Chapter 32

I took in the Hera Familia member as Tina finished kicking the last limb of the Infant Dragon into the taming carrier. "You think making elixirs are easy?" I questioned with a frown and even as she rolled her eyes I continued. "Hera didn't pay me a dime to acquire the materials used in making the elixirs so I need to source them myself. And in that same vein, why the hell are you even following us? Doesn't a level five or higher have something better to do than to follow a level one around?" I ranted.

Her eyes widened at my rant as all the statements and questions were undeniably true as I imagine Hera didn't hide how exorbitant my demands for a top-tier Grimoire was, in turn for curing Alfia and Materia of their diseases.

A soft cough rang out and I looked behind and saw Tina had slammed shut the doors to the carrier and was just waiting for me to move it now... And after a moment of thought, I sighed and shrunk it, ignoring the gasp coming from the Hera Familia woman as I took the matchbox-sized square and put it away in one of my pockets.

I needed it shrunk down before the dragon woke back up, as when the carrier was shrunken down. It kept whatever was within in stasis. 

So with the super pet carrier put away, I looked back to the Hera Familia member. "Well? I am not on some kind of timer, nor do I have any support from the Hera Familia in the production of the elixir's... I understand watching out for me, but why are you actually talking with me, if you were supposed to be an observer?" 

Tina then cut in dryly. "Probably because you are bored. Right, Breaker of the Earth?" She spoke towards the woman using her adventurer nickname which made me raise an eyebrow as I still didn't know all the notable names as there were just too damned many for me, who was typically busy either in the dungeon or tinkering with my weapons and such.

Or just putting Tina into a mating press on all the furniture in my apartment.

Either way, I didn't know who she was though her long silverish-white hair and multicolor eyes reminded me of someone else. "I am indeed bored." She said with a flat nod and Tina and I shared a look.

"Soooo... Did you just want to say hello then?" I asked wryly before shaking my head and continuing. "Anyway, my name is Jake. It's nice to meet you but we need to continue our adventure so I can get the materials to make Alfia and Materia's elixirs."

She tilted her head with a small frown crossing her face and as we went to bypass her, a blur shot past us and with a crunching noise her trident stabbed into one of the dead trees that filled the fog-filled floor cutting us off from passing her.

"You lied in that sentence... Your name is Jake. That we know for a certain." Her voice spoke with clear weight as she ripped her trident out of the tree with another crunching noise with no sign of effort. "Ah... You have finished the elixirs already somehow right?" She spoke with some wonder and I stiffened as her cool eyes seemingly saw through me.

"What is your name?" I asked trying to divert the topic and I realized she was something of an airhead as without a change in expression, she easily bowed her head slightly in greeting as she said "My name is Shenhe, Hera's Olympus Breaker and a lower level Executive of the Hera Familia." 

My lips twitched at the title of 'Olympus Breaker' and Tina didn't help when she whispered all too loudly. "She got that title when she caught some Zeus goons harassing some girls going into the Hera baths and she ended up killing three members of the Zeus Familia over the course of a week when they tried to get revenge after she beat up the goons!"

I finally recognized Shenhe... Sorta anyway, her hair was done up differently and without her wearing the tight-fitting nylons she wore in Genshin she looked rather differently in reality.

"Anyway, Shenhe it was lovely meeting you. You are correct in that I have completed Materia's elixer but I am out of funds for the materials to work on Alfia's elixer." I said honestly and Shenhe blinked and nodded.

For a moment I could see the airhead was wondering what she should do. Until finally after a moment of silence, as I idly realized the dungeon wasn't even fucking bothering to send any monsters at us with Shenhe in the area, she finally spoke up. "Ah... Come with me, I will kill minotaurs for you, and you can use the drops for money!" She said placing her fist on her hands at the 'bright thought'

Tina and I shared a look before I dryly said. "Uhh, we are good now. We already got the materials and enough stuff to sell." 

And yup, I could tell this Shenhe also had the emotional range of a particularly deep teaspoon as she slightly pouted before nodding with her slumping as she muttered towards the ground. "Ah... I see, I just wanted to help Alfia and Materia get better faster." She said before taking a breath and refocused on us. "Then I shall escort you out of the dungeon... Do not refuse please." She added seeing my face twitch as her face became stern. "Sekhmet and the Apophis Familia were seen going into the dungeon today, they are likely looting and killing people." She said strongly and Tina grabbed my arm.

"Then we thank you for the escort Earth Breaker," Tina said respectfully while sending me a look to accept the deal and I nodded in understanding. I was well aware at this time, let alone Orario which operated on 'Might makes Right'. Here in the dungeon, there were no rules. What happened in the dungeon often stayed in the dungeon, because the dungeon would eat the corpses and remains of the losers.