others to strive in a powerful Familia, or even for love."

The captain shook his head. "Nothing of the kind. But if it satisfies you, It's a promise that I made."

"A fair motivation, " they kept walking. "You could've been an adventurer pretty much anywhere, there are gods anywhere nowadays but you chose the best place to become one. However, last I checked Skadi had no children in her Familia."

"I joined about a week ago, the day before you found me in the Dungeon." Ragnar responded "Is there any problem with my goddess? "

"Far from it, she is a fine woman and an excellent goddess. It's such a shame that…" Thom's voice trailed off and stopped in his tracks when he saw something. Ragnar was not paying attention and crashed against him. "Come with me for a moment."

The dwarf headed to one of the shops and entered, Ragnar remained quiet and followed him inside. It was a small bakery with pastel colored walls, dark wooden tiles and red curtains by the windows that were open and gave anyone passing by a good look at the cakes that were on display.

The smell of fresh bread entered through nose and made him smile. The colorful display of cakes both on the front and near the counter were eye catching; the many baskets of bread laying around the floor and on some shelves were surprising, even more so for a small bakery like this one.

Behind the counter was a Demi Human who was focused at one of the customers who was inspecting one of the colorful cakes and by the expression the clerk was giving, it was clear that he has been there for a while already.

"Mh…" the man hummed.

He looked young, probably in his late twenties if the blond had to guess; a perfect face with short black hair that was tied back into an already tiny ponytail. He was wearing a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled, a pair of big leather gloves and a pair of blue shorts. The extravagant outfit was complemented by a pair of sandals and a golden horn with many engravings that was dangling from a small chain to the side.

There was no doubt that he saw plenty of people ever since he arrived in Orario and the best word to describe most of them would be interesting. This description would also fit this man but there was something else that caught his attention, his aura.

Unlike the adventurers that had an imposing aura, this one was regal; something that was beyond him or Thommerlum, an aura that he already felt before in Fimbulvetr.

The aura of a god.

"Mh… let's see" The deity looked at the cake, slowly turning around for the second options and then completely turned until the one thing he noticed was both the dwarf and the human behind him.

The dark haired gave a somewhat confused expression, his eyes were mostly closed, barely revealing a yellow glint to the two of them while his hand was on his chin.

"You don't look like a cake." His soft, yet confused, voice was easy to hear.

"Heimdall, what are you doing here? " Thom groaned.

"Just decided to visit the local bakery. I felt the smell of cake and bread all the way from home. And since you were out to deliver the crate to Skadi I thought I could have a morning to myself without hearing the nagging of my favorite captain! " Heimdall raised his arms and laughed happily only to stop and looked at Thom again "By the way, do you have any money on you? I'm afraid I left my purse back in my room."

"I am not feeding your bad habits! " The dwarf stomped the wooden tiles.

"Aw…" The happy demeanor from the deity disappeared in seconds and his shoulders slumped. However, he did notice that behind Thom was the blond who was bowing the entire time "Huh? Who is he? "

The adventurer straightened his body again "Ragnar Strand. I'm the captain of the Skadi Familia." His voice was a mixture of frighten and pride, yet slightly confused at Heimdall's antics.

"Skadi Familia? " The god tilted his head at first before reacting again "Oh! Skadi has a new child. Well, the basket with food that we sent must be quite useful now that there's the two of you!" He smiled, approaching Ragnar and grabbing his hand to shake it "By any chance, do you have any spare money for a cake?"

"Heimdall, you haven't answered the question! " Thom interrupted the deity "What are you doing here? There is a Denatus today."

"Oh, was it today? Uhm… Y-you see I can't go because I am… I have a cold from working overnight in the… basement?" Heimdall coughed, although it was easily noticeable that it was fake and it didn't help that he was just looking away, with one eye peeking at the dwarf.

Ragnar started to see a stark difference between Skadi and Heimdall, while one was quiet and decided to hide behind the cloak, this one felt more outgoing although he was trying to avoid any type of responsibility. "Excuse me, I thought those meetings were mandatory."

"Eh, I just don't want to meet her, " that was the only response from the god along with a shrug. "Now, if you excuse me, I will be returning home, I need to make sure that the mead- I mean, to lay down and recover from this cold that I randomly got." He coughed again.

As Heimdall was approaching the door, he turned the knob and the dwarf sighed "You know, Lord Heimdall? Skadi told us that the Denatus would be more interesting from now on since they decided to bring food and alcohol to the meetings."

Those words stopped Heimdall in his tracks, almost like a trigger word that made him smile. "Did they now? Oh, finally it has been so long since I asked for that! Wonder what made Freya change her mind about it. Well, on to the Denatus. Uh… instead of laying down in bed because you know…" Heimdall gave that fake cough again and then walked out of the store.

"Excuse me…" The Demi Human who observed the entirety of it spoke up "Are you going to buy anything? "

Both Ragnar and Thom looked at each other, they apologized to the clerk and left the bakery with the blond slightly embarrassed. None of them saw any sign of Heimdall which meant that he was already on his way to the meeting.

The short man sighed again, putting a hand against the side of his head "I hate when he is that carefree…"

"This is not the first time he does that, right? "

"No and I'm afraid it won't be the last one either. But I suppose it is the sort of contract all of us made when we joined his Familia, " Thom smiled regardless "It is a small price to pay but I wouldn't abandon this Familia. Anyways boy, what were we talking about before? " Ragnar couldn't remember either as they continued with the walk down the main street.

"So, what part do you like about Orario the most? "

"Uhm…" He hesitated at first, letting a fun noise come out of his mouth "The… Dungeon? "

There was silence between the two, the dwarf gave Ragnar a look of disappointment, or perhaps it was pity. He knew the blond was not from the city and perhaps it was not surprising but at the same time…

Thom sighed "All this time you been going to the Dungeon? Not even to take an actual break? "

"W-well, I visited the Guild building! " But the look of disappointment remained "Hey, I have a goal, and I want to reach it! "

"What you are going to be reaching is the cemetery if you keep pushing yourself like that. Take a breather, enjoy the city. Have a good time and meet people! I am sure your goddess would be sad if your mind is only focused on what lurks beneath the surface."

"I-… I suppose you're right but…" Ragnar couldn't deny it. Whenever he returned to Fimbulvetr he would see Skadi's worried face, and rightfully so as she saw blood and injuries on him every time; even if he was victorious on his encounters he always kept getting injured.

"Come on boy, I'll show you that Orario can be a nice city outside of the Dungeon itself. I'd tell you to explore yourself but I'll be a guide just for today. So please if you could follow me." It felt strange hearing Thom speaking that way, even though he sounded happy, mighty or even serious it was something that threw Ragnar off guard.

The `tour´ went from the bakery and towards Babel, while the captain was well versed with this path as well as what was below the tower, he didn't expect the first stop to be outside.

There were plenty of citizens looking at a large group of adventurers who were gathered in the center of this square, near the entrance of the tower.

It was like a small army of adventurers, all following the orders of a Pallum that was standing on top of boxes full of supplies, weapons and other assorted items. He was shouting at the group of adventurers, all eager to go exploring.

"Guess she must be having fun at the Denatus if Heimdall is going…" Thom frowned.

"I have never seen such a big group of adventurers." Ragnar looked at them; from various sizes and races, some looked extravagant while others could easily hide within the group. It made him curious as to how many of the citizens or even other adventurers were excited or even smiling at the presence of that group. "Excuse me, but who is `she´? Your god did make a similar remark."

"Oh? Ah, that's right you are not that much in the loop as they say." It was clear that the dwarf was not that happy about the presence of that group of adventurers "Those right there are the Loki Familia, one of the most powerful ones in Orario and their goddess… well, let's just say that she has an interesting relationship with Heimdall."

"What do you mean? Did they know each other back in their world? "

"Yes, and even down here she tends to bully him. But fortunately this doesn't end up in wars between both Familia; that would be a disaster for us."

"So why are they all here? "

"They are preparing for an expedition."

"Ah, I see…" Ragnar remained quiet, looking at the Loki Familia. "What-"

"The Guild orders the Familia to venture into the Dungeon, whether to map out new regions or to test their strength; reasons may vary." Thom crossed his arms "Expeditions are usually done by the members of the same Familia but some others can accept outsiders."

"Wait, so I can join them? " That childish yet happy demeanor of Ragnar came back instantly but…

"You? Hah! They are going way beyond your range, and I even doubt they would accept someone like you! " Thom nudged at the blond, once again facing defeat in the same day. "Hey cheer up, I'll show you more of the city. Honestly, I'd rather not be close to those people either…"

Thom turned around and decided to leave the area of Babel for now, Ragnar was curious about the Loki Familia but ultimately he opted for following the dwarf, if anything, he could get more information another time.

The tour of Orario went by fast. The captain of the Heimdall Familia took the young boy to the many places that this city had to offer. His reactions were comical, ranging from curiosity to happiness to even feeling like a child exploring something completely unknown and fascinating.

While Thom was explaining the very different places like the School District or even the Entertainment one, Ragnar kept asking questions and surprisingly some of them were not related to the Dungeon or adventuring themselves even though some were unavoidable.

The tour ended at Babel, more specifically the stores that were located inside of the tower. The hallway full of displays of armors and weapons were eye catching to both new or veteran adventurers, however when Ragnar decided to have a better look at the price tags he immediately felt something within him breaking which prompted his companion to laugh.

As the sun was starting to set, the two of them left Babel and were back on the square outside of it; the Loki Familia was long gone and many adventurers were leaving the Dungeon already.

"Well, I call that a day well spent, " the dwarf let his hands rest to the side. "So, boy. Did you enjoy your free day in Orario? "

"I…" Ragnar did not want to admit it at first but he couldn't deny it either. The captain smiled and nodded "Fine, I had a good day. I guess that every now and then I can have a break from the Dungeon."

"That's the spirit! Now, I believe the gods' meeting must be over by now and Heimdall must be needing some extra hands at the tavern but…" The warrior looked at one of the streets "I got one last idea, come with me."

"Are you sure you god won't need help? "

"Oh, I'm sure Lord Heimdall will need help, but I'm not the only member in the Familia. And if anything, I am going to collect the debt you have with me."

The two of them walked down the street and found themselves in front of a tavern. A three floor building with windows showing that there was plenty of people inside already, the waitresses moving all over the place to serve the different patrons. The wooden details in the building gave a heartwarming feeling, a safe place for many people after a tiring day. The smell of alcohol and food coming from the front door invited both Ragnar and Thom inside.

It was clear that this was not the first time Ragnar's companion visited this place but for the blond? It was a complete new experience.

They found a small empty table with a couple of chairs and sat down; the blond's eyes were moving everywhere. The one time he went to a tavern was when he fell unconscious for the first time upon arriving and had little time to even enjoy there.

Before Ragnar could even speak, one of the waitresses approached the table.

"Hi, welcome to the Hostess of Fertility, nyan! " A cat girl; she had brown hair and eyes along with small cat ears on top, Ragnar noticed the tail wiggling behind. She also wore the uniform of the establishment "What canyan get you? "

"Two pints of your best alcohol." The waitress nodded and the boy's head quickly turned to Thom as the cat girl went to another table "If you want to be an adventurer you will need to know how to hold your alcohol, boy!"

"But I don't drink…"

"If you are old enough to become an adventurer then you are old enough to drink. And besides, think it like this: It's preparation for the Dungeon, who knows when you might fight some monster that can make you drunk? "

"A-…" The captain wanted to complain, however, "I hate that you are right."

"People tend to say dwarves are brutes with barely any intelligence but we are true masters of the craft, and when we're drunk? We might be even the wisest in all of Orario! " He tapped the table and laughed.

It didn't take long before the waitress arrived with the two pints of beer. Ragnar was definitely amused, perhaps even terrified.

Thom grabbed his mug and raised it while Ragnar grabbed his and also raised it.

"To an adventure-free day! "

"To… Skadi Familia, I suppose! "

"Aye, that's valid." The two adventurers cheered and took in the mugs full of beer. Or rather Thom did, since Ragnar could not stomach the taste at first, lowering his mug and coughing. "Hah! You humans can't hold your drink! "

"It's disgusting…"

"You'll get used to it…" The dwarf took another long drink from the mug when suddenly "Ah! I forgot, should've visited the stadium. But I suppose that can wait, sadly the festival was a few months ago."

"Festival? " Ragnar asked, looking at the almost full mug.

"Monster Feria, mostly organized by the Ganesha Familia. The stadium is used for a show, people go there because it's fun to see how good those monster tamers are."

Ragnar's eyes widened after hearing that. "Did you say monster tamers? "

"Aye, Monster taming is quite the skill if you know how to use it. There are even people out there who know how to do it and are not even part of that Familia." One last drink and the dwarf finished the mug. "Hey, cheer up! Maybe next year if you are around you can check the festival out! " Thom grabbed Ragnar's mug. "If you are not going to drink it…"

With all the new information that Ragnar collected in the day it made him think a lot. Orario was more than just the Dungeon and the Guild, it was a city with plenty of opportunities that he would have to look more during his stay.

Their visit to the Hostess of Fertility was brief but Ragnar was able to pay the debt with his savior. Once they left the tavern they noticed that it was slowly getting dark.

"Well, quite the day, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

"Thanks for being a tour guide, Molten Maul." The blond bowed at the other captain.

"You don't need to be that respectful, boy. But I appreciated the company, " he smiled, "oh, and before I forget, a good advice for you since you want to get strong."

"Strength doesn't come just from here, " he pointed at the blond's arms, "but also from here, " He then pointed at his head. "But especially…" Then pointed at the center of his chest "From here. And that doesn't mean only in the life of an adventurer, but it is a general advice too."

The response was nonexistent, instead the captain looked at himself, taking in the words from his fellow. "Thanks for the advice."

"Glad to be of help. You should go back home, your goddess might be worried." Thom turned around and walked down the street and turned at an alleyway.

Ragnar took a deep breath. It was a long day but he enjoyed it; the change of pace took him off guard but he couldn't complain and considered that Skadi was right, perhaps a day without being an adventurer was a good idea.

Maybe tomorrow he would perform better after a day of rest, perhaps even allowing him to get closer to his goals. Maybe joining an expedition or even asking for help to the Loki Familia could be an option; those were some of the thoughts that were circling his head during his recurrent daydreaming.

Although this session was suddenly interrupted when something crashed against him.

It was a person who fell to the ground. "Sorry, I was not paying attention." Ragnar reached out his hand to help the stranger, a silver haired boy with something in his hand. This person did not accept his help and got up on his own, only to continue running towards the tower.

"Huh, need to be more careful next time…" The captain muttered to himself and continued to walk down the street, turning around when needed in order to return to Fimbulvetr.

The rest of the night was uneventful, he met with Skadi and they both shared what happened to each other. The goddess was glad that his child spent a single day not injuring himself and even more so that he enjoyed it.

Over on Skadi's side she didn't disclose much about the Denatus and even if the blond wanted to have his own nickname or title, she said that it will be impossible to get one until he reaches level two.

He decided to have dinner and then headed to bed.

The next day was refreshing. His body felt better and his mind had time to reflect on everything that happened yesterday.

He greeted Skadi and had breakfast with her. Even if she wanted him to stay another day away from the Dungeon she also felt that it would be a pointless endeavor, especially since the captain had more energy than ever.

Ragnar grabbed the axe, shield and armor and then walked out of Fimbulvetr for a new day of adventuring. He walked down the main road with a smile on his face; he would not be stopped by any monster, he would be victorious and return home to a goddess that will be proud of him.

He will-

"Mister Ragnar! "

The captain was removed out of his trance when he heard a familiar voice. His eyes saw someone in black and white with some red running at him.

"Mister… Ragnar" The red haired girl stopped in front of the adventurer, trying to catch her breath "Rag… Ragnar, there is something… something I need to tell you."

"Miss Esther a- are you alright? Why were you running? Did something happen? " He looked around and found an empty bench. "Please, have a seat."

"No, this is going to be quick, " the elf took a deep breath, "you'll need to come with me. I found a quest for you."


I had this chapter already prepared and mostly edited. The next one however still needs to be edited and revised, though I can say already it will be quite the treat with this upcoming quest!

Hope you are all enjoying the chapters just as much as I enjoy writing them.

To the person who sent the review for the fanfic idea uh... Well, why?

There is not much to say for now. Hope you have a good day and as always:

See you in the next chapter!