CHAPTER 172(3 Weeks)

Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)

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pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene

CHAPTER START---

----------WELF

Standing in front of Hephaestus's office door Welf could feel the lump in his throat. Heart hammering in his chest as if it were trying to break out, cold sweat on his palms as he constantly opens and closes his hands.

"C'mon Welf you gave him your word," he reminds himself between deep breaths, failing to calm himself down. "Fuck it," he decides to just hit the iron while it's hot and knocks on the door.

His three hesitant knocks are immediately answered by the goddess, "who is it?" she calls out from within.

"Uh, it's m---"

"Go back to your floor!" her shout reaches him as an angry growl.

A frown forms on his face as he squeezes his eyes shut. Mustering his bravery he pushes the door open and rushes into the office, "we need to talk," he says.

Hunched over some papers Hephaestus has a pen in her hands, stacks upon stacks of papers. Contracts, requests, and bills, matters that would have easily been dealt with if her coffers weren't suddenly empty. She looks up at him with her one exposed eye as if trying to kill him with her glare.

"You're under house arrest, get back to your floor, NOW."

"I, I'm sorry but I can't. I need to talk to you," he says hesitantly.

Without another word, she reaches down behind her desk and throws a small red brick with all her might at his face. As a level-five this wouldn't do any major damage, he could even catch it. She could swing a smithing hammer at ingots but Hephaestus certainly wasn't one for throwing spears it seemed. Thankfully he didn't have to do anything, the brick sailed to the far right of him and slammed into the wall.

"Of course," she groans, sinking back into her chair and scowling at him, "nothing goes well for me lately. Why would that be any different."

"Um... I'm sorry?" Welf wasn't sure if maybe he should have caught it with his face to make her feel better.

"No, I-I didn't actually want to hurt you," she says, he raises a brow at her and slowly approaches her desk.

"Hephaestus, I'm sorry for all the trouble we caused you," this gets her to look up at him. He immediately feels his heart skip a beat, not from the usual affection he felt, but from the rage plastered across her face as she almost snarled at him. "I--We, we are working our best to clear the debt and make this right, I promise we'll undo the damages to the familia," he says.

Seeing him fidgeting and hearing him tripping over his own words the goddess gives him a perplexed look, he could see the gears in her head turning before she speaks, "why are you really here?" she asks in a cold tone.

"T-to apologize for the trouble we caused?" he was genuinely confused, he figured this was his purpose here.

"No, this...this isn't you. This isn't how we do things," she says. "We speak with hammers and ingots, we have that in common I'm sure. So why are you really here, what do you want? Either tell me or get back to your floor."

"I thought I was supposed to apologize for us," Welf was genuinely confused now. "Why else would he send me here?"

"Did Yang send you here?" Hephaestus gives him a bored stare as she asked.

"Um, yes..."

"Oh, crap."

"Crap? That's bad?" he asks, his instincts already shifting toward panic.

"I don't know, I'm not good at this," Hephaestus says.

"Good at what?"

"Talking about this," she gestures between her and Welf.

"We're supposed to talk about us?"

"Yes," she takes a deep breath to calm herself. "Look, Yang is bad at a lot of things ok. Math, remembering people's names, cooking food, tasting food, art, crafts, dancing, a lot of stuff. But he's good at this," again she gestures to both of them.

"Right," Welf says. "And we aren't. So he sent me here to talk about us."

"What made you think it was anything else?"

"I was making an apology for us running off and all the trouble we caused, or at least I was thinking of one. Then this morning he told me just come talk to you before I get back to work," Welf explains.

"I expected you to make something," she admits. "That's how we show how we feel. As the forge god I can read intent, nothing is purer than when I appraise the intent of something made with the Blacksmith skill."

"He said that if that's the only way I know how to really communicate our relationship would fail, assuming it ever starts I mean," he says with a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Maybe he's right," Hephaestus says. "I didn't even know how to talk to you Welf. The best I could do is throw a brick at you and tell you to get out, and I didn't even want to actually hit you with it," she leans back in her chair and facepalms.

"Then tell me what you want, that's what Yang always does. He just asks what people want. So what do you want? Tell me and I'll do it, I promise." Welf says.

"Your promise isn't worth much to me right now," Hephaestus says. Welf feels like she knocked the wind out of him, almost stumbling back at her words.

"W-what?"

"That's the problem Welf. You betrayed me. I, I honestly don't care that you cost me money, I know between you three the money will eventually come back. But you betrayed me. I was stupid not to expect it from Thalie, I could see all the hate and spite in her every time I read her Falna, it was overwhelming. And Yang, he, he's a mess Welf."

"Yang?"

"He," she hesitates for a bit " he isn't alright, not at all."

Welf immediately got worried, "but he seems fine, is he sick?"

"No, just. It's his dreams. When I read his Falna I saw everything, he's been dreaming about his family every time he sleeps since losing his hand, it's making him desperate to get back to them. He'll do anything to get back to them, so I can trust him as long as I'm not in his way which I never plan to be. If he wants to go home, as much as I'd like him to stay that's his choice."

"What about me and Thalie?" Welf asks. "You think we'll betray you again?"

"I wish I could say no...but I can't," she looks away as the words leave her mouth. Not wanting to see what she knew was the hurt on his face.

"But you know this won't happen again, you know that," he says in disbelief, quietly begging her to understand.

Hearing his words a fire rages in her, she stands up and slams her hands on the dest, "I don't know that! I thought I knew all of you then you stabbed me in the back and cost my familia billions out of our business and personal accounts! You can't see what I saw!"

"Then tell me," he says, "tell me what you saw."

"Fuck! I hate this shit!" she shoves the papers off the edge of her desk and begins pacing around. "Why can't people be like items. I can understand items you know, that'd make this clear and easy," she says.

"Hephaestus please."

"It's Thalie alright! Between Yang being relentless on his adventure and whatever else he can do that we can't explain, she's another issue entirely."

"You think she'll betray you again?" Welf asks.

"No, never. That's not the problem."

"And what is, just say it."

"She's fucking crazy!" Hephaestus massages her temples to try and calm down.

"What do you mean crazy?"

"A fanatic, I don't know what else to call it. I saw it Welf," she walks up to him and grabs the front of his shirt, pulling him down to look into her one normal eye. "She's dangerous. Very, very dangerous. All that hate and spite she had for Adrestria, whatever she's gone through. She didn't get rid of it, it's there and it's worse. It's pure loyalty and devotion to Yang."

"How is that a bad thing?" he asks. "You said as long as you don't get in his way which you won't there shouldn't be a problem, so we're fine right?"

"She's dangerous. I saw it when I read her Falna. Think about it, what happens when Yang walks on the street?" she releases his shirt and moves to pour herself a drink.

"Uh, people stare at him?" Welf asks.

"And what else, worse than that?"

"They talk about him?"

"What kind of talk?"

"Rumors maybe? I dunno I barely leave my forge Hephaestus."

"They talk bad about him Welf, he doesn't care because they aren't in his way but everyone knows some nasty rumors are moving around," Hephaestus chugs her entire glass of Fire Water. "What the fuck do you think happens if our resident hyper-violent murder machine, literally bred for war and got crowned the fucking Champion of War hears people talking shit about him, huh? What do you think happens now that she's completely devoted to him?!"

"Fuck," was all he could say. Rubbing his face as the realization finally dawns on him.

"Exactly. I no longer have control of anyone in your team after that last stunt. Hopefully, after this house arrest crap everything goes back to normal," Hephaestus says.

Welf immediately looks at the floor as she says that, Hephaestus sees the obvious tell and groans before turning to pour herself another glass. "What the hell did you three do now? I only have so much alcohol you know..."

"We can't make fifty billion from in the tower so we're preparing for our next expedition, that's all."

"You can't go on an expedition until you get cleared by the guild," Hephaestus says.

"Yang says we're going in five weeks or when the gear is done."

"Shit, that means there's no changing your plan now. Do you realize if the guild decides to, let's say, send three level-sevens and their familias at your team, Orario is gonna lose two entire familias, and neither of them will be mine. You're one of the only three people in the world who knows how powerful your team is Welf. Please, just. Please don't let this break out into a fight, Yang put most of them on bed rest last time there was a fight, if Thalie gets involved we'll be digging graves. Do not let that happen, please," she begs.

"He said when we're ready he'd go talk to Royman and tell him. In five weeks everything should settle enough for us to get cleared, Hephaestus, we'll be fine," he says.

"Alright, that sounds reasonable. I'll go talk to him after this and see if I can convince him to change five weeks into two months," she says.

Welf immediately looks down at the floor again.

"Welf... what now?" she asks.

"He took Freya to some lake village in the mountains for the week, then they're heading to the beach for a bit. The message core in his hand words so you can call him," Welf says.

"No, best to just leave him with Freya. He's out of the city and if she's with him there won't be any issues. If anyone comes to see him I'll just send them to you instead. How's Thalie doing?" she asks.

Again his eyes move to the floor.

"Welf," she groans. "Are any of you even taking this house arrest seriously?"

"She went to see Takemikazuchi this morning, she took the Invisibility Badge with her."

"That isn't supposed to be public knowledge," Hephaestus says.

"Relax, she was stealthy before much less now, even if she's six foot two."

"Alright, then that just leaves you," she says.

"Oh, I---"

"Shut up, don't talk. Just, listen, alright," she rests her glass down and turns away from him. "I know that you and I, we care about each other, a lot. I've been dancing around it for what, two years. And I've been waiting for you to just, finish this challenge of yours, then you did this. I was so focused on who you were becoming that it felt like I couldn't breathe when I heard the news. When I spent every night crying and trying to call your ring. You chose your friends over me Welf..."

As her tears silently roll down her cheeks Welf feels conflicted, part of him ashamed of betraying his goddess, the woman he loves. Another part knowing he had to stay with his friends.

"Hephaestus I'm---"

"I'm proud of you, I understand why you did it so I'm not mad," her words stop him in his tracks. "But I'm also hurt, and I don't know what we're supposed to do from here. Do you?" she asks, voice trembling as she tries to keep her composure.

With a tired look Welf shakes his head, "no, I don't."

"Then just, get out. I can't deal with this yet," she says.

With her eyes shut tight Hephaestus listens to his footsteps crossing the stone floor until the door shuts behind him.

Immediately she crumpled to the floor and lets all her emotions out. One thought was at the forefront of her brain as she reflects on what just happened.

'Yang was right, if we don't get better at this we won't last...'

Leaving her office Welf wipes his face with his sleeves and trudges back to his forge. Deciding to use his favorite way of letting his feeling out, forging. Using the book Yang gave him, ideas he never would have imagined on every page.

For the next three weeks he would only leave his forge to eat, shower, and sleep. Giving in to his workaholic side to hammer the hurt away...

----------THALIE

Comfortable sleeping under her blanket. Mikoto lays on her futon on the wooden floor. With paper screen doors all around them in this traditional eastern building, she safely dreams of being praised by her god, Lord Takemikazuchi, or simply Take as he prefers.

"Mikoto," Chigusa calls out quietly. Sitting on her own futon only two feet away from her roommate the smaller girl almost whispers anxiously. Trembling with fear as she looks over at her friend.

"Mikoto," she calls out again. "P-please, get up, Mikoto..."

"Mmm," Mikoto stirs awake, rolling to her side to face her friend before she opens her eyes. "Chigusa, the sun is barely up, what do you wa---" she freezes, seeing Chigusa staring at the wall that's now at her back. Pupils shrunk and shivering in a cold sweat.

"She, I, behind you," Chigusa whispers out of her trembling lips.

Immediately Mikoto grabs the dagger under her futon in reverse grip and makes a blind swing at the wall behind her.

Nothing, she feels as if she hit a solid wall and didn't even pierce it. She frantically jumps up to retract her blade and get a look at the enemy.

As she pulls her blade back, nothing happens. She couldn't get it out of Thalie's grip, the woman caught the tip of her dagger with two fingers, sitting on the floor looking up at Mikoto, unimpressed.

Mikoto's eyes are locked onto the black metal making up the lower jaw to Thalie's neck. After a moment she finally recognizes the intruder.

"You, you're with lady Hephaestus, right? Miss Thalie?" she asks.

"Atleast you don't sleep unarmed," Thalie releases the dagger and rises to her feet. "Your friend is pathetic, but maybe you're worth it. I smell food, let's go," Thalie says.

As she gets up and casually saunters out of the door and down the halls of what they thought was their secure familia home Mikoto takes in her appearance. Casual clothes, long black pants, and a white top with a longsword at her hip with an adventuring pouch at her back. A single ring on her right hand and her brown hair loose as usual, yet she had a dangerous aura about her, the kind of sense that kept the hair at the back of Mikoto's neck standing up.

"Chigusa, what's going on?" Mikoto turns to her friend.

"I, I don't know. I woke up and she was just there sitting beside you. She didn't even move when I locked eyes with her."

Walking over to her still terrified friend Mikoto pulls her into a tight hug," Lord Take will know what's going on, let's go see him."

Walking into the dining area Thalie takes a seat at the completely empty table and leans back in her chair, waiting for whoever was in the kitchen to come out.

"Uh," Take freezes as he leaves the kitchen with a pot of fresh rice, "Thalie? Did Hephaestus need me for something?" he asks.

"Nope, this is personal," she doesn't even look at him, instead choosing to stare at the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"Well, you're welcome to stay for breakfast, is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"Mmm, do you have any eggs?" she asks.

"Of course, scrambled?" he gives her a gentle smile.

"Perfect, thank you."

Keeping his cool Take rushes back into the kitchen and leans against the wall. Taking a few deep breaths to try and compose himself once more.

Turning to the supporter who was helping him in the kitchen Take gives some simple orders, "go out the back door and have everyone come to breakfast in full armor, act natural, but be ready," he says.

'Alright, Adrestria's champion is here. That's a problem, she probably wants to kill us if Adrestria sent her...but she's also Hephaestus's adventurer, Hephaestus is one of your best friends so this might just be something friendly, can't jump to conclusions, I just need everyone to play nice,' he figures while quickly preparing some eggs for Thalie.

Sitting at the table Thalie sees three of Take's adventurers, as well as Captain Ouka, come down the hallways wearing their pajamas. At the sight of her they froze. A moment later someone calls them back down the hallway, Thalie rolls her eyes at the theatrics and leans on the table waiting for her breakfast.

Minutes later Mikoto, Chigusa, Ouka, and two other adventurers walk into the dining room wearing their purple clothes. They had pieces of eastern plate armor, what looked like metal tiles layers on top of each other on parts of their bodies. Nobody wore what would be half-plate, the girls wore about as much as Ais would in combat, Thalie rolls her eyes at their choice of combat attire as Take brings out the last of the food and her eggs.

"Thank you Take," she says politely as he sets it down in front of her. "Do you always make breakfast for everyone?" she asks.

"Only when I can beat Mikoto to the kitchen, which is rare lately," he says while standing beside her awkwardly.

"These eggs look great," her eyes move from the fluffy eggs and toast from her plate to the adventurers standing ready to draw weapons. "You're cute...well, no not really, but I'm level six and very accomplished, and you kids barely know how to hold a sword, so how about you sit down and enjoy the food before I decide to get up and sit you down," she says almost jovially.

On her orders Take decides to lead by example, not wanting his children to start anything with Thalie he sits to her right as she was sitting at the head of the table.

Ouka as the captain of the familia sits to Thalie's left and everyone simply falls into place in the other seats.

Seeing his god nervously staring at Thalie as she eats Ouka decides to speak up, "Lord Take, what's going on?" the man asks.

As Take is about to open his mouth Thalie answers for him, "he doesn't know. Just like he didn't know I was in his house until I wanted him to know. Just like none of you 'warriors' know your god is smoking again," she says.

"What?" Mikoto's attention shifts immediately to Take, "I thought you quit!"

"Uh, it's---" his awful defense is cut short by Thalie resting a pipe on the table. "How did you get that!"

"I found it, took it out from under the floorboards in your room," Thalie says as she continues eating her eggs.

His eyes go wide as he stares in horror at what she just said, "you were in my room while I was sleeping?"

"All your rooms, searched all your stuff just to see what I was working with."

"What you're working with?" Ouka asks.

"Yeah, figured if you're trained by a combat god you'd probably be something decent. All I found were a hidden pipe, ramblings about a crush on some notes," she gives a pointed look at Chigusa, "and a knife, good job on being the only useful person here Mikoto, knew I had a good feeling about you for a reason," Thalie says.

"You--if you found the knife why leave it for me to swing at you?"

"I wanted to see your form, honestly could use some work but at least you didn't freeze like some people," she gives a disapproving look toward Chigusa.

"I'm sorry but that doesn't explain why you're in our home watching my children sleep," Take says.

"Well," Thalie quickly finishes the last of her food. "Mikoto here shows the slightest promise, so I'm gonna train here. From now onward she's my student, the rest of you can go do whatever you want I don't care. I do like that you were at least ready to die with some pride this morning, none of you ran, should give yourselves a clap for that."

As all the adventurers are frozen, brains desperately trying to wrap around what she just said, Take continues asking questions.

"Did Hephaestus set this up?"

"No, this is personal. Yang thinks I need something to do between killing monsters and killing people. It was this or knitting, seems like an easy choice," Thalie says.

"What about your house arrest?"

"Oh it's still on, I'm just really good at not getting caught, and I kinda don't care if I do get caught. Remember that time I broke into your house and acted like I owned the place all morning, yeah?" she asks mockingly.

"Right, I get it. Well, this is a good offer---"

"No," Ouka says. All eyes immediately turn to him as he speaks. "Lord Take we can't associate with them, it would diminish our reputation in Orario and lower the number of Quests we get," he says.

"Really?" Thalie asks, "you'd give up once in a lifetime training over pocket change? What else is it?"

"That money would go to the shrine back home to take care of the children, but it's also a question of our honor," he says.

"Ok, you had me at children but lost me at honor, what?"

"Your team betrayed Orario, you're traitors and you killed good adventurers to do it. You destroyed an entire guild building and attacked people. We can't be associated with you," he says while surprisingly maintaining his glare at the woman. While everyone else had knots in their bellies Ouka had a will of steel to deal with Thalie.

"Just say what you really mean kid."

"You're all monsters who murder people and betray even your goddess for personal gain. We can't have any part of that!"

At his words Thalie's eyes narrow dangerously at him. Taking a breath she relaxes back into her chair and looks at all their nervous faces.

"I'm not gonna taint her with my dishonor or whatever you think that is. I only want to see if she can be a warrior like me. Yang is a level seven after adventuring for less than a year, Welf makes the best weapons in the entire world and I'm the literal Champion of War," she turns to look directly at Mikoto. "You can search the world for a hundred lifetimes and never find anyone as good as us at what we do, this is your one chance kid."

"I accept," Mikoto immediately says.

Thalie gets up from the table and begins walking away, "good girl, now finish breakfast and meet me in the courtyard."

"Alright, this will be good I'm sure," Take says. "Mikoto, learn everything you can from her, but I need to go talk to her first," he immediately rushes after Thalie.

Standing out in the courtyard on the wooden back deck Thalie looks at the square training area. Paper sliding doors on all sides lead to other areas of the familia home and small trees at the far edges of the square.

"How'd you find someone that looks just like The Far East in Orario?" she asks, hearing Take approaching behind her.

"This isn't mine. It belongs to Amaterasu, he lived here before he left Orario and took over The Far East. My shrine was under his protection and he gave me this place as a base here," he says.

"Amaterasu? Never heard of him, must have left Orario a while ago."

"Ninety years I believe, before I descended to the lower world."

"That's nice of him, now, why'd you follow me out here, you worried I'll break your doll?"

Standing beside Thalie and staring out at the courtyard, Take decides to simply be honest. "Yes, I'm terrified of you 'breaking' her. I know what Adrestria is like, I can't imagine wha---"

"Skip the sympathy and get to your point."

"Uh, right. These children weren't raised like that. Mikoto is honorable to a fault especially. I trained them to defend themselves not seek violence. Only Ouka has ever even had to kill before. I'm just asking that you be a bit more gentle than I know Adrestria to be, please," he gives a deep bow which she promptly ignores.

"Great, I've got my work cut out for me, she was raised by a peaceful god of combat," Thalie shakes her head in disappointment, "I'll try to keep her in one piece," she says before Mikoto approaches them.

"Thank you," Take says before leaving the women in the courtyard.

Walking up beside Thalie, Mikoto kneels before the woman and presents her Katana to her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm presenting my sword as your new student. For you to guide and hone my blade---"

Rolling her eyes at the theatrics Thalie, "Shut up, get up."

"Yes Master!"

"Oh my gods, you're one of those," Thalie mutters. "Look just, see that?" she points to the northeastern section of Orario's outer walls. Only a few hundred feet from where Take's home was.

"The wall?"

"Yes, meet me at that part on the top of it, that's your first test," Thalie says as she takes a step back.

"Hmm," Mikoto stares at the wall for a moment. Not long after she sees the stairs, forbidden ground unless cleared by the guild. No one is allowed at the top of the walls. "But isn't---" as she looks back for Thalie, the woman is gone. As if she vanished into thin air. "I'll have to avoid picking up her rude habits," Mikoto mutters to herself.

---30 Minutes Later...

"You took your time," Thalie says.

Mikoto gives her a blank stare as she arrives at the top of the wall. Seeing the great mountains to the North on one side of the wall, the ocean to the East where she came from on another, and at her back, the city below.

"I had to sneak past guards, how did you get here so fast Master?"

"I jumped from the floor to up here."

"That's impossible, that's two hundred feet."

"I'm level six, impossible is what happens at high levels. If you live long enough you'll experience it yourself, now show me your sword," Thalie says.

With a smirk on her face, Mikoto proudly draws her Katana and holds it out for Thalie.

Seeing the look on the girl's face Thalie can't help but ask, "why are you so happy?"

"Oh, this weapon was a gift from Lord Take, to defend my allies from the dangers of this world. He paid a lot to have it custom-made for me," Mikoto was beaming with pride.

"Right, well," Thalie takes the Katana from her hands and inspects it, "well-made trash is still trash."

Mikoto's mind stalls as she tries to understand what just happened.

"Why a Katana?"

'Uh...it's my style, what do you mean trash exactly?"

"It's a Katana, what are you thirteen?" Thalie jokes.

"What, no. I'm fifteen, what do you mean by trash?"

"Ugh, use your head little doll. What's the main purpose of a curved blade?"

"To slash."

"Good, so again why do you use a Katana?"

"Because it's my style, I feel most comfortable with it."

"Or... you grew up in The Far East, where everyone loves Katanas by tradition and the only other weapons are mainly longbows and Halberts, so it's more of a culture thing, right?"

"Well...that's possible. But how does that make it trash?"

"Ok," Thalie hands the blade back to Mikoto, "what happens if you cut someone with a Katana?"

"They die."

"How do they die?"

"Blood loss, they slow down and die."

"Exactly the problem. The fact that you don't see it's a problem is the first problem we need to fix, monsters aren't people. I'm training you to fight monsters and people, Katana's are only good against one of those things. I'm not training you to fight weak crap like goblins that you can smack around with your bare hands. No, a traditional Katana won't do jack shit against something with actual bite because you won't be able to use your death by a thousand cuts style. Katana's can pierce but curved blades are made for slashing and straight blades are made for thrusting. Stab the monster, break the crystal, fight over, get it?"

"I see, that's why you use a spear then," Mikoto says as the lightbulb in her head goes off.

"That and I'm best with it, and it's highly versatile, but yes to easily break the crystals. That's literally how we killed Balor, we didn't try to cut it, we just made a path and I broke the crystal. Try slashing away at him and you'll die."

"Then what should I use, something like that?" Mikoto gestures to the sword at Thalie's hip.

"Well," Thalie draws the longsword and hands it to the girl. A fine grey Adamantite blade, the first first-class weapon the girl has ever touched. "This is a bit above your price range, but the main thing is three inches of steel in the head or chest can kill a man. Assuming he isn't an adventurer of course then things get weird. But the deeper you go into the dungeon the fewer options you have, suddenly it becomes either have the right tool or turn back. And if you don't turn back you die."

"I see, so no slashing weapons for the serious monsters?"

"No slashing is fine if you can 'reliably' cut deep into it. In the cases where it will matter you want something that can pierce and slash, if you want to use the curved-blade style don't use a traditional Katana, use an Odachi," Thalie suggests.

"A five-foot-long Katana? Will a little extra distance make that much of a difference?"

"No, not a regular Odachi, an adventuring Odachi. A seven-foot blade, made of Adamantite so it's hard to break. The stronger monsters tend to be massive and slashing in four feet won't do it," Thalie says. "I'm preparing you for the deeper floors immediately, if you get caught off guard by the dungeon you'll die if you only take it one floor at a time and try to cruise through it. That's how most people end up dead, they don't think ahead."

"Hmm, then what about a Halbert or Naginata, those are basically spears with swords at the end," Mikoto says.

"Yeah, that can work, as long as it gives you reach. I definitely recommend anything that's a long stick with a sharp point at the end that can break the crystals."

"Does anyone on your team use slashing weapons?"

"On the surface if we can't use our main weapons or like right now Yang has a standard greatsword for us to use. Welf's sword is slashing but it uses fire a lot."

"The magic sword Mosoka, I've heard rumors about it. Most people think it's fake you know," Mikoto says.

"Trust me, it's real, so is Yang's actual weapon but that's another exception. An exception to the point that he's the only person in the world that can use it."

"What?"

"Uh, don't worry about it, now, let's talk about your armor. This whole ninja thing is pretty useless against monsters. Adventurers don't actually feel the weight of armor which most monkeys apparently don't think about, almost anyone can wear full plate and be fine..."

---Later That Night...

"Mmm, hngh," Ouka stirs awake. Feeling a blisteringly cold wind rushing against his body. Opening his eyes he could see nothing, feeling the blindfold around his eyes and gag on his mouth he immediately moved his hands, they were free. Unexpected, but so was being dragged out of bed in his sleep.

Leaning against what had to be a freezing cold stone wall he removes the blindfold and gag only to freeze in horror.

"Hey Ouka, finally awake huh," Thalie greets him.

Looking around he could easily figure out where they were, they were on top of the outer wall of Orario, two hundred feet above the ground in the freezing wind. And all he had on were shorts and a vest to sleep in.

While he leans back against the wall sitting on the floor, Thalie had her back to him, her feet dangling over the two-hundred-foot drop of the edge as she sits on the wall facing the northern mountains.

"What's this about?" Ouka leans back on the wall as she slowly tries to get up.

"Sit back down, we need to talk," Thalie says, "you ran your mouth a bit too much earlier, at breakfast."

Immediately dropping back to the floor Ouka raises his hands in surrender, "I-I'm sorry," he could barely hear himself over to the sound of his heart hammering in his ears.

"You called us monsters, and traitors, and dishonorable," Thalie turns around and drops down in front of him. Looking down at him with dead eyes, her black metal jaw sent an inhuman image into his mind making his spine shiver.

"What are you gonna do to me, you gonna kill me?" he asks, almost tripping over his words. The cold wind already making his hands and face go numb.

"No you idiot, my gods why is Take so proud of you kids. I mean," Thalie begins to pace in front of him, "Mikoto I get, she actually has a brain and some talent. But the rest of you, like that Chigusa kid, fucking useless honestly. And you, the brave Captain Ouka, with all of two levels you didn't have the smarts to, oh I don't know. Not mouth off to one of the most powerful people on the planet to her face, honestly Ouka, I didn't expect anything from you and I'm still disappointed."

"Just kill me and get it over with," he growls out.

"I won't kill you moron, use your fucking head for once. You disappear after what happened at breakfast I get pinned for it and I lose Mikoto, but I need to hurt you. I need to teach you a lesson, it's the absolute minimum," Thalie draws two daggers from her boots.

Before he could even react Ouka was pressed against the wall, hand covering his mouth while the other hand pinned both his arms over his head. With four levels separating them he didn't have a prayer.

Faces close enough to kiss if she wanted to, Ouka would normally feel many other emotions, but staring into her fanatical eyes he only feels dread and despair.

"Now, Ouka. You called us, monsters and dishonorable, but the truth is."

The sound of flesh tearing is heard as she quickly releases his hands and stabs the dagger through his arms. One long dagger through both forearms pinning him to the stone wall, all before he could even move.

His screams are silenced beneath her palm as he struggles with the pain.

"See," she made sure to turn his head so he'd look straight into her eyes. "I'm the only monster on my team. I'm trying not to be Ouka, I'm really fucking trying. That's why Yang sent me here to teach Mikoto, he thinks if I learn to take care of someone it'll help. What do you think?"

As she releases her grip on his mouth for just a moment his begging and pleading floods out, "p-please, I won't say anything please, just let me go and I'll never say anything bad against ple---" only for her hand to cover his mouth once more.

"I don't like people insulting my teammates Ouka, if I hear another bad thing about Welf, Yang, or even Hephaestus out of your mouth, I'll break your legs and leave you on top of Babel to starve or crawl off, understand?"

"Mmhmm," he struggles to signal under her grip.

"Good boy, now. Let's get the last knife in and you can go home alright."

"MMMMMMM!" his eyes immediately go wide, desperately trying to break free only for her to use the second knife to stab through his stacked palms.

"There, you insulted my friends so you got two stakes to the wall, it would have been quicker and painless if I could have killed you but I need to get my point across, now..." Thalie raises up an Elixir for him to see it, shaking it in front of his face. "One sound and this goes over the wall, got it?"

Ouka only nods in agreement before she releases his mouth. True to his word he doesn't make a sound, only observing as she stands up to look down on him with disgust.

"Good boy, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, now pull yourself out, get healed and get some rest..." Thalie says as she rolls the Elixir down the pathway before walking the opposite way to the stairs.

With searing pain in his limbs, Ouka feels the cold rapidly sapping his strength, looking up he sees the daggers have wide crossguards, he'd have to pull himself against them to get out of the wall then pass them through the other way. Looking down the pathway he sees the glass Elixir almost forty feet away.

'She really is a monster,' he thinks to himself as he grits his teeth and begins to pull his arms forward.

The first of many to experience the depths of her devotion.

For the following three weeks Thalie and Mikoto would train unbothered by anyone, especially Ouka. The beginning of a master and student relationship that would span two legendary stories.

----------YANG

"Look, I'm just saying you could attach an adventuring academy to the orphanage when you build it," Freya says. Her voice was low, not needing to speak at her usual volume as she was almost pressed against Yang's ear.

He'd been carrying her on his back for hours through the mountain road, deciding to enjoy the ground view for the last leg of their trip instead of flying on the clouds above.

"No, hell no. What part of I'm not encouraging kids to go into the dungeon don't you get?" Yang asks.

"Do you honestly think kids that grow up in Orario won't want to enter the dungeon?"

"That's not the point. I'll get them into one of the farming or supplying familias. One that doesn't enter the dungeon, like the lady with the, um, the..."

"The what," Freya growls into his ear.

"Uh, the lady with the farms, the one you buy your wine from," he says softly.

"Oh, you mean Demeter? Hmmm, you think about her?"

"Freya---"

"Demeter and her what, what were you gonna say? Hmm?"

"Let's just get to this village please," Yang pleads as they continue walking on the narrow, broken-down stone road through the mountains.

"Hmm," Freya pouts and rests her head on his shoulder, "maybe cow tits Demeter will be waiting for you there to get milked," she mumbles in his ear, not unlike a petulant child, showing her reputation as heavens number one crybaby.

Yang immediately stops walking, standing completely still in the road.

"Why'd you stop?"

"Why'd you react like that to me mentioning Demeter?" Yang asks.

"Why shouldn't I get like that when you mention another woman? I'm your wife remember."

"Girlfriend, and you have been acting weird since we got back together. What's wrong?" Yang asks as he begins walking again.

"Nothing's wrong. How am I acting weird?"

"Because you've been all but asking me to make a list of women for you to drag into our bed, I've been obviously refusing, and the only time I even come close to mentioning another woman you throw a fit and get upset, what are you playing at?"

Stopping in his tracks again Yang spots a herd of mountain goats, large enough for a child to ride and covered in wavy white hair, he can't help but smile as he sees them running through the rocky hills.

Freya waits for him to move on from the goats before she begins talking again, "I'm a goddess. I live forever, and so will you. I expect you to maybe get bored in a few hundred years and want to taste new dishes, I don't mind as long as we both agree on what we eat."

"Wait, what do you mean I'll live forever?"

"What do you think the class system is for Yang?"

"Adventurer power levels, that's why we get separated into classes, right?"

"Yes and no," she says. "The level system was made after the class system to more accurately show how many steps of ascension a mortal has taken, the classes are something we use across all worlds"

"Ok, so it's for, all mortals even without Falna?"

"Yes, it's like, a rough estimate of life span."

"Life span?"

"Humans are the baseline, the only real third-class species, you're like mud people."

"Hey, no need to be an ass about it."

"Well you are, at best you live maybe a hundred, every other species lives that as the average. Class two is more and so on. The Arcanum that controls Falna and allows the level ups lets you constantly ascend classes. And if you keep working you'll always have enough time to get the next level up and boom, effectively immortal," she says.

"Wait, if that's literally the trick to immortality, why haven't I read about some three-hundred-year-old adventurers?"

"What's are the only things that kill first-class adventurers?"

"Ahh, other first-class adventurers...and ambition. I've never read about one of them retiring, and what aside from the Zeus and Hera familias fighting the black dragon Orario hasn't lost any first-class adventurers to monsters since. Why don't more people know this?"

"Because the information is sealed while within Orario, and if Ouranos finds out someone leaked it, well. Don't let anyone know that I told you this stuff alright."

"Of course not, but what do you mean sealed, like you can't talk about it?"

"Like those walls around Orario aren't for show, they help focus Ouranos's prayers. One of his prayers doesn't let anyone speak about things that he seals. If anyone tries he immediately knows. So no talking about this."

"Yeah got it, so how long do level-sevens live?"

"Zeus's empress was level 9 and she was over a thousand years old, but she stopped trying to advance, she sat just after the door of level 9 and held the crown there. Refusing to put in the work necessary. At level ten you should become effectively immortal without needing to level up again, but you can if you want. Falna is limitless." she says.

"Mhm, but wait, I thought there was someone higher level than her, Albert Waldstein, he chased away the One-Eyed Black Dragon solo right?"

"Right, but he didn't have Falna."

"What, there's something other than Falna?"

"There was, being bonded intimately with a spirit can give you power, it gives you the equivalent of level ten benefits. The secret history said he bonded with wind spirit Aria to become the Sword Champion."

"So like, fuck a spirit get a power-up? Then should I be level one thousand by now from us being together," Yang chuckles as does Freya.

"Spirits are half breed bastards that carry the will of the god that made them, before our Arcanum was sealed we made them. Like Ignis, the spirit who gave Crozzo some of his blood to save his life."

"Ignis? That's Welf alias, so they named him after the spirit?"

"Mhm, there's one more thing, but this you have to swear not to tell anyone alright, swear it."

"I swear it, now what's the big secret."

"Well, Ignis is fire, and Crozzos have red hair...and you know a certain red-haired goddess of fire, the main goddess of fire in fact..."

Freya can almost hear the gears turning before they slam into place, "noooo."

"Yeah."

"No, that, no, that makes her like his great to the whatever generation grandma, right?"

"She didn't make Ignis like that, he was created from the primal fire of heaven in her world forge. Barely an ember placed into a mortal host to create a spirit, but she did make him," Freya says.

"Ok, that makes it better at least."

"Mhm, she's only had sex once and nothing came of it, and neither did she."

"That's unfortunate, no wonder she wants to pin Welf down so badly."

"And it's partly why she even approached Hestia in heaven in the first place. Then the little boob loli didn't make fun of her eye when she saw it and they've been attached at the hip ever since."

"Wow, god stuff is weird, but that still doesn't explain what I asked..."

'Damn it,' Freya thought, all of those facts should have had him distracted but he saw through it.

"What did you ask again?"

"If you want us to go shopping for women to bring into our bed because you think I'll stay with you and get bored somewhere down the line, why not a goddess. Is it because Demeter has bigger boobs than yours or because she's a goddess?"

"First of all," she smacks him on the head.

"Um, you know you literally can't physically hurt me right?"

"Ugh, stupid level seven stats ruining everything," she grumbled. "Whatever, nobody needs tits that big anyway. But yeah it's because she's a goddess."

"Why no goddesses?"

'Because gods can't get pregnant!' she thought, but instead, she could only give him a simple lie. "I can't have other goddesses tasting my man, I'd look weak in heaven and I can't have that."

"Yeah that makes sense, that's too bad honestly. There was this one goddess I met before you... she was just, she sure was something,mmmm."

Freya's face immediately falls from satisfied to a mix of curious and enraged.

"Who?"

"No no it's ok, she's off-limits anyway."

"What. No. Who. Tell me who?"

"Freya it's off-limits remember."

"Just tell me who it was! We can negotiate! If she keeps quiet I'll allow it just once!" she was desperate to know who could have caught his eyes, and maybe she'd pluck out theirs.

"No no, the risk is too high," Yang says with a massive grin on his face, "we can't risk you looking weak in heaven remember."

"I can take it. It's just like a one-time thing anyway. Who was it?"

"No no, and besides, look," as the round the final corner he points forward to the simple mountain village.

"Hmm, no lake?" Freya asks.

From up above they'd seen these log-cabin-style buildings at the back of a small lake, but here they saw no lake.

"Wait," Yang says, "it's behind that," he points to the stone wall running along the far side of the village, "they walled it off, but why?"

"Let's go ask, set me down," Freya says.

Walking up to the village Yang and Freya were pleasantly surprised with what they found. All the buildings were stone and well maintained, the streets were paved with cobblestone, just like Orario's, and completely clean. The citizens had light clothes on as they rushed about the square, there were men carrying logs in a rush toward the far end of the village with low murmurs and people walking over to see the commotion.

"We should probably go see what's up, right?" Yang asks.

"Hmm, that's probably where the town Headman is."

"Headman?"

"The man in charge, let's go see what's going on..."

In a river of rushing water stands a demi-human man with dog ears and a tail. Holding a log in place, water coming up to his waist, pushing with enough force to easily knock down and drown a regular civilian if they should enter.

The crowd on the bank hosting the town as well as the five men on the other bank which leads toward the summit of the mountain both know this.

This was Bron hammering in all logs they would pass down to him, their bridge had collapsed leaving the grazing spots closer to the summit inaccessible to all the goat herders of this village.

A lethal task that would need a team of men only needed Bron, he was all this village ever really needed.

Pounding in another log for the foundation of the new bridge he looks up to some of the men, "pass me another, let's get this done before it's time to tend the herds," he says.

It takes three men to safely pass the log to him, then he alone hoists it onto his shoulder and walks over to where it's needed, as he positions it to begin hammering. The men lower downstream have rope ready in case the current washes him away, the people at the banks watching with bated breathe hoping all goes well, a calm voice cuts through the tension.

"Yo, the man in the river, sir!" Bron looks up to see a young man in a blue coat waving at him, sitting with his feet dangling over the edge just above the water with the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen on his lap.

"Can you please get back young man," Bron points over to where all the other people were, a clear ten feet away from the river bank. "It's not safe, the water is dangerous."

"Yeah, I noticed, uh, why are you in it? I'm Yang by the way," he says with a gentle wave.

"Can we talk later," Bron gestures to the log in his hand, "little busy yeah."

"Well," this time Freya speaks up, "want some help?" she gestures to Yang.

"You have a Falna too?" Bron asks.

"Yeah."

As soon as the confirmation is heard the entire crowd shifts their attention over to Yang and Freya, although most of the men were already staring at her.

"Alright, can't guarantee your safety but a hand would be nice!" Bron says.

"Alright, hold onto something," Yang gives him a smirk as he rests his hand on the ground.

As Bron is confused and trying to figure out what Yang means, the ground beneath him suddenly shifts. He feel the water level at his feet dropping, no, he was rising. A bridge of super-compact stone raises out of the ground connecting both banks and bringing the adventurer to safety in one smooth motion.

Everyone is silent at the display of magic, something they'd never seen before.

"Huh, I forget you can do that sometimes," Frey says. "Why don't you use Earth Element more?"

"Eh, it's pretty useless in combat unless I want to dump a crap ton of magic, creating earth that is. Moving earth takes time, no matter how much magic I pour in I still need to wait for it to seep in so it's pretty much useless against any monsters that can challenge me," he says.

"Well, you're high enough level to just throw rocks and kill most people so never say useless."

As they're having their small chat with everyone staring Bron makes his way over, the older demi-human man was over forty, not bothered by his soaked clothes from the cold river as he approaches with a warm smile.

"Hi there, I'm Bron, the local Headman, thanks for the help there, really a lifesaver honestly, what do I owe ya?" he asks.

Standing in front of him Yang looks over at the bridge then back to the man, "it's a wedding gift, we got an invite for a wedding here in a few days and figured we'd come by."

Immediately murmurs started up in the crowd again.

"Ahh, Orario?" Bron asked.

"Yeah, you sent letters to other places?"

"Anywhere with a goddess of love or fertility, or good luck. Any romantic or good omen honestly."

"Well then it's fortunate we decided to come," Freya says. "I'm goddess Freya, the current h leading goddess of love, fertility, and beauty within Orario, this is my husband Yang Shen."

"Boyfriend," Yang extends a hand which the man gladly shakes, "but yeah she's here for the wedding stuff."

"You aren't here for the wedding?" Bron asks.

"I've got more than one interest, honestly including a menu was smart, if I didn't see Boar Roast I might not have come," Yang says with a light chuckle.

"Hahahaha, yeah, I was hoping that would work, killed them myself, my daughter's wedding after all."

"Congratulations, but can we get a moment with you," Yang nods toward the gathered crowd still excited to see a new adventurer.

"Ahh," Bron turns to the people, "you can all meet them after I give em the tour and answer some questions, they came to bless the wedding!"

The crowd immediately bursts into cheers as Bron shoos them away, eventually returning to Yang and Freya.

"Sorry about the folks," he apologizes as he walks back over to the couple. "They don't get many new people, honestly I moved here when I was twenty and I'm still the new guy of the group. So, how can I help you?"

"I heard you have a monster problem, I'm here to help," Yang says.

"Ahh, yeah. Follow me," he begins leading them toward the far side of the village, explaining as they walk, "look I used to be a pretty good adventurer myself before I moved away, not to brag but I'm level three. But I came out here to help with this and well, I fell in love and never went back, but the monsters in the lake are beyond me. Beyond anyone willing to travel two damn weeks by horse just to get this far in the mountains," he says.

"Monsters? The records said it's one monster in a cage. The cage is the lake?" Freya asks.

"Aye, it was one, but when it eats it splits into two and so on, now it's more monster than lake, call em Demon Piranha, because well...that's what they are."

"I can take care of them, so this," Yang points at the wall at the perimeter of the lake," is to keep them in and prevent people from becoming fish food?"

"Exactly, that little river is from the drain we build it---"

"And that's where you keep the scale," Yang says. "They don't get out because they need to get close to the scale and they can't do that, right?"

"Uh, right," Bron takes an uncomfortable step back, ready for action at any moment.

"Bron, please," Yang gestures for him to relax, "I'm four levels stronger than you, literally the strongest people on the planet. If I was here for a bad reason you'd know by now."

"If you take the scale, those things will get into the ocean, I can't let that happen, I'll fight even if I'll lose," Bron says.

"How'd they get here, the records were rather shy about that," Freya says.

"Uh, a dark guild came a while back and put them there. The local adventurers can't solve it so when the One-Eyed Black Dragon flew in this area dropping scales, they found one and brought it to seal the monster in. Other monsters won't go anywhere those scales are."

"Mhm, I'm aware," Yang says as he walks past Bron as if he weren't even there, putting his hand on the stone wall. "The other villages with these scales pray to them, people fight tooth and nail for beliefs especially when they're in monster-infested territory. But the only monsters in these mountains are these fish. I kill the fish and take the scale, the village rests easy and I get what I want. Win-win."

"Yeah, if you can actually clear the lake, only if we can confirm that, then I'll give you the scale."

"Deal," Yang rests a hand on the wall. With a wave of magic in a few seconds, the wall crumbles into rubble on the floor. "Right, one second."

Bron and Freya are left on the safe side as Yang walks to the shore only a few feet away. In one swift motion he pulls up a red fish with two sets of razor-filled jaws squirming in his hand.

"Yeah, Demon Piranha, very accurate. I can see more fish than lake," true to his words he could see more red than anything else on the surface, the fish didn't even have space to swim.

"Can he really do this?" Bron asks Freya as they see Yang squat down and put a hand in the water.

"I've never actually seen him really fight before, but I know he can, he's invincible," she says.

"Invincible huh, that how he got one hand?" Bron asks, earning a glare from Freya.

Before she can respond a flash of light catches their attention. Everyone who was lurking about since the wall came down now stepped forward to see, and what they saw was like a gift from the gods.

A man reaches into the lake with a ring of pure purple lightning at his back.

Power spreading from his body across the entire lake, the surface of the water danced like never before as thousands of fish are electrocuted. A body of water the size of two football fields instantly becomes lethal to everything within. And after a few seconds, it stops. And the man gets up and walks back to his woman.

"Told ya, easy, but I actually felt that on my magic," Yang admits quietly.

"Babe you gonna go diving for the crystals?" Freya asks.

"Oh, nope. In five weeks when our gear is ready we go on another expedition and put an actual dent in that debt."

"You got cleared?"

"No, I cleared me..."

As they were talking Bron and all the other villagers were standing at the edge of the lake staring in, they couldn't believe it. In a few seconds, someone ended twenty years of fear of those fish reaching the ocean.

Bron immediately rushes to get the One-Eyed Black Dragon scale and hands it to Yang.

"Thank you so much, and here you go. I'm sure it'll make a might sword or something," Bron says.

"Nope, this isn't a drop item so we can't make anything from it. I'm just gonna punch it."

"What?"

"He means he wants to test himself," Freya says, "he wants to see if he'd be able to hurt the dragon, how far he has to go."

Walking to the lake Yang pushes his magic into the ground and raises a pedestal in the middle of the lake.

Everyone immediately gives him space, enough for him to do something Freya's been waiting months for. Raising his right hand as he holds the scale in his left, he summons his Switch-Axe. An absolute monstrosity of a weapon, impossibly to wield by anyone else because of not only the magic and physical requirements, but because only Yang could anchor himself to both the ground and in the air.

Watching him walk to the pedestal Freya could only stare at the weapon, trying to make sense of it. She couldn't imagine what it really does, what all the parts do, why was there a blade at the back just above the hilt? So many questions, all answered in a moment.

Yang puts down the scale and stores his coat away safely. With both hands on the handle, his metal hand and the weapon begin to glow bright blue with his fire. A ring of fire appears on his back as his chaos mark flares to life. Like a shining god in the middle of the lake, when his power flows through the weapon the abomination transforms. From great-axe to greatsword with a burning blue blade.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" Freya shouts before he swings the weapon down.

With brilliant white light outshining everything, they're forced to cover their eyes and turn away. Freya barely manages to see the water, and what she saw took her breath away.

A power she'd heard him talk about but never seen, always in hushed whispers at night in those very rare times she'd ever bother to ask what he's capable of, the power to inspire fear in an entire world.

Staring down to avoid being blinded she saw the water boil, then it stopped bubbling. It was happening so quickly that bubbles didn't have time to properly form and burst. Instead, there was just a shimmering surface rapidly lowering, receding inward. Freya immediately runs back, far as she could beyond the wall before the light stops.

When the light stops and the villagers look toward the lake, there was a massive pillar of water vapor blocking everything.

Leaping from the bottom of the lake to the wall that was previously blocking it, Yang appears with his weapon still cooling down, the red markings slowly fading away on his now shirtless form. The boots and pants of his battlemage clothing completely burnt beyond repair and holding the dragon scale under his arm.

"Well," he stores his still glowing weapon in his inventory, "success, kinda. Look," he walks over to Freya and shows her the seemingly unharmed scale.

As he walks forward he's so excited that he doesn't even notice the villagers quickly backing away while Freya steps forward to greet him.

"But it looks the same babe."

"No no, here," he points at the edge of the scale. A small chip had formed. Placing his index finger into it he could almost fit the whole finger. "It's way stronger than I thought, Albert must have been a freak of nature on his own," Yang says.

"Well, you've still got more growing to do, now what about that?" she points behind him.

Turning around Yang finally realizes what he'd done. A smoldering, glowing red crater remained where the beautiful lake one was. "shit, I didn't notice that, fuck. Well, we're here for a few more days I can refill it. Making water on that scale takes a lot but we've got time. Sorry everyone, I'll fix the lake I promise!"

As he went to apologize to the villagers Freya could only walk forward and take a closer look at the empty lake.

'All this, was an accident?' she's left with thoughts of pride and horror. Proud of what her Odr could do, but now seeing what he was capable of on a whim, what he could do was also a terrifying thought, not to her, but to everyone else.

Freya and Yang would enjoy their trip as planned for the remaining three weeks, refilling the lake and enjoying the wedding before moving onto a secluded spot close to Melene to enjoy the warmth of the beach.

----------ELDER DRAGON EXPEDITION TEAM

On the floor fifty safe-zone of the dungeon, the last of the Valgang dragons have finally been slain. For the past twenty-three days, both Freya and Loki familia have been fighting non-stop.

They'd been tasked with waiting here for a monster that was making its way upward from floor 67. This monster carries a presence with it, the adventurers couldn't feel it yet, but they understood it all the same.

Every chamber it enters, all the monsters run away, the only way they ever seem to run is upward. This combined effort of Orario's most loyal knights has barely held out, now they were almost running on the last quarter of their supplies, and they could feel it in their bones. The final boss of this mission is coming.

A bright golden light rose up from the tunnel to the lower floors. Then the wall around the tunnel glowed red, melting. Stone becoming liquid right before their eyes.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" Finn howls at the top of his lungs. His Command Howl skill carries his orders to all points of the battlefield.

Slowly but surely, everyone, even the immovable wall, Orario's King, Ottar, was taking steps backward. Sword in hand ready to face anything, but this, thing. This was a real monster. This was not meant to be hunted, it was meant to be survived. A flood of molten gold rises up from the tunnel, then the very dungeon walls begin producing the molten metal.

And before Finn can even give the order a wave of heat that invades the floor, washing over everyone, the low level supporters immediately feel their skill burning. Looking down they could see their skin forming bubbles as their blood boiled.

"ABANDON MISSION, FULL RETREAT!" Finn says.

They don't even get to see the monster, they only feel its presence, but that was enough. That was enough for them to know death.

A single thought reigned supreme in all their hearts, from those who were fond of him such as Riveria to those who despised him such as Allen.

'We need Yang...'

END CHAPTER---

Thought of this chapter like ten hours ago instead of just doing a regular time skip. Brainstormed, Plotted, Wrote, Edited, and Uploaded in that time. If I die tomorrow you know why, my head is about to explode. Three different mini-adventures...oof.