Sarutahiko Familia Premise Chapter 10 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! With new juniors in the Sarutahiko Familia, plus a new member in his Party, Bell’s Shihyō Skill is definitely going to be putting in work with its side-benefit! There is much growth and progress to come! Meanwhile, Ais heads down to Floor Eighteen to meet up with her partners for this mysterious Quest. Something odd is happening on the Twenty-Fourth Floor and it needs to be handled before the ever-growing horde of starving Monsters overruns the Middle Floors looking for food! But Ais’s sudden acceptance of the Quest prompts Loki to send a small three-man Party after her. What will be the outcome of this hidden Quest?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 10 – Instruct and Improve, Irregular Quest

Bell fluidly dodged around Coco’s swing with her hammer, he shoved her back, making her stumble forward as he stepped into Kaede’s guard, and his fist landed in her gut. The Hume Bunny hacked out air as she took two steps backwards from the blow. A flurry of autumn leaves rushed towards Bell, they were clearly made from Magic as they had no features beyond color and shape. Momiji’s spell was almost upon Bell when he leapt backwards and countered.

“Earthly God’s mastery, Gogyō…Fu!” Bell made three hand signs and exhaled a burst of powerful wind that scattered the leaves back towards Momiji.

“Awh!” Momiji nearly dived out of the way of her own returned Magic.

“Got you!” Lili’s wooden knife was nearly touching Bell’s back already.

Bell rolled forward, the tip of the training knife not even touching his back and kicked out at Lili mid-roll. Lili jerked back, managing to dodge the kick, but now had to deal with Bell facing her directly. Lili dashed in, training knife in one hand and three senbon in the other. Bel blocked and redirected her stabs and strikes, even blocking a couple of kicks with his legs and knees when Lili threw them.

“Yah!” Coco had returned, her wooden hammer coming down on Bell’s head from behind.

“Oh?” Bell grabbed Lili’s wrist as he spun to the left, dodging the hammer and then tossing Lili into Coco, both Prums letting out a yelp as they collided and hit the ground. “Not bad, Coco! Good use of Lili distracting me!”

Woooooo

The cool breeze hit Bell’s back and he felt the first small cuts from the various leaves as they touched him. That was followed by the odd sensation of his stats being lowered. It was like suddenly feeling constricted in a way…like you couldn’t quite move right.

“Got him!” Momiji declared triumphantly. “His Status has been lowered!”

Kaede took advantage of Bell’s lowered stats to come at him from the side with her wooden sword. Bell proved his ridiculous stats from Level 1, as well as his insane talent, when he easily blocked her sword with a wooden knife of his own. The two exchanged a flurry of strikes with their weapons, but Bell knocked Kaede’s sword aside and went for a stab.

Only Kaede wasn’t there anymore.

“That was close!” Kaede breathed out, now multiple meters further away from where she’d just been. It was as if she’d leapt backwards, but had cleared FAR more distance than should be possible.

Bell only took a second to analyze what he’d just seen. “That was your Skill, right?”

Kaede grinned as she readied her wooden sword again. “Yep!” She blurred forward and was suddenly right on top of Bell. “Pretty cool, right?!” She brought he sword down on Bell’s head.

“It’s an amazing Skill, Kaede!” Bell praised as he caught her wrist, stopping her swing cold, and then kneed her in the stomach. He shoved her away and lashed out with a snap kick at Momiji who had snuck up behind him.

“Ngh!” Momiji grunted as she managed to block the kick with the long handle of her ōnusa, letting the force send her back a little to make some distance. “A wonderous change, a season of brilliant colors that fade. Little fox, curious of the cooling breeze, play among the leaves. The divine blessings of nature wither this season! Shūryō!” The ōnusa glowed with Magic before a torrent of colorful autumn leaves nearly exploded from it point blank in Bell’s direction.

Bell leapt backwards, but was still cut by a couple of the leaves from the burst. His Status was lowered a bit more and he grinned at how well Momiji had managed to use her Magic. She wasn’t normally a frontline fighter, but she’d closed distance to make sure that she could get her spell to hit him.

“Hyah!” Coco And Lili came in from both sides, a hammer aimed at his chest while a knife came towards his back.

Bell pushed Coco’s swing to the side, the wooden hammer loudly hitting the ground from the force that Coco’s new Skill granted her. Lili’s wrist was grabbed and her knife was redirected as Bell practically dragged her to the side.

“Yah!” Kaede took advantage of Bell’s preoccupied state to stab forward with a thrust from his blind spot. The blow barely glanced off Bell’s shoulder as he continued his motion with Lili.

“Not done!” Lili threw her senbon at Bell’s face, making him jerk his head back to avoid them. She slammed a kick into his leg, stopping his movement for a second.

Bell grinned widely at how well they were all working together to take him down already. He backstepped, dodging Kaede’s follow up swing. Tossed Lili into the Hume Bunny girl and blocked Coco’s hammer with a small grunt. Coco blinked at landing a hit, but the hesitation cost her as Bell tripped her and kicked her across the ground in a fluid combo.

Momiji’s eyes widened as she blocked Bell’s wooden knife with her ōnusa, but took a knee to the stomach a split-second later. The Renard hit the ground as Bell grabbed her ōnusa and pushed hard. “Guh!” She held her stomach, knowing that Bell had held back on the blow for her sake since they were training.

“That’s time.” One of the male retainers called out with a chuckle. “Breakfast will be served soon, so please wash up.” He headed back inside first, knowing that the Adventurers would quickly make their way towards the dining area after sparring like that.

Bell smiled proudly at the four girls as they slowly got back to their feet. “That was very good for our first day of Familia training.”

“Thank you very much, Captain.” All four girls gave Bell a respectful bow for his instruction.

“You’re welcome.” Bell said with a laugh as they all headed inside to wash up a bit before having breakfast.

The four girls headed for the baths to wash off the sweat of training.

Bell hadn’t really broken a sweat, even four-on-one, so he just wiped himself down with hot water and some soap.

Breakfast was another warm meal for the Familia, everyone eating together and chatting about various topics. Coco, Kaede, and Momiji talked about their plans to take on the Sixth Floor today. Bell and Lili would be meeting up with Welf at Babel Tower to head into the Dungeon, and with any luck would make it to the Twelfth Floor today.

“Before you go, I’ll give you all Status Updates, if you’d like.” Sarutahiko offered his ‘children’ with a grandfatherly smile.

“Yes, please!” Kaede beamed at being able to get Status Updates whenever they wanted them, even everyday if they chose to.

“Thank you, Sarutahiko-sama.” Momiji gave a short bow to her God with a smile on her cute face.

Coco nodded twice in quick succession. “I’d like that, Lord Sarutahiko.”

Bell nodded once to Sarutahiko. “I’ll happily get an update.”

“Lili would like one too, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili agreed with a smile.

Once everyone was finished with breakfast, Sarutahiko led the Adventurers to his office and Bell smiled as he ushered the girls inside while he waited outside. Kaede, Coco, and Momiji appreciated his thoughtfulness, none of them could imagine being topless around Bell while getting their Status Updates without blushing brightly.

Lili urged the younger girls to go first as she sat on a cushion in front of Sarutahiko, but not the one directly in front of the elder Deity.

Coco went first, shrugging off her yukata top with a small blush, using the long sleeves to cover her breasts. The yukata had easily made its way into the Prum’s wardrobe since everyone in the Familia had them. It was light and comfortable, so Coco liked it and both Momiji and Kaede said it looked good on her.

Sarutahiko put a drop of his blood on Coco’s back and watched as his Falna appeared on her skin amidst the familiar blue-white glow. He watched the morning training through Coco’s eyes and saw the numbers of her Basic Abilities increase notably, both from her hard work, and from the boost given by Bell’s Shihyō Skill. “Very good work this morning, Coco.”

“Thank you very much, Lord Sarutahiko.” Coco appreciated the praise from her God, having never gotten anything like it during her time in Soma Familia. She took the paper with her update on it a moment later.

-Status-

Coco Collins

Level 1

Strength – G 207 > G 224

Endurance – H 160 > H 186

Dexterity – G 236 > G 258

Agility – G 262 > G 283

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Demure Potential – Increases the user’s stats by a large amount.

-Status-

“I went up so much?” Coco blinked at the large increase in her numbers. “That’s close to what I got last time…but that was because of how long it had been.”

Sarutahiko chuckled softly. “That’s because of Bell’s instruction. The Excelia you earn from your effort and hard work is maximized because of his Skill.”

Coco, Momiji, and Kaede all gaped at learning about such a Skill.

“I trust that you’ll not tell anyone outside of the Familia about this, right?” Sarutahiko looked each of them in the eye to show how serious he was about this.

“Yes, Lord Sarutahiko/Sarutahiko-sama!” The three girls said in unison.

Coco moved off the cushion and made sure to burn her update with a nearby candle. Kaede took her place with a smile as she shrugged off her yukata top and held the sleeves over her chest for modesty.

Sarutahiko placed a drop of his blood on her skin and the Falna appeared on the Hume Bunny’s back a second later in the blue-white glow.

“Did I do well, Sarutahiko-sama?” Kaede asked after feeling the God’s finger leave her back a few moments later.

“Very well, Kaede.” Sarutahiko said with a chuckle as he handed her the paper while locking up her Falna.

-Status-

Kaede Tsukinokami

Level 1

Strength – F 320 > F 341

Endurance – G 292 > F 315

Dexterity – F 344 > F 367

Agility – F 355 > F 378

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Usagipo (Rabbit Step) – Increases the user’s speed and lets them clear distance in fewer steps. Active Trigger.

-Status-

“Wow, it really is a lot.” Kaede marveled at her growth after just sparring hard with Bell before breakfast. To be fair, they’d been at it since just after the sun had risen, most of Orario had still been dark, and they’d gone on until breakfast was ready and the sun had completely cleared the eastern horizon.

Momiji switched places with Kaede as the Hume Bunny burned her update just like Coco had done earlier.

“Ready, Momiji?” Sarutahiko asked as the Renard undid her yukata and covered her chest with the sleeves.

“Yes, Sarutahiko-sama.” Momiji moved her long black hair over her shoulder to show her bare back to her God.

Sarutahiko placed the drop of his blood onto her back and let his Falna appear with the familiar glow. He watched the Excelia and smiled at how hard all of his children were working. “You all make me proud.”

“Thank you for saying so, Sarutahiko-sama.” Momiji had a smile on her lips and light pink cheeks from the praise. She accepted the update paper when it was handed to her a moment later.

-Status-

Momiji Shinonome

Level 1

Strength – H 193 > G 204

Endurance – H 160 > H 178

Dexterity – G 291 > F 309

Agility – G 276 > G 295

Magic – F 324 > F 349

-Magic-

Shūryō (Cool Autumn Wind) – Incantation: “A wonderous change, a season of brilliant colors that fade. Little fox, curious of the cooling breeze, play among the leaves. The divine blessings of nature wither this season.” Magic that appears as orange, red, yellow, and brown leaves that cut like blades with a cool breeze. Those cut by the leaves have their Status lowered. The decrease in Status is dependent on the user’s Level.

-Skills-

Kurokojutsu (Black Fox Magic) – Increases the effects of the user's magic and improves Mind usage.

-Status-

“Both Strength and Dexterity went up a rank!” Momiji beamed at her growth happily. She moved over to Kaede and Coco and was promptly congratulated by her friends before she burnt the paper like they had done before her.

“Your turn, Liliruca.” Sarutahiko smiled at Lili.

Lili sat in front of Sarutahiko and let her yukata top fall. She heard a slight squeak from the shy Coco as Lili’s bare tits were exposed for a second before Lili covered them again with a little giggle. Her fellow Prum was such an adorably shy girl.

Sarutahiko’s blood touched her back and Lili saw the glow out of her peripheral vision while feeling his finger lightly moving across her skin. After a few moments a paper was placed against her back and then handed to Lili while Sarutahiko locked up her Falna again. “Your growth is still impressive, Liliruca.”

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – G 210 > G 231

Endurance – G 201 > G 224

Dexterity – E 404 > E 428

Agility – D 552 > D 573

Magic – D 568

-Magic-

Cinder Ella – Incantation: “Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.” Transformation Magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size.

-Skills-

Artel Assist – When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, this Skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Storage Scroll – Allows the user to store non-living objects in scrolls. The scroll’s script must be written with ink that is mixed with the user’s blood.

-Status-

“Lili is happy to see that she’s still growing so much.” Lili smiled at her increased numbers. “Maybe Lili should start trying to learn concurrent chanting?” She mused looking at her unchanged Magic stat. Cinder Ella took time to use, and without concurrent chanting, it was unlikely that she’d be able to make use of her Transformation Magic in combat.

With the girls done, they all bowed to Sarutahiko before leaving his office. Momiji, Kaede, and Coco headed for their rooms to get their new armor and weapons that they’d received yesterday. Once they were geared up, they’d be heading for the Dungeon. Lili kissed Bell and enjoyed their closeness as he pulled her flush against his body. The two separated a moment later as Lili went to get her gear for the Dungeon.

“I’m ready, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell nodded to the elder Deity as he sat on the cushion and shrugged off his yukata top.

“Let’s see…” Sarutahiko let the final drop of blood touch Bell’s back and watched his Excelia. “You know how to adjust your strength for them. That takes skill and control.”

“I don’t want to hurt them, just train them so that they’ll grow and get better.” Bell said as the update was being done. He’d never go full force against his Familia in a spar. The only time he’d spar without restraint was against Ais, Tione, and Tiona. He didn’t have much choice in that case though if he wanted to last long enough to get anything out of the training.

Sarutahiko smiled at Bell as he finished the update and placed the blank paper onto his back to copy the update over. “That’s why you’re already a good Captain for the Familia, Bell.” He handed the Status Update over while locking up Bell’s Falna.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – H 116 > H 131

Endurance – H 111 > H 125

Dexterity – H 118 > H 133

Agility – H 112 > H 127

Magic – H 124 > H 138

-Magic-

Gogyō (Five Elements) – Incantation: “Earthly God’s mastery.” This Magic allows the user to use five different elemental Magics by using the appropriate word modifier: Sui for Water Magic, Do for Earth Magic, Fū for Wind Magic, Rai for Lightning Magic, and Ka for Fire Magic.

Kokushin (Black Needle) – Incantation: “Disrupt.” This Magic allows the user to create a black material in the shape of needles, batons, or rods at the cost of Mind.

-Skills-

Fugō (Sign) – Allows the user to change the form of a spell by making different signs with their hands.

Shihyō (Paragon/Teacher/Model/Leader) – Removes limits of growth. Rate of growth increases in proportion to the user’s efforts to improve. Growth of others increases when instructing them.

Kanchi (Sensing) – Allows the user to sense living things within a certain range of themselves and distinguish between Monster and Non-Monster. The range increases based on the Magic stat. Active Trigger.

-Developmental Ability-

Martial Mastery – I

-Status-

“Four-on-one seems to help me grow, even if I’m sparring with lower Level Familia members.” Bell noted the increase in his stats. It wasn’t the same growth as going to the Dungeon, but it was still good progress for sparring. “We’ll be back this afternoon, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell bowed to his God before heading out of the room to get ready for another day of dungeon crawling.

“Come back safely, Bell.” Sarutahiko smiled at his Captain before the sliding shoji door was closed.

-Babel Tower-

Momiji, Coco, and Kaede had already left the Floating Bridge Mansion by the time Bell and Lili headed out. The three younger girls were clearly eager to try out their new strength in the Dungeon. Bell and Lili both smiled about that since it was a sign of growth for the Sarutahiko Familia.

As they were heading to where they planned to meet up with Welf, Bell noticed someone looking at him. He glanced at the person wearing the cloak and hood, sitting at a table in an open air café. She had a darker complexion, much like an Amazon, and bright brown eyes with a strange allure to them, her dark purple hair was only peeking out of the hood. The rest of her body was hidden by the cloak she wore, but Bell almost felt like he was being drawn in.

‘What the hell was that?’ Bell tore his eyes away from the cloaked woman and shook his head once. ‘I was almost in a trance just from looking at her? Is she a Goddess?’ He dared not look back to try and check. He hadn’t felt a Divine Aura coming from her, but more than a few Deities were able to at least suppress their aura for a time. ‘Beauty so deep that it feels like it touches your soul…’ Bell shook his head once more to put the woman out of his mind.

“Bell! Little Lili!” Welf called out to the pair with a wave. “Right on time!”

“Good morning, Mr. Welf.” Bell smiled at the blacksmith and their new Party member.

“Lili hopes you’re ready to make it to the Twelfth Floor, Mr. Welf.” Lili said with a little grin.

Welf grinned right back. “Same to you, Little Lili!”

As the three-man Party headed into Babel Tower, Bell ignored the feeling of being watched that was almost like someone was touching his back.

Over at the café, the cloaked woman had a little grin on her lips before she sipped her tea. “So, that’s the young man that stirred up Orario and had so many of my Amazons burning with desire.” The Goddess put her teacup back on the saucer. “Perhaps it could be worth it to slowly bring him to my feet?” Phryne was adamant about getting the young man for herself, but apparently the Hyrute Sisters had a claim on him, along with the Kenki. “I don’t need to run afoul of Loki Familia just yet…not until I can bring down that bitch.” She had a growl in her tone before she finished off her tea and set the cup down. “We’re leaving.”

Three Amazons sitting at a table not too far from their Goddess stood up and followed behind her as she left the café. Going out with their Goddess like this wasn’t uncommon, but because their Deity was a Goddess of Beauty, she kept herself covered to not inadvertently mesmerize those of weak mental fortitude.

Not that Goddess Ishtar would actually care to leave everyone she passed by absolutely dazed and drooling. It was simply not what she wanted at this particular moment. The four of them headed back to the Pleasure Quarter and the Ishtar Familia Home – Belit Babili.

-Previous Day ~ Dungeon ~ Eighteenth Floor ~ Hidden Bar: The Golden Cellar-

At the base of the town of Rivira, hidden within a long trench that had been dugout around the circumference of the town to deter Monsters, was a doorway with a staircase leading downwards. The sign above it marked it as ‘The Golden Cellar’ and it was one of the most hidden establishments in the Under Resort, many veteran Adventurers that passed through Rivira semi-frequently still didn’t know this place existed.

It was this location that Ais had been told to go to by the strange Mage that had given her this Quest.

“First, go to Rivira. ‘Allies’ are waiting for you at a bar called The Golden Cellar.” The strange Mage had told her.

Ais walked down the stairs and into the bar, noticing quite a few people within. ‘These people are the ‘helpers’ from another Familia… They’ll join me on my adventure.’

“Well, hello there! If it isn’t the Kenki! What a surprise, meeting you here!” Lulune smiled as she waved to Ais from her seat at the bar. The Chienthrope woman’s fluffy tail started to wag slightly.

“…Miss Lulune?” Ais hadn’t been expecting to see the Chienthrope woman again on the same Floor as last time.

Lulune smiled at Ais. “Thanks again for your help back in Rivira. “It’s thanks to you that I’m still in one piece. Let me buy you a drink, it’s the least I could do.”

“Once you arrive, sit on the second stool from the end of the counter.” The Mage’s words repeated in her head.

Ais sat down, leaving a stool between her and Lulune.

“What? That seat…” Lulune’s eyes widened noticeably.

“What will ya have?” The bartender asked Ais as he set down the glass he’d just finished cleaning.

“When asked, give this password…”

“Green Tea Cream Jagamarukun.” Ais said and Lulune fell off her stool in shock.

“Y-You’re the reinforcements?!” Lulune pointed at Ais in disbelief.

All of the other patrons in the bar stood up at the same time.

Ais looked over at the now standing people with new certainty. ‘All of these people are going to be my ‘allies’ for this Quest.’ Twelve people in total from the Hermes Familia, the majority of the Familia, as far as Ais knew.

“Are you sure she’s the one, Lulune?” A beautiful blue-haired woman wearing square-framed glasses asked as she approached.

“A-Asfi…” Lulune nodded shakily to her Captain.

‘…! She’s the Captain of the Hermes Familia, Asfi Al Andromeda!’ Ais realized quickly, knowing most of the upper Level Adventurers in Orario at least enough to identify them.

Asfi Al Andromeda was one of only five known Adventurers in Orario to have ‘mastered’ the Developmental Ability Mystery. She was known by the Title “Perseus” and was renowned as an item maker with no equal. Using her Mystery Ability, she’d created countless panaceas and items. The herb known as ‘Moly’ that could help protect from Curses and Anti-Status Magic… A harp that lured specific Monsters based on the frequency of the sound… Even the Portable Feather Pen that Ais had on her was originally Asfi’s invention. It was little wonder why she was so famous within Orario.

Ais offered her hand to help Lulune to her feet. “…were you given a Quest as well?”

Lulune took Ais’s hand with a sigh. “That black robed fellow showed up a couple days ago and asked for our ‘cooperation’…” She got to her feet. “Of course, I said ‘Enough’s, enough’ at first, but…”

“From what I’ve been told, the black robe threatened to expose her true Level…” Asfi spoke over Lulune and the Chienthrope flinched slightly. Asfi pinched the bridge of her nose. “So we got roped into this as well…”

Since the Guild levied a tax on all Familia within Orario to maintain residency, those with larger Familia could find it rather expensive to pay said taxes each year. The Guild went by Rank and Familia’s of lower rank paid only a meager tax, while those with ranks of ‘B’, ‘A’, or ‘S’, like the top Familias in Orario, paid a rather hefty tax.

Many members of the Hermes Familia never reported their Level Ups at their God’s behest. If their true strength was revealed, their Rank would increase instantly. Not only would they then be forced to pay the higher tax, but they’d also be hit with a massive amount of fines for their years of tax evasion. So, the black robed Mage’s threat was a significant one.

‘Perseus is the only famous one that I’ve ever heard of in their Familia though.’ Ais thought to herself, wondering just how long some of these people had gone without reporting their Level Ups. A Familia with multiple Level 3’s and 4’s would be ranked rather highly in Orario and all members would be very well known in the dungeon city.

“Idiot! Imbecile! You call yourself a thief?!” Asfi tore into Lulune for getting them all into this mess. “All you had to do was feign ignorance until the end!”

“Waaaah! I said I was sorry!” Lulune cried out with crocodile tears as she covered her head, her fluffy dog ears drooping and her tail hanging limply behind her.

“It’s hard enough being at the mercy of Lord Hermes’s every whim and now this…?” Asfi let out a beleaguered sigh of frustration.

Ais stepped between Asfi and Lulune, protecting the Chienthrope from more berating. “Um…”

Asfi fixed her glasses and got herself together. “…my apologies. You shouldn’t have had to see that.” It was unbecoming of her to show her frustration so publicly. “I’d like to confirm our objectives. Our destination is a Pantry on Floor Twenty-Four. Our goal is to find out what caused the Monster outbreak and eliminate it. Is that correct?”

“Yes.” Ais nodded once to the other woman.

The Pantries were caverns on every Floor of the Dungeon, starting at Floor Three, that contained a towering quartz crystal that constantly produced a clear liquid that Monsters ate for sustenance. There were two Pantries on each of the Upper Floors, and three Pantries per Floor starting from the Middle Floors. If something had happened to one of the three on the Twenty-Fourth Floor, there wouldn’t be enough food for all the Monsters down there and hunger would make them search for food in an ever-growing horde of starving, aggressive Monsters.

Asfi closed her eyes and motioned to the rest of her subordinates. “Then let me introduce the rest of the Party.”

Ais made sure to memorize the names of the Adventurers that she’d be working with as they were each introduced. The human man, Golmeth, with the full plate armor and wielding a massive knife that could easily be called a sword, if not for the design. The female Dwarf, Elilly, that dressed in cute clothes which didn’t seem to fit her muscular physique. Neither of the two said a word in greeting, merely looking at Ais appraisingly.

“Sooo, you’re the Kenki, right?” Pock, a male Prum in plate armor and wielding a mace smirked at Ais. “Why’re you wearing such a sexy outfit?”

“Don’t ask her that.” Pott, a female Prum and Pock’s sister, also wearing plate armor and wielding a hammer, said with a giggle. “Everyone has an embarrassing hobby or two.”

Ais tilted her head slightly. She never thought of her battle dress as ‘sexy’ before…but it was short, for mobility, and her back was left bare as well, even part of her thighs were exposed. ‘Is my battle dress sexy?’ It wouldn’t be the first time that something Loki approved of had been approved solely because the Goddess liked how it looked on one of her Adventurers. ‘I wonder if Bell likes it?’ Ais thought of her boyfriend happily and if he liked how she looked in her battle dress.

Falgar, a Weretiger man, held out his hand for a polite shake while closing his eyes and sighing. “Nice to meet you. Those two…please just ignore them.”

“I’m honored to fight alongside you, Kenki.” Nelly, a human girl and one of the rearguard smiled at Ais. “Come now, Meryl. Stop hiding and introduce yourself.”

A third Prum, a female, wearing a light purple robe and a matching pointed hat, holding a staff peeked out from behind the larger man she was hiding behind. “H-Hello…”

The silent man that Meryl was hiding behind was introduced as Dodon. Judging by all of the bags he was carrying he was clearly the Supporter of the Familia. He had a cloth bag over his head with a pair of goggles covering his eyes and a pair of horns came from the sides of his heads before curving to stick straight up into the air. If those horns were real, then Ais could say with some confidence that the man was probably of the Bull race, even if she couldn’t see his cow ears or tail.

“What do we have here? Such beautiful skin. May I have a feel~?” Tabitha, a Cat girl, with black hair and matching ears and tail asked in a flirty tone. Her top barely covered her breasts enough to hold them, showing a lot of under boob. And she had a whip at her waist as well, giving more undertones as to her flirty nature.

“Haha… Looks like we’re together again.” Lulune chuckled and gave Ais a smile. She was then put into a playful headlock by man.

“Is it true this kid wet herself in Rivira? Is it?” Keaks, a human man, asked with a bright laugh as he teased Lulune.

“That never happened!” Lulune denied, elbowing Keaks in the gut.

Suicia, a female Elf, had to be introduced by the others. She was covered almost head to toe in cloth, including a mask that left only her eyes and Elven ears visible. She said no words at all, but had twin swords strapped to her hips.

“Shall we journey in peace?” Thane, an Elf man, asked as he lightly strummed the strings of a small harp. He had a hat on his head with a feather in it, and like most Elves, was very good-looking.

“May I compose a song for you? I’m but a humble poet.” Jose, a Raccoon man, smiled at Ais, his right eye had a scar over it, and his face was a bit scruffy, but he seemed to be genuine and kind.

With introductions done, Asfi took over again. “I give out instructions from the midline, Captain Asfi Al Andromeda. My weapons are short blades and an assortment of items. Our power averages out to Level 3.”

“Loki Familia, Ais Wallenstein. I fight with Desperate, a saber.” Ais introduced herself and her weapon.

Asfi turned to her Familia with a stern expression. “We no longer have a choice in the matter. All of you will commit your full strength to this Quest.” She snapped her gaze over to Lulune. “Especially you, Lulune! I’ll have you work yourself half to death for getting us involved in this!”

“I got it…” Lulune sagged, her head hanging in resignation. She perked up a little when Ais looked at her with a small smile.

“Having you alongside us is reassuring, Kenki. Though it is only temporary, please lend us your strength.” Asfi requested politely.

Ais blinked at being put on the spot. “…I’ll do what I can.”

Asfi was suddenly right in front of Ais, leaning in close to whisper. “I would ask that you keep our circumstances to yourself.”

“Um…okay.” Ais agreed with the request. ‘Is this Party going to be okay?’

Not five minutes later and the Party had left the bar behind, leaving a half-finished bottle of expensive booze behind in the bartender’s care for when they returned. It was a sort of superstitious tradition done by Adventurers going off on dangerous Quests. It was supposed to be a good luck charm so that everyone made it back to share the other half of the drink together.

The barkeep didn’t mention that dozens of the half-finished bottles lining the shelves behind the bar were from the same tradition. Some of them had been sitting there for years…untouched…a testament to just how often Parties never returned at all.

-Floor Twenty ~Later-

The Nineteenth through Twenty-Fourth Floors were known as the Large Tree Labyrinth. With ceilings well over ten meters high, towering trees that created corridors and twisting paths, not to mention various offshoot paths that weaved through the stone walls forming interconnected caves, it was no wonder that many Adventurers met their ends here. Even the bountiful flora was a source of potential danger. Giant mushrooms grew here and there on the Floors, but some of them were actually the Monster known as ‘Dark Fungus’, which released toxic spores whenever it felt the presence of anything nearby.

“Nothing hitting them with a rock won’t tell us.” Keaks grinned as he tossed a rock in his palm and pointed at a huge mushroom a large distance from the group. “Who wants to bet on whether it’s a Monster or just an overgrown mushroom?”

“Oh! I’m in, I’m in!” Lulune put her hand in the air with a bright grin. Gambling was a favorite pastime in the Hermes Familia.

“How about it, Asfi?” Keaks gave the Captain his best smile. “If I win, I get to take you out on the town?”

His hopes of a date with his crush were dashed quickly.

“Thane, fire arrow.” Asfi ordered.

“At once.” Thane fired off an arrow from his short bow and the large mushroom burst into flames without a reaction. It had just been a giant mushroom after all.

Keaks collapsed to his hands and knees in sadness.

“Ahahaha! Get rejected again, Keaks?!” Lulune laughed, teasing him just like he’d teased her earlier.

“He never learns.” Tabitha shook her head.

Asfi just had a flat look on her face as she ignored them all.

‘They’re a lively group…’ Ais thought to herself as the group carried on walking. ‘But even still… They’re in perfect formation, despite seeming to move around needlessly. The Monsters are being taken care of quickly by the frontline as well.’ So far they’d only run across a few Monsters on their own. ‘That Weretiger man… He’s probably Level 4.’ Ais looked at Falgar with experienced eyes. ‘I wonder how they’d do in a full Party battle?’

Lulune sidled up to Ais with a smile. “So… How’s Bell doing? I heard you and the Hyrute Sisters got into a fight with the Captain of the Ishtar Familia over him.” She had a teasing grin on her lips as she spoke.

“She started it.” Ais said, her golden eyes narrowing a bit at the memory. Her gaze softened as she thought of Bell. “But Bell is doing well. I’m sure you heard about his Level Up.”

“Did I?” Lulune laughed. “I was there!” She revealed with a big smile. “Plus, everyone in Orario heard about Bell Leveling Up with less than forty days as an Adventurer under his belt!”

Ais smiled warmly as she and Lulune chatted about Bell and what he’d been up to since the last time Lulune had seen him. Neither of them let their guard down, both were far too experienced to do that in the Dungeon. But it made for a rather relaxing walk for a while for the two women.

A while later and Falgar’s ears perked up. “Asfi! Large Monsters approaching from the front! There’s a lot of them!”

Jose called out from behind, one hand cupped around one of his fuzzy ears. “We’ve got three in the air incoming from the left passageway! They’ll be on us in twenty seconds!”

“All units! Battle formation!” Asfi called out as she unsheathed her dagger. “Frontline, stop the incoming Monsters from the front! Midline, eliminate the aerial Monsters on the left! Back line, begin casting fire spell and prepare the pots!”

Ais watched as every member of the Familia moved to fulfill their task without a second of hesitation.

“We’ve got company! One Battle Boar and many Bug Bears!” Falgar called out as he, Elilly, and Golmeth all slammed their shields into the ground to make a shield wall.

“Three Gun Libellula, incoming!” Jose identified the large dragonfly Monsters that flew out of the tunnel to the left.

“Lulune, distract them! Everyone else, aim for their wings!” Asfi called out orders. “I’m sure you would like to confirm our strength. Please observe from there, Kenki.” She glanced at Ais as the Hermes Familia went into action. It was only normal that the Adventurer with the highest Level in the Party would want to know what the other members were capable of, after all.

BAM

The Battle Boar and the Bug Bears slammed into the shield wall at full force. Elilly, Golmeth, and Falgar ground their teeth as they held back the charge. The Battle Boar squealed angrily, trying to push through them, while the Bug Bears tried to reach over the shields to get at the Adventurers.

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang

The three Gun Libellula buzzed around firing projectiles from their long, flexible abdomens. The dragonfly Monsters were known to focus on projectile attacks at range, finishing off their prey before flying in to feed.

“Over here!” Lulune dodged the shots. “Missed me!” She was practically dancing around the projectiles. “Hey…over here!” She waved her arms with a wide smirk on her face.

While the three dragonfly Monsters were distracted trying to kill the nimble Chienthrope, Tabitha’s whip wrapped around the extended abdomen of one and yanked it out of the air before slamming it powerfully on the ground. Thane’s arrows tore through the wings of the second Gun Libellula, the insect Monster letting out a chattering hiss before it crashed into the dirt.

Asfi and Jose rushed in their blades ready and lopped off the long abdomens to prevent any further firing of projectiles.

Tabitha yanked the third out of the air with her whip and slammed it to the ground. Suicia quickly hacked it to pieces with her twin swords, the Elf woman’s speed making her a blur.

“Lulune! Thane! Keaks! Leave these to us! Hit the front line enemies with the pots!” Asfi ordered as she buried her dagger into the head of the struggling Gun Libellula.

“On it!” The three rushed towards Nelly who had the backpack that she’d been carrying opened and multiple spheres the size of softballs in her hands.

“Here, pots!” Nelly tossed the weapons to the three as they rushed past her.

“Thanks!” Lulune grinned with one in each hand.

“Falgar!” Thane called out a warning as he and Lulune stopped and tossed the pots over the frontline fighters’ heads.

“RAAAHHH!!!”” Falgar, Golmeth, and Elilly roared out as they knocked the Battle Boar and Bug Bears backwards, staggering the group of Monsters.

Pock and Pott rushed in as the shield wall was pulled back. “Eat this!” The siblings reared back with their mace and hammer before slamming them into the stunned Battle Boar’s snout with great force that was unexpected from Prums. The Battle Boar squealed as it was nearly upended and crashed into the Bug Bears behind it.

The pots were directly above the staggered and stunned Monsters. Small blurring objects hit all of the pots, shattering them like glass as the odd liquid within them rained down on the Bug Bears and the Battle Boar.

“All rocks hit home!” Keaks grinned, having nailed each and every pot with simple rocks found on the Dungeon floor. “They’re drenched nice and good, Asfi~” He called out to his crush.

“Now! Meryl!” Asfi shouted to the Prum sitting on Doron’s shoulders.

Meryl, who had been chanting until just a moment ago, pointed her staff at the drenched Monsters. “Riwo Flare!” A massive spiraling blaze exploded from the top of her staff and engulfed the Battle Boar and Bug Bears.

FWOOOOOOSSSSSHHHH

Ais blinked as the Monsters nearly exploded while the flames roared and crackled loudly. The Monsters flailed for all of a second before collapsing dead from the intense conflagration.

“The pots are filled with a highly flammable liquid.” Asfi explained as she stood beside Ais. “It exponentially increases Magic potency as it burns.” A Bug Bear crawled away as quickly as it could, having not been caught in the initial blast. “Even if a stubborn few try to run...” The flames snaked up the trail of liquid that the fleeing Bug Bear left behind until they caught up and the Monster went up in a ball of flames like all the others. “There’s no escape.”

‘So fast.’ Ais looked over the battlefield as the fire started to burn out. ‘Maybe not the same Level, but they’re teamwork is just as good as Loki Familia’s main force. They handled that large group of Monsters without a single injury. Every member played their part perfectly. But what’s most impressive is their commander’s ability to keep calm and convey orders on the fly and under pressure, utilizing all of their talents just when they’d be the most effective. Asfi Al Andromeda… It feels like there’s still something else she’s hiding.’

“If you’re wondering about Asfi, she’s Level 4…” Lulune said quietly as she stopped next to Ais with the Magic Stones of the three Gun Libellula in one hand and her knife in the other.

‘I thought so, her movements and skill with her dagger were impressive.’ Ais thought to herself. “You all were impressive.”

“We’ll take a rest in that small room up ahead.” Afi pointed to a cavern made of the rock wall and two of the large trees that had grown close together and made a sheltered space large enough to hold them all. “Frontline, divide into two groups to keep a lookout. Midline, start breaking the walls. Back line, prepare the rations and water.”

During the rest time, Ais and Lulune continued chatting with each other. The subject of how far the Hermes Familia had truly gone into the Dungeon came up, Lulune revealing that the public record said the Nineteenth Floor, but in reality they’d gone as far as the Thirty-Seventh Floor. When asked about how such a group like there’s made it so far down without anyone seeing them to report, Lulune had gotten a playful little grin on her lips as she simply said that Asfi made a lot of interesting tools.

After the rest, the Party made good time through the rest of the Large Tree Labyrinth…aside from the times they had to pull Lulune away from rare Dungeon plants that would fetch a nice price up on the surface. They had there mission and didn’t need to get distracted treasure hunting. Everything went smoothly, up until they reached the Twenty-Fourth Floor.

A massive horde of Monsters, like a parade, were all moving through the Dungeon path below the Party. There had to be hundreds down there, everything from Gun Libellula and Deadly Hornets flying in the air, Battle Boars, Bug Bears, Lizardmen, Sword Stags, Hobgoblins, Metal Rabbits, and Mad Beetles. It was a veritable showing of the most common Monsters that were born in the Large Forest Labyrinth.

“Haha… Monsters parading like ants.” Thane let out a hollow chuckle as he adjusted his hat. “I’d love to get out of here.”

“This is what we have to deal with the moment we get to this Floor…?” Pock didn’t look amused in the slightest.

Lulune looked at Asfi. “So, what’s your call, Asfi?”

Asfi thought about it for a second. “They’ll need to be eliminated at some point. We’ll take care of it now.” She let out a sigh before coming up with a plan. “Prepare for combat. Back line, start casting now to reduce their numbers as much as possible before…”

“Wait.” Ais spoke up, standing up from where they were partially hidden behind some bushes and rocks.

“Huh?” Asfi blinked at what Ais was doing.

Ais stepped off the edge of the sheer cliff like it wasn’t a twenty meter drop straight down. “I’ll go.”

“O-Oi!” Falgar gaped as Ais dropped down into the horde all on her own.

Ais landed easily, her legs bending to absorb the shock. She looked at the parade of Monsters passing by, none of them having noticed her just yet. ‘I won’t use Ariel.’

“She’s toast! Kenki or not, there’s way too many!” Lulune cried out as she stood up, wanting to help her new friend. “We have to help!”

Asfi grabbed her arm before she could do anything. “Stop right there!” Lulune turned to her with confusion all over her face. “Let’s observe…what the Kenki can do.”

‘My skills and abilities increased dramatically when I reached Level 6.’ Ais thought while the Monsters finally noticed her and began snarling, roaring, and growling in hunger. ‘To test out my new Level…this many should be perfect.’ The horde of Monsters rushed at Ais from all directions. ‘Eight enemies are attacking from all sides. When I was Level 5 I could deal with five of them and then dodged the rest.’ Desperate was drawn in a flash and the nearest Monster, a Bug Bear, had its head cut in half horizontally. In a streak of silver a Battle Boar, Lizardman, Gun Libellula, Mad Beetle, a second Bug Bear, another Lizardman, and a second Gun Libellula were all cut to pieces that splattered across the ground. ‘All eight Monsters slain, no need to dodge. I can handle more.’

A human arm fell to the ground as more Monsters approached.

Ais saw the mangled remains of what used to be Adventurers being chewed on by a few Bug Bears.

‘Adventurers that couldn’t get away.’ Ais looked at the remains on the ground with a bit of sadness.

A Troll, Monster that was usually found in the Lower Floors but was known to come up to the Large Tree Labyrinth for food, swung a massive landform club down on Ais from her blind spot.

BAM

The impact was loud, but the Troll blinked as it realized the club hadn’t hit the ground and crushed the Adventurer. It’s eyes widened in panic as Ais pushed back against the club that was larger than she was with one hand, the stone cracking from her strength.

“Increased strength confirmed.” Ais said coldly, the next fraction of a second and the Troll’s head flew off its shoulders and a dozen Monsters behind it were butchered so fast that their blood didn’t even leave their bodies for a second, as if they didn’t realize they’d been sliced apart. “I need to fight more.” Ais stated as she stopped and turned to face the rest of the massive horde that was approaching her still. “Here I come.”

The Hermes Familia could only watch stunned, a mixture of shock and morbid curiosity locking their vision on the brutal dance of death going below. Before they even realized it, the horde was gone, every single Monster dead as Ais flicked the blood off of Desperate and sheathed her sword. The corpses of the Monsters littered the entire canyon, the ground painted red from all of the blood.

“She got them all…” Nelly had her hands over her mouth in surprise.

“No way…” Elilly couldn’t believe what she’d just seen.

Keaks could only laugh a little. “Saying this might be bad, but…”

“Does she even need us here?” The rest of the Hermes Familia, barring Asfi, asked at the same time.

“…can’t we just leave the rest to her?” Pock asked, resting his cheek on his fist. How were they supposed to compete with that?

Thane chuckled absently. “Shall we get out of here?”

“You know that isn’t an option.” Asfi sighed at her Familia members. She watched Ais down below. “…so that’s the Kenki.”

The Hermes Familia began to climb down the cliff to regroup with Ais.

“You first-tier Adventurers are something else.” Lulune chuckled at Ais. “Taking on a horde of Monsters like that all by yourselves is why other Adventurers get nervous around you.” She reached into one of her hip pouches. “Do you need a potion?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” Ais gave Lulune a small smile.

Asfi saw all of the corpses and thought about the reason this horde had formed to begin with. “We can’t leave all these Magic Stones lying around, let’s harvest them quickly!” Starving Monsters acted irrational, just like any starving creature would. With so many corpses lying around, there was a high chance that at least one of the starving Monsters would start eating them and in the process would consume the Magic Stones as well. The last thing they needed was another irregular popping up as a strengthened species.

‘I don’t even feel tired.’ Ais clenched her right hand into a fist and then relaxed it. ‘Defintiely much stronger than before.’

“Asfi, what’s the plan from here?” Lulune asked as she took a map of the Twenty-Fourth Floor out. “There’re three Pantries on the Twenty-Fourth…southeast, southwest, and north.”

The Twenty-Fourth Floor was massive, easily half the size of Orario in land area. The Dungeon Floors only got wider the further you went down too. The Thirty-Seventh Floor was roughly the same size as Orario, and even deeper the Floors continued to expand.

“We’ll follow the Monsters’ trail.” Asfi decided as she watched over the other Familia members gathering the Magic Stones. “If this problem started at a Pantry, then tracing their path should lead us right to the source.”

Lulune looked at the map and then the path the Monsters had been on. “That means we’re headed north.”

Asfi held out her hand to Ais for a shake. “That was quite impressive, Kenki.” Ais shook her hand. “It would be more efficient to have you take point. We’ll supply you with as many potions as you need, of course.”

“…Alright.” Ais agreed easily with Asfi’s request.

“So, if we’re off to the pantry, what do you think is going on over there?” Lulune asked Ais as they started walking towards the tunnel heading north. “You think Monsters are popping out of the walls like crazy over there or something? What’s your take?”

“I don’t know…but…” Ais thought about the redheaded Tamer woman again, the strange orb and the weird mutant Monsters that felt like Spirits. “It’s probably not that simple.”

-Floor Fifteen-

“Move your asses!” Bete yelled as he kicked the head of a Minotaur off its shoulders, barely breaking his stride as he rushed through the Dungeon.

“But…” Lefiya smashed the head of a Hellhound with her staff. “I’m not…” A second Hellhound died the same way as Lefiya chased after Bete. “Good at…” She batted an Almiraj aside, sending it flying across the cavern. “Close combat!”

Crack

“MOOOAAAHHH!!!” A Minotaur tore its way out of the wall and blocked Lefiya’s path.

A white blur passed the Minotaur and a massive laceration opened up on its neck. The Level 2 Monster collapsed to the ground and died instantly. The one that killed the Minotaur stood up and looked at Lefiya.

She was a gorgeous Elf woman that had long, silky black hair and sharp red eyes. Her face was free of any blemish and had soft white skin comparable to snow. She wore a frilled white dress with a white coat that had light blue edges over it. Her legs were covered by thigh-high white boots and her hands were covered in black gloves. All of her skin, aside from her face and her long Elven ears was covered, and their was a silvery white circlet resting atop her head.

This was Filvis Challia, Level 3, the Captain of the Dionysus Familia.

“M-Miss Filvis, th-thank you…” Lefiya trailed off as Filvis had already turned her back and continued on after Bete who hadn’t slowed down at all.

Lefiya sighed as she took off after the two of them quickly. ‘This is quite possibly the most uncomfortable Party that I’ve ever been in.’ She missed Tiona’s bright and bubbly personality. ‘Please save me, Miss Tiona…’ Lefiya begged in the privacy of her mind.

The three-man Party continued to rush through the Dungeon, hoping to make it to Floor Eighteen and find out when Ais had last been seen. If they were lucky, they’d be able to catch up before or right as the group that Ais was with hit Floor Twenty-Four.

They had no idea that Ais and the Hermes Familia had already reached the Twenty-Fourth Floor and were heading for the source of the problem.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bell trains his Familia’s new juniors along with Lili!

He’s such a good Captain already!

They’re all growing well too! Perhaps Sarutahiko Familia will come to be known as the Familia with the strongest Adventurers for each Level in Orario one day? Kek!

But Bell now has eyes watching him more than before. Eyes that happen to belong to a certain Goddess of Beauty that Bell certainly doesn’t want to be on the radar of!

Unfortunately, his run-in with Phyrne Jamil, Captain of Ishtar Familia, has already painted a target on his back. What will happen with this potential problem?

Ais and the Hermes Familia descend into the Dungeon to find out the source of the Monster horde on the Twenty-Fourth Floor! Ais finally gets to test out her new Level 6 power in real combat! The Monsters don’t stand a fucking chance! What will they find in the Pantry?

Bete, Lefiya, and Filvis are rushing through the Dungeon towards Ais. Will they get there in time to back up the Hermes Familia?

Since Ais’s Quest happens yesterday, and Bell is handling his day in the present time, perhaps something interesting will happen when the two POV’s catch up to each other once again? What could that mean?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!