C139: End of the Abyss P21
Overall Word count = 1193 on 9/4/2024.
Alt Title teaser: Moving On…
Trying a new thing with the text and spacing it out more. Realized that even a typical paragraph (3-4 sentences) is like a wall of text on mobile, so I'm gonna try to space it out more. Less clustered and easy on the eyes.
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After things finally calm down enough and everyone has had a chance to rest. Ask Lily some questions and eat. We learned that Lily still retains her previous level of strength and a bit extra. She has condensed an Arcanum like all other gods based on her 'achievements'.
The achievement(s) are typically the culmination of their falnas progress and actions but Lily ascended through faith so her arcanum is slightly stronger than the standard god who were born or created with theirs.
Lily said that she calls her Arcanum Valor's Breath. She doesnt quite know what it does until she tests it out but she knows that she is something called a Warrior Goddess, symbolizing willpower and Valor which is why she named it Valor Breath/Breathe of Valor.
Mikoto is curious on what her ability does and volunteers to attract the dungeon's wrath if the arcanum does trigger something with it. Yet Axel reassures them that the dungeon is very unlikely to react since we are both outside it's territory at the moment and it's still the outer perimeter of the floors so whatever is dropped on them would be weaker than whatever they just faced.
With Axel reassuring the group, Ouka drops his attempt to persuade Mikoto otherwise and Lily nods. A silvery-golden glow envelops Lily before it spreads out like a wave covering everyone else.
Axel feels a bit of discomfort along with a surge of power. He is sure that the others experience the same surge of energy granted everyone seems to receive different but similar style enhancements.
Axel gained a pair of energy based white wings while Ouka, Bell, and Welf gained a set of full body armor perfectly fitting on their bodies. Mikoto gained a tiara while Haruhime and Cassandra gained a shield. Daphne and Chigusa instead only got a pair of boots.
Everyone is confused by the seemingly random sets of equipment. Mikoto is the first to voice out that her magic sense in relation to gravity is heightened because of the Tiara. Haruhime and Cassandra then show off how the shield can be stabbed into the ground and slide out to create a proper barrier.
It's essentially a portable wall. Meanwhile, Daphne and Chigusa are able to move twice as fast as before with the boots.
Axel on the other hand finds that he can actually fly or even use the wings to attack as he can sense the energy based muscles within them. He gives a few small bursts of flight and can tell how seamlessly it is controlled or how it can incorporate his own powers. He gets to thinking.
Axel lands before the group as he retracts the wings and shares his observations, "I think your arcanum is meant to cover the weak point of each individual person affected." The group has to do a double take as they re-evaluate their equipment and realize that his words are correct. The two supports now can protect themselves by setting up the wall shields.
Chigusa is mostly immobile with her archery, so the boots offer her the opportunity to be able to escape or reposition much more freely. Daphne instead is weaker and can simply escape or lose the distance with her rapier.
Welf and Ouka are both physically strong and front liners but that also means they charge headfirst into danger, so the armor protects them while for Bell it's because he is a 'dex build' and so the armor covers his weak points so he can take a hit before falling down.
His speed is naturally impressive, this allows him to get close and stab with his Hestia Knife or escape but if he gets hit then he is mostly down for the count unless the attack is weaker.
As for Axel, he is a well rounded adventurer and doesnt lack in any respect, so the wings simply serve as an alternative to his movement and offense.
"We should really move on now, we have been resting enough and the dungeon is still being weakened" Axel decides to remind everyone as they have all been mesmerized by their divine armaments, besides, who knows how long they actually last….Well probably Lily does as the owner of the Arcanum.
The group finally begin their descent to the 59th[1] floor. The air begins to feel a bit cooler but more humid as they walk down the stairs. The group begins to smell flowers and other flora.
Arriving at the end of the staircase, the group finds another large forest with thick trees that block the way. Though one thing that Axel notices is that a ton of the plants are quickly turning yellow while those closest to the walls are beginning to wilt.
He picks up a stone and throws it at a near wall, when it doesnt regenerate, he comments, "floors done, let's move quick so we can catch up, the forest will likely die out in a day or two without mana."
A few members of the group are slightly demoralized as they understand that the forests in the higher floors have likely died out and wilted, the dungeon is truly dying and all the unique ecosystems can't survive forever like this.
While they are saddened by this revelation, that doesnt stop their determination to put an end to the dungeon with Axel. Maybe in the future they can create a catalog of what the dungeon used to be like for historians or the future generation. The group speeds up while Axel talks to [Great Sage]
"Hey buddy, are you able to create a copy of my fragments abilities?"
[Affirmative. Would you like me to merge all the soul fragments together while retaining their individual abilities?]
"No, nothing like that. They are a part of me just as you are. I can't just kill them off. I simply want to experiment with creating some new abilities. Having a trump card or two would be good to have since I have no clue what the dungeon would throw at me"
[Affirmative. Would you like me to copy the abilities of your Soul fragments and check their compatibility with each other for any new powers that can be formed?]
"Yes"
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Alt Title: Divine Armament, Moving on, Unexplored Territory.
[1] So, I just realized that I was messing up with the numbers and kept writing it as 68th floor and whatnot. We were still on the 50th set of floors, not the 60th. The 59th-61st floors were the last listed on the danmachi wiki as it's the farthest that the Zeus and Hera familias got to. Ill try to go back and fix all the numbers and solve the confusion but it won't be immediate. I apologize for the confusion.