Shoutout to my new patron:
Ethan
You are a legend!
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(General POV)
Lyze entered the captain's office to be greeted by all members of the executives plus some other individuals. Obviously there was Finn, Riveria and Gareth present. Then there was Dain, Noir and Bara.
Behind Gareth was another dwarf whom Lyze recognised as one the dwarf's tank team, an array of shielders that held back monsters and bought time for the vanguard to recuperate. Next to Riveria was an elf mage whom he recognised as one of the gits that looked down upon him and his magic, but that elf was part of the mage team so he had to be part of this meeting.
There were also some other individuals in the room whom Lyze did not recognize or did not see the significance of but there was one whom he labelled as the Familia's treasurer of sorts. They were the one that kept record of the Familia's finances as well as making sure each adventurer handed in the cut of their earnings. Apart from them, Lyze did not know anyone else there.
Interestingly enough, Loki was nowhere to be seen but the meeting looked like it was bound to get wrapped up soon so perhaps she'd stayed around for the earlier part of the planning. Finn greeted him with an expectant smile as he beckoned the boy forward.
"Ah, Lyze. I was expecting you."
"Fitting, as you did send for me Captain." Lyze replied dryly.
"Humorous as ever." Finn rolled his eyes. "But I do have something important to discuss with you."
"Not to discourage the lad..." Noir said with a puzzled look. "...but I don't see exactly what part he has in this. He's not part of the vanguard or something is he?" He said jokingly.
"No." Finn said. "But he does play an important role.
"I do?" Lyze questioned.
"Yes. Now everyone, you were all questioning me on why I did not make to request for more wagons as I usually would. There's a good reason to that, and it's because of Lyze here."
Those who were not aware of what Finn meant just gained puzzled looks on their faces as it took them a bit of time to figure it out. Those who were familiar with Lyze however realized it straight away, just as well as Lyze himself.
The boy held out his hand behind him and in a purple flash, a giant tooth suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, slightly shocking some people in the room at seeing the large ivory object appear out nowhere.
"As you can see, Lyze possesses a very convenient storage magic. Using this, we will store a portion of our rations and medicinal supplies with him." Finn said. "He'll be carrying our Lesser Grade Healing and Mind potions. And as we move further down the dungeon, he will also carry with him all the cores and drop items that we usually have to leave behind. That way we can make our profits back as much as they should be instead of leaving items down there simply because we couldn't hold them."
"I see." Gareth grinned. "I was wondering why you appeared neglectful, but it turns out you were just aiming to put the lad's abilities to good use."
"Of course." Finn commented. "I've had this in mind ever since I learned of it. It is very much a god send as it means we won't have to tire out extra members of our forces and we don't have to worry about the monsters attacking our supplies as well."
"Question?" Lyze raised his hand. "Why is it that I'm only carrying the lesser grade items?"
"Because we can't risk losing the higher grade ones." Finn replied. "If something happened to you down there and you died in an unfortunate encounter, are we likely to get those items back?"
"I don't think so." Lyze said as he put a finger on his chin. "I've never actually died to see if they just drop out of my hammer-space." The occupants of the room just smiled and shook their heads at the child's humour. "Although I say it is very likely that if I do die, they will be lost forever."
"Which is exactly why our carriers will be holding the high grade items." Finn said. "In which case if something does happen to you or you are incapacitated, then we can just dilute the high grade potions for smaller injuries. And if we lose a portion of our food, then we ratio the remains even more. And besides, we do aim to refill in the safe zone to make sure we are not stretched thin but I would still like it if all our supplies did not just disappear on us."
"Makes sense." Lyze said. Even he had not stopped to consider what might happen if he died while all the Familia's supplies were in his hammer-space. The results would be catastrophic. Finn was captain for a reason it would seem for being able to think that far ahead.
"There's also another role you will be fulfilling Lyze."
"And what would that be?"
This time, Riveria seemed to pick up the discussion.
"It was my suggestion actually." She said. "We will have you join the second string group Lyze. No doubt you are talented but you still need to gather experience if you want to be part of the core team. The job of the second string group is to help the vanguard conserve as much energy as possible so we can deal with the more powerful monsters once we reach the lower floors.
During our trek through the upper floors, we let the fresh meat among us deal with the monsters so they have a chance to improve themselves. The second group also take care of the monsters from the upper floors to the middle floors so we can engage Goliath. But there is a change in that part of the plan too."
"There is?"
"Yes." Said Finn. "You've demonstrated the ability to take out Goliath singlehandedly a few times now. And you are much stronger now than you were the last time you did it. Riveria had vouched that you can take on a more difficult task than the rest of the adventurers of our second group. So we have decided to send you far ahead as a pre-emptive of sorts."
"You mean, take out monsters before you get there?" Lyze asked.
"Yes." Riveria said. "You are much stronger than other people of your level and you have shown that you can solo dive all the way to the safe zone near effortlessly. You have also mapped out the numerous pits that lay around some of those floors. Your task will be to go ahead once we reach the middle floors and eliminate the monsters in front of us and in the levels below as we move along.
Your flight ability will contribute towards getting that task done quicker. You clearing out the monsters there will allow us to progress faster and join you in the 17th floor. And once we are all there, you will be given another task."
"Let me guess." Lyze put a hand on his hip. "You want to me deal with the giant in your stead."
"Yes." Finn replied. "Usually we would be the ones doing it but you being able to do it yourself will save us much time and much needed energy for us to take on the monsters below. And it also serves as a chance for me to see you in action." Finn leaned back a little with his hand behind his head as he stared at Lyze with a smile. "It has occurred to me that I have never actually seen you in the dungeon Lyze. You've become level 3 in such a short amount of time, I've never got the chance to see how you fight against what the dungeon throws at you. And because I greatly anticipate seeing how you are able to defeat Goliath."
"I see." Lyze smiled as he held a thumbs up. "Leave everything to me captain."
"That would be the last thing I would ever do." Finn shook his head smiling. "One last thing. Once we have made it to the Lower Floors, the vanguard will push forwards a little more. From the 27th floor onwards, we will be at the forefront and you will be assigned another role." Finn looked around at the assembly in his office. "From all the stories going around, and with Riveria's backing, I hear that your magic is very destructive when you want it to be. Paired with your flight ability, I'd like to try out having you as aerial support, firing off your best spells at the monster rexes while we focus our physical attacks on them."
"I can do that no problem." Lyze said. "But could I trouble you to listen to another request of mine?"
"And what would that be?"
"If I myself wish to use physical attacks on monster rexes, will I be allowed?" Lyze put a hand on Excalibur's hilt. "I am a swordsman before a sorcerer. I would like to fight bosses with my sword just as much as I bombard them with spells."
"That can be discussed later. Thanks to your silent magic and the quicker rate at which you can cast spells, it would be more beneficial for the team as a whole if you stuck to mage duties. But if chance provides it, I will allow you to also attack it. Just make sure to do so on my orders."
"Aye, aye captain." Lyze said cheerfully.
Bara gave him a small grin. "You're a lot more chirpier than usual brat. Are you that excited?"
"Of course I am. It's my first expedition. More than that, it'll be my first as level 3 and I'll be apart of the fighting force instead of being struck back to the supporters and luggage haulers like newbies." Lyze snickered behind his palm. "I do not envy Raul for his position. Not one bit."
Noir let out a wistful sigh. "I remember when we embarked on our first expedition. Our blood was pumping so much with excitement that day, we almost tripped down the stairs before we even entered the dungeon."
"Doesn't hurt if the little whelps are excited." Dain smiled behind his hairy beard. "Soon enough, they'll learn it's more trouble than it looks, and not as glamorous."
"Oh I'm expecting that." Lyze said as he stopped smiling. "If the smells are anything to go by, then I'm sure we're in for a real treat." He smiled again. "But please, don't take away from my innocent happiness Dain. I'd like to savour this moment before we all step into the jaws of death. That being said..." Lyze narrowed his eyes. "...are the rumours true? Are we really going to attempt at defeating Balor?"
"We are still not sure." Finn said. "Ultimately we'd like to reach the safe zone on the 50th floor. Dealing with all the previous monster rexes actually tires us out a lot plus the long and difficult trek it takes from the 44th floor onwards. We'll have to rush past Balor if we are unable to face him. I suggest we just get to the safe zone, recuperate and then go back up to fight it."
"Looks like this expedition is going to be really eventful as my first." Lyze said absentmindedly.
"And with that, this discussion is over. The last of the supplies were delivered this morning and so, we should be good to go. Although, we should be on the lookout for those new monsters Lyze kept mentioning." Finn nodded to the boy. "Our investigations thus far have shown no evidence that they could still be around. No such monsters have been seen since the last time we were down there but we should still be alert."
"I'm more interested in seeing this one eyed hussy he talked about." Bara said. "I'd like to see it petrify me."
"All in good time." Finn said. "Now then Lyze, I have a personal request of you."
"Yes?"
Finn picked up his spear which was leant up against a wall and gave Lyze a solemn look. "It's only been about a month and a few days since you joined us. Yet in that time you have obtained so much power in such little time, I have lost track of your strength. We never did finish our spar the day you enrolled did we?" Finn pointed his spear at Lyze as he approached the boy. "I'd like to see where you stand now. So please, before we go for our deep dive tomorrow, shall we pick up from where we left off last time?"
Lyze stared for a moment before smiling, slipping a hand to his waist as his fingers closed around the golden hilt of Excalibur.
"Yes, do lets. I've been waiting for this a long time."
Finn returned the smile. "I hope you don't disappoint then. With all the expectations that Loki has raised for you, I'd hate to see you fall short."
"Well you're not going to make me fall for the same trick this time. There won't be any sweeping me off my feet."
"And I'll be sure to look out for that reflective move of yours." Finn said as the executives watched the interaction with interest. They remembered the last time Lyze and Finn had clashed, and exactly what had transpired that day. To see a rematch was truly an exciting development.
They were not the only ones. Lyze's grip tightened even further as his heart began pumping even faster.
"Bring it on."
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Ear ringing clangs rang throughout the Familia grounds as both fighters found themselves at the place where it all began for the Loki Familia's greatest prodigy yet. This time around, several members had gathered around to see if the outcome of this bout would be any different.
They had all heard about how Lyze had managed to make Finn bleed during their first interaction. And Lyze was phenomenally stronger and faster now than he was back then as Finn was beginning to realise exactly how big the difference was between the two points in time.
The Pallum span his spear around to give more thrusting power as he jabbed at Lyze's face with his spear. But now Lyze was even faster, and he appeared to anticipate the attacks before they were even implemented. The boy pushed forward, eager to get into Finn's personal space while also keeping an eye out for the dagger he knew the Pallum kept in his belt.
Lyze had learnt from the Revis fight that Finn had the ability to take you by surprise in close quarters even though he was a spearman. It took a real swordsman to put pressure on Finn, but fortunately for the rising king, that was exactly what he was.
Noir whistled as he watched how much more eloquent Lyze's sword work was, like it itself was poem in the form of beautiful strikes and smooth follow ups as he constantly made Finn push back. The old man had doubts he could keep up with the boy now.
"He is leagues better now than when he sparred with me last." The old man said as he stroked his beard.
"Aye. The kid is doing really well if he is able to keep Finn on his toes like this." Gareth commented.
"Tell me something though." Bara said as she squinted towards the fight. "That power. Is it really the combat prowess of a level 3?" She questioned as she bore witness to the raw power in each of Lyze's strikes and the sheer speed he moved at all the while keeping his footwork in check.
"I'd say it's really a level 4's kind of strength." Noir replied holding his hand up. "But at this point it's debatable. The kid has not yet used any magic, so we can't get a full measure of him until he's really able to cut loose with ALL of his power."
"Lyze is known for being much stronger than the indication of his level." Riveria commented. "I was there during his first dungeon dive. He made it all the way to the 17th floor in one day and beat the monster rex. I very much doubt there will be anyone in the future to break that record. His stamina, his reflexes and his stratagems all reflect that of a stronger and more experienced adventurer than him. At times he does not rely on his strength to win a battle but also takes into consideration his terrain advantage as well as comparing monsters to their animal relatives and attacking them based on the weakness of said relatives." Riveria finished with a small smile. "I'd say his greatest weapon is actually his brain. The wonders that it comes up with is simply amazing."
"You're really fond of him aren't you?" Bara teased.
Instead of rebutting as was custom of the High Elf, she just smiled and looked at her adventuring senior. "Of course. He shares a similar drive in passion for magic as me, and he always has the brightest ideas for magical theory." Riveria looked down at her hand as bright orange fireball came to life silently in her palm. "He's also a very informative teacher and very helpful. He's not afraid to share his knowledge, a scholar's treasure, either."
"You truly have become quite fascinated with his magical theory, My Lady." An elf nearby said. "It is not so taxing on you anymore to cast silent magic."
"No I suppose not." Riveria replied. "But when it comes to raw power in terms of this method of casting, he still far outshines me." Riveria looked down and chuckled. "I still haven't figured out how he makes his fire turn blue."
"Yes, that is a strange development." Noir said. "If I remember correctly, his flames were orange were they not? They became blue like Amphisbaena's fire breath a little later on did they not?"
"Yes they did." Riveria clenched her fist and extinguished the flame. "He's tried to explain to me but it just does not make any sense."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." Bara said. "Anyway, let's go back to the fight. It seems Finn has got first blood."
And indeed the Pallum had. In a flurry of complex thrusts, Finn had managed to cut Lyze's shoulder even when the boy dodged. It was a case of too little reaction time for Lyze and greater experience on Finn's end as he found and exploited a hole in Lyze's defences.
"First blood to me Lyze." Finn said. "Still willing to continue."
"Oh I am." Lyze said, not even twitching as blood ran down from the cut in his arm. "In fact that reminds me, you wanted to fight me in my Dark Form right?"
"Huh?" Finn said in half confusion and realization of what was bout to happen.
"Well you're about to get it." Lyze smiled as dark markings temporarily appeared over his face and the air around him became sickly and cold. It happened a little too fast for most of the other adventurers to noticed but they all involuntarily shivered at the daunting sense
of foreboding that came over them.
In that split second, Lyze blitzed out of sight and Finn sensed him reappear behind him. The Pallum swiftly turned around and held his spear in front of him just in time as Lyze spartan kicked him into a wall. The kick produced a shockwave the cracked the dirt ground around and sent a gust of wind in the direction Finn was sent flying.
Two adventurers spectating the fight hastily moved out of the way as Finn's body hurtled past them into the wall, sending fragments of brick exploding outwards everywhere as giant cracks ran up the red well.
Everyone stared in shock between Lyze (whose face no longer had any dark markings on it) and the dust cloud that slowly dispersed, revealing Finn standing there with a trickle of blood flowing from his head and bits of debris stuck in his hair. Finn breathed heavily in the shock of it all.
He'd just managed to react in time and had his Fortia Spear absorb the power of the kick, but now his wrist were trembling in pain at the sheer force packed behind Lyze's leg. While it wasn't anything that Finn wasn't confident he could manoeuvre around eventually and even out the field again, the fact that the change in strength had been so drastic left the Pallum lost for words.
Not to mention his back was on fire. He and the adventurers grimaced as they all heard the wall collapse behind him and the steeled air around Lyze vanished as he winced at the sight of the property damage.
For a while no one spoke as they looked between him and the captain and Lyze rubbed his head while sheepishly smiling
"Sooooo...we even now Captain?"
Finn gave him an unimpressed look before sighing and relenting. "Yes. 1-1 to the both of us. I'm not sure I can fight anymore now."
"Goodie." Lyze clapped his hands a little to ease the tension.
"Or maybe I can."
Finn sighed a little as he looked at his throbbing thumb. 'That power.' He thought. 'Maybe I should move him to the core members after all.' Hearing another brick fall behind him made the Pallum turn around to see the big hole in their wall. Citizens on the outside were beginning to peer in to see what exactly had had happened. Finn grimaced once again. 'On second thoughts, no. He's still WAY too reckless.'
But even while thinking this, the coldness he'd experienced was still yet to leave his mind as he imagined the same markings appear on the boy's cheerful face once again. And now he had to get the wall sorted before they departed tomorrow, for the risk of thieves and evil intending people breaking in through such an obvious weak spot.
Being Captain... really sucked sometimes. Perhaps it was in his best interest to start grooming Lyze as the next one.
On second 'second' thoughts, that sounded like a worse idea.
What was he to do? 'sigh'
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