To say that the last twenty four hours were eventful would probably not cover everything. There were good things that came out of it like contacting a Supporter, completing a quest and getting access to the Middle Floors as well as a good sum of money out of all the monsters killed and the mission they had and while this amount might seem laughable to those who venture deeper into the Dungeon, for people of their rank and progress it felt like a lot of Valis.
But of course, not everything was great as there was still something lingering from that time: The Pass Parade, the bandits and of course the fight.
When all of the children returned to Fimbulvetr there was not much commentary about what happened, their clothes and armor were stained in blood and while the Goddess was worried (and rightfully so) the only comment that was tossed around was:
"We had a rough time in the Dungeon."
Gods will know if one of their children are lying but this time there was no lie. No matter how much Skadi asked, they all dodged the topic, no mention of bandits, the outcome of the battle or anything of the kind. Just that they were able to bring a lot of money, met Florine and that in the future they were authorized to tackle on the Middle Floors.
She knew that wasn't all of the story so she decided to leave it for the next day.
But unfortunately that next day ended up being a failure too.
Everyone was gathered for breakfast but the table was mostly silent with the exception of everyone eating or drinking. There were plenty of gloomy faces all over the place while others just had their usual looks. For instance, Theresa and Albrecht did not have much of a change, the silent defender was acting as usual, eating his meal and listening to any conversation that might spark; Theresa looked unmoved from the events of yesterday, she drank as if it was any other day.
The siblings didn't have many changes either, Livialiska was enjoying her meal as if nothing happened while Fanis was slightly distressed amidst her silence. Hilda was perhaps the strangest out of everyone at the table since her usual talks during each meal were nonexistent this time; Noel and Alain didn't seem too different, although it was easy to see that there was wrong with them.
And finally there was Ragnar. While he was not the most talkative nor the most silent, this time he fitted the latter. He was looking at his plate, slowly stabbing his meal while the palm of his hand was holding his head.
Truly, the events from the previous day would create many questions in his head like who hired those bandits? or why did they were aiming for him? but alas those key problems were not circling right now in his mind since his most vibrant memory was the laughter of that woman right in front of him as his heirloom pierced her torso while the smile was engraved on his eyes, perhaps a grim reminder of what he was.
"A murderer…" He whispered and got the attention of everyone, even the Goddess. By the time he noticed everyone's gazes he didn't know what to do. "Uhm… Nevermind." Ragnar shook his head, and went back to his food.
A similar situation once again, where no one would talk or avoid anything related to the Dungeon.
Naturally, someone was already done with this.
"If none of you are willing to speak about what happened then I'm afraid there won't be any status updates in the foreseeable future."
And of course this caught the attention of all the children. No status updates meant that they wouldn't improve their falna and being stuck as low tier adventurers forever.
"No! " The Amazon quickly stood up. "You want the truth, Goddess? Fine, I'll tell you the truth. We were attacked down there and we had to defend ourselves. An ambush or whatever but they wanted our Cap' all along! " Looks of surprise from everyone as they turned to Theresa and then to the Goddess, they feared that a punishment was soon to come.
But once again, there was no lie. Skadi had a stern look, something that the children have never seen before. Was it because they hid this from her or because of the ambush? The Goddess' response was a sigh and pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Just…" She sighed again. "Be careful, alright? "
Eyes widened and mouths opened in disbelief. Did their Goddess just let them go off like that? Was her threat empty at all or was it going to happen if they didn't say anything? The topic about the Dungeon was now secondary compared to the attitude of the deity in the table.
Regardless, they all finished their meal with some skepticism.
"Well, enough dilly-dally." Theresa stretched her arms. "Let's go down there again, I'm in the mood for killing some monsters."
"Sure."
"Yup."
"I… I guess."
Many voices agreed with the idea but there was one that didn't spoke at all. "I'm…"
"Ragnar will unfortunately have to stay here today." The Captain turned his head at the Goddess. "Every now and then there is paperwork that needs to be worked on, signed and even checked. A Captain's role is bigger than any of you think." She smiled. "But of course this burden is not necessarily alone for Ragnar to bear, all of you can help."
Ragnar would've been happy to receive help from his friends and teammates but alas all of them fled the moment the option was available. The only person that was willing to stay behind to help was Noel but the others insisted that they needed someone to lead the party in the meantime and thus the Vice-Captain had to fill that role.
After washing all the dishes, and cleaning the mead hall, Skadi and Ragnar were both in the office, reviewing multiple documents that would later be sent to the Guild. Many of those revolved around the Familia's advancement in the Dungeon, quests they took, information about their members and the tribute that they had pay to the Guild itself.
Sometimes it was documents that were meant for Skadi but he needed to sign them as well, others he had to check if all the information in there was correct and some other times he himself had to write them.
"Ugh… I don't want to work anymore at all! " An already tired blond was leaning back on his chair. To say that he was bored was not enough; he was thankful that Skadi saved him from going to the Dungeon today but after what he witnessed? Maybe he was wrong all along and wanted to return down there.
"Perhaps a small break could help you, after all we still have two more piles." The Goddess took some of the papers to have a look at them. "Say… Ragnar, what exactly happened yesterday? "
And at that moment he knew. All this talk about paperwork was not out of the blue, it was perhaps something that needed to be done but without anyone else to back him up… Truly, Skadi had him where she wanted.
"Is it… really necessary?
In Ragnar's mind, this could go multiple ways. Either he tells all the details about the ambush and how they killed other people or he hid that last detail but Skadi would know. If he told her some half-truths and a few details then maybe she wouldn't get angry at him.
But what if getting angry was the least of his worries? What if she denounced him, removed his Falna and was exiled from Orario? Or perhaps even worse: Execution.
There were many outcomes and none of them were good endings, if anything they were getting worse and worse.
The young warrior quickly stood up from the chair and started to move away from his desk. "S-Skadi, I don't think you'd like to hear about yester-"
"I do, so please, I want to know." She turned her attention to the Captain which was slowly moving by the wall and away from his desk.
"No, seriously, it's not a pretty story, we got ambushed and that's all."
"Ragnar." She left the papers back on the table, now her full attention was directed at him. "It is a matter of concern. Not so much the ambush but the fact that you were the target, what are you hiding that you are not telling me? I ought to know."
"Surely, it's not that important." Ragnar stopped by the door, his hand was behind him and clutching at the door's handle.
"Ragnar, I am worried about you, don't think of me as an enemy, think of me as someone that tries to help you. I may be a Goddess but I am someone you can talk to." She took a step forward, not minding the lie that the blond just did.
"I'm sorry, Goddess." He turned the handle and immediately left the office, going on a sprint through the mead hall and out into the courtyard.
"NO, RAGNAR WAIT! " She tried to stop him but to no avail, he was faster and by the time Skadi left the mead hall he was already leaving through Fimbulvetr's gates.
And he ran away, away from the Goddess and Fimbulvetr. He stepped into the main street and headed down the path hoping for something, but his mind couldn't stop thinking about that half-dwarf's smile and laugh, how she died at his hands. It reminded him of the bear, something that was living in his mind for a long time and even today, after he killed it he was still getting memories of it, of a giant monster destroying his village and killing people.
Every adventurer knows that killing monsters is going to be their main obstacle, they could be a goal or just a nuance but ultimately they are a necessity in order to have a higher rank. But does everybody accept the fact that there might be more than just monsters that needed to be killed?
That's not what he believed, it was an accident, something that felt inevitable and yet the weight of guilt was crushing him. To kill another adventurer, no matter how bad they were was unacceptable and not only that the Guild outlawed such attitudes. How long until someone found out what they did? While he was not the only one who killed someone yesterday, all fingers would be pointed at him because he's the one in charge.
His mindless run led him at the central square where Babel was. He looked up at the giant structure and then the entrance where many of his kin would go to do their duty. In the depths of that place he could hear that laughter that was living rent free in his mind as well as the dead bear, stalking him from beyond the grave.
Ragnar felt the eyes of everyone at him, judging him for murdering someone. But in reality no one was paying attention to the young blond in the middle of the street.
He felt a voice calling him out, a familiar one but he couldn't be caught. He ran away in a different direction. Where? Wherever at that point, somewhere where no one would find him in this city.
The more he ran the less he started recognizing his surroundings. It was a new part of Orario that he has never been before. He felt in his lungs the need to scream but nothing would come out.
Eventually his stamina ran out, his legs gave up and so did his attempt at escaping from the gazes of everyone in the city.
He found himself by the river, the cold water was soon going to be freezing and while there were citizens nearby, he felt somewhat at peace for a brief moment of respite. His legs were tired and he ended up sitting with his back against the railing, looking at the calm river that was behind him.
"What am I going to do? "
"Ragnar? "
A familiar voice, nevertheless he was startled by it. His first instinct was to grab his axe to defend himself; his body leaned forward and was ready to leap but for one his legs gave in and fell to the floor and second (and perhaps most important) he didn't have his weapon with him and thus any attempt at fighting would have to be bare handed which he didn't have much experience in.
His gaze went up to the source of the voice. A girl that wore a long cloak for the coming of winter, dark boots and pants along with a gray jacket adorned with the symbol of two ravens. Usually she carried her spear around but this time she was also unarmed.
"What are you doing here? "
"I could ask you the same thing." Brynhildr replied, approaching the fallen adventurer. "I saw near the tower and then running away. You didn't look so good."
"You think? " Ragnar scoffed, looking away from the member of Odin Familia as he moved to have his back against the railing again. "Sorry, but I had a horrible day yesterday."
"Oh really? " Bryn decided to join him and sat beside him. "So tell me what ails the oh-so-mighty Captain of Skadi Familia."
He felt mocked, perhaps that was the way she saw him? No, it felt more like her usual demeanor when it comes to him. Or perhaps he was overthinking it.
"I-…" That knot in his throat once again, the feeling of choking on his own words, perhaps literally. "Do you… can you keep this conversation between us? "
"Why are you acting so secret like that? Was this horrible day that horrible? "
"Bryn, I killed someone."
Silence, a cold wind as eyes widened on Brynhildr's face. Perhaps she was not expecting that but her reaction was certainly something that surprised the guilty blond; he expected her to be afraid of him or even recoil in disgust but the best way to summarize her reaction was:
Nothing.
"I take there's more to this story? Or are you confessing a crime? "
"No, it's… we had a quest to find someone and their reagent pouch. If we did we would be able to go to the Middle Floors. Turns out the person was killed not too long before we arrived but we found the pouch. That's when the good news ended. There was a Pass Parade incoming…"
It was hard telling her, but if there was someone outside of his Familia who might even listen to his confession, the closest person would be her, despite how their friendship was.
"I order Fanis, our mage, to destroy the ceiling in order to block where they were coming from but it ended with the party almost getting crushed and separated." He sighed. "But my half of the party was able to find a way out of that cave but found people…"
"Go on…"
"Turns out they were behind everything. The ambush, the Pass Parade and for what? All of that for me."
"So other adventurers were after you? "
"No… those weren't adventurers… they were bandits, monsters who just wanted to hurt others…" The venom that came out of his words. Despite the vivid image of that half-dwarf in his mind, laughing and mocking at him, he still hated her; a hatred that numbed his mind whenever it happened and it was always replaced by the same word repeating again and again: Kill.
"They said that if I gave up they would let everyone else go but the truth? They weren't going to do that. We had to defend ourselves, fight like it was going to be our last because if we lost…" They would all die, it was the only result if they were defeated. "But at that moment I couldn't control myself, it was a need to survive, to kill that woman because if I fell there everyone else might drop too…"
"I see…" Brynhildr sighed. "Well, the way you are telling me this it does sound like all of you did it on self-defense. Which the Guild won't care much about other than asking a few questions here and there but let me tell you from experience, you will get over it."
"Wait, you killed someone? And you just… shrug it off?! "
"Ragnar, ask yourself this: If you didn't defend yourself in that battle, you would've died, correct? Sometimes you have to do the wrong things to protect people." It was difficult for him to accept it but she was correct.
There was no doubt that everyone would've died there if they lost, no if or buts. He didn't mind if he died provided the rest survived but being put in a position like that meant making a harsh decision, even if the one who started the fight was the Cat Girl.
"What about you? How was… well, your first kill? How did you feel? "
"Relieved I guess." Bryn shrugged. "Sometimes we do what we must, for our sakes or for others."
"Do you regret doing it? "
She smiled. "Not one bit. But what about you? You sounded regretful but the way you talked and felt about it seem to be quite the opposite as well. So, what is it then? "
Once again, a correct assumption. He knew the moral choice of murder was bad and he was completely regretful about it, but at the same time it was his skill taking his anger to unprecedented levels that led to him killing that bandit. It may sound like he was not taking responsibility but it was his anger after all, his feelings just amplified by the Falna's unique properties.
"I don't like it at all, I hate it even…" He paused, realizing at that moment. "…but at the same time I was relieved that they were gone." With those words, Ragnar felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders, as if that burden of carrying such idea was becoming less and less.
But there was still something bugging him.
"Still, I don't know why they were targeting me. Like… who in this city would actually hate me enough to send bandits after me? I don't think I angered anyone nor done anything to warrant that." He turned at the person beside him who returned the gaze with certain disgust.
"What? "
"Well, I don't think our relationship can be qualified as good friends, you do mistreat me sometimes."
"Listen, if I was angry at you to the point of sending someone to kill you, I would personally hunt you down."
"At least I know you're honest about it." Both of them laughed. "Thanks Bryn, I really needed to get that out of my system."
"I didn't expect myself to be your emotional support this morning but here I am." She raised her hands in an exaggerated manner. "But I want to ask you this: Have you even considered what I told you a long time ago? Back when left the Dungeon after we got captured."
"It's been… how long? Some months already? You'll have to remind me."
"It was about you leaving Orario."
And now he remembered that conversation. It was before he killed the bear, before he got a grasp of everything. Back then she asked him this same thing but his response was of course negative given that he still had to deal with the monster.
But now?
"You know what I'll say…"
"But why?" The girl stood up. "Before you said you didn't want to leave because you were looking for something, that something is dead and your revenge is complete. If you leave the city you will be fine, I doubt they'll chase you outside of the walls at all!"
"And then what? Return to where?!" Ragnar also stood up. "I have no place to return to, nowhere to call home. My family is gone! Orario is the one place I was able to start again! And besides, what's the guarantee that whoever wants me dead is going to stop?!"
He shook his head. That wasn't the only problem about it, with this new situation there was a bigger goal ahead, not just finding out the person behind all of this but he needed the strength to overcome it.
"I have to fight back."
"On a losing battle?!"
"And what do you know? I had to get stronger to beat that bear, but now? I need to be more than I was before to beat this." He took a deep breath. "So no. My answer is that I will not leave Orario."
Silence.
Brynhildr opened her mouth to speak but closed it immediately, she had no idea what to say nor what to do at this rate. How could she convince him to step down and escape? It was a lost battle.
She was the one who took a deep breath and then pointed at a bench. "Make sure to remember this place. When you feel like you're at your lowest, when you got nowhere else to run. Sit by this bench and I'll be there to listen to your pleas."
"So you're my counselor now? "
"No, but tell me how you feel now after you let everything out." He didn't feel that massive weight over his shoulders and even got his head straight after that. The laughter got quiet and the images of the dead woman and the bear felt like disappearing.
"Thanks Bryn. But I have to ask, how will you know if I'm even in this place? "
"Considering chaos follows you wherever you go, the moment Orario crumbles I'll know it's you." She smiled at him and then turned around, walking away. "Go back home or you'll get a cold! "
The Captain smiled, perhaps their friendship was not one of good friends but if anything he knew that he could rely, even if a little, on one of Odin's children.
Ragnar rubbed his arms, it was no lie that it was cold and couldn't risk getting sick, even if the Falna made him slightly more resistant to it.
With nowhere else to go for the time being, he decided to trace his steps back to the tower and there to Fimbulvetr, if anything he owed someone an apology.
…
The mead hall was quiet, the rest of his teammates haven't returned yet but knew that there was still someone in there. As he approached the office, the door was open and from inside he saw the shadow of someone sitting behind their desk. The very same Goddess had her hands covering her face and her elbows resting on the desk.
"Goddess? " The boy knocked on the door and then closed it.
"Ragnar? " Skadi immediately stood up and ran to him. "Oh my-… I… I'm sorry."
"What? "
"I shouldn't have pushed you like that, the way you reacted, I could feel you were afraid and… and I kept-…"
"No, Goddess wait, you got it all wrong." He raised his hands to stop her. "You weren't wrong, you had the right to know what happened exactly since it affected all of us and I just ran away… I couldn't accept it… couldn't-… couldn't even bear it."
"What made you return? "
"It was cold…" He chuckled. "But I guess I was able to talk to someone who let me see this thing clearly." Without the help from the girl, Ragnar considered many options, some of them involved not even returning to Fimbulvetr at all, so perhaps he was deeply thankful.
"So… will you tell me what happened then? It's fine if you don't want to do it."
"No, like I said, you have the right to know."
Ragnar took his chair and placed it in front of Skadi's desk, and then started to retell the events of yesterday. He didn't skip a detail, from the dead person they found, to his decision to destroy the ceiling and eventually the fight against the bandits which led to their demise.
He didn't mention much about what he talked about while he was out nor that it was Bryn who counseled him but Skadi was glad that someone was able to bring him back to his senses.
"And you say that you don't know who contracted these people? "
"I'm afraid not. She died before she could spill anything else, and even then she was saying things like the person was wearing a cloak and hiding his face. So at least we know the person is a guy." Ragnar clicked his tongue. "I just can't believe it. I try to do everything right, I don't anger anyone and yet there's someone out there who wants me dead? What did I even do?!"
"That is a good question." Skadi had her hands clasped together in front of her, the eyes showed nothing but seriousness as her mind started to think of possibilities, some of them made her shudder as bad memories came back to her.
"Do you think another God wants to see me dead? "
"It would not be the first time my Familia was targeted." Ragnar tilted his head. "But I can't be sure until I confirm it, they were after all destroyed some years ago."
"Who's they? "
"That," she stood up and patted the Captain's head. "Is not for you to worry about now." Skadi walked to the door and opened the office once more. "Oh, there is one thing that I haven't mentioned, all of you will join Heimdall Familia for a little exploration in the Dungeon. After all, if you want to be strong enough to overcome whatever is after you then I believe this will help you at all, don't you agree?" She smiled.
"Yeah…" And he smiled back. "Yeah, thanks Goddess."
"Very well, let's head to the kitchen then, after all lunch is upon us, but after that I'll need you to stay in the office to finish the paperwork."
A very loud groan from the young boy was all that she needed to hear, but regardless he obeyed.
The rest of the day came to an end, the rest of the Familia arrived in the afternoon after a (not so) successful run, without their Supporter they weren't able to amass a large amount of Valis but they were all grateful the experience they learned would be useful in the future.
After they were all informed of tomorrow's schedule, the Familia would then have dinner, talk about their day and then go to bed. The one thing that Skadi noticed was that the general mood at the table shifted from the morning, the quiet children were gone and now they were replaced with smiles, loud voices and the general banter between a few as the Familia recovered from such event.
Skadi smiled, it brought her back to a time when Fimbulvetr was lively, full of smiles, brave adventurers and no worries on anyone's minds. She wished to go back to those glorious days but at the same time she liked it here, even if there was a storm surrounding the city.
…
With the new day arriving, both Skadi and Heimdall Familias joined together to tackle on the Dungeon leaving both deities to their own devices on the surface.
Fortunately, Skadi decided to pay a visit at the tavern for she had important business.
Both deities were in the basement of the tavern; Skadi was nothing but a spectator while Heimdall was looking at the different barrels, taking inventory for the coming week. The place was cold, the stone walls kept the place dark and perfect for all the alcohol. From wines to beer, there was quite the selection for a small establishment.
"I'm glad you agreed to this joint exploration, I'm sure your kids will be happy down there, always nice to build more relation between both our Familias." The happy owner was writing down some notes as he walked towards the next barrel. "Although I am usually the one to visit you, which means…"
"My children were attacked in the Dungeon, and they were aiming for Ragnar."
The sound of the pencil writing on the paper stopped, Heimdall wasn't aware of the recent attack but he had his way to know what the Goddess was thinking. "I haven't heard any rumors coming to my tavern, if that's what you're wondering."
He turned around, looking at Skadi who had her arms crossed and leaning against the cold gray wall. "Please don't tell me…"
"That's what I'm believing. Evilus might be back."
"Impossible! The Guild made sure that no traces of them remained in Orario."
"Who else could it be? They destroyed and killed many of my children already, what's there to say that there might be some survivors?!"
"Because-…" Heimdall raised his voice, something rare for him to do. "Because I gave Loki the information about their hideouts and the members. They dealt with them, as much as I hate to rely on her! " He sighed. "I'm not saying you are making this up, but Evilus is long gone, whoever survived is outside of the city, never to return again."
"But what if we're wrong and they're back? "
The God didn't say anything, he turned around and continue writing on the paper. "I'll go fetch some of my people and have them ask around for anything suspicious. But do not have your hopes up, the chances of anything turning up are… so incredibly low that we might as well think of a different suspect."
"But who? "
"That would be the problem. Loki and Freya come to mind but Loki has no beef with you and I know that if she were to attack your children she wouldn't beat around the bush. Freya?" Heimdall stopped. "If she is infatuated with your Captain then the last thing she would do is kill him."
"Please Heimdall, look into it. Find whoever has a grudge against Ragnar, against my Familia. If it is Evilus…"
"Then it is not just your Familia, but all of Orario could be in danger…"
Ragnar's guilt was able to get the best of him for most of the chapter but fortunately Brynhildr was able to help him. More talks with Skadi but a new threat looms on the horizon, if it is indeed Evilus who is behind then there are many who could be in danger.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks to everyone who's been following the story throughout the year and I do hope that I'll continue writing into it. I know that my writing schedule has been busy lately and can only release a chapter a month but I'll try to keep quality to it (or at least what I think it is quality).
For now I'll take this small Christmas break coming up to think more about the story and prepare for what's to come, especially with season 5 ending in a few weeks.
Have a great Christmas, a new year and I'll see you in 2025!