Ryuu Lyon Curious Elf
A soft whine came from Alise as she tossed another massive book to the side.
"This one is also from a hundred years ago." She complained.
I took a look at the massive pile of books we'd accumulated as we went through the Guild's records. We'd certainly gone through a lot, and we still hadn't managed to find Hera familia's most recent familia roster.
These records were usually secret but since Hera familia no longer existed and our own Familia ranking was now back at B we had limited access to them. Meaning we could look at their list of members. Nothing else though, sadly the actual Dungeon records were kept locked until we were A rank or higher.
Even then, this suited our purpose in coming here. Checking if there was anyone recorded in Hera familia's list of members named Taylor Anne Hebert. Even if Miss Taylor had been hidden from the public for some reason, the Guild would at least have her name probably registered as a non-combat member.
Every single person that ever-entered Orario and stayed as a resident was registered at the Guild in some manner, usually as a member of a Familia but also in a list of civilian registry's. As I understood it, it was for counting population and preparing for famines and the like.
If Miss Taylor really was a member of Hera familia as I still suspected she was, then she would be in this registry.
The problem was… Hera familia and their sort of partner Zeus familia were a thousand years old. Suffice to say it was taking a while to go through the list especially since the Guild had not bothered to sort their section ever since they were destroyed.
I opened another book, flipped through the pages, saw the birth date of a person set two hundred years ago and placed the book on top of the discard pile.
"She's not going to be in here, she was definitely a criminal before." Lyra commented as she adjusted her glasses.
Alise shook her head vigorously.
"She's a too helpful and kind hearted for that, actual criminals tend to keep to themselves. She definitely is part of some defunct familia!" She disagreed.
Though I think even she was doubtful that familia was Hera familia anymore.
"Oi, some idiot placed Zeus familia here, as well." Kaguya commented as she went through another book.
Though I noticed she kept idly paging through it. I shot her a questioning look.
She caught it and shrugged her shoulders.
"This one is recent, might as well check it out." She said, though I think she was just bored and going through things.
"Anything interesting?" Alise called out as she rummaged the bookshelves.
Kaguya made an unimpressed face.
"Not really, though there is an outlier here. Some guy's name was vandalized, there is a bunch of death threats written over his crossed name as well. Some idiot scribbled something about 'Touching the familia's maiden.'." She drawled.
Lyra cackled from the side.
"Zeus familia, I suppose." She commented.
I had to agree, though most of their members tended to be… on the straight and narrow there were a few outliers who apparently got on with their patron god. Who was famously a lech.
It wasn't all that surprising one of them had done something bad enough that people had gone out of their way to vandalise his name.
"Oh there is a kid as well. The first I've seen in Zeus familia." Kaguya added a few seconds later.
"Kid?" Alise asked as she tossed another book to the side.
"He would've been… two years old when the familia's fell. Something like that. His father's name is crossed out, so is his mother's oddly enough." She added before tossing the book aside.
"Wonder what happened to him?" I found myself asking.
"Probably dead, the lower levels all got kicked out of the city. He probably died on the road." Kaguya said with a neutral tone. Though it was clear it irked her as well. Or rather… I thought it did, she was the only member of our familia I still couldn't get a proper read on.
"Well being an orphan in that kind of situation is not something you survive." Lyra added.
I found myself cringing. Had the familias that kicked them out been that ruthless? I couldn't see someone like Lady Riveria knowingly sending a child or maybe more to their deaths like that.
"He must've had a guardian or something, surely they wouldn't just kick a kid out of Orario like that." I argued.
Kaguya looked at me in a pitying manner.
"It's not like they'd know." Alise voiced from the side.
My head turned her way immediately.
"People slip through the cracks. A two-year-old kid? How would they even know of him? Hopefully Zeus picked him up as he left the city, otherwise… well best-case scenario is he's in an orphanage somewhere." Her pained voice was hard to hear… but it was also the truth.
I shook my head silently. I just… There were so many wrongs to right but what could someone like me even do?
…
The muffled voice I'd been hearing ever since that fight with Udaeus came again. Though I still couldn't understand any of it, as far as I knew my recent skill was linked to it as well. But even then, I just couldn't make any sense of her words.
"Found it!" Lyra shouted with relief as she went through yet another book.
"You did?" Kaguya asked with genuinely surprised tone.
"Well…it's just the list from… around thirty years ago till their end. If she isn't here, I doubt she's anywhere." Lyra replied.
How old even was Miss Taylor? I couldn't really tell human ages apart, so I didn't really know.
"How old is Miss Taylor?" I asked.
Alise began placing books in the discard pile randomly back on the shelves and answered me.
"I'd say… anywhere between twenty and twenty-five. She has that look to her."
Wouldn't that make her between fifteen and ten when Hera and Zeus familia's fell?
"She'd have to have been pretty young when fighting leviathan, if she really was a part of Hera familia." Kaguya added.
I nodded my head.
"I'm telling you she probably lived in a city destroyed by Leviathan and was a part of some criminal organisation. She probably cut ties with them and moved here." Lyra kept insisting on her theory even as she rifled through the pages.
Just as I was about to answer her an odd look passed by her eyes.
"The kid's here as well… Kaguya, come look at this." She said.
Kaguya hesitantly stepped closer and peered over at the page. Her eyebrows rose with each second, she looked.
"Exactly the same, even here the names are crossed out… Wait if he's in both registries does that mean his parents are from Hera and Zeus respectively? What a mess, if those two were still around I bet Hera would be going insane trying to get him."
Hera familia… well if that kid really was in a split custody battle between the familias he'd just go to Zeus, no? But also… if that goddess can raise adventurers like Alfia, who was in every sense of the word a crazy witch, I can't imagine her just letting the son of one of her familia go.
"Well, not like it matters much. Again the kid is nowhere to be seen and it's not like he's going to show back up in Orario, he probably hates this city." Kaguya commented as she went back to putting books back on the shelves.
Lyra nodded half-heartedly as she kept flipping through the pages.
"Anyways… I really don't think she'll be in this thing. I'm already nearing the end. What are our other theories again?"
"Last survivor of her familia, your ex criminal theory…" Alise trailed off after counting just two.
"Add mine into the mix, she's cut ties with her familia that's out of the city and is hiding here." Kaguya added.
"She has been getting stronger really fast… I'd normally say she has a familia somewhere nearby but with rare skills it really can be anything." Alise thought out loud.
"She does keep eating magic stones, it might be a skill that makes her stronger the more magic she accumulates…" I added.
Alise nodded slightly. "Might be… no it probably is that. The higher quality magic stones she eats the stronger she gets. It might genuinely be some unique skill that lets her get strong so fast."
"That's insane, no? That sort of skill… well I know quite a lot of adventurers would kill to get that sort of thing." Kaguya threw in her thoughts.
The sound of a book slapping shut interrupted the conversation.
"Not here. Definitely not Hera familia then. I'm still running with my criminal theory but what we thought was a temporary boost might just be some sort of absurd skill boosting her permanently. We'll add that to the mix." Lyra said as she put the book back on the shelf.
"If we're done here let's clean up quickly, we still have a lot to prepare for our journey." Kaguya said with a tired tone.
I had to agree, a journey to the Dragon Valley wasn't exactly short and we had a lot of gear and necessities to pack.
"I bet she's an alien from another world and the reason she's so strong is because she's not actually human. The new star in the sky is definitely something she brought with her as well!" Alise said excitedly.
We all turned to look at her. She didn't wilt at the stares at all instead smiling brightly and confidently. As if she hadn't just sputtered out utter nonsense.
…Alise just saying anything and making no sense wasn't anything unusual but sometimes she really did speak just as incomprehensibly as the gods.
Well… I guess we'd add that theory into the mix as well.
I wasn't too fond of graveyards. They made uncomfortable feelings pass through me. They made me feel helpless.
Despite that I was visiting one right now. Specifically the Adventurer's Graveyard. A massive section of empty space left inside the Labyrinth city of Orario meant solely for the burial of dead adventurers. Though as I'd been told most of the caskets inside the graves remained empty.
Quite often it simply wasn't viable to recover the corpses. Regardless, this graveyard had been built so that whoever remembered them could come by and visit. Some of the graves were so old that all traces of identification had been washed away by the sands of time.
But they weren't why I was here.
Astrea familia didn't have graves here, they had elected to make a shrine for their comrades in their home instead and simply buried them deep inside the Dungeon.
Even then, I felt no need to visit them. It wasn't my pain to shoulder.
Eight particular graves were the reason why I was here.
I came to a stop before them. They were all arranged with flowers and offerings some other nick knacks I didn't understand the purpose of. It looked like the graves had been recently cleaned and the dirt watered. Someone had been here, possibly in the last hour or so.
I laid down the flowers I had bought and closed my eyes slightly muttering a silent apology. It wasn't much. But it was all I felt justified doing.
Their deaths… it was partially my fault. I could've done more, if I hadn't lost myself so many times would I have been fast enough on the 37th floor? If I wasn't too focused on myself, would I have noticed the flanking monsters in the 34th floor?
They would die regardless, their hearts were weak
Were they? Is it weakness to not be a weapon? Is it weakness to want more from life? Is it a failing?
I-
It is not.
There is one sin. Inaction. To stand idly by. To stand still.
These people who gave their lives in our accursed march. They were not weak. Regardless of their reason they didn't flock out of their familia when such a ridiculous demand was made of them. They didn't shy away from combat despite being healers and alchemists.
It did not save them
I don't know their reasons; I cannot guess at them. I am not arrogant enough to think I can understand others perfectly.
But… I chose to believe, despite everything I've seen, that these people braved the danger for something worth it.
Just as I cannot blame myself for their deaths and stagnate, no one can shame their deaths and call it "inevitable".
You have not seen true loss
And you are a childish, ignorant, selfish waste doing nothing but spreading your grief.
You are a part of me, you reject me, you reject our desire but you are a part of me
And If need be, I will descend into the depths of that hellhole and rip your head off to parade you in this city. You'll see the sky alright.
Spite, because I saved you?
Spite, because you try to control me.
I am who I am. That is all that it is. It is in my nature to reject those who try to wrap their hands around my throat, whether it is to embrace me or to strangle me.
Then why do you not understand my desire to be free?
Your freedom means the death and despair of a million others.
The voice descended back into its hole without a reply. How annoying.
"Taylor?" A familiar man's voice brought me back to the real world.
I turned to the side only to see Sargon with a watering can. He must've been the one watering the soil and cleaning the graves. So soon after the funerals as well. It had been at most a week or two since then.
"Taking care of the graves?" I asked him lightly.
He nodded his head as he moved closer.
"That and telling them about all that happened." He admitted with a sombre smile.
I stepped to the side to let him by.
"I think they would've been happy to see your familia recover." I assured him.
He nodded hesitantly.
"Right? Nineteen level ups, sixteen new people with the mixer skill… We're actually competing again. I'm sure they would've been happy we can finally tell the Dian Cecht familia to screw off…" His voice was a bit choaked as he said the last words.
I knew the feeling; I'd lost someone in a battle for survival like this. I couldn't even remember his name but the raw agony I'd felt after that fight against Behemoth…
Though I'm fairly sure if he was around to hear me say that he'd make fun of me.
…
Those kinds of thoughts were the best thing I had to honour him.
"You can only keep moving, not just for your own sake but for those no longer with you as well." I advised him lightly.
I didn't have the kind of responsibilities he had. He was the captain of his entire familia; he had to keep moving regardless.
He nodded mutely.
"Yes, even if… even if we aren't as good as all the graduates flocking to Dian Cecht from the School District, or as skilled and blessed with powerful magic as them we'll keep up. We'll overcome them. I'll make sure of it." He spoke more to himself than me.
I clapped him lightly on the back as I'd seen others do. I wasn't too sure, but I think men appreciated this sort of thing.
"You are in the big leagues now though, especially with you as a level four as well."
He smiled a bit painfully as he got to work.
"With the new guild rank especially…I'm just glad we don't get actual missions from the guild."
I waved him off.
"You'll do fine, Sargon." I said as I watched him work.
Half a minute later as I simply stood to the side and he worked fast footsteps came from the end of this row of graveyards. I tilted my head slightly to get a quick look.
It was that healer girl, who'd cast her magic on us right before Udaeus. She was running this way with a few tools and some fresh flowers in her hands. Just as I stepped aside to let her past me, she tripped.
With my eyes widening slightly I caught her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her to a standing pose. I dusted her off slightly before realising what I was doing.
"Sorry, force of habit." I apologised to the girl. I'd been spending too much time with Ais, since the girl was barely fourteen herself, I'd acted on instinct.
"Ah! No, thank you very much!" The flustered wolf beast person bowed her head again and again.
I almost patted her on the head and barely held myself back.
"Nam, you're right on time. Let's plant the flowers properly." Sargon called out from his position next to a grave.
"Yes, captain!" The girl exclaimed hurriedly. Just as she was about to run off next to his side, I leaned in close to her and whispered.
"Take care of your captain, will you?" I asked her.
She stopped briefly with her eyes flying open. Before nodding at me with a determined smile and rushing next to her captain.
I watched them work for a few more seconds and then left silently.
I'm sure their familia would do fine from now on. They had a capable captain leading them and a strong spirit. It would be enough.
When it came to unwanted fame or infamy, I was fairly experienced.
I'd even say I was something of an expert at it. Though, as far as I could remember none of those times had it quite been like this.
"She's there!"
Hearing that from afar I dived into another back alley. It was almost instinctual at this point. Ever since my new alias was announced my every step had been hounded when I was out on public.
Problem was, they weren't forceful with it, so I couldn't even properly retaliate in any way. A bunch of gods and mortals alike hanged around me and kept making offers and invitations all the damn time.
They didn't follow me into shops or the tea house I frequented, and they occasionally changed shifts with other familia members but even then, constantly making offers. It wasn't like the familia I rejected went away either, they just came back with another offer.
It was getting annoying but even being told off by Loki familia hadn't stopped them. Seriously, even when I was in their familia home spending time with Ais they waited in ambush. I had to applaud the tenacity even if it was so frustrating.
"Nameless Guide! We're from Rashnu familia! We will provide anything you desire if you join us!" A cat person shouted out from behind me.
"Not interested!" I replied even as I began running at a faster
If one caught up to me, others can't be far away. I'd just been planning on meeting with Hashana about his lead, but it could wait until I'd lost this mob.
With my mind made up I descended deeper into the alleyways. They would most likely try to follow me in, but in these tight alleyways I was confident I could outrun them without damaging the streets.
Though as I continued to run a solitary pair of footsteps seemed to keep pace with me. Not hurried or struggling a simple runner's pace. Whoever it was, they were strong.
Hunted
I wasn't sure how strong they were, certainly at least comparable to a level five if they kept pace with me so easily. Though with my own speed being limited it was hard to guess.
Having this little information about who I was dealing with was making the instincts, ingrained into my mind, fire off constantly. I'd have to step up onto the roofs and check out who they were, otherwise, I just wouldn't be able to go about my day.
Wait…
There are other people following me as well. I could barely hear them; they were certainly farther away. Besides that they definitely weren't up to the same sort of strength as the primary guy.
Was this an ambush?
They know
That thought sparked a fire in me. I felt my senses sharpen as I began focusing. Ten, pairs of footsteps, the closes one was fairly light but also powerful, the rest varied widely but they were all decently strong as well.
Possibly a solitary level five or six and nine level threes.
They reject you
I can't go by the main streets then, if it did come to a fight, I couldn't ensure the public's safety with odds like those.
We are the only ones who accept you
I'd have two options then, running to the outskirts of Orario near the industrial districts which should be empty this time of day. Or running to the Stardust Garden to group with the girls.
Hashana was closer but I wasn't sure if these pursuers were just a familia that was a bit too insistent or Evilus members. I couldn't risk Hashana's life against a bunch of high level Evilus members, he was only Level three and his juniors hanging around him were probably even lower.
Accept my desires and let me out
If it came to a fight, they wouldn't be able to keep up.
Of the two choices I had, the industrial district was not feasible. I'd have to go around the entire city to avoid the major roads. Rushing to the Stardust Garden simply made more sense.
I adjusted my course through the side alleys and picked up a little more speed. Though with the way the stone was groaning under my feet I didn't dare push the subpar public infrastructure further.
Right as I began picking up more speed my primary pursuer also sped up, easily matching me. No, not matching me. Surpassing me, they were a little bit faster. I could tell they weren't giving it their all either.
Now, you've become the hunted
With the pace at which they were closing the gap, they'd catch up to me before I could get to Astrea familia's home.
…I wasn't sure how they were tracking me, but I assumed it was sound based. If so, I knew of a place I could lose them.
Daedalus Street. A street which had been constructed thousands of years ago with a lay out that was downright bizarre. Its odd design caused constant echoing and disruption of sound, not really noticeable accept over long distances. That place could hide me from two senses, sight and sound.
Moreover there was one more advantage to going there. According to most people that place had no patterns and obeyed no logic in its design.
Wrong, every single thing created by human hands had patterns. We were simply built to fit into them, even if most people couldn't make it out that place absolutely had a pattern. I didn't exactly understand it fully either, but I could tell there was a pattern there.
Maybe it was some remnant of my power or maybe it was because I'd simply gotten used to making out patterns as I'd gotten more and more proficient with my power but regardless of its actual reason, I was good at it. Better than most at least.
I was sure I'd be able to find my way inside there better than my pursuer. Even in the worst-case scenario I could separate the primary pursuer from their back up.
Isolate and slaughter
My route changed as I made up my mind. Even as the gap between me and them was closing I made my way towards Daedalus Street. My pursuer must've realised as they started picking up the pace to the point that I was starting to hear roof tiles crack under their feet.
It was too late though; I'd already reached the maze-like streets. Shortly after I stepped in the noise of their footsteps distorted and eventually began echoing all around the streets. Mine were most likely hidden as well. Even then I could tell they were close, a couple dozen meders at most.
I continued running memorising the streets as and trying to figure out the best way through every single time. Couldn't tell how successful I was, but the noise of my pursuer's footsteps had become more distant.
Not to the degree that I'd hoped for, they were still tracking me somehow. Even if they weren't taking the best possible routes, I wasn't able to shake them off either.
How were they tracking me? It couldn't be sound, the echoes made it almost impossible. Sight? Unlikely. Maybe some sort of skill? As far as I knew Skills could have a lot of varied effects, a tracking skill wasn't impossible…
As I was thinking that I passed by a group of people, specifically a family of beast people. They realised I was coming by earlier than the others I'd passed by and hurriedly ducked into an alleyway before I was even properly in their sight.
I must be off my game if it took me this long to realise this. It was smell. The person chasing after me must've been a beast person of some sort, who had exceptional senses even when compared to other adventurers. If so that easily explained how they were tracking me. Smell.
How the hell do I confuse that? Run upwind? Not like it'd matter much if they could smell me like a damn blood hound.
Smoke bombs? They should do the trick, but Daedalus Street was inhabited. I couldn't just toss them around, the smoke they made wasn't exactly breathable.
Shit, what do you even do to hide your scent? I was sure Fels had been telling me about a magic item for this exact thing. Damn it I should've just taken it along. I'd gotten too comfortable.
The surface is no haven
Alright. I just needed to run. As far as I could tell the pattern this place was built in would let me turn seven times left and then five times right. If I did that while still running at top speed, I should be able to make a large enough gap to exit out of Daedalus Street and rush to Astrea familia's home without them closing the gap.
Or… I could ambush the bastard.
Rip the throat, shatter the limbs and tear out the heart
I had my baton and sword with me, I could hide in a crevice in one of the alleyways and jump them when they were following my scent.
I'd been running long enough that my pursuer must've been getting a bit sloppy at this point. If they were on Autopilot following my scent I'd get the first strike.
…
Let's go for it.
Six left turns and four right ones. Following those would lead me to the "main" portion of the street and then another right turn would lead to a side alley. Or it should. If the pattern held.
Lure them in and spill their innards
I felt my hand hovering over my sword. With a shake of my head and a grimace I unsheathed my baton instead. I couldn't tell where my pursuer was, but they were still pursuing me. Alright.
I ducked into an alleyway and climbed up the side of nearby building to hide myself and my shadow beneath a small balcony. I breathed deeply to calm myself even as I listened to the rushing footsteps get closer.
A few dozen meders more.
I shifted my feet and hands around positioning for a proper alpha strike. I'd knock this bastard down on their ass and beat the answers out of them.
Extinguish their spark
A second later a figure entered my vision. A cat man with messy black hair and a fierce scowl on his features. He had a spear in one hand at a resting position leaning against his right shoulder and his left shoulder was covered by a silver shoulder guard. He wore even less armour than the average adventurer. A tight sleeveless shirt, a single sided cape and some almost casual looking pants were the only pieces of "armour" he had on. Though I suppose you could count his grieves as well.
He seemed vaguely familiar, as if I'd heard his description before.
He stopped and began looking around. Just before he could look up, I pushed off the stone surface under my boots cracked lightly. I saw his ears twitch lightly, but he had no visible reaction as I flew.
Or that was the case right as I was about to smash his head into the ground with my baton. In the last second, he blurred away from me at such a speed that I had trouble keeping up. My baton smashed into the ground causing a minor tremor as it turned the pavement to dust.
Ah…
That explains it. I know where I recognised him from. Vana Freya, Level six of Freya familia.
Shit… I did not want trouble with possibly the strongest familia in the city, only really comparable to Loki familia. Still, trouble had found me.
I rose up to my full height towering over the short cat man by about six or seven inches. He stared up at me disdainfully.
"Tch! The Goddess wanted you unharmed, but she shouldn't mind a few cuts." He spoke as if he was trying to make up for his short height by spewing bullshit.
I cracked my neck lightly even as I watched him closely. This man was known as the "City's Fastest" and as he'd just shown me, he was way faster than me. I couldn't go on the offensive; countering strikes were my only bet.
Without a millisecond's warning he blurred forth with his spear aimed at my left shoulder. I let him reach me and deflected the first strike away with my baton nestled against my forearm. I stepped forth towards his guard to jab him in the stomach with my prosthetic arm, but he blurred away to my side again.
Tch, he was faster than I'd thought.
Hold him down
I deflected his probing strikes again and again even as I moved my feet around to sweep his legs. He was quick about it though, he pulled back slightly and kicked at my stomach. I slammed my fist onto his leg but even as he took the hit he thrust his spear towards my upper shoulder.
I couldn't dodge, even if I dashed back now his spear would catch up to me. A sideways dodge was not possible either.
I grit my teeth and let the strike pierce into my shoulder. With his spear stuck I spun around with the momentum from the blow to knee him in the ribs. In his shock from seeing me make no attempt to avoid the hit whatsoever he didn't manage to move away from my own blow.
My knee slammed into his midsection, there was no crunch to signify a broken rib. There was a satisfying hiss of pain from him as he retreated though.
He cursed under his breath as he blurred away again.
I silently shifted back into a defensive stance and wiped some of my own blood off my face. He simply stared in silent rage and shock as my wound closed rapidly.
"Tch, she always seems to find the freaks." He complained scathingly even as he prepared for another rush. He seemed more serious about it this time.
I didn't reply to him, I'd have loved to quip back but seeing as I wasn't a fucking idiot I preferred to keep silent.
He scowled further seeing my passive stare and kicked off the ground blasting apart the pavement underneath us. His spear came in a frenzied rush from all angles, and I was forced to move around my baton to defend myself, even then a few nicks and cuts were getting through.
As if that wasn't enough, I couldn't hit him back either, he stayed far away actually making use of his longer reach. Shit, that was bad. My regeneration could easily outpace those cuts, but I was bound to slip up eventually as he dashed around.
Desperate to change things up I suddenly stepped into his guard and batted away his spear for a second only to follow it up with a jab from my prosthetic arm. The hit barely connected as he rolled away only clipping his shoulder with the guard on it.
Even then I heard my Prosthetic make a concerning cracking noise. Too much, too fast. Damn it.
I thrust forth my baton and slammed it into his spear again buying me a couple of milliseconds to think.
I had to move in further, but even then, my prosthetic couldn't withstand the kind of punishment I'd need to give him. A weak point then? People had quite a few of them, usually bundles of nerves and such.
Those wouldn't be enough.
Tear out his scornful eyes
There were also more visceral week points such as the eyes. But blinding him? I doubted people could really heal or replace eyes easily in this world…
He wants to kill you
What were his intentions?
I pulled back slightly and kicked at his midsection with a spin kick to make some more space. Predictably he avoided the blow by blurring under it and pulling back himself.
He'd said something about his goddess… The goddess of Love and War Freya, I'd heard nothing good about her. Things like her being a "collector" and having a familia of slavishly devoted maniacs. Though they were mostly rumours.
Regardless… if she'd sent someone like this to drag me to her, her intentions couldn't be good.
…
Tear him apart or he will kill you
He was attacking me. I needed to stop him. It was as simple as that; I didn't have the precision to temporarily blind him or the strength and speed to pummel him into the ground.
Smoke bombs? Most of the residents must've gotten away at this point so it should be fine. Or maybe even one of the flashbangs I had on me. I could escape if I used them.
Don't let him get away
No If I didn't teach him not to mess with me here, he'd just come back later.
I'd have to do this. Right? I felt an uncomfortable feeling wash over me but suppressed it.
Allen was still observing me almost searching for a way to enter my guard. I needed some bait.
I shifted my body slightly so that my left arm would be a bit over extended. Moments later Allen burst forth with a rush towards the opening. He looked suspicious of it, or I thought he did. His face was permanently stuck in an annoyed and dismissive scowl, so it was a bit difficult to tell.
Even if he was suspicious, he'd clearly not expected the fight to go on this long. He was getting impatient.
I banished those thoughts as our weapons connected with a shower of sparks and a terrible screech. We clashed two times until I was satisfied that he was properly drawn in. Finally right as he dived in with a powerful thrust, I left myself open.
I saw his eyes widen as his spear stabbed into my arm and pierced through it, he understood what was about to happen and tried to pull his spear out, but I acted faster. I grit my teeth and grabbed onto the shaft of his weapon and pulled it closer along with him. I kneed him in the stomach first and then latched onto his face with my prosthetic drawing him forcefully closer.
End him, rip out his throat, squish his head and drink from his jugular.
His eyes widened his shock, and he desperately tried to escape, even letting go of his spear to do so. But the leverage wasn't in his favour, I had him trapped. Even though he was probably stronger than me his small stature and weak leverage meant he couldn't use it fully right now.
I felt a smirk growing on my face as I drew him close, and my prosthetic's thumb inched towards his eye.
He watched both the bloodthirsty smirk on my face and the thumb moving towards his eye with nothing but spite and wrath in his eyes. His attempts to escape became more and more desperate as my thumb inched closer.
Right as I was about to gauge his eye, I heard a faint whistling noise. Without a moments hesitation I pushed him off me to dodge backwards. Right on time too.
A spear matching his own sailed past where my chest had been as I backstepped. One of the reinforcements? This soon? They must've been faster than I'd thought.
"Brother!" I heard a woman fearful shout coming from the entrance of the alleyway. She had brown hair and clothes that matched her supposed brother even including a golden shoulder guard on her right shoulder.
Seeing her so afraid sobered me up.
Fuck… I was about to…
It… I didn't mean to go that far. I was just going to subdue him.
Why had I even fought him? It would've made more sense to run to Astrea familia.
No, I knew why. I hadn't realised it, but that voice had been talking again, playing on my own fears and pushing me off the edge.
…I felt nauseous to my core. Had I not been interrupted; would my thumb have stopped at his eye? I'd almost killed him right then and there. Damn it… Damn it all!
I'd lost control! If I'd killed him, what the hell would I have even done? I'd have no choice but to run away. Even then, I wasn't sure if I could get away from Freya familia.
"You stupid cat! I told you not to come!" Allen shouted at his sister but the heavy breaths he was taking and the fearful look in his eyes just made it seem desperate.
I lowered my weapon slightly and ripped his spear out of my arm. I threw it to the side of the alley away from Allen.
"She saved you dipshit, you'd be dead if she wasn't here." I spoke for the first time since we'd seen each other.
His spiteful gaze turned towards me immediately. He readied himself even without his spear.
"Anya, if you know what's good for you for once in your pathetic life, run. This bitch is insane." He warned her slightly.
I couldn't exactly refute his point; I had been acting like a lunatic. Still… he was gang stalking me a few moments prior.
"Why are you even fighting, Lady Freya just said to invite her for coffee!?" Anya asked as she stepped back obediently. Weird for her to be so obedient. Though I might be biased against little sisters and older brothers. The only pair I knew didn't exactly have the most normal relationship.
…Actually with the way they acted these two might be worse than them.
Wait… "invite her for coffee"? Huh? Why were they gang stalking me then?
I stood shocked for a single second and that was all Allen needed to rush forth. If it hadn't been for my fast reflexes I would've been punched right in the kidney. As it was right now, I deflected his fist aimed for my midsection down and spun around to sweep his legs.
He simply flowed around my kick and came again from the side to strike at my prosthetic arm. Asshole. I let myself fall backwards and pushed myself away from him. I pulled out a flashbang as I was moving and began getting ready to throw it.
"Stop! Please just stop for a second!" The younger sibling shouted. And I held myself back from throwing it.
I came to a stop a couple of meders away from Allen. Even he stopped moving for a moment though he didn't shift away from his stance. I saw him inching closer to his weapon.
"Brother, please! You're going to get punished again! We might get scolded again anyways! The Goddess said to just invite her!" She begged her brother.
He didn't say anything in reply just gritting his teeth and growling at me. Weirdo.
The younger cat person came forth and bowed her head slightly.
"We-we're here to tell you that Lady Freya would like to meet with you over coffee!" She forced out in with a shaky voice. It almost sounded like she'd practiced the line, or that someone had said the line to her for her to repeat verbatim.
I lowered my baton but kept my flashbang in my hand. Invitation for coffee? From Freya?
What should I even do? Rejecting the offer was tempting, way too tempting in fact. But I wasn't sure what kind of reaction that'd have.
"You were gang stalking me for that?" I asked a bit incredulously.
The younger sibling averted her eyes whereas the older one simply scowled harder.
"We'd meant to tell you after the crowd dispersed but you sensed us first and began running… Big brother panicked and chased after you." She admitted much to the irritation of her brother.
As he sent a glare her way she shrunk back and bowed her head muttering apologies. That relationship definitely wasn't healthy.
So what… I'd acted harshly the moment I felt danger? No wait, what kind of person follows after someone they're trying to invite from the rooftops?
"Couldn't you have… given the Astrea familia a letter or asked Ganesha familia?" I deadpanned.
Unimpressed wasn't even coming close to describing what I was feeling right now. I felt like leaving right now solely because of how stupid their plan had been but the idea that they'd just do this again sometime later stopped me.
Anya looked guilty but Allen seemed unphased as if he was the one in the right here.
He spat on the ground and rose to a neutral stance.
"Are you coming or are we going to have to invite you like you are some princess?"
He got over almost having his eye gouged out surprisingly quickly.
…
Coming with them was the preferrable option. It could've been an ambush, but it didn't seem that way, it really did seem to be a case of them lacking even the slightest inclination of social skills.
Well… if it was Freya familia, they had no real reason to bother with this sort of ambush. Ottar could probably kill me nearly instantly if he truly wanted to and it wasn't like they didn't have a bunch of other level sixes to overwhelm me either.
Even discounting that, they had no reason to go after me.
Better talk with this Freya and get things sorted out, I'd never seen a goddess of beauty before, but I imagined they didn't take rejection well. Best to hear her out and then act accordingly.
"Fine. Lead the way then." I said cautiously.
Just another thing to deal with. As if I needed any more problems.
Freya the Goddess of Beauty
Allen was taking a lot longer than expected, I'd even sent Anya and a few others with him, so he'd just invite her instead of doing something stupid…
Hmm… I had a bad feeling about this, he'd definitely acted up again.
"My Lady, Anya and Allen have been spotted five minutes away with Nameless Guide. Allen hasn't come to report early like you'd asked him to." Hedin reported dutifully from behind me.
I'd wanted to bring along Ottar, but he had dived deep down again once Loki familia came back.
Though for this sort of thing Hedin was probably the better option. Ottar was smarter than he gave himself credit for but when it came to examining and evaluating people as people instead of "warriors" Hedin was plain better.
Still… if Allen hadn't come back earlier, he probably didn't want to leave his sister alone with Taylor. Concerning, Allen was protective, in fact I'd say he was overprotective of his sister. But even for him not leaving her alone with someone in broad daylight in the middle of a main street?
…It didn't speak well of whatever had gone down that'd delayed them.
"Hedin, what do you think of Taylor Hebert?" With a curious smile I asked my dutiful retainer.
The blonde-haired elf adjusted his glasses silently before thinking for a moment.
"From the way she holds herself I'd assume some sort of soldier, most likely decently educated. Given her presumed strength of level six, which I have to confirm appears accurate, I'd assume she's a part of specialised nobility.
Likely of the Loren portion in central Empire territory given her phenotype but as I am not an expert in regard to human variations, I cannot ascertain this. As far as I am aware this territory has no need of such a warrior class besides the monster raids in the past brought about whenever Leviathan got past the barricades and into the rivers to attack cities.
Suffice to say, with her likely age of around 18 to 25 it is unlikely she was raised that way." Hedin ranted with a steady but informative tone.
I'd forgotten that even though he was one of the silent ones this child did like teaching. I'd accidentally set this side of him off.
…Well I did like a yapper. So it was, absolutely fine.
"-furthermore, given the information I've gathered about her abilities, which include not only a rare regenerative ability but also some sort of skill that induces a berserk state, it'd be sensible to assume that she's a primarily vanguard combatant. However, from the way she holds herself I'd assume she served in some battlefield control position, possibly a rearguard or some other similar position."
Though he was ranting quite fast and giving quite the detailed addressing, I'd meant what he thought of her as a person…
Well, even Hedin was an Adventurer at heart.
I kept stirring my coffee and halfway listening to him yap on. Actually… this wasn't that bad.
"-in conclusion. I am of the opinion that she's still a relative unknown whose worth is not enough to justify overly interfering with her without full knowledge of her past, Lady Freya." Heding ended his speech in a bit of a boring manner.
I waved him off.
"I just want a little peak; you know I haven't been able to catch a glimpse of her when people watching. Something is hiding her soul, and I want to know why. It's just idle curiosity." I reassured my worrywart of a child.
Hedin bowed his head lightly.
"Be that as it may, it is my duty as your retainer to warn you." He admitted lightly.
Hmm Hmm…
Well he wasn't wrong exactly. But just a little peak wouldn't hurt, I might've been something of a collector but even I knew when to leave a soul be. Sometimes, they shined the brightest right where they were.
I patted him on the arm lightly as he stared out the window worriedly watching something. A moment later the bells attached to the door of the coffee shop I'd rented out rang. Without a single word footsteps began ascending the stairs to the room we were in.
Totally silent, how ominous.
I couldn't lie, the suspense excited me greatly.
A few seconds later Allen's familiar form entered the room first and stepped to the side to let someone pass. Even as Taylor was climbing the stairs after him my eyes were drawn to Allen first.
Wounded. He was hiding it well, but I could notice regardless. Right around his ribs, caused by some sort of blunt force trauma. Not enough to break or fracture a rib but I knew for a fact there was a nasty bruise there from the way he walked. Besides that his face had a slight redness to it near his left eye, it almost looked like he'd been roughly grabbed there.
His wounds made me pay more attention to his gear as well. His silver shoulder guard was slightly scraped, and his spear was blunted. Almost certainly damaged when it had clashed with something hard.
They'd fought. Why had they fought? I'd just sent him to deliver an invitation?!
I recovered from my shock and finally turned to look at my query. Even before I could get a proper look at her body her soul threw me for a loop. Though I did understand why I hadn't noticed her before. There was a veil hiding her soul from me, an overwhelming shimmering grey haze that certainly didn't belong to her.
Hmm…No, it wasn't a haze, it was tendrils. Millions of them all around her soul trying to reach it but failing and being held back by something. That's… unique. Almost horrifying and mystifying at the same time. What an odd emotion to feel…
Am I disgusted by it? Something to consider.
I disregarded them for a moment, I couldn't get a proper glimpse at her soul but the slight glimmer it cast made shadows appear on the tendrils. What I saw…
Well I'd most equate it for someone with holes and tears in their body just walking around going about their day. Was that section disconnected entirely? I couldn't tell by the shadows, but I swear I saw a few parts of her soul hanging by threads.
Even if I'd never seen it go to this extent, I knew what this was. Anima Erosion, it occasionally occurred when Mortals came into contact with something they weren't meant to see or due to heavy psychological issues. But it was usually such a minor thing that it was enough to run their souls by the Divine Flame or some other source of "warmth" they'd just patch themselves over.
But well… Anima Erosion usually only became noticeable in such a way if it wasn't treated for hundreds of incarnations.
Either Taylor Hebert had come into contact with… the heart of the Dungeon or she'd beheld something or somethings no mortal mind could handle.
The tendrils? They reached for her… from the sky.
Oh.
The Guest.
Wait. Then our Guest was trying to reach Taylor's soul. And as far as I could tell, besides the clear Anima Erosion Taylor's own soul was entirely missing sections.
Hmm? Wait a moment. She's repairing herself. That bit, I'm fairly sure it was just about to be ripped off. Yet moments later it's been drawn closer to the whole and was mending back together?
She was reinforcing her identity.
It was… fascinating. Disgusting too, frankly absolutely abhorrent to the eyes of the Deusdea. But I couldn't look away simply watching on in horror. This… this was the only thing I'd ever seen in the mortal realm that could truly be called Heresy.
Clearly the Guest and Taylor were connected. How exactly I wasn't sure, but the Guest had come here in search of Taylor.
Had they communed? Two alien perspectives melding to one. How… intimate. And Dangerous.
A spit in the face of natural perspectives.
The connection must've been disrupted when Taylor's soul had eroded too much. So the Guest had come here in search of her. Clearly sections of Taylor's soul had been ripped apart and I could presume that the Guest carried them.
Oh how I wished I could behold them in their entirety… This terrible mixture of this stubborn soul that just wouldn't die and that Guest…
Though that made me question something. If the Guest had taken parts of Taylor… had Taylor taken parts from the Guest? I'd assume so, but with the tendrils hindering my vision I had no way of telling which parts were Taylor's and which the Guest's.
If such a distinction could even be made anymore.
Someone cleared their throat next to me and I was yanked back into the real world.
Hedin looked at me questioningly. My gaze quickly snapped over to Taylor and Allen along with Anya, who were looking awkwardly towards me. Though Taylor was looking anywhere but me.
How long had I been staring?
I cleared my throat lightly.
"Excuse, me. Taylor, please come sit. I invited you to get acquainted since Astrea spoke so highly of you." I explained with a smile I knew was inviting.
Taylor's empty eyes settled on my face and even though I could see the slightest bit of fluster, they didn't falter. Hmm… no, those eyes weren't empty. They were analytic.
How odd… was this what it felt like when someone stared into your soul? Thrilling.
"Could've sent someone that wouldn't have gang stalked me." She sassed as she moved closer to the table I was sitting at.
Gang stalked?
Oh my goodness, Allen had been on the roofs again! I'd told him not to do that! Did I have to shoo him off with a broom myself for him to get it!?
I cringed and turned to stare at Allen, who suddenly did that scowling pout of his.
"I… apologize for that, I'm sure they'd not meant to spook you." I tried saying diplomatically.
Taylor looked distinctly unimpressed even as she pulled out the chair to sit. Though I could easily tell she was afraid. Having both Hedin and Allen in the room must've spooked her.
"Anya, you can grab your brother and head home. Also inform Hörn to bring in some fresh cups of coffee for myself and Taylor." I ordered with a somewhat strained smile.
My little cat bowed her head deeply and pathetically tugged at her brother's pants to leave. Allen sent me an unapologetic look and a distrustful stare at Taylor before going along with his sister.
I'd say… he'd almost looked afraid.
The two siblings descended the stairs silently. As they did so I sent Hedin a look. As expected, he received the message immediately.
"I will be outside, please call for me if you need anything." He announced politely before leaving as well.
Taylor looked a lot less tense now. Good, I'd not meant to scare the poor girl.
"Sorry about the scare, I'd not meant to distress you." I said as Taylor unwinded slightly.
"Regardless, I'd like to get this over with soon. No insult to you, but I have matters to take care of." She said cautiously.
Understandable, I'd not begrudge her for something so minor. Though… goddesses of beauty had a bad reputation. I could understand her caution. Hmm… what to start with?
"Of course, of course. Though I have to ask… are you connected with our Guest in the sky?" I got directly to the juiciest point. Much to my delight I was treated to the fractured shadows of her soul suddenly coming together as if her panic had made it kick into a fight or flight mode.
Hmm… not really cute. But it was impressive how much subconscious control she had over her own soul.
She looked into my eyes as if trying to guess at how much I knew. Even then she refused to talk. Of course, it was meaningless to lie before a god. This was her best option but even then, it only confirmed my suspicions.
"Please, don't be afraid. It is just the idle curiosity of a goddess." I spoke placatingly. Though it didn't have much effect. I could feel it, she was about to bolt outside.
Should I…? No, there is no need.
Just as I was about to say something else suddenly Taylor calmed down and took a deep breath.
"Yes." She said simply. It was as if a weight lifted off her. She was staring straight into my eyes with a mixture of fear and anticipation in her eyes.
"I see." I sent her a simple smile.
She didn't quite deflate but a brief flash of "That's it?" passed through her expression.
"I was just curious; not like I'd want you to just tell me what it is. The mystery is the most thrilling part." I explained to her.
I saw Taylor gulp lightly. Hmm… she wasn't used to dealing with gods all that much.
As I was about to continue onto the next topic, I had my Hörn stepped into the room silently. Taylor's eyes darted to her before she'd even entered but the moment, she saw the two fresh cups of coffee she relaxed a bit.
Hörn carefully set down the cups and retrieved my old cup. I sent her a kind smile as she did so. I noticed that Taylor was staring at her as well. She had a bit of a put off expression.
I felt a bit offended, but I could understand why she'd react to Hörn's…demeanour that way. Though she was a beauty that outmatched anyone else in our Familia except for me… her personality and damaged sense of self did make people who noticed that sort of thing put off by her.
Hörn elegantly left the room. Seconds later Taylor spoke.
"You can't have gone to all this trouble just to ask me that, what's your pitch?" She asked with a mix of frustration on boredom in her tone.
I knew very well just how tiresome getting too much attention could be. Better get on with it then, this was just a formality anyways.
"Alright then." I spoke sending her my best smile, which earned me a maiden-like blush. She averted her eyes quickly. How cute.
"Would you like to join my familia?" I asked apparently much to Taylor's annoyance.
"What do you think?" She asked back bluntly along with a raised eyebrow and disappointed scowl.
I smiled a bit sheepishly and laughed lightly. The slight gasp that came from Taylor made me put a stop to it though, best to not affect her too much.
"Can't fault me for trying, can you? A goddess, any goddess will always want what she doesn't have." Though I said that, I didn't actually intend on recruiting Taylor. I had no doubt that she'd be interesting to have along, but my Familia wouldn't be where she could shine.
She was too rigid, too structured for that. I was sure of it. Because even if I couldn't see her soul clearly, I could make out that it was… moulded for a purpose. She had done that to herself. That sort of principle spoke of either some sort of obsession or a certain mentality. Perhaps both.
"I certainly can fault you, you might not have realised it, but I have a maximum of hundred years of so of life ahead of me. Can't go wasting it." She sassed straight to my face.
Oh… this was fun? How odd, it almost felt like my roleplay. Hmm… though she was right. I was wasting her time.
"I'll make it worth your while, okay? I'm fairly sure I got a luxury box of chocolates straight from the chocolatiers of the Empire. Would that be alright?" I asked not at all jokingly. I wasn't too much of a fan of sweets, and those chocolates would just be wasted on me.
Though now that I've said it… I'd fallen a bit too close to my roleplay persona. Hmm… I think getting sassed so directly and semi insulted fried my brain for a second. I almost forgot I was Freya.
Though it seems Taylor hadn't thought much of my slight break of character. She had a slight ponderous look on her face.
"I'm sure Ais will appreciate it at least; I'll accept your bribe." She finally answered with a soft smile.
Hmm… her tone and demeanour had changed, almost like she was falling into an old habit. Or rather like she was talking with an old friend. Well I wasn't the only one having lapses in character then.
I brought my hands together in front of me and leaned forward slightly, accidentally playing more and more into my other role. Ugh… I'd not meant to do that.
"Glad to hear it, but before you leave… can I ask one more question?" I asked her using a girlish tone.
Taylor motioned for me to continue on.
"Why don't you want to join my familia?" I asked her casually. The moment I said that I saw Taylor grimace. She almost seemed hesitant to say.
"Disregarding your vice-captain stalking me from the rooftops and my… dislike of his personality, it's the rest of your followers. I don't like the look in their eyes." She said simply after thinking for a moment.
"The look in their eyes?" I found myself asking. I'd really thought it was something practical like her close relationship with Loki's familia. Or maybe she disliked me for some reason. For her major concern to be my children… It was odd.
Taylor sipped her coffee before speaking.
"With the feeling I get from you… the way your Divine Will feels so… I'd almost call it inviting but caged. You feel like a being to be admired and nothing else. It's a bit disturbing on its own but with that slight obsession written all across your follower's eyes.
They creep me out, I'd not realised what it was until I saw you but the moment I did, that creepy look they all had suddenly became that much more irksome. They are a familia that exists solely to admire you and strive for your attention." She explained casually whereas I could only listen to her feeling terribly uncomfortable.
She could feel domains. Not unexpected especially considering the Anima Erosion and her communion with the Guest. She couldn't be considered as anything less than a 'Sage'.
But to think she could read through me like that using it… Well this was something I should've foreseen. The Deusdea can't even properly notice each other's domains down here, in fact we could barely even feel each other's divinity.
Because of that I'd forgotten to hide my feelings from leaking out through my domain and Taylor had pieced everything together. To think I'd be exposed so easily like this.
Regardless, I couldn't fault Taylor for noticing what I was putting off and I definitely couldn't fault her for realising the cage my own familia had become around me.
I smiled to hide the despair I was feeling. I wasn't the only one thinking it, I'd been trapped in yet another cage. The worst thing was… this time it was all my fault.
I didn't blame her for not wanting to step into this mess.
She just kept staring at me with those inhuman eyes of hers. There was… pity and disgust in equal measure in them. I still couldn't say anything back.
Meeting with Freya had… not been what I'd expected. She wasn't like what I'd expected the so-called Queen of Orario to be. Well she was but even then, she'd let go of the façade surprisingly quickly.
Weirdly enough, it'd gone over well. Or at least better than I had been expecting. To be honest, I'd thought she'd be this uncaring goddess that tried to take whatever she fancied but she was more… normal than I'd expected. Maybe she was putting on a show to try to get me to join.
Like hell. That familia of hers creeped me out so much. Every single one I'd seen were just that slightest bit off. The way they orbited around her but also strangled her…
The fact that I could feel her constant despair at it wafting off her…
I couldn't even call her a master, I'd seen her. She was just beautiful. She was by far the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. Not irresistible, not to the degree I'd think it was unnatural either.
The absolute peak of beauty. Beauty that was so enchanting I'd panicked for a moment when I saw her, and it had made her Familia into… whatever it was. Actually could I consider it a master effect then?
No, it was far beyond conventional beauty but even then, it wasn't like cults hadn't been formed on Earth Bet before powers came around.
Hmm… actually Freya had seemed irked about it too, so this was the version where she wasn't using it consciously. Could she actually amplify it to degree that was actually a master power?
If so, I'd been spared simply because Freya hadn't tried anything…
I'd say I should've been more on guard, but I was still working off of assumptions here. Being paranoid of her purely off of my assumptions seemed a bit…
Well, it seemed a bit irrational.
…I'm not going near her ever again regardless. No matter how much she despaired at being trapped I was not someone who could save her from that. Even if she really didn't have a master power best thing, I never interact with her and her familia ever again.
"Taylor!" I heard someone calling out to me. I broke out of my thoughts and turned towards Hashana, who was waving at me from a private table in our meeting spot. A tea shop owned by a retired Ganesha familia adventurer. Our table specifically had a privacy screen as well. We'd not be overheard here even by high level adventurers.
"You look good, something good planned for later?" I commented idly as I sat down across him. He really did look good. He'd been growing a beard recently and had finally properly groomed it. I had to say it was fitting for him. Besides that he had some more… non adventurer like clothes on. Hell if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was getting ready for a date.
"You can tell? I scored a date with that girl I was telling you about." He bragged but there was a bit of anxiousness in his tone.
The girl he was telling me about… Oh the amazon girl from Hathor familia.
"Good going, I thought you'd remain single forever." I tried teasing.
Hashana grinned widely.
"Well… with you running me haggard I finally thought better get started on settling down, get what I'm saying?"
I did, Hashana… well he was an adventurer but the reason he was an adventurer wasn't because he wanted to be strong or anything like that. He'd grown up around Ganesha familia and had joined them because it seemed the right thing to do. He'd gotten to the top of level three through years upon years of hard work.
As far as I knew though other than as a source of income and his duties as one of Ganesha's children he didn't care much about adventuring.
"Good luck, I have no advice to give you though. Neither for retirement nor the date." I spoke as a waitress brought over a tea kettle and two cups.
Hashana waved me off.
"No offence but I never expected that sort of thing from you. You're what, 20? Even if you weren't you don't seem like the person to ever-"Hashana stopped speaking in the middle of his sentence while staring at my arm.
"…Is that blood?" He asked pointing at my punctured sleeve. I looked away silently. I'd thought the dark colour and heavy wool would hide the blood well.
But I really was hoping I'd bee able to keep it hidden.
"Holy hell, you smell like blood too." He uttered silently.
I bopped him on the head for it. He flinched and yelped from the impact.
"Don't tell a woman she smells like blood, idiot!" I'd not really been all that offended but he was going on a date after this, he needed to learn.
"I get it! I get it, please lower your fist! I swear you're worse than Ilta I swear." He complained loudly.
I did lower my arm and waited for a second as Hashana took a sip of tea.
"I had a run in with Vana Freya, bastard was stalking me from the rooftops." I explained as he was calming himself down.
Suddenly he started choaking on his tea. I made to stand up to help him, but he stopped me with a raised hand.
Once he was done coughing, he asked me.
"How the hell did you get mixed up with that psycho?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"His goddess wanted to talk to me apparently, he was a bit too overzealous with his invitation." I explained as I drunk some of my own tea.
Hmm… Well it wasn't terrible, but daisy tea wasn't something I really liked.
"I don't even want to know… If you're fine, then I guess we'll move on to the important bits."
I nodded to him as I focused a bit. His familia's findings on Evilus. They'd been hard at work while I was busy.
"To start with something good, we've finally finished clearing the tunnels inside the walls and are working with a few construction familias to fill them all back up."
I nodded silently as I listened. Hashana took that as permission to move along.
"Problem is, as far as we can tell the smuggling hasn't stopped, that means there is some way in or out of the city we've not found yet. As if that wasn't enough, we haven't been able to find any of the other confirmed Evilus members we've been searching for. They're probably being hidden by civilians."
Read Evilus Members we can't implicate without more proof. Sometimes I wish I could just waltz in and arrest them all to be sorted out later. Sadly Orario was a political shitshow, comes with the only central Authority around being the Guild.
"I know what you're thinking, and we still can't just go raiding them." Hashana said.
I knew. It was frustrating but I understood better than he knew. The worst part was that if I had my power, I could find that evidence so easily.
But as it stood right now, we had to wait for those bastards to make a wrong move or for one of their foreign noble "business" partners to screw up. I swear when they did, I'd stomp them extra hard into the ground.
"I do have more good news though. Remember that lead I mentioned to you? We've confirmed a date for the shipment, it's going into the Dungeon surprisingly enough. To the 21st floor near a pantry. Our contact hasn't been able to confirm the contents, but we think it's high-quality ore due to its weight." Hashana explained with a calm voice narrating everything they found as he did so.
So the shipment would be left in a certain place and then be picked up shortly after by another party we didn't know of. Still…where exactly was it going if it was being left inside the Dungeon?
Some sort of tunnel outside from the Dungeon? No, people would've noticed that even if the 21st floor wasn't far too deep down to ever try to dig up from there. Seriously it was at least three hundred meders deep.
It just wasn't possible to dig something like that with their means. Or at to do so with no one the wiser.
"I'll be tracking them down and waiting for the retrieval party then?" I asked for Hashana to clarify.
He nodded.
"A group of us will be waiting for the delivery people as well so we can arrest them and get justification to arrest their familia as well. But we'll leave the retrieval party to you."
I leaned back on my chair. If we could get our hands on the people, I would be ambushing Fels we should be able to learn what the hell they were doing there. This was a really good lead.
"I'll get it handled. When are we descending?" I said as I was thinking.
"Five days from now."
Astrea familia was leaving tomorrow so I could properly see them off as well. Good. Best not to mention this to them though, wouldn't want them to worry needlessly.
"Alise for the last time we are not taking the Sword of Udaeus with us! You can't even use it."
"But it's BIG! I want to hit a dragon with it!"
"We'll get you a great sword made from it once we're back! Just load up the rest of your luggage already!"
I watched the exchange between Alise and Lyra, who was going over Astrea familia's collective luggage being loaded up onto a carriage.
"Are you really going to be alright?" I asked Kaguya who was standing by me similarly watching her familia.
She shrugged. "First time we're going as such a small group, but we've been doing these sorts of trips for a long time. We'll manage." She said confidently.
"Do people outside request your help often?"
Kaguya held out her hand and made a "kinda" motion.
"It's more like a lot of gods outside like Lady Astrea, so they'll ask her for help first before making a request. Besides that there are also the general requests made to the guild as well. She looks through them and if one of them really needs help we'll go over there." She explained.
That made a lot of sense, from what I'd seen Lady Astrea was very well liked by everyone in Orario it only made sense that she was liked and respected outside as well.
"Though we also sometimes pick up strays from the places we go. This might just be her ploy to recruit some fresh blood." Kaguya mentioned neutrally.
I picked up the undertone.
"You're not a fan of that?" I asked.
Kaguya closed her eyes for a moment.
"I'm worried the new kid is going to be disheartened. Lady Astrea doesn't quite understand how mortal grief works, none of the Deusdea do. So she doesn't realise how we're all still reeling from our losses. I bet she thinks having some new members to take care of will help… I'm not sure how true that is." She said with a hint of worry mixed with disappointment at herself.
I disagreed. They weren't over their grief yet, but I'd seen people get swallowed up by their loss. This wasn't that.
"You girls have what it takes to keep moving." I spoke plainly.
Kaguya stared at me silently for a moment.
"I hope you're right." With those words we descended back into silence until Kaguya was called away by Leon.
I silently approached Alise. "Looks like you're almost ready." I commented idly.
She sent me a teasing smile. "Regretting not coming along?"
I shook my head while taking out the Brass Sky Fels had given me.
"Some of us have responsibilities here, can't go galivanting around on an adventure."
Alise snickered.
"I'll bring back a few dragon heads for you. With what we've been hearing its some real stuff this time around. Dragons up to level five spotted surging out." She joked though it felt halfway serious.
I felt my eyebrows rise. Level five? Weren't monsters supposed to be weaker outside?
"They don't call it one of the Three Great Frontiers for no reason." Alise commented upon seeing my shocked face.
Ah… that made more sense, my kind-of advisor in the guild that wolf woman had told me the Dungeon was one of them as well. If Dragon Valley and the Dungeon were two of them, what was the last one?
Nothing good probably.
"Come back safe and sound." I said simply instead of quipping back.
Alise winked.
"Like there was any other option. More importantly, Miss Secret-Mission-I'm-Not-Telling-My-Friends, you better be in one piece once we get back as well." She teased. Looks like I'd not been able to keep that secret. Where the hell had it leaked from? Ganesha familia?
…Probably Ganesha familia.
"I will." I reassured her.
Alise smiled widely and threw herself at me with arms spread wide. I let her hug me tightly.
"We'll be back in a month and a half, so don't go doing anything too crazy without us, alright?" She said as she hugged me a bit too tightly.
"Sure, sure." I said tiredly. I felt like she really wasn't trusting me to take care of myself.
I'd been the one getting them out of sticky situations ever since we'd known each other.
Alise let go off me as her familia called for her. She sent me one last smile and ran off before Leon could call for her again.
I waved her and the rest of her familia goodbye as they boarded the carriage and set off on their journey.
It'd be a while before I saw them again. Though with how busy things looked it wasn't like I'd have time to get lonely.
An: Hello! Hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed playing From the Depths and forgetting to write this. Anyways a bunch of things getting moved about in this chapter with a lot of it as setting for the next one.
I also want to mention something real quick. If it was a fight to the death in an open field Allen would've won. Hell, the only reason he didn't win here is that he got cocky. For someone who is a fairly veteran Adventurer he does that a lot with the only contender for the "most arrogant" award in Freya familia being Bringar. And they are four guys.
Besides that… well there is also Freya to mention. As you can see, she's Fascinated by…(consider me gesturing vaguely at Taylor) the mess over there.
I feel like she'd get the same feeling I get whenever I see the craft of that one guy who makes Arpeggio of Blue Steel craft in FTD. Has no idea what the fuck is going on there, can vaguely understand and interpolate some things, in the end is left with a horrified and fascinated feeling.
She'd not really want Taylor in her Familia because of that, not like Taylor would want anything to do with her den of freaks either to be honest. For now she's just waiting and observing.
Well that's all from me, I'll see you next week… or the one after that.