Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Omori; all rights go to him. I only own my original character Sleipnir and Ikuchi.
Speech: "I present to you the last chapter of Act 1."
Thoughts: 'So many projects, so little time.'
Magic: "Futsunomitama!"
Screaming/Demonic Voice: "For the Takemikazuchi familia!"
Chapter 13 Conquering the Upper Floors
Evening After Confronting Hyakinthos, after Dinner - Sleipnir's Room - Sleipnir POV
The atmosphere in the Martial Dojo returned to a livelier mood with both Mikoto and Ouka rejoining the daily training sessions. The entire familia could finally work together to help both get back to their peak and improve themselves.
Sly did not forget the reason he split their party originally. However, with the current threat they faced, Ouka and Sly decided as the party leaders in their familia that it was time to reform the full party.
Even Welf joined the group and they all prepared themselves for a difficult but necessary battle to grow stronger. Takemikazuchi even offered them all a status update before they returned to the dungeon in three days.
Sly ate dinner in silence, still in thought about how he handled Hyakinthos mere hours prior. He needed to look at the notes he kept on papyrus hidden behind an illusion in his room to process all the information he gathered during the week. Take notices Sly's distractedness and tells him they will speak in private after dinner.
Once inside his room, Sly looks over the notes he took on the executives of the Apollo familia. How Hyakinthos would be received would depend on them the most. Xander was likely to brush off Hyakinthos's worries, but if Apollo took any interest in the story, it was very likely that Lydia would be on the lookout for him.
From what Sly could observe, she was very strict, serious, and would most likely look into Alfia. Possibly even into Sly himself, which worried him. If she were to fight him Sly was very aware of his chances. Lydia was an experienced amazon and after careful experimentation with minor illusions during Apollo's daily training, she was perceptive enough to recognise his illusions for what they were.
'Fortunately, she is also Apollo's familia captain and has many other duties, which should prevent her from actively searching for me. However, I mustn't reveal myself to her!'
A few more minutes passed allowing Sly to reflect on his journal; a slight smile grew on his face as he read some of the newer entries courtesy of Chigusa.
Sly's Dungeon Journal
Upper Floor: 10-12
Structure: Large open rooms littered with trees. The deeper the floor, the more dense the fog grows. They are filled with larger monsters, but do not underestimate the smaller ones. They tend to attract the attention of the more dangerous inhabitants.
Monsters:
Bad Bat: A dark-furred bat monster with sharp fangs and claws. Its most dangerous weapon is the sound waves emitted from its mouth. They are loud enough to disrupt the concentration of adventurers, but demi-humans beware these beasts can incapacitate even the wariest unless they carry protection.
Weak points: Not durable but fast
Value: 100
Imp: A small demon monster with wings. They are clever and like to attract stronger monsters. Will throw anything they find, the pointier the better.
Weak points: Wings and head.
Value: 50 valis
Hard Armored: An armadillo monster like those we have in the far east. Have a very high defense and are almost unstoppable once they get rolling. Knock them over and you have an easy time.
Weak points: Stomach, mouth and eyes
Value: 175 valis
Silverback: A giant monkey monster covered in silver fur. It has great strength and moderate speed. Can I pet it? Please?
Weak points: The tendon on its legs to immobilize it. Eyes are big and easy to hit.
Value: 250 valis
Chigusa's Note: Thank for allowing me to add my own entries Sly. I did my best to adapt to your style, is it to your liking?
Infant Dragon: A small orange dragon monster. Its size depends on its age, but they begin at 4 meters when they first appear. The larger they grow the higher their stats will be. Beginning with the weakest stats a level 2 monster can have, until around mid level 2. Very dangerous with their lava breath and worthy of the unofficial title the adventurer gave them. The Pseudo Monster Rex of the Upper Floors.
Weak points: The wings, eyes and neck. Lower body has thicker armor-like scales
Value: 15'000-20'000 depending on size
Drop Item: Dragon Scale, Dragon Fang, Fire Gland
After reviewing these notes, Take made his way through his hidden door and into his room full of little illusions. Noticing a permanent illusion of a gentle breeze Sly had been perfecting.
Looking at Sly with his usual calm, he probed, "Sleipnir-kun, what did you discover today?"
This quickly led Sly to reiterate what happened during his encounter with Hyakinthos. Take keeps quiet during the explanation and takes a quiet breath to gather his thoughts.
"What you did was quite risky Sleipnir-kun. A battle against Hyakinthos would have been difficult. I am uncertain if I should feel disappointed or proud of your actions.
I am disappointed that you took such an unnecessary risk. You could have left after noticing who Hyakinthos was or at least picked up Welf and confronted him with backup.
As for how you handled the situation, it could have been done far better. While you gave Hyakinthos false information. You also made yourself a far greater target for Apollo. Alfia and Zald, from what I gathered from Ganesha, are a sore subject for many of the gods. Telling an enemy that what they did was for the greater good could bring much negative attention to you.
At least Hyakinthos fell for your illusion, which, might I add, is very impressive. I did not think Quetzalcoatl would teach you to create a magic circle before even hitting level two." 'Only the best of her familia have managed that. From what she told me, it is almost impossible to accomplish as it needs immaculate control over your own magic pressure to create even an incomplete magic circle not to mention mana powered by close to level two stats. When he finally takes his level up, he will be a monster. For now, I need to reprimand him, before this little show goes to his head.'
Sly lets his ears drop at hearing Take dismantle his actions, one after another. "Takemikazuchi-sama, at least I brought us time with my actions. Lydia-san will now take us more seriously, which should dissuade any direct actions from Apollo. We could even harm their reputation by having another god listen to my explanation of the encounter to verify I tell the truth."
Take listens calmly, but at the last sentence a tiny frown mars his face for just a second. "That could work, but would also annoy Apollo, which could hasten their actions against us. It would be better to keep this encounter quiet until we might need it to discredit Apollo. With the right timing, we could use this encounter as blackmail to stay Apollo's hand if he wants to force a wargame."
'More importantly, I do not want Sly to speak with other gods if I can avoid it. It is only a matter of time until he makes a mistake, and the other gods notice that he can lie to us.'
Sly listens carefully and agrees to Take's words before Take finishes the report. "While your actions today are overall more beneficial to us than harmful, Sleipnir-kun, I think now is the time to stop your spying mission. You admitted it yourself. Hyakinthos will tell Apollo, which means Lydia will learn of it and that makes any further spying too dangerous.
For the next three days, you shall continue your training with Quetzalcoatl and me in the morning. On the third day, I will update the status of our entire familia, to give you the chance to get accustomed to it before sending you back into the dungeon to challenge the Infant Dragon as one large party. You will need to improve your stats if we are to beat the Apollo familia and, thanks to you, we have time to prepare."
Martial Dojo - Takemikazuchi POV
After ending Sleipnir's mission, Take focused on training his children in the morning and honing their teamwork abilities. He was pleasantly surprised when Welf came every morning and followed his instructions to the letter, improving his technique with his greatsword. Mikoto was the same, beginning to retrain her muscles on her right side along with her left, intent on becoming proficient with both.
Sly and Ouka had a few arguments about who should give orders to the party, but Ouka did not like the conclusion. They experimented with varying scenarios with both of them or any one of them during sparring matches. Through a few chaotic matches filled with contradicting orders, it was evident that they often got in the way of each other.
Takemikazuchi's solution after watching enough matches, was to make Sly the overall commander while leaving the frontline management to him. When they tested it on the second day the chaotic matches got far more organized and efficient. Only Mikoto continued grumbling about following Sleipnir's orders but saw the wisdom of the decision after Take took her out of the sparring matches for a round to observe Sly.
Sly usually acted as the centerpiece of any formation they had and, with his keener senses, was the one who could observe the entire battlefield. This gave him a big advantage over Ouka, who could easily order the frontline, but lacked the environmental awareness to micromanage the ranged fighters.
Another aspect that surprised Take at first was that when pitted against each other Sly's group usually won by a large margin. They only had to buy enough time for a single large-scale illusion from Sly to win any match, but when the use of costly spells was forbidden, then the fights more often went in favor of Ouka's team. In such spars Ouka and Mikoto usually overwhelmed Welf and Sly in melee, before helping Asuka against Chigusa since Asuka vehemently objected to wasting any of her potions during the sparring matches.
In the afternoon of their second day of training, Welf and Sly brought the new equipment he had been making since they renovated the dojo. Welf came in new armor. He chose a hybrid between orc leather and dungeon steel plates; the plates covered his torso forearms and legs, while still leaving orc leather to cover his joints. Together with his new greatsword, Suraisu, Welf felt confident in his loadout.
For Chigusa he brought her new armor. It was made from sturdy orc leather layered over a stronger chainmail to distribute damage from monster claws. Additionally, Welf made her another quiver to attach below her first quiver on her back specially for her fire arrows. Her gloves were made of the same orc leather but treated to be thinner to maintain as much flexibility as they could while withstanding the 400-pound draw weight of her Yoro Yumi. All of this maintained her agility when using her short bow without sacrificing protection.
Sly kept his armor the same, but changed the cloak he wore above it to orc leather for some added protection. However, Welf had prepared something else for him.
"Sly, I thought back to when we began improving your equipment 3 weeks ago. We spoke about improving your daggers. You know I already created Shadoudansā. Well, I finally finished its stronger twin! I present to you Forōappushadou (Follow Up Shadow), the twin following in the shade of Shadoudansā!"
Sly listens attentively before his ears twitch slightly at the name with a slight smile. "Thank you very much Welf. I will repay you for your work after we earn more valis in the Dungeon."
Chuckling slightly, Welf takes out the dagger. Forōappushadou, just like its counterpart, is an elegant black. Where Shadoudansā was on the thicker side, this dagger is thinner and lighter but due to that it was perfect to dexterously pass the guard of any that blocked its twin.
Welf makes an overly exaggerated swing from his shoulder down to his feet while slashing one of their training dummies. The dagger glides almost effortlessly through the tough dungeon wood and leaves a deep cut all the way to the ground. "Huh, might have overdone it a bit... Anyways Sly, the thing about my little Forōappushadou is that it's made for cutting! I hammered it into the perfect shape for cutting, but this also means that it is less stable than its twin and needs better edge alignment, but that shouldn't be much of a problem for you!"
Returning his gaze to Sleipnir, Takemikazuchi sees him bow to Welf. "Thank you very much, Welf-san. I had hoped you would have found time to do something with the irregular claw, but this is a perfect addition to my arsenal nonetheless."
Welf pulls Sly from his bow and leans in, cupping a hand to Sly's ear. "It's no trouble Sly. Just between the two of us, I tried to forge another but that one needs a higher temperature. I will need ya help to craft it." Welf leans back, putting a fist to his mouth, and coughing with a grin. "But you're not the only one who gets something special today!"
Welf turns back to his bag that previously contained all the armor and weapons, it now contains a single long item. Welf takes the item wrapped in cloth and hands it to Mikoto.
"Mikoto, three days ago I was visited by Naaza-san. She reminded me that you lost your katana and after a few words with her she gave me the fang of a Ligerfang. It is a drop item she no longer had a need for. She told me I could use the leftover material however I wished after I made you a katana. She named it Bushido, for it shall keep you on your path."
Slowly, almost reverently, Mikoto took the cloth from the 1-meter-long katana. The hilt was black, surrounded by a purple cloth with a red Takemikazuchi insignia on it. Long enough to be wielded with one or both hands, the blade reflected the light with a silvery sheen.
Mikoto bows to Welf before quickly excusing herself. To Take's expert eyes, it was clear to see where she went, but he let her. It would do her good to be reminded of the lessons she learned. The rest of the day continued in the same fashion as the previous day. With even more training and barely any breaks.
After Mikoto returned she continued training with a fierce determination reminiscent of before their first attempt at the infant dragon. However, Take saw that instead of training without pause Mikoto now took short breaks in between to speak with his other children and Welf; they were getting closer and it made him smile.
On the last day before fighting the Infant Dragon, Asuka brought along her potions. She gave everyone at least two health potions, and Sly, Mikoto and Chigusa mana potions. For Mikoto, she also brought three stamina potions, as her endurance is not quite back to normal. She also prepared a Potion of Speed for her and Welf to put them on a similar level to the others in terms of agility for the duration of the fight.
Sly's endless whining also convinced her to make him a simple smoke bomb and flash grenade. Lastly for herself, she prepared three potions of Winters Kiss to weaken the infant dragon if necessary. Her last potion cost her most of her valis as she needed the help of Miach to brew them and a rare plant from the frozen north.
At noon on their last day of training, Take gave all of them their first status updates since they returned from the dungeon. They would need the rest of the day to familiarize themselves with their updated strength before challenging the Infant Dragon once more.
When gazing at his familia, Take couldn't help thinking to himself, 'It's wonderful to see how much they prepared for this battle. It beat them once but through it they grew and now, with renewed confidence, they will push even further. Ouka even decided that, finally, it was time for his level up. With his magical training, he managed to push his magic stat up to B in such a short time. It's remarkable! He even achieved a rare development ability! I am filled with joy at the thought of what he will accomplish with it.
I am proud of how they all grew. Most have been with me for a few years now and even the youngest have shown high talent. However, their talents pale in comparison to their determination! After years of training without a way to level up their stats, each of them is beyond what even the elite familia expect of their members.
Their recent growth might also have something to do with the skill they unlocked. With Sly unlocking his bloodline and our recent ritual, all of them had more contact with spirits.'
Kashima Ouka Alias: ? Race: Dwarf
Level 1 - 2
Strength: S 999 - I 0
Endurance: S 999 - I 0
Dexterity: B 857 - S 905 - I 0
Agility: B 883 - A 891 - I 0
Magic: I 250 - B 701 - I 0
Development Abilities:
Spellshield - I
A Hopolite who learned to channel his magic into his shields. Which improves durability and defense against both physical and magical attacks. Increase depends on mana spent during the burst.
Magic:
1. Fortify: A type of earth magic, which creates magical shields of stone, under the control of the user. The durability of the shields is increased if they are summoned in defense of a familia member.
Call upon the defender, the guardian, the leader, the mentor's imperceptible shield of war - Fortify
Skills:
1. Dvergr Body: Raises a dwarfs strength and endurance stat.
2. Martial Artist: Increases the effect of weapons the user has trained to use and increases the power of techniques. (Greataxe, Spear, Tower Shield)
3. (New) Spirit Touched: The bearer of this skill has garnered the respect or attention of spirits. Excelia gain is increased based upon the spirits gravitating to them, but may also be hindered should the bearer fall out of grace with spirits or attracts malicious spirits.
Techniques:
Kokuu: An axe strike using every ounce of strength the body can produce.
Kōtai o Sorasu: A deflecting retreat that is always guarded by the shield-bearer. When used correctly, the shield-bearer retreats while deflecting any strike at him with his shield, by constantly changing the angle of defense.
'Mikoto regained her mobility but is still limited by her muscles. Her stamina is definitely not to her previous levels, and her strength is at most 80 percent when compared to before the injury. However, after her defeat and recovery, her endurance increased tremendously; this increase to her stats brought her much joy. I hope she will see this growth as a result of the challenge, and not misunderstand the cause and believe she grew due to the injury.'
Yamato Mikoto Alias: ? Race: Human
Level 2
Strength: A 894 - I 0 - I 31
Endurance: A 849 - I 0 - I 65
Dexterity: S 999 - I 0 - I 33
Agility: S 963 - I 0 - 22
Magic: B 747 - I 0 - I 10
Development Abilities:
Swordsman: I - H
Improves the penetrative power and slashing power of any sword-based weapon the user utilizes. Also significantly improves the learning speed of the user with any bladed weapon.
Magic:
1. Futsunomitama: A type of gravity magic that crushes a given area. Upon use, a dark purple sword of light falls down on the opponent, and forms a magic circle below them, marking the area of increased gravity. Increase in gravity depends on the mana spent and the force the bearer can withstand, as they will always be affected as well.
I pray to you, my god, who destroys all things. Lead me to the highest heavens. Descend from heaven and rule over the earth. War God's Strike - Futsunomitama
Skills:
1. Enhanced Stealth: Trained in infiltration and blending in with crowds.
2. Yatanokurogarasu/Yatanoshirogarasu: Enables Mikoto to search for enemies within a set effect range. The skill only works on monsters that Mikoto has encountered before and will not differentiate between clones Active trigger. The variation that allows her to detect familia members in a set range
3. Martial Artist: Increases the effect of weapons the user has trained to use and increases the power of techniques. (Katana, Kunai)
5. (New) Spirit Touched: The bearer of this skill has garnered the respect or attention of spirits. Excelia gain is increased based upon the spirits gravitating to them, but may also be hindered should the bearer fall out of grace with spirits or attracts malicious spirits.
6. (New) Ambidextrous: The bearer has trained both their arms to the same high standard and can wield weapons in either hand.
Techniques:
Zekka: Takemikazuchi's own quickdraw technique. Through perfect focus, the fighter uses their dexterity to improve their reflexes and then draw their weapon in a single fluid motion.
Mikazuchi: A technique created by Takemikazuchi from a technique known as Frankensteiner. By jumping into the air and holding a humanoid with the user's legs, they can be thrown against the ground with both Mikoto's and their own momentum.
'Asuka spent a lot of her time helping Mikoto and brewing potions. Her strength is definitely the lowest of my children, but with her potions and keen intellect, it wouldn't surprise me if she was the deciding factor in the coming battle. And lets not forget that her stats are anything but low when compared with other familias. Her stats are comparable to those most would expect of the members of a top familia.'
Hayashi Asuka Alias: ? Race: Half-Elf
Level 1
Strength: B 750 - A 859
Endurance: E 433 - D 587
Dexterity: B 792 - A 883
Agility: C 653 - B 724
Magic: I 10 - I 78
Skills:
1. Solum Superesse: The user can carry far more than others see. Every pack can preserve ingredients for longer and hold more, while reducing the overall weight.
2. Martial Artist: Increases the effect of weapons the user has trained to use and increases the power of techniques. (Longbow, Shortsword)
3. (New) Spirit Touched: The bearer of this skill has garnered the respect or attention of spirits. Excelia gain is increased based upon the spirits gravitating to them, but may also be hindered should the bearer fall out of grace with spirits or attract malicious spirits.
Techniques:
Piasu Isshi: A charged bow attack able to pierce through armor.
'Chigusa-chan. After one and a half years, her determination to improve her archery has only grown. She took training as seriously as Mikoto, for whom over-training has been a reoccurring problem. During their entire training she either approached me, Welf, or even Sleipnir-kun when she could to get more proficient with her shortbow. She could even hold her own against Welf in a melee battle! Although it was mostly due to a status advantage on her side. Its very impressive for a ranger.'
Hitachi Chigusa Alias: ? Race: Human
Level 1
Strength: A 864 - S 930
Endurance: D 526 -B 739
Dexterity: S 921 - S 953
Agility: B 778 - A 856
Magic: C 636 -B 711
Magic:
1. Jian Yajirushi: A spell following the idea of the mythical Jian bird that can only fly in pairs. Changes arrows into Jian arrows that can home in on their target and separate with a mental command from the caster, thereby losing their honing ability.
Twin birds hear my call, enchant my pull, guide my path - JIAN YAJIRUSHI
Skills:
1. Martial Artist: Increases the effect of weapons the user has trained to use and increases the power of techniques. (Warbow, Longbow, Shortbow)
2. (New) Spirit Touched: The bearer of this skill has garnered the respect or attention of spirits. Excelia gain is increased based upon the spirits gravitating to them, but may also be hindered should the bearer fall out of grace with spirits or attract malicious spirits.
Techniques:
Piasu Isshi: A charged bow attack able to pierce through armor.
Ribaundo Isshi: A special technique to fire an arrow that can rebound from one surface while continuing at the same velocity.
'Lastly Sleipnir. His status is unbelievable. He has only been an adventurer for 1 year and had almost maxed out his status but still he decides to wait, intent on finding the limit to his magic before even considering taking his level. If the other gods knew that his mage had a better physical status than most of his familia, they would rip their own hair out from envy.'
~~~~~~~~ Sleipnir Alias: ? Race: Kitsune
Level 1(+)
Strength: S 917 - 980
Endurance: S 963 - S 999
Dexterity: S 974 - S 999
Agility: S 986 - S 999
Magic: SS 1039 - SS 1073
Development Abilities:
Magic:
1. Illusio: Illusion-type magic that can affect multiple senses depending on mind usage and chant length. Constantly drains the mind when in use. How quickly somebody can see through the illusion depends on their relative perception compared the the caster.
Hiding trickster, oh cunning fox spirit, refracting prism, super aligning sounds, unfeeling tinge, indistinguishable fragrance, bland savour, by the father of the eight-legged horse, I command thee to affect the judgement of reality - ILLUSIO
Skills:
1. Kogitsune Magica: Naturally born to wield magic. Increases the effects of the user's magic and reduces mana usage. Allows for easier selective chanting of spells.
2. Foxfire: Foxfire is a natural ability of spirit foxes and may be learned by any related races with enough practice. It gives natural pyrokinesis and gives access to the "Foxfire" spell to create a magical fire blue fire. The mana cost is dependent on the heat and size of the flame.
3. Enhanced Senses: Renards have an improved sense of smell, much better hearing and slight night vision.
4. 5 ᛞᛁᛗᛖᚾᛋᛁᛟᚾ ᛃᛁᚴᚨᚾ: A mysterious skill. Can't be decoded. its name doesn't appear in hieroglyphs.
5. Martial Artist: Increases the effect of weapons the user has trained to use and increases the power of techniques. (Naginata, Spear, Dagger, Kunai)
Techniques:
Piasu: A focused melee attack able to pierce through armour.
Jūfuku: A combination of illusion magic melee combat, the caster hides his limbs with illusions and creates realistic counterfeits of them to confuse his opponent.
Then there was Welf. He was nice enough to share his status with his familia.
'Sleipnir-kun really made a good friend in him. It will be interesting to see what equipment he will create once he has the Blacksmith development ability. But I might have to visit Hephaestus, before she gets too curious about his new skill.'
Welf Crozzo Alias: ? Race: Human
Level 1
Strength: A 809 - A 840
Endurance: C 668 - B 718
Dexterity: B 799 - A 859
Agility: C 641 - C 678
Magic: H 135 - H 158
Development Abilities:
Magic:
1. Will-o-Wisp: Will-o-Wisp is an anti-magic fire that forces an Ignis Fatuus, when it hits someone in the process of chanting a spell.
Burn, dark magics - Will-o-Wisp
Skills:
1. Crozzo Blood: Enables Welf to create magic swords. Magic swords created by the user are far stronger than normal.
2. Veritas Burn: Gives high fire resistance and increases his attack power when using fire element attacks.
3. (New) Spirit Touched: The bearer of this skill has garnered the respect or attention of spirits. Excelia gain is increased based upon the spirits gravitating to them, but may also be hindered should the bearer fall out of grace with spirits or attract malicious spirits.
The Following Day - Dungeon Floor 11 - Sleipnir POV
With their full party and two level twos, the battles down to this floor were surprisingly easy for Sly to lead. It should have been obvious that twice as many adventurers with the addition of two level two adventurers to his party would have this effect. However, Sly had subconsciously never dwelled on the strength of the other members of his familia.
'Mikoto least of all. However, even with only part of her full status, she was still faster and much stronger than him in all but magic.'
A fact that he would not soon forget. Only measuring individual strength, instead of taking in the big picture and allowing their whole group to work together, was a critical mistake for him as a leader. Despite this, Sly made liberal use of his foxfire to take pressure from Mikoto and Ouka as well as the others; he knew that his magic would be of little use against the Infant Dragon. It was a level two monster and an entity of fire.
Naturally, fire magic would be ineffective as direct attacks and his illusions could at most make the dragon less likely to attack one of his allies or blind it temporarily before it saw through the illusion.
The Take Familia quickly found the area Mikoto challenged their target the first time. This time, however, it was nowhere to be seen. After a quick discussion, Sly split them up to scour the area. The teams were Welf and Ouka, Mikoto and Chigusa, and Sly with Asuka to scout for its location. The standing orders were to not challenge it alone and avoid small battles, they could not afford to attract its attention.
Once the teams returned, Mikoto and Chigusa revealed the Infant Dragon's location. With Mikoto's skill, she was able to sense it in a cave 500 meters north of their position, but through the fog it was impossible to get a visual from where they stood.
An investigation of the location revealed a cave of irregular composition. Sly had only read of such caverns in books. If he is not mistaken, it was made of pyroclastic stone from cooling lava. There was only a single entrance to the cavern, and it seemed to span at least a hundred meters in every direction. Its height measures around 30 meters, high enough to possibly avoid a melee fight if the dragon was smart.
Taking a deep breath and a few minutes to think, Sly began laying out his battle plan. "The dragon has learned from your previous battle Mikoto-san. It won't be sneak attacked this time. From a quick glance inside the cave in the strongest illusion I could muster, I saw that the terrain was uneven and there were multiple small lava rivers running through the earth.
My plan of attack is simple. We measure the strength of the monster with Mikoto-san and Ouka-san fighting it in melee. Welf, you will help them where you can but keep a good distance from one another. If you see it charging its breath attack, see if you can nullify it with your magic.
Ouka-san, please be prepared should Welf's magic fail, you will need to call upon your magic quickly. I will also be ready but will only intervene if absolutely necessary. I tested my pyrokinesis on lava; it uses far more of my mana than normal fire and does not easily manipulate the lava. I would rather reserve my mana to create paths for us if the dragon breathes on the floor.
From there, the game plan is to slowly whittle away at its defenses until Chigusa-chan manages to poison the beast with her arrows. Asuka-san's poison should weaken it and give us the chance to use her Winter's Kiss potions to do significant damage. As for other potions, Welf and Asuka, please drink your rabbit speed potions now. They should last long enough for the entire battle.
Should there be any smaller monsters, the backline will focus on them while the frontline distracts the dragon. I know we can win this time. The first time our familia challenged this Quasi Monster Rex we only had half our members and did not make the right preparations, but this time we came prepared. Perhaps even a little over-prepared. This oversized lizard doesn't stand a chance. For the Takemikazuchi familia!"
With a collective cheer, they all crossed their weapons before making their way towards the volcanic cave. Sly once again donned his helmet to protect his ears.
Once they entered, the first thing they felt was the increased heat. It was smoldering around 50 degrees celsius at the entrance. It would only grow hotter from here and the reason was obvious. Sly was right, the terrain was filled with small 1-meter wide rivers of lava. The hellscape of dark gray clumps of pyroclastic, sharp rocks and implied lava flows lying just below the surface of some of the platforms of uneven rock were not the only hazards that were noticed. At the back, there was even a small lake of glowing orange, liquid rock that the lava flows into.
In the middle of it all stood the infant dragon. The almost 7-meter-long infant dragon was watching the entrance of the cavern with intent eyes, instantly recognizing Mikoto as the one who injured it before and snarling at her arrival. It had grown a whole meter longer and even its scales showed growth with an orange, dark hue suggesting increased durability.
'A different coloration? This is bad... Could it already be an enhanced species after its bout with Mikoto-san 11 days ago? No time to worry about that. The plan I made will work even against a slightly stronger dragon.'
The 30 meter ceiling was an uneven gray like the ground they were standing upon. Countless bad bats were visible, perched in waiting.
Sly grimaces, 'So much for leading the others.' Those bats were first priority before Sly could take command of the others.
Ignoring the nerves that come with fighting a pseudo monster rex, Sly pulls out multiple kunai from his pouches. "Let the battle begin! Chigusa, Asuka with me! Ouka, Mikoto, Welf distract the dragon!"
Commands issued, Mikoto rushes towards the dragon with both Ouka and Welf guarding her flanks. They are keeping their distance from each other but are already preparing to help at a moment's notice.
Sly began using his kunai to kill the bad bats, with the help of Chigusa's shortbow and Asuka's crossbow. The bats were no large problem, as they all had improved their helmets with some kind of sound protection for such an occasion.
Ouka leads their frontline in distracting the dragon until Sly gets rid of the bats, a practiced task. The first few strikes are done carefully, wary of the monster's speed. Their problem, however, is the dragon's new intelligence. Instead of attacking blindly, it keeps its focus on Mikoto and attacks every time she tries to get close.
Fortunately, its lack of environmental focus gives both Ouka and Welf the chance to strike from its flanks. Ouka uses his greataxe to cleave a gash into the beast's side, while Welf tries to do the same from the opposite side. To Welf's irritation, his attack rebounds harmlessly from the larger scales on its stomach.
The dragon changes its focus to the one who injured it and, at a speed that almost surpasses Mikoto's slashes, rakes at Ouka with its claws while also swiping its tail towards Mikoto with a 90-degree turn. Ouka is too slow and needs to block the swipe with his shield, straining his one arm and pushing him back a few meters from the rebound.
Mikoto on the other hand sees the tail swipe and dodges back early. However, Welf was too close and the tail arcs towards him, barely giving him the time to raise his sword. The blade is swiftly pushed back before the tail hits his stomach, throwing him back 20 meters where he crashes into a stalactite.
Ouka sees this and calls out, "Asuka help Welf! He took a direct hit!"
Sly notices the shift of focus from Asuka and refocuses on the bats. A glance at Chigusa reveals her swiftly dancing between the dives of a few bats, releasing arrows every second and sometimes stabbing them if they get too close. There are only 15 or so left until he can hear and properly guide his party, but he only has 5 kunai left.
Asuka leaves her spot beside Sly, rushing to Welf and quickly douses him in a health potion. She also helps him to his feet and takes stock of his injuries. A scraped back from crashing into the stalactite, strained muscles, and at least one cracked rib.
Meanwhile, the dragon continues to alternate between attacking Ouka and Mikoto. It does not let either of the two leave its vision and belches its breath attack on Mikoto, but this time Ouka knows its tricks and interposes his shield firmly in front of it. Mikoto uses the opening to land another strike with her long katana, this time on its wing.
The ground in front of the dragon is now covered in lava, forcing Ouka and Mikoto to retreat a few steps. This forces the dragon to follow them out of its favorable terrain. There, they continue their bout, but the dragon does not try its breath attack again. Instead, it attacks with its claws and bites at Ouka while keeping Mikoto on her toes with its tail.
Finally Sly and Chigusa finish the last bat and Sly frees his ears. 'Now I can finally hear the entire battle and organize a counterstrike.' Looking around Sly quickly spots Welf getting back up and Asuka already on her way to his side. Another glance at the dragon and Sly has an idea. "Chigusa, start using poisoned arrows and aim for the injuries! Asuka, to me! Everyone be prepared for the first potion!"
Asuka rushes to his side while he quietly chants. "Hiding trickster, oh cunning fox spirit, refracting prism, by the father of the eight-legged horse, I command thee to affect the judgement of reality - ILLUSIO."
As soon as she is beside him Sly makes them both invisible. "We will sneak up on the dragon. While it's still distracted use one of your potions to hit it." Asuka agrees quietly, both making their way towards the dragon.
Said dragon is visibly annoyed that its opponents keep dodging its attacks and the arrows now present only serve to further enrage it. Deciding enough is enough, the dragon crouches down low before pouncing towards Mikoto with all its mass.
Mikoto sees the dragon pouncing towards her and knows in her heart that she isn't fast enough to dodge this sudden change in tactics. Instead, she grips her katana in both hands and prepares to strike a mutual blow.
It doesn't come to that as Ouka jumps in front of her, discards his axe, grabs his large shield with both hands, and feeds a third of his mana to stop the assault, the ground shaking from the clash. This momentous feat causes audible silence, dragon and party stunned by this 1-and-a-half meter dwarf stopping the 7 meter beast.
'Now!' Asuka internally yells, lobbing a Winter's Kiss at the still baffled monster.
The moment the bottle shatters, it erupts into a wonderful explosion of ice-attuned mana. The entire upper body of the beast is encased in ice, breaking Sly out of his stupor. "Everyone attack while it's stunned!"
Still poised to strike, Mikoto dashes towards the dragon's neck like the first encounter, again striking the scarred wound she made during the previous battle.
Sly jumps on the beast's back and makes a large cut on one of the beast's wings while Welf heaves all his momentum into a heavy swing to break through the scales protecting one of its front legs.
Chigusa on the other hand, has used Sly's order to fire one of her Jian arrows, which pierces the beast's right eye and buries itself almost to its hilt.
Everyone jumps back as soon as they hear the ice cracking and the murderous roar of the dragon. Sly winces, as it is almost as loud as the bats. The dragon rears onto its back legs and snarls at all of them in fury before jumping into the air.
As the dragon ascends towards the ceiling Sly sees the distinct glow of its lava breath. It is preparing to bombard them from above! "Everyone to me!" Sly barks, "Ouka shield, I'll help! Chigusa, Asuka! Find a way to bring it down!"
Orders heard, everyone, now also noticing the distinct glow of a breath attack, steps behind Sly and Ouka. Ouka is already in the middle of his chant, his mana sense already tingling from the amount of mana he spends on his spell. "Call upon the defender, the guardian, the leader, the mentor's imperceptible shield of war - Fortify!"
The dark gray rocks surrounding them are dragged together by the powerful spell until they form a 3-meter long and 2-meter wide shield above them.
Sly steps forward till he can see the course the dragon takes and quickly orders Ouka to change the position of his shield slightly. The breath floods upon them like a cascading waterfall of glowing orange and vicious fluid descending on their shield in large clumps before splattering around them. Gradually the splattered lava surrounds them while the dragon continuously breathes more lava upon the arena.
The heat is almost unbearable and only Welf can ignore it. However, Sly can see it in the eyes of the rest of their party, their determination still remains, and they will push through the heat.
Taking as deep a breath as he can, Sly centers himself before putting all his concentration on the lava. Lava is nothing more than fire and a little stone. It's time for his pyrokinesis. Sly raises his arms, palms facing forward, and pushes his hands to his sides. At first, there is barely any change in the way the liquid flows toward them, but then as Sly continues to push more of his mana into his control, the tip of a single tail glows silver. The lava first stops, and then slowly begins flowing away from them and into the lava rivers.
However, this feat took around half of Sly's entire mana reserve and they only regained some breathing room. The dragon still continues coating more of the arena in his breath, making the terrain ever more disadvantageous to them.
In the minute or so it took Sly to clear their surroundings, Asuka and Chigusa had already made a plan of their own. Normal arrows, even poisoned ones wouldn't bring the infant dragon down. They need something more powerful.
Which is what Sly saw when he gazed back at the rest of his familia. Chigusa had just finished chanting. "Twin birds hear my call, enchant my pull, guide my path - JIAN YAJIRUSHI!"
The spell activates, and her arrow transforms into two one-winged birds. One black and one white and within their beaks is the second potion of Winter's Kiss. In front of them, Mikoto and Welf are throwing kunai at it to distract it. Ouka's large Fortify shield still hovers above them, for when the dragon returns for its second pass.
The dragon had already noticed that its quarry had survived and was on its way to pass over them a second time. However, Chigusa and Asuka have been waiting for exactly this moment. Chigusa releases her Jian Birds and lets them soar towards the ceiling over the dragon's head before nodding at Ouka.
With sweat trickling down his face Ouka heaves both hands towards the dragon as if he were pushing an incredible weight. His Fortify immediately rockets right towards the dragon.
The dragon's remaining eye widens, trying to dive away. Its momentum is too great, and the dragon collides midair with the large stone shield smashing into its chest. Pieces of debris scatter everywhere with a loud blast, finally stopping its breath attack. The dragon continues diving towards them.
Sly took this as his cue. "Scatter!"
Their entire party jumps away from the dragon's path and, right as it is about to regain control over its flight, the Jian Bird finally connects with the dragon's back. Winter's Kiss shatters, freezing both its wings and back, making it almost impossible to cushion its landing.
The dragon roars loudly and with a loud crash crumples in the middle of their party. An opportunity for them to strike their severely injured opponent has just arrived!
Mikoto and Welf both take this chance to attack the dragon's neck and deepen Mikoto's previous cut to almost a third of the way through. The boiling blood of the dragon gushes out in large quantities while Ouka takes this chance to grab his axe again and strike the already injured front leg of the dragon.
Sly leaps 3 meters up onto the beast's back and rends its second wing with calm focus. The dragon will not fly again after this. At the same time, Chigusa and Asuka shoot arrow after arrow into its already open wounds. Every single one of these arrows is coated in a strong poison.
This time, the dragon is slower to regain its bearing, granting the party a few seconds to attack before it stumbles to its feet. Violently shaking its body, Sly is thrown off and lands gracefully on his feet, and a blind, quick bite pushes Mikoto and Welf away.
While at first the dragon was confused, now it is truly enraged. Everything hurts and, most of all, the accursed wound on its neck is even worse! But it pushes through the pain! It saw how its tiny opponents avoided touching its fire with their shields and tricks, but now it would leave them no choice but to touch it!
The dragon rushes away from their party and forward towards the end its lair. The large pool of lava Sly saw at the very beginning of the battle is its destination. "Stop it! It's trying to escape!"
Ouka manages to land another hit alongside Chigusa and Asuka, but it has accelerated too much and leaps right into the pool. It lands on the solid lava for but a moment before it starts to dig its way deeper with its claws, a visible limp to the leg Ouka attacked.
After fully plunging into the lava there is silence for a moment, making them believe that the monster fled. Suddenly, it bursts back onto the surface now covered with viscous lava. The heat intensifies along with the glare its one intact eye focuses on them in a mad frenzy.
'Oh kami. This is bad, very bad! The lava will take too long to strip off the dragon, and we can't withstand its attacks like this. We need to buy enough time for me to remove its lava armor, but how? Wait. Welf has fire resistance, and it won't be able to smell now!'
"Welf, distract it! You are the only one that won't get burned by the heat. Ouka-san, create another shield if Welf is too slow to dodge! You must block the hit!" Refocusing on Welf, Sly waits until he looks back. "Buy us time, and dodge! Our lives depends on it!"
Turning to the rest he asks quickly, "We need to find a way to immobilize it so I can get rid of its armor, any ideas?"
Mikoto is the first to have an idea while Welf and Ouka step forward toward the incoming dragon. Throwing her empty stamina potion vials to the ground, she suggests, "I can use my spell to immobilize both of us, but I don't know how long I can hold it."
"Good, in that case everyone distracts the dragon as much as you can, but don't get too close. Everyone close your eyes!" With the plan set, Sly takes out his only flash grenade, throws it in front of the dragon, and closes his eyes. A moment later all of them see a bright flash even through their eyelids and the dragon snarls even louder.
Ouka and Welf both dodge to the side, letting the dragon blitz and leave a glowing line of lava past them. Ouka then quickly begins chanting, while Welf stands in the wake of the dragon ready to engage it. His sword lays beside Ouka, instead he wields Ouka's large shield.
While Welf positions, Sly takes this time to quickly start casting an illusion over Mikoto, who was chanting as well. She would need any advantage she can get even though she is the only other member of their familia that can chant concurrently.
"I pray to you, my god, who destroys all things."
Chigusa looses arrow after arrow in succession, hoping to pierce the dragon's armor and distract it, but they barely make a dent in the lava. Meanwhile, Asuka prepares her last potion, and the dragon manages to whip around and tries to shake off the blindness, blinking rapidly with its remaining eye.
"Lead me to the highest heavens."
The dragon blitzes back towards Welf, still with a visible limp. Welf is ready and dodges its lunge at the last moment before taking a step back to avoid a vicious bite. A few droplets of lava land on his armor, searing the blacksmith's work.
The follow up attack of a large claw-swipe comes too fast leaving Welf no chance to dodge. He blocks it with Ouka's shield and is pushed back a few meters but is still standing. The heat is only a little worse than his smithy, but this temporary distraction creates an opening for the next bite; it comes too quickly, but before it can connect it is blocked by another Fortify.
"Descend from heaven and rule over the earth."
Welf takes another step back and sees the dragon already preparing its breath attack. With no time to think he yells his own chant, "Burn, dark magics! Will-o-Wisp!"
The tiny flame flies back into the dragon's mouth, causing the breath attack to collapse. Instead of breathing a devastating cone of lava, the dragon coughs out mouthfuls of lava clumps at its feet.
However, that distraction is enough as Mikoto finishes her own spell. With a loud cry she jumps beside Welf and stabs her sword into the floor. "War God's Strike - FUTSUNOMITAMA!"
The moment the last word leaves her mouth, a giant ethereal sword descends from the heavens and stabs through the dragon and into the ground before Mikoto. Below her feet, in a ten-meter radius, a purple magic circle grows and everyone in the area is pushed to the ground.
Neither the dragon nor Welf remain standing; only Mikoto's tensing, shaking body remains standing, quickly draining her remaining stamina. The dragon is pushed flat on its stomach with its head pushed to the floor while the red-head is forced to kneel in the wake of her spell.
With all of them immobilized, Sly uses the pause in battle and with all but the last scraps of his mana pushes against the lava. Within the next tense moments, clump by clump the lava covering its body is slowly stripped away. Pure unadulterated wrath radiates off the monster as its roar shakes the cavern; a single, hate-filled eye pierces Mikoto with a glare.
Then, from above, another Jian Bird carrying the last Winter's Kiss potion connects with the beasts back again. This time, not only is the dragon covered in a layer of ice, but its armor is turned to stone. It's all but immobile; it's time for the party to bring down the curtain!
Mikoto releases her spell and stumbles before righting herself, ready to defeat the beast. However, that honor would not be hers. No, Ouka, their captain, had hefted his greataxe and with a mighty jump pushed his body to the limit and with all the force he could exert, cleaved through the beast's neck. "Kokuu!"
After his last cry, a few seconds of trepidation fills the silent cavern where everyone stands at the ready. Nothing happens, and they realize that they have done it. They defeated the Pseudo Monster Rex of the upper floors! After a few disbelieving gazes they all cheer loudly. While the remains of the infant dragon slowly turn to black dust, a large magic stone and some clumps of lava remain.
Their injuries were quickly treated, before the party returned successfully from the dungeon. The most injured members of their party were Ouka and Welf. Ouka had taken almost every single hit the dragon threw their way with his shield, and Welf, a level one, had to stand against the beast during its last desperate charge. Mikoto got a few minor burns and something akin to a sunburn because she got too close to lava covered dragon, but that was all.
The ranged fighters had a few cuts from the bats they fought at the beginning and a couple of burns from the spots where the lava touched them during the bombardment.
Evening Martial Dojo
After their successful return, the Takemikazuchi familia brought the magic stone of the infant dragon to the guild. To say Misha was surprised would be an understatement. After a quick lecture about not informing guild officials what they were doing in the dungeon, and the level up of their members, the familia returned home under an illusion to celebrate.
Take, who had expected their successful return, had gone out of his way to invite the two gods he spent most of his time with. Acatl agreed readily, happy to see the rest of his familia and speak about magic theory with her favorite student. Well, he was her only student, for the time being at least.
Ganesha also happily appeared for the celebration. Interested in meeting the children of his friend. However, in front of the children he was his usual silly self. Shakti, his captain, accompanied him. She maintained her serious attitude but at least gave a few pointers to the young level two fighters.
Upon their return Sly also asked Take for a moment to look at his status once more. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that it was time to increase his level. The Donatus would be the following day, so he might as well do it before the others got their Alias.
~~~~~~~~ Sleipnir Alias: ? Race: Kitsune
Level 2
Strength: S 980 - S 999 - I 0
Endurance: S 963 - S 999 - I 0
Dexterity: S 974 - S 999 - I 0
Agility: S 986 - S 999 - I 0
Magic: SS 1073 - SS 1100 - I 0
Development Abilities:
Magic Student: I
Improves mana efficiency, mana capacity, magic and magical pressure. Can decide whether a magic circle forms or not, but the mana cost will be higher without a magic circle. Only those who study the intricacies of magic will value their control above their power. (A level 2 magic trickster has magic power comparable to a level two mage before their level up without this ability.)
Magic:
1. Illusio: Illusion-type magic that can affect multiple senses depending on mind usage and chant length. Constantly drains the mind when in use. Strong, perceptive abilities may notice inconsistencies and break through the illusion.
Hiding trickster, oh cunning fox spirit, refracting prism, super aligning sounds, unfeeling tinge, indistinguishable fragrance, bland savour, by the father of the eight-legged horse, I command thee to affect the judgement of reality - ILLUSIO
Skills:
1. Kogitsune Magica: Naturally born to wield magic. Increases the effects of the user's magic and reduces mana usage. Allows for easier selective chanting of spells to manipulate their results.
2. Foxfire: Foxfire is a natural ability of spirit foxes and may be learnt by any related races with enough practice. It gives natural pyrokinesis and gives access to the "Foxfire" spell to create a magical fire blue fire. The mana cost is dependent on the heat and size of the flame.
3. Enhanced Senses: Renards have an improved sense of smell, much better hearing and slight night vision.
4. 5 ᛞᛁᛗᛖᚾᛋᛁᛟᚾ ᛃᛁᚴᚨᚾ: A mysterious skill. Can't be decoded. its name doesn't appear in hieroglyphs.
5. Martial Artist: Increases the effect of weapons the user has trained to use and increases the power of techniques. (Naginata, Spear, Dagger, Kunai)
Techniques:
Piasu: A focused melee attack able to pierce through armour.
Jūfuku: A combination of illusion magic melee combat, the caster hides his limbs with illusions and creates realistic counterfeits of them to confuse his opponent.
Author's Note
So ended the great battle of the Takemikazuchi familia and Welf against the worthy Infant Dragon. The prize for the difficult battle was wisdom and the knowledge that together they could achieve even greater feats. Sly might have also pocketed something from the remains of the dragon, but that is something for another time.
But that should suffice as our introduction to the dungeon wouldn't you say?
This is the end of the first act of my little story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Every comment means a lot to me as this story has grown into quite the personal project of mine. As you might notice with all the little details I had and takes a lot of work, but I like doing it and will definitely continue.
I really love how the characters developed, as it all began with very minor changes and slightly awkward conversations to the good flowing back and forth I now usually have. They might not be exactly the same as in Danmachi, but hey they have lived through other experiences with an entirely new familia member and are younger to boot. I need to thank LazyHapa once more for his help it has been phenomenal, when it comes to improving my writing.
I will now take around 1 month to plan the next act and perhaps write a first draft for it already. Then if all goes well, I will begin uploading it in December. Hapa also spoke of his interest in going over the first few chapters, where he hasn't been helping me and improve them. So if you notice any update it will be due to him correcting an old chapter.
For everyone that is confused by how the stats work in my version of Danmachi, the next chapter will give some explanations and theories the characters have on how it works. It isn't quite the same as in the original, but as we have no clear ruleset for the original universe, I will go with what I believe to be reasonable for my universe.
As for the growth in the status update this chapter. Expect it to follow a similar guideline in the future, but to slow down at higher levels. Around 500 stat points per character per month might seem a little exaggerated at first, but did any of you remember that they have been fighting and training hard for an entire month now? That's how long it took Bell to reach level 2.