Chapter 17: A day in the life of Taylor

"Interesting," Taylor said, looking at the start of the so-called 'Middle Floors' with both her regular eyes and those of her swarm. Known as the Cave Labyrinth, it was a region where the ground, walls, and ceiling were made of bedrock, and tunnels and passages intertwined and looped back onto each other. There were also plenty of differing terrain, with wide bridges spanning gaping chasms. Pits could even appear without warning and snatch unwary adventurers, dragging them down to lower levels.

Worse? The Dungeon shifted. Sometimes tunnels would be sealed off and paths would collapse, and you would have to search for hours to find a new route to the next floor.

And you couldn't forget the monsters, either. The most common were Hellhounds – fire breathing Doberman dogs, essentially – and Almiraj, which were just bipedal rabbits that could use Landform weapons. There were Minotaurs and Ligerfangs, easily the most dangerous mass-spawning monsters above the 18th Floor, and flying monsters such as Wyverns to add to the chaos. Couldn't forget the Crystal Mantises either. And those were just the most well-known!

The monsters all spawned faster, too, and could overwhelm small parties quickly. It was a dangerous place, to the point that even Level 2s could have trouble dealing with everything.

'At least my power still works this far down,' Taylor mused as she stroked the head of a Dungeon Worm. They were supposed to be rare, and so far the parahuman had only found one. Taylor wasn't sure she needed more than that.

Dungeon Worms were huge, earthworm-like creatures over a hundred feet long with purple-red skin along with a gaping circular maw full of nothing but teeth. What made them interesting was their ability to burrow through the Dungeon itself, traveling freely between the Floors if they so pleased. Most rarely ventured above or below the Middle Floors, and it was hard for them to burrow past the 10th, 11th, and 12th Floors due to how wide-open they were and how high the ceilings got, but there didn't seem to be a limit to their movements. They were able to sense vibrations in the ground, which was how they hunted, but lacked eyes or a way to differentiate prey so they ended up attacking monsters as often as adventurers.

The one Taylor had captured with her power was currently calm and resting silently at her side while Chris and Anne and a few other Killer Ants and Purple Moths fought some Hellhounds and Almiraj.

Taylor had known that her powers could control regular earthworms, something that she'd only been able to do after arriving in this new world, but it was good confirmation that it also affected Dungeon Worms as well. Now that Queen Administrator had granted her the ability to control all invertebrates, be they magical or mundane, it opened up a number of new possibilities for the parahuman.

"I'd like to bring you to the surface with me, but I don't think the Guild would appreciate it," Taylor said apologetically to the Dungeon Worm as she watched the bloody battle going on. It said nothing, and there wasn't even a flicker of thought in its head, but talking to it was more of a habit at this point than actually expecting it to respond.

The parahuman had ventured into the Dungeon solo for the day, leaving Iris and Lucia with Bell and the others. They'd be sticking to the Fifth Floor and no lower. As for why, Taylor had wanted to scout the Middle Floors herself after Bell had reported to her what he, Lili, and Welf had found yesterday.

The trio hadn't been able to venture past the 13th Floor, but what they'd told her had been intriguing. Hordes of canine and lapin monsters, with the occasional Bad Bat and Hard Armor harassing them. They'd even run into a Crystal Mantis, which was supposed to be quite rare anywhere else except the 15th Floor!

'Is that Bell's Luck ability at play?' Taylor wondered.

Eventually the horde of monsters trying to kill her was slain with minimal losses to her own side, and Taylor directed her swarm to pick up the loot. Chris and Anne gleefully ate the Magic Stones as there simply wasn't enough room in the bags she'd brought for everything to fit inside, and so she prioritized the Drop Items over those.

"Alright, everyone. Hop onboard!" Taylor ordered, though she didn't need to say it aloud. She'd gotten used to having people around her, and the silence… well, she wasn't a fan of it when it left her alone with her thoughts.

Her swarm moved over to the Dungeon Worm and clambered onto its back. Moments later the hundred-foot-long monster was on the move, sliding across the ground back up to the 12th Floor now that her scouting trip was over, all while her swarm clung to it.

'It seems to utilize some sort of power to move the earth and stone around it so easily,' Taylor mused to herself as she observed the way the Dungeon Worm moved forward. It could part even immensely hard bedrock as if it were clay, which was impressive.

She was hesitant to call what it could do 'magic,' because surely it couldn't be that, could it? But a quote she'd seen on PHO floated to the surface of her thoughts.

'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,' or so the author Arthur C. Clarke had once claimed. And while it didn't quite apply to her current situation, Taylor could use that saying in a different way.

Maybe what the 'gods' and adventurers and monsters could do really was magic. And maybe it wasn't. But whatever the case, it was beyond her current understanding, much like parahuman powers. It just worked, and so why bother caring or worrying about what it was called?

'So long as this 'magic' isn't also connected to an omnicidal alien abomination, I don't think it really matters,' she thought to herself.

Taylor felt a pulse of annoyance from her Passenger at that. Clearly the extra-dimensional bio-crystal-entity didn't like being called out on what it had once been. She ignored it, even if the fact Queen Administrator could communicate directly with her now was an unpleasant revelation.

As she emerged from the 13th Floor onto the 12th, she caught sight of a party of adventurers standing nearby and staring at her as she passed by with their jaws on the ground.

"I thought she could only control bugs!" one of the adventurers she passed uttered in disbelief. "Worms aren't bugs!"

"I dunno, man! Maybe she controls anything that's creepy?"

"Better watch out, then, because you're a real creep, Mord!"

"Why you little-!"

Taylor snorted to herself as she left the squabbling party behind and advanced further into the 12th Floor. Her remaining Purple Moths took to the air and began to scout ahead, keeping an eye out for any monsters like Orcs or Silverbacks.

The floor seemed to be rather empty right now, possibly due to the party she'd just passed. They had been Level 2s, and more than capable of wiping out plenty of monsters on their way through the Dungeon.

But as she came to the center of the cavernous floor, her Purple Moths spotted something stomping around through the mist directly in her path.

'An Infant Dragon?' Taylor wondered, shocked, as her swarm identified what it was that had appeared in front of her. Bell had just killed one a few days ago earlier in the week. Did they spawn that quickly? Weren't they supposed to be rare?

A sneaking suspicion started to niggle at the back of her mind. 'Queen Administrator sent me a pulse of annoyance a little bit ago. And then a few minutes later an Infant Dragon appears in my path. Did… could it be possible that the Dungeon sensed my Passenger's communication and reacted to it?'

Whatever the reason for its presence, the so-called 'Boss' of the 12th Floor was here, and it was in her way. So she just rammed it with the Dungeon Worm. Didn't even slow down. The Infant Dragon, strong as it was, could not tank several tons of chitin and fangs slamming head long into it, getting crushed and swallowed whole in the process. Not to mention Taylor also hit it with her Curse, eliminating its ability to open its mouth so its fiery breath couldn't be used against her and her swarm, which was the only real threat.

The Magic Stone – after being spat out of the Dungeon Worm's mouth – was fed to Chris, and the scales were grabbed and would be given to Welf. All in all, it took less than thirty seconds to deal with it.

'Hmm, good haul today,' Taylor mused to herself. She glanced around, and her swarm spotted a couple of Level 1s fighting at the edge of her detection range. Curious, she ordered her Dungeon Worm to approach. Not too closely, but enough so her swarm could see everything.

After a little bit the party eliminated their opponents – three Orcs and a quartet of Imps – and moved on. Taylor admired the way they'd fought. It had been fast, economical, and with no wasted or flashy attacks. In, and done in a minute or so. Then the drops had been collected and the group had moved on.

'The new girls have been doing well, but there's room for improvement,' Taylor thought to herself. Comparing Lucia and Iris to the Level 1s her swarm 'saw' when she passed through let Taylor get a good grasp of her new Familia members' level of power.

Honestly? They were weak. A veteran Level 1 would wipe the floor with them based purely on skill and experience. However, that was something that could change, and was, slowly but surely.

'Not to mention how fast they're growing stronger,' Taylor mused. Unlike herself and Bell, other adventurers lacked a Skill or cheat ability that let them gain Excelia so quickly and efficiently. Yet Lucia and Iris were showing that they weren't slouches when it came to it.

In the week since they had joined up, Lucia and Iris had each earned a total of a hundred Stat points. According to Lili and Welf, those sort of numbers were unusual to say the least. It normally took a minimum of a month to get half that.

'Is it something to do with Hestia herself?' Taylor wondered. Could the person granting the Falna influence things to an extent? If they could communicate via the soul or whatever it was they did when bestowing the Trump-like powers to other people, then perhaps it was possible to make it so an adventurer gained a hint of their patron's personality or abilities? Or perhaps it was something else. Who knew?

'An interesting thought experiment if nothing else. Do these 'gods' influence their Familia members somehow? Ganesha's Familia is renowned for becoming Tamers. Is that due to being surrounded by other Tamers, or is it thanks to Ganesha himself passing some traits on? Nature or Nurture?' Taylor hummed. 'More data is needed.'

At that, Queen Administrator seemed to perk up, Taylor feeling her Passenger's attention turn towards her for a brief moment. When nothing else happened save the presence fading, Taylor shook her head in bewilderment.

'Of all the Shards to have gotten, I never thought I'd get a talkative one,' the parahuman mused with a tiny scoff of amusement. As she made her way to the passage way up to the 11th Floor.

It was a tight squeeze for the Dungeon Worm to get through the Upper Floors. They were just perfectly sized for the monsters that dwelled within them, but the massive burrowing worm was almost too big to fit. Taylor also didn't want to just bore straight through the Dungeon with it. She had no idea if the Dungeon would heal itself around her if she tried that, so decided to take the long way.

The dark-haired parahuman had to lie flat on her stomach in order to avoid being squished or crushed by the ceiling. It was uncomfortable for Chris as well, his body unsuited for lying face down, so Taylor had the Crystal Mantis go ahead of the Dungeon Worm to clear the way forward of adventurers. She didn't want to accidentally trample anyone, after all. It slowed them down a bit, but that was the price she had to pay.

When the Dungeon Worm reached the exit to the Dungeon, Taylor leapt off, directing Chris and Anne to eliminate the rest of the monsters. They obeyed, and the Killer Ants, Purple Moths, and Dungeon Worm remained motionless as they were killed.

Taylor wasn't exactly fond of doing what was essentially summary executions on parts of her swarm, but they were monsters in the end. They had to be culled, lest they harm adventurers or ordinary people. And while her power let her dominate them, there was always the chance something could happen.

'Just because the Dungeon hasn't tried to regain control of the monsters in my swarm doesn't mean it won't in the future,' Taylor thought to herself as she watched it with a blank expression.

Some of the adventurers passing by all had various looks on their faces as they saw the slaughter happening. Most seemed as dispassionate as Taylor was, but a few actually looked excited by the sight of monsters fighting each other. There was also a group that looked horrified by it for some reason.

Once it was done, Taylor picked up the Magic Stones that'd dropped, then ordered her remaining two monsters to grab the bags full of Drop Items. The trio of Master and monsters departed the Dungeon after that, walking up the long, spiral staircase to the surface.

"Hmm, who knew a Dungeon Worm's Magic Stone would be worth so much?" she hummed aloud as she counted out the valis she'd received. fifty thousand valis for a single stone was an impressive amount of wealth a single monster could provide. Though given how rare they were, it made sense.

She also managed to turn in several Quests the Guild had posted, making quite a bit more money than what the Drop Items would be worth alone. Because they were materials the craftsmen of the city wanted or needed, they paid a premium to adventurers to fetch the Drop Items. It was possible to make an average of fifty percent more than what the Guild paid for them. Sometimes as much as two to three times as much if the materials were rare or important enough.

"The Guild should really invest in something less cumbersome than coins," Taylor complained to Eina as she stopped by to chat with the Hestia Familia's liaison with the Guild after cashing in her stones and items.

"What, like the paper money the Far East uses?" the half-elf asked.

"Yeah. Much more convenient," Taylor nodded.

"I believe Orario tried that a few decades ago. Failed to catch on. And the chaos caused by the collapse of the Hera and Zeus Familia didn't help either," Eina shrugged. "The merchants preferred to trust currency made of gold and silver over something flimsy, like paper."

"They do know that gold and other precious metals aren't actually worth anything beyond what value they're assigned by the merchants and countries, right?" Taylor asked. She'd picked up some economics from her dad over the years, mostly through osmosis, and there'd been the occasional lessons in school and economic arguments online she'd retained.

"Most merchants probably do, but precious metals are stable. Not to mention most other places in the world still prefer gold and silver coins. The Orario Vali is practically the gold standard for global coinage," Eina replied.

"Did you just make a pun?" Taylor asked, raising an eyebrow at the short-haired clerk.

"No, and if you ever claim otherwise, I will deny it," Eina replied, though her lips quirked upwards a little.

"Of course, I'd expect nothing less," Taylor chuckled.

Eina smiled at her, before gaining a shy look. "By the way, how has Bell been doing?"

"Sad he hasn't been dropping by as often?" Taylor asked, and the half-elf blushed.

"A little," she mumbled. "He used to stop by all the time when he was starting off. Always eager to actually listen to what myself and the other Guild staff had to say. Did you know he would read the books and guides we had before entering the Dungeon? Hardly any adventurers bother to use the Guild's resources!"

"That sounds like him," Taylor nodded. "Speaking of books, those guides to the Dungeon are quite interesting. But I noticed a few things when I read them. Some of the information is rather barebones and mostly read like they were only told about the monsters second-hand, instead of seeing them in person."

"Wait, how are you...?" Eina began to ask, before trailing off and frowning at the parahuman. "Taylor. Are you using your Skill to read books in the Guild's library without actually being there?"

When Taylor nodded, Eina sighed. "So that explains why some people are claiming the building is haunted," she muttered to herself before shaking her head. "Please don't do that, Taylor."

"Maybe. So, about the inconsistencies…"

"Most adventurers are not exactly the scholarly type," Eina said, doing her best to repress a sigh. "And those who do aren't really interested in monsters. Most of the information we have is from the Delving Familias as well as the Ganesha Familia. Between them, we can compile data on the Dungeon, but sadly there are always going to be errors."

"Hmm. And if I could point out and correct these errors?" Taylor inquired.

"If you could prove it, then we'd be happy to update the books," Eina replied.

"Understandable," Taylor said. "On another note, are you and Misha up for girl's night out again?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Eina nodded. "Anything to cut loose and forget about work!"

"See you and the others tonight, then," Taylor chuckled. Eina waved farewell and Taylor left the Guildhall, heading out into Orario.

Winding her way through the streets, Taylor soon came to her next destination; Miach's Pharmacy.

"Afternoon, Naaza," Taylor said in greeting as she entered, only to be taken aback when the dog-eared alchemist looked her way with a wild and somewhat unfocused look.

"Taylor, I have a question," Naaza asked, shooting the parahuman a look with blood-shot eyes.

"Have you slept at all recently?" Taylor shot back as she approached the counter.

"I got sleep two days ago," Naaza said dismissively. "Anyways. Question. Answer?"

"Depends on what you want to know," Taylor replied cagily. "And you really seem like you need some rest."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take a nap later," the alchemist scoffed. "Look, Taylor, how much would it cost for you to capture a bunch of Purple Moths and Blue Papillion for me?"

"Capture? Alive?" Taylor inquired, and the dog-eared woman nodded.

"Yeah. Alive. I want to start a farm using them. Harvest their powders. Maybe find a way to breed 'em and see if their offspring can still produce useful materials."

"Ambitious. But why?" Taylor asked.

"Money, why else?" Naaza scoffed.

"I thought you sold that potion recipe to Dian Cecht and erased your debt?" Taylor wondered, recalling the request Miach had asked from Hestia two weeks ago.

Hunting the Bloodsauruses outside of Orario had been surprisingly fun. Not every day somebody got to hunt dinosaurs, after all. They'd looked like blood-red tyrannosaurs, and had been around Level 2 in terms of raw power, but fairly slow and Bell and the rest had been able to sneak around them and set up traps that'd killed a few while they stole the eggs from their nest. Though Naaza's discovery of a brand-new potion that could heal both health and Mind had gotten overshadowed by all the hubbub surrounding Bell Leveling Up.

'And Naaza even leveled up because of her invention,' Taylor mused. It had been a surprise to everyone. Nobody, not even Naaza or Miach, had thought she'd had enough Excelia to do so, but apparently killing some Bloodsauruses and stealing their eggs (as well as bone-breaking training with Taylor and the rest of the party) had just barely been enough to get her Agility Stat to D rank, which was the bare minimum for a Level Up.

It went a long way towards proving one of Taylor's theories: that it wasn't so much 'what' you killed, but 'how' you did so that provided plentiful and high-quality Excelia. Oh, a Killer Ant provided more Excelia than, say, a Kobold, but after a while, killing only Killer Ants would net less and less Excelia per kill. And her actions against the blood-red tyrannosaurus rex knock-offs had really helped the young alchemist in more ways than one.

"Right. But we're still kinda poor," Naaza replied, returning Taylor's attention to the present. "And getting new potion ingredients is starting to cut into our bottom line."

"And that's why you want my help to start a farm to harvest powders they produce," Taylor realized. Though she had managed to overcome some of her fears, Naaza was still suffering PTSD from what happened to her in the Dungeon, which meant she had to rely on issuing Quests to adventurers for the Dungeon exclusive materials. And that could quickly become expensive.

"Purple Moth powder is used in various antidotes, and the powder from Blue Papillion makes the best quality healing potions," Naaza explained. "Though I think I already told you this."

"You have," Taylor nodded. "And honestly, it's not a terrible idea. But it'd be expensive."

"How much?" Naaza demanded.

"Registering a monster as a Tamed companion costs a hundred thousand Valis per monster," Taylor informed her. "And I'd tack on an additional ten to twenty thousand as labor costs. Not to mention the costs involved in buying a space to contain said monsters, and pay for their well-being. You'd be looking at a substantial amount of valis to get things started. Quarter of a million, easy."

"Damn," Naaza growled in disappointment. "I could try and take out a loan, but I don't think any bank in Orario would accept."

"What if we didn't go to a bank?" Taylor asked.

"Huh?" Naaza asked, looking up at her with confusion.

"Honestly, Naaza? I think this is a good idea. Great, even," Taylor claimed. "But neither of us have the resources to take care of dozens of monsters. But there are others who do."

"You want to go to another Familia?" Naaza asked, squinting at her friend.

"For a cut of the profits, yes," Taylor nodded. "You're a brilliant alchemist and the inventor of a brand-new potion, one so important it was enough to get a Level Up, and I can control the monsters we need perfectly. We both bring things to the table any Familia would be a fool to turn down."

"Who, though?" Naaza asked. "Most of the bigger Familia's would sooner spit on us then agree. Or they'd try to push us out after a while."

"The Ganesha Familia," Taylor said immediately. "I have a good relationship with them. Their captain seems to like me as well. Shakti is fascinated by my monster controlling Skill, and the last few times we've met, she's hinted rather heavily at wanting to start a joint venture of sorts. See if the monsters I've dominated can be controlled by other Tamers."

"And the Ganesha Familia is one of the few genuinely altruistic groups in the city," Naaza muttered, slowly coming around to the idea. "Yeah… yeah, it could work. They have the facilities to contain monsters, I have the expertise to brew their Familia high-quality potions – at a discount to really sweeten the deal – and you can make the Purple Moths and Blue Papillion do whatever you want. It could really work!"

"I'll bring it up to Shakti when I see her next," Taylor said with a nod. The captain of the Ganesha Familia had ordered some silken lingerie, and Lucia should be finished with them soon. She'd mention this idea to when she delivered the items. Taylor had no doubts Shakti would agree. After all, Shakti would get access to lots of typically rare materials if it worked out.

She then pointed to a couple of health potions. "I'll take three of those, please."

"Gotcha. Friend discount. Only twelve hundred valis," Naaza said.

"Will we see you for girl's night tonight?" Taylor asked as she handed over the coins.

"Yeah, I could use the chance to unwind," the dog-girl said, before yawning.

"Go take a nap," Taylor requested as she walked out. Naaza just waved lazily at her.

Taylor's next stop for the day was visiting Lucia's store. She found Mrs. Ramirez manning the store while her daughter was in the Dungeon.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Miss Taylor!" Lucia's mother said in greeting.

"Hello, Mrs. Ramirez," Taylor replied. "Are you doing well?"

"I am, thank you," she said with a warm smile. The older woman bustled over and brushed some dirt off of Taylor's armor, smiling all the way.

"Did you just come out of the Dungeon?" she asked.

"Yes," Taylor nodded, then added, "Lucia is fine, too. She's in good hands."

"My worry-wart of a husband will be happy to hear that. Though I do know he'd wish that some of those hands didn't belong to boys," Mrs. Ramirez chuckled.

"Sounds like a good father," Taylor said, before a pang of something dark flickered through her chest as she couldn't help but think of her own dad. Had he survived Gold Morning? She didn't know, and was afraid to find out the answer.

Seeing her expression change, Mrs. Ramirez frowned before giving her a hug. Taylor stiffened in response, and was unable to return it, she was so shocked.

After a few second the older woman released her, a sad smile. "Feel better?" she asked, and the parahuman nodded slowly.

"Good. Now, I take it you came to pick up an order?"

"Y-yes," Taylor said, clearing her throat with a cough. "There should be an order for Ganesha Familia's captain, Shakti."

"Ah, yes, Lucia finished it last night," Mrs. Ramirez declared, walking off to the back to fetch it. She returned with the package, and handed it over to Taylor.

"You don't have to do the deliveries yourself, you know," she lightly scolded.

"I have something else to discuss with her," Taylor admitted. "This is just a convenient excuse."

"Well, you should still try to take care of yourself. Dungeon delving until late afternoon, only to run errands? Being a busy bee is good, but running yourself ragged isn't good for your health," Mrs. Ramirez scolded.

Taylor bowed her head, unable to argue with the woman who radiated motherly matriarch energy, and quickly retreated.

"Shut it," Taylor hissed at the two monsters with her. "It was a tactical retreat!"

Her monsters had made no sounds and had no minds of their own, and yet somehow they were judging her. She just knew it!

Taylor walked towards the ridiculous manor the Ganesha Familia lived in, trying not to wince at the sight of it. Approaching the entrance, the guards nodded politely at her, used to seeing her around.

"Delivery for the captain?" one guard asked.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"Alright, go on in," the man with the spear said, waving her in. Taylor left Chris and Anne near one of the fountains, where curious Familia members and other visitors admired them. Some cheeky children even started tossing bread and other food at the two. Her monsters caught and ate it all, of course. Free food was free food.

Feeling a little naked without her monsters at her side, Taylor walked up into the main building and made her way to Shakti's office. Knocking on the door, there was a muffled, "Enter!" and she did so.

"Hello, Shakti," the dark-haired teen said. "I have your order."

"Oh? Great," the captain said, looking up from her paperwork. "That was fast."

"Having somebody who actually knows what they're doing when it comes to sewing and weaving makes it go faster," Taylor admitted as she put it onto the desk.

Shakti unwrapped the package, blushing a little as she checked to make sure everything was there.

"Thank you," she said as she put down one of the bras she'd examined.

"No problem," Taylor assured her. "I can only imagine how hard it is to find underwear with proper support in Orario."

"Ugh, you have no idea," Shakti groaned. "Half the women don't bother with anything, the other half just use bindings. Actual bras and such? Like trying to find a sober member of the Soma Familia."

Taylor frowned a little at the mention of the Familia of drunkards before pushing her emotions into her swarm.

"Is there something else you need?" Shakti asked when the parahuman didn't leave.

"I had something I wished to discuss with you," Taylor admitted. "A business arrangement."

"Business? With the Ganesha Familia?" Shakti inquired. "It has something to do with your monsters, I'll bet."

Taylor nodded, and Shakti stood up from her desk. "Take a seat," she requested, and Taylor sat on a couch nearby. The Captain of the Ganesha Familia grabbed a tea pot and some cups, and made tea for the two of them.

"So. What is this business proposal of yours?" Shakti wondered. While she poured the tea, she listened as Taylor explained the idea she'd discussed with Naaza earlier.

"It's not a bad idea," Shakti said slowly when Taylor was done, taking a sip of her tea. It was similar to Darjeeling to Taylor's tastebuds, and it was Shakti's favorite.

"So you'd be willing to enter this business venture with us?" Taylor inquired.

"I'll have to bring it up to Lord Ganesha, first, but I think he'll say 'yes.' The idea of a steady supply of Blue Papillion powder for health potions would go a long way to keeping the others under my command safe," Shakti replied, not giving a definite answer, but it was clear to the parahuman she was very interested. "And the Purple Moth powder has a bunch of different uses as well."

Shakti tapped the rim of her cup thoughtfully. "I could probably clear out some space in the underground menagerie… we have some monsters that refuse to be Tamed that can be replaced. And I know a few people in my Familia who would love the chance to examine a monster up close without risking a loss of life or limb that I could convince to support me on this endeavor…"

"Sounds like you've already got the whole thing planned out," Taylor chuckled.

"I'll admit, I've always had some ideas like this," the Captain admitted faintly. "And Lord Ganesha has always found monsters fascinating for some reason. It's the whole reason he built the menagerie in the first place, along with coming up with the Monsterphilia event."

"I suppose everybody needs a hobby," Taylor drawled, and Shakti snorted.

"It keeps him out of trouble. Mostly."

"If you're interested in meeting one of the other partners in this endeavor, she'll be with me later tonight," Taylor offered. "We, along with a few others, are having a girl's night out."

"That… that actually sounds like it could be fun," Shakti muttered to herself. "I haven't had much downtime recently. Damn investigations into the Monsterphilia event are taking up most of my time."

"Still?" Taylor asked, surprised.

"That's what happens when dozens of monsters break out of what is supposed to a safe and secure event," the Captain grumbled. "Nobody died, thank the gods, but it damaged our reputation, and a couple people want to impose greater restrictions on all Tamed monsters."

"Hmm. Problematic," Taylor hummed. "Well, if you do have a chance, stop by the Cyan Pavilionaround six. We'll probably be there all night."

"Thank you for the invitation," Shakti said.

"Well, that's all on my end," Taylor said. "Do you have anything else you might need?"

"No. Some of my fellow women in the Familia may approach you for underwear of their own, though," Shakti said with a giggle.

"Thank you for the free advertising," Taylor said gratefully, causing Shakti to laugh even harder.

"Oh, Taylor!" she chuckled. The parahuman just flashed her a tiny smile.

"See you later tonight," Taylor before taking a sip of her tea. It really was quite good.

111 &&& 111

"CHEERS!" everyone sitting around a table called out.

Taylor couldn't help it as a small smile slipped onto her face while she raised a mug of cider up towards the rest of the glasses and mugs being lifted up.

She was happy that everyone was attending the event. Lili, Lucia, and Iris were a given, of course, but Eina, Misha, Naaza, and Shakti had also shown up for the girl's night out, which made her happier than she'd expected it to. As Taylor thought that, her swarm looked around the interior of the tavern they were in.

The Cyan Pavilionwas an establishment that served food and drinks, and catered mainly to women. It was popular among the lady adventurers who wanted a place to relax that wasn't full of testosterone, and the women who worked at the Guild also found it a nice place to go to. It meant it had a decent amount of people at any given time, and served lighter fare, with wine and tea for drinks, and salads to eat.

Of course, being active adventurers, Taylor, Lili, Lucia, and Iris needed more protein and carbs than that, which the Pavilionwas thankfully able to provide. It had a large amount of variety to its dishes, which was why Taylor liked it. The Hostess of Fertilityhad quantity, but it didn't have an extensive menu.

"Ahhh, this is nice," Shakti said, letting out a happy sigh as she drank some red wine. "Being able to relax like this is great after a week of hard work!"

"Agreed," Eina and Misha said in unison before giggling, their faces already a little flushed.

"Difficult customers again?" Lucia guessed, looking at the two Guild clerks, who nodded.

"Stupid muscle-heads," the pink-haired woman grumbled. "Thinking they know better than we do about the rules and regulations of the Guild! 'I want discounts on my starter pack!' 'Why do I have to wait in line?' 'We don't wanna pay our taxes!' Bunch of entitled pricks!"

"Most adventurers are not as polite as I would like," Eina added primly. "And some are far more troublesome than they would appear."

The way Eina looked directly at Taylor told the parahuman exactly who these troublemakers were.

"I'm not apologizing," Taylor replied as she sipped at her cider. Eina huffed and drained her wine glass in a single gulp in response.

"I've had annoying customers too recently," Naaza said, adding her own tale of woe to the group. "So many of them want discounts!"

She uttered the word like it was filthy and tasted vile on the tongue, before shaking her head. "At least with that damn leech Dian Cecht no longer on our backs, Lord Miach and I can start recovering the Familia's funds and status."

"Taylor mentioned you had an idea for a business," Shakti mentioned to Naaza. "I was a bit intrigued…"

"No business talk at the table!" Eina declared, face flushed.

"Ah. Right, of course," Shakti said apologetically, before glancing at Naaza and whispering, "We'll talk later."

The dog-eared alchemist nodded, a flicker of eagerness dancing in her eyes. Working with a Familia as large and powerful as Ganesha's could only be a could thing, if done right.

The group kept drinking, enjoying the evening, when the Mistress of the Swarm noticed a pair of women enter the building.

"Syr, Ryuu," Taylor spoke up, recognizing the two waitresses. They weren't in their frilly server outfits, which meant they weren't on the clock at the moment.

When Taylor called out to them, they looked around and spotted the group of girls around the table, and approached.

"Hi!" Syr said happily, her tone chipper despite working in the service industry. She was clearly made of sterner stuff than the average person.

"Hello, Miss Taylor. Everyone," Ryuu said in greeting, inclining her head politely.

"Ah, hello," Shakti said, giving the elf a scrutinizing look. Taylor wondered if she knew Ryuu from when the elf had been an adventurer. Because everyone at the Hostess of Fertility had been an adventurer at one point. Her swarm could detect the magic of the Falna on each of them. And Mama Mia was one of the strongest women in the entire city. Stronger than even Shakti!

"Are you off of work?" Taylor asked curiously.

"My shift is over for the day, and Syr wanted to go somewhere and get a drink after work," Ryuu said.

"Mmm. We're having a girl's night out. Care to join us?" Taylor offered. Nobody else seemed to mind that she'd made the offer, either, which was good.

"Yes, she does! She needs to loosen up! Maybe get a few more friends, too, while she's at it," the bubbly young grey-haired waitress said as she sat down in a seat she dragged over. She grabbed onto Ryuu's arm and pulled her down into a seat next to her.

"I don't want to impose," Ryuu said softly.

"It's fine," Lili said, waving her concern away. "We're not adventurers or civilians right now. We're girls looking for a good time."

Ryuu smiled a little at that, though it was barely a flicker of the lips that Taylor noticed only thanks to her swarm.

"Alright, then," the elven waitress said. "If you're fine with us joining you."

Ryuu didn't loosen up much, not even with a few glasses of elfish wine, but she did relax a little. Taylor didn't know the former adventurer very well, mostly only through her connection with Bell. But she had a look in her eyes. It was one Taylor was quite familiar with. She saw them in the mirror all the time, after all.

It was grief she saw hidden in Ryuu's eyes, and the belief that being happy was a sin, especially after everything she may have done. Taylor didn't know what sort of life Ryuu had lived through, but she felt a slight connection with elf.

Ryuu seemed to notice that Taylor had the same glint in her eyes, and at one point when they exchanged glances she gave a barely imperceptible nod her way, which the parahuman returned.

It felt like she'd made a friend. Was that how friendship was made? Taylor wasn't exactly an expert in that field. But as she looked around the table and quietly listened to the other ladies at the table talk and laugh, Taylor couldn't help a tiny ghost of a smile cross her face.

Yes, things were alright, now. In this moment, she was happy to be surrounded by people she hoped she could someday call 'friends.'

Though the way Syr would occasionally stare at Taylor when she thought nobody was looking was rather odd.

Taylor gave a mental shrug. She was probably just curious about her. A lot of people in Orario seemed to be, these days. Taylor could tell a large number of the patrons in the Pavilionwere paying close attention to everything being said at their table, with plenty of focus directed squarely at her.

It didn't really matter 'why' Syr was staring at her. In the end, if she was going to become a threat to her new family, Taylor would just deal with her like any other problem.

The grey-haired teen shivered a little, as she if she could sense Taylor's hidden hostility. What was really confusing to the parahuman was why Syr's face was so flushed at the same time. Maybe she'd had too much wine?

'Just another mystery of Orario, I suppose,' Taylor mused, putting it out of her mind. She then decided that she wanted more of those mini quiches they'd ordered as appetizers, and popped one in her mouth.

Yes, life was good right now.

111 &&& 111

Author's Note: Oh, Taylor, don't you know by now not to tempt Fate like that?

Anyways, thanks for reading! I've got a patty-ron (Akashicrecordstrue) and a Kofi (Akashicrecords) for those who might wanna support my work!

Happy Halloween to you all as well!