Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)
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CHAPTER START---
---3 Weeks since Yang entered the dungeon, The city of Orario, The Tower of Babel...
Just outside of the goddess Hephaestus's office a young woman can be seen casually walking up to the large ornate doors to the office. Her long blue hair reaching the waist of her 5ft8 slender figure and contrasting well with her pale skin and deep blue eyes. Her loose-fitting long pants and button-up shirt moving with every step she takes towards her destination.
*Knock Knock Knock*
Slowly the office doors open to the familiar sight of Tsubaki peeking out. Her bored eyes quickly light up as she recognizes the woman before her and pounces to envelop the younger woman in a hug.
Tsubaki: "Thalie!!"
Thalie: "Hey hey you're squeezing the air out of me."
Tsubaki: "Oh sorry sorry" quickly releasing her from the hug, she calms herself before continuing. "I'm glad you're back. Hephaestus is a bit busy right now so how about we get breakfast together?"
Thalie: "If you're paying sure."
Tsubaki: "Mmm, fine just this time."
Thalie: "You always say that. So wanna catch me up on what I missed?"
---Minutes later in a small cafe in the entertainment district...
Thalie: "Damn Freya really spent that much, I guess the lower floors are really a lot harder now."
Tsubaki: "Yeah, never seen so many items in need of repair. Everything from melted armor to chipped blades. It's good for business but the last thing anyone needs is stronger monsters."
Thalie: "Yeah but that's a pretty big contract for repairs even for her."
Tsubaki: "Well it makes sense really, she's in the lead right now with Loki familia in second for exploring the dungeon, a bigger lead means more quests and more money, and more influence."
Thalie: "Yeah when you put it like that it makes sense. Anything else I miss in the city."
Tsubaki: "Mmm... not really..."
Thalie: "What is it?"
Tsubaki: "I think it's best if Hephaestus tells you."
Thalie: "Ugh, I just got back and she's gonna send me to look for more weird stuff isn't she, what was that last set for anyway?"
Tsubaki: "Nononono, she meant it when she said you don't have to leave Orario anymore. As for what those items were for, it's not my place to say."
Thalie: "Then what's the problem?"
Tsubaki: "Well, the team you were hoping to be on is uh..."
Thalie: "Oh, they died?"
Tsubaki: "No! Jeez girl relax, they just got a bit crowded so we thought it best to move you to another team."
Thalie: "Isn't this usually decided BY the TEAM?" she quirks an eyebrow at the woman sitting opposite her, curious about the strange assignment.
Tsubaki: "Well we figured this would be better."
Thalie: "Stop saying WE, why did Hephaestus put me on whatever team it is?"
Tsubaki: "Fine, look we're putting you on a team with Welf and Yang."
Thalie: "Uh-huh, and?"
Tsubaki: "That's it."
Thalie: "So a team with no healer or any kind of support?"
Tsubaki: "Welf is a support."
Thalie: "Yeah real useful having a blacksmith in a fight. Why is this happening?"
Tsubaki: "One is too strong for his own good, the other needs experience in the dungeon, and we think you can keep them in check since you are used to dealing with those lone wolf types, since... you kinda are one."
Thalie: "Not by choice. And I guess I can see the logic in tasking me with this crap. Hephaestus owes me for this shit. And I'm not going into the dungeon anytime soon, I've been moving all over for months, I need to relax."
Tsubaki: "You've got time, Welf is filling orders, Yang is trying to pick a fight with Amphisbaena I'm sure, Hephaestus is busy making his gear so she won't be available any time soon either."
Thalie: "I thought I was gonna lead this team?"
Tsubaki: "You are."
Thalie: "Yet he's fighting Amphisbaena?"
Tsubaki: "I told you he's too strong for his own good, just try to keep him from jumping into monsters' mouths in there."
Thalie: "Great so a blacksmith who doesn't make his best gear and a suicidal level 3, Hephaestus definitely owes me for this shit."
Tsubaki: "I'll show you to your new apartment when we're done here, perks of this assignment and all that."
Thalie: "All that?"
Tsubaki: "This isn't the place to go into details. Let's eat then we'll head to Hephaestus and tell you the rest."
Thalie: "This had better be worth it," Sigh
Tsubaki: "It will be, now enough business. What've you been up to hmm?"
Thalie: "Well... What can you tell me about the Adrestria familia outside of Orario," She says in a hushed voice, completely shifting the fun tone of their meal.
As the 2 women took this chance to enjoy a meal and catch up, elsewhere, other adventurers were also enjoying a similar situation.
---Dungeon, Floor 39 safe zone...
Gathered outside of their tents the familiar sight of the Loki familia executives can be seen sitting around a small fire eating breakfast rations. Unlike when we last saw them some notable changes can be seen. Tiona's double-bladed, adamantite weapon can be seen with one of the blades melted as some burns on her arms are still visible. Gareth also has some burnt parts of his beard whilst parts of Riveria's cloak has burns at the ends.
Finn: "So how's everyone feeling?"
Tiona: "Mmm, that stupid thing broke my blade."
Tione: "At least you still have your weapon, I didn't even get to keep pieces of mine," Tione cries out to her sister
Finn: "This is why we are turning back, whatever that thing was caught us off guard."
Riveria: "It wasn't in the guild records so it's obviously new. Strong, and hot to the touch, dangerous monster."
Gareth: "Yeah the stupid thing grabbed my beard, Mm"
Bete: "Hahaha yeah good look dealing with the half beard look."
Gareth: "Grrr."
Finn: "Our goal now is to get back to the surface, unless it's unavoidable let's avoid fighting. We're already low on resources and we made it to this safe zone, Freya familia is only on floor 42. A few weeks in here is enough for now. Lets review. Riveria?"
Riveria: "Right, after the water city the floors became mountainous, forest and desert-based, lots of ambush monsters until the valley floor, floor 36. Mainly smaller monsters there and whatever is above the valley, stopping on that floor means death because monsters seem to spawn much faster on that floor. Then there's whatever that last floor had."
Ais: "The molten golem."
Bete: "Yeah let's call it that, whatever it was, burns to be near much less touch it. Strong enough to shatter weapons or just melt them and hits like an earthquake. Aeriel worked at least."
Lefiya: "It always does so that's no surprise. But that monster was big."
Tione: "And there were more than 1."
Tiona: "Yeah."
Lefiya: "What?"
Finn: "They were walking toward us from the other rooms, that's why we had you heal Riveria then we instantly began moving. We need to move past that floor quickly. After that, the rest should be easy as long as we don't wander about."
Tiona: "Mmm yeah sleeping in a nice bed is gonna feel great after all this fighting."
Gareth: "Yeah, I can't remember the last time we were down here for this long. Wonder what's going on up there."
Finn: "Well we'll catch up when we get there."
---Dungeon floor 25...
Standing at the edge of the waterfall, eyes closed and wearing only shorts Yang can be seen sweating profusely as he looks out over the 'Water City'. Less than 2 feet away from a 1KM drop directly down to the 27th floor where he fought Amphisbaena. With furrowed brows and gritted teeth, he kept still, completely focused on his task.
Slowly, the water he is standing on begins to ripple behind him as a large bubble appears. Incased in this 20ft wide bubble is a 15ft Koi fish with red and white scales. The water sphere lifts the creature out of the water until it hovers almost 5ft above the waters' surface.
Slowly relaxing his features and opening his eyes Yang turns around to look at his results. "3 Weeks and 'Water Prison' is finally ready, now that I don't waste ridiculous mana time for step 2" he says aloud as he casually approaches the 'Water Prison' housing the massive fish. Placing his hands into the bubble up to his wrists he begins the next step of his plan, "Freeze!" he commands.
To his dismay instead of freezing the 'Water Prison' solid the bubble instead pops causing the massive fish to splash down in front of him and send small waves rippling out. Wiping the water off his face he looks around at his results, barely a 1ft block of ice was made before the technique fell apart.
"Ugh, this is gonna take forever," Sigh, "back to work I guess." He says as he reaches his hands back into the water below him and focuses his mana into the water once more searching for another test subject.
---Later that day, Somewhere in Orario...
Within a high-end office, a massive figure with ram horns protruding from his head can be seen wearing a full 3 piece suit sitting behind an ornate desk.
*Ding, Ding, Ding* the grandfather clock on the far wall alerts him as the hour hand strikes midnight.
"Well, let's see what this generation can do, my final game begins." Says Orcus as he waves his hand, with a flick of his wrist a burst of chaos magic is blasted out and envelops all within the walls of Orario. Every god in the city feels this change, but not all know what this means.
" MY CHALLENGE CALLS YOU!" he belts out, his words echo across the city for all to hear.
END CHAPTER---
My side project is on Ch 32 :p, it's just for fun but gave me a good break from writing this and practicing something new. Comment if you want it, it's for fun so probs won't be updated as strictly as this story. It is much easier to write, however. My completely AU arc is starting for this story so tell me how you feel about this, then volume 1 is complete.