A/N: Have you all been seeing the issues the FFN site is having? It's been pretty worrying. I hope it all gets fixed soon, cause right now it's very busted. Just for my own peace of mind, please leave me a review so I know you all can actually see this update!
For anybody who is having trouble viewing this on FFN, I am cross posting this on Ao3 under the same name!
On to happier topics. Another chapter this week! Truth be told, I've had the week off and been really inspired. I'm getting into some really fun stuff to write, so it's been exciting.
This chapter has my first Mikoto Pov, so please let me know if she or anybody else seems out of character. I've introduced a lot of characters very quickly, so it's been a worry.
I'm still looking for minor characters/Oc's/franchise references for new Miach members! Please let me know if you have a suggestion. I've gotten a few pretty good ones so far.
Thank you all for the comments and reviews. Please don't hesitate to leave more! I really appreciate reading them, and I try to answer every question you ask.
Hearthfire
Chapter 19
Mikoto
Mikoto could hardly believe their pace! It had barely been half an hour since they entered the Dungeon and the rescue team were already on the 7th floor. When Master Torrhen had told them that they would be running all the way, he had meant it literally. Once they'd hit the bottom of the stairs to the first floor, he had taken off at a sprint that Mikoto and her compatriots were hard pressed to keep up with.
They had managed to keep time with him so far, but their stamina was beginning to fail trying to maintain the relentless pace. Unlike them, Master Torrhen didn't even appear to be breaking a sweat or even breathing hard. She tried desperately to keep up with him as they began the descent to the 8th floor but her strength was waning.
"Could we slow down a little?" A voice said. Master Torrhen came to a stop and turned to look at the source of the voice. To Mikoto's astonishment, being carried on the back of the blue-haired woman who had joined them last minute was a blonde man in a cowboy hat?!
"You're the one who decided to come without my consent, Hermes." Master Torrhen said. "Why are you here, anyway? You know gods are forbidden from entering the Dungeon."
"He's a god!?" Mikoto thought, startled.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything, I just couldn't help my curiosity!" The god said with a cheeky grin. "Still, I wasn't expecting you to move at such speeds! My poor Asfi here has had to carry me since the second floor to keep up." He gestured to the put-upon woman who was still carrying him. "By the way, since we're stopped, perhaps some introductions are in order?"
Master Torrhen sighed. "Mikoto, Ouka, Chigusa," he said, pointing to each of them. "Meet Asfi, Ryuu, and Hermes." He gestured to the bluenette, the elf, and the god. Speaking of the god, Master Torrhen fixed him with a penetrating stare. "I do not know the real reason you are here, Hermes." He said, seriously. "But I will not tolerate you endangering either this party or the people we are rescuing. Nor will I or anyone else in this group bear any responsibility for what trouble comes of your presence. If you are caught down here and something goes wrong, you alone will bear the burden of penalty. Am I understood?"
"Not to worry, Torrhen!" Lord Hermes said with a smile. "I promise I won't get in your way. Besides, I'm suppressing my aura, so the Dungeon shouldn't have a clue that I'm here." Master Torrhen grumbled at the answer but it looked to Mikoto like he was just in too much of a hurry to argue.
"Forgive me," Mikoto spoke up. She had to say something before they took off again. "But could we slow down a little?" She repeated Lord Hermes' question. "I'm afraid I cannot keep up this pace for much longer. My stamina is failing me."
Master Torrhen shook his head. "No, we must continue on." Her heart sank. There was no way for her to keep up this pace for another 7 floors. "But," he started again. "I understand the stamina issue."
He walked up to Ouka and opened the backpack he'd given her friend, which was very similar to the ones she and Chigusa were now wearing. To Mikoto's astonishment, and that of her companions, he somehow pulled an entire crate out of the bag! Opening the crate revealed around 24 bottles each containing a green liquid.
"These are Restore Stamina potions," Master Torrhen said. Mikoto looked at him quizzically. She'd never heard of green potions before. "Each of you take a few. If you start to slow, just drink one. It should bring your energy back to full."
Curious, Mikoto picked up one of the bottles and drank the liquid. It didn't really have a taste to speak of but the effects were instant! The ache in her muscles subsided, her breathing eased, and her head felt clearer. She felt as full of energy as she had when she got out of bed that morning!
"These are wonderful!" She said, letting out a small gasp. Seeing the effects on Mikoto, her compatriots also picked up bottles, drinking them quickly. Their reactions mirrored her own, with obvious relief showing on their faces.
Each member of the party took a few of the bottles, storing them in pockets or satchels so that they could retrieve them on the run. Master Torrhen spoke up again. "If we need to stop and get more, just shout out. Each of your packs has a crate just like that one, and I have quite a few in mine."
After receiving an affirmative nod from each member of the group, Master Torrhen set off again at the same breakneck pace. "If nothing else," Mikoto thought as she sprinted behind him, "training under him will do wonders for my stamina."
Bell
Bell groaned softly as his consciousness slowly returned. He could hear a light breeze and what sounded like rustling leaves. Trying to take stock of his body, he was relieved to discover that he wasn't in any pain. He appeared to be lying down, with his head resting on something soft. A pillow, maybe? A familiar scent tickled his nostrils, though he couldn't quite make out what it was.
Opening his eyes slowly, he intended to take a look around to figure out where he was but stopped short. Directly above him, with golden hair hanging down to frame her beautiful face, was Ms. Ais?! Bell wasn't laying on a pillow at all! His head was in her lap! Bell turned a bright red as his brain short-circuited. What was happening?!
"It's good to see you awake, Bell." Ms. Ais said, brushing his hair lightly with her hand. "You were hurt pretty badly when we found you. How are you feeling?"
Bell had turned an even brighter red and with a cry, he sat up as fast as he could. Why had he been laying on her lap?! He quickly tried to turn around and face her, twisting to rest on his knees but slipped. Losing his balance, Bell pitched forward, his face accidentally becoming buried in Ms. Ais' cleavage.
Steam was practically coming out of his ears at this point as he pulled away muttering "I'm sorry," over and over. Ms. Ais just sat there and stared at him nonplussed. Bell's brain finally came back to working order when he caught a glimpse of what was behind Ms. Ais.
They were in a large tent with what appeared to be camping supplies scattered around it. Three soft bedrolls were laid on the earthen floor. Bell was sat on one but occupying the two that lay behind Ms. Ais were… "Welf! Lili!" Bell let out, moving to their sides.
"They're alright," Ms. Ais said, "just sleeping. We found you at the bottom of the stairs to the 18th floor and brought you to our camp. Riveria used some of our potions to heal you."
"We?" Bell asked. He had about a thousand questions right now. "What are you doing here, Ms. Ais?"
She smiled at him, causing Bell's heart to skip a beat. "My Familia is on our way back from our expedition. We'd only just finished setting up camp here on 18 when I found you."
"18?" Bell said, still processing. "We're on the 18th floor? We made it?!"
Ms. Ais nodded and stood. "Come on," she said. "Now that you're awake, I should take you to Finn. You can explain what happened there and we can answer any questions you have."
Bell could only nod and follow along behind her. Exiting the tent, Bell found himself inside a large, wooded clearing. Dozens of tents similar to the one he had just exited were scattered around. Weaving their way between these tents were groups of adventurers, most of them unarmed and wearing casual clothes. Bell could only assume that they were members of the Loki Familia.
High above him, giving off an early evening glow was the crystal ceiling of Floor 18. He'd read about it during his studies. The crystals produced a bright white-yellow light, not too dissimilar to true daylight and would brighten or dim corresponding to the time of day. These features created a day/night cycle within the Dungeon and, combined with the lack of monsters and peaceful woodlands, were part of the reason the 18th floor was called the Under Resort or the Labyrinth Paradise.
Bell followed along behind Ms. Ais as she led him through the camp towards a large command tent. It had to be at least twice the size of the others and looked to be in the center of the encampment. Pushing back the flap, Ms. Ais led Bell into the tent.
"Oh, good. You're awake." A male voice said as Bell stepped through the flap. The floor of the tent was covered in carpets and sitting on a crate that had been turned into a makeshift chair, was Captain Finn of the Loki Familia. Standing next to him were Ms. Riveria and Mr. Gareth, both of whom were wearing much more casual clothes than Bell had ever seen them in.
"We were all pretty worried when Ais carried you into camp." Captain Finn said. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine, sir" Bell said as he moved to the center of the tent and knelt on the floor in front of Captain Finn. "Thank you for helping my party."
"Our pleasure," Captain Finn said. "Though I am curious how you ended up on the 18th floor. Last time we saw you was during your battle with that Minotaur. Torrhen said you were sticking to the first 10 floors."
"Yes sir," Bell nodded. "The thing is, I leveled up after that fight. That, combined with a new member joining my Familia, meant my advisor gave us permission to enter the middle floors.
"You leveled up?" Captain Finn asked. "That quickly?" Bell nodded. "Very impressive," he said with the others in the room nodding and adding their own congratulations.
"Your new member, that would be the redheaded boy?" Ms. Riviera added. Bell nodded again.
"Yes ma'am, that's Welf."
"And you decided to come all the way down here on your first trip to the middle floors?" Mr. Gareth laughed. "That's pretty ballsy kid. Reckless, but impressive."
"Actually," Bell said, hesitantly. "We didn't mean to come here at all. We weren't supposed to go past floor 14."
"Then how did you end up here?" Ms. Riveria asked.
"We were on the 14th floor and doing pretty well. The monster encounters were more frequent than we are used to, but we weren't having too much trouble." Bell started, explaining their encounter. "We were about to wrap up a fight with a group of Hellhounds when another team came running through the area. By the time we were able to react, the horde of monsters that had been chasing them had surrounded us and the other team was gone."
"You were pass-paraded?!" Ms. Riveria demanded; alarm written across her face. Mr. Gareth and Ms. Ais were both sporting expressions of anger while Mr. Finn looked concerned.
"Yes, ma'am." Bell said, continuing his story. "We were completely overwhelmed and trying to find a way out when one of the monsters, an Almiraj, pulled Lili into a shaft. Welf and I didn't even have time to think, we just jumped into the shaft after her."
"Admirable," Mr. Gareth said. "Jumping in after a comrade like that. How deep did the shaft go?"
"We wound up on the 17th floor, not all that far from the boss room." Bell said. "Thankfully we had healing potions, and Lili had a monster repellent in her bag. The group decided it was safer to try and find our way here to 18 than attempt to climb back up. We were hoping that Goliath's respawn time hadn't cycled and that we could make it through the boss room without issue. Unfortunately, he spawned right on top of us."
"And that's how you wound up at the bottom of the stairs," Captain Finn concluded. "Goliath must have sent you flying."
"He did, sir." Bell confirmed.
"I hope you understand, Bell that pass-parading, while sadly not uncommon, is heavily looked down upon." Captain Finn explained. "Even if the law cannot punish the perpetrators, it leaves a black mark across their reputations for years. Did you recognize any of the people who pass-paraded you? Did they have any identifying marks?"
'No," Bell said, wracking his brain. "I didn't recognize any of them, but they were wearing a uniform. Black with orange trim and a logo I didn't recognize over the left breast." He gestured to the area on himself.
"Hm." Captain Finn sat for a moment in silence. "That sounds like the Apollo Familia uniform. Can you describe any of them?"
"The only one I saw clearly was their leader," Bell said. "He was a Pallum. Brown hair, and I didn't get to see his eye color. He's the one who told the others to leave us."
Bell was alarmed at the rage on Captain Finn's face as he described the leader of the party. "Luan," the Captain spat. "Why am I not surprised? A coward and a disgrace to Pallum everywhere." He turned to Bell. "I am truly sorry for what my countryman did to you and your party."
"No, no" Bell said, waving his hands. "You don't need to apologize. The only people who should apologize are the ones who did it."
Captain Finn sighed. "Sadly, there isn't much I can do to make that happen. We don't really have a relationship of any kind with Apollo, but we can at least make sure that everybody knows what they did." He stood, moving off his makeshift chair. "What I can do, though is invite you to join us for dinner. You and your party are our guests and are welcome to stay here in the camp. We're planning to head back up to the surface the day after tomorrow, and you are welcome to join us for the ascent."
"Thank you, Captain Finn." Bell said.
Ms. Ais led him out of the command tent and back towards the one where Bell had first woken. As they walked, he could see members of the Loki Familia beginning dinner preparations in the distance. The sound of hammering reached his ears as they moved past a group of blacksmiths from the Hephaestus Familia, who were hammering away at a series of damaged weapons and armor.
Pushing open the flap to the tent, Bell's heart leapt with joy to see Welf and Lili both awake and talking.
"There you are!" Welf said in greeting. "We were just wondering where you'd got to."
"You're awake!" Bell shouted, happily. "How are you feeling?"
"I think we're doing alright but, where are we Master Bell?" Lili asked. "Oh!" She suddenly spotted Ms. Ais behind him. "Ms. Wallenstein!"
"Sword Princess!" Welf choked.
"This is the Loki Familia camp," Bell explained, moving deeper into the tent and sitting down. "They found us at the bottom of the stairs and brought us here to be patched up. Oh, Ms. Ais, this is Welf, the newest member of our Familia." He gestured to the redhead who waved at her in greeting.
"Thank you for helping us, Ms. Wallenstein," Lili said, gratefully.
"No need, Lili." Ms. Ais replied. "I just wish you hadn't been injured in the first place."
"Speaking of," Welf addressed Bell, "have you been able to find out anything about the party that pass-paraded us?"
Ms. Ais spoke up before Bell could. "Finn believes, based on the description of their uniforms and the appearance of their leader, that it was a group from the Apollo Familia led by an adventurer named Luan."
"Apollo?" Welf grumbled. "They're supposed to be one of the higher Familia, aren't they? What are they doing pass-parading people in the Dungeon?"
"Actually Welf," Lili spoke up. "Amongst the Pallum in the city, Luan is well known for being a coward. It doesn't really surprise me that he is the one who was leading that group."
"You've met him, Lili?" Bell asked.
"No," she shook her head. "But I used to hang around the Pallum's Hidden Tavern a lot. He's one of only a few Pallum that are part of higher Familia, so his name came up a lot. And not in a good way."
"So, what are we going to do about this?" Welf asked. "I don't think I can let it go. They almost got us killed!"
"Nor should you," Ms. Ais cut in. "But you must be careful. Finn was furious when Bell explained what happened, but we can't do much. The laws of the city do not extend to the Dungeon, so technically they have not done anything illegal. He has recommended getting the word out about what they've done and allowing the city's residents to judge them."
"We shouldn't do anything until we've spoken to Mr. Torrhen and Goddess Hestia." Bell added. "We need to decide how to respond as a group."
"That would mean getting back up to the surface." Lili said.
Bell nodded. "Captain Finn has invited us to stay here in their camp for now. They're planning to head back up the day after tomorrow and said we can tag along."
"That's pretty generous of them." Welf smiled.
"Not at all," Ms. Ais said. "Most of us consider the Loki and Hestia Familas to be friends. It just makes sense that we would help you."
"Thank you, Ms. Wallenstein" Lili said with a grin.
Torrhen
"LAAS YAH NIR"
Torrhen's Aura Whisper shout caused his vision to darken briefly. When it flared back to life, he could see red auras through the cavernous walls of the Dungeon. Unlike the soul auras that Hestia or, reportedly, Freya could see; what the Aura Whisper Shout revealed was life energy. It allowed Torrhen to see living beings through walls at quite a distance. He could even see automatons, provided they were powered by a soul gem. Soul gems were just concentrated life energy that was converted to magical power once used.
"Was that a spell, Master Torrhen?" Ryuu asked from his left. To his sight, she was glowing red while she looked at him, questioningly.
"Yes," he replied. "It's called Aura Whisper. It allows me to see the life energy around me for nearly a hundred meters. Even through walls." He continued to scan as he spoke.
Having used the Shout in the Dungeon before, he had discovered that the aura's of monsters were different to that of a human or other sentient race. The energy of their aura was far more concentrated around where their magic stone was housed, although he had seen a few monsters whose energy was more spread out than others. During his few dives with Bell during their initial training, these had actually proved to be the smarter, more difficult monsters to fight.
Still, because their auras were more concentrated than that of an adventurer's, it was easy to tell the difference between them. Even at a distance or through walls. Glancing back at Ryuu, she and the others looked rather impressed.
"What do you see?" Asfi asked. She was still carrying her annoying god, Hermes. Torrhen did not like the fact that he was there, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it at the moment. He had far more important things to deal with first.
"There are quite a few monsters in the passages around us," Torrhen answered her, "but I do not see any signatures that would indicate an adventurer. We need to keep moving." The rescue party wasn't all that far from the stairs that led back up to Floor 13, so Torrhen wasn't surprised that they needed to head further in. Despite the pace he'd set; which, he supposed, was probably a bit too fast for his younger companions, the kids from the Takemikazuchi Familia had kept up remarkably well. They'd needed to stop and down stamina potions a few times and were looking a little worse for wear, but they'd still kept up.
"We should keep an eye on the edges of any shafts," Ryuu said as they continued on down the corridor, their boots leaving prints behind on the dusty stone floors. "If they really did fall into one, there will likely be evidence of it around the rim. Scuff marks, dusty footprints, blood or abandoned gear. Something like that."
Torrhen nodded, continuing to lead the way. He was about to cast Aura Whisper again when the telltale cracking sound of monsters spawning filled the air. Out of the walls and floors ahead of them, a pack of Hellhounds were forcing their way out of the stone. Torrhen growled and strode forward. He did not have time for this!
"FO"
The first word of the Frost Breath Shout rippled through the corridor and struck the monsters. Before the Hellhounds could even consider charging, they had been vaporized by the icy wind. Torrhen's companions were staring at him with wide eyes.
"Are all your spells like that, Master Torrhen?" Mikoto asked. Torrhen liked what he'd seen of her so far. She'd make a wonderful addition to the Familia once this was all over.
Torrhen shook his head at her in answer. "They are not. My most powerful spells are, yes, but I can use magic besides the Shouts."
"Shouts? Wait a minute! You're one of the Dovahkiin, aren't you?!" Hermes asked, excitedly.
Torrhen stopped short and glared at the god. How in Talos' name had he known that?
"What?" Hermes said, "I'm a God of Thieves! You really think I haven't kept up with Nocturnal and her exploits? She told me about them, years ago! Said one had joined her Nightingales. Was that you?" Torrhen glared and did not answer.
"What's a Dovah…Dova…What was it?" Chigusa asked, timidly.
"Dovahkiin." Torrhen corrected her. "It is both a race and a title, but I will say no more. You three," he gestured to the Take kids, "will learn of it after your conversion. As for the rest of you, do not bother asking. I will not answer. And you," He got in Hermes' face. The god stared at him nervously from over Asfi's shoulder. The poor girl looked very uncomfortable. "You should have kept your mouth shut. That information is not yours to reveal. Breathe a word of it again, and you will not enjoy the consequences. Am I understood?"
Torrhen turned away from the now nervously sweating god, who was nodding vigorously over the poor girl's shoulder and continued down the corridor. They continued to search, easily dispatching monsters as Torrhen recast Aura Whisper every 10 minutes or so. Finally, they came to a large, empty room with a shaft in the center.
Torrhen stopped and observed the area. There were dusty prints of both humanoids and monsters around the tunnel exit. "Spread out," he ordered. "Search for signs of a struggle and don't disturb the footprints."
The group fanned out around the room, Torrhen attempting to follow the path of footprints he'd found at the door. One of the sets was smaller than the others. Like Lili's. The weird thing as that they led out of the tunnel, they'd just entered, rather than in. He followed them through the mess of prints that seemed to be a battle area.
Near the entrance to the tunnel on the other side, he was able to get a better look at them.
There were four sets, three large and one smaller. Not Bell's group, unless they'd picked up another adventurer in the Dungeon. Judging from what prints he could find, they were running from something.
"I found something!" Asfi's voice called over to him. She was near the edge of the shaft with Hermes, finally having gotten off her back, standing nearby.
Turning away from the prints, Torrhen moved to her side. Quickly being joined by the others, he knelt down to examine her find.
"There's dried blood here," she pointed the faint dark patches on the dusty stone surface of the floor. "Scuff marks near the rim, that look like someone rolled over the edge and footprints leading up to it. Two sets. I also found this," she handed him a small cloth fragment.
Taking the fragment and holding it up, Torrhen examined the find. It was a small sliver of white cloth, mostly covered in dried blood.
"This looks like a fragment of Lili's cloak," Torrhen said. "They may have fallen down this shaft."
"This is one of the deeper pits on the middle levels," Ryuu cut in. "If I remember right, it leads down to the 17th floor."
"17?" Mikoto asked. "If they're at a similar skill level to us, then that's not good."
"No," Torrhen muttered. "It's not. What else can we tell from the footprints? I found four sets heading in from the other side. 3 human sized, 1 pallum."
Ryuu moved closer, careful not to disturb the prints in the dusty floor as she examined them. "There appears to have been a struggle going on. There are two sets of pallum prints. One slightly larger than the other."
Torrhen followed along the path she was tracing. "Look here," he said, pointing. "The two sets converge. The larger of the two collided with the other, then took off. It's hard to tell what happened next. There are too many monster prints jumbling everything up and the dust has been smeared."
"With the cloth and everything else, I think it's safe to assume that Mr. Cranel and his party were here and went down that shaft." Ryuu concluded, pointing to the opening.
"Then that is what we will do as well," Torrhen said, moving to the opening. He just had to hope that their bodies weren't at the bottom of the pit. Removing his pack, he pulled out a series of ropes and hooks. "For those of you who cannot jump and survive, use these to rappel down. We can meet at the bottom."
"My boots are a magic item. They allow me limited flight, so I can carry Lord Hermes down," Asfi said.
"I will rappel down with the younger members." Ryuu said, moving to help Mikoto with the ropes.
"Very well," Torrhen nodded. "I'll see you all at the bottom. Be careful, but don't dawdle." He helped Ryuu embed the hooks into the Dungeon floor and quickly showed Take's kids what to do.
"Let's go," he said to Asfi. She nodded and leaned down. Touching her boots, the odd wings attached began to glow and extend. Floating into the air, she picked up Hermes and began to glide down into the shaft.
Torrhen too stepped up to the edge and Shouted. "FEIM ZII GRON" The Become Ethereal Shout enveloped him, temporarily turning him into a ghostly specter. He couldn't pass through walls or floors, but he couldn't actually interact with any people in that form either. Ignoring the stares of his comrades, Torrhen jumped into the pit.
He quickly passed the slowly descending Asfi and, after only a few seconds of falling, slammed into the floor below. Still ethereal, he looked around the landing site. There was blood on the floor and, lying in the shadows, a glass potion vial. As the effect of the Shout faded, Torrhen knelt to pick up the vial.
It was definitely one of Naaza's healing potions and there were only two Familia in all of Orario that currently had access to them. Torrhen highly doubted the Loki Familia would have left a vial here on their way town, which meant this belonged to Bell's party. Searching further, he found two more bottles and more blood nearby.
"What did you find?" Asfi asked as she came to a landing, depositing Hermes on the ground as well. Above them he could see the figures of the other four, rappelling down the shaft.
"More blood, and potion vials." He said, handing one to her.
"This is just like the stamina potions you gave us earlier," Asfi muttered, examining it.
"They were made by the same person," Torrhen said. "And only two Familia currently have access to them. Mine and Loki's."
"Then this belonged to your missing members." She concluded.
Soon enough, the other members of the rescue party had joined them and been filled in on their discoveries.
"Do you think they're trying to find a way back up?" Ouka asked. "We may have missed them by jumping down here.
"No," Ryuu said. "If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't even dare. It's far too dangerous."
"What do you think they did, then?" Chigusa spoke up.
"They may have headed for the 18th floor." Asfi said with Ryuu nodding. "We're not far from the stairs down."
"That's what I would have done," she confirmed.
"Why there?" Mikoto asked, confused.
"The 18th floor is a safe zone," Torrhen said. "They might have been hoping to meet up with a stronger party and return to the surface."
"That's only if they were able to make it past Goliath." Ryuu mentioned.
"Given when this may have happened, Goliath might not have spawned yet." Asfi interjected.
"Even if he hadn't then, he certainly will have by now." The elf retorted.
"Then we will just have to deal with him." Torrhen cut them off. "Even if they are safe on the 18th floor, I'm not stopping until we've found them."
"Goliath is dangerous even for a full party of Level 3's." Asfi said. "I don't think we are strong enough to handle him with this group." Ryuu and the others were also sporting nervous looks.
Torrhen just stared at the blue-haired girl for a moment. "Watch me," he said and turned to move down the corridor.
It wasn't long before they reached the entrance to the boss room. Ignoring the hesitance of his companions, Torrhen strode in without fear. Standing in the room, surrounded by boulders and crystal shards was a massive black-haired humanoid figure. It turned to face him and let out a bellowing roar. Glaring at the monster, Torrhen let out a roar of his own.
"YOL TOOR SHUL"
The blast of dragon flame billowed from Torrhen's mouth and engulfed the giant monster. Agonized screams followed the sound of roaring flames. When at last the inferno subsided, all that was left was a single massive crystal sitting on the ground.
Ignoring the dumbfounded stares of his companions, Torrhen pulled his bag off his back and sucked the crystal into the storage.
"You… you killed Goliath in one blow." Asfi was staring at him, her glasses askew. The other members of the rescue team weren't much better.
"Yes." Torrhen said, simply. "I did." He could understand their bewilderment and he likely wouldn't have handled it that way if this were any other situation, but he needed to get through fast. He was sure that the kids were ok but, he still needed to lay eyes on them. Being honest with himself, he was surprised at the intensity of his worry. It had been a long time since he'd felt this… parental.
Shaking his head, he gestured to his dazed companions. "Come on!" He shouted. "Let's get a move on.
They followed him silently across the room. It didn't take long for the group to descend the stairs and emerge into the woods of the 18th floor. Torrhen was pleasantly surprised at how peaceful the scenery was. The descriptions and paintings in the guild archive didn't capture the beauty of that crystal ceiling at all. The dim evening light cast shadows on the ground as they moved through the area. It wasn't long until, to Torrhen's astonishment, he spotted a familiar face.
"Lefiya!" He called out to the elf girl. She turned, startled.
"Mr. Torrhen!" Her shocked voice shouted back. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for Bell." He replied honestly.
The girl's eyes went wide. "I've seen him!" she said. "Ms. Ais found him and two others wounded at the bottom of the stairs. They're in our camp right now."
Torrhen gave the girl a smile as his nerves finally calmed. If Bell and the others were with the Loki Familia, then they should be just fine. After quickly introducing the other members of the search party, they followed along behind Lefiya as she led them to the camp.
"How did the expedition go?" He asked the girl.
"It went really well, thanks to you and those new potions." She replied. "With the spell you taught me, I was able to do so much better during our encounters. Everyone else has been doing nothing but praising the new potions, though Ms. Tsubaki and the Captain are more thrilled by the Adventurer Packs you gave us than anything else."
"They helped that much?" He grinned at her as Lefiya began to nod emphatically.
"We had a really bad encounter on the 59th floor. Ms. Riveria and Mr. Gareth would have died if not for those potions. Actually, we all might have died during that fight if we didn't have them." Torrhen raised an eyebrow at that. They'd almost died? "As for the bags," she continued, "Captain Finn says we'll be making a huge profit off this expedition thanks to them. He's been giddy about it since the last count."
Torrhen smiled again. It looked like his gifts had been put to good use and Naaza was likely to get those glowing reviews she was hoping for. Walking into the camp, he kept his head on a swivel. Keeping an eye out as they moved through the tents until he spotted…
"Bell!" The kid was standing by a tent talking with Ais. Lili was sitting on a crate nearby while Welf was leaned up against a rock, looking over his sword.
A series of 'Mr. Torrhen's' followed as the three stood and ran towards him. He took in the sight of them as they came over. They looked to be in perfect health, though their clothes had seen better days. Lili was missing her trademark cloak and Bell's bodysuit was torn to shreds.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Torrhen?" Bell asked, excitedly.
"Looking for you," he replied. "Hestia sensed something was off and asked me to come find you. What happened, kid? She was convinced you were all gonna die."
"Why don't we move inside the tent and introduce everyone." Hermes cut in. "Probably best not to do this in the open."
For once, Torrhen agreed with the god. Moving through the flap of the tent, the group sat on the floor as Torrhen began to introduce people. The most important being Take's kids.
"This is Ouka, Mikoto, and Chigusa," he said, pointing to each of them. "They're the ones who will be joining us after Takemikazuchi heads back to the Far East. When they heard that something had happened, they insisted on coming to help."
"Wow, really?" Bell asked with a smile. "Thank you!" The two groups happily exchanged handshakes and smiles, trying to get to know their new comrades.
"Now," Torrhen said once everything was calmed back down and all had been introduced. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"
"We'd just gotten into an encounter with some Hellhounds," Lili said, "and were about to wrap things up when another team of adventurers came running through the room."
"Followed by a horde of monsters," Welf added, angrily. "Which they then proceeded to pass-parade onto us!"
"One of the monsters knocked Lili into a shaft" Bell picked up the story, "So, Welf and I jumped in after her. When we realized we were on the 17th floor, we knew we couldn't head back up so we came here."
"Unfortunately, Goliath spawned right on top of us." Lili said.
"Yeah, we got pretty banged up trying to evade him." Welf continued. "Thankfully the Sword Princess found us and brought us here." He gestured at Ais who now spoke.
"They were in rough shape when I found them but Riveria pulled some healing potions out of their packs and fixed them up. It was only an hour at most before they were all awake and moving."
Throughout the entire exchange, Torrhen's temper had been steadily rising as he desperately tried to hold it in check. "Who," he growled in a low tone, ignoring the nervous looks the others gave each other at his tone. "Who pass-paraded you? Who would dare?!"
"Based on what we saw of them," Bell said, nervously, "Captain Finn thinks it was members of the Apollo Familia."
Ais cut in before Torrhen could get any more pissed off. "You should speak with Finn." She said. "He'll be able to tell you more about the Apollo Familia and what you might be able to do to punish them."
Torrhen stared at her for a moment before letting out an angry sigh and nodding and thinking. No good would come from getting angry at an enemy who was not present. Considering the potential political nightmare, this was not a case of quick revenge. This would harken back to his assassin days. He needed intel. He needed recon and risk projections. He would likely need to restrain himself from committing murder, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it. For now, he would speak to Finn. Then, he would just enjoy his students being alive and catching up with new friends.
"Well," he said, his voice much calmer now. "I should probably let Finn know I'm in camp anyway. The two of us can discuss it later. Where is he?" Torrhen stood and stared at Ais, expectantly.
"He's probably still in the command tent." She said with a slight smile. Ais led Torrhen and his companions through the camp to the largest, central tent. Pushing open the flap, Torrhen grinned at the sight of Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Tsubaki going through a pile of monster drops.
"Torrhen!" Gareth, the first to spot him, shouted happily. The others perked up at his shout, smiling as he walked into the tent. "What are you doing here?"
"Hestia was worried and asked me to come looking for these three," He responded with a grin, gesturing at Bell and his team who were entering the tent behind him. "Thanks for patching them up."
"Our pleasure." Finn said. "Please tell me you'll be joining us for dinner. We have quite a lot to tell you about the expedition."
"I'd be glad to." Torrhen smiled again. "I should probably introduce my companions though." He pointed to each as he went down the line. "This is Ouka, Chigusa, and Mikoto. Their home was recently attacked so Lady Amaterasu has recalled their god, Lord Takemikazuchi. Hestia has offered for them to join her, so that they can keep earning money to send home to support their shrine."
"I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, but it is a pleasure to meet you," Finn greeted them. "You're in good hands. Hestia is a very kind goddess, and you won't find a better trainer in the whole city than Torrhen here."
Torrhen fought back a small smirk/smile at the compliment. "This is Ryuu," he continued on down the line, "Asfi," he pointed to the bluenette, "and finally, against my wishes and better judgement, Hermes."
Finn's eyes went wide, understandably. Gods were never to enter the Dungeon and now that Torrhen had found Bell, he was eager to get Hermes out as quickly as possible. He would need to try and convince Asfi to get him out of there in the morning. Still, Finn and the others admirably shook off their alarm at his presence and greeted the rest of the rescue team.
"You are all welcome to join us here in camp for the night," Finn said. "We have extra tents that can be set up for you, so don't worry about that. For now, join us for dinner. We have quite a lot to talk about, Torrhen."
"That we do," Torrhen grinned.
As they walked out of the tent, the group was accosted by a very excitable amazon. "Torrhen! Mr. Argonaut!" Tiona yelled happily as she bounced up and wrapped her arms around Bell's neck, causing the boy to go comically red. Glancing at Ais, Torrhen was both shocked and amused to see a look of confused annoyance on her face.
"Looks like Bell might have a shot after all," He thought.
"Why are you calling me that, Ms. Tiona?" Bell asked, still trying to extricate himself from her grip.
To Bell's obvious relief, the girl let go as she said, "Because your fight with that minotaur reminded me of one of my favorite stories form when I was a little girl. You looked so heroic!" Torrhen honestly didn't think Bell could get any redder. He would probably just explode.
"Come on," Finn said as he walked out of the tent. "We can all talk and catch up around the campfire." Torrhen nodded and followed the diminutive Captain; his Familia and the members of the rescue party following along behind him, chatting animatedly.
A/N: A bit of a glimpse into Mikoto and we got to see Torrhen's worried, parental side. What do you think?
As for the Apollo Familia, Torrhen won't be coming out of the Dungeon spitting literal fire for vengeance. He's gonna want to plan this out. But who knows? Apollo might do something reckless and ruin his plans. He might not. He's Apollo so… he's kind of an unpredictable asshole.
If I can fit everything I have outlined in, there is going to be a lot of character interactions in the next chapter. Ryuu is going to get some attention in the next chapter or the one after. We're also going to get some more detailed background info on another character. I hope you like what I've done so far and what's coming.
Speaking of what's coming. There will be a fight on the 18th floor but it will be different. It seems to me that in canon the Dungeon reacted both to the presence of the gods and to the level of the adventurers there. Why did it spawn a Goliath that was 1 level stronger than the normal one, making it possible to defeat? Why not bring out a copy of Udaeus or Balor? With that in mind, things are going to go a little differently. It might take a chapter or two to get there, but I hope you enjoy it.
Info for the curious:
Current Character Levels. Bell (2) Torrhen (10) Lili (1) Welf (1) Mikoto (2) Ouka (2) Chigusa (1) Ryuu (4) Asfi (4) Finn (6) Riveria (6) Gareth (6) Ais (6) Tiona (5) Tione (5) Lefiya (3) Bete (5) Tsubaki (5)
For anybody who wants to know, I'm making Ouka Level 2 because I want him to be stronger. I know that he's Level 1 right now in canon, but I wanted to change that.
Translations: Laas Yah Nir (Life Seek Hunt. Aura Whisper.) Fo (Frost. First Word, Frost Breath.) Feim Zii Gron (Fade Spirit Bind. Become Ethereal.) Yol Toor Shul (Fire Inferno Sun. Fire Breath)
Answers to Questions
On FFN
Quathis: I honestly hadn't considered having Aisha join Loki until I read your comment but now that I have I kinda like it. Still not sure if I'll go that route but thank you for the idea!
Selet: I think Apollo is probably in the top 10 for exploration Familia because of the size if nothing else, but you're right that he's nowhere near that if you include everybody. As for Dian Cecht, he'll probably hold on longer than you think considering he's the only producer of prosthetics in the city and just how many people owe him money for healing debts. He's still not going to be having a good time though once word gets out about the Miach Familia.
Itsblue718: Thanks for the suggestion! I honestly didn't have a clue who that was, so I had to look him up. He could be a fun addition though, judging by what the wiki says.
Redburndragon: You're right. I think the connection does weaken, the more members a Familia has. That's why Loki wasn't sure she felt anything when Riveria and Gareth almost died but Hestia could tell the second something bad happened.
On Ao3
BlackHorse8986: Thank you for the suggestions! To answer your questions, I do not consider it an expedition. The guild rules say that expeditions are only for below floor 18. Further, they are not participating in a guild-issued rescue mission so I don't think it counts.