1 Chapter 1 - A Rock And A Hard Place

"Drinks on me everyone! We are having a party tonight!"

"""OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUU!!!!"""

The whole restaurant shook as adventurers laughed and drank the night away at the Hostess Of Fertility.

All of them were too busy to notice the boy eyeing them with ruby eyes. His heart beating heavily as he looked around, searching for his prize…

And there it was.

A small pouch of coins dropped on the ground, its owner too drunk and distracted to notice. This was his chance.

The boy stealthily grabs the pouch and slips it into his pocket and starts walking out of the restaurant, his heart beating faster and faster as he got closer to the door.

"Hey, you little shit."

An arm grabs him by the shoulder.

"Whose money do you think you are walking away with?"

"!"

"Fen! What happened to you!?"

"I-It's nothing, Yuna! I just...fell off the stairs…."

"Stop lying to me! I can tell these are clearly fight wounds!" Yuna replied urgently, searching Fenrir's body for injuries.

My body had been badly injured when I got caught. Blood was dripping from the many wounds on my face and arms from the many punches and kicks I received from the adventurers at the bar.

"You shouldn't go around causing trouble like this... me and Big Sis already have a hard enough time as it is!"

Yuna quickly dragged me into her room, it was relatively small with wooden walls on each side. A bed stood in the middle of the room with a small cupboard and a lamp to the side.

Yuna tied up her snow-white hair in a ponytail and sat me down on the side of the bed.

"If I catch you getting into trouble again, you will never see the sunlight ever again, you got it?" scolded Yuna, pulling out a roll of bandages and ointment from the small cupboard.

"S-sorry…."

I hang my head in shame as my sister cleans and treats my wounds. Her thin, delicate hands wrapped the bandage around my injured arm and chest.

This was the third time I had tried to "earn" money, albeit in an immoral way. Me and my sisters Yuna and Aurora have been living life on the edge for months, our source of income and food were unreliable at best, and we could only afford one to two meals a day if we were lucky.

The house we lived in was a shaggy old cottage in the outskirts of Orario, somewhere around Daedalus Street, the place where the poor and the sinister dwell. In this particular district, many beggars and shady people hang around in the winding alleyways and streets that made Daedalus Street a labyrinth in its own right.

If you weren't careful, you would end up as another missing person. And unless you were a part of a familia or the Guild, nobody would come searching for you.

Our home was small in size; the area of one entire floor was around the size of a bedroom in most places. Our cottage had two floors, the first floor had a small couch sitting alongside the wall with a small table in front, at the back of the house was a small kitchen, which contained a small cupboard we use to store spices, utensils and dishes, and a cookpot suspended by a metal stand above a fireplace at the side. The second floor had two bedrooms situated face to face.

Yuna preferred sleeping alone, but I used to be scared of the sounds of the walls creaking at night when the weather got too cold. So my big sister decided to let me sleep with her.

"There we go, don't move around too much or the cuts might open up again," Yuna said softly, using one hand to caress my head.

"Yes...Ehhh! Stop it, I'm not a kid anymore….." I said as I tried to move Yuna's hand from my head, but she kept doing it anyway.

"Hehe….your hair is just as soft as ever." Yuna has always loved petting my head when she got the chance. Even though it's embarrassing, getting pet by her gives me a feeling of safety and happiness.

With my wounds treated, Yuna went downstairs to cook up late dinner for us. Our neighbours, a lovely old couple, had given us some rice and some herbs as thanks for helping tidy their house now and then.

Our meal tonight looked way better than usual. Two bowls of porridge, some bread and a small pot of soup.

"...?"

The number of bowls perplexed me. Yuna noticed my expression as she came out from the small kitchen with a plate of food in her hands.

As we ate, Yuna answered my question before I even asked.

"Aurora said she would be away for a few days, Fen."

"Eh? Wasn't she searching for a familia to join? Did she find one?"

"Maybe, her letter didn't say much though…." Yuna had a worried expression on her face.

Even though we were unrelated by blood, we've lived together like a family since we were toddlers. We care for each other just like real siblings do, maybe even more so.

"Should we go ask around? I'll go to the Guild and ask-"

Yuna shook her head, her expression like that of a mother wary of her child's safety.

"Your training session with that Amazon is tomorrow morning, right? You should get some sleep and let those wounds heal," said Yuna as she took the empty dishes outside to wash.

"I guess…"

"I'll be out for the whole day tomorrow to get enough money for a weapon. Don't get into trouble again, you hear?"

"Yes, got it…"

After washing the dishes, Yuna noticed that my hair had many clumps of dirt stuck in it, and I thought back to the fight I got into just an hour ago.

So dirty...I should wash it first before sleeping.

"I already got the bath ready, go wash your hair."

My sister, as perceptive as always.

"Alright, I'm going."

I went to our bathroom to wash out the dirt in my hair, but I couldn't wash them all out. My shoulder length hair made it significantly hard.

"Still can't wash your own hair?" Yuna stood at the doorway, smiling. She took a small stool and sat behind me. Using a brush, she carefully started brushing and cleaning the dirt from my hair.

"You should learn to take good care of your own hair one day. I won't be able to help you all the time, you know."

"I know….but you are so good at doing it," I said innocently.

"Let's put it this way, if you get your hair dirty in the Dungeon, I might not be there to help you brush it properly, you know?"

"I know…" I mumbled as a pout began to form on my face.

Yuna giggled at my reaction. But I knew it was also a truth I had to accept one day or another.

I knew deep down that relying on Yuna forever was impossible if we ever got the chance to go to the Dungeon. I've overheard many scary stories about it from when I was in the Hostess Of Fertility, some of which I would rather not recall.

'The Dungeon is unforgiving. If it thinks you are having it too easy, there is a chance a monster horde will spawn right on you when you are at your weakest,' said an adventurer I overheard at the restaurant whilst drinking himself silly.

Even though my dream was to be an adventurer, listening to these stories sometimes sends shivers down my tail.

"Yuna, can you promise me something?"

'Hmm? What is it?'

"Even if I do learn how to wash my hair properly one day…..would you at least still do it for me if I return from the Dungeon after a long time...o-or if I level up? Or…." my ears and tail drooped from embarrassment, my head hung.

"Of course."

I lifted my head in surprise. Looking back at Yuna, she was looking at me with her usual smile, but there was a glint in her eyes.

"I'm more than happy to do it for you once in a while, but you have to prove to me that you don't have to rely on me anymore, alright?"

Speechless, the only thing I could do was nod shyly. Yuna's smile grew wider as she pets me on the head to calm me down.

"It's okay, I know you can do it."

".…"

I could only sit in silence as Yuna finished getting my hair cleaned up. What she had said touched me deeply. I had no idea how to respond to her, to thank her for all the times she spoiled me.

"Alright, go get your hair dried quickly and head to bed, alright?" Yuna said as she shooed me out of the bathroom so she could take one herself. I nodded and headed upstairs to my room.

My room, unlike Yuna's, had a significantly larger bed alongside the wall. I used to sleep here with my big sister, Aurora. But she didn't come home tonight, Yuna was worried about her too.

I hope she's okay…

After I finished drying it, I let my hair down, letting it rest on my shoulders like how a girl normally does. Yuna told me once she thought I was a girl for some time when we first met each other, and Aurora had a belly laugh when she finally told Yuna I was actually a boy. Aurora also told me Yuna nearly cried that day whining that she wanted a younger sister, but she grew to love me anyway.

As I lay on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, thoughts running around in my mind.

One day, I'll be strong enough to earn money for us in the Dungeon, maybe get us a better house….or…...

My thoughts become blurrier as sleep takes over.

The following morning, Yuna got ready to head to Babel after finishing her breakfast. She was wearing a light pink blouse and a black skirt, with a small bag of Valis hanging from her belt.

"Nee-chan, wait a sec!" I called out as I hurriedly put away my plates and got dressed.

"Are you sure you want to follow? You still have to make it to that Amazoness's house at the edge of town later too."

"I know, but I can't just laze around the house doing nothing, can't I? I want to explore the city a little before going!" I reply with glee as I hurry to the doorway where Yuna was waiting.

"Hmm…..well, it's gonna be hard, but let's try our hardest today, alright?" Yuna smiled at me, her expression as bright as the sun.

"Yeah!"

We exit our cottage, walking down the worn down roads of Daedalus Street, basking in the welcoming morning sunlight.

Hmm….I wonder what Big Sis Aurora is doing…

I ponder as we walk along the streets, we were heading towards the center of Orario, the epicenter of the world, the Dungeon that made the city so famous, was situated there, and it has attracted countless adventurers to venture to its depths, risking their lives to achieve the impossible.

"Hey Yuna~, do you think we could stand alongside those heroes of the Dungeon, like the King and Braver, or maybe the Scarlet Harnel and Ankusha one day?" I asked excitedly.

"Maybe one day….but let's just start small first, shall we?" Yuna replied with a soft smile.

After a short while, we arrived at Babel, countless adventurers and civilians alike were going about their business in the crowded plaza. In the middle stood a tower so tall it looked like a pillar holding up the entire sky. Babel's scale and design was deserving of its place as one of the most breathtaking feats of architecture the world has ever seen. At the foot of the building, many adventurers were heading inside the Dungeon, they were prepared to risk their lives for their dreams.

Ever since I arrived in Orario, I admired those brave adventurers, venturing deep below the city every day to seek their fame and fortune. And one day, I hope to be able to go in just like them too.

On my very first adventure.