Chapter 18: Downwards to Rivira
Taylor frowned. Something wasn't right. She glanced around the area surrounding the church with her swarm. Were people spying on her again? There wasn't anybody like that within the range of her bugs, but that didn't mean it wasn't happening from further away. Who knew what unusual Skills or spells some adventurers might have that could do that?
Yesterday, she'd had a wonderful night out with a few female acquaintances she'd made in Orario. Naaza and Shakti had promised to talk shop about starting up a farm for monsters Taylor could control with her power, Eina and Misha had bitched and moaned with Syr about obnoxious customers, she'd shared a moment of understanding with Ryuu, and the three younger girls of the Hestia Familia had gotten hilariously drunk. Yet right now, something bad had happened, or was about to happen. She couldn't put a finger on 'what' or 'why,' though.
'Bell, Welf, and Lili have gone down to the Dungeon for a day of intense training and harvesting on the 13th Floor, and won't be back for a few hours,' Taylor thought to herself, going over everything she knew was going on today. 'Lucia is at her home, helping her parents with the store and catching up on sewing orders. Iris is helping the Ramirez family with that. And Hestia is doing paperwork for buying some more food stalls to expand her business. And I'm coordinating silk production in Anne's den. So what is making me feel so off?'
The feeling persisted all the way to noon, and didn't abate. In fact, it just got worse. When Hestia finally took a break from the paperwork, she could barely eat anything and just ended up wandering around, a half-eaten sandwich in her hands.
"Hestia?" Taylor eventually asked, seeing the way the young girl was pacing in the kitchen.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Hestia asked as she anxiously wrung her hands, accidentally shredding the sandwich she'd been holding in the process. "That something is wrong?"
"I… yes, I do," Taylor admitted. "Hestia… is something the matter?"
"I don't know!" she replied, throwing her arms into the air. "I just can't shake the feeling!"
"Is that one of your powers?" Taylor wondered. "Your… 'Arcanum' thing?"
"Maybe? I dunno," she admitted. "I-I felt this way once before… when Bell was nearly killed by a Minotaur… but that feeling passed by fairly quickly. This sensation has been going on for a while now!"
"Let's… let's just wait," Taylor urged. "If they aren't back by dinner time, then we can worry."
"Okay… okay, yeah, they'll be back in the evening, just like we planned," Hestia said softly.
However, the itching sensation of wrongness did not fade, and dinner time came and went without Bell, Welf, or Lili returning, leaving the goddess and parahuman alone in the church.
"They're not back," Hestia said, fear creeping into her voice as she stared at the table in despair. "Th-they're not back!"
"They could just be late," Taylor said, trying to calm her down, even as a wave of panic rose up within her own chest. Taylor ruthlessly stamped it down, however, and redirected it into her swarm so she could keep a clear and level head.
"We have to find them!" Hestia declared, shooting to her feet.
"In the morning," Taylor vowed, grabbing Hestia into a hug to help calm her down. "We'll go to the Guild in the morning."
The tiny twin-tailed girl nodded mutely, tears in her eyes. Neither she nor Taylor got much sleep that night. Nor did either of them feel up to leave the comfort of the couch.
111 &&& 111
When the sun rose on a new day, Taylor and Hestia rushed to the Guild, hoping to get there as soon as it opened in order to ask around for help.
Unfortunately, what they heard was not what they'd wanted to hear.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do."
Taylor stared at Eina in disbelief. "What? What do you mean by that?" she demanded.
"Th-the Guild isn't able to help search the Dungeon for lost adventurers," Eina said, though it was clear it pained her to admit it.
"Then what's the damn point of the Guild being charge of the Dungeon if you can't even do that much?!" Taylor demanded, slamming a fist into the countertop. It cracked, causing Eina to flinch back.
"The Guild staff aren't adventurers, nor are we equipped to enter the Dungeon," Eina said softly. "We can post a search request on the Quest Board, but that's the extent of what we're capable of. You'll need to get help from other adventurers if you want to find Bell and the rest of his party."
"Fuck!" Taylor snarled, and Hestia whimpered.
"Y-you're sure you can't help?" the goddess pleaded, tears shining in her eyes. "I know they're still alive! I can feel! Please, you have to be able to do something!"
"I'm sorry," Eina said, holding back tears of her own.
"Hestia!" a masculine voice called out, and Taylor and the goddess in question turned around, finding a trio of people approaching. Two of them, a young man and woman, were adventurers, and from the hum Taylor's swarm could detect, they were both Level 2. The last member of the group had the same strange hum that Hestia and the other Trumps possessed.
All three were Asian, or 'Far Eastern' as they were known in this world, Taylor supposed. The two adventurers were hurt, with cuts and bruises littering their bodies, but the guy of the duo was much worse off, some of the bandages wrapping up his body stained red and he walked with a limp. The 'god' that had called out to Hestia wore a traditional white Japanese robe with his hair styled in hoops.
"Take!" Hestia said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Hestia, I am so sorry," the god called 'Take' said, bowing his head deeply.
"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" she asked, confused.
"It was our fault," the male adventurer said, stepping forward. "We over extended ourselves in the Dungeon yesterday, and when we tried to escape from the Middle Floors, we were ambushed by a bunch of Almiraj. One of our Familia got badly hurt, and we… we…"
"We performed a Parade Pass on a trio of adventurers down on the 13th Floor in order to avoid the monsters and leave the Dungeon," the girl stated.
"What are you saying?" Hestia asked, voice quavering.
"Hestia, I am so sorry," the god, who could only be Takemikazuchi said, bowing his head even further, until he was almost at a ninety-degree angle. "But my children performed a Parade Pass on your Familia."
Hestia gasped, her voice filled with sorrow, and Taylor stared at them, her emotions boiling within her chest and head. Things started to get fuzzy as the rage consumed her, and she hastily shoved her feelings into the swarm.
"TAYLOR!" Hestia suddenly shouted, grabbing onto her arm. "Calm down!"
Taylor blinked and looked down at Hestia clinging to her arm, then looked around herself at the people who were staring at her in horror. One, the samurai cosplayer girl, had put herself in front of her companions, hand on the hilt of her sword.
And all around them was a buzzing black cloud that had completely engulfed the interior of the Guildhall. The walls, the floor, the ceiling… every inch was covered in writhing insects.
Taylor blinked slowly as she took it all in. She had never seen her swarm react so violently to her emotions before.
"Calm. Down," Hestia repeated, her voice firmer. "And reel in your emotions."
With a single thought, Taylor dismissed her swarm, letting it sink back into the nooks and crevices of the building and its surroundings.
She also, much to her frustration, did as Hestia asked and disconnected herself from the swarm. It meant she now felt every single iota of burning rage at the adventurers in front of her for potentially damning her friends to death in the Dungeon, but at least her swarm wasn't blocking out the sun and on the verge of devouring some luckless fool.
"We should discuss this somewhere private," Hestia eventually said, turning to Eina. "Do you have a room we can borrow?"
"Y-yes, we do," the half-elf clerk stammered. "P-please, this way."
She shakily escorted the two groups to the back of the Guild, where a conference room awaited them. The moment the doors slammed shut, Takemikazuchi knelt onto the floor in front of Hestia and Taylor in a dogeza, forehead pressed firmly against the ground.
"Hestia, please, forgive my Familia!" he begged. "I know they have done you wrong, but we wish to make this right!"
"And how can you possibly 'make this right?'" Taylor demanded incredulously.
"There is still time to rescue them," the injured man spoke up. "If they were smart, they headed back up, but even if they didn't there are placed to hide in the Dungeon that are relatively safe."
"I will be the guide," the girl declared, thumping a fist against her chest. "On my honor, I will make sure they are rescued!"
Taylor stared at the other adventurers, before Hestia tugged on her arm.
"If they can help, we should take them up on their offer!" Hestia begged her, and for a long, uncomfortable moment Taylor wanted to deny them, but she couldn't. Not when it might mean the difference between success and failure regarding her family's survival.
"…Fine," Taylor said tersely. "Prepare to leave for the Dungeon in an hour. We will head down there to rescue Bell and the others."
"Thank you!" the girl said, bowing her head. "I will not let you down!"
Taylor didn't respond, and let Hestia gently take her hand and lead her out of the conference room. The duo headed back to the church, Taylor needing to get ready.
Dressing quickly, Taylor paused for a moment before reaching out and grabbing her mask. She hadn't worn it in a while, even if she had asked Welf to repair it. She'd been afraid to wear the mask, terrified she might slip back into being Khepri if she did so.
Taylor knew it was an irrational fear, but the terror and pain of what she'd done during Gold Morning… of what she had seen… she couldn't forget it, no matter how much she wished to be able to. Staring down at the golden lens, she shivered.
'No. I am not Khepri. Not anymore,' Taylor thought to herself.
In the end, Taylor let it hang around her neck. She wasn't quite ready to wear it again. But she would bring it with her. As a reminder.
As she stepped out of the bedroom, the parahuman saw a rather odd sight.
"Hestia, what are you doing?" Taylor asked as she spotted the self-proclaimed goddess struggling to pick up a heavy backpack filled with supplies.
"What do you mean? I'm going with you!" Hestia said, turning towards her while putting her hands on her hips.
"No, you're not. Hestia, you have to stay here," Taylor said, putting a firm hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"But, but I want to come with you!" Hestia shouted.
"No, we can't risk it," Taylor replied, shaking her head. "You can't fight, you lack the strength or durability of a Brute, I mean, an adventurer, and you'd just be a hindrance in the Dungeon if I have to watch your back along with everyone else's down there."
"But, Taylor-!"
"No, Hestia," Taylor said firmly. "I won't risk it."
She then smiled weakly at the head of the Familia. "Besides, somebody has to stay here so they can welcome us back."
Hestia sniffled, but eventually nodded. "Okay… okay, I'll stay."
"Thank you," Taylor said, only to pause as the twin-tailed girl threw her arms around her waist, wrapping the parahuman in a tight hug.
"Please, stay safe," she begged softly, and Taylor awkwardly patted her on the back.
"I will. I promise."
Taylor left the church, her monster companions instantly falling in line behind her as she hurried to the Ramirez's combined home and shop.
"Iris, Lucia," Taylor said, entering the store. It was still early, and they had only just started to get ready to open for the day.
"Miss Taylor?" the seamstress asked, surprised to see her fellow adventurer clad in her gear and her two Tamed monsters waiting outside.
"Bell and the others never came back last night," Taylor explained curtly. "Suit up, we're going in to rescue them."
Lucia gasped and Iris grimaced. Both teens rushed off, grabbing their armor and weapons and hastily getting equipped.
The next stop was the apothecary. Potions were absolutely necessary for the expedition.
"Naaza, I need two dozen healing potions, the highest grades you have," the parahuman stated as she entered the store. "And half a dozen Mind potions and antidotes."
"What?" the dog-eared girl uttered in surprise.
"Potions, Naaza," she said. "Bell and the others are trapped in the Dungeon."
"Oh. Oh!" Naaza gasped. She quickly grabbed the requested vials, placing them onto the counter. "I only have five high-grade healing potions, but the rest are all medium-grade."
Taylor nodded and paid the price, refusing to accept the discount Naaza was offering.
"Do you have any empty barrels or crates?" Taylor asked as she pocketed the healing potion vials.
"Um, I have two empty barrels," Naaza said, blinking a little in confusion at the request.
"I'll take them," Taylor declared. "Thank you."
The Hestia Familia stormed through the marketplace next, buying up food and water rations along with rope and other supplies. When they were done, they headed to the Tower of Babel, and stopped just outside.
"Set them down," Taylor requested, motioning for Iris to leave the barrels.
"What are we using these empty barrels for?" Iris wondered as she placed the barrels down. "Holding more supplies?"
Taylor didn't respond, and instead began directing elements of her swarm towards the empty containers. Iris and Lucia both jumped and flinched back as all sorts of creepy-crawlies came pouring out of the surroundings and stuffed themselves into the barrels.
When they were all safely tucked away inside, Taylor nodded to herself. "Good. This will do for now."
"Could you give a girl some warning before you do that next time?" Lucia pleaded weakly as Taylor tied the barrels to the backs of Anne and Chris.
"I will need them to search the Dungeon properly," she explained. Taylor then glanced over at the treeline. "And stop hiding. I can sense you."
"You have better awareness than any adventurer I've ever met before," a soft voice commented as a certain blonde elf stepped out from her hiding spot.
"Ryuu," Taylor said curtly in greeting, eyeing the waitress. "Why are you here?"
'And dressed like an adventurer?' went unsaid, but was heard all the same.
"I want to help you rescue Bell," Ryuu said, and Taylor looked her over. Having a Level 4 on their side would definitely make things simpler. However, something seemed fishy.
"How did you hear about it?" Taylor demanded. How did she know Bell was in danger?
"I think everyone in Orario heard about how the Guildhall was assaulted by bugs this morning," Ryuu said dryly. "And quite a few of our lunch-rush customers were there, too. They have rather loose lips."
Taylor nodded her head slowly. If there was one thing that hadn't changed despite it being a completely different world, it was that people were truly dreadful gossips. Especially adventurers. They were as bad as high schoolers.
"Fine. One more person could be helpful," Taylor said. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes," Ryuu nodded, patting a sheathed knife at her waist and a pouch of supplies.
"Good," Taylor said, striding into the tower built atop the entrance to the Dungeon. She quickly spotted the final members of the rescue party standing near the stairwell.
"You're here," Taylor noted, voice emotionless. "What are your names? I don't think I caught them."
"My name is Yamato Mikoto," the Level 2 samurai cosplay adventurer said, giving a tiny bow to them. "Thank you for giving me this chance to restore my honor."
"Ouka Kashima, Captain of the Takemikazuchi Familia," the larger Level 2 said.
"Ch-Chigusa Hitachi," the smallest Level 2 of the group said. "I-I'm the reason that we had to Parade Pass. I was injured… and I want to make things right."
"Are you ready? Will you be able to keep up with us?" Taylor inquired.
"My injuries are not enough to slow me down," the small girl declared. Iris and Lucia just laughed.
"Same," Mikoto said, with Ouka bobbing his head in agreement.
"We'll see," Iris said, patting Mikoto on the shoulder.
The adventurers from the other Familia and Ryuu just looked bewildered.
Before they could enter, however, somebody called out to them.
"WAAAIIITT!"
Everyone turned to see Hestia running towards the group, and she came to a stop in front of Taylor, panting heavily.
"Hestia, I told you-!"
"I know!" the tiny girl gasped out. "I know, I can't come. But… take this with you."
She held out a sheath, and Taylor immediately recognized the weapon within it as the Nano-thorn dagger!
"I had to ask Hephestus for it back," Hestia said as Taylor took the Tinkertech dagger. "And she's probably gonna want it returned when it's over… she said she was still studying it… but it's yours. And if it can protect you in the Dungeon… then it's worth it."
"We will come home safely," Taylor vowed, buckling the sheath onto her waist.
"That's all I want," Hestia replied.
With that, all their preparations were complete, and it was time to enter the Dungeon. The rescue mission had begun!
111 &&& 111
"I, I must admit, I did not think we would be able to move so quickly through the Upper Floors," Mikoto stammered, looking around as the party entered the 13th Floor. They had blitzed through the upper levels of the Dungeon, making it down there in half the time it would have normally taken thanks to the ruthless use of Taylor's Tamed monsters.
All the while, Taylor had also scoured every nook and cranny with the swarm she'd stuffed into the barrels. She had not found any trace of her friends and family anywhere on the other floors, so the only choice was to descend further.
However, Taylor did notice that some people were following them. They occasionally dipped in and out of her sensory range, but never for long. From the hum they emitted, one of them was Level 4 and was akin to the flapping of wings, and the other… well, the sound of flapping wings and hissing of snakes was oddly muted and yet rather intense, something that Taylor had come to associated with the Trumps who went around masquerading as gods. She knew from her lessons with Eina that these 'gods' were forbidden from entering the Dungeon for some reason, so it was curious to find one down here, and following them, no less.
"We saved a lot of time on the floors with the Killer Ants," Ryuu nodded in agreement with the samurai cosplaying adventurer. It was hard to tell with how blank her face was – the elf had a poker face that was as good as Taylor's – but she had also been surprised by the ease of their travels.
"Yeah, Miss Taylor drives a hard pace," Iris agreed with a nod. "Great way to build up your stamina, though!"
"Um, do we really need to bring them with us?" Chigusa wondered, glancing over her shoulder at the army of Killer Ants following behind the party. There were some scouting ahead as well along with a bunch of Purple Moths.
The real stars of the show though were the pair of Blue Papillion accompanying them. One was clinging to Taylor's back, making it seem like she had a pair of beautiful, ethereal wings, while the other was resting on Chris' head. Taylor had brought them along for the healing powder of their wings. It was weaker than even the weakest grade of healing potions, but some healing was better than no healing.
"We don't have time to waste on other monsters," Taylor replied, and Ryuu nodded.
"Time is of the essence," she said.
"I think Miss Chigusa is still a bit disturbed about what happened to those Orcs," Lucia said. On the way to the Middle Floors, they had come across a group of Orcs and Imps, but Taylor had swept them aside, burying them in a tide of chitin. When the Killer Ants were done, there had been nothing left.
"We all were," Ouka muttered under his breath.
"Hold on," Taylor said, raising a hand as they entered a tunnel, her eyes locked onto something above them. Curious, the rest also looked up, trying to figure out what had grabbed Taylor's attention. It was the elf who spotted it first.
"Worm holes," Ryuu said, staring up at a hole in the ceiling, then down at the matching one directly beneath it. "A Dungeon Worm was here. And recently, too, if the holes haven't sealed over yet."
"Excellent," Taylor said, smirking a bit, and her Killer Ants began to go wild, slamming themselves against the walls and floor.
"What are you doing?" Ryuu hissed in shock, staring at Taylor as she continued to order her Killer Ants to stomp on the ground.
"Summoning a ride."
"A ride…?" Mikoto muttered, before her eyes widened. "Wait, do you mean-?!"
The floor suddenly began to shake and rumble, and a few seconds later a huge worm burst out of the ground. When it didn't try to devour them, and instead laid down submissively in front of Taylor, the rest of her party stared at the parahuman in disbelief.
"You summoned a Dungeon Worm?!" Ouka gasped.
"You can control them?" Ryuu asked, eyes narrowing.
"Grab on," Taylor ordered, making her swarm clamber up onto its back. The others hesitated for a moment before following her.
"This is so weird," Lucia muttered.
"I never thought I would ride a monster," Ryuu hummed. "What a novelty."
"Err, how fast can one of these go?" Mikoto wondered, nervously gripping onto the Dungeon Worm's segmented body.
"Dunno. Let's find out," Taylor said with a smirk, before ordering her newest member of the swarm to go full speed ahead. It obeyed, causing Mikoto to let out a shriek as it bulldozed its way through the 13th Floor.
The tunnels and corridors of the Middle Floors were quite large and wide enough to accommodate their new mode of transport. With no reason to go slow, the Dungeon Worm charged down through the floors, leaving the 13th Floor and descending rapidly through the rest.
They made a brief stop on the 15th Floor, where Taylor picked up a trio of Crystal Mantises to supplement their forces. Comparing them to Chris, it was clear that her Tamed monster was bigger, stronger, and faster, with a much darker carapace.
But once their forces had been augmented, they shot off back on track to the bottom.
"We're approaching the 17th Floor," Ryuu said as their surroundings turned from dark brown stone to darker, almost black, bedrock.
There was a "Mooo!" followed by a crunch and a thump as the Dungeon Worm ran over yet another monster, a Minotaur by the sound of it.
"I see it," Taylor said, spotting the stairwell. The Dungeon Worm slinked down it, arriving at the 17th floor with little trouble.
"It didn't even take us half a day to arrive," Chigusa muttered to herself, awed by the sheer speed of their journey.
It normally took around eight to twelve hours for an adventuring party comprised of Level 2s to get to the 18th Floor from the surface, assuming they rushed it and didn't bother picking up or fighting anything. But with Taylor blazing a path and letting them hitch a ride on a massive Dungeon Worm for the last couple of floors, their trip down took only four hours.
As they headed for the 18th Floor, there was an explosion in the distance, and the ground shook violently.
"There is fighting up ahead," Taylor informed the group as another "BOOM!" rang out.
"No, you think?" Lucia drawled, becoming surprisingly sassy when she was nervous.
"The only thing up ahead that could make that much noise is the Wall of Grief, where the Goliath spawns," Ryuu said with a frown.
"From your tone, that's a bad thing," Iris guessed.
"The Goliath is classified as a Level 4 monster," Ryuu replied darkly. "Its immense size allows it to strike quite a few targets at once, and its strength is enough to crush Adamantite armor with a glancing blow."
"But a creature that large cannot be that fast, and as far as I know, it has no ranged options aside from throwing rubble," Mikoto spoke up.
"True, a team of quick Level 3s or a large party of Level 2s with long-ranged capabilities could bring it down with minimal effort or loss of life. However, from what I know, the Loki Familia should have cleared out the Goliath when it spawned on their way down to the lower levels on their recent expedition a few days ago. It hasn't been long enough for a new one to appear."
"How long does it normally take?" Taylor wondered.
"Two weeks is supposed to be the minimum amount of time between spawning," Ryuu claimed.
"Well, we're about to come up to the scene," Taylor said. "Hang tight."
"Wait, what?! You want to get closer?!" Mikoto gasped.
"Yes," Taylor said simply, and rode the worm towards the battle. When they arrived, they found a group of adventurers clashing against a naked, grey skinned giant.
Blades clashed against the rock-like hide of the monster, but even Adamantite weapons had a hard time penetrating the Goliath's skin. Several broken spears and arrows jutted out of its flesh, and a few wounds have been carved into its flesh. It continued to fight, though, mindlessly trying to trample every adventurer attacking it.
Even though she didn't have her swarm at hand, she could tell they were strong from the sheer power many of them possessed just from the way they clashed. Most of them were in the realm of Level 3. Taylor also recognized several of them from a distance. They were the Loki Familia.
"Oh, wow!" Iris gasped. "They're so strong!"
"The ones fighting are not the executives," Ryuu noted.
"No, it seems like Finn is letting the weaker Familia members get some experience," Taylor said. The short stack captain of the Loki Familia was nearby, watching the battle with a critical eye. If anybody found themselves in danger, or other monsters tried to interfere, he would no doubt act, but until then, he let them do battle on their own.
A minute into the fight, one of the adventurers got lucky as their weapon, a machete-like sword, managed to cut off the Goliath's left hand, which caused it to back off and roar in pain.
Yet the sound soon cut off as its head disappeared under a torrent of lava. Or was it magma, since it was technically underground? Whatever the proper definition of it was, the attack – which had to be a spell or Skill – managed to vaporize the Goliath's head, its incredible durability no match for a beam of super-heated, molten earth.
The adventurer who cast it slumped, having exhausted every drop of magical energy in their body to do so, but was grinning at having slain the Monster Rex.
"And that's that," the pallum said, a note of pride in his voice, twirling his spear before planting the butt of it into the dirt, before glancing towards the newcomers. "Oh, my. Hello, there, Lady Taylor."
"Captain Finn," Taylor said politely in greeting as she let her steed approach now that the Goliath was dead. She knew Finn had been aware of them the whole time they'd been watching, but politely didn't bring it up.
As she got closer, the other members of the Loki Familia jerked back in shock, staring at the sight of a bunch of people riding a massive worm.
"I had no idea you could control Dungeon Worms," the child-like adventurer hummed, a calculating glint in his eyes.
"I am looking for my Familia members," Taylor said, ignoring his words.
"Ah, you're here for Bell and the others?" he guessed. "Do not worry, we ran into him. He is safe. They all are."
Taylor sagged, a weight leaving her shoulders. "That is a relief."
"They're resting back at our camp. All of them should be still unconscious."
"I have supplies. Medicine, mostly, but also food," Taylor said. "I would repay you for your kindness."
"More supplies are always welcome," Finn said with a grateful nod. He then glanced over at his Familia member. "Gather the spoils of war! We're heading back to Rivira!"
Some of them cheered and they grabbed the giant Magic Stone dropped by the Goliath before high-tailing it away from the 17th Floor.
"How did you make it down here so fast?" Finn wondered as he led them to the 18th Floor.
"I would do anything for my family," Taylor declared, clenching her fist, and Finn nodded slowly.
"So would I," he agreed after a moment, appraising her closely, before flashing a smile. "It's good to know there are other captains out there who actually care for their Familia members. Too many of them see others within their familia as pawns or tools. Or, worse, competition."
"I'm not the captain," Taylor denied, but Finn chuckled while Iris and Lucia both scoffed.
"Well, when you're no longer in denial, you should let me know so we can meet up and chat about the difficulties of working with people who have muscles for brains and a habit of rushing in to fight things without thinking."
Taylor grunted noncommittally.
Finn smirked knowingly, and Taylor couldn't help but see an image of Lisa superimposed over the tiny blond pallum for a brief moment.
She shook her head to clear that thought from her head, and instead took a close look at the surroundings of the 18th Floor.
One of the only places in the entire Dungeon that didn't try to actively kill people, the 18th Floor was a beautiful place that one could almost mistake for a place on the surface. Green grass, trees and flowers, lakes of fresh water, and a glowing ceiling of crystals that seemed to mimic the day-night cycle outside.
Reaching it was considered the mark of a veteran adventurer, and it acted as a staging ground for heading deeper down. It had a shanty town built to service the adventurers who came through, but was also the home of criminals and the black market.
Yet as pretty as it was, the place was disturbing on several levels. For one, Taylor couldn't detect any life. There were no bugs, insects, arachnids, worms… nothing. The place felt sterile, fake. Like a landscape painting or a model of a piece of land.
"You feel it too, huh?" Finn muttered, noticing the shift in Taylor's demeanor as she looked around.
"It's all wrong," Taylor said in a soft voice. "This place has nothing. No animals. And the plants… they're… I don't know. They're real, but not quite. Copies? Clones? They're all identical to each other. Down to the roots."
"This place is a trap," the parahuman realized a moment later, eyes growing wide.
"Yeah, it sure is," Finn said, nodding at her words. "The 18th Floor doesn't spawn monsters, but they can come up from below and descend from above. And whenever there are too many people on the 18th Floor, it triggers what we call a 'Stampede.' Anyone here ends up trapped and has to fight their way out."
"What's the limit?" Taylor demanded.
"It fluctuates. One time, it was five hundred people. Another, it was thrice that number," Finn told her. "On average, though, one thousand adventurers is how many it takes to trigger a Stampede. Right now, there are ninety-six members of the Loki Familia down here. And Rivira has around a hundred and fifty. Exact numbers are known because of its nature."
"We will leave as soon as Bell and the others are able," Taylor declared.
"That's the plan for us as well," Finn agreed. "We try to ensure we never linger longer than twenty-four hours on the 18th Floor because of how big our Familia is. Unfortunately, we encountered monsters with poison down below, and need antidotes to cure the injured. So we may be forced to wait another day for the medicine before we can move them."
"How many?" Taylor asked curtly.
"Ten," Finn said.
"Damn," Taylor sighed. "If I'd known, I would have brought more antidotes with me. I only have six. You can have them all, though, assuming Bell and the others don't need them."
"That's more than we have, and we can buy the last ones we need from the scalpers in Rivira if we trade them the Goliath's Magic Stone," Finn said, exhaling a little. "Thank you."
"You can thank me by keeping your crazy princess away from me and my monsters," Taylor said as they approached the Loki Familia camp. She'd sent a few bugs ahead, and had spotted Ais standing guard in front of a few tents.
"Ah. Yeah, I can do that," Finn said with a wince. "I'll just go ahead and make sure everyone knows what's up."
Taylor nodded gratefully at him, and watched as he jogged forward to alert the rest of his camp.
"Wow, Taylor!" Lucia gushed. "I can't believe you talked with him so confidently!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Taylor asked, confused.
"Most people tend to be put off by powerful adventurers. And Finn is one of only a handful of Level 7s in the entire world," Ryuu replied.
"I've met stronger," Taylor replied dismissively. That just had her companions staring at her. Who or what had she met in the past that could make a Level 7 look like a non-threat?
"Now, let's hunker down for a bit, and wait for Bell and the rest to wake up so we can then scold them properly for worrying us," Taylor suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement with her idea.
In his slumber, Bell shivered a little in fear. Even in his dreams or at the bottom of the Dungeon, he could not escape the swarm.
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Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! And thanks to everyone who has offered to do art for my work. I'm not currently interested, although it is appreciated.