Just sent an e-mail to Oomori asking for shared ownership of Danmachi, fingers crossed but nothing at the moment!

"Lili!"

The feminine voice echoed through the hot, swampy air.

"Haruhime, what is… Oh no! Everyone! Wait up!"

The Prum rushed to her Familia member's side. The others in front turned quickly at the shout from their commander.

"Oh dear, Lady Haruhime hang on, I'm coming!"

Mikoto ran towards her childhood friend. Her injuries had gotten better but not well enough to fight on the frontlines, so she had been the rear guard protector, a role normally filled out by a half-elf.

She was followed quickly by the other girl from the far East, Chigusa, as they reached Haruhime.

"Tch. Fucking Again, really!" An Amazon spat as she shoved a group of moss chargers away with her Padoa.

"This is getting too much now; it's really wasting time." A busty half-dwarven woman said as she wiped the flicks of blood off her eye patch.

The three other women, all dressed out in fighting gear, also quickly finished their fights. The ash from the defeated monsters swept into the murky water. As they turned, they watched two men with shields jog back to the main group.

"Guess we better start looking for a place to stop and rest and wait for this to finish again," Tsubaki said as she started walking back, following Ouka and Welf.

"But Ryu and Mr Cranel might not have that time to spare," Lunor stated, clearly not wanting to waste any more of the precious time.

"Lunor, I also want to get Ryu, meow, but you know we can't continue until he calms down."

"Chloe's right Nya, besides when Masky gets better, we're gonna make him be at the front Nya," Anya said as she swivelled her golden spear, whipping the blood off of the sharp tip.

"Ha, you've got that right Kitty Cat. I hate the time waste but also he's too valuable to leave behind and they.." Aisha said as she motioned towards the Hestia Familia "… won't leave him either."

Lunor sighed, knowing she too didn't want to leave Nathan behind and knew it was best to find a place and let his phase stop.

As the group of level 4s and level 5 started making their way back, Tsubaki asked Bors, Anya and Chloe to keep looking out and for Aisha to go find a place to rest. She kept Lunor with her as she was the best medic they had right now and had been the one treating the half-elf's wounds and tending to him whenever she could.

"What do you think causes him to do that?" Lunor questioned.

"It must be some kind of dream I s'pose," Tsubaki answered.

They both saw the way Nathan was currently wriggling about, now being placed onto the ground and off the level 1 shoulder of Haruhime.

"Miss Tsubaki, what's going on?"

"Geh!"

Tsubaki looked down, seeing the hobgoblin with a red hat that had just spooked the supposed hardened leader of Rivira. She still hadn't gotten used to conversing with the Xenos but she had come to accept them, especially with constant interactions with Weine and Lett.

"Nathan is having another episode of… whatever it is."

"This is the 5th time, is it not?" Lett asked.

"I think so, anyway could you tell the others that we are going to stop for a bit. I've sent the two cat girls to keep watch and the Amazon to look for a safe space to camp."

"Oh Miss Tsubaki, my brothers and sisters have already scouted the area many times, we know where a safe spot could be."

"Really? That'd be a big help. Give me a moment, we'll follow you shortly."

Lett tipped his red hat to the two women and Bors, a sight they would never forget. Shrugging it off, Lunor went forward to help the Hestia Familia deal with Nathan. Tsubaki whistled, a signal for Anya, Chloe and Aisha to come back.

As Lunor reached the boy, she quickly got to work examining him. Ever since they had begun their descent, Nathan had been a burden, something the whole group had agreed not to tell him when he woke up, especially Welf was enforcing this, knowing what his friend would do upon knowing this.

While Tsubaki had begun to carry him, it was clear she was more valuable at the front, leading the group alongside Aisha who had prior experience in the lower Levels. The switch to Haruhime was made just before entering what was known as the Swamp of the dungeon.

Levels 28-31 could only be described as a swamp. With the water from above pouring down and the levels below being a scorching desert, it made a horrible combination. The heat from below brought the temperature of the Swamp up, causing the air to be muggy and thick. Floor 28 was just the start. Floors 29 and 30 were emersed by a strong mist and on Floor 31, the water was at a boiling point. All the while, deep, thick foliage sprouted around with thick Vines and moss dangling off the roof and walls.

The first time Nathan made a sound since falling unconscious was when he suddenly started to move about on Haruhime's back, causing the girl to fall over. If it wasn't for Ouka being next to her, she would've fallen into the thick, opaque water, a death sentence for anyone, not level 3 or above. As everyone tried to figure out what was going on, it was Lunor who noticed that her bandage work was being undone and ordered the other waitresses to pin the boy down.

Murmurs and gargles escaped the boy's lips but no coherent words were heard except two.

"P-p-plea...ease… sorry"

The boy repeated those words for over 5 minutes before calming down again and falling into a deep slumber.

When Lunor first learnt that Potions didn't work on Nathan she was shocked but now it was an annoyance. It had been almost a whole day and Nathan's wounds hadn't even remotely healed, even though his Familia kept saying his healing ability was beyond normal.

The boy's state only worried the Hestia Familia, which is why Tsubaki took charge off of Lili, with the prum falling into vice-commander.

The time between Nathan's outbursts was just long enough to not justify a stronger person being wasted on carrying him but not long enough to be a big detriment to their progress.

They were now starting day 2 in their descent on floor 31, close to descending into the desert area of the Dungeon. Lunor propped the still squirming half-elf onto her back and began to follow Tsubaki. The Hestia Familia, seeing that their friend was being dealt with, quietened down and also followed.

The safe spot was only, gratefully, a minute away. A small room nestled into a steep part of the floor. It was a one-way entrance and exit and with Xenos on guard, the group didn't need to worry about any monster attacks. As Lunor placed the now quiet Half-elf onto the ground, this outburst being the shortest one, she began another assessment of the boy's body.

Lunor didn't mind the role designated to her, she had been forced into this line of work a few times. She also got to evade other duties such as harming the dungeon walls to stop any monsters from spawning or setting up camp.

Her examination was quite short compared to when she first began treating Nathan. Only a few bandages remained. The most prominent one was the one on his face. She hated that part so she saved it for last.

The first thing she always had to do after was wipe away the sweat that covered his forehead. For some reason, it was only his hair and forehead that generated sweat, while the rest of his body seemed to not care about the humid, murky, swampy air.

Nathan was topless so she had no clothes to remove and she still hadn't gotten used to his scarred body. His torso was bad enough, with a few scars here and there, something the Falna should've dealt with, something she had thankfully gotten. When she questioned his Familia, they only stayed quiet or said they weren't sure. An obvious lie but she didn't push further as the reason must have been uncomfortable to share.

As Lunor took off the piece of cloth that had previously been attached to Haruhime's kimono from the boy's chest, she was grateful to see that wound had sewn up. She then got to his ankle. This was past her knowledge but she did her best. Carefully undoing the splint she had made; she began to slowly move his ankle. There was little motion on the boy's face, showing it had gotten better but not completely healed as he still slightly grimaced in his sleep. There wasn't much she could now for his ankle except keep it in place and out of harm's way.

Lunor took another look at the boy's face. She froze, only for a second before deciding that his back was less painful to look at.

Each time she made this decision she regretted it, only until she had to deal with his face again that is. The main issue with his back was trying to decipher what had already been there and what need to be treated. It reminded her of when Syr tried to cut a large chunk of meat that one time and failed miserably, only denting the meat and not fully cutting through it, even after close to 50 attempts.

Lunor felt the boy's back rumble as she heard another quiet grumble from her patient.

"Miss Lunor, how is he?"

"Oh *cough* he seems to be getting better. It seems that healing that you lot mentioned is starting to work."

The relief in Haruhime's eyes was evident as she knelt down next to the brown-haired waitress.

"Miss Tsubaki says that she is going to give a quick order in a minute."

"Ok, thank you."

"Is there anything else I can help with, water or something to eat?"

"No, thank you though, don't want to waste any more water and he doesn't need it, except maybe for a bath."

Haruhime chuckled at that.

Lunor then turned the boy back over and looked once more at his bandaged face.

"You should probably go back and see if anyone else needs help."

"O-ok…"

Lunor didn't like being abrupt with the timid Renard but knew that she shouldn't see her companion in such a horrible state and Haruhime knew as well. Sadly, she stood up and began to walk away.

She heard the woman begin to slowly tear off Nathan's newest mask. Each time they applied a bandage to it, it stuck to his face, forcing it to be slowly peeled off. The noise it made was gut-wrenching and it made Lunor lose her appetite each time she did it.

Doing her best Dea saint impression, Lunor carefully removed the blood-soaked bandage, revealing the grotesque image again. It was the only wound that had shown no signs of improvement, not even a single bit. The flesh was still a deep red and the crevasse that stretched from his hairline to his chin had not shrunk.

Nathan's face scrunched up in pain. This happened each time as well, only showing that even in his deep sleep, Nathan still felt the pain of the injury.

Each time Lunor worked on Nathan, she had time to think. This time she thought of her conversation with Tsubaki earlier.

'If it is some kind of dream that keeps making him do this, then it isn't a dream. It's a nightmare.'

This only served to add more questions as she began to apply a small bit of water from her own satchel, trying to clean any infection that might fester.

'What kind of things is he seeing then and why does he keep pleading and apologising.'

Lunor turned away to grab another bit of fabric they could spare, still trying to answer the question. But she realised she didn't know enough about the boy but what shook her was that she got the sense that his Familia didn't even know.

'Well, he has been in Orario longer than the Hestia Familia has been around.'

As she faced back to her patient to re-apply the eye bandage, she froze as jade met hazelnut.

"We are going to wait here until Skias Alf wakes up!"

Tsubaki made her statement in front of everyone. Lunor was currently tending to the boy in question but she thought she could tell her after now that Haruhime had walked back.

From her statement, it seemed each one wanted to voice something but then they answered their complaint in their heads. Tsubaki continued.

"We have managed to survive so far because I and Antianeira know the path here and that the Armed monsters are taking the brunt of the monsters. However, we are about to go down to Floor 32 and that is the worst place to have a burden."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Welfy, let me explain. Floor 32-36 is almost one giant desert. Similar to the great forest labyrinth and the water capital above but that is where the similarities stop. Each floor has its own unique set of monsters and worst of all, if we stray off the main path, even a little, it is incredibly difficult to find it again. As for trying to continue to carry Skias Alf, there are now flying monsters and not your typical Harpies or Sirens."

"Like what Miss Tsubaki?" Lili asked.

"Like Firebirds and if we are really unlucky, Phoenix's and not like the ones from those hero tales, something I've had to tell Hime countless times," Aisha added.

"There are also fire hornets and worst of all, sandworms."

"Sandworms, Meow?" Chloe asked.

"They hide in the sand and burrow underneath. The only saving grace is that they are completely blind but they follow vibrations in the sand, A.K.A us walking. Eternal shadow, we are going to be almost reliant on you for that stuff, got it!"

"Y-yes, understood," Mikoto stuttered, now having to deal with a lot of pressure being put on her.

"So this is why we are waiting for Masky to wake up, Nya," Anya stated.

"Almost Kitty but not all the reasons."

The statement brought puzzled looks onto everyone's faces.

"What do you mean, Cyclops?" Bors asked, leaning on his battle hammer.

"I mean, from what I know of Skias Alf, he is invaluable now, not just as a friend or part of the group but as our main fighter."

"OI! Tsubaki you want to wait for Nathan to wake up just to chuck him on the front lines!" Welf shouted.

"That is correct, you wanna know why. Cause even from the small bits of info I've got outta you lot and from what I've seen, he is basically that place's worst enemy."

Tsubaki's claim was met with silence with only a nodding agreement from Aisha. It wasn't until Lili started to understand.

"I understand what you mean, Miss Tsubaki but asking him to be our main fighter after 2 days sleep and… those injures, he will struggle."

"Why? The sleep has helped him recover somewhat and he was in a much worse state when he met up with us on floor 25, and from what I saw, he will be immensely useful."

This gained a few murmurs of confirmation from Anya and Chloe

"Someone bloody 'splain to those who barely know the 'alf-elf," Bors spat out, not enjoying being left in the dark.

Before anyone could begin Bors' request, a sudden shout from behind brought the conversation to an abrupt end.

"Hey, be careful!"

All eyes were now on the young man who had caused Lunor's sudden outburst. Sitting up straight with his left arm outstretched. His Jade eyes were wide and unblinking. Even though he was looking in their direction, the group could tell he wasn't seeing them. His chest was in constant motion as the half-elf sucked in heavy breaths. After a moment of silence, the boy's out-reaching arm slowly came back and was placed on the still sweaty forehead, narrowly grazing the flesh wound that covered his right eye earning a grimace of pain.

"Nathan!" Welf was the one who spoke for his Familia as they all quickly made their way over to the now awoken boy, the other people behind content on watching for now.

Before they reached the boy and Lunor could speak another word to him, he reactively keeled over and began to throw up. Though it was barely anything as he had not been able to eat and only drink what Lunor and Haruhime had managed to get down him. Alongside that a few days ago he had thrown up in Knossos and what came out of the boy's mouth was little more than drool and a small splash of liquid that hit the mossy floor.

His Familia gave him some room while Lunor gave him a light pat on the back just for a bit of comfort. After what felt like an eternity, the boy slowly raised his head. His bleached hair was wet with sweat and the fog that had encompassed him for the unconscious time on the floors above. It dangled within his eyesight as it stuck to his face. The first person he made eye contact with was Lili, as she was the smallest and closest to him.

"Nathan, are you all right?" She asked quietly, not wanting to surprise or make the headache the boy clearly had any worse.

"W-wh…where?" He managed through heavy breaths.

"We are on floor 31. We are looking for Master Bell, remember?"

"W-wh *Breaths* What?"

"I'd give him some time; he's just woken up from 2 days of heavy sleep so just be patient."

Nathan turned his head towards the voice to his right. The first glimpse of the woman was blurred and when he tried to focus by squinting, pain rushed through the right side of his face.

"Careful, don't push yourself, you are still badly wounded."

"H-huh?"

'Floor 31, Bell?'

'2 days sleep?'

'Badly wounded?'

Nathan's mind tried to contemplate the small info dump that he had just heard. His mind was still reeling from his previous nightmare as it slowly faded from his memory, only the feeling of being pulled down remained.

"Here."

A hand with a bag of water was put in front of him. Nathan accepted the water from Lunor. He didn't realise how thirsty he was until he felt that first drop of water hit the back of his throat. After that he downed the entire bag in almost one gulp, quenching his thirst alongside an annoyed grimace from the water's previous owner.

Wiping away the remnants of water from his lips, Nathan began to properly take in his surroundings. He was sitting near the edge of a fairly decent-sized room filled with green fungus and moss. Vines hung down from the ceiling and he noticed a small pond of murky water on the other side of the room. This quickly confirmed that what Lili had told him was true.

He made out his Familia members and saw that they seemed to be fine, nothing much had changed from the last time he had seen them on floor 27. Had Haruhime's Kimono gotten shorter?

'Floor 27. Knossos… Revis.'

Quickly his memories before he fell asleep came back to him. He reached his hand up to the right side of his face just to check.

*Wince*

Yep, his face was still badly wounded, that was what Lunor was probably on about. He clenched his fist into a ball, grabbing onto the fringe of his hair.

From the darting of his eyes and the clenched fist, the group could tell that the boy was beginning to remember what had happened. They gave him the peace he needed to get his mind together but after a long silence, Tsubaki made her move.

"Skias Alf, glad to see you're finally awake. I'm sorry to rush you but we really don't have time right now to sit down and reminisce."

Tsubaki wasn't going to mention that he was the reason for that per Welf's wishes but she knew what she had said was right. Her single eye met his as he looked up at her.

"Fill me in."

Nathan sat quietly as he let the others tell the story of how they made their way through floor 28 to where they were now. He couldn't hide his discomfort of not being able to help and he didn't need to be told how much of a burden he must have been.

After being fully caught up, he slowly made his way to his feet. Haruhime made her way over to him after rummaging through Lili's supporter's backpack. She handed him some rations, though he quickly declined.

"Nathan, you haven't eaten in over 2 days, you need to eat."

"Hime's right, you are going straight to the Vanguard so get some energy in ya," Aisha backed up her little sister.

"Fine."

Nathan didn't have the strength to argue, only backing up the two women's argument. As he began chewing on the hardened bread, his thoughts were elsewhere. All he could think about at that moment was Knossos. He hadn't bothered trying to remember his nightmare, they happened frequently and he barely ever remembered them though he knew he saw Elisha again.

'I'm going to kill all of them, starting with Revis.'

Nathan was managing to maintain his composure but the more he thought the harder it became. He did his best trying to be cold and calculating about his future plan but his emotions were slowly seeping in. Standing next to him, Haruhime noticed the change in the boy's demeanour.

She didn't know how to comfort him or what he was thinking about. She knew he had gone through something horrible and had struggled through every step of it. So she did the only thing she could think of. Something that would not comfort her but something she had been telling herself to focus her mind on and allow her to stay strong.

"Let's go save Master Bell so we can see Lady Hestia again."

The result was immediate as the boy's eyes made contact with hers. She knew mentioning Hestia would work for Nathan as he was second only to Bell when loyalty and attachment came to their Goddess.

A small smile graced his lips and she saw him internally harden his resolve.

"Yeah, let's go."

The boy walked over to the group with Haruhime following behind him.

"Thank you, Haruhime."

Nathan knew what she had done for him and why and without seeing the smile they both now shared, Nathan made his way over to his blacksmith.

"Ah Nathan, you feeling better now mate?"

"Felt worse I guess," The boy answered nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Ha, you and me both."

"Really?"

"Yeah, this one time I tried to ask Hephaistos out on a date…"

"… and she laughed at him as he got on one knee while presenting her a flower, it was hilarious!"

"TSUBAKI!"

Welf shone with embarrassment as Tsubaki told way more of the story than he had intended to share, though it did its intended purpose as Nathan let out a small chuckle at the story.

"Yeah, well present her that sword next time and she might say something different," Nathan commented through his snickering.

"Oi, don't you start… you think?"

"It's better than a flower Welfy. Anyway, stop talking and let's get goin," Tsubaki said as she walked away.

"Tch, that damn woman." Welf clicked his tongue at the back of the bane of his younger years.

"Anyway, glad to see you doing better mate."

"Cheers. How are they?"

"They. I've done my best to keep them up to pristine condition but I'm not promising they are perfect; you did get a lot of blood on them."

"As long as they can cut, I'll manage for now."

"I suppose but when we get back to the surface, I'm having a look at them alongside getting you some new armour."

"You already planned that far ahead?" Nathan smiled at the smith.

"Of course, I'm offended you think so little of me," Welf fained an over-exaggeration of being offended.

"With you and Bell constantly getting into danger, I have no choice."

"Ha, sorry about that."

"Don't worry, gives me more chance to hone my craft."

While the young men were casually conversing, Welf went and grabbed a bit of cloth. It was clearly wrapped around something and as the smith unwrapped it, Nathan's eyes fell on a comforting.

Nathan only ever felt complete when he had swords in his hand. They were the closest thing he had to childhood friends and they had yet to disappoint him. With some small, quick practice swings, Nathan's swordsmanship instinct kicked in and now Nathan was ready to fight. There was only one thing missing from his body that would make the half-elf feel completely one.

He was glad he left it back in the mansion as he didn't want to risk it in Knossos but it was the longest he had gone without it. His hand reached up to the bare skin that surrounded his neck, just making sure that his mother's necklace was not there. Still, his hand squeezed, almost as if it was there. It was enough to bring him some comfort.

The group made their way, now an extra man up and a burden down, to the exit of the swamp floors and onto the Sand dunes of the lower floors. They could all feel the almost excruciating heat rinse every bead of sweat from their bodies.

"I know I asked you to go straight in the Vanguard, but you sure you're ready for this?"

Nathan turned towards the Cyclops and didn't even think twice before answering.

"Heh, how bout I show you."

And with a bold statement, Nathan led the party into floor 32. They were another step closer to their captain and friend. With his right eye covered, his ankle still weak and his mind still not fully recovered, the half-elf began his massacre of the desert.

"You weren't fucking kiddin when you said he would shine 'ere!"

Bors spoke for everyone as they could only watch what they could on describe as mesmerizing. Nathan made sure his statement was not just a cocky remark as he brutally brought truth to Tsubaki's claim of the half-elf being the Dunes' worst enemy.

"SQUAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"UAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The sound of monsters dying had been almost non-stop now for the past 30 minutes. Nathan internally told himself he was going to make up for his lack of help on the previous floors and that's exactly what he did.

As soon as the party took their first step onto the boiling red sand, a flock of firebirds immediately darted towards them. With a wingspan of 3 metres and completely covered in flames, they were a menacing sight to behold. Before they could even get close or the party could form a defensive formation, Nathan was already ready.

"…to survive another day."

Two blades of wind slashed through all but one of the firebirds and Nathan didn't plan on letting the last one get any further. Using his level 4 strength, he pushed off the sand with a trajectory straight for the winged monster's throat. Finding his mark, Nathan stood in the air as the ash from the last firebird fell to the ground.

Without looking back down at the party, Nathan began running through the air.

This was the sight that still left the party in awe. None of them knew this was even possible. The Hestia Familia had not seen it, while Tsubaki, Anya, Chloe and Lunor had no memory of the half-elf doing this while in the water capital.

Nathan had only used this technique three times in the past 2 years. Once against a level-boosted Tammuz in the middle floors, against the enraged Jormungandr in Daedalus Street and when running away from a pack of Violas in Knossos.

Tsubaki thought Nathan would work here because he would deal with the flying monsters with his wind magic, the way he had done for the first flock of firebirds and his wind magic would also make him light on his feet so as not to attract the sand worms. Then his heightened senses would help Mikoto with knowing where the sandworms were, something she had seen the Loki Familia utilise with Alchat and Vanargand.

However, not even she could perceive how much he would dominate this area of the dungeon. It was almost like he was purposely making a mockery of the dungeon itself as if it was to say is this all you've got?

Nathan's ear twitched slightly, something both Lili and Tsubaki had noticed was a small giveaway that Nathan had heard something, even though they could not hear anything.

"The desert has gotten quiet," Bors pointed out.

"Tch, everyone stay together and no one move!" Aisha ordered.

"Miss Aisha, what's going on?"

"It's a sandworm, Eternal Shadow. It's a sign that a sandworm is coming. Activate your magic, quickly."

'So that's what Nathan picked up on, even all the way up there.'

Lili thought this as she was surrounded by Welf, Ouka and Bors. Next to her was Haruhime with Chigusa readying her bow just behind them. Aisha and Tsubaki stood at the front, while the three waitresses patiently stood still behind them, ready to intercept any flanking attack.

"Skias Alf, you see anything?" Tsubaki shouted up to the half-elf. He was currently seeing what his answer would be as his left eye scouted out the area. He was currently standing on his wind at an altitude of about 35 metres above the ground, giving him a good vantage point but still, he couldn't see anything, however, his ears were a different story.

"Well!"

Tsubaki wanted to know any bit of information she could get. She knew that if the sandworm's sneak attack was successful, the entire party could be decimated, even including her.

Instead of answering, Nathan slowly moved to where he heard the sound coming from, giving the direction to Aisha and Tsubaki. It was coming straight at them. A front-line assault was very unusual for sandworms but these past few days have been anything but normal, so Tsubaki prepared her Katana-like weapon.

But as she watched the boy continue moving, presumably now over the sandworm, her blood ran cold. Nathan was standing right above them, which only meant one thing. They didn't need Mikoto to tell them that the sandworm was directly below them.

Tsubaki was about to give the order to disperse. She was preparing for some serious injuries and even death. It was near impossible to get everyone away fast enough but like hell would she allow this rescue mission to fail now.

Just before she opened her mouth, a sudden crunch of sand hit her ears. She looked over to see Anya running away.

Anya had experience here. She had been present for several Freya Familia expeditions. This moment brought back a memory of over 10 years ago. She and a group of others were in this very scenario but before the sandworm attacked, her brother ran away. At first, she couldn't believe that her brother was abandoning them but then she realised what he was really doing. He saved her and those adventurers that day and she was going to return that gesture to others.

The party were like a field of statues. None dared even breathe as they watched the cat girl run away, not sure what she was doing. Then they felt it. A mass rumbling passed beneath them. It almost knocked over the weaker girls over, forcing Bors and Ouka to stop them from landing on the sand, catching them just before disaster.

To those stranded on the desert floor, time slowed down to almost a standstill. All they could was feel the tremors below them fade as it followed after the cat girl had made enough noise to grab its attention. The only other one on the move was Nathan, who was currently chasing down the cat girl, his ears still picking up the tremors in the ground.

Anya finally stopped; she had grown a big enough gap to the sandworm that she felt comfortable fighting it. She watched as Nathan was about to be right above her, also preparing for the attack. The sand dunes were silent once more, no tremors no rumbling heard as Anya held her breath, her golden spear at the ready. Her cat ears had turned into sonars as they waited for any sound. As a level 4 cat person, she could detect even the smallest grain of sand move as if it was right below her and that was what she waited for.

The sandworm would not keep her waiting and just as Anya's ears twitched, the sandworm pounced. Erupting from the sand its giant, gaping mouth attempted to swallow its prey. Sharp, razor teeth protruded from the sides of its mouth, with only more rows of the teeth increasing the further Anya looked down into the gaping abyss.

"Anya!"

Lunor's shout of concern was appreciated but not needed for the experienced adventurer. She had been in the Freya Familia after all, only Ryu could compete with Anya for fighting monsters, with Anya constantly enjoying bringing up the topic of who had delved the furthest.

Her red flannel fluttered as Anya somersaulted backwards, her golden spear gleaming in the hot air. The sandworm's true size was exposed as it almost reached up to Nathan in the air, who didn't even flinch, seeing that Vana Elfy was fully capable of dealing with one sandworm.

As the sandworm began to go back into the sand, Anya, almost showboating, jammed her spear into the body of the giant, grey-skinned monster and began running around the body. Her spear followed her along. It was exactly how Allen had dealt with the sandworm before and Anya was enjoying every second of being able to imitate her brother.

Within a second after the sandworm had appeared, Anya had completed her run around the sand covered body and with one final slash, she had torn the monster in half.

"That idiot kitty, meow," Chloe commented, knowing she wasn't going to hear the end of this.

"I'm more surprised she came up with a plan that quickly," Lunor added, glad that her sister was safe.

As the pile of ash began to fall onto the ground, the party breathed one giant sigh of relief as the brown-haired cat threw her left hand into the air, a clear prideful smile plastered on her face.

"HAHA, Nya doubted me. You think something as purrtiful as a mere sandworm would defeat me, Nya!"

Anya was enjoying the moment and it allowed the others to calm down a bit, the sight of the boastful cat girl bringing a sigh and smile to all.

Though Lunor was the first who looked up to Nathan. He was still standing there, high above, with his swords still drawn and then she saw it. His ear twitched.

"UUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Another sandworm burst out from the red dunes.

"ANYA LOOK OUT!"

Lunor's shout was accompanied by looks of horror as they all saw an even bigger sandworm shoot out just behind the cat girl. Clearly, Anya's diversion didn't just attract that single sandworm.

As Anya turned around, she saw the giant lower-level monster tower above her. But as her gaze worked its way all the way up to the top, her eyes fluttered as the glint of metal entered her vision.

Before Anya could even scream in terror or prepare her spear for another fight, the sandworm froze. Then a split second later, the sound of a monster crystal shattering sprung in her feline ears.

Just like the one she had defeated, the second sandworm burst into ash. As the ash settled onto the ground and as the second hole in the sand began to fill in, standing just above the moving sand, green wind surrounded his feet creating a platform to stand on, Skias Alf swung his swords to the side, wiping away the blood.

Those who were standing further away breathed their second sigh of relief. They all saw the monster burst out of the sand and they all saw it rise up, almost touching Nathan, well it would've been anyway. Except the half-elf had jumped further into the air and was currently crouched upside down. Then at a speed that even Tsubaki struggled to keep up with, Nathan pushed off his platform and with his swords ready to slice, he dove straight into the gaping mouth of the monster.

His swords punctured through both sides of the monster, making it seem that it had been cut through cleanly from the side and just as Nathan hit the crystal, he twisted in the air, cutting the giant purple stone, worth up to almost half a million valis alone.

Nathan and Anya began walking back to the group. Anya was currently thanking the boy for helping her, not rescuing her, something she made abundantly clear.

As they reached the party, some quick words were passed around. Tsubaki wasn't pleased with Nathan ignoring her but then thanked him for taking care of the sandworm but stopped as he was getting enough praise from his Familia.

Meanwhile, Anya was being chewed out by her friends for doing something reckless and also getting cocky. Anya snapped back as she rubbed the part of her head Lunor had hit, saying she saved the party, something they couldn't really argue with.

"Tch, come on, let's keep moving," Aisha stated, swinging her padoa onto her bare shoulders. Bors just grunted, annoyed thinking about how much money those two just wasted by shattering the crystals.

The party was quickly back on its original course and they began to make good progress through floors 32-36, with no small help to the half-elf.

4 days after Bell and Ryu had been swallowed by the Lambton.

"This is it then?"

"Yep."

The quick conversation between Lili and Tsubaki was all that was needed as the party had finally reached their destination.

In front of them was the haunting abyss of the entrance to Floor 37.

All those that had never been there immediately felt the change in atmosphere. It was like they were looking at another entrance to a different dungeon. The thought of a dungeon within the dungeon sent shivers up their spines.

To those that had been here before, they began their mental preparations. There were no exceptions to this, from Ottar and Finn down to the half-elf who was here for the third time now but had yet to descend the steps.

Just like the previous two times, his instinct was going insane, screaming at him not to go down any further. It was what had stopped him the previous two times. It was almost enough to stop him for a third time.

But then he looked over and saw something that gave him confidence. The Prum was currently sorting through her backpack, making sure she had everything on standby.

The smith was currently holstering a set of mind potions in preparation for using his mind-draining magic sword.

The Renard and Far Eastern women were clearly shaking but held strong looks in their eyes.

Nathan had been jealous of day one of his Familia. He wished he could be as strong as they were. That faith and confidence they held had long been beaten out of him and he could only ever see the glass half empty. His Familia didn't just see the glass as half full but with Bell leading them, they would make sure the glass was filled to the brim. That is what Nathan envied so much. He knew he couldn't change that much, if that future was possible it was still a long way off. So he made sure of something. If he wouldn't add anything to the glass, he wouldn't take anything away from it andh help in anyway he can to even add even the smallest drops.

This was his resolve and where he found his courage as he faced something he feared. He felt like he could face it a hundred times, as long as he had his family with him.

"Everyone good?" Tsubaki asked around. She received a chorus of nods and confirmations.

"Wait a minute, where's Nathan?" Welf asked.

The group looked around until they spotted the half-elf. Standing at the entrance to Floor 37, still shirtless and with his shorts barely holding up, he was crouched down. They saw as he grabbed a bit of the dirt that was on top of the stairs and to their weird surprise, he rubbed it on his forehead. They saw his mouth move but couldn't hear what he had said.

"Some sort of pre-fight ritual?" Aisha asked as she walked up behind the boy.

"…something like that," Was the boy's response.

"What'd you say?"

"Don't matter, only means something to me."

"Huh, didn't take you to be the superstitious type."

"-Someone once told me that everyone needs something."

"Even you?"

"…even me."

"Welp, I hope it helps. Besides, I'm surprised you ain't been further though I can't say I blame ya."

"Skias Alf. Antianeira. We're going, you ready."

They looked over towards Tsubaki and nodded.

With the level 5 Cyclops, an ex-Berbera and the Skias Alf at decent strength at the front, 3 formidable waitresses covering the rear and the Xenos spearheading the way forward, the party knew there was no way they would fail and not find Rabbit Foot and the Gale Wind.

It didn't take long for them to find the pair. With the Xenos leading the way and being the ones who tracked them down, the young white-haired boy who was covered in burns and blood was rescued alongside the almost naked, scarred and bruised elf.

The journey back up was easier than before. Even though they had to waste Chigusa and Mikoto to carrying the pair, with a now rejuvenated Nathan and waitresses, the return home was done in a day quicker.

The only time they stopped, apart from small rests was when they visited the mermaid, Marie, in the Water capital. If it wasn't for her donation of a life-risking amount of blood, the two might not have made it.

Nathan was the one who went to collect the blood alongside Lett. After seeing her keep wanting to offer her blood, Nathan was then who grabbed his knife back from the mermaid.

"No, Marie can give more!"

"Marie" Lett said concerned.

"This is enough, trust me."

"But it didn't work when we gave Marie's blood to you," The mermaid protested, feeling like she hadn't given enough for the boy who had freed her from the constraints of the streams.

"I'm different, don't worry though I'm feeling better. You have given enough and Bell wouldn't want to get better at the expense of losing a close friend."

"Close Friend? You mean that?" The girl said, smiling.

"Of course. Thank you, really. You've saved my captain with this and his friend."

Marie blushed at being called a close friend to Bell, happy knowing that she was able to help him.

After Bell and Ryu were given the mermaid blood, they were given enough life to get to the Dian Cecht clinic.

Just as they hit floor 18, Nathan insisted on carrying the two on his own. Of course, the party argued, saying why now. But Nathan said that he was the fastest here and that he knew shortcuts that he could take.

Knowing that time was of the essence, the party couldn't really argue but insisted that Chloe, the second fastest after Tsubaki, would go with him. Nathan carrying Bell and Chloe carrying Ryu. Anya and Lunor accompanied them as extra protcetion.

As soon as the exchange was made, the half-elf and black-furred cat girl ran as fast as they could. Streaking past groups of adventurers, the pair flew threw floors. They couldn't take the exact route Nathan had taken on the way down as some of the holes would be slow to climb than just taking the normal route, especially carrying the injured adventures.

Nathan was a bit annoyed he couldn't take some of the shortcuts because they were they were only accessible with his wind magic but they would have only saved a maximum of a minute, but to Nathan that could have been life or death.

After 25 minutes, the group of level 4s breached the surface, making a B-line to the Dian Cecht clinic.

Amid was still thinking about the failed attack on Knossos four days ago. She wanted to think she could have done everything she could've done. She was given praise for her defeating the Barca monster but all she could think about was the casualty number.

The entire Dionysus Familia, gone. Completely wiped out as their patron deity was returned to heaven somewhere in Knossos.

Then there was that mysterious person. While she was the one who had killed the monster, it was that figure who allowed that to happen with his seeming immunity to a curse that was even painful for the level 6 Amazon twins.

Just as she was thinking about that boy, a half-elf barged through the white double doors. A young boy was on his back. Just behind followed a cat girl with a wounded elf over her shoulder. She immediately sprang into action. Quickly realising that she was treating Rabbit's foot, she put the two injured adventures into separate rooms and got to healing.

But as she began her chant while the half-elf, who she presumed was the one in Bell's Cranel's Familia, placed the young boy onto a hospital bed, a feeling of dread swamped her. It was the same feeling that she had felt back in Knossos. She knew it came from the strong adventurer dressed in black. The one she saw that was violently whipped by the Barca monster, causing a horrible wound to encase the right side of his face. The same wound that was currently plastered on the half-elf's frozen face, something she hadn't noticed as his head had been down and she was more focused on the injured patient on his back.

Amid stared at the wide-eyed boy and the horrifying mark on his face. As he slowly turned towards her, she stopped her chant but that feeling of dread didn't go away. She watched as the boy begin to walk but then she remembered something.

"Where did that adventurer go?"

"Oh, Amid. What adventurer?" Finn asked.

"The one that joined halfway through our fight with that giant monster,"

Amid saw Finn go quiet and his pupils shrink slightly.

"I'm not entirely sure right now but I don't think he has gone far; his left ankle was badly broken."

Amid watched as the half-elf placed his left foot onto the ground. She didn't know how much work he had put it through. She didn't know that it had been in constant use ever since it was broken. She didn't know about his healing ability or how it had barely done anything. She didn't know he had completely blocked any feeling from his ankle because after he took out a sandworm on floor 32, the pain had become unbearable to deal with.

What she did know was that she had to call for help as she heard the bone crunch as he put too much pressure on his ankle, the final nail in a very long coffin. Alongside his lack of sleep over 5 days and it only left one outcome. Amid rushed to the side of the limp body lying on her hospital floor and that he, just like the two he had brought in not one minute ago, was in need of immediate treatment.

Heya, been a bit.

Last semester of Uni has been fun but easter holiday so thought I had to get a chapter out.

If you couldn't tell, the end of this chapter was a bit rushed. It was getting long enough and there was still some dialogue that I had to end up skipping and just explain. I also wanted to get out of the dungeon and onto the next chapter. The next one will be a bit shorter but its the build up for the second invasion of Knossos and a lot of stuff happens, well thats how my head plan has gone anyway ;)

Anyway, Reviews:

Jank7457: Yeah Nathan's wrathful feeling is something that has been buit up over years of trauma and now its Orario turn for it to be pushed back onto itself. AS for his voice, I think imaging it like the Hollow Transformation works but I imagine Nathan's voice going deep instead of the more higher pitched that hollow's do (Dub is like that anyway)

NinjaFang1331: Cheers man, glad you enjoying it

SoarenStrafer: Appreciated, I had a lot if fun making it and hearing that people enjoy my writing makes me want to continue.

Ardianlura: Here you go (Also, really cool name).

Guest(s): Not sure if this is the same person or two different ones buttttt:

- Here ya go

- Thanks m9

To the latest review (Of posting this) This is like the third time this has been asked. All I'm going to say, he has his hair bleached, wears a mask to cover his eyes and hides in the shadows so people don't spot him. He is also a fugitive of the Royal Elf forest and Family, not to mention Riveria would recoginse him and so would Evilus if he had the same name since brith. So, do you think Nathan is his real, ELVEN name?

Thank you so much for reading and the long waits, I'll see ya next time and peace.