11

"So, what exactly do we get out of all that?" Shea asks as we walk towards the Guild's main branch.

"Well, I'm working under the theory that through exercise, breathing, and meditation, we can build a stable foundation and optimize our gains through Excelia. Combine that with maximization of our potential at each level, we should be able to outperform even those a level or two ahead of us given time," Ziggy says.

"Just doing those exercises will help that much?" Kaori asks.

"Well, really, Ais is a test case for their effectiveness at higher levels. We may have to modify the routine or figure something else out if the effect is negligible. I've got some ideas of how we can accomplish that.

Ais is very close to leveling up to six as it stands; I just hope she takes my advice and maximizes her stats before making that leap."

"You seem very focused on her," Yue says quietly. "Is she special to you?"

"Hmm. Ais is one of the people with the greatest potential in this city, and she has a difficult goal to achieve. It's why she's so obsessed with getting stronger and leveling up. Seeing someone so driven... It makes me want to help her achieve that goal."

"But is she special to you?" Shea asks.

"If you're asking if we're dating, then I'd have to say, not at this time, but I'm not opposed to it. Currently, I've only gone on a date with Asuka," Ziggy says.

"So, you're already seeing someone, but you'd still go out with Miss Ais too?" Kaori says with a shocked tone.

"Yes," Ziggy says. "Listen. Goddess Xuannu and I have already had this discussion, and she knows what my goals are. I know a lot of people would be thrilled just to have one partner to share their life with, and I respect that, but I'm a bit greedier.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong; hell, a lot of people will think I'm scum for even suggesting it, but it's what I want, and if I can attract women who are happy and feel fulfilled with the arrangement, fuck what anyone else has to say about it."

"Un," Yue says, nodding.

"It's not all that unusual," Tio says with sophisticated nonchalance. She kept a bit of distance between her and Ziggy but found herself drawn closer during the course of the conversation. "Powerful men, and even some powerful women, have had harems. The key, though, is that they are powerful. I suppose that is one of your reasons for developing this exercise routine?"

Ziggy nods slightly. "That, and not taking every advantage that you can scrape up in this world of might makes right, seems like a one-way ticket to the graveyard. I have a lot of advantages, and I need to milk them for all they're worth.

The same could be said for you four. You're all exceptions to the rules. Most people don't start with a Skill on their Falna but develop one over time; spells are almost as rare unless you're an elf. So, work hard, and I'll do my best to help you. We're a team, after all."

"Yeah!" Shea says, pumping her fist. "We're Familia."

That brought a fast and furious smirk to Ziggy's face.

"By the way, Shea, that's a pretty interesting choice for a weapon," Ziggy says of the oversized hammer the bunny girl is swinging around like it weighs a few ounces.

"Oh, yeah, Nora thought I should go with it because of my Skill," she says. "She thought I'd get a better result with a naturally heavy weapon like the one she uses."

The gears in Ziggy's mind start to whir. "Oh, is Nora, a friend of yours?"

"Totally," Shea says. "She's in the Cainu Familia. I'm surprised you haven't met her yet."

"Well, we've all been pretty busy, but no, I haven't met her yet," he says. 'Though the name and the fact that she uses a great hammer sounds familiar,' he thinks, picturing a certain orange-haired sugar addict.

Walking into the Guild, the four girls look around while Ziggy searches for Rose. Spotting her, he walks over to her station. "Good morning, Miss Rose," he says. "How are you this morning?"

She looks up. "Good morning, Mister Solomon."

"Really?" Ziggy says with mock frustration. "Am I still not Ziggy to you?"

"We've only known each other for a few days... Mister Solomon," she says, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think that's enough time to be on such familiar terms."

Ziggy rolls his eyes and turns to another Guild employee. "Good morning, Miss Eina," he says.

The pretty half-elf flashes a friendly smile. "Good morning, Ziggy," she says.

Ziggy looks back at Rose with a raised eyebrow. She shakes her head. "What is it I can do for you this morning, Mister Solomon."

Ziggy just sighs. "My Familia has recently recruited some new members and had us form a team. I would like to get them registered and Dungeon ready," he says, indicating the four girls behind him. "I was hoping you'd help us with that, so we could all be on the same page."

"Very well," Rose says, and then addressing the girls. "Ladies. Who is first?"

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"HA!" Shea shouts, bringing her great hammer down on a Dungeon lizard's head and splattering it across the floor. The lizard vanishes in a puff of black dust. Shea pulls the hammer back onto her shoulder and, with a self-satisfied grin, flashes the rest of the group a thumbs up.

Ziggy releases the string and, with a twang of the bow, sends an arrow past Shea's head, embedding it in the eye of the kobold leaping at her from a shadow. The kobold crumbles to dust.

Ziggy shakes his head at the eager rabbit. "You're still not paying enough attention to your surroundings, Shea. I know we want to let Kaori practice her healing spell, but I'd rather it be for incidental scratches and not you getting eviscerated by a kobold. You have great hearing. Train yourself to listen more and become more aware."

The bunny girl's ears droop, and her shoulders slump. Ziggy sighs and walks over to her placing a hand on her head and stroking her hair gently. "That said, you are getting better at using your skill in combat."

She turns her head into his hand, enjoying the praise, and her demeanor perks back up a little. They had only been on the second floor for an hour, and everyone except Kaori had gotten at least a little practice killing monsters both with and without their Skills or spells.

"Kaori?" Ziggy says. "You're up next."

'B-but I don't have any offensive spells," she says.

"And you still need to be able to defend yourself," Ziggy says. "That's why you have staff and not a wand. That staff is still a weapon and can crush bones if used right. You're going to have to get used to it if you're going to be coming into the Dungeon."

Kaori sags a little. She knew she'd have to do this, but she's never killed anything before. A cracking sound can be heard coming from nearby. "Perfect. Goblins have just spawned up ahead. One is all yours," Ziggy says. "We'll keep the rest off you while you deal with it."

Kaori's grip white-knuckled on her staff as a trio. Behind her, she can hear Yue begin to incant.

"Bubuie pământul

Curgeți apele

Bate vânturile

Aprindeți flăcările

Scapă fulgerul

Ascultă-mi chemarea.

Îndeplinește-te voinței mele

Ascultă-mi porunca

Cinci Elemente"

As Yue speaks the incantation, a multicolored five-pointed star forms within an intricate crimson magic circle around her. Each point of the star glows a different color, green, blue, white, orange, and purple, but slowly as the chant comes to a close, the colors are all washed out by the glow of the crimson circle bleeding into them.

"Scapă fulgerul," Yue says pointing her staff.

The star spins until one of the points comes to rest in the direction that Yue points, and a purple and gold bolt of lightning launches across the room past Kaori, striking a goblin in the chest and launching him back, and laying him out on the ground where his body twitches and smokes.

The crimson glow of the circle dims as the magic is expended but remains cohesive. This is the strength and the weakness of Yue's spell. It can launch multiple effects, but each one drains her, and the magic must charge between each use. The more powerful the effects are, the longer the charge time.

To the side, Tio has activated her Dragonfication Skill, and black hardened scales have grown in strategic and aesthetically pleasing places on her body. Ziggy shakes his head at that a little.

They don't even cover over the normally soft and vulnerable spot of her anatomy, but the effect is the same nonetheless. Her whole body is protected as though by those scales regardless, and the hardened scales across her knuckles act as a mailed gauntlet when she smashes the face of a goblin crushing its cheekbone and pulverizing its face.

Kaori shakes as the goblin launches itself at her. She squeals and squeezes her eyes shut. "Swing the staff!" Ziggy shouts at her, and she does, striking the goblin across the outstretched arm and temple, cracking the arm in the process.

The goblin tumbles to the ground. "Open your eyes, Kaori," Ziggy says, and she slowly cracks them open enough to see the squirming goblin trying to pull itself together, its arm bent at an odd angle.

Ziggy rests a hand on her shoulder, and she flinches. "This is the Dungeon, Kaori. It's not a playground. If you hesitate, you can die. If you hesitate, your friends can die," he says calmly. She's just about in tears staring at the goblin as it wobblingly rises to its feet. Its grotesque face twists in rage as it charges back toward Kaori.

She grits her teeth and swings, but the swing is off this time, and the goblin jumps at her. A blur from the side catches the goblin and drives it back to the ground. Zeke, Ziggy's silver-furred kobold, slashes his claws into the goblin's chest and throat, ending the threat.

Kaori's tears break free, and she buries her face in Ziggy's chest. "I'm sorry," she says, embarrassed that she couldn't even take out a single low-level goblin.

Ziggy pats her back. "It's alright," he says patiently. "This is why we're doing this together. We'll get through this, and you'll be fine."

She shakes her head. "I-I don't think I can," she whines. "I don't want to die again."

'Nani?' Ziggy pauses.

"Again?" Ziggy asks. Kaori blushes and buries her head into his chest again, not answering. After a moment, Ziggy says, "You know what? Today was a good start. I think we all know where we need to work, and we can take a day to work on those areas and come back in a day or two to see where we're at. How does that sound?"

The others look at the distraught Kaori in Ziggy's arms with concern and just nod. Each of them had been picked up along the route to Orario by the group that Xuannu sent ahead. Each had their reasons for coming here, and each had their own secrets to share or not, at their discretion.

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Exiting the Dungeon, Ziggy asked Shea to run over to the Guild office and let Rose know they were heading out for the day so she wouldn't worry. Kaori was still plastered against his chest, making it rather difficult to walk, so Ziggy simply lifted her into a princess carry and increased his pace.

Of course, Kaori was embarrassed by this, but she wasn't in the right frame of mind to protest. Instead, she curled in and hid her face against Ziggy's chest even more. Yue pouted a little and mumbled something about wishing she'd thought of that. Whatever that meant.

It was just afternoon, and the square was mostly empty. Most people like to get into the Dungeon early so they can get out before sunset. They turn towards the Peach Blossom Palace but are interrupted by a shout.

"K-Kaori!" a girl in Eastern style clothing with Black hair and ruby-colored eyes says.

Kaori pulls her face away from Ziggy's chest and looks at the person calling her. "Shizuku?" she says. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Kaori," the girl now identified as Shizuku says. "W-what happened? Are you hurt?"

"Y-you shouldn't be here, Shizuku," Kaori says, somewhere between panic and despair. "I-I'm not going back to the village. G-go home."

"Kaori?" Shizuku says sadly.

Kaori ducks her head back into Ziggy's chest, and he rolls his eyes. He lets out a long sigh and starts walking. Shizuku stands there staring at them walks away until Ziggy looks back over his shoulder. "Well, are you coming?" he asks the girl.

Shizuku is startled for a second but then hurries after them.

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Arriving back at the Peach Blossom Palace, the guards at the front gate call out, "Oi! What happened to the little miss?"

Ziggy smiles. "First day jitters. She just got a little overwhelmed. No damage, though, but could use a little rest."

They nod in understanding.

Despite what some people might claim, being afraid or freezing up inside the Dungeon is more common than not. It's one of the reasons there are so many deaths of young adventurers. They rush in all gung-ho, and when they face a real live monster, they freeze up and get killed.

Walking into the Xuannu Familia Living Room, Ziggy and company run into the titular goddess sitting and reading. Seeing the curled-up girl in Ziggy's arms, Xuannu rises to her feet and hurries over. "Oh, sweetheart, what happened?" she asks.

"Just a little suppressed trauma bubbling to the surface," Ziggy says, laying the petite girl on a couch. During the walk, she had fallen asleep but still stayed clutched to Ziggy's body. Yue helped to peel her off of him.

Ziggy takes a blanket, lays it over the emotionally drained girl, and steps back. Xuannu leans in, taking hold of Ziggy's arm. "So, what happened?"

"Honestly, I'm hoping our guest here can shed some light on it," he says, looking at Shizuku. Shizuku flushes under his gaze. "Why don't we take this somewhere more private and talk about it.

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A few moments later, in Xuannu's private quarters, Shizuku fidgets in her seat, feeling like a naughty child in front of the village elders. Directly in front of her is the Goddess Xuannu, flanked by her Familia Captain Huangdi and his Vice Captain and wife Lei Zu. Sitting to the side is Kaori's team captain Ziggy.

Of the four, the goddess looks like, well, a goddess and the other two beside her look stern and imposing. The only friendly face is the taller man called Ziggy. The one who carried Kaori back from the Dungeon. The one Kaori clung to. 'Is he Kaori's boyfriend?' she thinks, looking at Ziggy's handsome face and charming smile. 'I wouldn't want to go back to the village if I was her either.'

"So," the goddess says, tearing Shizuku's gaze from wandering down Ziggy's body. "What can you tell us about our little Kaori."

Shizuku looks back and forth between other people in the room before getting an encouraging nod from Ziggy. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Kaori and I come from a small village across the sea from the Far East. Several months ago, Kaori ran away after her parents met with the village chief to arrange a marriage between her and the chief's son. When I found out she had left, I came after her. I knew that she had always wanted to come to Orario, but the village elders wouldn't let her. So, I figured it I waited every day near Babel, I would eventually find her."

"That's kind of a risky bet. How were you going to feed yourself if she didn't show up soon?" Ziggy asks.

"I got a job at the Jagamarukun stand. It just so happens that tonight is my night off," Shizuku says.

"Why did Kaori want to come to Orario?" Xuannu asks.

"S-she felt like she had to," Shizuku says, squirming in her chair.

"Does this have anything to do with her saying she doesn't want to die again?" Ziggy asks, accentuating the 'again.'

Shizuku pales a little and looks down. Everyone stays quiet, giving her time to decide what to do. "When we were young, some of the village children were playing near the water. A monster rushed out from the water and instantly killed one of our friends. Most of us ran, but I froze... I was its next target, but Kaori shoved me out of the way and took the attack in my place.

It was horrible. Her body tumbled lifelessly across the beach, scattering blood across the sand. An adventurer passing through town happened to be nearby and defeated the monster before anyone else was hurt,... but it was too late for Kaori. She was barely hanging on when we got to her. The adventurer said that there was nothing they could do. Even if they had an elixir, it wouldn't be enough to save her.

Then the adventurer left, and our friend Selene came running up. Kaori was Selene's best friend, and Selene was distraught. She refused to let Kaori die, she said. I told her that there was nothing we could do, but Selene refused to listen. As Kaori's warm eyes grew dull and cold, she started humming a soft tune.

Then, Selene started glowing a silvery light, and so did Kaori. Selene looked up at me and told me to take care of Kaori. I didn't know what was happening. I was only eight years old. I told her I would. Selene smiled then and seemed to fade away as the light around Kaori grew brighter.

When she was gone, and the light around Kaori had dimmed, Kaori was whole and changed. She used to have hair blacker than mine and eyes a dark brown. Her hair turned silver and her eyes blue as the sky on a summer's day.

When Kaori woke up, she seemed to know what had happened. She never said it, but she cried, and I heard her saying Selene's name as we held each other. A few months later, there was an accident in the village, and one of the men was badly hurt. The healer didn't think he'd make it until Kaori came and began humming a soft tune over him. The same tune Selene hummed.

That same silvery light that I saw Selene summon that day to say Kaori glowed around her, and everyone that the light touched was healed of all their injuries or illnesses, including the man the healer thought would die. The village saw Kaori as a treasure from that day on, but Kaori was still sad. She wanted to go to Orario to help more people and grow stronger, but the elders refused to allow it.

They began approaching Kaori's parents to try to persuade them into arranging a marriage for her so they could keep her in the village. I believe the chief finally began to force the issue when Kaori turned eighteen. That is why Kaori ran away," Shizuku took a deep, shuddering breath. "But I still have my promise to look after her. So, I came to find her."

Shizuku looks up at the goddess steeling her resolve. "That is why I would like to join your Familia and stay by Kaori's side."