Is It Wrong To Crawl My Way Back Home, One Dungeon Floor At A Time? by Anco (Danmachi) *Continued*

HP: 11

MP: 0

"Time."

Time: 22:48

I'll have to visit Eina tomorrow then and make up some bullshit then. Maybe I'll just keep my magic stones in secret for now and cash them in when she isn't working. Maybe start asking around about that talon I picked up and see what I can use it for.

The star-filled night glitters above me like the finest jewels ever made. It truly was something to see a night sky without a hint of a cloud. The moon itself shined the biggest and brightest like a lightbulb in the sky that could never be turned off.

I wonder if the night sky back home is like this? I never bothered to take a look because why would I? It happens every night so why would it be special like now?

I wonder if Gods ever wonder about the stars above their heads. Do they wonder what life might be out there? Do they even know what the diamonds of the night sky actually are?

I would think they don't. If a person is born in Heaven, why would they bother looking up when all they have left is down?

I pull up my hood and shove my hands into my pouch. As I walk down the long stone steps of Babylon, my HUD blinks out of existence at long last and I release a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I'm the only one walking down these stone steps, the sound of my heavy footfalls echo around me, joining the muffled cheers and parties that Adventurers tend to have at this time of night in the various lit up buildings of Oriaro, like candles in the night.

Another day.

Another Floor.

Another failure.

The hallway I chose was the wrong one, but it wasn't that bad. Just a group of Goblins and a Frog Shooter that spawned from a dead end the hallway led me to. No War Shadows that time.

Then I went back after fighting another group of Goblins that had hidden in an alcove I didn't see before and ambushed me which is always fun.

Then I chose another hallway.

This time, it was the right one. I was practically in running distance of the stairway to Floor Seven.

Then four War Shadows spawned from the walls, three in front and one behind me.

The only reason I'm still alive is because of the one attack that I tanked didn't cripple me.

Or rather, couldn't cripple me.

I instantly started to run from the War Shadows in front of me and charge the one behind me, flinging Earth Spikes at it like crazy.

It slashed my back and my HP took a massive hit that brought me down to the single digits.

But it didn't take me down to zero.

And so I run like the hounds of Hell were at my heels.

Because I'm pretty sure they were.

I don't know when they stopped chasing me, but it might have been when I got lucky and found the staircase back up to Floor Five.

That Fireball I threw might've helped though.

Going back up the Dungeon is about as fun as going down it.

Which is to say not at all.

At least the monsters don't get stronger the further I go up.

I just ignore the way my chest gets tighter each time I go up a Floor rather than down a Floor.

Walking through the moonlit streets, the sounds of cheering rowdy Adventurers could almost be heard throughout the city. It wouldn't inaccurate to say that the night belongs to them as most, if not all Adventurers spend most of the morning in the Dungeon, making money and killing monsters.

Maybe it's because I've never really lived in a city before but it's kinda weird seeing two sides to a place. The village that I lived in was a pretty cut and dry place with the occasional drunkard.

The bookstore from before is shut, its curtains drawn.

I don't bother to look at it.

Eventually, I come to the loudest and most lit up building in the city, various voices cry out in laughs, in cheers and the smashing and clinking of mugs could practically be felt. The faint whiff of different cooked foods draft on by my nose.

Busy tonight. Maybe I can just sneak past the girls and Mia?

Pulling down my hood, I walk up the wooden steps of the Hostess of Fertility and push open the large ornate wooden doors.

The yells from before suddenly rise to almost unbearable levels as the cheers, shouts and the banging of mugs beat against my eardrums non-stop. The overpowering smell of food and beer assault me from every direction and I couldn't help but cringe as both my sight, sound and smell are attacked from every direction.

As soon as I open the doors, an elf with light green hair who was standing by the door at that moment turns to me.

"Welcome-"

So much for sneaking.

"-To the Host-," Ryu stops bowing her head to look up and finally gets a good look at my face, giving me a single blink.

"Oh, John. It's you. Enjoy your walk?"

Crisp and cool, a direct contrast to the rowdy atmosphere of the pub, Ryu gave me her usual stoic stare.

The clipped tone is new though.

"No, I didn't," I tell the elf bluntly, "I think I'm just going to go to bed for toda-"

"Take a seat and eat something," Ryu suddenly steps in front of me, swifter than I thought someone should be with a plate of full mugs.

Despite only coming up to my shoulders, the intense stare that Ryu gave me actually caused me to stop though I did look down at her with a raised brow.

"John, Adventurers higher level than you have been in here for hours at least. You have been the Dungeon for over 10 hours by yourself," Ryu meets my silent stare with her own unrelenting one, the din of loud cheers and swishing mugs unable to overcome Ryu's crisp, neutral voice though we were starting to attract attention from others.

I really don't need this right now.

But I don't want to make a scene, especially not when I'm living under someone else's roof.

"Fine," I shrug at the insistent elf who just blinks in surprise, "Show me to a table then and I'll order something."

For a moment, I could've sworn that Ryu's shoulders sag ever so slightly but just as quickly, she does a light bow and wordlessly walks off and I follow after her, dodging and weaving through the crowds of drowsy, drunk and loud Adventurers

"Busy night tonight," I say to Ryu over the din of noise and she glances back to me, "What's the occasion?"

"One of the Adventurers in the Loki Familia recently levelled up so most of them came here to celebrate. Here's your table."

Apparently going up a Level is a big deal. Good to know.

The table that Ryu led me to was a lonely little thing. With only one chair left, it was left empty next to a group of a peculiar looking Adventurers, at least compared to the rest but just as rowdy.

A red-headed girl is downing a mug of alcohol while the elf with long jade hair is calmly sipping something. A woman with long blond hair and a blank look, a really small guy with messy blond hair and a guy with light grey hair and dog ears, who's currently red in the face and shouting something or other.

Don't know why they just left this one empty though. Seems like a waste to host a party and not just take the chair.

I pull out the chair and sit down on it, the wooden chair creaking beneath my weight and I look up at Ryu with a raised brow.

"If you'll wait just a moment, I'm sure Syr will come by to take your order."

...Oh, you bitch.

"Ryu, don't you da-"

The elf didn't say anything or even smirk at me, but the glint in her sky blue eyes told me enough.

Then she walks off without another word.

"Fuck me," I mutter under my breath and rub my forehead even though it doesn't ache.

I'll accept that I just walked straight into that. I should've known better than to just hope it would be someone else.

Oh well. I have some time before Syr finds out I'm here and try to squeeze me dry.

"Inventory," I whisper under my breath and the familiar box filled screen flickers to life and laying almost flat against the table. I lay my hands onto the table.

Making it seem like I was just tapping the table in impatience, I click on the black finger blade of that War Shadow and I feel a weight of something underneath my hands. Removing my hands, a familiar black talon is laying there on the table.

Grabbing the black talon with both hands, I tune out the din of the partying Adventurers and the yells of that dog eared guy and stare at the small black blade in my hands.

This is the first time something has happened like this to me and I just can't find out whether this is a normal thing or not.

Let's think…

If I work like a video game character and an item drops from a monster, what would that item be used for?

The first thing that comes to mind is a consumable like a health potion or something but I'm sure as fuck not going to eat something that came from a monster in the Dungeon. Especially something so sharp.

Giving it a few tugs and pulls tells me the blade is inflexible anyway and pretty solid despite coming from a living shadow.

The second is selling it for money. Money itself isn't really a big deal for me, my budget consists of 2000 Valis a month and because of all my trips to the Dungeon, I've saved up quite a lot of money, probably more than I'll ever need.

The third and final thing is crafting.

Except that I'm not a crafter. Hell, I don't even know the first step to being a blacksmith or anything like that.

I guess I'll just have to ask Eina tomorrow then. Maybe I'll just say I left it in the Dungeon because I didn't know what it was and I didn't want to risk it.

She might not yell at me again then.

Hopefully.

Playing around with the pitch black talon amongst the revelry of Adventurers, apparently all from the same Familia, I sat there surrounded by the noises of cheers and the din of conversation.

What am I doing?

Why did I let Ryu talk me into this so easily? I don't want to eat and I don't want to drink. I just want to sleep so I can try to reach the Seventh Floor again tomorrow.

Why do they care so much that some weird nobody isn't eating their food? I'm already paying them for a room to sleep in, why are they so insistent on something so little?

"John!" A chipper voice breaks me out of my stupor and I turn my head to see Syr making her way to me with a warm smile on her face and a parchment and pencil in her hand. I quickly cover the talon with a hand.

"Syr," I give the smiling grey-haired waitress a nod, "Having fun tonight?"

"You bet!" Syr taps her pencil on the paper, a grin permanently plastered on her face, "But, enough about that! I want to know what you'll be having for your first meal!"

Oh Syr.

You truly are too easy at times.

"I think I'll have some water."

Syr quickly starts writing down on her notepad while giving me an odd look, "Uh...okay! What else?"

"That'll be it, thank you," I say the words that shatter her happiness like glass. Syr's smile turns amazingly brittle and her scribbling stops dead in its track.

"...Are you sure?" Syr asks me in a tone of voice I couldn't quite place.

If we're going to play this game, my dear Syr, I'm playing to win.

Maybe you'll finally just drop it then.

"I am quite sure that I want a mug of water, yes."

"Okay then!" Syr tells me in a voice that is anything but, "That'll be a thousand Valis!"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, I could hear sputters and chokes on the table beside me but I don't bother looking back at them.

I'm far too busy trying not to break out in laughter.

"S-Syr, are you even allowed to do that?" I glance at Mia behind the counter who just gives me a look with a raised brow as if daring me.

Daring me to question or daring me to pay, I don't know.

I can feel a piercing glare bore on the side of my head. I don't have to look to know who that is.

"Water is a very precious commodity, John!" Syr tells me the worst lie I've ever heard, her pencil practically already writing, "If you want something so...outlandish, you have to pay the price, you know?"

"And food and beer aren't a 'precious commodity'?"

Syr just gives me a vulpine grin.

She thinks she's caught me.

Oh, you poor thing. Don't act as if you know me after 5 days.

"You know, on second thought, I'll change my order."

"Grea-!"

"I'm quite parched so I'll take two mugs of water, thank you very much."

Syr's face doesn't change, but I see her fingers grip the pencil in her hand hard enough to make her knuckles turn white.

"...Okay then! Two mugs of water, coming up!"

With a brusque turn, Syr walks off, not even bothering to look back at me and that brittle smile glued onto her face.

She wanted money, didn't she? Hell, she tried shilling this place to me in the first place.

Well, whatever. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to go back home.

.

.

Ryu Lion scrubs one dirty plate with rolled up sleeves before quickly and smoothly moving over to one side and grabbing another dirty plate to scrub.

Rinse and repeat, monotonous work no doubt but she didn't mind. It let her thoughts wander while her body was on autopilot.

And her thoughts wander to John, the current renter and rookie Adventurer.

What an infuriating man.

When she first heard that Syr had managed to convince Mama Mia to take on a tenant, a man of all people, she thought that her friend and saviour had finally lost her mind.

When she first met John, she didn't think much of him.

Weird clothes that clearly show him to be a foreigner, a fat body not anywhere near suited for going into the Dungeon and a slouch that showed all to see how much of a stranger he really is to combat.

He didn't even own a weapon.

The only good thing she got from their meeting if it could be called that, is that he clearly wasn't interested in her or in any of her coworkers. Instead of their bodies, his eyes first wandered to her ears with that raised brow of his before quickly looking away.

If she had to guess, he's probably never seen someone from a different race before. At least he didn't try and touch her, though she wonders if he even knew about that certain Elf custom.

The first day of living here, she and the others were surprised to see him get up so early. With barely more than a grunt of acknowledgement, he left for the Dungeon.

They didn't see him again until almost 18 hours had passed.

They had almost locked up the Hostess of Fertility for the night until he suddenly knocked on the door, admittedly causing some of the others to scream.

With an admonishment from Mama Mia, John apologised for almost missing his curfew and went straight to bed.

The next day, John got up at the same exact time.

This time, Syr stopped him and offered him something to eat. Though John had, for some reason, negotiated to not eat a free breakfast and free dinner for cutting down the rent, she very much doubts it would've been outside his price range.

He refused.

And at that point, Ryu noticed something weird things.

His clothes are always pristine. They never smell of blood, they don't have any marks or signs of battle, not even a speck of dirt.

He never ate or drank. No breakfast or dinner. He was never around for lunch. Every time, he would weasel his way out of eating anything.

She wondered if he even entered the Dungeon and was just masquerading as an Adventurer.

Until she heard some others mutter about 'some guy in weird clothes flinging rocks in the Dungeon'."

So, a spell caster then.

But that made even less sense.

Spellcasters, while powerful, are frail. They work the best in a team or a group at least. Any Familia with half a brain would know this.

So she approached him directly and got her answer:

"Why would my God care about me?"

She didn't know what was worse; That he didn't have any anger in his voice when he said it or that he asked her with genuine curiosity as if he couldn't even begin to understand the concept of a God caring about their child.

That answer along with the utter desperation that John had for being in the Dungeon spoke volumes of his current situation.

To have a single Familia member work alone in the Dungeon with no one to back them up, especially for a spellcaster, is beyond cruel where a single bad encounter or an Ignis Fatuus would easily kill him.

After this, she and the others tried to at least get him to eat something. At this rate, he will die from malnutrition than anything else the Dungeon could throw at him.

And yet he refuses.

Like a machine, he gets up and leaves for the Dungeon and doesn't come back until the morning has passed into the night.

But finall-

"Ohhhhhhhhhh! That big idiot!"

Breaking out of her thoughts, Ryu turns her head to see Syr stomping her way back into the kitchen, her pout out in full force.

Ah. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

"What did he order?" Ryu asks, already knowing who the 'big idiot' in question is. She puts the last of the dirty plates away and turns around to face her friend.

"Ryu!" Syr snaps towards her, her puffed up cheeks reminding her of a child, "I'm convinced John is just doing this to make me angry at this point!"

"Oh?"

"All he wanted was a mug of water! No food, no beer! What kind of Adventurer doesn't eat and drink after a hard day of work!?"

What kind, indeed.

"And what did you say to him?"

"I said…" Syr points her two fingers together with the wind taken out of her sails and gives Ryu an awkward smile, "I kinda said that it would cost him a thousand Valis?"

"I see," Ryu says, her voice unnaturally calm, "And did he accept?"

"...He asked for two mugs of water."

Ryu blinks at Syr.

"I-it's not like I expected him to accept!" Syr hastily waves her arms about, "I was just bluffing! How-!?"

Without a word, Ryu turns and grabs two clean mugs, filling them with water.

"Errr...Ryu, you shouldn't get so upset."

"I'm not upset," Ryu states coolly, "I just want to make sure he pays. That's all."

"Oh dear…" Syr mutters under her breath as she watches her friend carry the two water-filled mugs with a brusque walk.

Moving easily among the rowdy members of the Loki Familia, Ryu finds her mark sitting alone on the table closest to Loki and her Executives, his back to her and playing with something on the table.

Ryu wonders if John knew how famous the people by his side actually were, but for some reason, she doubts he knows or cares.

Walking up behind him, she finally sees what he was fiddling with:

A finger blade of a War Shadow.

For just a moment, Ryu couldn't believe what she's seeing.

Floor Six? John has managed to get to the Sixth Floor solo after a week?

Instead of feeling impressed, she felt something sink in her stomach.

Was this man in front of her trying to get himself killed? Did he value his life so little that he would throw himself over and over into the Dungeon with no regard for himself?

"John," She spoke up and he turns around to look up at her with a frown, his brown eyes with blackish bags underneath squinting at her and quickly hides the finger blade he was holding.

"Ryu? Where did you come from?"

"The kitchen. Here, your order," She places the two mugs on the table and looks at him, sparks practically firing off between her sky blue eyes and his brown eyes.

"That'll be two thousand Valis."

Ryu tries to not let Johns' smirk annoy and he reaches into that strange pouch of his only to pull out four gold coins.

"Keep the change," John told her in a voice that each word dripped with smugness.

Snatching the four coins of the table, she counted them out.

And then she looked back at John, with a stupid grin on his face stretching out his annoying face like no other.

She felt her ears twitch ever so slightly.

"Mama Mia, I'm taking my break."

"Wait, what?" John drops his smirk and they both look to Mama Mia who gives Ryu a grin and a nod.

"Ya got 5 minutes, don't waste 'em."

With just a nod, Ryu goes to the other side of John's table and snatches out an empty chair that one of the other Adventurers had left, sitting it to the opposite of John and sitting down.

"Is there a reason you're doing this?"

Without answering, Ryu quickly grabs one of the water-filled mugs and takes a small drink of it.

John simply looks at her with a raised brow.

"You looked pathetic and sad sitting here by yourself while others around you are celebrating, so I simply thought to keep you company."

To her slight surprise, John smirks and lets out a chuckle, "Well, you see, this nosy woman forced me to sit here and I didn't want to disappoint her."

"Then you must not very be good with dealing with women."

"Hahahaha!" John lets out a short laugh, giving Ryu a wide smile, "Trust me, I won't make the same mistake."

"Hmmm," Ryu hums and looks at the closed first where John held the finger blade, "I heard you use magic. Is that true?"

John gives her a shrug, "Don't know where you heard that from, but yeah. I'm a spell caster. Thought it was obvious really, considering my lack of armour and weapons."

"You also lack a staff," Ryu points out to which John just shrugs, "If you are a mage, you should have a staff."

"I make do without one," John shrugs before giving Ryu a curious look, "Why are you so interested now?"

Ryu lifts up her mug to her lips, the cool water flowing down her throat before setting it back down and giving John a glare.

"Because you've been on the Sixth Floor and you have only been an Adventurer for a week."

Though she said it quietly, she noticed the Goddess on the other table suddenly zero in on John, though he doesn't seem to notice or care.

"And you know that how exactly?"

Though his tone of voice was of casual dismissiveness, Ryu notices his shoulders suddenly becoming stiff and his closed fist tightens until his knuckles turn white.

"In your fist is a black finger blade that only drops from a War Shadow that spawns on the Sixth Floor," John's brown eyes dart towards said closed fist, "I stood behind you while you played around with it."

John bites his bottom lip, his eyes darting madly to his tightly closed fist before letting out a big sigh. Opening up his fist, he holds up the black finger blade that Ryu saw moments ago.

"You caught me," John shrugs, his shoulders now sagging, "This thing dropped from a War Shadow that ambushed me near the start of the Sixth Floor. You know what I can use it for?"

"...You mean to tell me you don't know?"

"Should I?"

"Yes," Ryu bluntly says to the idiot in front of her, "I know you aren't from around here, but do you really know so little? Do you not have an adviser at the Guild?"

"I do, but...I may have just listened on how to kill the monsters and the Floors than anything else. My bad on that part, I'll admit."

A lucky idiot.

The person in front of her is nothing but more than a lucky idiot spell caster.

Even if his God didn't care about him, should they at least not explain the basics of being an Adventurer to him before sending him to the Dungeon every day, non-stop?

Letting out a tremendous sigh, Ryu drinks the last of her water and glares at John.

"Monsters can drop certain parts of their bodies if they have an unusually high concentration of energy in said body part. For War Shadows, that would be a finger blade. If you want my suggestion, exchange it for Valis at the Guild or Babel."

"Hmmm...thanks for telling me," John gives her a small smile, "Maybe I'll make back the four thousand I paid?"

"That is your own fault," Ryu tells John who just smirks at her, "And I have one last suggestion for you."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Join a better Familia."

For the first time since Ryu met John, she saw his whole body freeze solid, but only for a moment.

"And what makes you think I'll do that, exactly?"

Ryu Lion thought of many reasons. But what little she knew of John, she knows that those reasons would matter little to him.

Except for one.

"Because whatever Familia you're currently a part of is just holding you back."

John blinks at her, not having expected such an answer. He leans back on his chair, making it creak loudly.

"You do know I'm the only member of my Familia, right? By that logic, is the one not holding me back is just me?"

"Exactly," Ryu bluntly tells John, her piercing eyes going right through him, "I don't think I've met someone so arrogant and full of themselves that they think they can take on the Dungeon by themselves."

Unphased by the insults, John simply raises his brow, "Can you even switch over to another Familia? Is that a thing that happens?"

"I can answer that!"

Ryu tries not to smirk as John jumps so hard, he nearly falls out of his chair and snaps his head towards the third person that had suddenly barged in on their conversation and had swung a chair down to sit at their side.

With bright red hair tied up into a small ponytail and closed eyes, Ryu knew who this Goddess was, a mischievous smile seemingly plastered permanently onto her face.

"Yes? Can I help you?" John asks Loki, Goddess of trickery and mischief, a frown on his face meeting her permeant grin.

"Sorry for buttin' in, but I couldn't help but overhear ya conversation and got really curious! Hey, can I just see that finger blade? Just for a teensy tiny bit?"

"Ryu, yer breaks over!" Mama Mia suddenly shouts over the din of Adventurers, cooking numerous meals.

Ryu felt like there was some sort of joke at work.

But she had no choice.

Getting up and saying her goodbyes, she left John alone with Loki.

With the hopes of John realising who he's dealing with.

.

.

Who the hell is this chick?

I think she was on the table next to me? Maybe?

I glance over to her table where they were currently busying drinking or glancing over to me.

One girl with long blond hair was just staring blankly at me outright.

I feel like this gonna end badly for me.

Maybe a shiv in my ribs, at best.

The weird red-headed woman sitting next to me just grins at me, waiting for me to show her the finger blade.

Something about her is...off. It's the same kinda feeling from the woman this morning by the book shop.

Are they related? They look nothing alike though.

"And if I do show you? What do I get out of it?" I ask the red-headed woman with closed eyes. As if it was somehow possible, her grin widens.

"Oh~? You wanna make a deal then? Then how about this," The woman leans in closer, her eyes widening slightly, "Along with telling ya how to change Familia's, I'll tell ya something else as well!"

...I don't really like this. At all.

Maybe I'm just not a people person, but this seems shady as fuck.

But still…

How can it hurt?

Putting the black talon on the table, I slide it across to the somewhat scary woman and she eagerly picks it up with childlike glee and holds it up to the light.

She tries pulls and bend it to no avail, but the talon remains rigid.

"Just one last test! Don't worry, I'll be right back!"

Before I could react, the woman stands up and goes back to her table, waving the thing around.

Oh God I just got robbed.

Keeping an eye on the black talon, the small blond guy takes a hold of it and gives it a look over before glancing at me. He gives the woman a nod and says some words I can't make out.

The woman, with a wider grin, turns back and walks over to my table, throwing my finger blade back on the table.

"This isn't some elaborate ruse to rob me is it?" I ask the woman who laughs in my face as she plops back down onto the chair and I grab the black talon back.

"Hahaha! No, no, that thing ain't worth the trouble," The woman waves me off with a grin, "My children find more valuable stuff daily than that thing-"

Children?

"-But I have to give ya props. Reaching the Sixth Floor in a week, well...That's pretty impressive."

There was...something in her voice. Something I couldn't for the life of me place. And her grin was different.

It was like looking at a shark.

"Where are you going with this exactly? And who are you?"

"Name's Loki," The woman grins at me like there was nothing wrong, "Nice to meetcha John."

Loki.

The Norse God of trickery, mischief and guile. The God who fathered Fenrir and Jourmangander and brought about Ragnarok.

Is sitting in front of me, currently grinning at me.

As a woman.

"Oh, that's a pretty intense stare, John~" The woman who calls herself Loki laughs at my face, "Sorry to shatter ya hopes, but yer not my type~"

"You still haven't told me what you want," I tell her, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice but it comes out unnatural and stilted.

"Ah, well, let's rewind a bit then. There are three main ways for a person to switch Familias: The first one is a mutual agreement between the Adventurers and Gods in question, second is a War Game between Familias with the Adventurers in question on the line."

I have no idea what a War Game is, but I can take a pretty good guess.

"And the third?"

"Well, ya see, that's a bit more interestin'," The trickster God grins at me, "If an Adventurer wants to jump ship to another Familia, for whatever reason, all that's really needed is consent, ya see. Not by the God, but by the person with the Falna. So, if say a certain Adventurer that's been thrown away by their God wants to join another Familia…"

"Hmm," I let out a grunt, "And what was the other thing you said you would tell me?"

Loki's grin dips ever so slightly before perking right back up.

"How do ya plan on paying the Familia Tax without ya God?"

"...What?" I say aloud as the word as the world turns grey around me.

Tax? There's a fucking tax?!

Come to think about it, Eina has been asking about my 'God' recently…

My 'God' that doesn't exist.

"The Familia Tax is what a Familia pays to the Guild for their services," Loki's grin stretches as every word that slithers out of her mouth like some sort of snake, "If ya don't pay it, ya gonna get blacklisted by the Guild and ya won't be allowed in the Dungeon any more."

"How much does it cost?" The words spill out in the haste as my heart feel like it is beating a hundred miles a minute, "If it isn't that much I can-"

"Ah ah ah," Loki wags her finger at me, "It doesn't work like that. Ya God has to sort out this stuff. I mean, the God runs the Familia, ya know? Even if ya the only member of your Familia, maybe even the Captain, it's ya God that runs it and handles the administrative side. If they can't handle that much, what's the point of them even having a Familia in the first place?"

...This is it.

This is what I get for lying non-stop.

How long do I have left? Eina has already asked about 'Yahweh'. I thought she was being nosy, I didn't realise she was talking about fucking taxes!

"So," Loki breaks me out of my stupor and shift my unfocused eyes onto her stupid grin, "What's the name of ya God?"

"...Why do you care?"

I hate how quiet my voice was.

"Because I wanna shit talk the idiot who's sending ya to die," Loki tells me, her ever-present grin stretching, "And can't even run a Familia properly. Ya know, I've heard about ya magic."

"Nice segue," I mutter scornfully to the grinning trickster Goddess.

"Now, I've only heard a few rumours but tell me this; Do ya really use the rock of the Dungeon for a spell of yers?"

Again, there was that...something in her voice.

But I can place it now.

It's greed. Pure, simple, greed. Her eyes are kept shut but I'm sure if they were open, the way she would look at me would be no different than a wolf watching a sheep.

At this point, I don't have anything to lose. Worst comes to worst?

I just go and live in the Dungeon and run like fuck.

"Yes, what about it?"

"Heh, ya don't have any idea, do ya?" Loki chuckles and leans back on her chair, "So...are ya gonna tell me their name or not?"

I remain silent though whether by choice or because my throat was tightening each moment, I don't know.

Do I lie again? Lying is what got me into this mess to begin with. And I won't be lying to a human, an elf or whatever.

I'll be lying to a Goddess about a God that I fucking made up because I didn't want to join a Familia.

"...You wouldn't know them."

"Because they don't exist?"

I snap my head to stare at Loki so fast, I'm pretty sure it could be heard all over the pub.

"Let me tell ya something, brat," Loki's shark-like grin sends a chill down my spine, "Gods can tell when ya lying and ya not nearly good enough to lie to me."

"I haven't said a single lie-"

"That's a lie and we both know that," Loki points her finger at me, "But if ya want an example...ya said yer the only member of your Familia. That was a lie, wasn't it? How can ya be a member of a Familia that doesn't exist?"

I could feel sweat drip on my back and pool in my palms as they open and close. I don't say anything, my lips thin and shut.

"Want another?" Loki grins and leans in so very uncomfortably close to me.

"We both know that John isn't yer name."

My mind goes blank. The cheers of the Adventurers fade into the background, into nothingness. The only sound that I could hear is the rapid racing of my heart, my quick shallow breathes. The world spins as I feel a sort dizziness take over me.

"Now, don't get me wrong," Loki finally gets away from me and I begin to get my breath under control, "Everyone has their secrets and that's fine, but~ Ya need a better cover story if ya wanna do whatever it is you want in the Dungeon. It's kinda lucky that ya met me first and not someone like Freya. Trust me, she would've torn you apart."

"Get to the fucking point already," I spat out towards her though her grin remained unchanged.

"How about ya join my Familia?"

"And if I refuse? You'll, what, blackmail me? Out me to the rest of Orario?"

"Pfft, of course not," Loki waves off my accusation like nothing, "I wouldn't ever stoop that low and If I go around telling people, other Gods are gonna take notice and that'll be a pain. Nah, trust me when I say that yer secrets are safe with me. Can't vouch for the other Gods though."

Great, that's really fucking comforting.

"...Why do you even care? Just because I reached Floor Six in a week?"

"Heh, 'in a week' he says. Ya really must be out of town if ya don't get why that's so insane and I mean that in every sense of the word. It should've taken you months to reach those floors solo. But it didn't, something you admitted yourself and that little finger proves it, whether ya want it to or not. Looks like ya reached yer peak though."

I hate to admit, but she has a point. And so does Ryu. If I want to get deeper into the Dungeon, I have but two choices:

Either join a Familia. Or get stronger.

And that's not even getting into being blacklisted by the Guild because of that fucking tax.

But…

I glare at the infuriating grin on her stupid fucking face. I feel heat raise up within my face and I grip the table edge hard.

"No."

Loki's grin drops and it drops fast. Her eyes widen enough for me to see her red pupils albeit barely.

"If I join a Familia," I spat out every word like bile at the God, "It will be because I want to join that Familia. Not because you or anyone coercing me to join their little group just because of a secret that I have."

"At the rate ya goin', you'll die," Loki states flatly, none of her levity from before and her grin from before now gone, "Do ya-"

"That's my problem, not yours," I spat out towards the Goddess who eyes open slightly at my words, covered in spite and bile, "This conversation is over."

Without waiting for her answer, I stand up from my chair and send it careering back.

I don't look at anyone as I walk back upstairs.

In a daze, I make my way to my room. It took me a while to take the key out of my inventory and shove it into the keyhole of my door.

Dragging my feet behind me, I walk through to my small room and securely locking my door.

My heavy body plops down onto the bed. I stare at the wooden floorboards, the inside of my head swirling around like a sloshing glass full of swamp water.

"Oh, I am so fucked."

I put my heavy head in my hands and I try to think of something, anything, for some way out of this.

The first thing is that if Loki was lying to me or not.

But...if the Loki of this world is like anything of my world, then I don't think they would lie.

Loki is a trickster God, but I don't think they've ever outright lied. Play around with words and with rules, yes, but never stooping so low as to outright lie.

Of course, that's presuming my Loki and this Loki is anything alike.

This Loki being...female caught me off guard, but Loki has been known to shapeshift into different genders and even different species.

Hell, that's how Sleipnir came about.

I don't think this will be a common occurrence. I hope.

Should I have taken her offer? She isn't wrong.

I know when I'm beaten. These War Shadows are just too fast for me to deal with en masse. I can take one, maybe two, but that's only because I let myself get so close to death.

If it wasn't for this 'Gamer' thing, I would be dead before I even set foot in Floor Two.

And there's this tax…

I thought of myself working for the Guild by putting my life at risk and getting these stupid magic stones and in a way, I am.

Except this tax isn't for me. It's for my 'Familia'.

This 'Familia Tax' must be so Familia's don't become richer than the Guild they're supposed to be working for and if they don't pay for it, they're blacklisted from the Guild and from the Dungeon so they don't make any more money from it.

"Fuck. Fuck!"

I slam my fist hard against my knee though I don't feel any pain. The thought of running away inside the Dungeon cross my mind…

But I'll die then. Loki is right, if I push any further, I will die.

Then I won't see home again.

My brothers, mom and dad…

They'll be okay without me. They're strong people.

Doesn't change how I feel about never seeing them again.

But what choice do I have?

Join Loki's Familia? As much as I hate to admit, that would solve nearly all my problems in a neat little package.

The image of ever-present grin flashes through my head. My hand clasped my knee in a death grip.

No. I refuse to slink back like a fucking dog just because she found out I was lying about everything. I refuse to let someone like her dictate to me about my choices.

Cutting off my nose to spite my face, as my dear old brother would say.

Though in this case, it's more of putting a barrel of a gun in my mouth and pulling the trigger to spite the other person saying I won't do it.

Slowly and gently, I lay down on the bed, my head still swirling around.

First thing, I have to see Eina again. I need to talk to her about this tax and see what I can do about it.

If worst comes to worst…

Guess I'm moving.

.

.

A couple of weeks later, I got a letter from the Guild asking for me to make an appearance and talk about regarding my 'Familia'.

"John, I need to speak with you."

That was the first thing my adviser, Eina, said to me when I walked into the Guild.

And though I may have no experience with women in a romantic capacity, I do know enough that those words are words that no man wants to hear.

Eina led me to out back and ushered me into an empty room with two sofas and a small tea table in between. I sat down on one sofa and Eina sat opposite me with a letter in her hand.

"Before we start, would you like anything to drink? It is still quite early in the morning,"

Eina is a cute thing, an elf with shorter ears than Ryu though and shoulder-length brown hair. Her slim body went nicely with the suit she wore as someone that worked at the Guild and behind her thin-rimmed glasses, warm forest green eyes stare at me.

Though now, considering how worried she looks so worried, it didn't really have the same effect and I'm still reeling from last night with my encounter with Loki.

"No thank you," I weakly smile at Eina, "Come on, Eina. Hit me with the bad news already."

She bites her bottom lip but gives me a nod nonetheless. She takes the letter and slides it towards me on the table.

I grab it and open up the letter.

It's a notice.

It doesn't say anything that I wasn't prepared for.

Except for one thing.

"I have a day?"

"I'm sorry John," Eina shifts her eyes away from mine, "But, it's been a almost a month now and your God has yet to send us anything. If they don't show up or send us a letter about the state of their Familia, even if it is just you as the only member, we can't allow them the services of the Guild if they don't abide by our rules."

Today is my last day.

My last day I'll be allowed in the Dungeon.

"And...there is another thing."

Letting out a sigh, my shoulders sag as I feel something heavy press upon them. I just give Eina a wordless nod.

"As of now...I'm afraid I'm no longer your adviser."

"...Because of this?" I wave my notice around.

Eina just gives me a nod.

I suppose that makes sense. Advisers are supposed to advise new Adventurers.

Of which I only have a day left.

"John, I'm-"

"Don't be," I hold my hand up to stop her, "This...this isn't your fault."

It's mine. This is all my fault.

Eina bites her bottom lip, her eyes darting across my face and the letter on the table. She lets out a little sigh and pushes up her glasses, her face writ with determination.

"There is another way for you to still be an Adventurer, John."

"...Join another Familia?"

Eina looks surprised for a second, but she quickly gives me a nod, "Yes, if you join another Familia, then this notice will become void and you won't be blacklisted. It doesn't have to be a big famous Familia, any will do but they have to be registered with the Guild which almost every Familia is."

"But…" I feel cold sweats roll down my back, "But what about my God now? If I just upped and left, won't that just cause trouble if he comes here?"

"Normally yes, but if there is consent between you and your new God, you can just leave," Eina looks at me with her forest green eyes, her back straight and narrow, "John, your God isn't even in Orario, are they?"

"...If I say no, will that get me into even more trouble?" I grumble though Eina just smiles at me.

"At this point, I very much doubt it. But still, if your God doesn't care enough to be in Orario, then even if he does come here and raise trouble, it is very likely the other Gods will just laugh him out. You're the only member of your Familia so he won't even be able to propose a War Game if he wanted to."

Loki's grin bites at the back of my mind like a shark eating chum. If I go there, I have no doubt she'll take me. Being under her thumb after basically telling her to go and fuck herself will no doubt get her jollies off.

I ignore it.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be my adviser anymore? Seems like you're giving me an awful lot of advice now."

"Hmph," Eina smiles and pushes up her glasses, "Technically no. But an advisers job is about advising about the Dungeon. This is about Familia's, not the Dungeon."

"Heh, sure whatever," I roll my eyes and smile at Eina, "If it isn't too much trouble, can you tell me if you're advising someone else now?"

"Well...I can't tell you much now," Eina frowns at me, "But his name is Bell Cranel. He signed up as an Adventurer a couple of weeks ago after you did...You two actually quite similar, come to think about it."

"Oh? In what way?"

"You both ignore my advice and go down on lower floors than you're meant to," Eina tells me dryly and I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled within me.

"Ha! Now that's funny," I let out a sigh as I felt myself smile for the first time in ages, "...I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Eina. Thanks for all your help."

"You're welcome, John. Do you plan on…?"

"...We'll see. If I do change Familia's, you'll be the first to know."

We stand up from the sofa's and we make our way outside but I feel something grab my shoulder just before I open the door.

I look behind me to see Eina looking up at me, biting her bottom lip.

"John, don't do anything stupid in the Dungeon. I won't say I understand how you feel, but please don't get yourself killed in there."

I feel my lips curl into a smile and give Eina a nod, "Don't worry Eina. I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

All I get in return is just a sigh.

.

.

"Earth Spikes."

Three stakes of stone shoot towards the ugly green Goblins, each piercing through their skulls. The Kolobod runs towards me, it's maw opening up and showing off its teeth.

It gets an Earth Spike down its throat along with two others in the eyes. Its body instantly turns to ash and its magic stone drops.

Letting out a sigh, I get my knife out of my inventory and start cutting open the Goblins.

I shouldn't be in the Dungeon today. My mind isn't where it should be and if I plan on going down to the Sixth Floor, I need to be at 100%.

Which I'm most certainly not.

I suppose this it then.

Without anyone noticing, I left the key on the bar along with 6000 Valis for the troubles. Barely stayed there for a month so it's only fair that I pay what I'm due.

I don't think anyone noticed, but at this rate, I don't think it matters if they do.

I don't need to eat. I don't need to drink. I don't need to sleep.

I can, in theory, live in the Dungeon.

In theory.

In reality, I'll probably die from a War Shadow.

The image of Loki grinning flashes through my mind before I force it back.

Wiping away the blood on my knife, I shove the magic stones from the Goblins into my pouch and ignore the notification I received.

Now for-

"UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRRRRRRRRR!"

What in the unholy name of fuck was that.

"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

A girl? Is a girl being chased by a monster?

What am I saying, of course they're being chased by a fucking monster! This is the Dungeon!

And going how by the sounds of colossal footsteps that sounds like they're shaking the whole bloody Dungeon, it's coming from straight ahead.

With each bone shaking footstep and girly screaming, I feel myself freeze up, my every hair is standing up stiff.

Then I see it.

It was the person being chased I saw first.

They weren't a girl. At least, I don't think they are.

What they are though, is a fucking kid.

Younger than most people I've seen, his head is full of pure snow white hair and his young, almost child-like face is currently written with nothing but terror. His ruby eyes are wide and round like dinner plates, filled with horror.

Then I saw what was chasing him.

Must've been 3-4 meters tall, maybe taller. It almost reached the ceiling with its towering height and its two bull horns could scrape against it. It has the head of a bull with glowing red eyes and cloven feet, its whole body little more than rippling inhuman muscle and coarse brown fur.

A Minotaur.

A fucking Minotaur is here.

And right in front of me.

In a split second, the kid with white hair and the rampaging monster behind him run across the hallway and out of my sight, though their screams and roars are still ringing out across the walls of the Dungeon.

I should hide. I should run.

I should do literally anything that will get me away from this thing.

"John, don't do anything stupid in the Dungeon. I won't say I understand how you feel, but please don't get yourself killed in there."

It doesn't involve me. I can't help every person that comes across my way and I need to look out for myself if I want to get back home.

"At the rate ya goin', you'll die,"

I can barely kill a War Shadow. What can I do against a Minotaur? I'll be doing nothing but putting myself in danger.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

That was the kid again.

My body was already moving before my brain caught up to what I was doing.

I come sprinting across the corner, almost losing my footing, and finally getting a good look at the situation.

The kid had backed himself into a dead end, flat on his ass and his back against the wall. The Minotaur loomed over him like a spectre of fury and death, clouds billowing out of its flaring nostrils.

The thought of running away comes across my mind for a fleeting moment.

The kid with ruby red pupils looks at me, wild and pleading. His whole body shook like nothing else.

He's so young. Too young to be here.

"Fireball!"

I thrust out my hand at the back of the head of the Minotaur and a ball of blazing fire comes shooting out like a bullet of flame.

A loud explosion rocks my bones and the heat sears across my face as the black smoke obscures my vision.

The Minotaur turns to me, no worse for wear. Its glowing red eyes, devoid of anything but rage and bloodthirst. All directed to me.

I lock eyes with the kid. His mouth is agape and his eyes wide.

His body wasn't shaking nearly as bad as before.

"Kid, run!"

"UROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORARRRRRRRRRR!"

That was my cue to start running down the hallway. I don't wait for the kid to say something.

I run with death nipping and roaring at my heels.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13217179/1/