Rita was not sulking. She would deny it if Aurora pointed out that she was sulking. She was just disappointed at the outcome of their discussion with Astoria.
"Stop sulking. Astoria did not say no to our request. She just asked for some time before deciding on this topic." Aurora remembered.
She was not worried about Astoria taking her time before deciding on her offer.
Astoria had been conditioned to follow the Tower's orders all her life. Going against that conditioning would take time.
"But still. She should have gone with better words. I don't think her 'No. I can't join you for some time' meant the same thing as 'I'll think about it.'" Rita did have a point.
But Aurora knew what she had felt from Astoria. The female was interested but there might be something she needed to resolve first.
"She'll join us for sure. But for now, we should focus on you. Since we're here, you should take the opportunity to battle some of these monsters." Aurora points out.
The smaller monsters were docile and won't be a problem. But there were a few exceptions on the first floor that could prove to be a challenge.
Aurora watched Rita work around the larger opponents. Her summons made quick work of the mindless beasts in front of her.
"She's better than I expected. Her one stats are not great but her summons makes up for it." Aurora observed. Since Rita was holding up better than expected, it was time to move her plan to the next level.
"Rita, come back. We'll be trying something more challenging for you next." Aurora gestured to her side.
Her voice caused Rita to turn around and lose concentration. The summoned familiar looked confused at the abrupt magic cut-off and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
The surviving monsters did not have this problem. They attacked Rita's defenseless form. Rita appeared to be an easier target without her familiars by her side.
But Rita had learned in a short amount of time. Her moment was better than before and her agility helped her dodge the slow monsters.
"Sure. Give me a second and I'll be with you shortly." Rita replied. Aurora watched her take care of the larger enemies without her familiars.
Aurora had finished writing her letter to the outlanders in the meantime. She allowed the blue messenger bird to fly away. It would find an opening to reach the surface soon enough.
"So, what's the plan now? These monsters just look tough but are really easy to take care of." Rita bragged.
Aurora did not burst her bubble by telling her that giant monsters were some of the weakest in the abyss.
Instead, she opened the system archive she had been working on. There were ancient goods available on every abyss floor. It was a matter of finding them.
And the first floor held a golden apple for Rita.
"Rita, most of your magical familiars are Tower gifted, right? You will lose access to them once the tower realizes you are with me. We will need to get you more familiars." Aurora pointed out.
Rita looked uncomfortable at her words but she did not deny them. The tower was ruthless in allowing anyone possession of their tools.
"I know. Do you have any idea for my potential familiars?" Rita asked. She did not sound disappointed at the loss of her life-long familiars.
Then again, most of her familiars were mindless puppets that followed her command. There was not much room for bonding.
And those familiars were also weak. They would not be able to keep up with the tower's dangers once they crossed the fifth floor.
"Every floor of the tower has at least one hidden treasure room. Anyone who passes this trial is awarded a special reward. Would you like to guess the trail for the first floor?" Aurora asked.
Rita's face lit up. But Aurora could feel worry mixed in with that hope.
"Are you sure that is a good idea? If this is such an important treasure, won't the abyss be guarding it heavily?" Rita asked. She was right to worry as well.
Rita did have a point. The Tower would not leave such a crucial resource unguarded.
"Don't worry about it. I have a plan. But I won't be able to go in with you. Do you still want to try?" Rita looked conflicted.
Aurora did not doubt the red-head. The red-head had passed the trail in Aurora's past timeline around this time as well. The familiarity she had gotten was a crucial one for Rita's development.
But Aurora decided not to tell all that to Rita. She needed Rita to come to terms with her strength on her own.
"Alright. Let's do this." it did not take long for Rita to come to that conclusion.
And finally, things were starting to move. Aurora had a plan to execute and powers to gather.
The trail room had a huge crowd outside it. Unlike the more difficult floors, the first one did not ask for you to register yourself before taking the trail.
There were too many people to keep track of and too much formality to look through. The guards were lax and allowed most people in without looking.
"Go. I will make sure that you are not questioned at the gate." Aurora assured her before she gave Rita a shove in the trail's direction.
Aurora could see a guard notice them. He had a photo in his hand and Aurora knew he had recognized Rita.
But before he could reach her, Aurora blocked his way.
"Let me through. I need to get to that girl." the guard whispered. It was low enough for only Aurora's ears.
The guard was wise and greedy as well. Aurora could feel his desire to monopolize the prize money by capturing Rita.
Aurora could not allow that to happen. She had invested too much in Rita to allow such greedy people to take her away.
"Aww. And here I was thinking of helping you." Aurora replied back with a similar voice level. Her expression was dark and her next words made the guard freeze.
Aurora was a hunter, the guard her prey. She would end him here. The guard was far younger, practically a teen at this point.
"I'm sure your debts will not pay themselves even if you got your hands on the prize money. But I can pay them off for you." Aurora's tone was suggestive but playful.
The guard looked startled at being found out but it was not hard to guess. Most of the guards on the first floor were lazy and had a bad temper.
Most also had a gambling addiction which landed them in huge debts. And Aurora had learned to recognize those types.
"N-No. There is no need for that young lady. I was never here and I did not see anything." The guard hesitated but decided Rita was not worth the hassle.
Aurora's words might have sounded innocent at first but they were codes used in underground society.
Aurora had learned to recognize those codes and even speak them when she joined the resistance.
She watched the guard go back to the other guards. Aurora did not care what story the guard fabricated to fool the other guards.
But she was not taking any chances. She had utilized her system to attack a small fragment of it the guard.
The system would keep him quiet and also ensure that the guard did not spill about Aurora or Rita to anyone.
[System Alert.
User #04 - Alexander Beck tried to breach forbidden perimeters. 1/5 warning issued.
Users will lose access to their magic for a week once they hit the 5/5 mark.]
Aurora observed the man stiff as soon as he read the message and then go pale. At this point, Aurora knew she had accomplished her purpose here.
Rita had entered the trail room as well and she would not be out for the next two days. It left Aurora time to explore the tower.
And also follow the weird feeling ever since she had entered the abyss.
She had felt familiar magic connect with her and tug her toward a certain direction. The goddess inside her wanted to explore the feeling.
Aurora did not want to include Rita in the goddess business. But now she finally had the time.
Time to pay respect to the creator of the abyss. The being had allowed Aurora this second chance.
Someone far greater than the gods and goddesses of this world.
The abyss had welcomed Aurora back and it was time she knew the truth of her origin. Why had she been brought back? What did the abyss want with her?
And what was she now?
Aurora allowed the magic to lead her through the abyss and in front of the trail room. The guards did not try and stop her.
Everyone knew that the door to the trail room would open only after two days had passed inside the abyss. Aurora placed her hand on the door and concentrated her magic.
No one noticed when a young female slipped through the trail gates. The mass of other people accompanying the trail-takers masked her disappearance.