A term denoting a supreme being, a deity, and almighty figure. One who rules over an aspect of creation and reality. A fundamental being, higher than the rest of the mortals that lived in the world below them. A term worthy of respect and admiration, even among nonbelievers. After all, even if they didn't believe in a higher being, the term can just as easily be applied to the apex of a skill or profession and reach the same impact.
In the city of Orario, the term God held the same reverence yet at the same time the image of a child who was allowed to say when their bedtime was. The Labyrinth City was built with the help of the Gods in the first place following their descent from the Tenkai, the Upper World. As a result, these deities had become a common sight in the city. They could be seen wandering the streets with their Familias, partaking in the active nightlife of the city, leading armies of adventurers down into the depths of the Dungeon to combat monsters and get rich, creating unmatched foods and tools touched by divinity itself that no mortal could hope to match.
Or you could, for example, see them selling potato snacks on the side of the road.
"Hestia?" There stood a familiar twin-tailed Goddess doing such a thing only a block or so down the road. It was quite novel honestly, despite knowing that the gods lived as mortals did while in Gekai, the Lower World, seeing one do such blue collar work that wasn't related to her domains was amusing.
"Do you know her, my lord?" From behind me a new voice piped up politely and unexpectedly. I admit, I jumped and spun on the spot clutching my heart. Yes there had been the hustle and bustle of the lightly populated streets filling the air with noise. But these words came from close if not from directly behind me.
The source of the noise was a short girl, not even 5" tall, her long hair tied up in a ponytail that stretched down to her knees and wearing baggy brown pants and a crop top. She held paper bags to her chest while looking up at me with a slight tilt to her head clearly expecting an answer.
I let out a long breath and struggled to slow my racing heart. "Akatsuki. Gods, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Thinking about that momentarily, I wasn't sure if I could even have a heart attack. But the point still stands. "Yeah I know her. Didn't expect to see her this soon really. You could view us I guess as siblings but not. We both come from the same Pantheon and back in your world we would have been born to the same parents. It's not really the case in Orario or Tenkai but still."
"So she's a Goddess then?" The ninja looked back at the twin-tailed goddess, some look I couldn't fully discern on her face.
"Hestia, Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Home." I started before stopping and appending. "She's in a similar vein to a Yashiki-gami, those household gods you have in Japan. Not quite the same since she's on a grander scale than a yashiki-gami. Think of it like comparing Shinjuku to the entire prefecture of Tokyo. There's overlap in what they are but the scale of one is different from the other."
"I see."
Our conversation lulled there. We just stood there in the light of the setting sun watching the people go by. It was a beautiful sight truly, the orange light casting a homely glaze over the buildings with even the white tower that dominated the skyline of Babel was colored orange and felt less imposing and more welcoming. Less dangerous and more friendly. If only such moments could last.
"Hey Akatsuki, want a snack before we head home?"
~o~
We joined the small queue of about two others visiting the stand and soon as she waved off the customers before her eyes fell on me and her smile changed to a look of shock.
"Hey Hestia. Six please." I requested.
Instead of getting the food while she spoke, she just slammed her hands down on the table. "Hades! You're in town!?"
"Yep. Honestly I didn't expect to see you of all people down here. When did you come down?"
"About three-ish months or so ago. What about you though? Last I heard you didn't care to descend and called those who did 'lazy bastards who wouldn't know working for a living if it hit them with a tax form.'" As she said that something seemed to click and she started gathering up the jagamarukun.
Ah, right. That had happened in the past to keep me from descending earlier like many of the gods. Not my best moment I'll admit.
"Still think that honestly. I could probably pull aside a random God on the street and ask if they do their own paperwork and they'd admit to shoving it onto their Captains and Familia." The Gods might have been descending for over 1000 years but they don't change that much despite that.
Hephaistos was an exception though, alongside a few others.
"Anyways, some souls talked me into it while I was working. Adventurers I think they were. I came down earlier this month and just spent some time wandering before coming to Orario. Got together a small Familia and just arrived today. Would have gotten here earlier too, but we had a small windfall on the way and needed to get some money before settling down here."
"You've already got a Familia? It took me until last week to get my first member." If anything, her shock at seeing me had been surpassed by that statement alone.
In response, I stared flatly at her. "...you've been down for months and it took you until last week to get your first Familia member."
Hestia had the decency to look embarrassed. "...I took my time. Is that a crime?"
I sighed. "The more things change the more they stay the same. Anyways, this is one of my children Akatsuki."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hestia. I am my lord's faithful ninja." The ninja introduced with a polite bow.
I leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, while grabbing the puffs from Hestia's hands. "She's really into roleplaying and it's adorable."
The next second I was on the ground clutching at my shin, the potato snacks caught gracefully into Akatsuki's bags. "Milord, did you happen to find a valis on the ground?"
"Yeah...sure...let's go with that." I hissed through my teeth. Pushing myself back up and ignoring the ache in my shin, I pulled out the valis I owed and handed it to Hestia. "We're getting moved in right now, but once we're done you should stop by. I'll see about throwing a small housewarming party. You can even bring your Familia along too."
~o~
We parted ways after that. Hestia had to close up shop and we had to go bring back the food before it got cold.
Jagamarukuns in hand, we walked back towards Babel. Technically it wasn't our main destination, that would be our home in the southeastern bit of the city. Hestia's stall was up near the northern wall and since we had arrived everyone in the Familia had pretty much split off to both buy groceries and explore the city.
I myself had to go to the Guild Hall and register us as a proper exploration-type Familia. Basically just getting the paperwork signed so we were legally allowed to go into the Dungeon and conduct business with the Guild. My hands still hurt from all the writing. Even the warm crunchy texture of a jagamarukun didn't distract from the faint ache that still lingered in my hands.
Nor the one in my shin.
"If you kick that hard normally, I think you caused Naotsugu brain damage." I commented while stopping to rub at my shin.
Akatsuki just scoffed in response. "That pervert was already brain damaged, he's like a wall that learned how to talk but not to think."
"Well he could be worse."
"How?"
"He could be an America otaku." We both stopped and shuddered at that thought before continuing.
"Anyways, Akatsuki, how'd your shopping trip go?" I had been eyeing her bags since we had left Hestia's stand and had seen various bottles, metals, and other such non-food items sticking out from its opening. It served as good of a topic of smalltalk as anything.
"It went well, my lord. We should have enough supplies to last us the month." Apparently what she had in her hands wasn't the full order that had been sent to the house. What she had instead were small things the others had asked each other to keep an eye out for. Carving tools, reagents, compounds for healing potions, and - what I knew for a fact was for her - a fuzzy blue goat slime plush whose pelt was faintly visible in the bag.
"And how much did all of that cost then?" Our house had cost a pretty penny and we hadn't sent anyone down into the dungeon just yet. Keeping track of our finances would be vitally important at this stage to make sure we didn't starve.
"195,000 valis not counting delivery fees."
I glanced back down at my jagamarukun and chewed it slower. I hadn't been lying about the windfall we had when I was talking with Hestia earlier. When we arrived at Orario, our Familia had almost 1.1 million valis to its name. Our house alone cost us 700,000 valis because of the specifications our resident magus had requested. That left us with 398,000 Valis to work with for living expenses, supplies, armor, food, fees. It might seem like a lot at first, and it is in a sense. But if just getting our food and such for the month costs us almost 200k valis. (Admittedly that could just be the initial bulk purchase and keeping things topped off would cost less). That left us with 203,300 valis to arm my children with.
A basic weapon would cost us about 10,000 valis and I had five children to arm. Yes some of them had their own equipment, but using that would just hamper their falna's development and excelia gain. Plus it would stand out extremely.
So saying that I gave each of my children one basic weapon, and a basic set of armor at 1.5x the weapon price for a total of 25,000 valis each that'd be another 125,000 valis gone and we'd be left with only 78,300 valis left with as a buffer and to live off of.
Again, it seems like a lot but taxes would come soon, then other unforeseen expenses, celebrations, spare clothes, and just the general cost of living in Orario would eat that away quickly. And that's only if we stay with our starting equipment and don't borrow them from the guild and incur a debt to pay off. Upgrading any of their gear would cost infinitely more.
Hmm.
"Looks like you all are gonna have to head to the dungeon sooner than expected." I knew coming to Orario with such a large Familia would be costly, but this...if only Rin had settled for the cheaper houses we had seen then maybe my wallet wouldn't feel so light. "I guess I should have expected that."
"Are you that worried milord?" The unasked second half of the question need not go stated. Was it dangerous? Akatsuki might have been a seasoned adventurer in the past, but the Dungeon was different from the raids and such she used to participate in.
"It's not that the dungeon is overtly dangerous for the first few floors. In fact, I don't think anyone but Ferris would have an issue with the enemies there. And only because he's not really a fighter. No, I guess I'm more worried about the money issue. You'll be grinding for hours on the upper floors just to make rent and if you start pushing to the lower floors too early…" Well, there was a reason nobody had really made it to the 60th floor. And it wasn't for lack of manpower or skill.
"It's not how I'd prefer to start but it means we're gonna be making much progress towards the dungeon if we're constantly worrying about money." Despite being the primary money maker for adventurers and Orario in general, there was a cost each time one descended into the Dungeon.
Firstly there was the time investment. The Dungeon was Big with a capital B. The upper floors might take a few hours to traverse and return back from, but the deeper you go the larger it gets and the more dangerous the monsters are. Incursions in the dungeon could last anywhere from hours to weeks depending how deep you go and how long you stay.
Secondly there was the financial cost. Part of how money is made in Orario was through gathering magic stones that Adventurers cut out of slain monsters. The size and quality of the stone affected how much it was bought for. But at the same time any profits would be offset by how much your equipment would need to be repaired. What supplies you bought and used up. Any proceed splits based off of partying up with other Familias. What you can actually carry. Etc.
Then there was the gimme. The Opportunity Cost. Is there anything just as if not more beneficial to you than going into the Dungeon? That was something more dictated by the Familia itself than the adventurers really. Crafting Familias like Hephaistos' or Goibniu's made more money through crafting and selling their wares than through adventuring into the dungeon. Ishtar's Familia made the bulk of its money through practically owning the Entertainment District. Then there were Familias like Demeter's or Ninsun's who supplied grain and dairy respectively to the city.
As a small exploration type Familia, we didn't have much of an opportunity cost as a whole. But some of our members most certainly could stand to gain better from not diving into the Dungeon as much as others.
"...my lord, I didn't participate in many raids back in Elder Tale.." Akatsuki replied, stopping as we reached the base of Babel. "I mostly stuck to various story quests and played the role of the silent ninja. Even after the apocalypse, I only participated in a few raids alongside My Lord Shiroe. But I do know this." Her point had been reached and she pointed the remains of her jagamarukun at me. "Raids are a marathon, not a sprint. That doesn't change no matter the size."
"A marathon not a sprint…" I mulled over the words then sighed. "...yeah you're right. All five of you are talented, skilled individuals with the best advantages I can give you. We've got a month of buffer and some money in case of emergencies. I'm just overthinking things I guess. I'm sorry."
With that in mind, we continued to our home. A small manor in the southeast of Orario that neighbored the Adventurer's Graveyard. The new home of the Hades Familia. The House of Hades. Because let it never be said that I was creative with names.
AN: Been workshopping a few catalog fic ideas for a bit. This is just the one that came out first. Not sure how well I handled Akatsuki since it's been a bit since I saw the show. But it is what it is. Dialogue continues to not be my strong suit. I'll try to improve where I can. No promises on when/if the next chapter comes out.002
The House of Hades was a nice place all things considered. A moderately sized manor with a decent amount of land and a nice brick wall circling the property. That had actually been one of Rin's demands when we first were house hunting. Walls in general helped with maintaining a stable bounded field for a long period of time. Something about how forming a delineation between outside and in was easier when there was evidence of such a phenomenon already existing to piggyback off of.
I'll be honest, most of the explanation went over my head. But she knew what she was talking about, so I let her have it. Well that and the basement she demanded for her workshop.
The first thing we were greeted with upon walking through the gate to the House was a familiar mage in red at work in the yard. Her arm was outstretched and glowed with bluish-green circuit-esque lights as she muttered under her breath.
The sensation of a wave of something - energy? Pressure? - passed over us with only the faintest ripple in the air visible as it passed. The moment it did, Rin lowered her arm and turned around to face us calmly. Like she knew we were there the whole time.
"Tadaima." I greeted her with a raised hand holding out a jagamarukun. "We got snacks for everyone on our way back. They all here?"
Rin took the proffered snack and took a bite, pondered the taste for a moment, then gave a nod. "Felix is still out, but the captain and Calli are moving furniture inside."
"Did the boots help at all?" I asked, glancing through the front-most window where I could vaguely make out the shape of the two in the limited light of the quickly darkening sky. Really hope that request for some magic stone lamps Akatsuki made would be delivered soon.
"Nope, whatever it is that causes his feet to burn like that it's going through anything I can put on those right now." We'll just have to thank the Gods that the floor is stone. She added under her breath to which myself and Akatsuki nodded in agreement.
We knew it wasn't intentional, it was blatantly something that his body did without any conscious input on his part. We just didn't want to accidentally set fire to our very expensive home when the concept of insurance hadn't been invented yet.
Actually note to self that's one way to make money here.
"Take all the time you need with it. If you need any help with it we're stopping by Hephaistos' shop tomorrow to get you all outfitted for the Dungeon."
Rin gazed at me for a moment, a calculating look on her face. "Working with a God to create a unique Mystic Code...yeah, that sounds great actually. Even if it's only consultation and he doesn't help out, getting a God's insight would be nothing but helpful."
"She."
"What?"
"It's a Saber situation. Hephaistos is female in this world. Orario's a fun place innit." I replied, enjoying the shocked look that spread across Rin's face.
"I-" Rin let out a groan as she clutched at her head. "There are gonna be more Gods like that aren't there."
"Definitely." I nodded a few already coming to mind. "I'd keep the myths you know in mind but know that those are more broad stroke events here compared to your world." We're not even mechas. I was tempted to add, but decided against it for now.
"Clearly." She grumbled rubbing her head. "We're sitting down and you're telling me everything that's different between my world and Orario you can think of. Understand?" She didn't demand, but declared. I just nodded in response.
"After dinner. On that note, we're gonna have a small meeting before dinner so don't head out just yet unless it's important. "
"Rin," For the first time since we got home, Akatsuki spoke to Rin. "I got what you requested. Do you want it in your workshop?"
That finally seemed to get her mind off of the headache I had just caused her. "Just leave it by the desk, I'll put it away when I'm done here. Don't touch anything while you're down there if you don't mind."
Akatsuki nodded and left for the house.
"Well, keep up the good work. Give a shout if you need anything." With that, I left Rin to her work, following Akatsuki's footsteps into the house.
The interior was less opulent than the outside would suggest, but we had to put our foot down somewhere when it came to spending on our living arrangements. Functional furniture would do for now, we could upgrade once we had more funds.
It was honestly pretty easy to find where the two inside the house were, I just had to follow the chatter coming from past the staircase. There were no singe marks on the wooden stairs so it was clear at least one of them was still on the bottom floor.
The room the noises were coming from technically was a drawing room to entertain guests in, but since the Familia's captain needed stone flooring until we got those shoes made, we were converting it into his room/office.
I didn't bother to knock as I pushed through the door. "Knock knock, I come bearing snacks."
The two occupants of the room looked over to me from either side of the large mirror they were carefully leaning against the wall. I looked at it and my own reflection stared back - same dark tired eyes as always. I should probably see someone about that - before glancing at my Captain. "Do you need a giant mirror in your room to sleep or something Zagreus? Where'd you even get that?"
"The attic, and it's not quite that." He responded as both he and Calliope set the mirror down with an audible thud that I could feel from my spot at the door. "It just makes the place feel more like home."
Ah, so that's what he meant.
"Fair enough I suppose. Anyways, food." Once again I proffered the potato snacks in my hands to the duo and they dusted off their hands and crossed the room to take them.
Out of the two, it was Calli who was dressed differently than I had expected. Zagreus still wore his red, skull-lined toga and laurel leaves. But Calliope had changed from her dark princess looking attire to a considerably more casual ensemble. A white crop top and dark loose fitting pants. Even her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I guess it was easier to do manual labor in that.
"How're things going around here?" I asked, glancing around. For what money we could put towards furniture, they really did manage to get really close to matching how Zagreus' old room looked, albeit with less clutter and just in general less stuff.
"Well we've got furniture moved everywhere but here." Calliope started listing off with one of her hands in between bites. "Food got delivered before you got back, so we've got that piled up in the kitchen to put away. Just need to find out where to put that couch in the attic and we're just about done with the heavy lifting."
"Sorry to bounce and leave all the heavy lifting to you two." I apologized. Sure, I might not have been as much help as I would have liked. But I had to pick and choose my battles and the amount of paperwork I needed to fill out to make sure our Familia existed legally took precedence. "I can say though that I'm losing feeling in my hand from how much paperwork there was. So I'm not trying to look like I just slacked off and came back with food."
"Don't worry about it." Zagreus waved off my words. "Gods know the last time I tried to help Father with the parchmentwork, the administration chamber caught fire and we lost the records for a sixth of the underworld."
Both Mori and I blinked.
"Did that really happen?" Calli asked with a concerned look on her face.
"No, but with how often he went on about it you'd think I managed to set the entire underworld on fire just from not filing a pact correctly." He clarified with a smile.
I let out a light chuckle. "That does sound like him. Anyways, I'm gonna start cleaning up the kitchen for dinner. You all good here? Nothing you need help with?"
"I think we've got things handled here, thanks." He replied, glancing around the room before nodding to me.
I bid the red-blooded demigod and pink-haired psychopomp farewell and then I was off. Despite my hands aching from all the writing, work still must be done. Oh the struggles of a small Familia.
~o~
"So, Orario," I started our meeting without much flair. I set out drinks beforehand and let the others gather as needed, making idle smalltalk until all five were here. Zagreus, Akatsuki, Calliope, Rin, and Felix. My Children. My Family. My Familia. "You've all had some time to walk the city and see the sights. What are your thoughts? Any places stick out? Anything neat you want to try while we're here?"
The last of my children to arrive home spoke up first. "There's that part of tyown to the east that's like a maze." Felix said with a finger to his lips.
"You were lost in Daedalus street?" I asked, immediately concerned. Looking him up and down, he didn't look the worse for wear. Certainly his preferred blue dress was a bit dirty but that would come out in the wash.
"Is that what it's called?" He asked. "Yeah Ferri-chan found his way there after splitting off from Zag. Luckily a nyice lady pointed Ferri-chan the way out and he got back before sunset."
Small mercies I guess.
"That place made by Daedalus then?" Zagreus asked as I started digging around in the bits of paper I had brought with me to the meeting.
"Yeah, our world's version of the architect who made your world's House, Asterius' maze, and bits of Tartarus." I explained pulling out the map of Orario I was looking for and rolling it out. "Basically, he went ham when designing and redesigning the place. It's about here-ish." I gestured to a rough area on the eastern side of the city. "Some people call it the second dungeon because of how easy it is to get lost in. As demonstrated by our resident healer."
Felix had the decency to laugh and rub the back of his neck.
"On the plus side, if you're ever getting followed and need to lose your pursuer, there's not a better place in the city." The tunnels under the city were another matter but that could wait for another meeting. "Anyways, so you and Zag were together for a bit?" I asked, sitting back down in my chair.
"Yeah, after we split at Babel I wanted to check out the Colosseum. Seems like it could be a fun place without any self-aggrandizing tosspot in it." Zag explained.
The round table discussion continued for a bit, with everyone saying something about where they went. Any places of note mentioned we marked on the map with a note. Stuff like 'Jagamarukuns', 'Guild Hall', 'Daedalus St', 'Home', etc.
Akatsuki apparently just followed me while stopping for groceries occasionally. Girl needed a hobby besides roleplaying, really. Calliope enjoyed walking through the market in the southwest with Rin and having fun just wandering the crowded streets. Rin already managed to find the local gem dealer, of course, and start making friends with him.
"You know I am the God of Earthly Riches, right?" I asked when she mentioned this. "I can help you get all the gems you could need for your magecraft."
"But you can't use your Authority while down here you said." She responded with facts and logic. "So you're limited in the ways you can help without brushing against that rule. Having a dedicated supplier would be easier in the long term too since we wouldn't need to cut and polish them. So don't worry, I don't need your help with this."
The blow I was dealt by her words was ignored by the others who just laughed it off.
"So," I said, pulling myself together as I changed topics to a more serious one. "I'm glad you all had fun and got to see the city. Tomorrow we're all heading to Babel to get you equipped with stuff from Hephaistos' smiths. Also to get you better boots Zag. After that, and a short rundown of the monsters in the top floors at the Guild, you all will be going into the Dungeon. And I have one thing you must always remember when in there. One thing I will never forgive you for if you forget."
The five looked at me intently as I took a breath to emphasize the point I wanted to make. "No matter what, come home."
The room was silent for a moment after my words. Then, after a few moments to let them sink in with the full gravity I wanted them to have, I spoke up again in a much lighter tone.
"With all that settled. Only one thing left to cover." I declared sweeping my arms wide. "What do you all want for dinner?"
~o~
Night fell as we ate a dinner of curry. A meal suggested by Akatsuki, seconded by Rin, and facing no objections from Callie, Zagreus, or Felix. My children went to sleep one by one as we cleaned up the meal and I was interrogated by Rin about the various differences between Gekai and Earth's Mythologies.
The moon was high in the sky by the time Rin left my office. I let out a sigh and leaned back in my chair staring at the moon for a bit while sipping some cocoa I had made.
It had been a long day. A long week really. Getting the Familia together and traveling to Orario were barely even the start of what I had to do yet it had gone by so quick and taken so long.
At the same time, my job had barely even begun.
"Can't stay up all night mate." Zagreus had walked in as I let out a yawn. "Especially not after telling us to get a good night's sleep."
I nodded. "Just finished up with Rin, so after I clean up I'll stop being a hypocrite for tonight."
"Mind being one for a bit longer. I'd like a chat if you don't mind."
"Let me heat up some cocoa while we talk." Zagreus made a face at this but didn't decline. Shortly after, we were both sitting outside on the porch with our drinks in hand.
"Beautiful isn't it." I commented as we looked out over the lights of the city. The Center of the World as it was known as, Orario didn't ever really go to sleep. So torches and magic-stone lamps lit up the world even in the dead of night.
"It's the kind of thing I wanted to see when I first left the Underworld really." Zagreus replied. "Achilles and the other shades occasionally talked about how grand their cities were in life. How the great marble pillars lined the streets. How their docks held the greatest ships in the land. How the women were the most beautiful in the world."
I let out a snort. "Unless they were from Troy, that was demonstrably not true. Remind me to tell you that tale sometime."
"Oh, a story about a beautiful woman, from a God? This could only end well."
"About as well as you would expect. Aphrodite was involved."
"You're right, that does sound a right mess." We both laughed at this.Then Zagreus stopped and looked down at his cup intently.
"...You understand how weird this is for me right?" He said after a moment of thought. "Like, you're my father and not at the same time. You're so alike, and I can see bits of him in you - literally in some cases, you look like him when he was my age. Just with a healthier complexion and less of a penchants for capes-"
I Idly considered how I would look with a cape, then brushed it aside. Too tacky for me. Plus it'd get stepped on all the time in the streets.
"-But you're not him." He continued. "He wouldn't offer me cocoa in the first place, much less have a chat like this where we're not fighting each other to the death. You trusted me to be the Captain of your Familia without hesitation when he wouldn't trust me to be a secretary. I just-"
He paused and took a sip trying to think of how to phrase his next words. "Where am I supposed to stand with you?"
I was wondering when this conversation would happen. When I first invited him into the Familia with everyone else, he had asked his questions then sure. But that was before we actually lived together for a week.
As a result I had a rough idea of what I wanted to say. It was just a matter of actually getting it out there.
"I'm not your father, Zagreus. I'm not trying to be and I just can't be." I admitted. "You don't need to treat me like him, but I understand if you can't help it at times." I took a sip of cocoa myself. "I'm not as harsh as him, I won't ask you to perform to his unreasonable expectations at all times, and chastise you for every small mistake. Just do what you can and come back Home. That's all I can ask of you all after everything."
All I could ask them after they willingly joined my Familia. Not like the others who declined. These five heard me out and willingly joined despite everything.
"As for where we stand with one another. Terminology wise, all Gods call their Familia members their children. So you might hear that from time to time. But, if you'd like, we can just be friends or acquaintances until we get to know each other. Strangers even. It's up to you and I won't take that choice away from you."
Zagreus sat in thought for a moment while I finished more of my cocoa. Then he spoke up. "Back home, normally we'd give nectar as a sign of friendship, Illicit as it was. I guess cocoa will have to do instead." He lifted his cup over towards me.
"Friends then?"
"We'll see how it turns out." My cup met his and we drank some more.
"So, Hephaistos," Zagreus changed the topic. "I never actually met them back home. What're they like?"
I happily answered him, telling of various memories I had of what she was like in Tenkai and how she operated down in Orario. We went on like that for some time, sharing memories and comparing gods. Despite both of our chiding of the other earlier in the day, neither of us got to sleep until well after midnight.
AN: This came out faster than expected. Guess the response gave me drive to keep pushing myself to finish it. I forgot how weird it was to write in the style of kemonomimi and have a person refer to themselves in the third person in english.
Anyways, what tier do you all think Zagreus lands in? I've got him pegged as either T6 or T7 and made builds for either case.
003
The Tower of Babel was more than just a capstone to the Dungeon. A great feat of architecture by the legendary Daedalus that stretched into the heavens. In its many floors was held a number of shops tailored for adventurer's needs, Homes for the richest Gods in the city, and even facilities the Guild offered for adventurer's use like a cafeteria and shower hall.
Hephaistos was one of the few who could afford a whole floor in such a place. Actually she owned 5 floors of the tower which was an even more impressive feat.
We all stepped off the lift to the Hephaistos floors and took a moment to take in the opulent, and overly expensive, items made by their master smiths and even the Goddess herself.
"20 Million Valis? Who the heck can afford this kind of stuff?" My children had spread out to observe the closest merchandise for sale. Calliope of them had spoken up first.
"20 Million? Even Charon doesn't charge that much for his wares."
"High-Level Adventurers, or entire Familias with a loan tend to pay for those." I answered, looking down at the weapon she was examining. A rapier with a fine hilt and no flaws I could see at all. Hephaistos' mark was engraved along the blade, shining a bright red in contrast to the silver of the metal. "As you get to the lower floors the monster drops get more valuable and so do the magic stones. It's a money sink no doubt, but you'll get enough mileage out of them. Hephaistos and her smiths make the best."
Not to discount Goibniu or any of the other smithing Gods. I was just biased.
"Everything's not gonna be this expensive here. They'd never turn a profit otherwise." Rin explained as we walked deeper into the tower. "Putting their expensive stuff at the front is a marketing thing. It shows that they're a premium brand and that if you want the best stuff to come from them." You could also do the inverse and put discounted or clearance items at the front if you wanted to give off the appearance of affordability. She added after a moment's thought.
Calli let out a "huh" as she thought over the words.
"Does appearance actually matter in that sort of thing?" Zagreus asked, "We only really had a few shops back home - Charon, The House Contractor, and the Wretched Broker - but you bought different stuff with different currencies at them. So it wasn't like they were really competing with each other."
"That's a different scenario then. If they're not selling the same or similar things, then they're not competing for your patronage. Say you wanted to get something to eat. Would you go for the quick and cheap meal, or the one that you have to sit down for and pay more, but it's better and more filling?"
"The Head Chef at the House usually always had stuff ready in the Lounge. I'd just eat what they made."
"Fair enough, bit too easy of an example." Rin conceded, "Let's try something else. Say you wanted to get a new sword. Would you go for the cheap but flimsier option, or the expensive but better constructed one?"
"I've always had Stygius whenever I wasn't using a training blade. So I wouldn't really need to get a new sword since it can reconstitute itself if it ever gets damaged."
"You're hopeless Zagreus. As our Captain you'll need to know this stuff."
"Actually," I spoke up, interrupting their banter. "On that note, I'd like you to keep Stygius and the other Arms under wraps if you would. At least for a bit." Of all my children, Zagreus was going to be the most troublesome, and through no fault of his own.
We were a new Familia in the city. A fact that anyone could find out just by asking the Guild. From what I was told when registering yesterday, what information you could ask about a Familia from the Guild varied. You could ask them who was a member of what Familia, but you couldn't ask anything like their stats or things like that. But one thing you definitely could do was check when a God formed their Familia and when it was registered with the Guild.
"Having a Familia that new come out with something like Stygius or Veratha, questions are gonna be asked about where we got them. Sure, we'll be asked the same questions if you reveal them later, but then we'd have established ourselves at least we'd be able to deflect the questions easier. Use them if you need to, obviously, coming back alive is more important than keeping it a secret."
Plus you all will level up faster if you use Equipment at or below your current capabilities. I added as an afterthought.
We reached a door on the other end of Babel bringing our conversation to an end. "Feel free to look around for anything you like. You've all got about 25,000 valis each." I tossed Calliope, Felix, and Akatsuki a bag each.
I watched them walk off towards another elevator before turning around and knocking on the door. Hearing a "Come in," entered after telling Rin and Zagreus to wait outside for a moment.
"Hey hey cyclops." To an outsider, such a greeting would be rude and horribly insensitive. The sole occupant of the room - a rather nice room mind, with neatly arranged rows of books and a wall of various smithing tools and a lavish and well made desk in the center - was a red haired woman with an eye patch over her right eye.
Any mortal who made a comment like that would have found themselves on the receiving end of one of her Familia member's hammers. Hephaistos herself blinked and looked irritatedly at the door ready to tear me a new one before stopping.
"Hades?"
"The one and only." I replied walking over and giving her a nod. "Good to see you're doing well for yourself. I saw the rates just to rent out one of these floors." There were so many zeroes. How much was she raking in to afford five floors of this place?
"You're certainly a sight for sore eyes. Finally broke and descended, have you? Wouldn't have dreamed of it in a million years."
"This is gonna be a trend I'll be dealing with for a while isn't it?" I sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs facing her desk. "Hestia said the same thing when I passed by."
"Oh,you already met Hestia then?"
"Yeah, she was working at a jagamarukun stand up to the north. Kind of surprising to see her actually working." Out of our Pantheon, she was definitely one of the laziest Gods I could think of, staying in her room and reading while only barely doing her job.
"Took me some effort to actually get her to work, or even form a Familia." She explained with a look of light exasperation on her face.
"Ah, so you're the cause." I knew the two had been friends back in Tenkai despite being polar opposites, so them being on good terms here wasn't unexpected.
"Anyways, to what do I owe the visit? You're not one for a social call really." Hephaistos asked, resting her head on her hand. Fair enough I suppose, I was definitely like that in Tenkai.
"I'd like your help with a job."
"A commission then? I don't know how long ago you descended, but do you know how much a job from me costs?"
"I have a rough idea. Which is why I'm not asking for a commission. I'm asking for a consultation spot. Now if possible."
She blinked at that, then mulled it over. "You're asking quite a lot of me Hades. I am a busy woman. Since you just descended, I'll give you a one time discount. 100,000 valis for a few minutes of my time."
Fuck. 78,300 was how much I had in my slush fund ready to spend. And that was with
"75,000." I offered.
The red-haired Goddess shook her head. "Sorry Hades, I'm not budging on this one. Normally I'd charge twice that and we'd have to schedule it for some time in the future. 100,000 because you're new and because you want it done now."
Technically, I did still have more than 78,300 valis on me right now. I still had both Rin's and Zagreus' stipends, bringing me up to 128,300 valis. I could split it. Splitting it would only take 10,850 Valis from each of them, leaving them with 14,150 Valis remaining to spend afterwards. Technically, that was still more than enough for some lower end equipment for the duo. Even if I didn't like nearly taking half of their funds away.
Maybe I should have waited before sending off the other three with their wallets. Then I'd only be taking about 5,000 valis away from each of them. But I didn't want them to be waiting for who knows how long just for myself, Rin, and Zagreus to talk to Hephaistos and get this job done.
Executive decision time. "Fine." I answered, mentally noting that I would pay back the two with interest once we had enough to hand out allowances.
"Huh, already have that much you're able to spend?" Hephaistos looked pleasantly surprised. What was she expecting me to be broke? Or needing to take out a loan?
"It puts me in a tighter spot than I'd like, but I can pay it off."
"Alright then, what's this job you want to talk about?"
One moment. I asked, getting up and returning to the door. I called in Zagreus and Rin and led them to the desk. "These are two of my children. My Familia's Captain Zagreus, and our resident Mage Rin Tohsaka."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hephaistos." Zagreus greeted politely.
"Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Goddess." Rin added with a slight bow.
"You already have a Familia...that tracks." Hephaistos nodded after looking the two over. "So what can I help you with then?"
"Do you have a space piece of parchment? It'd be easier to demonstrate." Zagreus asked. Hephaistos looked over her desk for a moment before pulling a sheet free and handing it over.
Zagreus placed the page on the ground then worked to remove the boots and greaves he wore, revealing to the room his unusual feet. They shone like fire, a bright yellow that cooled orange as it traced up his legs and under his pants.
Then, with barely any time for Hephaistos' eyes to widen at the sight, he stepped on the page. Immediately, it caught fire from the moment the sole of his foot made contact with the parchment. For a moment, it was just the area around his foot that burned, a blackened ring of singed pulp before the heat proved too much and immolated the rest.
Hephaistos was silent for a moment, her eye staring down at the small clump of ashes on the floor. She then looked from Zagreus, to his boots, to Rin, to myself. "Okay, you've got my attention. How long've they been like that?"
"They've been that way since I was born." Zagreus answered. "The House I lived in just happened to be very flame resistant, so I didn't see it as a problem until I left."
"Since birth huh...sounds like a Spirit cursed your family in the past." Or a God. She added, looking at me.
"Definitely something to do with his bloodline, I'm sure of that." I answered technically truthfully. "I couldn't ask his parents though since they're not around."
"I see. So what, you're wanting something to get your child uncursed? That's not my area of specialty. You'd need to ask Hecate or Thoth about that."
"Actually, Goddess Hephaistos," Rin spoke up once more, picking up the boot Zagreus had left off and held it out towards the redhead. "We wanted to ask for your input on how to adjust to mystic code I crafted to keep him from burning anything unintentionally."
Hephaistos looked with a raised brow at the word 'Mystic Code' but took the proffered boot regardless and began examining it. She 'hmm'ed and 'huh'ed as she looked it over for a minute. Then she answered. "Let's talk then."
~o~
"Everything fit? You all got your weapons? You got your gems Rin?"
We had all gathered together at the bottom of Babel once more and were doing last minute checks before they were to leave.
25 minutes. It had taken us that long to have Hephaistos and Rin talk about various enchantments. How she had turned the boots we had bought for Zag into a mystic code, but how it didn't seem to fully suppress the effects.
Hephaistos had provided some ideas and a few were shot down by Rin, who in turn provided a few examples of her own. All I could do was put a sympathetic hand on my Captain's shoulder as he was poked and prodded by the mage and Goddess.
Eventually they had written enough notes and observations down to satisfy the money I had paid and Rin's questions. I was obviously saddled with them to carry back to the House since they would be going to the Dungeon next.
"Yes, yes, everything fits. Ferri-chan made sure." Felix answered, adjusting his clothes. He had changed out of his blue dress into his white and black knight uniform with a new pair of supporter gloves that matched surprisingly well and a backpack that didn't match at all strapped over the cloak.
I nodded in response, "What about you Rin? We didn't have as much as planned so are those good enough?"
All we had been able to get Rin with our reduced funds were a pair of cheap greaves and bracers, alongside a gambeson, and that was with Zag willingly dropping his money for armor on her so he could just get a new sword and shield.
The magus didn't respond immediately, shifting into a few bajiquan stances quickly before relaxing herself. "It's a bit more weight than I'm used to, but I'll make it work. And yes, I'm stocked up on my gems." She answered by pulling out one and holding it between her fingers to show off.
Once more, I nodded. "Akatsuki, you've got the most dungeon exploration experience out of all of us. Do you remember what monsters your advisor, Misha, said appeared on the first few floors?" I honestly didn't need to ask all these follow up questions. I trusted them enough to not be killed on the first few floors by anything except another adventurer.
I guess it was just for my own comfort, getting reassured that everything would be alright.
"Kobolds and Goblins are the most common monsters to spawn in the Upper Floors Milord." Akatuski answered with a nod. She hadn't changed her outfit, but had acquired more of her ranged weaponry with the money. Besides Felix, she spent the least compared to the rest. "We also may run into Dungeon Lizards and Jack Birds as we progress."
I actually hadn't been in the room during their advisement meeting, having to fill out a bit more paperwork. This was actual news for me for once.
"Right then, I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Are you all good to go?"
Four variations of "yes" answered in response before we all stopped and looked at the one who didn't speak up.
"Calli! Callie! Calliope!" It took three tries to get her attention back. "You alright?"
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, ya boy's ready to go!" The Reaper replied, raising her new naginata (her scythe was still on her back as a backup) with a smirk before glancing back over her shoulder. "It's just…"
I idly looked over her shoulder to see what she had been looking at. A group of five adventurers standing around a lumpy white tarp on the ground. They were being given a wide berth by the rest of those passing through Babel, so it was easy to see them clearly.
Oh. I see. Of all things in the city, that would draw her attention the most wouldn't it.
"I'll handle that." I informed her after a moment of consideration. "You just focus on coming back alive, you hear me?"
"We hear you old man." Zagreus answered, giving Calliope a pat on the shoulder. "We'll be back for dinner. Don't worry."
Another final round of farewells went before they actually started their descent into the Dungeon. Meanwhile, I turned to face the quintet that had caught my resident musician's eye.
Interlude I-01 (Akatsuki)
"Aren't caves supposed to be dark and all?" Felix asked the obvious as we made our way from the landing at the base of Babel's staircase into the Dungeon proper.
He was right, of course. The Dungeon was brighter than expected when we entered it. Somewhere like this, deep underground, should have been dark if not pitch black after we got a certain distance from the entrance. But no, the place was surprisingly well lit. Very much unlike how some dungeons were back in Elder Tale.
As an Assassin, one of the skills I possessed was Dark Vision. It permitted me sight without light for a set distance based on my level. An essential tool for any Ninja to have, both for scouting and stealth.
Basically, I could see in the dark.
What I was expecting when coming down here was for the Dungeon to act like the ones we had in Elder Tale. We would have had to bring our own light sources, our own food and water, supplies to maintain weapons and armor, etc.
As a result my Dark Vision would be an asset for scouting ahead and keeping the others informed as to how the paths branched and any monsters in the vicinity.
Of course, we were just going out for a quick dive for a few hours at most then returning to the surface. Just getting ourselves acclimated to the experience of being into the dungeon itself before going on longer expeditions. So most of those concerns weren't immediately important right now, but were something we would have to worry about in the future.
What was something we had packed and prepared for though, was light. A few torches and gemstones that Rin had provided that would light up for a while in the darkness we had expected, only to be proven wrong once we entered the dungeon proper.
It was just brightly lit naturally. Sparkling gems or crystals were scattered along the ceiling and walls that illuminated the tunnels of the Dungeon.
How annoying.
"I'm not really sure myself." Zagreus answered as he lifted his sword to poke at the specks of light in the ceiling.
"Yes, they're supposed to be." Rin answered as she walked over to the closest wall. "There's normally not any way for light to bend and twist its way down through the halls of a tunnel. Light likes to go in a straight line pretty much. You'd need mirrors for something like that."
She hummed as that circuitry on her arm that appeared whenever she cast magic shone to life before she put her hand on the wall and the liness extended outwards onto the stone. "These crystals are different. They look more naturally formed. What are y-"
She was cut off by a rumbling. A cracking sound. The wall she had been touching was cracking and bulging out.
A monster birth, as our advisor had described. Monsters were born from the Dungeon quite literally compared to Elder Tale.
Rin retreated from the wall quickly to rejoin our party as we watched a hand shoot forth from the stonework, which crumbled away to reveal a tall humanoid figure with a wolf's head that crawled its way out of the wall and landed just a few meters from us.
It barely had time to let growl before it was shot by a ball of black energy, a spear pierced its face, and a sword cleaved its chest.
Our front line fighters, Zagreus and Calliope, alongside Rin had immediately acted all striking the Kobold - if I was recalling the description from our Advisor correctly - at once, only barely missing each other by inches. A sight that could have been called a masterful display of teamwork.
Could have.
"Watch it!" Calli said as she pushed the body of the Kobold away from Zagreus and yanked out her spear. "You almost made me stab you."
"I already had it handled." Zagreus protested as he flicked off the blood from his sword.
"But I was closer!"
Their argument was cut off as more Kobolds broke their way out from the Dungeon's walls, surrounding the two.
The duo glanced at each other as the monsters got to their feet, before Calli said "Take your own, I've got this one," before smacking the nearest Kobold with the shaft of her spear.
That prompted the rest of us to jump into action, and once more the teamwork I saw was lacking.
There were more than enough Kobolds for us to all fight our own, even taking on two or three if we wanted. But that was where the problem came.
I acted almost immediately, vanishing from sight of the others as my Peek-A-Boo skill activated and I circled around the Kobolds. My eyes darted from one to the next picking my target carefully, before I shot forth.
"Assassination!" Skill activated, my blade danced through the air and carved a bloody streak across one monster's back sending it to the ground where it moved no more.
I was poised to throw knives into the ones attacking Rin and Felix, but didn't need to loose even one. The others acted with just as much haste. The frontmost of the Kobolds not facing Zagreus or Calliope charged at Rin and Felix. Technically myself too, but my disappearance had caused them to blink momentarily and give them an opening.
Rin, hand still in a finger gun, shot off two shots of black energy at the two closest monsters before shifting stances. She dodged to the side of claw slashing for her face and caught it with one hand before yanking the monster forwards and slamming a chop into its gut. A blow that easily took the wind out of it, before letting it go and stumble back into its fellows.
Their slowed progress was enough for another wave of black magic blasts to strike them and send them to the ground where they ceased movement.
I was so entranced by the sudden masterful display of martial arts that I didn't even notice Felix's attacks until the one Kobold that had slipped past Rin fell to the ground beside him. It didn't even have any visible marks on them.
Our healer was more capable than he let on it seemed. Didn't even need to use the knife I gave him.
The monsters with us dealt with, I glanced back at Calli and Zagreus and grimaced. They were back to back, each striking with the skill of a trained fighter, but were clearly still not in sync with one another like we had been in Log Horizon. Something evident by Zagreus blocking a blow with his shield that sent him stepping back into the butt of Calliope's spear. This, in turn, threw off her latest swipe with the shaft of her spear and cause it to whiff and for a Kobold to land a lucky swipe on her side.
"Tch." The hiss of pain was all that escaped her as she shifted her spear to block another strike.
Looks like we'd need to step in.
A knife from me and some more magic from Rin struck the monsters giving our Familia members the most trouble as we rushed in to help.
~o~
We were left surrounded by a small pile of dead dog-man monsters. The world couldn't be as convenient as it was in Elder Tale where monsters disintegrated upon death could it? Sadly not, but that was why Felix bought his new gloves.
With only a momentary "ew." he took out a carving knife and started to dig around inside the monster. Our Advisor had told us rough locations of where the magic stones that granted life to each monster. So after a moment's digging, he reached in and plucked out a gemstone the size of a fingernail.
Immediately after the gem left its body, the monster disintegrated. Oh sure, be helpful in that way. Didn't even bother cleaning up the blood it left with it.
What wasn't momentary or convenient was the spat that was going on some steps away from the ring of monsters.
"For a tank you're not exactly great at keeping the party from getting hurt." Despite her complaints, Felix had Calliope healed up in less than 30 seconds.
"What does that even mean?" Zagreus looked confusedly at the rest of us though he clearly knew it was meant to be an insult from his gaze.
"Tanking is-" I opened my mouth to answer but was cut off by Calli once more.
"It means, learn where other people are in a fight idiot! You're the one with the big shield and sword. Get the monsters to hit that and get their eyes off the rest of us."
"Hey, I was drawing all the attention I could. You were too close. I didn't have the space to back up and roll with the hit."
"So it's my fault you knocked my spear off course?"
"Gods above! Both of you just shut up already!" Rin shouted, cutting the two off. "You both got in each other's way. Clearly neither of you know how to fight with others, and I'm not about to walk back home and tell Hades that you both killed each other on our first day in the Dungeon."
Get over it. Was the essence of the rest of her rant, and she was right.
Even if they got in each other's way now, we had been with each other for a week, most of that time was not in combat. We weren't going to be masters at teamwork and coordination when only really myself and Felix had any actual combat experience as a group.
We marched on in silence for a bit. Zagreus at the front separated from Calliope by myself at Rin's behest. This rough formation she and I had pulled together, of Zagreus, then myself, then Felix, Rin herself, and Calliope was pretty solid all things considered.
Our healer was in the middle so they could help the front or the back depending on who needed it most. Zagreus was at the front to tank anything from the front, while Calliope and Rin were long range enough that anything coming from behind would give us enough warning to shift Zagreus to the other side and tank there. Or for them to attack over our shoulders or past our sides to hit anything in front of us.
It wasn't perfect, not on the level of anything My Lord Shiroe could come up with. But we were working in tight conditions. Outside of intersections, the tunnels of the Dungeon's upper floors weren't exactly suitable for the formations I was used to. Not much space to circle around enemies and attack from their blind spots without weaving through them, and scouting ahead didn't help as much besides saying 'yes there are enemies ahead, or there is an intersection coming up.
Supposedly the lower levels opened up more and would make my skillset much more useful, but as it stands these tunnels were just growing claustrophobic in a sense. Like the walls would just get smaller, or birth monsters atop us like earlier for seemingly no reason. Adventuring was a deadly profession after all.
Something we were reminded of as we reached a crossroads.
"It's supposed to be common for novice Adventurers to die in the Dungeon right?" Calliope asked as we looked at what we found.
A pile of torn rags and bits of armor covered in blood and scattered across the tunnels of the dungeon. Blood was on the ground as well as the armor, with a long streak heading down one of the paths.
"Yeah..."
"...Then where are they?" She was looking around from the remains of the armor to the bloody trail.
"It looks like they were dragged away or something." I offered as I indicated the trail left behind and followed it for a few steps.
"I don't think that's what she meant." Zagreus began but didn't have time to elaborate on.
Some distance down the trail I had found the Adventurer's killer, a pack of Goblins still dragging them away with fresh blood on their weapons. We struck before they even knew we were there.
~o~
We walked home in silence as the orange sun was just peeking its last over the horizon. Most of Orario had already turned on their lamps so we were greeted with the blending of colors and sights of the orange light of the sun blending with the artificial white, yellow, and bluish lights of the lamps.
Glancing at the others, none of them seemed interested in taking in the sights of the city following our venture into the Dungeon. Not that I could blame them really.
"We're Home Lord Hades!" I called out as we arrived and passed through the threshold of the barrier Rin had set up. I knew she called it something else, but the terminology escaped me. Either way it functioned the same way and got the message across.
"Welcome back, I'm in the kitchen." Our God's voice echoed from an open window.
When we got to the kitchen, we found him busying himself with dinner. Pots on our stove and a bowl of rice already cooked. With chopsticks sticking straight upwards in one of the servings. Who was that for?
"Dinner'll be in a bit. How was your first time?" He said as he stepped back from the oven and wiped his hands on the rag hanging from his bright pink 'Killer Cook' apron. Then he blinked and sniffed, his perpetual semi-smile approaching a frown as his face scrunched up. "Phew, you all stink. Go wash up. You can tell me everything over dinner."
He shooed us off by flapping that rag of his at us to push back at our stench. Once we had backed out of the door, he stopped and gestured his head back into the kitchen.
"Actually, Mori, you mind staying behind for a sec? I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure thing." The pink haired girl nodded and joined milord as the rest of us left for the baths.
Dinner was a relatively casual affair with milord listening intently to us regale him with our day's adventure sans Calliope who wasn't present. When asked where she had gone, he just said "She's running an errand for me. She'll be back soon, don't worry about it."
Then, with dinner eaten, and Calliope still out, was time for the last bit of business before bed.
I went first, knocking politely on the door to Lord Hades' bedroom and entering when prompted.
It was a relatively spartan affair compared to the rest of ours. Just a bed, a dresser, and a lamp and book on a bedside table. My Lord was sitting on the bed, with a pillow in front of him and a small knife from the kitchen by his side.
"Go ahead and lie down." Lord Hades patted the bed in front of him. I complied, lying down with my back to him, hugging the pillow he provided.
Gently, and with care, he brushed my hair to the side and slowly lifted the back of my shirt, exposing me to the cool evening breeze. I suppressed an involuntary shiver at the sensation.
Then I felt something drip onto my back. Cold and wet closely followed by a rippling sensation that went through my entire form. I could see reflected off the walls and the bedsheets a light had begun emanating from my back.
"How was your first time in the Dungeon?" He had asked this question during dinner, so he probably wanted a different answer this time.
"I have my concerns." I admitted, "It wasn't like back when I fought alongside My Lord Shiroe and Log Horizon. We didn't face any real trouble with the monsters on the upper floors, but-" I trailed off, trying to find the words.
"But what?"
"We're not a party really. Not yet."
We didn't have a real formation going into things. Sure we had gone over a rough plan of action as we descended the steps into the first floor, but that clearly hadn't worked out as expected. We didn't have a plan for when we got ambushed or the dungeon spawned monsters suddenly like it had earlier. Our formation we developed after the fact was fine, but it was tailored around fighting in one direction.
There was so much we hadn't yet broached the topic of. How to communicate effectively in the party. How to plan around if other Adventurers fought us and what we'd do then. Would we kill them or just knock them out? This place wasn't like Elder Tale; these people didn't come back after death. Were we willing to kill other Adventurers?
"Done." I had been laying out my concerns for long enough that the God had already finished upgrading my status.
Shizuka Hanekura Lv1
Strength: I-5 -> I-15
Endurance: I-6 -> I-10
Dexterity: I-11 -> I-18
Agility: I-13 -> I-20
Magic: I-0 -> I-0
Skills:
Shadow Lurk - User can create shadow clones of themselves so long as they hold their breath.
System Access - User benefits from growth beyond the Falna.
Magic:
-
"A 28 point increase. A less than a day in the Dungeon is already showing more results than a week outside." Milord complimented as he handed me the sheet and I sat up to read it.
Agility's and dexterity's growth was most obvious since I was the most mobile and precise of the party. Though their separation as a basic stat was still confusing. Strength was reasonable too.
Still, Lord Hades was right, it was more growth than we had with our few encounters outside of Orario.
"Sounds like today was a trying day for everyone. I'll try to talk to the others about it when it's their turn." My Lord said as he pulled down my shirt. "If nothing else, I'd rather we sort out any bad blood up here and put off any more Dungeon exploration until you all feel comfortable fighting as a group and not a collection of individuals."
I saw it momentarily, from the corner of my eyes as I turned to face the God. His smile was gone, replaced with a small frown, before it reappeared the moment he fully entered my line of sight.
"Either way, thanks for bringing this up to me Akatsuki. And good work today." He said, patting me on the shoulder as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you, My Lord." I said with a light bow.
"Mind sending Felix in next?"
"Of course, goodnight, Milord."
"Goodnight Shizuka."
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Last edited: Sep 25, 2021
Sep 12, 2021Report
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