Chapter 31: T-Minus 7 Days
"Welcome back, guys!" Welf said, greeting everyone in the Hestia Familia with a wide grin.
"Welf, it's been a while," Taylor said, offering him a hand to shake. He did so, before ruffling Bell's hair, much to the shorter Level 2's pouty displeasure.
The Hestia Familia had returned to Orario the day after their beach party, and all of them had immediately made a beeline to Welf's forge, ready to carry out the final step of their training. In a week, they'd be fighting the Apollo Familia, so until then, they would be in the Dungeon for Exelia. But to do that, they needed equipment. And Welf had delivered.
"I've got all your stuff, ready to go," he said proudly. "You'll be able to handle the Middle Floors with ease!"
"Are we sure it's safe to go down there?" Silva asked. "What if we run into anyone from the Apollo Familia?"
"If anything happens to us down there, they will be the immediate suspects," Taylor replied. "We'll be fine."
"Gotcha," Silva said with a nod.
There was a thump nearby, and they turned to the big crate Welf had just dropped down in front of them.
"So, first off, I've got these babies!" he declared, lifting out a suit of leather armor. It vaguely resembled a gambeson or Brigantine with a few plates of Killer Ant chitin and Crystal Mantis carapace sewn into it.
"This is a Goliath Robe, made from the skin the big bastard dropped and a few other bits and bobs," Welf explained. "Now I haven't exactly tried to test it too much, but it should hold up to anything short of a Level 4, and can resist magic to a certain extent. And there was a lot, so I've got sets of armor for everyone, and plenty of leftovers for repairs and whatnot."
"Impressive," Taylor praised.
"That's not all! The Black Goliath's hide has an unusual property: regeneration. That means that anything made from it will slowly heal and repair itself. You can speed it up by channeling magic into it," Welf revealed, and everyone's jaws dropped. Self-repairing equipment?! That was a major game changer!
"As for you… here ya go, Lili," Welf said, putting a second crate down in front of her. She gasped excitedly as she pulled out a suit of full plate armor. It was made of Adamantite, and was black with a reddish tinge. There was some gold trimming on the edges, with a golden flame motif on the pauldrons and chest.
Lili was not exactly a tall person, but even so, the sheer amount of valuable materials to make the armor would probably cost in excess of ten million valis, at least. But since it was all made of Drop Items they'd collected, it didn't cost a single vali aside from the costs of fuel and Welf's manpower.
"Your Artel Assist Skill will reduce the weight of the armor by a considerable amount, but I'd still be careful and get used to it first before trying to do anything too strenuous," Welf suggested.
"It looks amazing!" Lili gushed happily.
"Hey, where's your bags?" Welf wondered, looking around.
"Don't need bags anymore," Lili said with a grin. "Watch!"
She waved her hand over her new armor, and it vanished into a portal. A moment later, she summoned it back in a new place, completely untouched.
"Whoa!" the Blacksmith exclaimed.
"Cool, huh?" Lili smirked. "Lili has a new Skill!"
Taylor felt amusement at the dumbfounded expression on Welf's face. The power Queen Administrator had granted the pallum fit her role as a Supporter perfectly. Dubbed 'Hobbit Hole' according to her Stat Sheet, it allowed her to create what was essentially an extra-dimensional storage space, like an Inventory in video games.
The amount of stuff Lili could carry was limited by weight and a yet unknown measure of space. So far, they'd discovered Lili was able to store two ton's worth of materials within. One per Level.
There were some restrictions on the Skill. Time passed normally inside the space, and living things above a square centimeter in size couldn't be put inside. This meant bacteria and some plant seeds could get in there, as well a few species of insects, but Taylor couldn't influence her swarm when inside the storage area. There was no air inside, either, so unless Lili put some in there, anything living soon wouldn't be in the first place.
Even so, it was an incredible ability that meant they could carry even more than they normally could possibly be able to do. Supplies would be easier to transport, as would carrying the loot they'd collect.
"Uh, well, anyways," Welf said, shaking himself out of his stupor. "I've got weapon upgrades for everyone. Lili, here's your improved repeating crossbow and a kukri knife in case you get into close combat. Iris, Leo, your great swords have been reinforced with a bit of Adamantite. Couldn't make them entirely out of the stuff, unfortunately."
"That's still a lot more than we expected, honestly," Leo assured him.
"Yeah, I've never heard of Level 1s owning Adamantite weapons!" Iris added as she admired her improved blade. "Even second class adventurers don't always get their hands on this stuff, either!"
"Bell, here's some new knives with rubber grips," Welf continued. "They're made of high-grade steel that will pack a nice punch! Light, finely balanced and perfect for throwing!"
"So cool!" Bell said happily.
"Lucia, Emma, Silva, your weapons were also enhanced with a bit of Adamantite," the Blacksmith informed them.
"Ooo, pretty," Silva gushed as she admired her new mace.
"Emma, Silva, Taylor passed along a note when she was here two weeks ago that you two were interested in learning archery," Welf said, pulling out a pair of bows and a quiver full of arrows. "I'm not a bowyer, so I had to buy 'em, but I made some nice bodkin arrows, great for punching through thick monster hides!"
"Thank you very much," Emma said, checking her new ranged weapon. It was a plain, unadorned short bow, but was clearly well-made and robust enough to handle the Dungeon, as anything intended for adventurers tended to be.
"Taylor, I've got the knife you asked for," Welf went on, bring out a tiny sheath. It was her combat knife, upgraded with a bit of Adamantite.
"Very impressive," Taylor said, picking up the combat knife and peering at it. "You always do a good job."
Welf nodded, grinning at the praise, before turning stern. "This next item is something I've thought a lot about. I never thought I'd make one… but here we go."
From a chest, Welf took out a sheathed sword. When he drew it, a beautiful crystalline sword appeared, and everyone gasped. It looked as if it'd been made of emeralds, with faint sparks and motes of light flickering within.
"A Magic Sword!" Hestia exclaimed.
"Yeah," Welf confirmed. "But it's nothing like regular Magic Swords."
"How so?" Bell asked.
"Well, for one, instead of being a weapon that can unleash a handful of devastating attacks with no control whatsoever, these have been modified," Welf stated. "They rely on the Mind of the wielder to work and the output can be adjusted as well. They're overall weaker, but can now last for dozens of attacks!"
"That is incredible," Leo uttered, staring with wide eyes at the blade.
"This sucker contains the Tempest Spell. It's a potent Wind element attack that unleashes a tornado made of wind blades," Welf continued to explain. "And as the person with the highest Mind stat… here you go, Miss Taylor."
He resheathed the sword before passing it over. "I haven't named it, since its still a weapon that will break someday. But if you want to call the blade something, go ahead."
"Thank you," Taylor whispered.
"And of course, before I forget, something I am proud to call my masterpiece!" Welf said proudly. He put a wrapped bundle down on the anvil, and pushed it towards Taylor.
"It's finished?" she asked in a breathless tone, and he nodded.
Slowly, Taylor unwrapped it, revealing a golden arm covered in divine runes with an accompanying golden brace to be worn across the shoulders and over the stump of her missing limb. Picking it up, Taylor found the prosthetic was heavy, but not too bad.
Without another word, she put the arm down, then picked up the brace.
"Turn away," she ordered Bell and Welf, who did so.
When they were no longer looking, Taylor stripped her shirt off, and with a bit of help from Hestia, strapped the brace on, fitting it over the stump of her right arm. She put her shirt back on, and then connected the new arm to the socket in the brace.
There was a soft click, followed by a pinch and a feeling of pressure that ran up the nerves in her arm. Taylor had experienced phantom limb symptoms from time to time. She'd ignored it, but now, it was different.
Taylor was able to 'feel' the replacement arm. Her magic and the Falna that ran through her body connected to the artificial veins of Mythril within the prosthetic, and in a way similar to how she controlled her swarm or cast her spells, she could now manipulate the arm via the Mythril used to make the limb. It was as if she'd never lost it in the first place! She flexed her fingers, rotated her wrist, and everything responded instantly and felt right.
"Amazing!" Hestia gushed.
"It looks so cool!" Bell exclaimed with stars in his eyes.
"It's beautiful!" Emma said, and the others all nodded in agreement.
"It's perfect," Taylor whispered in awe. "Thank you, Welf."
"No problem," he replied, turning back around now that it was safe to do so.
"It's a bit shinier than I expect, though," the parahuman commented, tapping the golden 'skin' with a fingernail.
"Yeah, it's an Orichalcum-Adamantite alloy," Welf said. "I couldn't use pure Adamantite, as it interfered with the Mythril, causing some unpleasant reactions. The Orichalcum acts an insulator of sorts, keeping the magic that will flow through the Mythril veins from spilling out and building up inside the limb itself. Otherwise, the magical energy would… well, have you ever boiled an egg until it explodes? Kinda like that. Not something you want to happen."
"No, that is definitely not something I'd want," Taylor agreed as she held her knife in the golden hand, testing the grip strength. She was able to control the amount of power she put into it quite well, but she'd need some more practice to keep from accidentally breaking anything in her grasp.
"The movement of the fingers and joints is very smooth," Taylor noted as she moved the elbow slowly, feeling how fluidly it reacted.
"Yeah. Took me ages to get it right. So many tiny fiddly pieces to work with! Lady Hephaestus was very impressed by the design. Boy, was I surprised when she showed up to my workshop out of the blue to help! Apparently, you made a deal with her for a Growth Enhancement?"
"I did," Taylor confirmed.
"Well, I got to see a master at work, so it was all good. Wish you'd given me a heads up, though," Welf shrugged. "Anyways, that's not all. Here."
He took out a quartet of cartridges that looked like shotgun shells, except made of crystal. Each was colored differently. One was red, another yellow, blue, and green.
"These are a new creation of mine," Welf said with a smile. "Open up your arm!"
She glanced down, and after some looking, found a way to open up her forearm below her wrist, popping it open to reveal a slot that would fit one of the cartridges. She inserted the green cartridge, and it slid in perfectly. She then closed up her arm. Next, she pointed her palm towards the wall, and channeled magic into her new limb.
A cannon blast of wind shot out, slamming into the wall and cracking it.
"Please don't break my forge," Welf requested with a chagrined look.
"Oops. Sorry," she apologized, embarrassed. Then, trying to change the topic, looked at the other objects she hadn't installed. "What are these?"
"They're Magic Blade Cartridges," he said eagerly. "They're basically Magic Swords, but smaller. They also have the same ability as my new Magic Swords. Rather than unleashing a single massive blast of magic, they fire off smaller ones you can adjust the power of, dependent on your Mind stat. It makes 'em last longer. I'd give it a dozen or so shots before it breaks and needs to be replaced."
"Incredible work, Welf," Taylor praised.
He grinned, proud of his work. "There's one more thing," he added. "I was hoping you could do me a favor, and accept me into your Familia."
"What?" Bell gasped in disbelief.
"I spoke with Lady Hephaestus during the work we did together, and I decided that I've been letting my skills languish. I can't surpass her or Tsubaki while I'm stuck in their shadows. I want to grow stronger, and I believe that I can do so with the Hestia Familia," Welf explained. "Plus, I owe you a lot. If not for Bell, Taylor, Lili, and the rest, I'd never have gotten to Level 2. Nor would I have had so much fun forging new items. Heck, I even managed to increase the rank of my Blacksmith ability working on all these inventive creations!"
He then coughed and rubbed the back of his head when he realized he was rambling. "So, anyways, if you'll have me, I want to join."
"Of course!" Bell said happily.
"I don't see a problem with it," Taylor agreed. "Hestia?"
"If Hephestus is fine with it, then yes, I will agree to it as well," she said. "You've helped my dear children, and I'd love to have you join the Familia!"
"Great! I already had Lady Hephaestus remove my Falna before you came here," Welf said. "I'm ready to join, Lady Hestia!"
"Okie-dokie!" Hestia chirped. "Got a needle I can borrow?"
Welf fetched a pin for her to prick her thumb with, and she went to work on putting her Falna onto his back. It was over quickly, and just like that, Welf was now part of the Hestia Familia.
"So, what now?" he asked as he put his shirt back on.
"Now? We descend into the Dungeon," Taylor declared. "And Welf? You've missed a lot of training. I'll just have to cram three weeks' worth into the few days we have remaining."
He paled at that, and Bell snickered. Lili just patted his back sympathetically.
"Huh, Deja-vu," Lucia mumbled a little bit later as she and the rest of the Hestia Familia approached the Tower of Babel.
After equipping themselves with their new gear they'd left Welf's workshop and headed straight to the Dungeon. Hestia had accompanied them for a bit before eventually leaving to go beg Hephaestus for a place to stay till the War Game was over.
As for what had provoked that reaction from the seamstress, outside the doors and off to the side were Ryuu and Mikoto, just like the time they'd come to the Hestia Familia to help Taylor rescue Bell, Lili, and Welf from the 18th Floor.
'Hard to believe it's only been a little over a month since the events down there,' Taylor thought to herself as she approached the duo who were awkwardly standing beside each other.
"Ryuu, Mikoto. How can I help you two?" the parahuman inquired.
She didn't bother to ask how they knew the Hestia Familia was back in Orario. Despite the early hour, there'd been people at the gates who could have spread word, and gossip always spread like wildfire through the city regardless of time of day.
"We want to accompany you," Ryuu said, her eyes darting down to Taylor's new golden arm. "Assuming your plan is still to go train in the Dungeon until the War Game."
"That's right!" Mikoto said, thumped a fist against her chest. "I still need to repay the Hestia Familia for the shameful conduct of my own Familia, and I believe I can best do that by joining you in the War Game."
"So, you want to join our Familia?" Taylor guessed. When the samurai nodded, Taylor checked her over. Her hum had grown a little, proving she'd become stronger since they'd last met. And another Level 2 couldn't hurt.
"We won't have much time to make the change," Taylor pointed out.
"As long as we have a chance to speak with Takemikazuchi before the War Game, all should be well," Mikoto replied.
"Alright, then. Accompany us, and we'll discuss things when we return," Taylor told her, before glancing at Ryuu. "What about you?"
"I'm just here on Syr's behalf," Ryuu claimed, but Taylor could see right through her aloof façade.
"Of course, Ryuu. You're just here to watch over your friend's boytoy, and not because you actually care about us," the bug-controller said dryly, causing Bell to splutter at the insinuation and Ryuu to blush a little.
"Whatever the reason, you're welcome to come," Taylor informed the elf, who nodded, the tips of her ears still a bit red.
With that sorted out, the two new additions to the group joined them, and the party entered the lobby of the tower before making their way to the First Floor of the Dungeon. With Debbie loaded up with numerous pieces of luggage and Lili's own Skill, they had more than enough supplies for the time they'd be down there, even with the surprise adventurers.
And, of course, the Dungeon Worm provided an excellent mode of transportation for the group. Even if it was a tight squeeze and a chore and a half to get her through the gate, and the other adventurers waiting to enter the Dungeon gave the Hestia Familia death glares as the huge monster took up all the space on the stairwell.
But Debbie made it through just fine, and in a mere three hours the party had blitzed all the way through the upper levels to the 18th Floor, bulldozing through the monsters and barreling past other adventurers without slowing down.
"She's faster than last time," Ryuu commented as Debbie emerged into the artificial sunlight of the 18th Floor.
"Plenty of Magic Stones and a lot of practice with moving around," Taylor explained.
"Should we set up a campsite?" Mikoto asked.
"No, we won't," Taylor said. "We'll designate an area as a place to rest at for the evenings and to act as a gathering point in the event of emergencies, but leaving tents and supplies lying around is just begging to have them stolen. Same problem with Riveria."
"Do we have a plan for what we will be doing down here?" Ryuu asked.
"The plan is to spend our time grinding Excelia," Taylor announced. "Ryuu, I'd appreciate it if you could watch their backs while they fight the monsters of the 16th and 17th Floors."
The elf nodded her head in understanding while the rest looked both tense and excited for the dangerous battles ahead.
"As for Bell and I, we will head to the 19th Floor and beyond," Taylor continued. "Try to meet up at the camp at the end of every day. And the day before the War Game, we'll return to the surface."
"That sounds risky," Lili said.
"Risk is necessary in order to obtain high-quality Excelia," Taylor replied. "You cannot get stronger by playing it safe in the Dungeon."
"It's true," Ryuu nodded, and when the Level 4 spoke up to agree with her, everyone listened. "Excelia comes from pushing boundaries and going beyond limits."
"Which is why Bell and I must do this alone," Taylor continued.
"Lili understands," the pallum sighed, accepting the plan despite her misgivings.
"We'll be back for dinner!" Bell promised, and he and Taylor headed off deeper into the 18th Floor along with Chris, Azure, Debbie, and the other monsters they'd gathered up on the way down.
And they would, in fact, make it back for dinner. Bloodstained and bruised, but on time all the same.
The grind had only just begun.
111 &&& 111
The Dungeon was a strange and alien realm, with dangers lurking below the surface. It was far larger on the inside than it was on the outside, and filled with bizarre creatures and valuable resources that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. And nowhere was this strangeness more visible than the Floors immediately after the 18th.
From the 19th Floor to the 24th, the Dungeon changed radically and was known by the adventurers who made it down here as the Large Tree Labyrinth. Instead of stone, the walls, ground, and ceiling were made of wood, as if they were inside of a giant tree or forest. And it was indeed genuine wood, as adventurers harvested the very ground and walls to make high-quality wooden items, from arrow shafts to furniture that could withstand the weight of a fully kitted-out adventurer.
Rather than glowing crystals, bioluminescent moss and mushrooms grew from the walls to provide light. In some places it was as bright as the 18th Floor, but in others it was as darker than the 13th through 17th Floors.
The paths wound around and spilled out for many miles, sometimes looping back in on themselves before going anywhere. Flowers and other kinds of flora protruded from the wooden walls, and they filled the air with spores and pollen. This was the most dangerous aspect of the Large Tree Labyrinth, as various status aliments were carried aloft by the pollen alongside the numerous toxin-filled monsters.
Even Level 3s would be hard pressed to make it through this area solo, and without the Abnormal Resistance Developmental Ability, it required a truly staggering amount of antidotes and potions.
The monsters were also incredibly vicious and surpassed the Minotaurs in raw power, and were far smarter than the upper floor entities as well. Bugbears, Mad Beetles, and Lizardmen could wield landform weapons and plan out ambushes, create traps, and use other tactics that one wouldn't expect from brainless beasts.
And it was because of all this that it made for the perfect training ground for Taylor and Bell. The white-haired Level 2 had to be constantly on the move while keeping an eye on the surroundings, forcing him to adapt on the fly, while Taylor had to polish her rusty martial arts skills.
The swarm was helping out as well. Debbie could swallow monsters whole or crush them under her bulk, and Chris' scythe blades carved through nearly everything in his path. Said scythe blades had also begun glowing, and the Crystal Mantis was able to send slashes of light flying from his limbs capable of slicing through Level 2 monsters with ease. It was an interesting new trick, likely gained from eating some of the Black Goliath's Magic Stone shards, and copying its Shockwave Breath attack in a new form.
Sadly, the Purple Moths and Blue Papillions – save Azure, who clung tightly to Taylor's back – were long dead, killed by the Firebirds that occasionally popped up. And the Killer Ants and regular Crystal Mantises didn't fare much better, slowly being whittled down until none were left.
Though luckily for Taylor, there were plenty of monsters to replace them. Mad Beetles and Gun Libellula that had been enslaved to the swarm helped fight off other denizens of the Great Tree Labyrinth, yet even so the two adventurers had to spend all of their focus on the 19th Floor, fighting for survival.
Taylor twisted aside as a Bugbear tried to slash at her, and a Mad Beetle under her control swung a Landform club into the side of its head in retaliation. The crude weapon broke upon contact, merely dazing the furry bear-like ogre, but the parahuman took advantage of its stunned state and closed the distance, getting right up in its personal space.
At some point yesterday she had stopped using her knife, the weapon having gotten chipped and dulled from the constant fighting. Even with an Adamantite edge, the monsters from the 19th Floor and below were devastating powerful, with durability to match. Because of this, Taylor had to resort to using her new arm and martial arts.
"Earthquake!" Taylor shouted as she slammed her golden fist into the stomach of the Bugbear. It roared in pain as the vibrations tore apart its organs and it collapsed into ash as it died from suddenly having nothing but chunky salsa for guts.
This was not the first time she had done this, and it would not be the last. Combining the Earthquakespell with her martial arts had resulted in a devastating combat style that let her bypass the insane defenses of the monsters on this Floor.
She did this by creating miniature, localized earthquakes within the target, which tore them apart from the inside. The intense vibrations shattered bones and pulped softer tissues with contemptuous ease. She had to be careful, though, or else she'd damage the Magic Stone.
A little ways away from the parahuman, Bell was double-teaming a Lizardman with one of his copies while two other lightning clones held off four of its reptilian companions. As he pierced the throat of his opponent, his clones exploded, tearing apart the rest of the Lizardmen war party.
"Time?!" Taylor called out, ducking under the wild swing of a Bugbear, only for it to be slain by Chris slicing its head off in a single swipe.
"It's five fifteen!" he shouted back, quickly checking the pocket watch he had in his pocket. Taylor had been surprised that Orario had clocks, but she'd recovered quickly and bought one, even if the small object had been absurdly expensive.
"Think it's time to call it a day?" she asked.
"Probably for the best!" he agreed. "Don't want Ryuu to worry like last time!"
Taylor snorted, recalling how panicked the elf had been when they'd come back yesterday an hour late. Not wanting to make Ryuu upset again, Taylor began to direct her swarm towards forming up around them, going onto the offensive and carving a way back to the 18th Floor.
A Firebird tried to swoop down on them and pepper the battlefield with fireballs, taking advantage of their temporary distraction, but a trio of Gun Libellula gunned it down, filling its body with spikes before it could reach the adventurers.
Several Battle Boars charged towards them, but had to pass through a cloud of black spores courtesy of some Dark Fungus that caused them to cough up blood and slow down as their bodies failed them. Chris then met their charge and cut them apart.
A single giant boar managed to pass the Crystal Mantis, but Taylor simply pointed her prosthetic hand in its direction and a jet of pressurized water shot forth from the palm, piercing through its skull and killing it instantly.
Chris turned away, leaving the cloud of spores – and the mushrooms that were generating them – behind as it rejoined Taylor and Bell.
Something new that Taylor had discovered was that her bug controlling power allowed her to dominate Dark Fungus, the bipedal, human-sized mushroom monsters. They were black with white, skull-shaped dots on the cap, and were just barely capable of waddled around the Great Tree Labyrinth. They were more like living traps and rarely moved around the Dungeon, but with Taylor telling them what to do, they acted as useful deterrents against the other monsters.
'I suppose it makes sense. According to my Falna, it says I can control 'Invertebrates,' and that just means 'without a spine,'' Taylor thought to herself, her attention split up across a dozen different places. 'And mushrooms, even bipedal ones, don't exactly have an internal skeleton.'
The Dark Fungus weren't strong. In fact, a Level 1 could beat this monster easily. The danger they posed was the highly toxic spores they constantly released, especially upon death. They were perfect for forming traps, and Lizardmen would use them to cut off the paths of adventurers.
Now, however, that same tactic was turned against the monsters themselves, with several walkways lined with Dark Fungus who constantly pumped out spores which infected the monsters trying to reach Bell and Taylor.
With a flex of her power, Taylor called Debbie over to her side, and without waiting another moment she and Bell hoped onto the Dungeon Worm's back. Debbie began to make her way towards the stairs, and Chris and the rest of the swarm split up, half acting as a vanguard, the remainder guarding the rear.
As they left, Taylor swapped the Water Magic Blade Cartridge in her arm for the fire one, and as Debbie moved off, Taylor fired a small jet of flames behind them in the direction of the Dark Fungus. Their spores were highly flammable, and as soon as the fire reached the cloud they exploded violently, bathing a large section of the Dungeon in a conflagration.
A dozen Lizardmen and a couple Bugbears and Battle Boars were incinerated as the duo and the swarm made their escape. But even as the flames raged, new plant-life was already growing rapidly, smothering the embers and repairing the damage.
The blast served its purpose, though, and they escaped, returning back to the 18th Floor faster than they previously had thanks to clearing out any pursuers before returning.
It had been two days since they'd entered the Dungeon, and so far, the frantic training had shown some impressive results. Until they returned to Hestia to get their Falna's updated they wouldn't know exactly how much stronger they'd gotten, but the combat skills of the Familia had sharpened, to the point even the newbies were capable of handling a foe like a Minotaur, so long as they worked together.
Taylor had certainly seen her own fighting capabilities grew as her control over magic had grown and her martial arts improved. Combining them had turned her into a lethal machine of death.
"Should we go inspect the others?" Taylor asked as they made their way towards the campsite they'd selected for the evening.
"Yes, let's check in on them," Bell replied.
"And you want to kill a few Minotaurs as well, I assume?" she inquired, and he nodded.
"If there is time," he replied.
His vendetta against the bovine monsters was impressive. Nearly being killed by one had really soured Bell's opinion of them, and he took every opportunity to remind himself he was no longer the same weakling who'd needed to be saved by cutting down every Minotaur he came across.
Taylor was worried about it affecting his mental state, but she wasn't exactly a psychologist, and unless he started to become obsessed with them, she'd let him vent his fears and frustrations out on the monsters.
Riding Debbie through the 18th Floor and towards the stairs up to the 17th went smoothly and without issue, and none of the adventurers nearby even seemed surprised by the sight anymore. They'd gotten used to it, and some of them even waved at Taylor in greeting as they passed.
Then, after entering the area possessing the Wall of Grief, the parahuman dispatched parts of her swarm to check on the surroundings and to search for the other members of the Hestia Familia.
As a pair of Mad Beetles ganged up on a Liger Fang and beat it to death with some landform clubs and Bell stabbed a Minotaur through the eye, Taylor was busy scanning the area through a few ordinary flies and beetles, the insects flying and crawling through the tunnels of the 17th Floor.
'There they are,' Taylor thought to herself, detecting the presence of a few adventurers up ahead. She recognized the loud hum of Ryuu's Falna, and guided Debbie towards the elf.
A minute later, and Debbie had managed to stealthily sneak up on the training session, the parahuman and her swarm going unnoticed. This was understandable as everyone was focused on defeating their opponents, but Taylor made a note to run a few drills to improve everyone's situational awareness.
The Hestia Familia (and Ryuu and Mikoto) were facing down a pair of Minotaurs armed with landform weapons. Welf, Lili, and Mikoto were facing down one of them, with Lucia, Leo, Emma, Iris and Silva fighting the second as Ryuu watched off to the side and cut down any Minotaurs that tried to gang up on them so they could focus on their individual fights.
With the trio of Level 2s, Lili was acting as backup for the two swordsmen, firing her crossbow into the Minotaur whenever it tried to get too close to one of the others.
One of her bolts buried itself in the Minotaur's left eye, blinding the monster, while another two pierced its right wrist, causing it to drop its weapon. Taking advantage of this, Mikoto darted in, her sword cutting off its legs.
Even as it fell to the ground with its legs reduced to stumps the Minotaur continued to try and lash out, flailing its fists wildly. But Mikoto was nimble and had already jumped back after severing its limbs.
"Grah!" Welf shouted, charging forward and bringing his sword down onto the Minotaur's collarbone, cleaving the monster in half vertically.
It split apart, blood gushing everywhere before the body crumbled to ash, leaving its Magic Stone to clink onto the ground.
Over with the five Level 1s, things were not going as smoothly. Exhausted and worn down from the constant battles earlier throughout the day, the quintet were doing only minor amounts of damage.
Iris was acting as the tank of the party, her Skill allowing her to endure the hits better than the others. As she did this, the others darted around, raining blows down upon the monster's body. Emma was using her new bow expertly while Lucia and Leo hacked away at the Minotaur, leaving bloody gashes across the chest.
Silva circled around behind the Minotaur as Iris distracted it, and smashed her mace into the back of the Minotaur's left knee, forcing it to collapse.
Trying to take advantage of this sudden weakness, Leo tried to bring her great sword down on the Minotaur's head, but it reached up and grabbed the blade, stopping it dead in its track. Even though the edge cut into its palm, the monster still managed to yank it out of Leo's grasp.
However, before Leo could be punched in the face, Emma planted an arrow into the Minotaur's nose while Lucia darted in, her sword carving through the wrist of the hand holding onto Leo's sword. The great sword thumped into the dirt, the monster's hand still gripping tightly onto it.
"Lucia! Are you ready?" Iris asked as she lowered her sword a bit so the tip rested on the ground.
"Ready!" Lucia replied. She then ran towards the cow-horned adventurer, planting her feet onto the flat of the great sword.
"Hiyah!" Iris called out as she flung Lucia into the air. The ponytailed adventurer reached the top of the cavern, and then kicked off the ceiling, shooting down like a meteor towards the Minotaur.
The monster tried to slash at her with a Landform sword, but before it could reach her, Lucia vanished, using her teleportation Skill.
She reappeared on the ground in front of the Minotaur with her sword piercing its chest. A second later the bull-headed monster's torso exploded in a shower of blood.
"Clever," Taylor praised, immediately figuring out what Lucia had done. She had used the fall to gather momentum, and teleported down towards the Minotaur. Lucia then transferred the converted kinetic energy through her sword into the monster, killing it as its body burst from having a shockwave go off inside of it.
The attack relied heavily on building up enough momentum and having a fine level of control over every aspect of the Skill itself, from the destination being teleported to, to the direction the kinetic blast was being directed, but as Lucia just proved, it was capable of taking out a Minotaur in one hit. A weakened one, sure, but that was still a monster that was Level 2 in terms of power.
"W-we did it!" Emma panted, wiping a few beads of sweat from her brow.
"That was too close," Leo muttered to herself as she picked up her sword from the ground.
Pleased by what she'd seen, Taylor stepped out of the shadows, deciding to reveal her presence.
"Excellent work, everyone!" Taylor called out, causing everyone to quickly turn around, surprised to see her and Bell. Only Ryuu didn't look phased, the Level 4 having sensed them as soon as they'd started watching.
"Indeed, they have done well," Ryuu said. "They've had to take breaks every hour or so to rest and recover from the strenuous activities, but this shows they know their limits and aren't recklessly and constantly trying to fight."
"That is good to hear," Taylor nodded. "It's important to know when to retreat, and when to press the advantage."
After having Azure sprinkling some healing powder on everyone, she then clapped her hands. "Shall we return to camp for now and call it a day? Oh, and don't forget to grab the loot!"
"Got it, Miss Taylor!" Lili said, sucking up all of the Magic Stones and Drop Items that littered the ground around them with her Skill.
Their training for the day finished, the Hestia Familia returned to the 18th Floor. When they reached their campsite, Lili summoned the tents and some cooking utensils. Everyone got to work, pounding tent stakes into the ground to set up their sleeping spaces or busied themselves with preparing dinner. And then there was Welf, who was tasked with taking care of their equipment.
"Man, look at the damage this stuff has gotten after only two days! It's gonna take me all night to bang the dents out of this stuff," Welf sighed as he looked over the pile of equipment that had been laid out in front of him. He had brought a repair kit with him, but there was only so much he could do without a dedicated forge.
Luckily, nothing had broken or was irreparable, so he was able to handle things, though it still raised a question in Taylor's mind.
"Will you be able to make repairs before the War Games?" Taylor inquired.
"Oh, yeah, no problem," he assured her. "I can call in a few favors and offer favors of my own if need be. But unless anything breaks I don't see it being too much of an issue."
Taylor nodded, relieved, and turned to check on the progress of dinner. Mikoto and Emma were handling that with aplomb, the pink-haired adventurer and Far Eastern woman the best cooks out of the entire group. Taylor was looking forward to teaching them more recipes from Earth Bet.
'I think introducing pizza to Orario should be next food I do,' Taylor thought to herself. 'Yes, that sounds like a good idea for a victory feast after the War Game.'
Delicious stew soon filled their bowls, and everyone enjoyed a good, hearty meal underneath fake stars and surrounded by friends and fake plants.
Throughout dinner, though, Ryuu had seemed rather fidgety, constantly glancing over to the forest where they were camping near, before her eyes would immediately dart over to Taylor. Of course, for normal people, this wouldn't have been noticeable, but Taylor's swarm gave her far better awareness.
"Miss Taylor, would you take a walk with me?" Ryuu asked in a soft voice when dinner was finished, and the parahuman glanced at her.
"Alright," she eventually agreed, standing up.
The two wandered off into the forest, with the elf leading Taylor through a winding path.
"What did you want to show me?" Taylor asked after a few minutes of walking. Ryuu did not respond, but she didn't need to, as a moment later they emerged into a small clearing where a handful of graves had been set up, with crude wooden headstones marking where the dead had been laid to rest.
"Do you know what happened fifteen years ago?" Ryuu asked, the first words she'd spoken since wandering into the woods, and Taylor frowned at the non-sequitur.
"The Zeus and Hera Familias defeated Behemoth and Leviathan, but were wiped out by the Black Dragon," Taylor said.
"Mm. And after?"
"There was a period of unrest… something called 'Evilus' was running rampant throughout the city for a few years, causing chaos," Taylor replied. The childish name aside, Evilus has sounded like the Teeth or Slaughterhouse Nine. Madmen who only wanted to see the world burn.
"For a few years after the expulsion of Zeus and Hera following the loss of their Familia members, things were… well, they weren't good, but they were stable. Evilus was content to do their evil deeds in the dark, leaving the common folk alone for the most part while several Familias did their best to keep order. But one day, seven years ago… their modus operandi changed," Ryuu said, clenching her fists as she spoke.
"Evilus began to try and burn down the city, and began a bloody campaign of murder and mayhem. They butchered innocent civilians and tore apart weaker Familias. My Familia, the Astraea Familia, was one of the ones who, alongside the Ganesha, Loki, and Freya Familias, tried to fight back and restore peace."
Taylor nodded slowly, starting to see where this was going. "They died trying to protect the city, didn't they?"
"Yes, but not quite as you're no doubt thinking," Ryuu said, a mirthless chuckle escaping her. "No, the Astraea Familia managed to bring down one of the ringleaders of the Days of Terror, while the Freya Familia ended another. With their leaders' deaths and the destruction of several other Familias who'd perpetuated the chaos, the rest of Evilus was forced back into the shadows."
Taylor blinked, having expected a story of sorrow, not victory. But knowing that there were graves in front of her, she had a feeling the misery was only delayed.
"It was two years later when my entire Familia was led into a trap down on the 30th Floor by remnants of Evilus," Ryuu revealed, staring at the graves. "We managed to turn the tables on them, but the fight had caused too much damage to the surroundings, and it summoned a Juggernaut."
"I see," Taylor murmured. "That explains how you know about Juggernauts."
Taylor had tried to find out about that phenomenon after returning from the 18th Floor following the defeat of the Black Goliath, but there had been very little information on it. Only in the Guild's most secure records did any mention of Juggernauts and how they formed get written down.
And it was understandable why such a thing was kept a closely guarded secret. The Juggernaut was not a monster like the others spawned by the Dungeon, and could vary greatly in power based on the location of its appearance and how much damage had been done.
Juggernauts were the definition of a glass cannon, being weak to physical damage, but it could reflect magic and was absurdly fast and strong, its claws able to pierce Adamantite. If adventurers didn't know what it was, then it made sense how its appearance could result in devastation. Especially given how a Juggernaut would die after a certain amount of time had passed. Namely, once the damage done to the Dungeon was restored.
"We had no idea what it was at the time," Ryuu admitted, confirming Taylor's assumption. "We thought it was a variant monster. But we were wrong. By the time it died, I was the only survivor from my Familia."
Ryuu took a shuddering breath. "I had just lost everything. My friends and family, gone in an instant. Only my goddess was left, but she was vulnerable, and I forced her to leave Orario."
"And you stayed behind in search of vengeance," Taylor guessed.
"I did," the elf nodded. "I discovered who had killed my friends, and hunted them down. I didn't want Lady Astraea to see it. So the moment she was gone… I got to work."
She clenched her hands into fists. "Over the course of a year, I uncovered who was responsible, and when I did, dismantled the Familias who were part of Evilus, killing them one by one as well as everyone connected to them. Merchants with ties to the criminal underworld, the families of Evilus members, I spared none. As a result, I was hunted by Evilus and the rest of Orario, because as far as everyone else knew, they were innocent. Eventually, though, they were wiped out. It was finally over when I slit the throat of Rudra himself."
"Oh," Taylor uttered, surprised. There was only one Taboo in Orario, and that was to cause harm to one of the self-styled gods that ran the city. To kill one… it would likely result in a Kill Order on Ryuu's head.
'I had no idea Ryuu had this sort of past,' Taylor thought to herself, appraising the elf in a new light. She did not judge the elf for what she'd done, though. The parahuman had done terrible things as well.
"When I was done… I wanted to die," Ryuu admitted. "I had committed many evils, and stained my hands with the blood of sinners and the innocent alike. But I was saved, and found a new reason to live. My savior helped me, and encouraged me to make this place for them. To mark where my friends should have been buried. Their bodies had been claimed by the Dungeon long ago, and I haven't been here in a long time. But I wanted you to be here when I told you all of this."
"Why?" Taylor asked.
"A month ago, when I heard about the War Game, I was nervous, and worried about Bell," Ryuu claimed. "And not just because Syr likes him. I've become fond of the little guy, too. He's like the brother I never had."
"Same," Taylor said, agreeing with the comparison. She had no romantic feelings for the younger boy, not like so many other women seemed to, but Bell had been there for her at her lowest, along with Hestia. The two of them were family to the parahuman.
"I sent a letter to Astraea for the first time in years, asking her to see me," Ryuu continued. "And she arrived in Orario recently."
"You also want to join the Hestia Familia," Taylor realized, and the elf nodded shyly.
"At first, I wanted to do so because I thought it would be the easiest way to help protect Bell on Syr's behalf. But after these last couple of days with everyone… I feel like… it almost feels like I'm with my old Familia again. It feels like family."
She turned to Taylor. "Will you accept my pledge of loyalty? Will you let me join the Hestia Familia?"
"I accept," Taylor said after a moment. "But I do not want your loyalty, Ryuu Lion. I want your friendship."
Saying so, she offered her fake hand to Ryuu, and after staring back at her with tears in her eyes, the elf shook it.
"Let's go back to the camp," Taylor suggested after the handshake ended.
"Yes, it's getting dark," Ryuu nodded.
"I was actually thinking we should fetch the others and bring them here," Taylor said. "They deserve to meet your old family when they find out you're part of ours, now."
Ryuu blinked away tears and hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, a soft, barely audible, "Thank you," whispered in gratitude.
Taylor just nodded, and the parahuman went back to the campsite to get the rest of the Hestia Familia.
The rest of the evening following the introductions at the graves was a quiet, somber affair, with the other adventurers doing their best to show kindness to Ryuu. They crowded around the elf and stayed by her side all throughout the night, eventually falling asleep in front of the fire in one big cuddle-pile.
It was heartwarmingly adorable, leaving Taylor wishing for a camera to capture the scene.