Chapter 10: kamigami no deai
Chapter Ten: Kamigami no Deai
The time arrived quickly, for those it concerned. A Denatus called at an unusual time was something very interesting to the gods in the Lower World, as much as it was to mortals. That the father of Orario himself had announced an appearance only added to the intrigue. Fels watched as the many figures of the deities in the city gathered in the grand meeting hall from his oculus. True to the summons, every single one had come, from the greatest to the most humble; his eyeless gaze tracked Hestia when she arrived with Horus and Alfia, drawing the attention of the room. Normally, the mortal children would never be participants in a Denatus, but today was exceptional.
"Lord Ouranos, it seems that everyone has gathered; you may continue as you wish"
"Thank you, Fels" the voice of his master reverberated through the device as he saw the god make his own way into the meeting. Taking the attention of the gods from Hestia and her new children.
"Thank you all for responding to my request; as you might have guessed, we have important things to discuss, and the presence of all was required" the tall god intoned as he took his seat among the others. Even among the deities he held a certain respect, having been the first to descend, so the chatter and excitement was quelled as he began the meeting, "First are introductions; as you no doubt saw, we have two humans among us- courtesy of Hestia and her Familia- who will be with us today. Please, go ahead you two" at his word, Aedan and Alfia stood from their places beside their goddess and bowed slightly.
"Of course, Lord Ouranos. I am Aedan ail DonhUid, a new member of Hestia Familia" his brief introduction drew minimal interest from the gathering. The name seemed unremarkable, but the various gods looked on knowing that Ouranos would not call such a meeting for a normal new adventurer.
"I am Alfia Masalis, also a new member of Hestia Familia" Her words gained much greater attention as several gods began to shift and chatter uneasily. The woman had a significant past in Orario, and there were those who still remembered it well. Ganesha was perhaps one of the most uneasy, lacking all of his usual jubilance, and instead holding his masked face in stoic form as his full attention focused on the current affair.
"Good, now onto the matter at hand. Aedan and Alfia have recently returned from an extended exploration of the Dungeon's depths. Aedan, would you please give us all a summary of the circumstances and details of your quest?"
"I will" still standing, he began, "Fifteen years ago, my previous God- Zeus- was in an alliance with Goddess Hera, as many of you know. They went to confront the One-Eyed Black Dragon, the final remaining monster of the three Grand Quests, after having slain the Behemoth and the Leviathan" his start had already garnered even more worry than Alfia, but he did not pause for a moment.
"As the one who was responsible for training the adventurers who took on those challenges, I felt a deep sense of failure at their defeat by the dragon, so I planned to probe the very depths of the Dungeon as penance. I spent a long time on the lower floors, attempting to discover any secrets in the breadth of that pit, but after what I estimate were some number of years, I moved on to the deep levels, aiming to go as far as I could. After arriving on the 40th floor, I noticed devastating damage to the Dungeon. The entire floor had become an unusual hellscape, and there was a massive hole bored up through the floors above. It was then that I was joined by Alfia, who had fallen through the hole. I caught her and healed her wounds, before taking her along with me on my quest.
"We went slowly, continuing on into the bowels of the Dungeon. On the 80th floor, I found something very interesting. The entire floor was a single, massive room, its walls lined with hieroglyphic writing and artwork. I didn't have sufficient material with me, so I don't have records of all of the writing, but I did mentally translate a portion of what I found" Loki was short of having a stroke as the man talked.
'How the hell could I have predicted this!? Floor 80, hieroglyphs in the freakin' Dungeon, and a human -of all races- who can read them!?'
"Through some of the writing, I learned that floor 80 had been the birthplace of the Behemoth. Continuing to floor 90 proved to be the same for the Leviathan, a giant ocean taking up two floors held the nest of the Sea King. Floor 100- as you can guess- showed to be the lair of the Black Dragon itself. However, that wasn't all.
"At the end of the 100th floor, there was a massive doorway, it's make similar to orichalcum, but darker in color and tougher; I was unable to force my way through it, or around it through the walls of the room. This, combined with some of the hieroglyphs, gave me a clearer picture. Before I continue to that though, I must also divulge that the writings led to my discovering something else: the Treaty of Orario" he couldn't go further as the room exploded with shouting and exclamations, many deities aiming denials and accusations at the man before his patience ran low, "Enough!"
The audacity of a mortal commanding them was enough to restore order to the chamber.
"I learned of Gaia, the Treaty of Orario, and the Promised Time. It was only then that I understood Zeus and Hera's obsession with completing the Grand Quests. I did not come to judge or denounce any of you here for any part in any of that, nor in the expulsion of Zeus and Hera after their failure"
"We had to, kiddo! After Zeus and Hera lost, the city lost its stability; it took us ages to bring back order and it was only thanks to the current strongest familia that we were able to pull it off!"
"Peace, I understand that" he held up his hands, "As I said, I have no intentions of passing judgement; that is not my place" the way the man said those innocuous words pulled a sharp chill down the spines of even the deities listening to him.
"Rather, I came only to inform you, as it seems Lord Ouranos has intuited, of the situation as I see it. The Dragon is currently resting as a result of its battle with Zeus and Hera Familia. From what I know, it was not crippled in that fight as it was by the Sword Hero, Albert Waldstein, but was damaged enough to need rest. Given my estimations, I would say that twenty years from that battle, it will begin to stir once again, and return to its terrorizing of our world as happened before Zeus and Hera's attempt. If we allow its full recovery, it may lead to the Promised Time"
"We already know that child" Hephaestus said with a good deal of uncharacteristic, remorseful sadness, "But there is little for us to do; if the dragon does bring about the Promised Time, then it will be the end of our age"
"It is not inevitable" his declaration shocked the gods, "As I said, there was more to the inscriptions in the Dungeon. For one, we can delay the Promised Time by slaying the remaining Harbingers, even if the dragon reawakens. Further, we have a chance to marshal the strength the slay the beast, as well"
This time Freya spoke, "How do you plan to do that, child? Zeus and Hera- much as it pains me to admit it- held no equals in choosing and training adventurer talent. At their peak, they commanded such power that the world has not seen it since. The greatest strength we have is my Ottar, Orario's sole level 7; there is only one other on his level in the world now, too"
"I would ask that as well, Horus" Ouranos probed, "Do you truly think that we can gain the strength necessary in so little time? By your own estimate, we have barely five years, if that"
For a moment, he looked back at Hestia, who reluctantly nodded after a moment, which he smiled at, "Lord Ouranos, Lady Freya, you are both aware of my past as a trainer of adventurers, yes?"
"Of course"
"You have done me excellent service in training Ottar when he was beginning, as well as Hedin and Hogni, I do thank you for that"
"You are most welcome, Goddess; however, only Ouranos knows the extent of my history" the old god actually widened his eyes in surprise as Horus continued on to spill the beans, "I am old, very old. I have walked the Lower World longer than most of you gods have been down here"
"Pfft, well yeah, some of us have guessed you were pretty old for a human, but aren't ya stretchin' things a bit there?" Loki laughed out loud. She knew he had been alive longer than she had been descended, but there were gods that had been in Orario for hundreds of years.
"Goddess Loki, I am actually over 680 years old; before Zeus, I was in Osiris Familia, prior to Zeus and Hera challenging his alliance with lords Set and Sobek to secure their top position in Orario" shocked silence followed once more, so he continued, "My elderly status aside, I ask that you humor me in my plan to slay the dragon"
"Go on, Horus" Ouranos ushered him.
"First, know that there is at least one level 8 and one level 10 currently in the world as we speak: Alfia and myself; furthermore, I was able to sense that Ottar was ready to surpass himself and reach level 8 at any time now. I also suspect that this other level 7 in the world is either the same, or already has reached that level and is keeping it secret. Goddess Loki, I also sensed that young Finn, Gareth, and Riveria were suitably able to level up, too. That would make three level 7's with considerable experience.
"If we say we have five years, I believe we can push our strength at least a level past where it is, and give everyone enough time to both acclimate to their new power and grow in it. This can be done while we slay the remaining Harbingers, which will be boons of excellia in their own right. All of this leads to our preparation, but there is more to be done. We should gather- as much as we are able- the Divine Artefacts. These should not be used, save for a last resort against the Dragon, if it proves to remain a challenge beyond our efforts; still, it is worth finding them to have the option. Before you object" he raised a hand, noticing many gods' reactions to his statement, "Know that I have already found a few of them; we cannot simply go back on using them now. The way is shut" they were obviously displeased by this, but he continued regardless.
"As I said, they ought to be a last resort, nonetheless. Before I would consider using them, I would first suggest Orario merge its strength with other powers in the world before attempting to conquer the Dragon. With the right incentives and guidance, Rakia, Telskyura, Altena, the Far East, and the Empire will make powerful allies in the battle, not to mention Odin and Frigg Familia, who guard the way into the Dragon Valley" the suggestion at making an alliance with gods outside of Orario sat poorly with the assembly, who pictured themselves above the other gods out in the world who didn't have direct access to the Dungeon City as they did. Noticing this, he narrowed his eyes, "Swallow your pride, or it will lead to the fall of us all. The peril we now face puts all of the children of the Lower World at risk, not just your own existence here"
Numerous gods went red-faced in anger as one shouted him down, "Watch your mouth, brat! We still haven't even decided what we will do, and you can't tell us~" they went quiet as he allowed the full presence of his power as a blessed mortal fill the room. Silence reigned once more as the deities felt a power similar to a Great Spirit occupy the space.
"Make no mistake as well, that should any of you seek to sabotage this quest to slay the One-Eyed Black Dragon, I will personally send you back to Heaven"
"Y-you insolent child! You would dare threaten such a taboo on us; do you truly think such threats will convince any of us? Now you have jeopardized your existence in eternity for nothing! Would you rather be doomed to reincarnation for 10,000 years?" a goddess had taken up the mantle in yelling at him, and his gaze bored into her.
"I care not. I have long since entrusted the faith of my soul to the most high God; you may take your grievances to him" that made the goddess flop boneless back into her seat, her and many others had pale faces as another bombshell was dropped on them, "Please understand, that I am not trying to strong-arm you all into assisting in this mission. As you have said, you will decide what is to be done for yourselves. I only ask to be free from being hampered in this quest, even if I have to undertake it alone. Because of the failure of Zeus and Hera Familia, it falls to me to try and complete the unfinished work, but I am sure that without great help, I will surely fail. So I am not telling you, I am asking you" he bowed deeply at the waist, "please consider this; if the dragon is slain, a true golden age may be brought to reign in the Lower World, and I believe the doorway on the 100th floor of the Dungeon will open and reveal even more secrets beyond"
"Hm… we have heard your testimony, Horus. There you all have it, an exploration to the current limit of the Dungeon as we know it, and a plea to complete the three Grand Quests" Ouranos mused, "what say you all? We shall deliberate before deciding on such an important issue"
"Questions, we must ask questions!" Dian Cecht exclaimed, "You can't expect us to just go on with all of that and not have some things to ask"
"Quite so, then ask away" Ouranos waved a hand, trying to get the meeting to move along. Dian Cecht, having brought it up, asked a question first.
"Unbelievable as it is, I can tell you are not lying about your long life, but how is it that we have remained unaware of this, and your ridiculous level?"
"After I joined Zeus, he and Ouranos agreed to my condition that my identity be kept relatively suppressed. I had no desire for glory nor recognition, only to serve in the aims of what Orario needed after my Lord Osiris left. That includes my level, which was actually 9 until I transferred to Lady Hestia's Familia"
"That still makes you the strongest adventurer in the world, perhaps in history, and you think you don't stand a chance against the Black Dragon?" Miach asked after his rival.
"No, I don't. We should not think of the beast as an extremely powerful floor boss. Rather, imagine the dragon as a creature with the strength fit to be called King of the Monsters, but the keen mind to overcome the intellect of any human, elf, dwarf, pallum, and so on. It is terribly intelligent, able to wield magic, and speak numerous languages. In every sense, it makes all of the other dragons of the Dungeon look like feeble hatchlings"
"The Artefacts, you said you found some; may I ask which ones?" Demeter inquired in her gentle voice.
"Of course, goddess: Rauðskinna, Dyrnwyn, and Talos have been found, and I am aware of the existence of at least ten more, including Excalibur, Gungnir, Tyrfing, Aegis, the Cloud-Stepping Boots, the Coat of Many Colors, Chrysaor, the Mace of Bhīma, Tonbokiri, and Pandora's Box. I am aware that there are surely numerous more, even though I don't know the locations of them. Pandora's Box- in particular- I would actually like to avoid collecting to use. I just don't think we will have one among us who it will respond to"
"Yet you feel differently about the others? You do not worry they may be misused or bring misfortune?" a regal looking male god asked.
"I feel that- as a final resort- they may be of service if in the right hands. If we were to use them, I would hope that we would have numerous items equipped among all of those who would challenge the Dragon"
"This is not unprecedented" Ouranos spoke, gathering the attention of the room, "Yes, recently a mortal was able to wield a Divine Artefact in order to slay one of the Harbingers which had absorbed the power of a deity within itself, threatening the existence of the very world"
In his observation room, Fels nearly reeled in shock, he hadn't expected Ouranos to reveal this information. He wasn't alone, either, in the meeting hall, Hermes started to sweat as the other god continued, "I'm sure you all remember the recent trouble we experienced some nights ago, when Arcanum was released, triggering panic from the Dungeon despite my best efforts. This was due to Antares consuming Artemis and wielding her Divine Power. However, an adventurer of Orario was able to stop the threat using her spear, the Arrow of Artemis"
"This is quite the revelation, Ouranos. Might I ask who the child is that accomplished such a feat?" Freya asked innocently, though she suspected the answer already, having taken note of Hermes squirming in his seat.
"Bell Cranel was responsible for killing Antares, and in doing so freeing Artemis from it, as well as the rest of the world from the Dungeon's wrath" despite phrasing it as well as he could, there were still murmurs that Ouranos was hoping to avoid for the boy who had done much to help him and the world.
"Wait… does that mean he killed Artemis, too?"
"Well, how else could he have done it? Can't have killed Antares without killing her, too, if she was absorbed by it"
"Poor kid, having to make a choice like that"
"The hell you mean!? He killed a goddess, the taboo; it doesn't matter what the situation was"
"Have a heart, will ya? He's a good boy, wouldn't of done it if he had any other option"
"Ahem" Horus cleared his throat loudly, regaining the focus of the audience, though he noted the achievement that his new captain had done, "Regardless, if Bell Cranel did indeed use an Artefact to kill Antares, then you can clearly see that he has not since gone mad with the power of that weapon. I do not know if he has even used it since, honestly. In the right hands, those tools may be of use to us, but as a last resort, as I have stated. It would be good to note that when the time comes to confront the Dragon, the group that does so should not leave with any members less than level 5. Not only will the lower level adventurers need to remain behind to keep the Dungeon at bay, but the possibility of failure remains, and the mortal world cannot lose all of its strength in one fell swoop. That means a party of solely first-class adventurers, drawn not only from multiple familia, but other powers and states across the world, supplemented with the best equipment, strategies, tactics, magics, and all such preparations that can be made.
"That is all I have to say for your consideration, if you have no more questions?"
A bit of whispering and murmuring broke out again, before Loki kicked up her feet on the table, groaning.
"Ah, whatever, let's just vote already. Personally, I'm fine to just relay the gist of it to my children and let them choose what they wanna do; that's how I always handle things"
"I agree with Loki" Freya spoke next, "As Horus has mentioned, this isn't just about our existence in Gekai, but the future of life as they know it for the children of the Lower World. It's only fitting they choose what path they will take to meet the future"
"I am Ganesha, and I also agree! However" the God of the masses had jumped up onto the table, striking a dramatic pose, "we must encourage our children in whatever they choose, as well as reassure the citizens to maintain peace and order. We must be careful how we go about this, and keep most of this information secret, or at least as much as possible"
"Well said" Horus smiled at the muscular god, "ignorance is bliss oftentimes for us; let the citizens of the world remain mostly unware, and should we be successful in slaying the Dragon, we can rejoice in the grandest celebration of the millennia!" he cheered, firing up the fickle deities to follow his example as the cheered loudly. Ouranos held in a sigh of exasperation, but was thankful with how things turned out.
'So it begins'
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