Chapter 22: Goliath room
Chapter Twenty-Two: Oitsuku
Loki sat in the office, hands held together as she contemplated what Finn had told her, Tione standing to the side of the two. After a moment, she sighed, dropping her head in a sagging shrug, "I suppose we can't really complain about this… we might not've caused Zeus and the bitch to fail their mission, but we did get 'em outta Orario so we could put ourselves at the top, and get the people to chill out. Makes it our problem if the Black Dragon becomes an issue, right Finn?"
"From one perspective that might be true" Finn scrunched his brow, "It could be said that it is our responsibility as the strongest, regardless of our past, to act against such a threat. The problem is that we can know that- for the moment- the challenge is far beyond us; confronting it would be the wrong decision for now"
"You said that wasn't his plan, though? He wants to get everyone to become stronger, and collect help from the whole world; it sounds like he has an idea of a plan based on some lessons from the failure before"
"That's right, but he hasn't explained the extent of it; he won't until he has all of the strength he can get here in Orario, which may take quite a bit of time yet"
"In any case, do you want to take advantage of the offer? The future will be unavoidable if the dragon is involved, anyway; if ya think this is the best way to get stronger, my advice is to take it" Loki smile, her captain- as usual- having arrived at the answer he needed to find for himself.
After the return of the familia of Loki and Hestia, both took time away from the Dungeon to rest from their endeavors, each having pushed hard to grow. Bell took the time to work with Welf in the forge, walk about the city, visit the orphanage with Syr, look at the books with Lili, and train with Ryu and the lower level members of the Familia. He had quickly become familiar and close with the hastily expanded familia, and continued to try to understand his allies. Maybe the most mysterious of them was Alfia, who rarely spoke beyond training, and seemed to be happy to simply observe them… perhaps she was specifically looking after him, but her gaze was different from the one he had felt for months since first coming to Orario.
Aedan was simpler to understand than her, but there was more to him to know. Bell, while playing cards with some of the girls, resolved to spend some time with each of the older adventurers to further improve their relationships.
At the time, Aedan had excused himself for business; the man had gone about the town, first visiting the old district that had been destroyed in Orario's so-called Dark Age. It was unsurprising, but much of the area had become almost like a semi-rural slum: sparsely populated, and only by the poor at that. In fact, the only ones he encountered there were a small band of four children, none possibly older than eleven or so.
Amazingly, they had the sheer temerity to threaten to mug him, even with his power restrained, it was quite brave. He decided to buy food for the lot of them, rushing as fast as he could without causing damage, he bought a heap of foodstuffs before running back. They were shocked at his action, mostly scared that he was revealed to be an adventurer, but thankfully they accepted the food. He observed that they lived in what appeared to be the destroyed ruins of an old church before moving on.
'Now that I think of it, isn't that where Meteria spent a lot of her time? Hmmm…'
He made a note to himself about the place before he decided to leave the children some privacy for the time being.
Continuing on, he took in the scope of the decay, wondering how Orario hadn't filled out enough in fifteen years to overtake this area with new development, 'Surely everyone hasn't been confined to the existing areas of the city… makes me wonder just how many powerful adventurers are even here in Orario after all' leaving the area, he passed Saint Fulland's Cathedral, noting it was still in good repair at least.
He continued about Orario, simply observing as he went. After coming close to the wall, he decided to go to the top, and run around it as he took in the city from the vantage with his sharp eyes. Once he had run nearly halfway around, he stopped, noting with wide eyes that the Entertainment district had also been reduced to shambles.
'Nobody mentioned this… what the hell happened? I wonder if the Ishtar Familia and other whores are still doing their work; if not, there are surely a lot of unstable emotions building up in the male population, especially the adventurers. Most of us don't settle down with wives, after all…'
He had come to know many things in his long life, and but one of those was the precarious relationship between the sexes. While it was true that the falna helped to stabilize it- as the blessing was a form of minor divinity- it didn't rectify the fact that men had an outbound nature of vigorous energy, while women had an inward nature of contained control. What this boiled down to for adventurers was extreme stress from risking their life on a daily basis leading to high sexual tension, and only problems could abound if the female population couldn't or wouldn't contain that energy, hence the near necessity of the Pleasure District.
'Well, either that or Orario could suddenly become a family-focused city with a high marriage rate and non-existent separation rate; bloody unlikely that. I can't remember a city in 600 years that managed to move toward a family-based society; that's always been the domain of the countryside'
His trip continued.
Seeing a familiar sight shortly after moving on, he jumped down from the wall, landing lightly and moving toward the large area of monuments, crypts, and headstones: the Adventurer Graveyard. He was never one to leave flowers, but since he was here, he would pay his respects to the many people he had known that rested here. Methodically, he went through the aisles as his foggy memory was pricked by the names written on the slabs; he felt niggling pain when he saw some monuments that he remembered, but the names faded away; passing more than two hours visiting well over four hundred tombs, he left the hallowed ground solemnly.
Detouring through Daedalus Street, he took note of the relatively squalid conditions, but despite their distrust of him, the people didn't seem particularly unhappy. At the end of his trip, he went to the Guild building on the other side of the city and requested an audience with Ouranos, which the Guild head granted.
"Haroeris, to what end are you visiting today?" the old deity greeted when he arrived to the Hall of Prayers. The man bowed his head.
"I actually wished to speak with Fels for a time, if you would permit it, Lord Ouranos"
"Hm, I see no reason to deny that, so long as he doesn't mind" a cloaked figure stepped forward, materializing from the shadows.
"Of course not, sir, I would enjoy a chat after so long"
The pair went to an alcove to not disturb the god in his work while they spoke, "Thanks you Fels, but I must tell you that I am also after some specifics today, though I would also enjoy more casual talk"
"Is that so? Let us get the serious matters gone through first, then; what did you want to discuss?"
"I've spent the day walking about the city Fels; I have heard from some of my Familia since coming back, and as well I have gotten enough clues that some troubles have happened in the world in my absence, and Orario specifically. Would you fill me in?"
There was a pause before the skeleton responded, "I'm surprised… this is the first time you have shown such interest, even long before Zeus and Hera left; can I ask after the reason?"
"… My goals require it, but it goes further than that. For so long… I've had no cares in the world beyond hunting monsters in the Dungeon and aimlessly getting stronger. I realized after running into Alfia that I couldn't continue like that, and it made me think that Zeus took me in to help me. Not as an adventurer, but as a person. He probably had me take up the role of a trainer to help more, maybe to get me interacting with others more, but I kept myself distant.
"Now though… in such a short time, I've been pulled into a world I haven't known for centuries. I have a family now, and I actually recognize it, unlike when I was with Zeus. It makes me regret the past keenly… I don't want to repeat it; I must do what I can to make the future safe as can be. To do that, I need know what has been happening around me while I've been ignoring the world"
"You've thought hard about this"
"Like I said, it started when I met Alfia again in the Dungeon… since joining Bell and Hestia, I've truly started to understand it"
"It sounds like your new Familia has really grown on you then; I can understand that. Even to me, they are ones that I would call friends without hesitation"
Aedan smiled softly, "They are special… motivated in a way that the great names of the past were, and as loyal as they come. You and Ouranos could have pointed us toward no better familia to join, and you have my thanks for that, as well as whatever else you could ask of me. I only ask that you tell me: what is the state of this world, and how did it get here? I can tell that the peace Zeus and Hera established is no longer present. There is a façade of peace, but it's unsettled, not held up by absolute authority, but capricious power. I could almost taste the decay of the city walking around before I came here"
"You are aware from Alfia of Evilus, and their work prior to her fall in the Dungeon?"
"I am, and of Sekhmet's doings in the world, to an extent, thanks to some of our new members. I have known of her evil since my days with Osiris, but if you can tell me more, I would hear it"
"You wish me to speak specifically of the evil and chaos in the world, but what else?"
"That is my primary concern… actually, anything that can aid in my goal, I would like to know. The locations of the Harbingers, Holy Relics, anything you know"
"Hmmm… I will start with the issue of evil, then, from the Evils involvement in Orario after their failure with Erebus, Zald, and Alfia…"
"…" Fels finished telling the story of the Evilus organization as he knew it, and had described the state of the world in its precariousness. The elves' isolation was unchanged, but the Abandoned World was unknown to the man completely. He had turned grim at knowing the state of Telskyura and Rakia, while frowning at his mentions of the Empire and the Far East. He continued to describe issues known to him among the various smaller states and regions in the world, and finished describing the last news he had from the Dragon Valley. All said, the world was in a somewhat stable equilibrium. Any event could spark conflict, and "lesser" disasters were spread across the breadth of civilization; that said, the impact of Aedan returning and being announced as a level 7 had begun to ripple within the sources Fels had access to, seemingly worsening the stability of the world even further, "I wonder if I shouldn't have simply returned after rescuing Alfia those years ago…"
"You are here now, my friend; what will you do with it?"
Fels felt chills run down his bare spine at the steeled look Aedan gave him, "What I ought do now. The Evilus are but remnants or memories in Orario, after Ryu's rampage… but they may yet be active in the world, especially if Sekhmet is a patron or member. If I am to act with Ouranos' blessings, we must first ensure Orario's safety, which will be accomplished if I achieve the alliance I seek; I am already well on the way to that, so for beyond that point… I must ask what you and Lord Ouranos know of the Xenos"
Surprise made the immortal man stiffen for a moment, before he sighed, "The others of Hestia Familia informed you, then?"
"During our map quest, we found what they thought might have been a 'hidden village'. The part of frontier was barren, but he mentioned that it could serve them in the future; needless to say, Bell told Alfia and I about the Xenos before we ventured there, so that we wouldn't attack them"
"Good, it seems Bell continues to show why he is more than worthy of keeping that secret" Fels nodded in satisfaction, "To answer you, the Xenos began to appear shortly before the battle with the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Intelligent monsters, little different from the other mortal races, they are hunted by adventurer and monster alike, with no home beyond the pockets of Frontier within the Dungeon"
"They are truly allies?"
"In exchange for supplies through Ouranos and myself, they aid us by eliminating irregulars when we are unable to dispatch adventurers to do so; they also help with more sensitive tasks, such as investigating the man-made labyrinth: Knossos"
Aedan chuckled a bit to himself, "It's almost like they are extensions of the Ouranos Familia"
"In a way, that isn't inaccurate… Over the years, they have become more and more common. Their primary objective is collecting their brethren before they can become problematic for adventurers"
"I see… as irregulars, they would be particularly powerful"
"Indeed, and similarly to other irregulars and adventurers, they can grow stronger with time, though by consuming magic stones like other irregulars instead of gaining excellia as adventurers do"
"In other words, they would be the perfect ally to free up the adventurers of Orario to journey out and confront the Dragon?"
"Perhaps, if not for the public image of it; tamed monsters have become acceptable to the public- which is a small miracle after the Dark Age when they were used against the city- but that is a far cry from allowing the Xenos to act with autonomy as monster-adventurers; ah, I should mention though, since you now know about them, that I was actually able to finally get that useless magic to work, and it was one of the Xenos that I used it on"
Aedan smiled in surprise, "Now that's a shock, but excellent news. That magic existed for a reason, but even I was beginning to lose faith that its utility would never show itself; still, I didn't think it would be so easy to turn the Xenos to our advantage, but it leaves me something to chew on; beyond them, I will turn my attention abroad…
"Rakia is first; if we can bring Ares and their ruler into the fold, a good deal can be avoided quickly, even though they wouldn't pose much of a challenge for most on our account. Making them allies will take pressure away from the surrounding areas potentially under their threat; the issue is that doing so will earn the ire of the elves. Still, we would have it regardless. I think I will have to deal with that myself; hopefully Riveria can aid me in pacifying them, if it comes to that"
"There are many who would follow if she simply asked, though if she were to take the crown for true, you would have your alliance with no doubt"
"Easier said than done; even if she wished to, her father would have to officially designate her, and I doubt he will unless she marries a suitor he approves of"
"Moving on then"
"Right… from there, we recruit strength from Telskyura. If possible, I would also like to investigate this 'Abandoned World' at that time. Then we move forward to the Far East, and then Altena, and the free lands before the Empire. I feel like a show of force will be inevitable there, though I wish to avoid it… Once we have secured what help we can there, we come back to the continent and go to the entrance to the Dragon Valley, which will be our last source to find allies.
"Once we are all together, we will train as hard as possible, exploiting the Dungeon and confronting the Harbingers to earn as much excellia as possible. We will grow as strong as feasible as quickly as we can, then make haste to face the dragon; we are on a limit of time, and have been since the beast was created. We have no choice but to become powerful enough to lay it low, and tackle the challenge that awaits us head-on"
"Hm? Did the hieroglyphs down below mention the final challenge?"
"Yes, but you've already guessed it, I'm sure; a Black Gate holding back untold masses of demons more powerful than all the monsters in the Dungeon… naturally the end of that would be a Demon King"
"Demons… the Dungeon continues to unfurl more mysteries. I would like you to fully document the hieroglyphs for me, if you could. A second pair of eyes analyzing the text would be helpful, I'm sure"
"I can do that. I already planned a single trip to the bottom of the Dungeon after I had everyone in Orario on our side in the matter, as well as our potential allies abroad. Going to the 100th floor will be an experience all of the first-class adventurers will need to grow, and they need it to understand"
"Indeed; in this case, I shall give you the only piece of advice I can think of: don't allow yourself to be close-minded in your search for strength and allies. Trust your new Familia, Haroeris"
"I will"
Not long after they had fully rested, Hestia Familia received a notice that they had been approved to move forward with their mapping assignment, and would need to take a group of three Guild employees through the mapped areas to prove the authenticity of their work. Despite being a bit annoyed by all of the recent level-up paperwork from the Hestia Familia, Rose, Eina, and Misha were still ready to move out with them. Being that Guild members were going into the Dungeon, nothing less than the Familia's full strength was acceptable, so the three women were surrounded by a large group of high level and above adventurers, including four first-class members.
This calmed their anxiety tremendously, and allowed them to work serenely with Lili as they advanced. The work went quickly, despite the nature of it, and they made their way down to the middle floors in good time, where they took a break before pushing on. The last leg stretched on, but eventually they made it to the Goliath room, at which point the mission was complete.
"Well, I can't believe we did it all in a day, but I can say that this work is perfectly truthful and good quality to boot, Ms. Arde. We can submit this to the final stage of approval, and after that you shall be notified and given your reward" Rose spoke to the pallum as they rested on the seventeenth floor. The pair were approached by Aedan, who nodded when they acknowledged him.
"I have prior arrangements now that the mission is complete, so I'll be heading on down deeper, Ms. Fannett"
Rose curled her lips in a slight frown; losing one of the first-class members for the return journey was a risk, but she didn't feel like she could object, since nobody but the newest Familia members had needed to do anything to keep the monsters away from them, "Very well, now that the work is finished, we can go straight back anyway" he smiled at her.
"Thank you; my captain will keep you three safe the whole way" he nodded again before continuing on into the Goliath room. Having rested themselves, the rest quickly pulled together and headed back up to the surface.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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