Thump. Thump.
It felt so dark and cramped, as if I was trapped inside a dark room with not much air to breathe. My whole body was also aching and hot, making it harder to catch my breath. What I could hear was thumping sounds, along with the shaking sensation all over my body.
Thump. Thump.
"WE ALMOST ARRIVE, LITTLE ONE."
A deep and hoarse voice entered my ears. I opened my eyes in a hurry, just to find myself being carried by a gigantic scorching creature. I was laying down on its palm while it walked slowly, making thumping sounds and shaking the grounds that it passed.
"Urk… Huh…? What happened?"
I raised my body to sit and touched my forehead. The dizziness still lingered a little bit, but I felt much better than before.
"Eh…!?", I looked at the giant and gasped. "W-Where are you taking me!? If you plan to eat me, 'lemme tell you something! I'm not tasty at all!"
My whole body trembled and tears started to gather in my eyes. I tried to move away but to no avail, since I was on the palm of something that heighted around 25 to 30 meters. Seeing myself being held captive by a giant like this tore down all my hopes to survive.
"WHO'D WANT TO EAT YOU?"
The giant responded shortly.
"YOU PASSED OUT AND THIS GREAT I CARRIED YOU TO A SAFER PLACE! BE GRATEFUL!"
I couldn't even reply to it properly. Every single moment was like a dream to me. Who'd expect themselves being carried by something similar to a catastrophe itself? No one, right? I compared myself to its fingers and its pinky finger was slightly bigger than me.
[Do not panic, Farenna. He is telling the truth.]
"Dea?", I whispered. "Don't you know how scary it is now?"
I almost cried. Almost!
"Where is he taking me?", I whispered softly to make sure the giant didn't hear me.
[Judging from the environtment, this is the 16th floor.]
What the… Just how long did I pass out actually!?
[Approximately 2 hours.]
"Ugh… I don't know what's happening anymore…"
"DID YOU SAY SOMETHING, LITTLE ONE?"
"N-No! I was just t-talking to myself.", I stuttered read bad.
"NO NEED TO BE AFRAID. I WON'T DO ANYTHING BAD TO YOU.", the giant stared at me. "UNLESS YOU ARE FROM OTHER FACTIONS. HAHAHA!"
"A-Ahaha…", I forced my face to make a smile, but it was definitely obvious that I was still scared to death.
"Dea! Dea!", I whispered again. "What is he talking about? Factions?"
[Did Goddess Bona Dea not explain this to you?]
I shook my head slightly, while trying not to make the giant notice me.
[Should I assume you know nothing of Divine Realms and such?]
I nodded my head.
[The Divine Realm is where deities such as Gods and Heroic Spirits reside. It is mainly divided into 4 major factions: the Devatas, Norse, Romans, and Olympians.]
She paused for a brief moment.
[Each faction has its own rules and laws. The most strict one is the Devatas, as well as the strongest faction out of those 4. The Devatas made an alliance with the Olympians, while the Romans sided with the Norse.]
I listened to her explanation closely and something popped out in my mind.
"How about Goddess Bona Dea? Which faction does she belong to?", I asked in a soft voice.
[She belonged to the Romans.]
"Belonged? What do you mean by that?"
[... I do not have the privilege to answer that question. You should seek the answer yourself, Farenna.]
Supicious. That was really suspicious. When I was lost in my own thoughts, the giant stopped walking and spoke to me.
"THIS IS AS FAR AS I CAN TAKE YOU, LITTLE ONE. THE REST IS UP TO YOURSELF."
He bent his body and put me down gently on the ground.
"THIS IS THE 16TH FLOOR, YOU SHALL FIND YOUR TRIBE IF YOU GO FORWARD."
"Where are you going?", I asked him.
"I SHALL GO DEEPER, TO THE LAST LAYER WHERE OUR RULER IS AT. SEE YOU AGAIN, LITTLE ONE!"
He waved his gigantic hand and continued walking. Well, you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover apparently.
"Why don't you continue explaining now?", I looked around to see if there was any suitable place for sitting. "Ah, found it."
I walked towards a bunch of stalagmites protruding from soft soil. The place was comfy enough for me to rest for a bit. I propped my spear on one of the stalagmite before I sat down and leaned my back there.
[In the ancient times, the alliances waged war on each other and it continues until recently.]
"So how is it related to the giant just now? What was his name again? Sruser? Sruti?"
[Surtr. An ancient flame giant from the Norse mythology.]
"Oh yeah, that's it! Surtr!"
[How could you already forget the name of your helper?]
"Shut it! I was in panic back then!", I grunted. "Instead of that, please go on with the explanation."
[... As what Surtr said, he was sealed by Odin, the Supreme God of Norse.]
"Hmm…", I crossed my arms. "Do you think I have a chance if I fight him?"
[Which one do you mean? Odin or Surtr?]
"Oh ho, you're asking me as if I can face a God in a fight.", I joked and teased Dea.
[...]
She didn't reply and just went silent.
"... Hey, seriously? I can fight a God?"
[No, you cannot.]
Well, as expected.
"Why would you raise my hope t—"
[At least the current you cannot.]
Holy shit. That was the biggest clue I ever heard in this life. I could only imagine what it would look like if I were to fight those supreme beings with illogical power. Damn, I got so excited just by imagining it.
[Shall we continue?]
Dea's voice broke my imagination.
"Uh huh.", I nodded my head.
[Basically, every being that had problem with each alliance also sided themselves into factions. If only you were to say you belonged to the Romans, Surtr would have smashed you into pieces.]
Hearing that gave a chill down on my spine. It was definitely a close call.
"He's only nice to his allies… How about other giants?"
[Other asuras belong to the same side as Surtr, the Devatas and Olympians' alliance. But it only affects those with intelligence, the rests are just monsters without logic.]
I was near to get an heartattack. I'd been killing some low ranked asuras to level up and hearing Dea's explanation made me feel relieved. The next moment, I recalled something from Surtr's words.
"Wait, didn't he say something about my tribe?"
[Yes, he did. The Nymph tribes are basically nomads, especially the Blood Nymph since fighting is the sole reason for their existence.]
A wild idea showed up in my mind.
"So I can actually find them here?", I grinned.
[Correct. The 16th to 24th floors are home to the Nymph tribes. But…]
Dea stopped for a moment.
[They are intelligent, despite being lower ranked asuras. They also belong to the alliance. That is the reason why Surtr took you here. He probably thought you were lost.]
Damn! I really thought I could turn them into EXP since I thought they were mindless creatures.
[You would only make enemies of the alliance if you were to do that…]
"Tsk!"
This now became so complicated. I was required to grow stronger but the circumstances forced me to do otherwise. I bit my nails in confusion. What should I do?
[Easy. Just do not let them know.]
I widened my eyes in anticipation and excitement.
"Sometimes you really made me think who the shrewder one here, Dea.", I grinned
[I shall take that as a praise.]
I stood up and started cleaning my butt from the dirt. Then I took my spear and started walking.
"Do you have any idea for that, Dea?"
[I am glad you asked me. Why do you not make it look like a total wipe out?]
***
In the deepest floor of the Abyss, a huge palace was standing majestically. The place was surrounded by countless active volcanoes, while several falls made of flowing lava were placed here and there. The road was made of scorching stones and liquid fire, making the whole place glow in reddish orange. There, an enormous being was sitting on his throne, arrogantly.
"Your Majesty, General Surtr's seal has been undone not long ago! It seemed a Nymph was the cause of it!"
A soldier-looking-like giant kneeled in front of him and made a report.
"I SEE… TELL ALL THE WARDENS TO COME HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.", his voice was so loud as it shook the ground everytime he opened his mouth. "AH, AND BRING THAT NYMPH HERE. I SHALL PERSONALLY REWARD HER. KUHAHAHAHA!"
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
The giant soldier stepped backwards and started running towards the exit.
"A MERE NYMPH UNDOING SURTR'S SEAL… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS TIME, O' WRETCHED ONE?"
He swung his hand to the right and destroyed a pillar into debris.
"THIS GREAT ONE, TARKASURA, SHALL RECLAIM THE SURFACE ONCE AGAIN!"