Danmachi owner, who dat? I only own ma stuff, though I wonder if Oomri is willing to share?

Loki Familia

All want and desire to descend to the 13th floor had vanished as Perseus's mind reeled at the new information it had obtained.

He had heard of them. Of course he had. He had not been given a choice in that regard. Adventurers mention them everywhere. In the Guild or in the dungeon. Ordinary citizen's conversations can last over an hour when talking about the great Familia of the trickster.

Topics range from their mighty strength or their rivalry with Freya Familia. However, it always seems to lead to one major subject. The destruction and abolishment of the Zeus and Hera Familia.

Perseus did not hold much love for his family that he had never met. Only maintaining memories of his mother, the woman standing beside her, the other crying child beside him, and the two deities, especially Hera.

He had unknowingly begun a small pocket of disdain for them in his mind, mainly at the Goddess who had abandoned him but that had halted somewhat when he first heard the stories.

How the Loki and Freya Familia had taken advantage of the obliteration of the two great Familia at the hands of the One-eyed Black Dragon. Abusing their weakened state, they pushed them out of the city, leading to even more death as those weakened by the fight that had returned could do little as Zeus and Hera were forced to take off any existing Falna's that remained.

This allowed Perseus to understand where his family went, it did little to undermine the fact that Hera had still abandoned him and not taken him with her. Or why his mother had given him away anyway. He only remembers their faces, not any of the words that transpired or what actions were taken as everything else is a blur.

However, that doesn't matter as when Perseus learnt of the Loki Familia, he had found his next goal. He didn't seek revenge as his mind was still too young to perceive it, nor would he ever work towards such a goal. He didn't want to attack them or kill them. But he couldn't help but feel a certain hatred towards them for what they did. How he blamed them for being left behind.

Perseus had tried to come up with so many answers to his questions. Was the Goddess Hera forced to abandon him? Maybe his mother was dead and that's why she gave him away. However, those answers always lead to blame. Blame on Loki and Freya Familia for what they did.

So as Perseus saw the last boot of the Loki Familia ascend to the 11th floor of the dungeon, Perseus hardened his determination as he swore to himself that he would overcome them. They would be the obstacle he would need to overcome if he wanted to beat the One-eyed Black Dragon.

Perseus looked back at floor 13, the allure of the middle floors now holding a different meaning. An allure that no longer only promised riches and strength but now something new.

He knew the Loki Familia were The dungeon-oriented Familia while the Freya Familia were more prone to fighting others. So Perseus decided he would beat them at their own game. He would beat the Loki Familia in the dungeon and beat the Freya Familia in combat.

'I need to know then.'

Percy gave one last look in the direction that the Loki Familia had come from, thinking that he would come back another time but now he had to know something. Which Floor had the Loki Familia got to as that would be his new goal. If he wanted to beat the Loki Familia in the dungeon, he would have to find out how far away he was right now.

And so Perseus set off after the Loki Familia and began to trail them, using his sneak skill to stay hidden. However, he didn't know one number could sound so daunting and large.

Floor 45

That was the number that the guy had said at the back of the group. I have to get to floor 45, no floor 46 if I want to beat them. I'm only on floor 12 and that took me 7 months. At this rate, it will take... a really long time to get there.

What if that isn't even their lowest floor? What if they were just fighting there, like what I do on floors 10 and 11 even though I've got to floor 12. Then what? I don't even know what floor I need to reach.

'No wait, I don't need to think like that!'

I shout at myself in my head. I need to stay composed; I can't worry about beating them at the moment. That is still too far in the future. I need to focus on getting stronger so that I can start catching up to them. I do want to know a bit more about them. I'll ask Brant when I see him tomorrow.

I finally reach my home on the edge of Daedalus. I deposit my magic stones in a wooden draw that was still intact when I found this place. I check my hiding spot for my Valis and remove my armour and battle clothes.

After putting on the only slightly normal clothes I have to keep me a bit warmer at night, I grab the tattered bed cloth, the half-filled pillow of straw and then do my best to fall asleep on the deflated mattress on top of a broken wooden bed frame as the rising sun was just about to crack through the window.

"Why do ya wanna know 'bout Loki Familia?"

I shrug at Brant's question, trying to act nonchalant. I don't want to give anything away about why I want to learn about the Loki Familia. I've just met up with him for this week's money exchange.

"I saw them come up, just wanna know is all."

Brant gives me a raised eyebrow.

"Ya saw them?"

I nod.

"They see you?"

I shake my head.

"Good. Hmmph, they must've been comin' back from an expedition If I'd guess," Brant says as he scratches his unkept residuals of hair he thinks is a beard.

"What's an expedition?" I ask, never having heard that word before.

"-huh? Oh, ya don't need to ya worry 'bout that," He says as he shrugs me off with a wave of his hand. I press more, thinking it could be information needed to beat them.

"Why not?"

"Look brat, ya don' need to worry 'bout expeditions cause they're for big Familia's, something ya don' have. Got it!" Brant stated. He had already figured I belonged to a not very well-off, small Familia a while ago though still unsure of which one.

I shrink back. I understand enough from that, though...

"So they're for big families..." I unintentionally whisper. Brant after hearing this and internally slapped himself for reminding a 5-year-old of their loneliness bends down to my eye level.

"Look kid," Brant starts, dropping the Brat garnering my attention. "I didn' mean it like that. What I meant was that ya don't need to worry 'bout things like that at the moment but who knows, in the future, ya might be part of one or 'ell, ya might even lead one."

Brant's attempt at cheering me up works slightly as he reminds me that I need to look to the future instead of focusing on the now. However, I still haven't figured out what an expedition is so I try a tactic I haven't used since I lived alone with Maria.

"B-Brant?"

"Y-yeah?" Brant responds, jerking back as I look at him. I am currently giving him my best 'sad eyes' The last time I used them was when I tried to get Maria to allow me to continue reading my book past my supposed bedtime, well that was the last time it worked. She quickly caught on afterwards but I made sure to pass my secret technique on to Carla before I left. She is a lot better than me, probably due to her slightly droopy cat ears she does.

I smirk at the thought of how much Carla might have gotten from Mother Maria since I've left. I'm not sure if it will work on a hard-headed man like Brant.

"If I'm going to lead an expedition in the future, wouldn't it be better that I learn what it is?"

I think my argument is valid, and along with my ever-growing pupils, it seems I'm able to crack through the rough and tough mindset of the man.

"Ghh! Fine, ya win, I'll tell ya so please stop lookin' at me like that."

I give a quick smile of triumph as Brant sighs at his defeat.

"An expedition is basically a long trip into the dungeon. In terms of the Loki Familia, most of the time, they'll separate into certain parties and go into the dungeon for a small amount of time, kind of like you."

I nod, showing that I'm listening and understanding what Brant means.

"An expedition is where all the Familia above a certain level will go deep into the floors, using the strength of their strongest and their large numbers. This is what allows them to go further than they would if they were in a party of let's say like 5 or 6."

"Ohh," I say as I realise why there were so many of them.

"But how come they can go so deep? Even if there are loads of them, surely by floor 35-40 they won't be strong enough to deal with the monsters?" I ask a reasonable question, knowing that even if there were 20 of me, I wouldn't deal with those lower floors at my strength.

"Strong enough? Ya kiddin' right? Their strongest are makin' you and me look like newborn babies in terms of strength! They've people at level 5s at the top, like their Captain Finn."

The image of the green-haired elf comes to mind.

'Level 5! Was she really that strong?'

But then all of a sudden I realised something. A key puzzle piece in all of this I had ignored or simply not known about up until now.

"Brant?" I ask in a calm tone as I think to myself.

"Yeah?"

"Let's say I do end up leading an expedition one day..."

"...Go on?" Brant asks, confused about the direction of my questions.

"Then I'd be a level 5 or something like the captain of the Loki Familia, wouldn't I?"

"I s'pose... why you ask that?"

"Soooo... how do I go about, you know... levelling up?"

I see Brant's eyes go wide momentarily as I hit the crux of my questioning.

"Ya don't need to worry 'bout that right now, that's still a long way off..."

"But my stats are already fairly high, surely I'm able to level up now?" I ask, confused at Brant's stiff posture.

"Trust me, ya ain't near. Ya have only been going for just over half a year. It took me over 2 years to get ready for mine."

"oh... How high does my status need to be?" I ask, disappointed that I'm nowhere near levelling up.

"I believe ya need at least one of ya stats to be of D-rank at the very least..."

"Oh well then..." I try to interrupt but Brant carries on.

"I managed to get some of my stats into C-tier and my strength almost hit the B-tier, something I'm proud of-"

"... but my stats are already in the B-tier, with my strength just hitting A..."

"-it took me almost 30 months to reach that point. That's pretty good, above average for most people who achieve the level up."

Brant finally finished. I didn't bother interrupting him again as I waited for him to finish. Now that he had quietened down, I decided to repeat what I just said.

"Ha! Funny one kid, sure ya are," He laughed at me for apparently something ridiculous.

"No really, I've passed D-tier on everything except magic, which I still don't have."

"Oi brat, I already laughed, no need to push the joke."

"It's not a joke!"

My raised voice made Brant flinch. As I stared at him, he slowly stood straighter, stiffer and rigid.

"Y-you... ain't pullin' ma leg?"

I fervently shake my head.

"I can get my status sheet if you want me to prove it to you!"

"W-what... did you say... your stats were again?" Brant shakily asks, sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

"My Defence and dexterity are B. My strength just passed A-tier in my last update and my Agility is only in C at the moment but it's... close to... B..."

My voice trails off as Brant seems to almost ghost me, a blank stare staring straight ahead.

"Only... C" He chuckles to himself. What I said finally sank into Brant's skin as his eyes peeled back further than I thought possible as he suddenly grabbed my shoulders.

"YOU WHAT!"

I reflexively covered my ears at the shout from Brant as it was the loudest I had ever heard him. He didn't seem to care about that as he continued to pester me.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"YOU'RE LYING RIGHT? YA HAVE TO BE!"

"I'm not I p-promise..." I manage to squeak out.

Brant, seeing what he was doing, releases me and tones his voice down but it is still just below a shout.

"You've only been goin' into the dungeon for less than a year, actually even less than that, and ya tellin' me that ya are already hittin' the A-tier!"

"Yes. Is that good or not? I don't really know; my stats have been slowing down a lot recently so I thought I wasn't doing very well?"

"Is that good he says! Kid, when I had your amount of experience I barely scratched into F-tier and I was 16 along with a party of another 6 well-trained adventurers! Is it good he says, HA!"

I take a minute to imagine a young Brant working at a party, not being able to create a very good image of it going well. Was Reg part in that party?

"Soo? Since I've passed D-tier... uhm does that mean, you know, I can uhm, level up now?" I say as I nervously scratch my cheek.

At my words, Brant stands back up and looks at me with an unusual look of seriousness.

"Technically... yes," He says, his voice calm and monotone.

"Great!" I say, not realising how Brant is looking at me. "So then can you teach me how to level up?"

"No."

"-h-huh?"

"I said no."

"W-why?"

"...I've got my reasons."

"B-but I meet the requirements. Why can't you tell me?"

"Like I said, I've got my reasons."

Brant's strict tone is starting to irritate me. Why now of all times does he decide to act responsibly over something that I need to know to get stronger?

"How is it a bad thing to tell me?"

"Just is. Ya, ain't ready."

I'm really starting to get annoyed. I need this information if I ever want to beat Loki, Freya and especially my past Familia.

"That's unfair. I've been working non-stop all this time, trying to get stronger!" I begin to raise my voice.

"And that's why I ain't telling ya!" Brant raises his voice in return.

"Is it because you actually don't know? Too scared to admit to me that you don't know!" I try to strike at his pride.

"Course I know dipshit! I've already levelled up; it didn't just happen!" My attack on his pride worked but it clearly didn't work well enough.

"Why then? Is it because you don't want me to get stronger than you, is that it?" I continue to go for his pride.

"HA! You, stronger than me, don't take the piss! I ain't tellin' ya 'cause I don' wanna!" Brant lashes back.

"It is that! You think that if I get stronger than you, I won't come back! Well if you're not going to tell me then I won't come back!" I shout back.

"Really! That's fine with me! Ya need me a lot more than I need ya!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

I give Brant a final stare of hatred as I turn around and dash out of the alleyway and into the main street, not caring for the noisy streets as tears begin to brim in my eyes.

As Brant watches the direction the young boy runs off, reality hits him.

"Damn it Brant, ya such an idiot," the man mumbled to himself as he set off after the lad. However, when he got to the street, he couldn't spot the black-haired boy.

"Fuck's sake."

Brant didn't bother going after him. He knew Percy lived in Daedalus; a place he knew he couldn't navigate. He couldn't beat him there either with his dodgy leg.

As Brant stared at the full pouch of money, having not given Percy his share, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and gave a pitiful sigh.

'Ya pathetic for fighting with a 5-year-old.'

As Brant dug his hands into his pockets, he sighed once more before turning in a certain direction.

"I need a drink," He mumbled to himself.

"Stupid Brant."

I mutter to myself as tears sting my eyes. I put it down to how fast I'm running instead of the real reason.

"Why couldn't he just tell me?"

I replay that question in my head over and over again. I don't understand, what was so wrong with telling me.

I don't actually believe Brant would have an issue if I got stronger than him, it was going to happen eventually. Besides, the stronger I get, the better monster crystals I can obtain which correlates to more money for Brant. There isn't a real reason why Brant wouldn't want me to level up.

I can't go back there. I attacked Brant's pride, one of the only few things he might have left. I shouldn't have done it and I was just being childish. Running away only added to my immature act.

"It's all my fault."

In my mind, I've lost my only real connection to the outside world. My only way to get money but most importantly I've realised what Brant is... was to me. He was the closest thing I've ever had to a friend and now I've destroyed that relationship. Just like how I destroyed my relationship with Maria, Carla, Jacob and the rest of the residents of Daedalus.

I'm all alone again and it's my fault again.

However, almost as if to remind me, I end up in an opening with a rundown church in the centre. Almost as if my body was running on autopilot, I ran into the usual spot where I meet up with Goddess Penia.

'Maybe she can...?'

But as I see the deity sprawled out on her usual bench bed, an empty bottle of liquor hanging out of her dangling left hand, her drunken snores muffled by her face being smushed into the wooden bench, I remember.

'No, she only cares about me because I pay her. She's the same as Brant. Neither of them see me as a friend or a follower, only someone who gets them money.'

Penia jolted awake, a cold spring morning running up her spine. The usual morning hangover headache reappeared once more. As she brings up her left hand to soothe her wrinkled head, the sound of glass hitting cobble forces her eyes open.

She squints as the bright midday sun hangs over her, only enraging her hangover even more. She lets out a tired groan before flipping over. It was too early for her to wake up.

Perseus just watched as his Goddess attempted to go back to sleep. He had witnessed this countless times over the course of their relationship. He would inevitably have to go over to her and get her awake enough to perform a status update.

This was by no means the worst he had seen the deity. He was grateful that she had taught him to read his falna as at least four times now, Penia had been too drunk to coherently say what his stats were.

So Perseus wiped the tears from his eyes and began making his way over to the divine drunk. He was doing his best to push Brant out of his mind.

Penia's ears heard the sound of boots on the crackled cobble but her inebriated mind did not register the sound.

"G-god... Goddess?" Percy stuttered, taking a shaky breath as he began what was going to be another difficult confrontation between himself and his patron deity.

Penia jolted upwards at the child's voice. A bad mistake. The blood rushed away from her head as she sat up, only for it to slam back ten times harder, only leading to one outcome.

Percy took a small jump backwards as he saw the elderly Goddess's lurch, already knowing what was going to happen. He should have known better by now but as the spewing vomit narrowly missed his brown boots, he could only sigh.

It took another 5 minutes before Penia was stable enough to talk to the boy.

"So, it's that time of the week, aye?" She said with a small scowl, her hangover not doing her mood any good.

Percy, for his part, simply nodded as he began unzipping his hoodie. Because it was sleeveless and had no chest armour, there was no need for him to remove any piece of armour. He could simply slip the black clothing over his shoulders and his back was exposed for use. However, that did not mean it went unnoticed.

"Oi, when did ya get?"

"Get w-what?" Percy nervously replied, unsure what Penia was referring to.

"The fancy stuff on ya arms?" Penia replied.

" Err, the other day."

"Ohhhh? Ya been spendin' a bit of some money then?" Penia asked curiously. She knew the boy in front of her was quite the scrounger when it came to finances.

"Well actually..." Percy was about to correct his Goddess until he realised what he was about to say.

'Brant bought me them...'

Penia couldn't see the solemn look on the boy's face as he had his back facing her. If she noticed it, she didn't comment on it. There seemed to be a growing number of things that made her only follower feel down. She never pushed the topic further, not thinking it was her place or having enough care to ask.

"...never mind, doesn't matter."

Though maybe now was the time to start. To be honest, seeing the child act gloomy was starting to get on her nerves. What exactly was there to be so miserable all the time? Yeah, she knew of the issue with his mother but other than that, everything was fine. He was earning enough money and getting strong at a good pace, even though she wasn't sure what a good pace was when it came to the falna considering she hadn't ever blessed anyone.

'I hope I don't regret this,' The Goddess thought as she gave out a defeated sigh.

"Jeez kid, I'm your Goddess, ain't I?"

"-huh?"

"Ain't I, I said!"

Perseus quickly nodded his head at the raised voice.

"And since ya refusin' to see ya mother at the moment, ya ain't got anyone to talk to, huh?"

Once again it took another raised "Oi!" from Penia to stir the boy's head to move as the mention of his mother frazzled his mind.

"Well then, cause of that, ya should talk to me about whatever shit is goin' on in ya life. I can only see so much with ya falna ya know..."

An awkward silence followed after Penia's declaration of becoming more than just someone who provided Perseus with strength. The claim had shaken both Deity and follower. Penia was instantly regretting what she had said. She didn't regret her reasoning, believing that she needed to become more to the boy for the sake of her reputation as a Goddess, or so she told herself anyway. However, the way she had gone about saying it was another thing. Penia had never had to console anyone, sincerely anyway, she was very good at pretending to care if it meant she could scrounge a couple of valis out of people's pockets.

That experience translated poorly into the actual situation and Penia was beginning to think about whether she was too upfront, or her tone of voice was too harsh, or even that she didn't even come across that she wanted to help. She did remind the boy he is alone and that he isn't even on speaking terms with his own mother.

It wasn't until Perseus spoke did Penia realise her mistake.

"...erm, w-well actually..."

On Perseus' part, he did not expect any of those words from Penia. While he did flinch at the harsh reminder of his social predicaments, he knew Penia was right. But what struck him the most was that she was offering to lend an ear instead of just taking his money and going their separate ways once again.

So, thankfully for Penia, the only mistake she made was that she believed that Perseus would take her words the wrong way.

At first, Perseus just began recounting what he saw in the dungeon. He didn't mention why he was so interested in the Loki Familia, only that it was curiosity. After the raven-haired boy got to the part about Brant, Penia decided to continue where she left off. As she began to perform the update, she remained quiet. She didn't bother bringing up that he hadn't even answered her initial question about the armour, knowing the answer could come at a later date.

Seemingly timing the status update well, Penia had just about completed his update by the time Perseus had finished his story. As she began closing off the falna, the outline of a human figure on two knees with his hands out fading away, the Goddess of Poverty chose not to notice the way Perseus rubbed his eyes just before they began to leak.

After Penia had completed the status, instead of reading out his stats, she held the silence for a little while longer. While she had sobered up completely throughout the conversation and story, Penia didn't read the stats because they weren't as important.

So with a deep breath and a heavy sigh, Penia, for one of the only few times in her 800 years on Gekai, decided to act like a proper Goddess.

"Look, Perseus..."

The mention of his name jolted the boy to attention.

"I've heard you mention this Brant a few times before. Now, I don't think I can fully comprehend your relationship with the man but from it sounds, you've got more than just a give and take relationship. I understand that you had an argument but don't go assuming that that means you can never see him again."

Perseus turned to face his Goddess; his eyes wide as he listened to the wisdom from an immortal being.

"I've lived longer than you can even fathom and seen millions of different people in my time but let me tell ya something, you are different. I wouldn't have gifted ya my falna if I thought you were going to be a normal, boring lad. But you are still young and stupid, so listen to me on this one. Don't worry over every little thing. You are going to make many stupid decisions as you grow up but only those willing to push forward can learn from them."

"Look, I don't know much about how to level up as you are the first person I've ever given a falna to, and I don't understand the concepts in which you mortals consider a disagreement as if two Gods in heaven had a disagreement, it causes widespread destruction everywhere, nothing like what you dealt with," Penia explained, her voice gentle but still crass from the night befores endeavours. The deity's voice almost sounded like it was struggling to find the words, with the Goddess never having to give advice like this. But she continued all the same.

"The only thing I can say is that you can't let this stop you. Are you going to let a petty argument get in the way of achieving your goals?" Penia asked.

Percy shook his head as he let the words sink in. His shabby black hair ruffled in the morning sun as the boy began thinking.

"So what are you going to do about it then?"

Instead of answering with words, the boy began standing up. He didn't bother checking his falna as he pulled his hoodie back over his armour, zipping it up all the way. As he looked towards his Goddess, the grey-haired woman grinned. The look of determination in the boy's green eyes said everything.

"Good, now get goin', best get this stuff over and done with."

Penia's accent returning made the atmosphere lighter, showing that everything was going to be alright.

The Goddess followed her only child as he ran off, a determined spring in his step. As she wobbled back over to the bench, however, the faded sound of steps suddenly increased again.

Just as Penia turned back around to see what Perseus wanted, a sudden weight slammed into her.

"Thank you, Goddess..."

Before she even had time to return the hug, Percy was already sprinting back down the alleyway. He didn't bother turning around, his only direction was forward. Though if he had, he would have seen a funny sight of an old lady, dressed in a ragged black robe stun locked in place, not being able to fully contemplate what just happened.

Elsewhere in Orario, another discussion about the earlier encounter was also underway.

"Wha' else whas I menna do, Reg!"

The slurred voice of a drunk man bellowed out of a shabby old cabin in the middle of the industrial sector.

"Well for starters, maybe not yell at the lad and tell 'im ya don' wanna see 'im again." A portly dwarf responded.

Brant slammed down another chug of liquor before facing the dwarf.

"Yeah, I know that nowwwww. Thanks, genius."

Brant had wanted a drink after his squabble with Percy but also someone to talk to. After thinking it over, he came to the conclusion only one place had that. And besides, a dwarf always had good alcohol somewhere.

Reg on the other hand was curious as to why his old friend had stumbled in just before midday only to start drinking himself to death. Reg was not too happy about the alcohol level in his workplace severely being reduced.

"Well, then why don' ya tell the lad about levelin' up then? I remember tellin' you when ya came scrambling to me for advice."

"How cou' I 'ave told 'im Reg! He's only a bab. He woulda gone lookin' or it. I can' send a child into that!"

"Oi, now ain' the time to be growing a self-conscious and a set of morals. Ya've been tossin' 'im into that pissin' dungeon e'ryday for how many months? And now cause the lads asked ya an actual question, all of a sudden, ya get cold feet."

Brant lurched at the words that stabbed through him. True he hadn't cared about the boy at the start but it was difficult not to grow attached to the only person who was making constant contact with him, even if it was a 5-year-old. But what was he supposed to do about that, admit it! Brant would've rather jumped into the Colosseum on the 37th floor than say he had taken a liking to Percy.

However, Brant couldn't hide the concern he had for the black-haired child when he asked about levelling up. A process that required putting yourself in danger and having to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

"He's shtill ta young *hic* ya 'ear me!"

Reg gently stroked his ginger beard. He had known Brant since his rookie days when they were part of the same Familia. Reg was the one who took Brant under his wing and trained him. After the man became an executive, Brant began doing the same thing. Taking in the recruits and training them. However, that eventually led to the downfall and the eventual dispersing of the Familia.

'bout the same time when them lot were kicked out, though I s'pose that also had somethin' to do with it.'

Reg thought about the past as he tried to make sense of his former student adventurer. The veteran dwarf knew Brant had a soft spot for the younger ones. When he had first realised about Brant and Percy's situation, he was stunned. Brant wasn't one to take advantage of kids. But he also wasn't one who particularly took to alcohol but here he was, drunk off his ass just after midday.

"Listen 'ere lad. That lad is gonna find out abou' it sooner or la'er. Ain't it best he 'ear it from someone who knows rather than the practical lesson. The gods know you wouldn' 'ave survived yours if it weren't for me advice."

The sound of Brant's half-empty mug sloshed about as the unkept man looked into the Dwarf's stern amber eyes, knowing what the portly man had said was right.

" 'owever, can ya remind me what ya said his stats were again, I don' think I quite 'eard ya the first time. I think ya said he was already 'ittin the A-rank but ya were just pullin' me leg... weren't ya?"

Brant chuckled slightly at Reg's words as they were scarily similar to his own a few hours earlier. At the sight of the man chuckling to himself, Reg's eyes widened but his mouth stayed shut with a "Bloody 'ell" slipping through before silence glazed over the conversation.

Brant looked into the ale in his wooden mug; what greeted him wasn't a pleasant sight. A scraggly beard, tired eyes and hair that was long overdue a haircut. Defeated eyes stared into each other as Brant once again brandished himself pathetic in his mind.

'Percy's probably already gone back to getting stronger and here I am, drunk and going nowhere. God, I'm worthless.'

"Can ya stop doin' that?"

Reg's words made Brant jolt upwards as he was faced with a slight scowl from the dwarf.

"Shtop *hic* what?"

"Ya know exactly what I mean! Havin' that pathetic look in ya eyes like ya 'ave given up on life. I bet ya think ya pathetic and worthless, don' ya?"

Brant slightly shuddered at the pinpoint accuracy from his elder. Reg had always been good at identifying people's emotions though, even when people didn't speak. He was a really good vice-captain back in his day.

"If all ya gonna do is mope around, then ya can fuck off elsewhere and do it, it's pissin' depression just bein' round ya."

Brant knitted his eyebrows and frowned at those words. He wanted to retaliate with his own slew of insults but realised he couldn't think of any way, maybe his mind wanted Reg to continue the barrage.

"How bout ya take a leaf from the lads' books. I bet ya fight had a worse impact on a kid like 'im, a youngin' whose on his lonesome and I would bet my workshop that he's already pushin' forward again."

Even though Brant had done it in his mind, being compared to Percy out loud was very demeaning. It did little for his self-confidence and pride, not that he had any left before the day started.

"Instead of drowin' ya self in booze, get ya arse out there and set things straight. Besides, ya makin the drink weak and taste like piss."

Brant could only look on at his former teacher. Now that he thought about it, Reg was always blunt and straight to the point, especially with the boys of the Familia.

"Well!"

Brant folded at the stern gaze. Reg watched in slight disgust as the man began curling in on himself. But there was also pity there. He had seen this before. The day that their Familia disbanded. How Brant looked so weak and pathetic. How even the smallest breeze could have smashed him to pieces.

Reg had hoped that even after almost 6 years, the man would have recovered but apparently not. When he introduced Percy, Reg had believed that this was it. That Brant was finally getting better. Reg knew in an instant that they were close, even if they tried to hide it. Brant, while not wanting to show it, showed clear concern for the boy as he would even take the risk to come to him and ask him to make the lad some armour.

As for Percy himself, even he was trying to hide how attached he was to Brant. Standing a bit away from him and not looking at him much. But whenever Reg asked the boy a question, his green eyes shot towards Brant, as if to ask if it was alright. It was clear Percy trusted Brant a lot. It was also kind of cute that he had even tried to stick up for the man when Reg had lifted his greatsword up to Brant's throat.

But now it was clear as day. Even after a small argument, Brant was back in despair. This did show that Brant had made progress, by becoming attached to someone again. But this also showed his clear weakness. He feared losing anyone again. The loss from 5 years ago was still buried deep within his heart.

However, as Reg began giving up again on the man, he was pleasantly shocked. Brant had returned his gaze. His eyes, while not rife with determination like he had so many years ago, held a certain strength in them once again.

Reg did nothing but grin as he saw Brant stand up off his chair, slap his face with both hands, give the dwarf a brief nod before disappearing through his door.

"Maybe he his comin' back, aye?" Reg asked no one, once again alone in his workshop.

Reg got off his chair and strode over to his anvil.

"I can't be slackin' off either. I've finally got a customer worth smithin' for again. Can't be lettin them down."

Brant's strong footstep and the drum of a hammer hitting an anvil synchronized as both set off to assist a young boy into becoming one of the strongest adventurers the world will ever know, their part in the boy's story far from over.

This is a first for me. I've never tried to enter the dungeon during the day, let alone succeeded. Maybe my stealth skill really does make me invisible in some circumstances. Or maybe some people actually spotted me and believed I was a Prum, kind of like Reg did.

Anyway, I'm in the dungeon once again. I had intended to go straight to looking for Brant to apologise and talk things out but I was still scared Brant would still be mad at me. So I've decided to grab some magic stones to hopefully make it up to him. Also, it helps me clear my head. Even though Goddess Penia did help me calm down and see things properly, I still wasn't fully comfortable with seeing Brant only a few hours after our fight.

Is it weird that being in the dungeon relaxes me? I mean I've heard adventurers around saying stuff like 'That really hits the spot' when caving a goblin's skull in, or other things like 'That's made me feel better' after taking on a horde of monsters. Maybe it is a common thing for adventurers to feel comfort when fighting monsters.

But it's not fighting the monsters that relaxes me. It's just being in the dungeon. At the start, the dungeon made me feel on edge and wary but now, walking through the 8th floor, I feel more comfortable than I do in my home. I struggle to understand why.

I shake my head as pointless thinking is not what I came here to do. So I pick up the pace. With my simple light armour and padded gloves, I am now comfortable fighting on the 12th floor. So that is my destination. However, getting there is a lot trickier than normal.

This descent truly made me grateful that I spent so much time mapping out each floor in my mind. I had never truly comprehended how many adventurers actually existed in Orario up until now. As soon as I entered the dungeon, I immediately had to deviate off the central route as there were way too many adventures going up and down. Getting through floors 1-9 wasn't too challenging as the floors had many different paths to take, my almost perfect memory coming in strong to help me navigate the floors.

It's not like I actually needed the maps once I had mapped out the dungeon, as every time I drew on paper, it was like I was drawing it in my mind and banking it for later use, thye were just something to do to prove that I had done something.

Floors 10-12 were wide open spaces, expansive and empty. Very little life existed down here apart from some dead-looking trees and grey grass. This was an issue as there was no place to hide or divert around. However, it seemed for once luck was on my side.

Throughout the trip down here, I had dealt with a lot less monsters. Partly because I was off the main routes but also because most monsters went for the parties of adventurers and didn't bother about me. Due to my skill working on both men and monsters, I could slip past an ongoing fight without detection and press forward. So that's what I did on floor 10.

I looked across and saw a party currently taking on a pack of Orcs and Imps. I couldn't really make them out from here as they were easily over 200m's away but my improved eye-sight did catch a few things. The shine of blades and two colours stood out completely in this barren landscape. A vibrant green cloak and what seemed to be someone with red hair. It was fairly long as well so I assumed it belonged to a woman.

Anyway, I silently thanked my fellow adventurers and moved onwards. I continued this strategy of using other parties to distract any monsters before sneaking past them. I didn't realise how useful my stealth skill was until now. When I got it over 3 months ago, I didn't really appreciate up until now. Thank you stealth skill, without you, this would be a lot harder to pull off.

Finally I make it to the 12th floor. I dart off of the stair case instantly, dropping down to some jutted out rocks that make it easy to scale down. I think I know where the main areas adventures choose to fight but I'm going to be extra careful. I don't need an abundance of money but hopefully I can at least get about a thousand valis worth.

As I finally nestle into a deserted area, just off the main route and coincidentally near the entrance to floor 13, I begin my small grind to reconciling with Brant.

It's been an hour since I've been in the dungeon, that's what my internal body clock is telling me anyway. I've collected a decent amount of magic stones in that time but they aren't very big. It seems that it is quite rare for Orcs to spawn in the far reaches of the floor, as I've mainly been facing imps, with a few hard armoured spawning alongside a few Orcs.

Now that I think about some of the monsters on this floor, the rarest is a large monsters covered in silver fur. They kind of look like this toy I once saw. They called it a monkey but this monster is far larger and its teeth are a lot more profound than that toy. Its red eyes are kind of scary but it was easy enough to deal with after a few punches to the skull eventually took it down. I kind of want to fight another one at some point.

While I don't think this is reaching a thousand Valis, I've been in the dungeon for too long if I want to sort things out with Brant. However, just as I'm planning on leaving, the dungeon has other ideas.

"RUNNNNNNNNN!"

"THIS WAYYY!"

"FUCKIN' MOVE IT!"

I hear the shouts of adventurers near me. I can't make out any movement as the fog is too thick. I look in the general direction the shouts came from, as the sound of boots slamming into the ground replace the shouts. I realise something, it's coming from the entrance to the 13th floor.

I immediately get down low and into the grass. With my stealth skill, I know no monsters can see me, I've tested it out on numerous occasions. Being a kid has its advantages sometimes. I start crouch walking through the undergrowth and by the time I get into eyeshot of the 13th floor opening, the sight that greets me sickens me to my stomach.

A group of at least 13 adventurers are sprinting out of the darkness. A group of 4 are at the front, a small group of 3 in the middle, while the remaining 6 are straggling behind. This is because 2 of the 6 are clearly injured and can't run as fast as the others.

"HOW FUCKING COULD YOU!"

One of the group of 3 screams towards the ones in front. She is clearly furious, but why? A man with cat ears beside her joins in.

"A FUCKING PASS PARADE. HAVE YOU KNOW SHAME!"

"IF IT MEAN I LIVE THEN YES!"

One of the men in front responds with his own shout, though he doesn't look back or slow down in the slightest. The ones in front are moving at a pace that I know is beyond me, telling me they are level 2 at least, but my mind is wondering something. What is a pass parade?

I would get my answer.

A part of me that can only be described as my instinct shouted at me to run as I saw what was following them.

I had seen this before, only once. The adventurers that were there referred to it as a monster party. They were far stronger than me and better equipped and there were 6 of them. They all died. That was on floor 8.

A horde of monsters erupted after the adventurers. I managed to make out what looked like dogs, white rabbits, a couple of red coloured hard armoured and in the air, a swarm of bat like monsters.

"HELP US, PLEASE!"

"COME BACK, WE HAVE INJURED PEOPLE HERE!"

The group of 4 paid the pleas no mind as they sprinted off into the distance. The group of 3 turned around. They had tried to steal their nerves to help, but just like me, their faces turned a deathly cold white as they witnessed the onslaught of monsters.

The first one to break was the cat-eared man. Even though he clearly disagreed with whatever had happened, he followed the other 4. The other two, both women, seemed rooted to the spot.

The last group were not going fast enough. They realised this as I watched one of the adventurers carrying one of the injured, the one unconscious, onto the ground. He immediately picked up speed and dashed off, leaving his fellow adventurers behind.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

"SORRY, BUT I'M NOT INVOLVED. I ONLY STOPPED TO HELP BUT FUCK THIS."

"PLEASE DON'T GO, WE NEED A LEVEL 2 TO HELP US!"

The solo adventurer just continued to high tail it out of the situation. The party of now 4 tried to go back for the dropped companion but it was too late.

"FRANKIE!"

The named Frankie was quickly enveloped by the monsters as the pack of dogs ravaged his body, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The bats and rabbits continued the pursuit. Some of the Rabbits were holding what looked like axes. As if to make it easier to see, on of the rabbits leapt into the air and threw its weapon. It landed in its target.

A dwarf, not as big as Reg but still relatively large, was struck into his leg. He was the one carrying the other injured person, a dog girl on his back.

As he stumbled, not being able to carry the weight alongside his injury, the girl began screaming.

"NOOOOOOOOO. OH GOD NO. PLEASE GRYFF DON'T DROP ME. ELFIE, SARAH, GORDON. PLEASE, SAVE ME. I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

The dwarf did not respond as he simply hugged the girl to his chest, excepting his fate. The monsters showed no mercy as the bats dove at them. They were not quick with the killing. The dwarf held firm as he shielded the injured girl from the onslaught of the flying monsters.

I look towards the group ahead of them. The two with them had now turned to help. It was then I was shown why the middle floors were so dangerous. The two adventures started carving through the bats, but then the rabbits joined in the fight, forcing the two back again. This allowed the bats to continue the attack on the dwarf, all the while the girl kept crying in his arms.

The two adventures, one an elf and the other a human began fending off the rabbits. I heard the elf begin to chant but then one of the dog monsters opened its mouth. Before he could hope to dodge it, one of the hard armoured crashed into him, forcing him off balance. In mere seconds the adventurer was burnt black, his charred corpse dropping to the floor. I could only stare in disbelief at what I just saw.

"Leo..."

The human spoke his companions name through gritted teeth. Now faced with the onslaught of monsters on his own, still though he did not turn.

The two woman ahead were still rooted to the spot. They were not going to turn back to help. Why not? This man was facing impossible odds and still he chose to fight, why? Why weren't they helping him? Why weren't they helping the young girl and the dwarf valiantly protecting her.

As I watched the man fend off attack after attack, no faltering with wounds constantly being inflicted, I realised something.

As I saw the dwarf cradle the terrified girl, sacrificing his own body and life to just give her a few extra seconds, I finally understood.

I finally saw what a true hero was.

I looked to the left. The others were not coming back to help. No one else was arriving. The Loki Familia weren't just going to appear like they did last time. No one was coming to help, yet they remained strong.

Some had to do help.

Sarah couldn't move. She watched as Gordon and Gryff did everything they could to protect Alyssa from the monsters. She wanted to help; she really did. But her body wouldn't move. Why? Why couldn't she move. Was it because her body knew it was futile. Elfie next to her clearly thought the same. Both of them rooted to the spot.

Gordon swung his sword again, cutting down 3 bats, only for 4 more to take their place alongside another pack of Almiraj. The hellhounds in the back were spewing fireballs.

14 bats, 16 Almiraj, 10 Hellhounds and 4 hard armoured. How were the supposed to have a chance. Gryff was the only with a high enough falna to do this and he was now injured. Gordon and herself were the only other level 2s. The ones who had pass paraded them and those part of her own Familia were either long gone or already dead.

One of the hellhounds had snuck around. She saw it do it. Gordon hadn't seen it, but she had. She had every possibility to join in and help, take it out for him. It was going to kill him, which would kill Gryff and Alyssa.

So why didn't her body move?

Sarah saw the hellhound ready its fireball. Gordon was going to go just like Leo had. A charred corpse on the floor ready to be swallowed whole by the gluttonous appetite of the dungeon.

'Hwwwwwwwwwwwroooooooooooooooo!"

Suddenly the hellhound let out a screech as it was thrown away, disrupting its fireball attack. In its place stood a figure so small it was either a prum or a young child. Adorned with light armour and light clothes, they looked like a rookie adventurer. Yet, judging by their stance, they had just punched that hellhound, saving Gordon in the process.

"Well done girls, let's call it early today shall we?"

The captain received a mix response from her Familia, not that she registered them. She had made the decision and that is what they shall do. Being a captain was hard, making all these decisions. That's what she thought as her red hair swayed as she turned.

Before she could give another order, a group of adventurers came sprinting out of the entrance to floor 12.

A group of 4, followed closely behind by a man with cat ears.

The group of 4 looked behind and stopped, seeming to catch their breath. The cat-eared man had other plans. Smashing his fists into one of the men's face, he bared his fangs at the rest.

The red-haired captain and her Familia wasted no time going over to check what was going on.

"HOW COULD, LEAVING US LIKE THAT!"

"WHAT YA SAYIN? YOU'RE 'EAR TOO, AIN'T YA? YOU LEFT 'EM AS WELL!"

"... BASTARD, I'LL KILL YA!"

"Woah, woah, woah, let's calm down here,"

"Who the hell are you?" One of the other men asked the girl.

"What's goin on here?" The girl asked, avoiding the question for the time being.

"I can tell you."

The Familia turned around as another adventurer approached from floor 12, seeming out of breath as well as sweat poured from his forehead.

"And who are you?"

"Names Danny. Look I ain't part of this, I was a solo caught up in all this."

"Ok, so what happened?"

"First, let me ask you something. Ain't you lot the Astrea Familia I've been hearing about?"

"That's right! I'm Alise, the captain and this is my motley crew!" Alise shouted as she placed her hands on her hips.

"We ain't a motely crew, ya dumb bitch," A girl in eastern style clothing spat back.

"And we certainly ain't yours," A Prum with pink hair continued.

Alise just kept grinning, almost as if she ignored Kaguya and Lyra's bashing of her very correct statement. Ryu, being Ryu, remained quiet. She was still only 12 to be fair.

"So tell us what happened then."

Wooo, another one down. I wonder how Percy's fight is going to go, hmmmmm. Also, YHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Astrea Familia. They gonna be so much fun to write, especially Alise, love her character.

Anway, long one this time but it was going to be longer. I had planned to write a bit of the fight but skip most of it but no, i want to write it so I will... next time.

With that, Reviews:

Fireofargentis: Romance. I think I've now picked who Perseus is with. Spoiler, it ain't the Astrea girls and it is the age difference. It' something my western mind can't really get over. I won't judge asain culture but it just ain't for me, so that narrows it down for you I suppose to have a guess. Loki Familia, maybe? Ardi is a very nice shout, maybe it's her. Lili... I'm going to say now, no but she will be intergrated into the plot at some point. Also, it isn't a harem.

Roland Tepes: Loki and especailly Freya interactions will be present throughout the story. AS for rivals, I may have thought of few and no, they won't be OC's. Only OC's in this will be Perseus, Brant, Reg, Hera(Techincally cause she hasn't been introduced in the story properly) and the orphans like Carla. Might add one or two but they won't be massive.

Guest 1: Bell and Ais will be a thing but that is a while away for now. Percy is most likely decided now as I've found a character that works well.

Guest 2: Haruhime? Maybe, who knows. I do. Brass knuckles are a high probability to be a part of his equipment soon. Magic? Wait and see, coming soon.

wanderer: Airmid is very age appropiate.

korakovroman9: Are you the same as wanderer or just a massive coincidence. *gasp* maybe you stole his comment. Naughty. Oh well. Amid is very age appropiate.

cloudman3011: Thanks mate, appreciated. Here you go :)

Anyway, with that out of the way, I'll see ya next time. Peace!