This chapter is a little bit heavy.
Reader description is advised?
Oh well.
See ya!
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…
/THUD…/
/THUD…/
'It was dark and damp, and the air smelled weird, a mix of odors most foul...'
/Blink.../
"...?"
'In this dark and forgotten place, a young boy opened his eyes.'
"MNMN?!"
'And he immediately panicked.'
W-Where am I?!
/THUD!/
/THUD!/
"??!!"
'Loud sounds of something heavy approached him, making the boy shiver, his body sensed its impending doom.'
'He knew, he didn't know what was coming, but he understood that the moment it arrived, he would suffer a fate he wouldn't even desire to his biggest enemy…'
/Crunk crunk…/
'The young boy tried to move his hands, but he couldn't, heavy chains made sure he wouldn't move an inch from the cold metallic chair he was bound to.'
'He was no special child, no young adventurer.'
M-My hands are… Tied?!
WHY?!
'He couldn't understand, who would do such a thing to him?'
'Even if he did some bad things in life, they weren't worth anything like this!'
'A few moments ago, he was on the streets, begging for food like he always did, hoping he could live another day, that someone would take a bit of pity on him.'
'That was how he got his food... Apart from the days when it was too much, and he had to grab some for himself... Most of the time, people didn't notice it was missing, such was the disparity between them.'
'Like many others, he was the product of this city.'
'He didn't know who his parents were, as when he came to be, he was already alone, begging, learning from the others around him...'
'But to that, he can consider himself among the lucky few.'
'Most don't last long, and even then, most aren't given the chance to choose.'
'As for his parents... What was that?'
'He saw something like that before, adults around other children, hugging them and taking care of them.' It must be nice, he thought to himself from time to time.
'Perhaps his parents were adventurers, but long ago perished, before he could fend off for himself, and if they were alive, whoever they were, they surely had no care for him.'
'Or at least, their close family cared little for his fate, perhaps they didn't even know he was alive or existed at all.'
'Because he wasn't even left in an orphanage, he was merely tossed aside, had he been tossed into one, at the very least, he would've had a roof atop his head in his times of need, he might've even learned how to read, perhaps then, he could've tried to strive for something else.'
'Perhaps he was merely the child of an "unlucky" prostitute, that despite all of the 'protection', eventually gave birth…'
'There were many like him out there, they gathered together because there was only one place they could go.'
'He wasn't the first, nor would he be the last, millennia proved this already.'
'People with status will always desire woman, and unprotected beauties that wander off to places they shouldn't be, or are too unlucky will always meet such a fate.'
'To be... Abused...'
'As it has been so, for tens of thousands of years.'
'Of course, this isn't a lawless place, this is Orario.'
'But this city is a tad too big... Those at the top cannot stop to protect everyone at every turn and step, otherwise, they would never move.'
'And some... Might not even care at all.'
'As for their children, however, the result of these sinful actions...'
'They don't really have that much greater of a fate.'
'Most die of hunger, some disappear, those that can live long enough to go past the age of 10 would either stick to 2 paths, the life of a criminal, or the Dungeon.'
'How long they would walk on each of those… That in itself is a question better not answered.'
'Some can breach this endless cycle and live a better life, perhaps through either of those paths or through an opportunity.'
'Perhaps one that fell from the heavens, or one they made themselves.'
'But not all are this lucky... They can't be.'
"Mmnn..."
'Was this punishment for stealing that piece of bread when that other kid wasn't paying attention? Was he that guilty?'
'The kid was good looking and his clothes were tidy, he wouldn't mind a piece of white bread being stolen… One the size of his hand.'
'He even stayed behind, and the mother didn't even flinch to buy 2 more such bread for her crying child...'
'Because for her, the price of a single loaf of bread was inconsequential, and going after the little thief would change nothing.'
'Perhaps she felt pity for him, perhaps she felt that the now dirty loaf of bread was unworthy of her child...'
'So unfair.'
"MNMNMN!"
'He tried to scream, but his mouth was gagged, no one would hear him, no matter how much he tried.'
'Darkness was the only thing that welcomed him…'
/Chatter!/
"MNMN!"
'It clamored to him, voices from afar.'
'They told him, he would soon join them.'
'He didn't want that.'
'Perhaps it was his imagination or the echoes of something from above, that was what he wanted to believe, that someone would come.'
/THUD!/
'And save him.'
'But the sounds of something heavy didn't stop, and his dread did not decrease.'
'It most certainly wasn't help.'
"MNMN!!"
'Desperation started to build up.'
'The young boy tried his all, but he was weak, malnourished.'
'Undeserving of a blessing from the Gods, this rusty and dirty iron chain might as well be Orichalcum for him.'
'As his eyes got used to the darkness, he started to understand his surroundings.'
'It was thanks to the only source of light, a small crevice coming from a door atop a staircase, definitely the only way in…'
'And out.'
"?!?!?!"
'And a chill went down his spine once more, his skeleton almost jumping out of his body.'
'He saw metallic tools scattered around, hammers, nails, pliers… But they didn't look like the ones used for carpentry… Much less smithing.'
'Yet those weren't all of the oddities here…'
'A bed with straps, a strange machine with many many cylindrical protrusions, a… Triangular tripod?'
'He even saw some tolls he couldn't recognize, they didn't seem to have been made for anything but...'
'Too young to understand what they were, perhaps this was... For the better.'
"MNMN…"
/Sniff.../
'The boy started to cry silently, chewing on the cloth in his mouth as if it would do anything.'
'Because he understood what this place was now…'
/THUD!/
/CREAK!/
'The heavy thumping sounds stopped, and light came…'
"!"
'The boy felt hope rekindle in his heart, a savior!'
'He had to believe...'
"Kekeke…"
"?!?!"
'But then, reality slapped him in the face, and a shower of cold sweat fell down his face.'
"Did you wait for me? How eager!"
'Her voice was heavy, disgusting, it grunted, like a pig.'
/THUD!/
"MNMN!!!"
'Tears… That was the only thing he could do now.'
"Are you that happy to see me? Keke…"
'This monstrosity… Creature in Human skin went down the stairs with her sickly smile.'
'Her laughs made her chin tremble, her steps made the wood creak, her flesh wobbled due to her own weight.'
'A tongue lashed out from within her mouth, licking her lips…'
'Her tight clothes were the worst.'
"Keke…"
'Laughing, she grabbed the boy's chin with power, and he felt as if his head was being pulled off.'
"Oh! I was so tired, I truly needed some alone time."
'She licked his face with a flushed expression.'
"We are going to have sooo…"
"Muuuuch…"
"~Fun!~"
"MNMNMN!"
'The boy screamed, cried, and prayed.'
"KEKEKEKEKE!"
'But no one came.'
…
/Later…/
"Uh… Silver… I've been meaning to ask…"
/Yawn.../
"But why did you gather us here this late at night?" Hestia asked as she rubbed her eyes
I was having such a good sleep…
'It was well past midnight, everyone was already sound asleep.'
'The gates had been closed, her children had already taken their baths and put on their pajamas…'
'This included her, who was now using a cute blue pajama consisting of a comfy pair of pants, and a very very short shirt that barely managed to cover anything apart from her breasts.'
'Together with a pair of pink slippers.'
'It looked oddly sexy… And before you ask, no, this wasn't a sexy pajama, it just looked like this because Hestia bought the wrong size.'
'Despite that, somehow, she felt it even better this way even when she went back to the store to change for a larger one, so she kept it.'
'Not like there was anyone here to complain.'
"I-I'm also a bit curious…"
'But as she said, someone else opened their mouth, as she wasn't the only one Silver dragged here tonight.'
'On the side of his room was a blond girl with fluffy ears and tail, clasping her hands together in embarrassment, looking around the room hastily.'
'This was because her attire was nothing short of unsuitable for their current situation…'
'Because of the place she grew in, and the "bad influence" of the Amazons back in the Entertainment District, Haruhime's Pajamas were a tad tilted to the sexy side.'
'Different from Hestia's, her's was sexy per design, something that was heavily incremented by her natural beauty and shy demeanor…'
'And because she slept alone in a private quarter, always being the first to wake up, no one had approached her to comment on her... Unique sense of fashion.'
'As such, so far, she considered her attire to be normal and nothing outside of the expected...'
'But as she saw Hestia's, she couldn't help but look at herself and be embarrassed, not only because of her clothes but also because she was in Silver's room in her Pajamas...'
'Wait until you see her underwear... At least in that regard, she was already taught some decency by the other girls when they took a shower together.'
"Mmn…"
'Noticing his gaze, her tail moved, and she grabbed it, dropping her face so she could hide behind her tail.'
"Silver… Let's just get this done with…" Hestia replied groggily
'Perhaps it was for the best, had she been aware of her surroundings, Silver might've not slept that well today… And this wouldn't be that smooth of a ride.'
"It's going to end soon." Silver replied with an apologetic smile
Sooner than they expect.
'He turned to Haruhime, saying:'
"It's time to stick to the promise… And despite this not being it yet, I hope we can finally move together as companions of the same Familia."
"?!"
"Huh?..."
'While Haruhime was shocked, Hestia opened her eyes, taking a little longer to process his words… If she was at all.'
'But Silver wasn't going to wait, time was ticking.'
"I just need you two to promise me one thing."
"Don't make any loud sounds." He said, chuckling as he touched the wall
/Creak…/
'The wooden wall next to his bed started to twist in a spiral shape, and from the center, a hole formed.'
'But instead of the room outside, something completely different appeared…'
"Wh…!"
'Haruhime immediately realized where they were, and her eyes darted around in confusion, eventually locking on a bed…'
"KY…"
"Shhh…"
'The moment she saw the half-naked Ishtar next to a group of half-naked men, her first instinct was to scream and cover her face in shame.'
'But Silver quickly blocked her mouth, putting his index finger in front of his.'
"This place is… ?????"
'Hestia was by far the most confused, her eyes now opening fully as she tried to understand what was happening, and just like Haruhime, her eyes ended up falling on the bed…'
'And albeit she became a bit red, she was more annoyed than anything.'
'Her expression twisting into a frown, half of it was a questioning gaze, the other half was disgust.'
"Ish… Taaaaa… MN!"
'Like the other girl, Hestia was about to exclaim in shock as she pointed at the bed, but Silver also covered her mouth.'
'It seemed his words were unneeded, no matter what he said, those 2 would scream…'
'So he let out a sigh, removing his hands from their mouths as he took a step forward.'
"It's time to unbound yourself from her."
"Wh-Wh…"
'Gulping down her words, Hestia proceeded to whisper in Silver's ears:'
"What do you mean…?"
"Exactly what I said, come, we don't have time." He replied, grasping her hands softly
'Leaving the two confused girls behind, Silver approached the bed.'
"You're all a bother, disappear for now."
'He moved his hand in the air above the bed, and all of the muscular men vanished, leaving only the sheets empty.'
'The atmosphere became that much better.'
'Although still very heavy nonetheless, they were in front of Ishtar after all… THE Ishtar.'
'Hestia was less impressed than Haruhime, mostly because she was a fellow God.'
'She was more surprised for seeing her here than anything else, she did recognize her success and in a way, was envious of her, but that envy isn't anything that great.'
'Because she already had everything she could ever want…'
"Ishtar…"
To think we would meet like this... You're still the same, even here in the mortal world.
We did meet in the past few Denatuses... But that was different.
'Hestia's gaze was more of… 'Wow'.'
You're surely holding yourself well… Even in here.
'Even if it wasn't her first time seeing Ishtar, one thing was hearing of the things she did and the other was seeing for herself.'
'It was a very similar feeling she had when she attended Ganesha's party prior to the Monsterphilia.'
'She met many other Goddesses, including her arch nemesis Loki, and she also heard some of the rumors surrounding Freya in regards to her…'
'Youthful behavior...'
'And to that, she felt a mix of awe and confusion.'
'She couldn't understand those goddess-burning desires to get laid, but neither did she look down on them for doing so, honestly looking at them with some sort of respect.'
'To each, their own, and Hestia was very good at respecting others' choices.'
'Even if sometimes, she'll raise her voice at certain people... But that only means she really cares for them.'
"Enough waiting, let's start."
"Wait!... Cough… I mean… ~waiiit~..."
'She pulled his sleeves, wanting an answer, Hestia whispered to get his attention.'
"~What do you want to do?!~" She whispered angrily
"We'll transfer Haruhime's blessing from her to you."
"Ah, I see… Hum?!"
'Her expression froze.'
"~T-That isn't so simple…~"
"I know, and I understand all aspects of the ritual."
"~B-Both Gods need to agree…~"
"I'm aware."
'Silver didn't seem that keen on answering her questions, but this wasn't because he was upset or anything.'
'Right now, all of his senses, everything he could muster, Silver was constantly monitoring his environment, from the breathing of each Amazon on this floor to their locations within the 5 top floors.'
'Because he had to make sure a certain toad woman wasn't nearby… Albeit, if it came to that, he wouldn't hesitate to just charge ahead.'
'And if it required, he would request Haruhime's help, and although he wanted to deal with this all by himself, better do it right than stick to his desires, and end up causing a mess, at least right now.'
Just thinking while he scouted took a toll on his concentration, and speaking so fluently was hard as well.'
'If he were to monitor the entire tower in such detail, he would've fallen onto the ground already.'
'This was his current limit, not something limited by his powers or his Mind capacity, but a mental problem, his brain could only do so much at the same time.'
'As his Stats went up though, this might change.'
'And perhaps one day, he would be able to monitor such a large place to the finest of detail, but that was still a bit far.'
"First, wake up."
I've already confirmed the effects of the wine, I'm not being reckless... Not much at least.
Reckless would be to test Dionysus' intelligence by going there and grabbing another wine under his nose, I only have one bottle, and I can't waste the chance.
Honestly, I would've liked to do a few more trial runs, but I need to act.
Don't even talk about replicating the wine, I don't think it's a matter of merely copying its composition, there has to be something else in it... Something only belonging to the Divine.
Just like how many other things are.
'Despite his calls, Ishtar didn't wake up, so he had to proceed to be a bit more forward with his methods.'
'He didn't grab her shoulder though, mostly because he wasn't inclined on touching her.'
'A beauty Goddess was a beauty Goddess, he didn't want to risk anything at all.'
'And albeit he would never say it out loud... He did find Ishtar to be... A bit dirty.'
'Her ways of conduct were just a tad too much for him, but who is he to say anything? Isn't he the one that's infringing into her bedroom and private time?'
'So instead, he kept his mouth shut, using telekinesis to shake her up.'
"Mnn… Another load…"
"..."
"Gh!"
"Hm?"
'One with a deadpan expression, the other with a slight blush, and the last one confused.'
'But after a few shakes, she finally opened her eyes…'
"Mmnnn… Tammuz… Is it daytime already?..."
"Hm?"
'And her eyes fell onto Silver.'
'This moment would determine if everything he planned so far was done correctly or not.'
'Depending on her actions, this would determine his future…'
'Because Silver wouldn't hesitate on crossing her neck if necessary.'
"You…" She said with a small frown
…
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Notes
This can be said to be the first chapter of the Ishtar Arc, yay!
10 or so more chapters to go until the end.
Goodbye!
Oh yeah, what did you think of this chapter? And also, I have a question.
We know how most of the Monster Rexes look, but we don't know how Balor looks.
Do you have any ideas for him? Perhaps a line in the novel? Some sort of small description.
And on the same note, what do you think is on the 60th floor and beyond? Any ideas for floor themes, monsters, metals, and materiasl?
Perhaps even other Monster Rexes' ideas, remember they are mostly based on Mythological beings, perhaps you know something, it can be anything really, considering even Goliath was turned into a Monster.
Also, considering Orichalcum is the current best metal, is there any mythological/fantasy Metal that surpasses it?
All of this is important, considering we'll soon breach into those stages, I need to start preparing.
Ideas are welcomed as always.