Once the Monster had turned to ash, I finally felt myself relax. There was a painful ache throughout my body, but I wasn't injured. I had been but it was reformed, not necessarily regenerated. More like something had noticed that my form was lacking a part and stretched my flesh to fill it.
A Thump and a scream came from a few metres away. The red-haired girl had collapsed, her legs couldn't carry her scorched form any longer. Having her own magic reflected on her after just having been healed must've been too much to handle.
"Alise!" The easterner girls shouted at the red head as she and the other girls rushed to her aid. The hooded form of Fels was suddenly there without any forewarning.
They must've expected something like this to happen. They helped the girl into a sitting position and handed her a vial of… something orange helping her drink all the while.
I sat down on a rock that somehow hadn't been shattered in our scuffle and watched. The three girls clustered around the red head scolding and babying her in equal measure. Once the elf had ascertained the safety of the red head, their "Captain", she carefully; almost skittishly approached me.
She stared at me for a second her mouth opened and closed; the brilliant blue eyes darted about, looking at anything but me. It took me a second what she was trying to tell me.
The baton. Oh.
I extended it towards the elf. "Sorry for breaking it." I said. I didn't know how important that baton was, but it was her weapon nonetheless.
"N-no!" She shouted making me flinch slightly. Before managing to string together some of the words she wanted to say.
"I-I mean, it's fine! Even if it's broken… it- you." She got stuck again. I shook the remaining bits of the sword, trying to get her to take it.
She didn't. The tips of her ears had gone red as she struggled to speak.
This was so uncomfortable.
"What our elf is trying to say is: "Thank you for saving our asses!". Isn't that right, Leon?" A tired but refreshingly steady voice interrupted the elf and managed to save me from further discomfort.
The elf jumped from the voice of the pink haired girl.
"Yes!" She managed to get out.
I shook my head. "It's fine. I needed to remind myself of what was important anyways." I replied. The promise of a guide out of this place and the reward were still secondary. In my confusion I had almost forgotten what I did everything for.
It was for people, no matter what happens I can't let it be about anything other than people and myself.
It was for the people. It was for me.
The jittery elf finally managed to calm herself down and took the remains of her baton from my hands. With a muttered "Thank you, really."
The pink haired girl looked sceptically at me, I could tell despite her burned eyes and scarring around her upper face. "Well… even if that's the case, everyone other than Leon was going to die if you hadn't shown up." She pondered for a second.
"Say, which Familia are you from anyways. We're not in a state to pay you back right now, but we'll pay you back once we all get back to the surface." The short girl asked.
I didn't have an answer for her. I didn't even know what a familia was, and I doubted randomly saying a Greek God's name would be to my benefit. I remained silent, trying to think of an answer to dodge her question.
I was saved by an unexpected source. "I'm sure that's not important, Lyra!" The elf interrupted. Her eyes were slightly panicked and darting between myself and the shorter girl with pink hair. Her raised hands were shaking.
I'll take what I can. Best to say something even then.
"I'd prefer not to say." My response caused the suspicious look in the short girl to intensify. Her gaze darted between me and the elf.
Surprisingly she chose to let it go. "Well, alright then. We can talk about that once we're outside the Dungeon." At least for now. I could still feel her half-blind, suspicious stare.
Fels approached us once they were sure the Captain and the easterner didn't need assistance.
"I have done all that I can, but my resources are limited." They spoke earnestly.
"They need to get back to the surface for proper care then." I guessed.
The figure in robes nodded. "I am ashamed to ask you for more help, so soon after such a desperate battle, but-"
"You want me to escort you and them to the surface?" I interrupted again. I couldn't help the slight hope I knew leaked into my voice.
Another nod. "Yes, as you can see," Fels pointed at Lyra and Leon listening to our conversation from the side and to the other two gathering their breath. "the survivors of Astrea Familia aren't in proper fighting form, even getting back to a safe zone on the 28th floor from the 33th floor will not be easy for them."
My gaze caught on an errant sword stuck inside the ground to the side. "Especially if they want to recover their comrades' remains." I muttered.
The two members of the Astrea Familia looked resolute about it, so that was a certainty.
Fels's hidden eyes wandered the battlefield. I didn't need much convincing, I wanted to get to the surface as soon as possible, and a guide was the only way that would come to pass.
Find Aria… Bring her to me
"I needed to head up anyways. Can't wander down here forever."
"Ah, wonderful. We can talk about your reward once we ascend."
I hummed in assent.
"Girls…" I addressed both the resting girls and the two next to me.
Once I had their attention I continued. "Prepare for our journey, I'd give you time to grieve, but until we are safe, we can't let our guards down." I called out.
Grimaces all around followed shortly by determined nods. The girls got to work with grim determination trying to find intact and identifiable remains where they could and weapons or trinkets where they couldn't. Fels gave them a blue wool like cloth.
I assumed it was some sort of funeral cloth to wrap the bodies in or maybe a custom of this world. It seemed wasteful to carry something like that in the Dungeon, that or macabre. I assumed it must've served another purpose as well.
I didn't interfere with the girls work or call them to hurry it up. I waited patiently and only stood up to kill the errant monster, a few dinosaur-like monsters but nothing that was too dangerous. At least compared to the floors below that is.
I gathered their stones out of habit. But I wasn't sure I wanted to eat them any longer. Once I got to the surface, I would be able to eat normal food again.
Grow Devour Subsume
Hunger came over me. I could feel my mouth watering as I turned and tossed the stones in my hand.
"Hey miss!" I looked up from the stones. The red head was speaking to me.
"Are you done?" I asked lightly.
The Captain of the group had a bitter smile on her face. "There wasn't much left to recover, we've packed what we can. We'll bury them on the 18th floor. It was just a joke back then… But I think they would like it." She spoke softly, I could see the pain beneath the surface.
"It is all you can do for them now." I tried to reassure her.
She shook her head.
"No, I can still live up to our ideals. Inherit their wills and Justices. It is my duty as their Captain." Her eyes shone like the flames of a bonfire. Even a cursory glance at her face told me that this sort of pain was nothing new to this girl. But the flames burned yet.
Must be nice.
"Then come, we have to move now." I spoke again as I stood from my spot.
She turned to join the others. Fels began leading the way and I joined them. I let the girls drag the makeshift sled with weapons and wool covered lumps neatly placed onto it.
I, eyed the stones in my hand another time.
"Say… What exactly is your name, Miss?" The Captain asked once we began walking.
The question almost made me halt my steps.
What was my name anymore? I had been Taylor, Skitter, Weaver and in the end one last name had been given to me, Khepri. I think… I think I just wanted to be Taylor this time. Not the overbearing villain, not the finely honed machine against the end of the world and definitely not the insane and scattered weapon crafted in desperation against the golden monster.
Just Taylor Hebert, with that same purpose I had given myself when I first tried to play at being a hero. Being someone who helped people, being someone who mattered to others.
"Taylor, Taylor Hebert." I said as I kept glancing around, wary of monsters popping up.
Incidentally I caught a small glance of the Captain's determined smile.
"Then Taylor Hebert! I, Alise Lovell; Captain of the Astrea Familia, swear that our Familia will never forget what you've done for us!" She declared.
"This is one debt I don't mind our Captain dragging me into, cache it in whenever." The short pink haired girl, Lyra I think, agreed.
"I hate having someone clean up my messes. Not paying you back on top of that? It would tick me off forever." The easterner girl, whose name I still didn't know voiced her assent as well.
"I… If you hadn't come and I had lost everyone. I don't think I could've faced Lady Astrea. I will pay you back no matter what." The blonde elf, Leon the other girl had called her, swore right after.
I didn't have much to say.
I took off my mask, even though it felt unnatural to not have it over my face. Even though it felt like I was naked. I exposed my dishevelled and all too fallible face.
"I'll keep that in mind." I said in reply to their extravagant speeches.
I hooked the mask to a clasp on my belt and resumed keeping watch around us for more monsters.
I absent mindedly tossed a stone into my mouth, crunching it down. Only to hear a shriek.
I turned my hand on my knife instantly. But there was no threat. It was the girls, they were looking at me in shock.
"What are you doing! Spit it out!" Lyra shouted at me. I looked at her oddly and kept chewing.
"She's actually eating them…" The easterner muttered in shock.
"Ahahaha… can people do that?" Alise asked the elf.
"How should I know!?" The elf sent back.
Those were some wild reactions. Apparently, the strange rocks from inside the monsters weren't normally food.
Even Fels was looking at me oddly.
"What?" I asked as I sheathed my knife.
The pink haired girl brought her palm to her forehead massaging it lightly.
"Some rich idiots eat refined kobold stones and the like as an exotic seasoning, but I've never seen someone just chuck an unrefined magic stone, one from a lower floor monster at that into their mouth before."
"Can't those things power an oven for days on end?" The easterner asked.
"They could power a damned forge for a solid day." Lyra answered.
Apparently, I had been eating magic coal for days on end. No wonder I felt energised.
"I've been eating them for a long while, they're the only thing even nearing food I could find. I've had no adverse effects." I defended.
"Of course you haven't! With that regeneration skill of yours you could probably drink lava and be fine!" The pink haired girl scolded.
Regeneration skill? She must've meant that high speed regeneration of my arm. To call it a "skill" seemed weird. It must be a term for powers here. Besides that…
I suppose my current existence as a… something could have been what was allowing me to eat them. It would support the instincts coming from it that pushed me towards eating them as well.
A soft slap was heard and I turned my gaze to the side only to see their Captain shaking her hand lightly and with the Elf looking blankly at her. A shattered "magic" stone was laying on the ground.
"Don't try to imitate what you see others do immediately!" The Elf girl scolded in a disappointed tone.
"Ah! To have even Leon scold me so! I just wanted to try it, if I'm going to keep up my pure and elegant grace, I need all the energy I could get!" The captain bemoaned.
Was she?
"There goes our Captain…" Lyra complained.
"To have even Leon scold her…" The black-haired girl complained as well.
She was joking, trying to divert tension. Hide her own pain beneath an act and alleviate her companion's pain by acting as a fool.
…
I see. Even while carrying the remains of her other friends her primary focus was on the ones around her now.
And the others were going along with it. If I saw through it, they must have too. But they kept the act going. If they were like this, they must've been used to losing people.
I turned back and chucked another stone into my mouth. I wasn't going to stop eating just yet… Maybe after I got to eat real food, I'd stop.
"She turned around and kept eating!" Alise shouted from behind.
"Eh!?" The rest chorused.
I ignored them and kept walking. They would be fine as long as they had each other.
If they wanted to be rumbunctious to keep the pain down and carry on that was their choice. I had no stomach for it.
Ryuu Lyon the Idealist
A blast and the blur I had come to know as Taylor Hebert was off once again.
This was the eight time she had gone off to hunt monsters around us since we'd reached the dense forest of the 29th floor.
"There she goes again, not very social is she, that one?" Kaguya complained slightly.
"Hmm, I'd say that image does fit her what with that suit too."
Alise, who was carefully dragging the weapons and remains of our friends along with me replied to her.
"Maybe if it wasn't torn all to hell. It looks like a bunch of particularly tight rags right now."
I felt the urge to defend the woman.
"Lyra! She's been down here who knows how long you can't blame her for that!" I admonished.
"Leon's claimed her already I see. My, what a possessive elf we have." Kaguya sent back.
This shameless woman!
"Kaguya! You know it's not like that! If she hadn't come you all might have also…" I trailed off towards the end and Kaguya finished it for me.
"We would've all also been on that sled you two are dragging. Or maybe there wouldn't have been anyone to drag it off." She said bluntly.
I felt an irrational surge of anger come over me. But I kept my mouth shut. My anger or sorrow wasn't any more painful than what Kaguya felt. It was just like what she had told me during the Great Feud, I simply wasn't as prepared for loss as she was, not as jaded.
I refused to be. It was the one way I wouldn't change no matter what.
But I also didn't have to exacerbate her pain. I remained silent.
Seeing me not reply in anger to her she turned towards me. I felt her eyes search my face.
But it was Alise who asked the question on both of their minds instead.
"Leon… you are alright, right?" Concern was visible on her face, but I remained silent for a moment.
"I'll be alright once our friends are resting properly." I answered, it wasn't the kind of alright she meant.
I was really mad at her for what she had been about to do. I'd hold it in until I could scold her without Lyra and Kaguya's commentaries though.
"Oh she's really mad, you messed up this time Alise." Lyra commented from the front as she trailed behind the figure in robes.
"Ahahaha… Forgive me Leon? Please?" Alise tried.
I remained stubbornly silent.
"Ugh!" Alise dramatically clutched a hand to her chest.
Kaguya was about to tell her to knock it off when a crunching noise came from the ground ahead of us. All of our hands went to our weapons as a Bloodsaurus spawned. We needn't have bothered.
A blurry missile impacted the monster from behind with that beyond first class knife of hers decapitating it without issue. In less than a second she had taken the Magic stone from it and jumped off again.
"Does it seem like she's getting faster to you too?" Lyra questioned.
"I thought I was imagining it, but she really is getting faster if only slightly." Kaguya confirmed.
"Think it's a rare skill? Some sort of battle continuation that gives her a second wind?" Alise sent back.
"Might be, it would fit with that recovery skill of hers as well."
The others began to speculate. This was exactly why most adventurers avoided partying up with those outside their Familia, skills were important and someone else knowing what you had meant they would also know how to counter it.
"I bet it has something to do with eating, that's why she keeps eating those magic stones." Lyra guessed.
A cold sweat went down my back. One of the greatest challenges Orario had faced during the Great Feud two years ago was the Level 7 adventurer of the Zeus Familia Zard known by the Allias "Gluttony", who was said to possess a similar skill. It had been the reason for his absurd strength and odd eating habits.
"It couldn't be the same as Gluttony's, right?"
"No way."
"If it was, she'd be an absolute monster."
"Doubt it."
The others all sent back.
"Speaking of skills…" Alise began drawing all our attention back to her.
"Do any of you recognise her? Or know whichever familia she's from?"
We all sent looks each other's way.
Alise sighed. "Ugh… knew it. If there was a hero of justice like her running around out in the open my perfect and attendant self would've known already."
The usual possibly joking or just plain vain commentary from Alise disrupted any sense of seriousness we had about the conversation.
"Well then! If all else fails common social interaction will save the day! Sir or Madam Fels! Could you tell us which Familia you and Miss Taylor are from!?" Alise shouted without a shred of shame at the mysterious hooded figure.
"I am not at liberty to say." They spoke with that odd voice of theirs.
The cloaked figure was an odd one, their robes and the gauntlets they wore were clearly magic items and they had the disposition and feeling of a mage. I could tell from the way they moved and the soft hum of the magic flowing through them, that this was an experienced caster. But they hadn't fought with us against that Monster, nor had they used any healing magic on us to mend our wounds.
I couldn't guess at the magic they possessed -except that they could appear out of nowhere- or why they hadn't used magic during the fight. Perhaps they were a non-combatant? But to be able to come down to this floor even with Miss Hebert watching their back… They had to be level two at least.
Suspicious, but Miss Hebert had said that Fels had asked her to save us. So their intentions must have been friendly. Even then acting mysteriously like they did still set me on edge.
"Aww… I'm going to have to ask her too." Alise bemoaned.
I rolled my eyes, that was going to be awkward. If she really was from Hera Familia as I suspected there was no way she was telling anyone.
"Leon knows something." Lyra tattled which caused me to shoot her a surprised look.
"Wha!" I exclaimed without realising it.
I wasn't exactly subtle about it, but you didn't have to rat me out! I would've talked about it… Eventually!
"Oh, ho? Leon! How dare you hide important information from your beautiful and caring Captain!?"
Alise exclaimed with faux shock and very real curiosity.
"It's just a suspicion, but even then, I want to clear it with Lady Astrea first before I tell you anything." I said.
Alise made a concerned face for a second but then smiled again.
"Oh well. I'll be waiting then." She replied.
I was glad she had let it go; I didn't know for how long I would be able to keep my suspicions to myself if she started pushing. Alise always knew how to persuade others.
Silence set in. I could feel the creeping sorrow make its way back to my thoughts. If the others were still here, there wouldn't have been a single moment where I was alone with my thoughts but with only the four of us…
It felt terribly lonely.
Just then Miss Hebert's form appeared from among the trees again, her hair a wild mess from all the moving around and there was a serious amount of monster blood dripping from her hands.
"I've found the stairs to the next floor." She reported simply.
"As I said you would." Fels retorted.
Miss Hebert nodded at them and joined us on our march, the surroundings must've been cleared.
Onwards then.
The trek through the dungeon wasn't as bad as I thought it would've been. I had thought that the floors would essentially be the same even as you got closer to the surface.
Turns out the monsters got weaker and the floors smaller. Once we were past the massive forest floors, we had really picked up the pace. Especially with the help of Fels, who as the girls remarked, knew of hidden shortcuts and passageways that the common adventurer had no knowledge of.
Though I was thankful of the travel time they cut it always felt like someone was watching us when we went through one of them but no matter how much I scouted I couldn't find anything. Not a monster nor a person.
I must've been getting paranoid. I stopped my hand from unwittingly grasping the edge of my mask. I hadn't realised that it had become such a crutch. The mask was a source of instinctual safety especially now that I didn't have my swarm to hide behind.
It felt safe, correct to always have my mask on. It was about as natural to me as having skin on my face was.
But I couldn't just hide behind that mask forever. Especially if I wanted to change as a person, do things over again but this time properly. If I couldn't even manage to not put on a mask, could I really manage to change my worst tendencies?
So I kept my mask off and tried to keep my attention on the path. I focused back on to the road. We were just before the stairs to the 27th floor, I could hear running water, and the air was moister than before. A river?
"Finally, the Water City. We're almost at Rivira." The easterner -or as I had recently heard her name was, Kaguya- commented.
"We are burying them there, right? At that one spot we talked about back before the Great Feud." Lyra asked their captain, Alise.
She answered with a sombre voice.
"Yes, we'll make a gravesite for them there, but we'll also take some smaller items to the surface…"
"For Astrea-Sama? Since she can't come down here to visit them?" Kaguya guessed.
Alise hummed in agreement.
So this Astrea person couldn't descend into the dungeon. Were they some sort of master or a power granting trump? The girls all seemed to have similar powers. Which either meant someone could grant incredibly strong brute and mover powers or that their powers worked of a different sort of mechanic here.
Maybe it had something to do with the generally odd nature of this world? I could only guess that at some point a really strong biotinker or a group of them had gotten their hands on this place, it would explain the elf ears of Ryuu and the monsters all around us.
I lacked too much information to even make a guess at things.
"You girls seem to admire Lady Astrea a lot." I remarked while keeping my tone respectful, no need to piss of the girls over a trivial matter and I didn't understand who this Astrea was other than her holding some sort of leadership position.
"We all devoted ourselves to her when we joined the Familia or were dragged into it by Alise. It isn't all that surprising considering what she's like." Lyra mused.
"What she's like?" I asked her to elaborate.
"A Goddess that can directly pick out your concerns and scars, who will also treat them with a gentle hand." Kaguya spoke.
"A troublesome Goddess that runs herself ragged taking care of us no matter how much we protest." Lyra added.
"The symbol of Justice, Purity and Righteousness! A Goddess who will deliver anyone justice no matter who they are." Alise declared.
"A merciful and graceful deity, whose only concern is to help us mortals find our peace and our justice." Ryuu finished.
I hadn't been expecting the whole performance, but I had to admit I could see how much they liked this person or "deity". I didn't exactly get the feeling that they worshipped her, but it was close.
It creeped me out. Referring to someone by the name of some ancient Greko-Roman Goddess was a bit pompous but all things considered acceptable.
Worshipping a person with powers and treating her as a Goddess? That had dangerous connotations.
I hummed noncommittally as we finally finished climbing up the stairs. What I saw was beyond breathtaking.
Water, an entire sea's worth of it flowed all the way down from a gigantic waterfall into rivers and ponds all across the giant cavern. I could see all the way up to where the waterfall began at least Eight hundred metres up from here.
The sound was soothing and the cool feel of the water in the air felt relaxing. This dungeon was a place of danger, almost every five minutes I had to go and kill a bunch of newly created monsters to keep them off the girls and Fels.
It was a place where the very environment tried to kill you, where unusual monsters like that bone creature could appear at any moment and the usual butchery of creatures as I had been doing for a couple of days by now could suddenly turn into a desperate battle for survival.
Yet it had this sort of beauty to it as well. Fine dark blue coloured stone with crystalline structures and the odd coral looking plants gave it an otherworldly feeling that made you want to look more, to examine every last inch.
"Alright! It's the last stretch girls. Put your backs into it!" Alise shouted.
None of the girls replied to her rousing cry. The red head's smile became brittle.
I dismissed that scene and scanned the environment as Fels led us to a path away from the main river. There were monsters up ahead, crab like things lying in shallow ponds of water.
"I'm taking care of the monsters up ahead." I reported to the others.
"Yes, yes. Thank you for your work." Kaguya responded sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes. Just because I do it constantly doesn't mean I shouldn't keep telling you as I leave.
Not paying her much attention I leapt ahead once again. I unsheathed my knife as I ran but as I thumbed the activation switch it wouldn't turn on.
I tried again and it started functioning again, but the wind up was longer and I could notice noticeable clumps in the nanothorn branches that formed its grey haze.
Seems even this thing was nearing its end, considering how much I was overusing it, it wasn't all that surprising. I still felt a frown form on my face as I butchered the crabs, they were hardly worth paying attention to, much weaker than the monsters from before.
Even then I made sure to take their similarly less filling magic stones from their corpses. I stuffed a few into my belt's pouches and tossed another into my mouth as I returned to the group.
Seems I hadn't gotten rid of the frown on my face as Alise noticed it.
"Is something wrong? Your admirably stern expression morphed into a frown, that makes me want to pat you on the head." I gave her an odd look at the weird phrasing but answered her question nonetheless.
"My knife is breaking down; I don't know how much longer it'll keep working." I said as I took my place at the middle of our column.
"It's a magic sword then?" She asked.
I wasn't exactly sure what a magic sword was, but I'd let her believe it was.
"Something like that."
She hummed in thought. I glimpsed a moment of wonder pass by as she stared at my knife.
"Well, it was inevitable then. Do you have another weapon, or would you like to wield my blade of justice?" She asked with spirit.
I shook my head. "It should be fine up until the surface if we keep going with this pace."
A distraught look overcame her face, and she patted her sheath reassuringly.
"Poor, Crimson Order… Don't worry, even if she doesn't yearn to touch your handle, I'm sure she appreciates you." She muttered to her sword…
"Cut that out it's creepy." Kaguya said to her. I had to agree.
Alise discarded her distraught act in less than a second. Continuing without paying attention to her subordinate and friend.
"But you seem really distraught over it, was it important?" Her words had me stop for a second.
Was my knife important? Impressions of memories came. It was a gift.
I did as the voice in the impressions had told me to. Unscrewed the cap at the butt of the knife and took out a long cylinder made of some sort of mesh. It was clogged with dust and blood.
The… air filter? What was I supposed to do to fix it? Something about baking and vacuuming.
There was another voice with the impression as well.
I didn't remember that man and woman all too well. But I knew they had helped me out many times. Too many to count.
"Taylor?" Alise's voice broke me out of my memories, and I noticed that the entire group was watching me oddly as I shook the air filter out.
"It was a gift. From some people I knew." I spoke.
"Hmm, you make it a habit of breaking gifts?" Kaguya spoke sarcastically. I looked at her oddly.
What did she mean?
"Ardi would've been glad its last use was to protect us, Kaguya. Do not complain about it." Ryuu spoke. It took an embarrassing amount of time to realise what they were talking about, the wooden baton I had broken as I fought.
"Making simple observations isn't the same as complaining. Not that you'd know the difference, you always seem to take things in the worst possible way. Maybe it's because of your simple-mindedness?"
"Here they go again." Muttered Lyra under her breath.
I had to agree with the sentiment, these two argued to hell and back. They didn't seem to get along too well despite how closely knit the four were. The disagreements between them weren't necessarily hostile though, more so that their personalities clashed fiercely.
Still I should apologise about that wooden sword, if it was a gift from what sounds like a deceased friend it must be important.
"I apologize for breaking your sword. I know how much it hurts to lose the few things left from loved ones." I spoke loudly enough to be heard over their argument.
They both halted the moment they heard my voice.
Ryuu shook her head vigorously. "No, no. As I said, if Ardi were still with us I'm sure she would've been glad it saved our lives. It was a fitting end for it." Though a hint of sadness there I could tell she was resolute.
I didn't exactly know how to reply to that, so I nodded at her.
That was enough for her, so we continued on. But as we did it only took a few minutes for Kaguya and Ryuu to start arguing again.
At least the scenery was pretty.
And I thought the Water City had some nice scenery… I see why the girls called this place Under Resort. It was enchanting, an entire forest straight out of some imagined paradise English and French poets wouldn't shut up about.
I waited by the side along with Fels as the girls began the rites for their friends.
"Lady Hebert, may I speak to you about something?" Fels eventually asked once the girls were busy.
"Lady" Hebert wasn't something I ever thought I would be called but I doubt I would ever see a genuine elf inside of some sort of giant cavern filled to the brim with monsters either.
"Sure." I replied.
Fels took a look around us and was silent for a bit. "It would be for the best if we could speak somewhere more private." They said pointing at the girls.
I don't think this was about not disturbing them, more likely they wanted to keep something a secret.
I motioned for them to lead on.
It caught Lyra's eyes as we left. I respectfully nodded at her, hopefully she took that as us wanting to leave them alone for the funeral.
I quickly followed after Fels, who took us to a spot deep within the woods a few minutes away.
Once they were sure there was no one around they spoke.
"Lady Hebert, I would prefer if you could remain calm and not act rashly as we spoke." They began. It immediately had a drop of anxiety colour my emotions. It was then that I noticed that Fels was standing even further away than they usually tended to.
A gap just large enough to run if needed.
I began looking around us searching for hidden ambushers or traps of any sort even as I kept my eyes on Fels in case they tried anything. I couldn't find anything, but those words had flipped a switch in me. I felt jittery, on edge and my hand itched to grasp the handle of my knife.
"I will." I answered instead. Let's see your move then Fels.
"As a Servant of Lord Ouranos I have access to information about the Dungeon and the Creatures within that have been hidden from the common adventurer for certain reasons."
So yeah, part of the secret society of this world. Makes sense, Fels just had a certain feeling to them that pointed in that way.
"Therefore I have noticed something, that green flesh that healed you. I recognize it. If one also takes into account, your capability to eat magic stones without adverse effects I have to ask you.
Are you a Monster-Human hybrid?"
The question had me silent for a moment. This guy knew, they also said they had seen it before… They had seen that creature before. The one that had turned me into this.
I felt the vague presence in the back of my mind awake… This was dangerous. I was besieged from two sides, the attention of that presence was grating, it wanted me to simply rip Fels apart and tear the flesh from their bones.
Feast on the flesh Suck out the marrow Leave nothing behind
I bit my lip so hard it drew blood. I needed to remain logical, that was probably some sort of self-preservation instinct coming from the master effect.
I suppressed the voice. It refused to go away.
Kill Devour Grow Reach Cover Them All Destroy the Lid and Find Aria…
Fels was getting skittish. I needed to get this under control before they ran away. I took a deep breath and squashed the instincts. I felt empty, I knew this should have been easier… But a part of me was missing, my Passenger wasn't here.
I was incomplete. I didn't just mean my missing arm either, there was a part of myself missing.
I closed my eyes for a second. I imagined a soothing voice, one that had whispered in my ear until the last second. Keeping me focused as I deteriorated. I couldn't remember who it was. But it helped.
I opened my eyes and beheld Fels. They had an agenda I didn't know of but served this Ouranos person. Furthermore they strongly suspected I was a Monster. I had two choices here trust them for a second to try to resolve this or try to kill them.
Trusting them was almost out of the question. A hooded figure, who is a part of a secret society that knows a possibly damning secret of mine? I wasn't an idiot. That practically screamed bad news. But the only way to shut them up about it would be to either get some dirt on them myself, threaten them into silence, or kill them.
Not to sound like someone who resorts to killing people the moment it inconveniences them, but I really doubted the other two were an option. Fels didn't seem like the sort to be easily intimidated, and I doubted I could find any secret of theirs right this moment.
So killing.
I didn't want to kill Fels. Not only because I was reluctant to start killing people this early on in my new chance at life, but also because they didn't seem to have bad intentions. So far all I had seen them do was help others without asking for anything in return.
It was without a doubt for some sort of agenda but that didn't mean anything to me right this second.
I knew of my biases even if I only remembered vague reasons for their existences. I knew of the events of my life, it was the details that fell through. I remembered the woman, the doctor, the trio of heroes.
They were responsible for more suffering than any other in their bid to prepare for the end of the world. Was Fels like them? No.
If Fels was like them, they would've found a way to get me quietly and quickly out of the way the moment I was no longer of use. I doubted strength was something they couldn't get elsewhere once the moment of danger in the 33th floor passed.
I needed to know more about Fels's intentions. I couldn't decide yet.
"I am." I responded whilst carefully watching Fels.
Let's see your reaction.
Fels kept their hands to the sides, a passive stance. No fighting just yet.
"Then I am sure you find yourself quite lost, I am unsure which Familia you originate from but your current existence… it is something we've only observed in two other beings."
So there were more people like me. However the way they spoke…
"I assume something is wrong with the other two." I commented and dodged their question.
Fels nodded their head. "They have been spotted among the ranks of Evilus." They spoke.
I see. The master effect probably had something to do with that. It clearly pushed us to act in certain ways, to fulfil the creature's goal of finding Aria.
Let me reach her…
The other two must've gone along with that desire and had probably joined that group as a means to an end. Or maybe Evilus was connected to the creature… Maybe it was a creation of theirs? It wasn't out of the question.
However that still left what Fels wanted out of me.
"I'm not going to be something for you to examine over a table." I spat out.
Fels raised their hands placatingly. "I hadn't intended to imply that. I meant to make an offer."
I tilted my head slightly. Motioned for them to go on.
"Regardless of the status of your Familia you are undoubtedly strong, perhaps stronger than you once were thanks to your current state. I am hoping that we could continue our… working relationship against Evilus."
A job offer. That was what they meant. I go and hunt down these other monster hybrids who had fallen into the beast's clutches or do something else for them and get paid in return.
That wasn't something I was going to agree blindly. But I was lost and without support here. Fels and their organisation undoubtedly held immense resources. And not counting the material support, I could get something else out of their hands too.
"I will not agree to anything immediately." I spoke.
"I see-" Fels began but I interrupted them.
"However… There is something I want. Something I need help for." I was under a master effect, a relatively tame one but one that was present all the time. Eventually it would wear me down. I'd do something I didn't want. Be someone I didn't want to be.
It was even more likely as I was right now… Incomplete. My Other Half was missing.
I knew of a way to get rid of most master effects even if it wasn't 100% foolproof.
Most master effects faded when the origin perished.
The only other way was for the master to dispel them willingly. I doubted that monster would do that willingly. So the only hope I would have of remaining who I was would be to kill that thing.
"The thing that made me this way…I want your help in killing it." I spoke to the hooded figure.
I felt my originators attention turn to me.
Why do you reject me? I am your Flesh
Fels remained silent for a moment making me dread that they would refuse.
"You would help us combat Evilus and keep Orario safe if we helped you kill the Rare Species that created you?" They asked.
I nodded my head.
I want to see the sun? Won't you remove the lid? Let me Reach Aria…
"That is more than arrangeable. However I am reluctant to make any promises without a meeting with my Lord."
I considered it. This Ouranos person was probably another "Deity" like Astrea. Was a master effect likely? Probably not, masters didn't agree with each other. Too many control issues. It sounded like this Ouranos and Astrea lived in the same city.
Hypothetically that would mean that every familia had a "Deity". If the familias were as numerous as all these people assuming I was a part of one hinted at that meant at least a dozen if not more familias in the city. No way in hell would that many strong masters ever tolerate each other.
There must've been something else going on with them. So meeting one probably wasn't immediately dangerous.
"I can do that." I eventually replied.
Why not be friends with me instead?
Fels relaxed their stance. I hadn't realised until then how tense they had been until then. I would've known if I still had my power, my perspective was so much more constrained now.
"Very well then." They spoke as they reached into their robes and pulled out a crest. A small brass circle on which a dozen sculpted stars surrounded a tower.
"Take this and show it to one of the Guild staff once you are above. They will lead you to Lord Ouranos." I took the crest from them, but I had no idea what the Guild they spoke of was.
The Guild of what exactly?
Though I had that question I didn't voice it and stuffed the crest inside a pocket.
"I'm afraid I will be leaving you with the Astrea familia, as I have other matters to take care of. I bid you farewell Lady Hebert." The hooded Person said.
I see. It made sense that they had more to do if they truly were a member of a secret society. Illuminati knock offs and their shady business was something I knew a bit more than I was comfortable with.
Hopefully this one wasn't some insane doctor conducting human experimentation with pieces from a dead alien.
I felt it was unlikely.
But you never know.
"I wish you well Fels, hopefully this will all pan out well." Lest I have to put a stop to you as well remained unsaid.
I have had quite enough of such shady characters.
I watched them walk away silently.
It was only then that I breathed out.
I felt like I was getting caught up in something troublesome again. But what choice did I have?
It was then that I heard a boot crunch a particularly dry patch of grass.
Without even realising it my knife came out and I jumped away to get my bearings. A flick had turned my knife on and I had gotten into a defensive low stance.
Ryuu was there with a bundle of what looked like towels on her hands.
Turns out I had overreacted, not that anyone could blame me in this place. Even if it was a "safe" zone. The last "safe" zone in the 28th floor had had a bunch of monsters rampaging around inside when we first arrived, so I wasn't going to let down my guard.
"Ah, Miss Hebert. I didn't expect you to be here. Is Fels with you as well?"
I sheathed my knife and relaxed. It seems I was more tightly wound than I had realised.
"They just left; we'll be making our way to the surface on our own." I answered her question.
"Ah, I see." She said and then had a thought.
I could tell by the way her ears were twitching. The elf girl -How old was she? How exactly did elves work in this world?- struggled to find the right words before blurting something out.
"We were going to be bathing in a nearby hot spring. Would you like to join us?"
Hmm? A hot spring? I remember there being resorts with that sort of attraction back home… Some girl in… the Wards had loved talking about them.
But bathing in the open air? With a bunch of strangers? No way in hell.
"I'd prefer not to." I replied before I reconsidered. I stunk. I had been unwashed for… who knows how long, wearing unwashed clothes. My hair was a mess stained by constant sweat corded into messy tangles that hurt when I ran my hand through it.
I needed a wash. Didn't mean I had to take it with the girls though.
Ryuu seemed to get my hesitance.
"If you are uncomfortable bathing with others I know of a smaller spring a bit away, I can lead you there."
Hmm? That was a very considerate thing to do.
"Very considerate of you." I commented.
"A friend once told me that Justice goes around and comes around. If I don't help spread it around especially when I understand just how uncomfortable it can be to be alone around a group such as ours… I couldn't tell myself that I was being true to my justice." The girl gave an impassioned explanation.
She has an impressive sense of justice, huh.
The girl was an idealist.
"Thank you for the kindness then." I said instead of commenting on her speech.
"We're here." Alise commented as we once again passed by another group of adventurers. They had a look of recognition in their eyes as they saw the girls and one of horror when they saw their states.
Though our group had cleaned up properly down in the 18th floor we were still haggard, covered in superficial wounds, torn clothing and tired eyes.
The fact that the girls carried way more weapons than they could use probably told those who recognised them the fates of the rest of Astrea Familia too.
"The adventurers we've been passing…" Ryuu began but stopped herself.
"They noticed our missing numbers." Lyra finished.
Seems they had the same thought too. Well, I didn't know the exact status of Astrea Familia but from what I'd heard from the girls they had been a fairly important faction in the city.
Their duties had essentially been to police the city along with another familia called the Ganesha Familia. They were well known, the Protectorate of this world essentially.
Them looking like this was an ill omen to the people.
"There's nothing we can do about it now." Kaguya said.
Internally I disagreed, damage control was vitally important when it comes to image.
I didn't voice my thoughts as we neared a gigantic spiral staircase. So it was time to get out.
"Someone needs to go to the guild, to report that monster." Lyra spoke as we ascended.
"I-" Alise began but was interrupted by Kaguya.
"You need to be the one to tell Astrea-Sama, Alise." She said.
Alise nodded her head understandingly.
"I'll be heading to the Guild; I need to do something there regardless. I could pass on a message if you want?" I offered.
Alise looked about ready to take it but Lyra spoke faster.
"No, one of our familia has to report this. I'll go with Taylor and then come to the Stardust Garden." She answered. Though I caught an odd look from her.
I see, she wanted to try gathering information. Clever girl, she didn't trust me completely so she was trying to fill in the blanks.
I didn't mind. There wasn't much she could find out.
I had no past in this place. Only a future.
"That's fine by me." I accepted as the last few steps loomed.
We few seconds later and we finally ascended into a large circular room. There was a lot of people here, many of them heading towards the dungeon. All of them stopped to stare at the Astrea Familia.
I could tell that a veil of shame descended onto the girls, their steps stalled for a moment. No, you absolutely can't let them see you like that.
I kept moving forcing them to tag along and whispered.
"Chins up, these people can see your despair. You already look defeated, they already recognise the hints of a horrific incident. If they see you shameful and broken it would only take root in their hearts."
Alise raised her eyes to me. She nodded solemnly and straightened her posture. The pain they had hidden while inside the dungeon was painfully visible on her face and even more apparent on her companions faces but they kept trudging along steadily until we were finally outside.
Once out I stopped only a dozen metres away from the door to the chamber. I hadn't realised it, but the chamber was the root of a tower taller than any skyscraper I had ever personally seen made entirely out of white marble.
So this was the lid.
Even then that wasn't what was important. The sky lit by the morning sun was different, the moon slightly visible in the sky was different. But it was refreshing nonetheless. It was only then that I felt it.
The slight brush of a feeling I knew all too well.
Passenger?
I received no response. Not even when I searched as deeply as I could. It was like talking from two different sides of a solid concrete wall. The connection once broken couldn't be remade so easily.
But I felt the feeling intensify if only slightly. It had seen me, recognised me.
Passenger…
You feel it too, do you not? This terrible feeling of incompleteness. This isolation.
Perhaps we intertwined far too deeply. More than we should have. Did we both rip something from each other when we separated?
I see.
I'll be waiting. Until we can both be whole again.
An:
Sorry for the delay! I had some real life issues get in the way so this chapter is a bit late and also shorter than I wanted. But If I wrote till where I wanted to I felt the Chapter would be 15000 words long. So you get this kind of intermission chapter, where it's almost entirely foreshadowing and character interaction!