"So, what is it exactly? " Ragnar and Esther were walking down the street with the latter being the one leading.

"Earlier in the morning, a woman arrived at the Guild saying that one of the orphans she is helping disappeared. She doesn't know exactly when it happened but this morning this kid was nowhere to be found."

"Anything else I should know? "

"I'm afraid she didn't give me any more information but I am taking you to the orphanage so you can ask yourself."

The adventurer was visiting a new part of Orario. He turned around familiar streets but some of the side ones felt barren compared to the main one; alleyways that led to unknown areas that invited only the bravest to venture them.

But this brief exploration ended quickly when the two of them stopped at the doors of an old manor.

The place had the shape of an L with a small garden in the back. Ragnar looked up at the two story structure, noticing the moss in some of the walls or even how some of the multi-colored windows were broken giving him an uneasy feeling that this place was not that well taken care of.

On top of the entrance there was a sign: `Five Blessings Orphanage´

Without much hesitation the captain's hand went for the doorknob only for Esther to grab his forearm to stop him.

"Wait. Before you go in there is something I need to tell you, " the elf released her grip and clenched her hand immediately. "Quests are usually issued at the Guild, we post them and any adventurer is allowed to partake in order to get the reward."

"So I'm guessing this quest is beyond my capabilities? "

"No, nothing like that. Rather than posting it, I decided to go to you since I felt that it would be good experience as well as a hefty reward. Forty thousand Valis is perhaps a lot of money for a level 1 like you, however…" Esther bit her lip and tried to look away from him. "What I'm doing is against the rules of my workplace, quests issued by an individual or organization outside of the Guild need to be posted immediately."

Ragnar's eyes widened at this confession. "Why did you do it? I… I mean I appreciate it but-…"

"Please Mister Ragnar. Consider it not just another stepping stone for your goal but also so I don't get kicked out of the Guild for breaking the rules." The eyes of the girl were begging for help.

"So rather than offering me this quest normally you decide to break the rules of your workplace just to help me?" It felt comedic, he wanted to laugh and consider it a joke but it wasn't; he covered his eyes with one hand and sighed. The blond wanted to be disappointed, to walk away and leave Esther to her own devices but…

"This is blackmail, you know? No, this is manipulation, you are forcing me to do something because you decided to break the rules! " The captain grunted "So, forty thousand? " The Guild worker nodded "Fine. But you owe me, and I'm doing this because of the money and not because I want to help you." He pointed at her.

Esther smiled and started to walk away "I knew you would accept the quest. I fully believe in you and I would love to see how you do it but I am afraid I need to be back at the Guild before they notice I've been gone for too long. Good luck Ragnar and please be back in one piece! "

The employee's voice was quick; she waved and smiled at Ragnar and then ran away from the orphanage's grounds with the boy reaching out his hand for her but she was already gone.

"I better request someone else next time…" The boy muttered and turned his attention back to the entrance, taking another glance at the sign before turning the doorknob and going inside.

Just by looking at the inside it was clear that this used to be a manor with the finer details in wood, the many paintings, carpets and even statues that he could only guess were gods and goddesses. It was regal, something that one wouldn't think it was an orphanage.

Ragnar closed the door behind him and a bell rang on top of him.

"I'll be there in a moment! " The voice of a woman came from one of the rooms that was near the entrance. The sound of a chair moving and then the double doors opening caught the attention of Ragnar.

A woman that looked older than him and wearing a long black dress with a white apron approached him. "Good morning, I am Alicia. Owner and caretaker of the Five Blessing Orphanage, I presume you are an adventurer? "

"Yes. I am Ragnar Strand, captain of the Skadi Familia; Miss Est-… the Guild pointed me in this direction." When he thought about the person helping him he had a bitter feeling of being plunged into something he didn't want to in the first place. "I was told that there was a missing orphan."

"Yes, this is the right place." The woman gestured with her hand to follow. "Honestly I don't know what happened, he didn't come down for breakfast and when I entered his room he was nowhere to be seen." Alicia explained, leading the way while Ragnar's eyes were focused on his surroundings.

"So… what's his name again? " His attention was still partially on Alicia and the manor itself.

"Noel Beliz. He is one of the oldest kids here and even helps me quite often" The caretaker looked back at the blond "He became fifteen not too long ago."

"Fifteen? " That was what clicked and prompted to direct his attention to the woman in front of him. "I do have a few questions, where is everyone else and why were there many statues at the entrance? "

"Uhm… as you probably imagined, this place was not always an orphanage. The one who built it passed away long before I was born and rather than destroy it, my aunt decided to turn it into an orphanage; unfortunately my aunt was not wealthy enough to keep this place afloat but with the help of five Familia they gave the orphanage enough support. Hence the name."

She saw how Ragnar was interested in the story and had to clear her throat to make him react again. "As for your first question, most of the children are at a nearby school, there are a few who were feeling sick and so are staying in their rooms. As far as everyone else concerns, Noel is still in his room suffering from a fever and should not be disturbed."

"Probably for the best, so there's no panic among the kids." Alicia agreed to Ragnar's words. The story from before still made him think as the two of them walked up the stairs and to the second floor. "Did he say anything recently? Where would he go or… anything? "

"Not that I recall, he had some issues with other children since they mock him but he doesn't say anything to me." The caretaker paused, "I am worried about it, could he run away because he didn't feel happy with anyone else here?"

"Hard to tell honestly."

They stopped in front of a closed door. Compared to some of the other ones this one had no name tag hanging or anything outstanding, it would even give the impression that the room was unused. However, the boy's perception changed when Alicia opened the door and he saw all the piles of books that were littered all over the floor. When he entered he tried to be careful not to topple or kick any of them.

Compared to the captain's room this one was a quarter of it, with a single bed pushed to the corner, a bookcase filled to the brim with books and scrolls located in the opposite corner of the room; next to the bed there was an open chest with some clothes inside as well as some other items.

Behind the open chest was a window that led to the garden in the back of the orphanage. It was walled with high bushes, there were some benches and a fountain that had no water, and on top of that there was a tree in the middle with many of the branches spreading out, including one that was close to the window itself.

"When I opened the door this morning and noticed that Noel was not here I tried not to touch anything and leave it as is."

"Yeah it makes sense…" Ragnar approached the window and leaned to look outside "And no one saw him leaving his room or even in the garden?" But a negative sound was all the blond needed to hear. His attention went down to the chest, there were a lot of small clothes littered within it but there was something that stood out to the captain's eye.

He saw the edge of something underneath a shirt and thus leaned to grab it.

"Oh? Found something? " Alicia walked in the room.

Ragnar was holding a book with a brown cover and some detailing on the edges, there were no drawings or anything else other than the name written on the top.

Dungeon Oratoria.

"Oh, it's that book. I told him to return it." The caretaker sounded disappointed.

"What's so special about it? " He opened the book at a random page and started to take a quick glance its content. "Is it… a book about adventurers? "

"Heroes from long ago to be precise, even before the gods descended from above. I'd rather Noel not follow that path."

"What? Why? " Ragnar closed the book and turned and raised a brow at Alicia. "Is there something wrong about it? "

Her face showed a gentle yet sad expression that was easy for the boy to understand. "Noel's parents were adventurers, nine years ago a person brought him to the orphanage and since then I took care of him. That person only gave me his name and decided to leave."

"I don't want him to throw away his life just to become an adventurer in a fit of revenge. He is a bright mind and I want him to have an even brighter future where he can be happy." She hummed "I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend you with that part. But much like him, all of the children suffered a similar fate."

"All their parents were adventurers? " Hearing it was disheartening.

Adventuring was a dangerous trade and while it felt exciting fighting the monsters and living off selling the crystals they dropped, it was also the fear of not returning home after a day in the Dungeon, a fear that remained in the captain since his first delve.

His attention now shifted to the book case and found an empty spot. He walked towards it and placed the book.

It all felt strange, no signs of the kid nor a clue on where he could be. A young person whose parents were adventurers and a caretaker influencing him not to follow that path. It was a dead end.

Or rather that itself could be a clue.

"Miss Alicia, I do have a question, " He turned at her, "is Noel about… this tall? " A hand was hovering near the base of his neck to which the older woman nodded "Was he wearing one of the white shirts from the chest? "

"I believe I saw him wearing one, yes." The eyes of Alicia slowly widened as he kept giving accurate descriptions.

"And does he have a hair similar to mine but white? Or rather silver? "

"How… have you met Noel before?!"

"In a way. I was returning home yesterday when someone with that exact description stumbled upon me, or rather he crashed and fell to the ground, then he kept running."

"Where? Where is he?!"

The next part felt painful; he wished he was wrong but if all the information gathered so far was true then he had a location. Being the bearer of bad news was something he was already hating.

"I… I saw him running towards Babel."

Alicia's reaction said it all, she fell to her knees and her face turned pale. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she sobbed.

"No… no why did he do it? Why is that boy so stubborn?!"

Ragnar didn't know how to interject, instead he decided to reach out for the caretaker to help her up "Don't worry, I'll go find Noel and bring him back."

"Will you do that? " The older woman grabbed his hand and stood back up, cleaning her dress "I suppose that's what a hero does, they help people don't they? "

That word felt alien to the captain, something he was not used to hearing or perhaps he was not interested in it. He denied it by shaking his head "I am just an adventurer, I do the right things, get paid and try to get stronger."

"Oh… still, I appreciate that you are trying to help, " Alicia wiped her tears "Please, find him. I never been to the Dungeon but I can only imagine the horrors that dwell within."

Ragnar nodded in response. He checked for a few more clues in the room but there was nothing else relevant that could point in a different direction.

He sighed for he knew that while the Dungeon was the one place to investigate, it had many floors filled with danger and a young boy who seemingly had no combat experience nor a Falna, gave the captain some horrible thoughts about what could've happened with the missing person.

Regardless, he needed to try, there was a hefty amount of Valis that he couldn't let it pass and as much as he hated to think about it, Esther's job was probably on the line as well so he needed to also help her.

Many feelings got to Ragnar, frustration being one of them but he couldn't let that stop him. He quickly left the orphanage and headed straight for Babel.

It took a few minutes before he arrived at the tower. It was the usual sight: Many adventurers preparing or even going down the rabbit hole towards the unknown to fight monsters.

But the blond had a different objective in mind, he wouldn't shy from killing any creatures that were in his way but his main priority was to find the silver haired. He thought it was impossible for someone without a blessing to reach deeper floors than he did, even more so someone without experience. It was correct to say that Ragnar had some fear that if Noel ventured to floors he hasn't stepped in yet.

"He's been down there for hours…" Ragnar whispered. The chances of the kid being alive in the Dungeon were slim, and he didn't want to think about returning to the orphanage bearing bad news.

He looked at the entrance of the Dungeon before going inside.

At this point it felt like a usual trip, going down and listening to other adventurers talk until he arrived at the first floor and went down one of the tunnels; he already mapped in his head some of those routes, he knew some of the paths and where they connected to each other and even when was one floor ending and the other one started.

However, anything past the first two floors was almost uncharted territory for him. He stepped in the third one but barely, even the sounds of the monsters there frightened him and forced Ragnar to retreat.

His search started with a goblin trying to kill him but the captain was able to dispatch it quickly.

There were no signs of Noel.

He went down another path only to be met with some kobolds. They were eliminated swiftly.

There were no signs of Noel.

He found some adventurers in another path and even others who were returning from deeper underground but no one was able to give him a positive answer. No silver haired individual was spotted in the Dungeon, nor have they found anything unusual.

Ragnar didn't want to lose hope about the kid but there was nothing turning up. Was it possible for Noel to survive deeper down? Was there something he was not seeing?

He descended to the second floor. The challenge there was not too different from the one above but the monsters he found were not as easy as the ones he fought before, even then, he managed to win those fights without any injuries.

Unlike the first floor, he didn't have much knowledge of all the paths and branches and thus had to be even more careful about it.

More adventurers were in his path and he asked for any anomalies or signs of Noel but alas, the results were the same.

"Hey, " someone called out to Ragnar, "you said you were looking for someone? " The captain immediately turned around to the adventurer that called him out, a person clad in full armor.

"Yes, have you seen him? A kid about this tall and silver hair." He motioned with this hand using the same description he gave to Alicia.

"Not exactly, but I overheard another person say that they heard something sobbing on the third floor. It could be some monsters laying a trap so I'd be careful if I were you."

"Thank you, I'll take care of it."

It was the only lead he had; but the fact that it was on the next floor already sent a shiver down his spine when he first heard it. The uncharted territory for him, perhaps he was prepared for it but there was some deep fear that it was a mistake.

If those sounds did belonged to a monster then his best option was to run for his life, however, if it was indeed Noel then he was surprised how he survived all the night there.

So many things to think at the same time were clouded his mind, he needed to be prepared.

Following a path he already remembered, he ended on the edge between the second and the third floor. A natural rocky staircase with many holes in the floor but did not look like it would collapse under him.

Ragnar took a deep breath, he raised his shield and slowly went down to the third floor, accompanied by the natural light that the cave had he had no need for a torch but some corners were dark enough and feared that there was a monster waiting.

Much like it happened in the first and second floors, the sound of fighting could be heard all around him. The green colored walls and the shiny rocks above him made him feel like he was still in the first floors but his guts were telling him not to take it easy.

His ears were perceptive to any sounds, not just the fights but for anything abnormal. He could hear monsters nearby but they were not attacking, if anything they could just be observing or even they weren't paying attention to the blond.

He kept small steps, looking around and turning to any new sounds that he heard, even if it was something like other adventurers he couldn't discard anything. Taking a side path that was narrow allowed him to minimize the options of being ambushed but such a small space could also be disastrous for him.

Those and many more were the thoughts circling his head as he kept advancing the hallway. The chances of Noel being in that floor felt smaller with each new area he visited. It didn't occur to him that perhaps he entered the Dungeon and then left out of fear. He wanted to kick himself for not thinking that earlier.

"Ragnar you idiot! Why did you even accept this?!" He remembered the events in the day, how Esther needed his help, despite being manipulation; how Alicia was begging to bring Noel back and of course the kid himself who was missing, but out of all of that there was a word that stuck to him "A hero…" He clicked his tongue "More like an idiot…" Ragnar whispered.

As he spoke to himself, he arrived at a bigger part of this cave with many rock formations on the ground. There was nothing outstanding except that the path before him kept extending.

Ragnar sighed. "Should've asked around before entering…" He gave up, either his target was not in the Dungeon or worse. He turned around, ready to return to the surface.

However…

There was an abnormal noise. It wasn't fighting or monsters, it was sobbing.

He immediately turned again towards the source of the sound and slowly advanced.

He reached the middle of this room and found a boulder near the wall. As he approached, the sobbing stopped but there was something else, a scraping sound of something against stone.

The captain thought it was a trap, it wasn't the first time monsters have laid an ambush to him and while he ended up winning, this was not the easiest of floors.

But what if he was wrong? What if that was a person? The chances of that sobbing being Noel were not high but what if that was another person?

He wouldn't lose anything by trying.

"Hello? Anybody there? " He slowly approached, shield raised and the axe at the ready for a swift attack.

There was no response but yet the captain kept circling around the big rock, until he found something else. A small boy whose leg was stuck underneath the rock and could not move it; he was wearing a ragged white shirt with some blood on it, the silver hair was partially covering the purple irises; one of this boy's hands was covering his mouth while the other had a small dagger aimed directly at Ragnar.

The captain was ready to take a step back when he noticed that this injured child was trapped. "Noel? " He asked with a soft tone. The eyes of the silver haired widened after hearing his name and nodded, "Miss Alicia was worried, I came here to rescue you."

"I… I can't move, this rock is stuck on my leg." Noel tried to push the rock away but he barely had any strength to move it an inch.

"Here, let me take care of it." The captain hung the axe from his belt and started to push the rock. Even if his strength improved with Skadi's blessing, the boulder was still quite heavy. "Come… on…" It was a struggle at first but he managed to move it just enough for Noel to crawl away from that spot. "Are you alright? "

"Y-yeah…" The boy rubbed a hand against his ankle. He flinched at the pain but despite that he slowly stood up, "are you a hero? " He asked in curiosity.

"No, I'm…" He groaned "I'm an adventurer, Miss Alicia put a quest to rescue you and here I am." Ragnar looked down at the kid's ankle, it was swollen and red but otherwise it looked in good condition. "Can you walk? "

"N-no" Noel also looked down and moved his leg and tried to take a step. He flinched and let out a grunt "I-I'm fine, " when he raised his gaze to look at Ragnar he noticed that the adventurer was holding his shield in front of him. "What? "

"It's better that you hold to it until we leave the Dungeon. Think of it as a `just in case.´" Noel nodded and took the shield, tightening the straps around his arm while holding the dagger in the other. "Follow me, I'd rather not fight monsters on this floor if possible. But remember, I'll protect you."

The silver haired nodded again and followed the captain in silence, keeping the shield up and turning quickly to any sound he heard.

Ragnar did not notice that he walked for quite a while in the third floor when he arrived and while he had a good grasp of where he has been and how to return to the surface.

There was silence between the two of them, the sound of footsteps echoing in that cave along with the combat in the distance and the monsters observing possible victims. It was unnerving for Noel while Ragnar tried to find their path to easier floors.

"So… mister adventurer, how did you find me? "

"You don't have to call me that, I'm barely older than you. But anyways, another adventurer said they heard sobbing coming from the third floor, it was my only and possibly last lead. Now let me ask you instead: What are you doing in this place? You don't have a god's blessing, don't you? "

"Will you promise not to laugh? " He gave the blond an expression that could only be described as regret but the response he received was just a silent nod. "I want to become the greatest adventurer in the Lower World."

"Is that it? Well, I'm not going to laugh but what were you thinking? I mean, you survived thus far but you could've tried the first floor at least." Ragnar hummed in the end, his eyes scanning for anything moving in around them, "if I knew who you were yesterday then I would've stopped you."

"Huh? " Noel then realized who Ragnar was, still, this did not stop the younger one to feel less embarrassed. However, that changed swiftly when his purple eyes looked at the captain with some determination "But mister, how can I become the greatest if I don't challenge myself against tougher foes? "

"Because-…" But the captain couldn't find a counter to that argument.

Noel was technically right, if one were to become the greatest at something then they would need to challenge themselves, something that Ragnar did not want to consider out of fear of dying.

"I hate that you're right but think for it for a moment. You have no blessing or experience in combat. Why try to push yourself with something difficult when you can start somewhere else? Maybe ask a Familia to take you in."

"A Familia? " The boy pondered. "I feared I might not be accepted into one." He sighed "I just wish I could be like the heroes from the book I read or like my parents…"

That struck a nerve and forced Ragnar to stop. He turned around to face Noel and gave a gentle smile "Look, I understand you trying to become the greatest but think before doing something this rash, you hear me? I want to become stronger but doesn't mean I am going to throw my life away for the sake of it."

"So you're not angry? "

"Why would I? " Ragnar laughed and turned again to continue walking. "Your goal is not too different from mine and I don't want to set a bad example to others."

Noel widened his eyes, his lips curled into a smile. "You sound like a hero."

"Bah, I can't be a hero, I'm an adventurer! "

"You can be both…"

"What I mean is that I am no-…" Ragnar didn't finish his sentence since he heard something up ahead.

It was a howl that echoed through the walls of that cave and afterwards it was a familiar noise that was slowly approaching, it sent a shiver down his spine at the feeling that there was something else that could be attacking, something far more dangerous that he hasn't had the time to fight against. "Be at the ready, keep the shield up. If they get close you push them away, understood? "

"Those are goblins, right? I-I can help"

"No! Remember what I said? Don't throw your life away. You will have your chance, just listen to me. Okay? " Noel was frightened as well but mustered the strength to nod.

Ragnar stepped forward and grabbed the axe from the belt; he didn't have the same level of protection that he had with the shield so this encounter had to be played out different, he needed to be more careful. Even if there were goblins that howl could mean even more danger.

Minimizing any damage received was the strategy he had in mind but he couldn't leave Noel alone, if he was being attacked he had to respond quickly. It was a difficult situation and he had to think quickly.

From the darkness appeared six goblins, two of them with clubs while the others were carrying rocks in their arms.

The captain felt relief after seeing these enemies. While the sight of them was indeed worrying, the fact that it was enemies that he beat before allowed him to formulate a better strategy.

There was no hesitation from the monsters as the ones with clubs ran towards Ragnar.

"Come on! " He yelled and ran as well towards the two goblins.

The first one swung its weapon and the blond was swift by dodging and counterattacked by using the axe and laid a cut on the green creature's head, making it disappear.

He smiled and went on to focus on the second enemy only for him to lose his balance. The second goblin was nearer than he expected and attacked him on the leg which prompted his fall.

The little creature started attacking Ragnar; it aimed for his head but the blond used his arms to protect himself.

"Stop already! " The adventurer went on the offensive but that left him open for an attack. The club hit him right in the face but that didn't stop him from swinging the axe and cutting the goblin's hand.

He felt pain from that hit but used this momentum to roll away and getting back on his feet. The goblin was also in pain and the hand that was holding the club was on the ground.

Ragnar rushed again towards the goblin and lodged the axe onto its brain, making it disappear as well.

"Mister! " Noel cried out.

The sound of rocks hitting against the shield caught his attention as the other four goblins kept throwing and picking up any rocks that were nearby.

"Hold on! " He yelled and rushed towards the other group.

A loud scream accompanied by the footsteps were enough to get the attention of the last four enemies.

Swing.

Swing.

Two swings, two dead goblins. He slowed down to take a breath before advancing to the remaining ones.

Ragnar kept on the advance but one of the monsters threw a rock and hit him on the side of the head. There was some pain but he was able to continue with the fight.

Swing.

A third dead goblin. The last one dropped all of the rocks and started to run away. It must've been a primal fear seeing the lone adventurer wiping most of this group like it was nothing.

But he wanted to show no mercy. For every monster he killed the path would be clear for the both of them.

The blond rushed at the creature and with a swift movement of his wrist he lodged the axe on the back of the goblin, killing it on the spot.

The adventurer tried to compose himself; it was a victory, a small step to advance deeper into the Dungeon. But now there was something far more important than to rejoice at the moment, he still had the get the silver haired out.

The howl echoed once again on the walls, freezing Ragnar's blood and turned his attention to the shield "Noel, are you alright? "

"Y-yeah." He was crouching during the attack and was able to remain unharmed. The boy turned his attention to something else. "Huh? "

Ragnar focused at what Noel was looking at and his heart skipped a beat. He found the source of the howls.

A black wolf with red eyes was moving at high speed towards Noel, completely ignoring Ragnar's presence.

For the captain, time felt like it froze. His mind was racing with many plans and outcomes, what could he do?

The wolf was fast so he wouldn't be able to catch up to it; throwing the axe was a gamble, he lacked the confidence that his aim was great, but what would happen afterwards? Would it stop going after Noel if it landed? Would it turn towards him? And what if he missed?

He didn't possess any type of magic to slow the monster or any special abilities. He felt powerless at this situation.

Time was running out and he needed a plan, or rather something reasonable that led to both of them surviving.

"How can I become the greatest if I don't challenge myself against tougher foes? "

A familiar and friendly voice ringed in his head about a truth that he hated to admit. To become stronger he needed to go beyond and to challenge himself. To protect others he needed to tread a dangerous path, one he was willing to take.

The captain knew at that moment that there was perhaps one plan that could work; it would lead to the two of them surviving but at the same time it would bring a lot of pain both to himself and the wolf.

Before he knew it, his legs started to move on their own; his gaze went between the wolf and Noel as he gritted his teeth. He was about to feel a world of pain.

Noel closed his eyes and raised the shield to try and block. Deep inside he expected the worst; that Ragnar would not be able to protect him, that the wolf would rip his throat and all for what? A dream that ended before it even started?

Reflecting on everything that happened he felt that he could've done things better. The captain was right and those words would haunt him for eternity.

He was waiting for the impact but nothing came.

His heart was racing as he lowered his shield and noticed that between him and the wolf was Ragnar smiling at him.

"Like I said… I will… protect you." if there was one word that could describe Ragnar's expression was pain, and a lot of it.

The captain was able to take the hit. The wolf's fangs were biting his right shoulder while he was holding the ground. Despite the smile he was gritting his teeth, trying not to scream in pain as he was formulating the next step of his impromptu plan.

"Noel… listen, if this doesn't work… run. The staircase is not too far…"

"You can't lose! "

Ragnar opened his mouth, he was going to scold Noel but closed it again. Instead, the smile that he had got bigger "Don't worry… This mutt won't stop me! "

He couldn't let the silver haired down, he was believing in him and dying right now would not set a good example, or so was he thinking.

Thus, the warrior started to work his way out of that situation. He shifted his weight over the right leg and slowly pushed the wolf away. The fangs were sinking deeper into his flesh and forced him to scream but he was not going to be defeated.

He raised his arm and did a swift cut with the axe at the side of the monster. There was a faint whimper coming from its mouth.

"Oh, you didn't like that… did you? "

He braced himself as the creature bit down harder on the shoulder yet again. Another wave of pain coursed from the shoulder to the rest of his body. The captain was ready for another attack but heard more whimpers from the wolf.

From the corner of his eye he saw the dagger stabbing the neck of the monster and behind it was Noel with tears in his eyes.

The pressure that Ragnar felt in his shoulder disappeared as the monster released its fangs and tried to jump back, away from the two of them.

"Mister, now! "

Without the wolf biting on his shoulder, Ragnar was able to turn around freely. The axe was above his head and ready for the swing.

The captain yelled as the axe went down and cleaved through the wolf's skull in a brutal display of violence.

The monster turned to dust and disappeared, the only thing that remained was the magic crystal that was hanging from the edge of the axe. The battle was won.

"We… we did it? We did it… we did it! " Noel celebrated, raising his arms. The shield was laying behind and the bloodied dagger fell to the ground; when he turned to face Ragnar, his happiness quickly disappeared. "Mister Adventurer? "

The blond was on his knees and trying to catch his breath again; his hand was on the bloodied shoulder while still holding the weapon. His gaze was fixated on the cave that extended before them.

The adrenaline helped him not feel much of the pain but his brain was still processing what happened. A celebration was due but that would come later for he still needed to get out of the Dungeon with Noel alive.

"Mister! " The silver haired ran to his side to look at the wound "Are… are you alright? "

"Mh? " He reacted, turning his head towards the boy. "Yeah, I'm… just feeling tired. Nice attack, you helped me there in the end."

"Do you think we make a good team? "

"Eh, I wouldn't go that far. We survived a battle but we are still deep in this place. Are you alright? " Noel nodded "Good, I just need… a moment." He turned back his attention to the green cave in case more enemies showed up.

"Can I see it? " The question made Ragnar recoil and looked once again the young one who was pointing at his shoulder.

A slow move from the hand revealed the wound created by the wolf. The bite marks from the fangs were deep and if it wasn't for the bone and Ragnar's arm blocking the animal, it would've tore and ripped the flesh off the limb.

It was disgusting to see it; he almost hesitated but placed both hands on the wound.

"H-hey, what are you… doing?" Ragnar's voice trailed off as he tried to move away but saw that from the hands on the boy there was a mysterious green glow as he began to whisper.

The blond has never seen anything like that, a magic incantation that kept going. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or afraid of what might happen if the chant were to be interrupted.

"…become whole and fix what has been done."

"Helbredende Ord."

The glow in Noel's hands became brighter and the pain that Ragnar felt in his shoulder was slowly fading until there was nothing.

The wound that the wolf made disappeared and the teeth marks were nothing but a memory of the past; the shoulder was still bloody from the attack itself but any damage that was done was long gone.

"Wait, y-you… you healed me! " Ragnar smiled "How did you learn magic?!"

"Mom… and dad…" Noel's voice was weak; his body was slowly leaning to the side "Taught… well…" His eyes closed and was close to touching the ground but the captain caught him first.

"Hey… Noel… Noel! " He got no response but the boy's belly was moving, signaling that he was still breathing.

Ragnar sighed and laid his target on the ground; then proceeded to grab the shield and let it hang from the back, removed the crystal from the axe just to put it in his pocket and then hanged both the dagger and the axe from his belt.

The blond then grabbed Noel, placing his arms under his legs and neck. "I'll get you out of here, you can count on that." But once again, he received no response.

Ragnar was able to leave the third floor before any more monsters appeared and moved around the second and first ones rather quickly and found some other adventurers who helped escort him to the surface.

Eventually he climbed out of the Dungeon and back to the tower itself. He earned a few glances from other people but no one dared to bother the somewhat injured adventurer who was carrying someone else in his arms.

As he left Babel the sun hit his face but not only that, Noel tried to cover his eyes "Ugh…" The boy grunted "I never thought I'd see the sky again."

"Not if you are careless like that." Ragnar smiled and helped the silver haired to touch the ground again "Are you alright? I thought you were gone when you healed me"

"Y-yeah, it's the second time I ever used that spell. My parents warned me to use it in case of emergency and I thought that…"

"Hey, " The captain placed a hand on the top of the boy's head, "you saved me and I have to thank you for it." He looked around and gestured at a bench that was nearby.

The two of them sat to relax after that trip to the Dungeon; they remained quiet and observed at all the other adventurers that were entering and leaving the tower as well as many of the people passing by.

"So… I need to know: How did you leave the orphanage and survived so long in the Dungeon? Did you kill a monster before I found you? "

But Noel shook his head. "I am good at sneaking around, no one at the orphanage saw me and I was able to dodge a lot of the monsters. I…" He looked down, "I didn't have the courage to fight even a single goblin, I thought I would be prepared but when I aimed my dagger at it, my hands were shaking and my legs were not moving."

"Well, you had the courage to help me with the wolf and I appreciate it. Oh, that reminds me…" from the belt he pulled the dagger and presented it to Noel "I believe this was yours."

"Thank you, mister" The boy smiled and sheathed the blade.

"Listen, you don't have to call me like that, I told I was barely older than… you…" His voice trailed off when he realized something simple after all this time "Huh, now that I think about it, I never told you my name." He smiled "I'm Ragnar, captain of the Skadi Familia."

"Skadi Familia…" Noel smiled once more. "Thank you for saving me, Mister Ragnar." But he could see the immediate reaction from the adventurer and couldn't stop but to laugh.

"Hey, before we go, I want you to know this. The caretaker told me that you were interested in the stories from that one book, about your parents…" the blond scratched the back of his head. He wanted to convey a message of encouragement but also he didn't want to put Noel in unnecessary danger. And most importantly he had to think how not to sound like a hypocrite because it was after all the words of Noel that helped him realize something important.

"I don't want to tell you to abandon the dreams of becoming an adventurer but you have seen first-hand how dangerous it is. You might think you want to go down there, fight monsters and becoming the greatest but… it's not an easy task, you know?"

"How did you know you wanted to become an adventurer? "

"Me? Uh… I guess it was born out of necessity. I told you I wanted to get stronger and becoming an adventurer was perhaps the best way to do it."

"And why did you want to get stronger? " Ragnar looked back at Noel; the same question that was asked the day before, the images popped again in his mind.

"Sorry." The blond smiled and placed a hand on Noel's head. "That might be a story for another time." He sighed. "Let's go, the caretaker was worried about you and its high time you returned there."

The two of them left the bench and started to walk towards Five Blessings. The captain considered going to the Guild to inform Esther that the quest was a success but felt like it would be a good idea to keep her waiting a little bit more. After all she put him in this situation.

Noel and Ragnar did some small talk before they arrived at the manor. The blond turned the doorknob and they both entered the orphanage.

Not only did the bell rang above their heads, the sound of children inside could be heard as well on top of footsteps coming from the office next to the door.

Alicia came out and her eyes were teary when she saw Noel. The older woman ran at him and leaned over to hug the boy.

"Why did you decide to run away? How… what were you even thinking?!"

"I'm sorry Miss Alicia."

"I hope you understand that this will not go unpunished, yes? " The woman stood up "You will go to your room and there will be no dinner so you can reflect on what you did." She wiped her tears and saw how the young one slumped his shoulders. The caretaker turned her attention at Ragnar. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you were able to bring Noel back, I didn't want to lose hope…" Ragnar was about to speak but the woman raised her hand.

Alicia went back to the office and came back with a leather bag and handed it to the captain "Here, the reward. I think that a hero like you deserves every last of it."

"I'm not-…" Rather than finishing the sentence he took the bag. "Thank you."

"Do you want to stay for dinner? I am sure that the children would be eager to find out that Noel is back and he made a friend."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want my goddess to worry any more."

"I understand" Alicia bowed and gave him a gentle smile. "You will always be welcome at the Five Blessings Orphanage. Come Noel, I'll take you to your room." The two of them turned around.

"Noel, wait! " With his free hand, Ragnar took something out of the pocket of his jacket. "I think you should have this."

He gave him the cracked crystal from the wolf. The eyes of the boy sparkled in emotion if not for a brief moment of confusion. "But… you killed it, Mister Ragnar."

"It wouldn't be fair if I took all the credit; without your help I don't think any of us would be here" Noel took the crystal, looking at the fractured part created by the axe. "But do think on what I told you, alright? "

"I will! "

With a smile on his face, Noel and Alicia walked down the hallway and then climbed the staircase.

Ragnar was also smiling, looking at the bag full of Valis. His first quest was a success but there was something that felt off.

Despite getting his well-deserved reward, it felt wrong to take it; he could earn that money if he worked hard killing more monsters but this was different and every time he considered taking the money home the word `Hero´ kept striking him.

The captain made sure that no one was looking and snuck into the caretaker's office, leaving the bag on top of the desk and then left the orphanage.

It felt like a long day but he was finally going back to Fimbulvetr. It would be quite the story to tell about his first quest.

He crossed the main gate and entered the mead hall. Skadi was by the table writing something when she turned around and smiled at her child's arrival.

"Welcome home Ragnar." The goddess stood up. "I hope that your day was not… terrible? " It was impossible for her not to fixate on the almost clean shoulder from the adventurer "What happened? "

"I was volunteered for a quest and had to rescue an orphan. I thought it would be simple but we ended up fighting a wolf; I got injured but he was able to heal me and then I took him back to his home."

"I'm… I'm glad but… seeing some blood there it's still unnerving. Let's change subject, shall we? Have you received a reward for the quest? "

"About that…" Ragnar chuckled "I kind of forgot the reward at the orphanage, " despite his attempts to look away from Skadi, he knew that she could see through his lie. "I thought that they needed the money more than we did, if anything I can work twice as hard to get that same money back."

"It's alright, you don't need to push yourself. But I will admit, it is quite heroic of you to worry about those in need."

"Please not you too…" He groaned.

Right before Ragnar was going to open his mouth to speak, the two of them heard something. They focused on some debris that was near the door as another rustling sound came from there.

"Skadi, is there anyone else here? "

"No, Heimdall came here hours ago but already left."

The captain stepped in front of the goddess and pulled his axe from the belt.

"I know you're there behind the debris. Come out with your hands where I can see them and you'll get a fair treatment."

From that pile he saw a pair of arms reaching out and slowly moving to the side. However, the captain let his guard down when he recognize who was the person that was hiding.

"Noel? " The same silver haired boy that he left at the orphanage was standing there, inside of the mead hall in Fimbulvetr. "What are you doing here? "

"Ragnar, you know him? "

"He's the one that I had to rescue in the Dungeon. What I don't know is what he is doing here. Didn't the caretaker ground you for leaving? What would she think if you are-…" But that's when he remember a comment the boy made earlier. "You snuck out, did you? "

"I wanted to see you, and I wanted to ask you something important." The orphan stepped forward and bowed at Skadi "My name is Noel Beliz, I live at the Five Blessings Orphanage."

"Please to meet you, I am Skadi. So, what is it that you want to ask my child? "

The silver haired nodded and got to his knees, then leaned forward until his head touched the floor.

Ragnar got closer to the goddess "What is he doing? "

"It is a sign that he is showing respect and sometimes as an apology." The two of them whispered at each other.

"I do not wish to take much of your time but…" Noel spoke in a serious tone. "I wish to join your Familia."


I will admit, I got carried away while writing this chapter. I am very proud if it (despite any grammar and any other errors that might appear). Next one will be shorter though!

I've been considering for a while to write some interludes from the perspective of another character. Definitely not now but at some point. Also I've been thinking about writing the `adventurer sheet´ to show stats and any extra information about Ragnar and any other members of the Skadi Familia or other characters.

Thanks to everyone who's following the story and reviewing. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

That's it for now. Everything that I have written so far is finally out and now I need to work on the next chapter so it might take slightly more. Hopefully not a whole month.

Have a nice weekend and as always, see you in the next chapter!