บท 28: 59th Floor
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Telskyura Ikō
Traveling at a blistering pace, Haroeris made his way to the border of Rakia, planning to take the way by the mountains south along the River Nile; Hermes had slipped him the information that Osiris had long since established a city that was little-known in the lower world near where the river emptied into the sea: Nefer Per Ankh. He wouldn't be able to stay long, but not knowing if he would have another chance to see his old god, Aedan wanted to at least spare a moment at the start of his journey to afford that much.
Pushing his status to the limit left strong footfalls and gales in his wake, but he paid enough mind to his dash to not injure others. The trip took little more than a handful of hours, bringing him into a cradle of civilization. He slowed as he passed greater concentrations of hamlets and villages, spreading away from the river with their irrigation ditches and canals, and as he approached the city, he couldn't help but marvel at it. Simpler in design than Orario, but much neater and organized in its layout, it was grander to his mind than the eclectic, ostentatious, and chaotic center of the world.
Multi-level stone structures, with houses, apartments, and shops mixed together, with opulent dwelling among humble ones, greenery abounding in every corner and down each colonnade; the people were quite varied, though he noticed far fewer elves than Orario. Unsurprising, given the lack of forest near them. Despite the mix of different races, it appeared that the whole people were more or less conglomerate in their culture, dressing and wearing much the same clothing and accessories, with similar styles of grooming and even use of cosmetics among many of both sexes. He- standing out like a sore thumb in his light armor and cloak- marched unbothered as he took it all in, attracted gazes without a care as he went.
It was large, but not as much as Orario, or even likely the capital of Rakia: Valua. Still, Nefer Per Ankh was densely populated, and from the high ground he ascended toward the obvious palatial grounds, he could see the massive wharf and docks which no doubt held the heart of the cities trading resources. Smiling at the achievement of his former god, he continued on up to the palace, greeting the guards amicably. Not sure what to expect, to offered his former title, and was surprised to see their eyes nearly bug out of their skulls.
"S-Sir Horus, you say!? P-please come right this way, my lord! Lord Osiris and Lady Isis would be overjoyed to receive you"
Walked right to a comfortable hall with only a moderately high ceiling, he waited not long before the very figure he came to see stepped around the entryway, a smile stretched across his tanned face. The god he had not seen for hundreds of years opened his arms like a long lost friend, "Horus, my boy! It is so good to see you again" In an instant, he returned the hug fiercely, making sure only to not harm Osiris.
"Athair urramach" he said, closing his eyes with a smile.
"Habibi ibn wilād Horus" the god patted his back firmly.
"My lord… I have so many things I wish to tell you, but little time to do so; would you permit me to speak as much as I'm able before I need to resume my quest?"
"Of course, my boy; I am away of some things that have happened up until… the past decade or so- I believe- in Orario, and with Zeus and Hera. Tell me what you can, and depart as you must; we will speak again later, but then for as long as we wish to"
Getting into the country of Telskyura had been… interesting. He could actually remember when Kali had formed her Familia and declared the country of Amazons; it had been shortly after he joined Zeus. Now having come for the first time, leaving Nefer Per Ankh and coming straight to the peninsula, it was almost cute to see a group of level 2's outside of Orario demanding to know what his business was in their country as a man. His honest answer must have interested them enough, because after a bit of time and paperwork, they let him through easily enough, so that he could, "Seek out strong allies for a dangerous quest" as he had put it. Allowing his senses to lead him- and keeping them from misleading him, in some cases- it was easy enough to quickly find his way to where he wanted. Telskyura wasn't a large country, and it wasn't surprising to him that the greatest power he could feel in the land came from where Kali seemed to have made her home. Likely the best of her Familia lived with her, and it was as good a place to start as any.
"Did that… really just happen?" Shakti asked the collected group as they processed the man who had called them all here leaving quite quickly once things were "decided", "We didn't even agree to his assignments!"
"Nah, we'll do it" Gareth huffed, though the strain in his face and sweat gathering at his hairline gave away his nerves.
Ottar hummed, "If anything, this much is lenient; perhaps since he won't be here with us for now; enjoy the easy-going while it lasts" his warning earned incredulous looks, but only from those unfamiliar with their trainer.
"How can he expect us to drop everything and follow that plan?" Ilta Farna, Shakti's second, grumbled.
"Because it is what is required of us, now; no doubt, he has already informed Lord Ouranos, and arrangements are likely being made to allow this as we speak" Finn bit down on his thumb gently, "We should make our own preparations now, and depart as soon as we can"
"For now, we can load many supplies into these satchels, then sort them out once we make camp, and then use them for collecting Dungeon loot" Riveria surmised.
"Let's work out some details, then" Bell said, and they got to work as Mia stole a glance at the paper she had been left in her pocket. After she did, she finally relaxed a bit, and listened to the hum in the room as she collected her thoughts.
In the end, they left in quick succession after gathering what they needed. Bell had been left a map of the 50th floor to the 65th, and allowed Finn, Ottar, Rivera, and Gareth to make a copy for themselves before they departed. Then he left along with the other first-class group so that he could be introduced to the way to the Dragon's Vase, a region beyond where he had delved to that point. After he left, Hestia Familia and the remaining second-class adventurers- led by Falgar and Aisha- went below to attend to their duties.
As they went, Bell's mind went to the rest of what he had been left in his own packet.
"Bell,
Now that things are going to start getting more chaotic soon, I wanted to include this in writing for your eyes alone. There is another group I wish to enlist for aid, though exclusively for helping to keep Orario safe, that more of our number might be allowed to leave by Ouranos: the Xenos that you mentioned previously. If you can, contact them and broach the idea; if they seem agreeable to it, then we will meet them together, likely with Fels to represent Ouranos there. They will be a great help to us if they choose to.
I also have an additional stipulation for you, Bell; by the time I return- hopefully in six months or less- I want all of your stats to be over S rank. If you don't before I make it back, you should be ready to level-up when I do, or at least attempt a feat to do so. Tell the rest of Hestia Familia not to level unless they max their stats; they are at the point that they have more or less caught up, as it were. When they all advance to level three and become second-class, there will be no more shortcuts, for their own good.
I wish you all the best, captain, and I will see you soon"
His letter had been accompanied by a log of notes about what the man had thought relevant about his tasks, information about Zeus Familia that could help him, and the importance of accepting this new alliance of theirs as an extension of the Familia.
For her part, Alfia has also been busy. Every stash of vallis that had been planted away by any means from Zeus and Hera had been plundered, and all the information caches she could find likewise, so. The data was compiled as best she could with it being incomplete, and the vallis safely stored, fit for use once they completed their training. Beyond that, she simply waited, knowing that it was her role to direct any allies that came marching up to Hearthfire Manor to where they would be needed, and she didn't expect it to take long before they started to show up, either.
True to her expectations, just ten days after leaving, a large party of Amazons- accompanied by none other than goddess Kali herself- made their arrival at the manor.
'So noisy…'
"Welcome, what can I do for you?"
A pair of them stepped forward, clearly stronger than the rest, and the one not wearing a face covering addressed her, "We are the Amazons of Telskyura, under Goddess Kali; we are sent by Haroeris, and have agreed to be his allies in this Grand Quest he mentioned"
"Good, please come inside. We will trade information, then proceed"
Fels sighed as he watched the group of foreigners get processed at the gates of Orario, 'Goodness, that letter he left gave us hardly enough time to prepare for the arrivals. At least we didn't have to make them wait long… If he'd given me a bit more warning, I would have just made an oculus for him; people say that I'm the fool…'
Getting things sorted out was done efficiently. Kali was setup in a room in the manor, as would be any who came with their familia to slay the Dragon. The Amazons were informed of their tasks, and sent on their way with simple maps of the main routes to where they needed to go; Argana and Bache Kalif- level 6's- would lead the three level 5's to floor 50: Sahiri Palmyra, Mirin Kalua, and Nala Sabora. The other three- level 4's- would join them, but stop at the camp on the 28th floor: Nym Aran, Kiera Lethe, and Jasmine Andromeda. Without a delay, even to sightsee Orario, the group left immediately, likely to sate the notorious Amazon bloodlust in their first foray into the Dungeon.
'A group of eight allies right at the start; not bad Aedan, but I wonder how he convinced them?'
Miles away, the man stopped in his path through the so-called Abandoned World, looking back toward the city he had left not long ago, "Damn, I just know I'm going to have a time explaining things; really, those Amazons just wouldn't take anything else in exchange for their help" shaking his head, he continued on, making for the mountain community which contained the Spring of Life, according to his surprisingly experienced and knowledgeable Familia.
Down below, Hestia Familia was hard at work. Welf, Haruhime, Oriana, Lili, and Mikoto were the only members at level 3, having levelled after boosting their stats sufficiently after the battle with Amphisbaena. The others could level up to 3, but would need max their own stats, too; luckily, Lili and Laurier- who had joined Hestia Familia with the others for the mapping training- would be able to split the cartography work between them, once they agreed on a system for keeping the shared work consistent and coherent.
Time after time, they delved below, the combat group led by Falgar and Aisha, consisted of Emma- using her skill- Oriana, Welf, Haruhime, Mikoto, Karen, Vito, Heith, Vanir, Tammuz, Anya, Lefiya, Raul, Aki, Alicia, Cruz, and Narvi. The group was nineteen strong, and further supported by the rest of Hestia Familia and Laurier as support and cartographer, which allowed them to chew through their assignment like a machine from the start. There was little issue with them working smoothly together, from optimal deployment of their magic, to response to Dungeon traps, and so on. Still, the deeper floors were large, and their work was slow going; not to mention the stipulation about their collecting stones. By the time they had completed one floor, they had already been joined by three Amazons of Telskyura and two men from a place called Beltane: Uskari and Lidari. All being level 4, capable warriors, brought their combat force to twenty-four. However, it also meant more people that needed to collect their stones…
"Hrng!" Lefiya used her staff to bat away a Deadly Wasp, twirling the magic weapon before using the sharpened, sturdy end to stick the monster like a spear right in its magic stone, killing it instantly. With a flourish, she quickly chanted while taking aim at a far cluster of yet more bug-like monsters, "Fusillade Fallarica!" Her powerful fire magic incinerated the whole group, and with no seeming effect from the mind use, she surveyed the battlefield which was quickly being brought under control from the latest monster party ambush.
"That was quite impressive, Ms. Lefiya" her attention was caught by the gentle voice of the blonde renard of Hestia Familia.
"Thank you Lady Haruhime" she said politely, though unable to conceal a mild terseness in her tone.
"Are you alright? Nothing is the matter, I hope"
"I-it's nothing…" the elf turned her face, hoping that her ears weren't giving her blush away; it was childish, after all, to worry about something as small as being separated from most of her friends as they had gone below to fight in the Dragon's Vase. Not to mention that the playboy rabbit had gone ahead of her and got to spend a lot of their training time fighting side-by-side with Aiz! She couldn't even blame anyone for it; her own lacking had resulted in her being placed where she was, and he had rightfully outpaced her and become level 5, and doing so with the same feat Aiz did for her own last level up; how much cheeky nerve can a human possibly have!? It was almost like he was declaring his intention to stand beside her no matter what, and that was her place; if for no other reason than them being in the same familia, after all.
"Are you thinking perhaps of Master Bell?"
"Eep!?" she snapped her head back to the other girl, blush obvious an unhidden, despite her half-hearted prayers, "N-no, well… not exactly~" her pitiful response drew only a nod from Haruhime.
"I understand; I'm also worried about him going so much farther than we are, and deeper into the Dungeon than he has ever been, but he is with other strong adventurers. I'm confident enough to tell myself that everyone will be alright through this quest"
"D-don't get me wrong, I'm not worried at all! Even I have to admit that with all of them- there's pretty much nothing to worry about; though that rabbit does have those additional duties…" her blush faded as she seriously considered how daunting it would be to have to travel so deep alone or with Vanafreya; honestly, neither option sounded at all appealing, let alone for how terrified she would be regardless.
"It is… disquieting, but I have faith in my captain, also for when he is alone"
"I suppose there is something that makes you want to think he can do anything; I don't want to admit it," she spoke gingerly, making sure only the other girl heard her, "but I think he is similar to Ms. Aiz in that way. They both get you to root for them easily, don't they? I remember thinking that when I saw him fight against that irregular Minotaur- erm, Xenos- on the surface"
"I agree" Haruhime was giving Lefiya a strange look to the elf's own eyes, "but might I ask you a question, Ms. Lefiya?"
"Certainly"
"Well~" now the girl seemed to lose her confidence, but even after glancing down, managed to turn her eyes up at Lefiya and look at her with her head bowed, "You, um… would you happen to have… r-romantic feelings for Master Bell?"
The quiet question hung in the air for a few seconds as her mind tried over and over to process the phrase before it finally clicked, unable to stop herself, Lefiya flinched back, shrieking, "Huh!?"
Having recruited the only eligible strength in the Dizara Region from Bheara Familia in its captain and vice-captain Uskari and Lidari, Aedan had one additional task before making way to the Far East. Luckily, Bheara Familia- the people of Beltane- were filled with a sense of duty, and seemed to think that they owed Hestia Familia. They didn't care about the Dragon at all, but still sent warriors to their cause because of who they were. In addition, he was allowed to collect something else: a large vial of water from the Fountain of Life.
'Excellent, that is one ingredient down, onto the rest'
Bell quickly found that things were not going… ideally. In stark contrast to the mapping group, the team tasked to the 50th floor was not working well together; not totally, at least. Tsubaki, Aiz, Tione, Tiona, Bete, Shakti, Ilta, Ryu, and he himself had no major issues; the problem was in the members of Freya Familia, who didn't do well with any of them or even each other! With the exception of Mia- he didn't even know what Familia she belonged to- they didn't seem to pay mind to anyone. They could be civil enough, especially in camp, where Mia stayed and kept them all happily well-fed; the trouble was in the Dragon's Vase, they did as they pleased without coordination, making the effort even harder for the rest of them.
Even the members of Loki Familia- who had experience with the region of the Dungeon- were hard-pressed without their top executives. Still, they all soldiered on, furiously attempting to accomplish their goals. After a surprisingly short time, a small band of five Amazons joined them from Telskyura, and thankfully integrated easily into the group working together, lightening the load greatly. Bell's only complaint was how… forward they were, even more so than Aisha! It seemed like every day one or more of them made some sort of advances on him, but thankfully, Ryu and even Tiona always seemed to pop up out of nowhere to let him slip out of those situations. He wasn't really sure why, but simply accepted that his friends were helping where he wasn't comfortable or experienced enough to handle himself.
Still, the time came and after a trip down to the base of the 58th floor. Once the monsters were cleared out, he and Allen went forward for the first time, continuing into the jungle of the 59th floor to make their way to the forward group.
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