53 The New Party (1)

"... make a party with the ancient man?"

Finn dug his ears, failing to believe the words that were coming out from Aria's mouth. By his side, Luke was displaying a similar face of bewilderment. They had been called early this morning by Aria to her apartment, thinking that it was a get-together. Both Finn and Luke had even dolled up to impress the gorgeous elf who lived with Aria. Yet, none of their grooming failed to make their stumped faces attractive.

"With Aurum, yes." Aria gulped and prepared to repeat herself. "I believe that you've heard from the President that we're going to send an elite team of S-Rankers to assist other countries."

"That we've heard," Luke brushed his flaming red hair, making himself a little more comfortable as his gaze turned serious. "But what does that have to do with us?"

"The elite team is just a guise for the outside world. In truth, we're going to be sending Aurum to S-Class Dungeons in hopes of helping him regain his memory." Aria explained loosely.

"That's absurd!" Finn slammed the table with a hammer fist. Being over two-metres-tall and with a build that would make a Giant cry, the man was unquestionably menacing. With his veins popping and his nostrils flared, Finn looked like a Wrath Incarnate that could burn down entire buildings.

Yet, Aria didn't flinch in the slightest. She raised her chin to meet Finn's eye-level, and calmly waited for his rant to begin.

"An S-Class Dungeon isn't a joke! You've been in two of them, so you should fully understand how dangerous they are! Bringing the ancient man… No, Aurum there while his memories aren't recovered… he would be more of a liability than an asset!"

"I agree, that's why I've called you here today, right? We'll need two good S-Rankers to protect us as we do our data collection," Aria was used to Finn's outbursts since they were once party members in the past. Calmly talking sense to him was the only way to get past his anger.

"But… It's far too dangerous, Aria! Especially for the ancient man! He had just come out from a long slumber, and you're going to bring him to a place where he could potentially die?!"

"No, it's more dangerous to let Aurum stay in Yudonia," Aria overturned Finn's assessment. "Yesterday, an unidentified lifeform came out from the ocean and attacked Aurum while Yvette and I were watching."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Both Finn and Luke reacted to Aria's statement. They had faces full of worry, and their bodies were shaking uncontrollably. "Are you both okay?!"

"We're fine," the elf stepped forward with a radiant smile. "We weren't injured by that lifeform in the slightest."

"Thank god..." Finn sighed heavily. Most of his anger was replaced with relief and he'd almost forgotten about the man that he was talking about.

"We weren't attacked, so we got off unharmed. Aurum, on the other hand, took a sword to the chest, proving that his body wasn't as invincible as we'd thought. If not for his miraculous healing ability, he would have most likely died."

"... It was that severe?"

"Yes," Aria nodded thoughtfully. "Although we don't know what the attacker's identity was, we do know that it is the only thing on the planet that could harm Aurum. We have no way of tracking that monster, and it knows where Aurum is now. If we could bring him to another country, that lifeform wouldn't be able to hunt Aurum as it did yesterday."

"Why should we run? If it's coming to hunt him, we could potentially lay a trap and-... what?"

Finn paused amid his suggestion. Aria, who already had a serious face, was now looking glum as a cloudy mist enveloped her pupils.

"Finn… that monster that tried to hunt Aurum. It was as powerful as the Angel and Demon Guardians of that Dungeon."

"!!!"

A wordless scream. No one knew if it came from Finn or Luke. Maybe it was both of them. However, none of them spoke out after hearing Aria's declaration. Knowing that she had their undivided attention now, Aria continued:

"So… Do you think that we could face it? With the current military force that Yudonia has now? When half of our S-Rankers were wiped clean and our diplomatic ties on thin ice?"

"... No."

"Exactly," Aria folded her arms, knowing that she had gained superiority in the conversation. "Hence, it would be safer for us to bring Aurum across the ocean while the Ranker's Association investigates the identity of the lifeform. At the same time, we will be able to bring Aurum into dungeons to hopefully jolt his memory and to top it all off… Yudonia would owe us since we're doing their dirty work for them."

Due to the Gondor Accords, Yudonia was pressured to send a team of S-Rankers to assist in another country's S-Class Dungeon. If Aria and company did it for them, their rewards would no doubt be great.

"A win-win-win for all..." Luke brushed his chin, impressed by the deal. "Was it the President's… no, only you would be able to think of such a thing, Aria. Good to see that you've haven't changed."

"What the hell does that mean?!" Aria broke her master-negotiator persona and yelled in exasperation, drawing laughs from everyone in the apartment.

"Hahaha, you know what. I've been missing an adventure or two. Plus, it has been a while since we've partied together! Count me in!"

"... your real reason?"

"Hehe, you sure know me well, Aria! I have a chance to party with the beautiful Yvette, the flower of the elves and the most legendary healer of her generation! How could I miss this opportunity?!" Luke threw in a few compliments to the unobtainable maiden from Elfheim while beating on his chest.

Yvette noticeably blushed for a few seconds and turned her face slightly. Even she wasn't immune to compliments if they were thrown directly at her with no prior warning.

Finn saw that exchange and a murky feeling hit his spine. However, he forcefully pushed that negative emotion away and focused on the black-haired woman seated in front of him.

"As much as I would love to decline, I couldn't possibly sit back and watch the two of you enter such a dangerous place. Fortunately, the doctors had cleared me for action. I'll join you."

Finn was just as forthright as he was before. A High Paladin with a sense of justice, there was no way that he would allow Aria to plunge herself into danger on her own.

And therefore… a new party was born.

"Hehe, Finn as the tank. Aria as the magician. Yvette as the healer and myself as the sniper… All we need is a rogue, and we would have completed the perfect party!"

"A rogue, huh?"

Aria thought about the fifth member of their party and tried imagining him as a Ranker who lurks in the dungeons with skilful dexterity and ungodly speeds. Rogues were good for disarming traps, scouting paths and assassinating monsters from the shadows. In terms of ability, other than the dexterous parts of a rogue's kit, Aurum might just be able to pull it off.

Aurum had an invincible body, which meant that he could easily enter a dangerous path to trigger all the traps. He had superhuman speeds that far exceeded that of Raklius S-Class Metamorphs. And as a bonus, Aurum could heal instantly from any injury, making him perfect for scouting missions.

'Nah, bringing him into dungeons is bad enough. We shouldn't force him to play an active role in the party.' Aria shoved the dangerous thoughts aside.

"So… when do we begin?" Luke asked the most vital question. "Just so you know, Finn and I can't leave Yudonia on one or two days notice."

"Ah, you need to inform all of your girlfriends?"

"Hey! I don't have any right now!" The normally cool-headed Luke instantly denied Aria's provocation.

"Hoho… Why the change of heart?"

"Just shut it..." Luke snorted before revealing the real reason for his hesitance. "Although we are only contract members for our guild, we'll need at least a week's notice before we take any type of leave."

Unlike Aria, Finn and Luke were bona fide Rankers that had joined legitimate dungeon diving guilds. They had an obligation to their guild and couldn't just join another party without any form of notification.

"Hmmm, this might be a year-long project though? Will the two of you be fine?"

"Not to worry," Finn replied in place of his impish comrade. "Our contract allows us to take long sabbaticals as long as there is a verified reason. All we need is a letter from the Association President, and we're good to go."

"What a contract!" Aria gasped, impressed by the favourable terms.

"All S-Rankers have their contracts drafted in this manner," Finn continued. "You've never joined a guild, so you wouldn��t know. But most guilds do not require an S-Ranker to be available all the time. In fact, an S-Ranker would only move if there's a difficult commission that the guild can't handle."

"I see… Wow, you guys have it easier than me. No wonder you have so much time to juggle girls, Luke!"

"Like I said, I'm single..."

At this point, Luke could tell that Aria was deliberately trying to pull his leg. So, instead of giving the big reaction that she wanted, the man sighed and ignored Aria's jabs. Instead, a devilish smirk crept up his face.

"Sooo, where's your husband? Wasn't he supposed to be living with you?"

"He's not living with me! And he's not my husband!" This time, it was Aria's turn to get worked up.

"Yeah, yeah… Where is he? We're here because of him, so we should at least meet him first, right?"

"... Yvette, tell them to bring him over."

Nodding with a smile, Yvette disappeared out the front door as if she had been waiting for that request. It didn't take long for the elf to return through the same door, this time, with a man glued to her back. However, it wasn't because the man was interested in being near to the beauty. Rather, the man was eager to overtake her just to enter the apartment.

Finn and Luke raised their brows in surprise. Just like yesterday, Aurum was nicely dressed, and he looked like an affluent heir to a dynasty. It was counter to Aria's description of the man. However, Aurum's appearance wasn't the main reason for their intrigue.

Ignoring the men gathered on the couch, Aurum went straight for Aria like an excited puppy: "Good morning, Aria!"

"M-Morning..." Aria tried to keep a straight expression as she replied, but her face was unable to hide the tint of red under her cheeks. As much as Aria would like to keep her calm, it was hard for her to deal with the overly-attached Aurum.

"Hmmm? Are you feeling unwell? You look feverish..."

Aurum slowly reached out to Aria, and gently raised her chin up. That sudden movement drew a delighted shriek from the elf in the background, while the two guys froze in place. They had never seen anyone being so forward with Aria. Also, it was the first time they'd seen Aria's maiden face.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about it!" Aria swept Aurum's hand away, blushing all throughout the encounter. "More importantly, do you remember what we had talked about yesterday? About the S-Class Dungeons?"

"Yes?"

"These two men will be joining our party," Aria pointed to Finn and Luke.

"Ah, okay." Aurum nodded, still uninterested in anything other than Aria. "By the way Aria, I've been browsing the internet, and I've come across something interesting..."

Since Aurum had become a free man, Aria and Yvette had taught him how to use the internet. Initially, they'd thought that it would be a good idea to teach him everything, but they quickly realised that Aurum had just far too many questions. If Aria and Yudonia wanted the man to fit in with modern society, it made sense for him to be exposed to the digital age.

Unfortunately… unsupervised use of the internet often breeds misinformation.

"What is it?"

"They said that a man and woman living together are called a married couple… So, are we a married couple?"

"!!!"

It took a frantic Aria over ten minutes to dispel Aurum's misunderstanding, all while their future party members laughed their asses off in the background.