8 8

Flexing his fingers, Ziggy lays back in the tub of hot water, letting his weary muscles soak up the warmth and relax. His hands and arms ached by the time he finished training. A thousand pulls on a two hundred fifty pound draw would be difficult even if he had practiced before. The only reason it was possible was because of his Falna.

That wasn't the end of it, though. In fact, it was only the beginning. Mao ran him ragged, drill after drill, form after form, spar after spar. He learns exceptionally fast, and his awareness means he 'sees' the minute details that most others miss. Still, it's one thing to understand and be aware of the motions and sequences, and it's an entirely different thing being a brand new level one fighting against an experienced level two. Needless to say, he got his ass kicked but not nearly as bad as he did when it was You's turn to train him.

You's training was less a lesson on daggers and throwing daggers and more a lesson on maintaining composure while a crazy girl is whipping deadly hunks of metal at you. Yes, Ziggy was supposed to hit targets accurately with kunai, throwing knives, or spikes, but he had to do it under the pressure of You's barrage of blades.

Occasionally, she'd get excited and rush in to attack him hand-to-hand claiming that he may need to throw a dagger at another target while fighting close range. The training continued for hours, using several high potions to keep him from bleeding out, and only stopped once he had successfully stuck a dagger in each of five targets one hundred times each.

In the end, it was Wei that had to practically carry him back to his room and help him into a bath to clean off the blood and sweat. Ziggy couldn't help but smile, remembering her blushing face as she peeled his pant off and practically ran out of the bathroom. It amazed him how a girl in Xuannu's Familia, a goddess of sex and war, could blush so cutely.

"I'm so glad I'm going back to the dungeon to risk my life tomorrow," he moans. "Training with those three nearly killed me. I knew that pinkette was trouble."

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Ziggy drags himself out of bed the following morning. He skipped dinner and went to bed early last night, hoping to recover some before taking what he learned yesterday into the Dungeon to practice today. Seeing the blood-stained rag that was his shirt from yesterday sitting in a pile on the floor, Ziggy shakes his head, grabs a new one from the drawer, and puts on some clothes before wandering out to the courtyard for his morning exercise... Or maybe just some yoga and a short jog to warm him up.

Walking out to the courtyard, he finds a certain blond kuudere waiting for him. Ziggy smiles, seeing the girl. "Miss Wallenstein, I'm glad you came," he says.

"Un. Call me Ais," she says with her signature bland expression.

"Very well," Ziggy says with a nod. "I plan on just doing my yoga routine and some running today. I sort of overdid it training yesterday, and I'm pretty sore this morning. I don't want to overstress the muscles and slow down the recovery. Especially since I'm supposed to hit the Dungeon a little later today."

"Okay," she nods.

"First, I'll demonstrate the sequence, and then I'll have you try. When we do that part, I may readjust your positioning. I promise that's not me trying to cop a feel," Ziggy says with a smirk.

She tilts her head a little with a vague sense of confusion.

'Well, that didn't translate, I guess,' he thinks. "Let's begin."

Ziggy explains how yoga can help with core strength and range of motion, proper breathing, focus, and relaxation. He then begins his routine and works through a complete series.

"So, that's a full rotation, and I usually do that three to five times depending on how much I feel I need," he says. Ais nods but looks to the side where Asuka is peeking around the corner. Ziggy smiles and waves.

"Did you want to join us?" Ziggy asks.

Asuka comes out slowly, looking nervous. "U-um. I'm sorry to interrupt. I-I just. I'm not- I didn't want to-" the shy girl stutters along until Ziggy holds up a hand.

"Here," he says, moving her next to Ais. "Stand here and watch me. I'll try to explain while we work. Yoga is about reflection and clarity..."

Ziggy repeats his routine once again for the sake of Asuka and Ais. Once he finishes, he has them do it and corrects their positions as best he can.

"Ais, I'm going to readjust your shoulders a little," he says. "There, you want to take it to a good stretch but not hurt yourself. Remember to breathe slow, full breaths, and really let the calm fill you up."

"Asuka, I know this position seems a bit strange, but it is good for your body. It would be best if you focused on that, not the embarrassment. Aren't you glad we got you more covering clothes and underwear yesterday?"

Asuka turns crimson when Ziggy says that. The only reason she didn't die of embarrassment is that he only whispered the last sentence in her ear as she stood in Downward Dog.

After two more rotations, correcting their posture, and reminding them to breathe, they did one more full sequence together and ended in Shavasana. The girls were surprised by the way they felt after.

"I feel so... light?" Asuka says.

"Un," Ais says, nodding.

"Alright, now that we're warmed up and centered. I'm going to go for a run and put this new clarity to work. Would either of you like to join me?" Ziggy asks.

Ais nods, but Asuka shakes her head. "I have to get back. Lord Takemikazuchi is having us work on our teamwork."

Ziggy nods. "Okay, remember to breathe and stay calm and aware. Namaste."

"Eh?" the two girls say.

Ziggy chuckles. "Sorry," he says. "It's what my old yoga instructor always said. It means something like 'the light in me acknowledges the light in you.' At least, that's what she said. It's a greeting or a farewell or just something they say to stick with the spiritual practice."

The girls look at each other and then back at Ziggy. "Nah-mah-stay."

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Ais and Ziggy come around the corner at a crisp pace with no strain on either of their faces. "I'd offer to race you, but I think your stats have me far outstripped." Ziggy smiles.

Ais nods. "This probably isn't going to be much in the way of exercise for you, but maybe use this time to focus on a goal you want to achieve. Use the flow of your muscles to increase the blood circulation to your brain.

Break what you want down into manageable pieces and think about how to get to each piece. If your goal is conquering the Dungeon, don't think about that; think about defeating the next floor or the next monster. Think about each step to get to your goal. What do you want to do?"

"Defeat the One-Eyed-Black-Dragon and rescue my mother," Ais says.

"That's a hell of a goal," Ziggy says, expecting this. "What are you, level five?"

Ais nods.

"Well, the two strongest Familias tried to defeat that monster and lost a lot of people. Some of them were level eight and above. You're going to need every advantage you can muster to accomplish your goal," Ziggy says. "I hate to say it, but you may want to slow down and consolidate your strength. I know you want to rush and rescue your mom, but if you go underprepared, you will only succeed in dying, and then who will rescue your mom?"

Ais was silent for a while. Not that that is unusual.

Finally, Ziggy breaks the quiet. "Your blood isn't moving enough. Let's pick up the pace a little more."

He takes off, doubling his pace. Ais immediately catches up but isn't showing any visible effort. Ziggy steadily increases his speed to what is probably his adjusted maximum. He's no longer jogging but flat-out running. He's not going to last long, running at that pace.

'At least she doesn't have that sad look anymore,' Ziggy thinks as his heart and breathing rates spike.

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Lefiya and Riveria watch from the walls as Ais and Ziggy round the corner on their fifth circuit around the Northeast district. Even from there, they can tell that Ziggy's stamina isn't going to last too much longer. No level one adventurer can keep up their top speed for so long. Even Ais is doing a little more than jogging. She might even get tired at this rate.

After the eighth circuit, Riveria can tell that Ziggy is exhausted, yet he seems determined to power through one more rotation. Riveria raises an eyebrow. "Lefiya, why don't you go get some water for our friends. I'm sure they'll be thirsty by the time they stop."

"Hai!" Lefiya says and runs off.

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"Ya-know," Ziggy gasps, leaning up against the wall around the Twilight Manor. "I look so much less cool- wheeze- running with you."

Ais looks at him with a cocked head and an expression somewhere between confused and concerned. "But that's okay," he says between gasps. "The company makes up for it."

Turning, he slides down the wall onto his but, his shirt next to him on the ground. A moment later, Lefiya runs up. "I-I brought you some water," she says, indicating a bucket with a ladle inside.

Ziggy looks up as the sun halos around the cute elf girl and smiles.

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest angel," Ziggy says, still huffing. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you pour some of it just right over my head?"

Both girls manage a small smile, and Lefiya does indeed pour a ladle full of water over Ziggy. "Oh, thank you. That feels so much better," he says. "Remind me to do something nice for you soon."

Lefiya giggles. He smiles up at the two and tries to push himself to his feet. Lefiya holds the ladle up, and he takes it to take a long drink of water. "Ahh. Thank you, Miss Lefiya. I appreciate the drink. Next time the drinks are on me," he says with a wink. Looking down at his wet body, he smirks. "Oh, wait. It already was."

Even Ais giggles at that. "Miss Ais, it was a pleasure to see you in class this morning. I hope to see you again. Feel free to join any time," Ziggy says. "And bring Miss Lefiya and any others that want to try the morning routine. I think it will be beneficial to mages in particular since they are generally less active, and the clarity and focus that yoga can bring would help with their spellcasting."

Ais thinks about that for a moment and nods.

Ziggy bids goodbye to the girls, waves to the elf standing on the wall above, and starts jogging home.

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After Ziggy makes it back to Peach Blossom Palace, he takes a long soak in the tub and eats breakfast before getting ready to go to the Guild and then the Dungeon. Suiting up in his armor, he grabs his sword and dirk first before withdrawing several sets of throwing knives, a bow and quiver of arrows, and a leaf-bladed spear.

Ziggy makes his way to the Guild, his body still vibrating slightly from the muscle exertion. After thinking about it while walking to the Guild, he realizes that he ran the equivalent of a full marathon in less than forty-five minutes. Not that that is impressive in Genkai, but that would have broken the world record by more than an hour and fifteen minutes on Earth.

He can't help but smile as he walks into the Guild's main office and looks towards reception to see if Rose is working. He doesn't see Rose, but he does see a white-haired boy and a busty, loli-sized goddess with twin tails and a boob string talking to Eina.

He walks up. "Hey Bell, I see you and Goddess Hestia have hit it off," he says with a grin. Eina looks up at him and smiles. He sends a wink her way.

"Hey, Ziggy, yeah, Goddess Hestia is great. She's helping me register, and we're getting our Familia set up."

"That's great, Bell," Ziggy says. He turns to Hestia. "Goddess Hestia, we didn't get to meet yesterday properly. I'm Siegfried Solomon of the Xuannu Familia. I think you've made yourself a good choice with Bell here."

"Y-you're a lot bigger than I thought," she says, looking him up and down.

Ziggy nods with grave seriousness. "That's what she says."

"Huh?" she says before shaking her head. "Oh, you're with the Xuannu Familia. Take said that they just arrived a few days ago. You guys converted those old tenement buildings they were living in into a grand palace."

Ziggy smiles. "Yes, the Peach Blossom Palace now has residence for not only the Takemikazuchi Familia but also the Xuannu, Sunu, and Cainu Familias."

"Wow, four Familias working together. That's amazing," Bell says.

"Is it? I'm pretty new to the whole Familia thing myself," Ziggy says. "Honestly, I just sort of fell into it all, but I'm enjoying the experience."

"Ahem," Eina coughs discretely to catch our attention.

"Oops. Sorry, Miss Eina," Ziggy says. "I'm distracting your customers."

Eina smiles. "It's fine, Ziggy. Rose is in the back. I'll have Misha go get her."

"Thanks," Ziggy says. "Bell, if you're going into the Dungeon today, I'll be down there in a little while; I can give you the tour."

All three smile at that. "Oh, that would be great, Ziggy," Bell says.

"Just promise me you'll keep him from being too reckless," Hestia says, and Eina nods as she waves Misha over.

Misha walks over and looks Ziggy up and down. "Wow, you're a big one."

"Hey, that's what she said," Bell says with a naive smile, pointing to Hestia.

Ziggy struggles to maintain a straight face.

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"So, you survived your first day in the dungeon," Rose says flatly, as Ziggy sits down across from her in one of the private rooms. "How far down did you go?"

Ziggy thought about how to answer that. "After FULLY exploring the first three floors, I poked my head into the fourth floor but didn't stay long since it was getting late by that point. Not a wound to be had, just a scratch on the chest plate that barely touched me."

"And how far do you intend to go down the next time?" she asks.

"Probably about the same. I'm training with some new weapons, so I want to get the hang of them. Also, Eina's new adventurer from the Hestia Familia is going to be starting today, and I thought I'd give him the tour and remind him to be careful."

Rose raises an eyebrow. Ziggy shrugs. "The kid is brand new and naive as fuck. He's a genuinely good person but a little desperate. I would prefer him not to do something stupid on his first day and make Hestia and Eina sad," he says. "So, I'll play the role of big brother and show him the ropes."

"You realize you're brand new and naive as fuck as well, right?" Rose says.

"Oh, come on, you're mistaking my boyish charm and winning smile as naivety," Ziggy says. "As far as brand new goes, I can't really argue other than to say, I've had at least a little training from my Familia and proper equipment. Hestia is brand new down here, too. They're going to be in debt from the very beginning."

Now Rose raises both eyebrows. "Charity?"

Ziggy shakes his head. "Bell has the potential. He's dreamt of being a hero. He just needs the right push to drive him to his own greatness."

"And that's you?" Rose says with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, hell no," Ziggy says, shaking his head. "But I can keep an eye on him until he finds it. I don't think it'll take too long, and we're both going in there anyway. Might as well be friendly."

"Heroes don't live too long in the dungeon, you know," she says.

"Yeah, I know," he says grimly. "I just hope Hestia can recruit a few more people soon."

"That isn't likely. Most adventurers want an experienced god and a thriving Familia. She could be the sweetest goddess in the world, and no one would care unless she could also support them."

Ziggy sighs. "I know you're right, but it's too bad. If Xuannu hadn't found me and brought me in, I would probably have looked to Hestia, but I know I'm a bit of an oddball. She can't off much, except really big... heart."

Rose frowns. "Well, regardless of what she can offer, most adventurers would see her as the most useless of goddesses."

"Nah, that's Aqua," Ziggy says automatically.

"Who?"

"Nevermind," he says, shaking his head.

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Ziggy arrives at Babel and spots Bell right away, mainly because Bell is waving at him and shouting.

"Ziggy," Bell shouts. "Over here."

Ziggy nods and waves back. Bell is wearing a chest protector over his regular clothes and a backpack with a long knife strapped to his hip. He looks just like he did in the anime.

Ziggy walks up to him. "Are you ready for your first taste of the Dungeon?"

"I. I think so." Bell nods.

"Good. Be hesitant. This isn't like the stories, and it certainly isn't a game. The Dungeon is actively trying to kill you. Do not trust it, and be careful about who you trust inside and outside of it. Look around," Ziggy says. "A lot of the people you see here would just as soon kill you and take your stuff as fast the monsters in the Dungeon will."

"I-is it really that bad?" Bell asks.

"It can be," Ziggy nods. "That's not to say that there aren't good people, too. Some you have to peel back a few layers to find that good, but it's there. Just be careful. As cute as Hestia is, I'd prefer not having to console her because you died."

Bell is startled by the implications of what Ziggy said. 'Wait, is Ziggy interested in Goddess Hestia?' he thinks. 'No, that can't be. She's a goddess, after all.'

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Ziggy and Bell step into the blue-colored rough-hewn walls of the first floor and look around. "Well, here we are. Welcome to the Dungeon. If you walk straight ahead along this path, it will lead you directly to the second floor. It's known as the Beginning Road."

Bell looks around a little more, a slight tremor in his hands. "I'm really here," he says. "I'm really here, grandpa. I'm going to start my adventure."

Ziggy smiles. "I suggest we try to get your first few kills up here. Honestly, I'd rather you stay on this floor for a while. No need to rush yet. There is plenty of time."

Bell nods. "If you think that's best," he says. "How far down did you go on your first day?"

"Don't worry about that. I had advantages you don't. I had a few days of training with experienced people, was given better equipment, and spent a lot of time researching the monsters on the first several floors. What about you?"

Bell hung his head. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You're excited. I would have done the same thing if I didn't have people telling me otherwise," Ziggy says. "Alright, now get your weapon ready; we're going to take this first right here and search around the first floor. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky, and a Jack Bird is around, and we'll make enough money to get you a full outfit and new weapon."

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Sadly, a Jack Bird did not spawn as much as Ziggy wanted to wish one into existence. Instead, they came across Bell's first monster of his career, a goblin. "There it is," Ziggy says. "Your first target. What are you going to do?"

Bell stares at the goblin, and Ziggy can see him working himself up. Suddenly, Bell charges forward full of reckless abandon. "Shit," Ziggy says and takes off after him.

Just as Bell arrives at the goblin, a second one that Bell didn't see leaps at him from the side corridor. Bell's eyes widen as the thick claws of the goblin come for him. He knows it's too late and that he's about to be seriously injured, but just before he closes his eyes in anticipation of the pain, the silver tip of a spear flickers in the dim light and penetrates the goblins head. In a puff of black dust, the claws disappear from in front of Bell's face.

Bell's heart restarts, but then he realizes that he took his eyes off the first goblin when he saw the second threat. He sees the first goblin from the corner of his eye just as their bodies collide and tumble down to the ground.

Ziggy shakes his head and walks up behind the fallen goblin just as it tries to scramble to its feet and stabs it in the back. As it puffs into dust, Ziggy reaches down, grabs the small crystal, and drops it into the hip pouch.

"So," Ziggy says, looking at Bell flat on his back on the ground. "That wasn't good. Maybe try coming up with a plan and be more aware of your surroundings next time."

Bell looks up chagrinned and nods.