Chương 165: What happened to her?
Pretty simple chapter, I feel that most of these chapters should've been released together...
Though, yeah.
Until next time.
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"OOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAA!"
/SPLAT!/
/Poof…/
'Showing her prowess as an Amazon, Tiona jumped into the air and swung her massive double-edged sword, cleaving a massive boar monster in half, cleaving its magic stone, making its body turn into ash and dust.'
"HA!"
'Breathing quickly, she kicked the ground, shattering it, ready to pounce or another monster…'
/CRACK!/
'But the cracked ground beneath her foot parted open, and from within, a massive mouth engulfed her!'
"TIONA!" Her sister exclaimed in anger as she jumped after it…
'No matter how much faith she had in her sister's physical constitution, no one would like to see their own kin being devoured by monsters.'
'Apart from a few weirdoes who had sad pasts...'
/SPLAT!/
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE EATING?!"
'From inside and screaming loudly, Tiona slashed the throat of the monster, decapitating it as she jumped out from within together with a shower of red blood.'
'Her sister approached her, knocking on her head with the back of her Kukri knife, saying:'
"Can you pay more attention next time?"
"Hehe… I made a mistake…"
"Don't laugh…"
"DIE!"
/BOOM!/
'As the two talked, Bete finished killing the last monster on sight with a grandiose stomp, one that was so powerful it created an aftershock that shook the cavern and beyond.'
'Albeit the 35th floor was still the same environment as the 36th, some portions of it were beneath the ground or inside the mountains through ant-like caves that went all around the floor.'
'These caves would spawn the same monsters as up above, but there was still a certain unique selection of monsters that were unique to this dark environment.'
'It was estimated that at least a third of the area of these floors was underground.'
"Is it over already?" Lefiya asked as she looked around
I barely even cast 3 spells... Well, that's how we do it!
'In the end, there were no casualties and almost no injuries either, only a small scratch on Cruz's arms that can be healed with the simplest of potions.'
'But… Everyone was a bit more… Dirty.'
'Bete had red and dusty spots all over his body and fur... The same goes for Cruz.'
'Tione's hands were completely red, not from her blood, but from the monsters she slew with her daggers.'
'Tiona took small steps on the ground, reeking of metal and blood, leaving behind red footprints…'
'Riveria face palmed as the urge to knock on her head with her staff increased, but she held herself, not because she was being mature, but because she didn't want to dirty it.'
'Right now, she and Lefiya were the 2 cleanest in the entire party, as members of the rear, they only cast magic here and there.'
'Also, Riveria was extremely experienced in the traditional magic of the Elves, using it to create small bodies of water that could be used to wet towels so they could clean themselves as they waited for the Monster Rex to spawn.'
'Of course, that was around a day ago, so after an entire extra day walking and fighting, resting only for a small amount of time, they were sweaty while everyone else was… Better not describe them.'
'They craved a bath.'
'As for Ais, surprisingly, thanks to her wind barrier from using Ariel, rarely would blood fall onto her, dirting her.'
'But she still reeked.'
"..."
'Silver made sure to remember what they did here, it may seem disorganized, but there is a clear strategy being used.'
'Only the vanguard moved forward while the Top Executives stayed back to protect the rest, there are 2 big reasons for this.'
'The Top Executives can preserve their energy for true emergencies, while the Executives can accumulate Exelia, something they need much more than them.'
'They were Extreme Level 6s, far into their Levels, killing everything would be a simple deal, but one that was much more meaningful for the others.'
'An Expedition isn't only meant to make money and increase their fame, but also to increase the strength of the Familia as a whole as they take small steps closer and closer to the Familia's Objective of conquering the Dungeon.'
'But that would be something for the far far future...'
...
'While Tione and the others came back, Finn turned to Silver.'
"Adventurer Silver, would you mind doing what you did last time?"
Cleaning all of this would take a while.
And he himself said it for us to put him to use so…
'No one frowned at Finn's way of addressing him, Silver himself asked everyone to call him by his name if possible, this didn't start today, but done ever since they first met.'
"Hm? I'm already thankful for doing something, I was honestly pretty bored."
I didn't act because that would be rude.
The worst thing I could do in this situation is to act on my own and disrupt their party's momentum.
That's why I asked first if I could, but since Bete refused and no one objected to him, I just stayed still next to Raul, helping him whenever too many monsters surrounded him and the others in the rear end.
/SNAP!/
'Silver raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.'
/Splat!/
'All of the bodies of the monsters trembled as small cuts were made on their hide.'
/Fwoosh!/
'From within each hole, a magic stone shot out like a bullet, moving towards Silver…'
'And the bodies of the monsters slowly turned into dust as they lost their core, leaving behind drops of many kinds.'
"Done."
"... You are… Really fast at this." Finn replied with a smile
If we had him on every expedition, taking care of the post-processing would be a breeze.
"Thank you, it's honestly, not that impressive."
Once a monster dies, most of the Magic resistance they had just goes away, so I can process their bodies pretty easily if I focus enough.
'Riveria turned to look at him, saying:'
"I'm not so sure about that, it may be simple for you to do, but being able to quickly clean after a hunt is honestly an ability that takes years for Adventurers to perfect."
"..."
'For some reason, Riveria started to nag...'
"Many accidents can happen in the middle of the cleanup, forcing the party to fight in a disadvantageous position, or to abandon their hard work."
"..."
"Normally this is done by Supporters as one of their many jobs, but it's honestly pretty dangerous to do even for the stronger adventurers they support."
"Some monsters have toxic skins, others have corrosive blood, and a few are simply too tough for weak Supporters to cut open, what you did trivializes this harvesting process, and increases the efficiency of a party by a lot."
"If a party hunts for 6 hours, 1 of those hours is spent harvesting."
'Silver listened to all of her words, it was rare to see Riveria spending more than a few words on a single subject.'
"Not to say of the preserved energy, crouching down and cutting a monster apart can be very mentally and physically taxing, and looking at you, that doesn't seem to be that heavy of a task to perform."
'Silver smiled.'
"You overpraise me but you have a point, I never took this, that seriously as I work alone, but your words make me a bit more proud."
That is a bit of a lie, but being humble in the face of the best is not that big of a deal.
I am fully aware of what I can do, though it's true that working alone most of the time has made me distance from what is... Common.
Listening to other adventurers, mostly the people back in the Manor has slowly filled these empty spots.
'However, contrary to his intentions, his words left them in deep ponder…'
"Works alone…"
'While Riveria's expression darkened at his words as she remembered the far past, Silver helped Raul stash the magic stones in his bag, much to the latter's discontent.'
'Throughout it all, Raul's face was cringing in anger as he looked at Silver...'
"HEY~"
'Tiona finally came back with the others, and they could finally behold her new appearance...'
"Look at you lass, you're like a tomato." Gareth said playfully
Sigh... What do I do with these kids?
'She touched her hair in annoyance.'
"What can I do? I'm not like Ais that can block all of this disgusting thing..."
"..."
"Urg this sucks…"
'Tiona touched her hair and clothes multiple times, the feeling of her skin sticking to each other was horrible and she couldn't wait to take a bath...'
'But she then had an incredible idea!'
'Turning to face Silver, she asked him with open arms:'
"Can you do that thing?"
"That thing?..."
'Turning his face with an expression of bewilderment, Silver faced Tiona who now had a large smile glued to her face.'
Given the context…
"You want me to clean you up?"
"!"
"PFFT!"
"Buwhahaha!"
'Gareth couldn't contain his laugh.'
You're sure bold lass!
Go on! I'll cheer you on hahaha! Just wait till Loki hears this one...
'Everyone became a bit stunned, thinking their own things as they processed Tiona's... Unusual words that seemed a bit…'
"Ehh… When you put it that way it's a bit strange… F-Forget it…"
'Even Tiona took a step back as she realized the context of her words.'
'She became a bit too brazen this time and ended up disregarding the meaning of her words.'
'Nevertheless, SIlver merely chuckled, he didn't mind nor did he misinterpret her words, he knew what she wanted, and he knew she didn't have any impure thoughts about it either.'
'He was mostly teasing her as she only had a single desire, to rid her body of that terrible feeling...'
"Well, I can definitely do it, you just need to stay still for a while."
'With her eyes brightening by the second as if the clouds in front of the sun had been cleared, Tiona smiled, albeit it wasn't exactly pretty given her current condition.'
"R-Realy?! Yay!"
"Sigh… What are you doing in the middle of the field?" Riveria mumbled as she looked away
Well... She is a bit... Not in a proper condition right now.
Honestly, this expedition can be said to be one of the... Dirtiest I have participated in the last few years.
'To Riveria's words, Silver merely said:'
"It's only going to take a moment…"
'Finn didn't say anything, no, he felt it would be better to not say anything...'
'And the others just watched.'
/Fwoosh!/
'He raised his hand, closing them.'
'A cage of water rose from the ground, entrapping Tiona.'
"Huh?... It's wobbly..."
'No one could see her anymore, but inside, Tiona was like a child touching everything with curiosity.'
"It should be starting by now, be sure to hold your breath, we don't want you to breath water..." Silver joked as he looked at her
"Sure thing!"
"Hm... Should I expect anything?"
"Do you know what a dishwasher is?"
"Dish... What?"
"Then forget it..."
"Hm?"
'Everything was fine until...'
"PFFT! Ah! It… It tickles… HAHAHA!... S-Stop… Hahaha…"
'Her laughs were heard from within as the ones outside could only imagine what was happening within.'
'Riveria stared at the ball with great interest, although she thought, "Is she going to be fine?..." with a dark expression.'
"HUH?! EEK! N-Not there! HAHAHA! Ah~... !"
...
/Awkward silence.../
"..."
'Everyone suddenly looked at Silver, and he couldn't help but sweat a little.'
"I didn't do anything, don't look at me like that."
"I don't think I need to say anything." Tione said as she looked at Silver with a grumpy expression
'Ais' became emotionless as if she was looking at an ant...'
"Suspicious…" Lefiya mumbled as she looked at him
"I…"
'Instead of defending himself from the dead gazes of the ladies, it was better to focus on the matter at hand.'
/Splash…/
'The water wall fell, revealing a sparkling clean girl with wet, bob-cut hair.'
"Wow…"
'Her clothes were now sparkling clean, her sword as well, her body was even steaming a little as the water was hot, and her cheeks were a little rosy…'
'She opened her sparkling eyes, looking around her with a certain embarrassment, prompting everyone to look at Silver again.'
'Tiona was someone who would always be very active, so why was she so silent?...'
"... Thank you…" She said in a low tone as she approached Silver
"No worries."
Why is she like this?
'He shook his head, perhaps having water wash her body while everyone is around her might've made her embarrassed and that is okay.'
'Everyone else had something else in mind though...'
"Here, stay still one more time."
"?!"
'Tiona's hair was still wet, droplets of water were all around her body.'
'To dry her, he first placed his two hands just a bit from her ears, making her freeze in place due to the gesture, her face even becoming a bit redder.'
"Wh…"
'Didn't it look... Fairly romant...'
/FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!/
'Before she could even say or think of anything, a powerful air current blasted her face, making her eyelids open and her mouth wobble…'
"Ahhhhhh..."
'In one second, her face, body, and emotions dried up, but her hair was now disheveled…'
"Done." Silver said in a heavy tone
"... I don't know how to feel now…" Tione said as she face palmed
But in a sense… I am envious of her… She seems much more comfortable now…
NO!
My body only belongs to the Captain and any sort of interaction with other men is forbidden!
Yet I want a bath so bad…
"Hey, do it for me too!" Raul asked with a big smile
"Not you too, we need to move guys." Finn said with a half smile
'Despite seeing that the mood was now better than before, they still needed to move, staying in the same place for too long in the Dungeon isn't safe, and even though the ground was broken, the Dungeon was healing itself at speeds the naked eye could see.'
'Monster could spawn at any moment.'
'But Silver turned to him, shaking his head.'
"Don't worry."
"Thank you frien… ??!?!?!?!?"
/SHAAAAAAAAAAA!/
'Raul was blasted with a potent water curtain, making everyone shudder.'
'But strangely enough, neither his clothes nor himself were washed away due to the pressure… Staying in the same place with the help of some invisible force.'
'Yet, this only aggravated Raul's misfortune as the water hit his body with even more intensity, it couldn't be seen due to the water, but he was crying...'
"Bhsug bughu!"
'Raul seemed to scream something inside the water, but only bubbles came off from inside his mouth…'
/Splash…/
'Finally, after 5 seconds, the water disappeared, showing an immaculate Raul in place, fallen on the wet ground with a twitching body.'
"Uhhhh..." He grunted as his body twitched
/FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!/
'If that wasn't enough, Raul was now blasted with a strong wave of air, drying him up completely.'
"..."
'He only cried silent tears, he was clean, but he felt something else had been washed away... His pride.'
"Anyone else?" Silver asked as he looked around
'They all shook their heads in a mix of fear and unwillingness, some now wanting to experience what Raul just had, some too fearful and embarrassed to know what Tiona had just gone through as well.'
"Sigh… Someone grab Raul so we can proceed…"
'Managing a Familia wasn't easy, Finn thought to himself as he went on his way…'
…
/Around an hour later.../
"..."
If we go like this, we'll take forever...
'1 hour later they were still underground, their rate of locomotion was unacceptable to Silver.'
'If they went on like this, he would only go back home tomorrow, leaving Hestia a tad too worried, and he couldn't even warn her.'
'He thought about sneaking to notify her when he had the chance, but that would be difficult giving the people that were surrounding him.'
'So to make everything a bit faster, he merely raised his left hand, turning his hand to the side so he could see his palm.'
/Crook.../
'Multiple green and brown lines started to form on his hand, becoming something akin to a topographic map.'
'Raul was obviously the first to notice it, as the person who was the closest to Silver, it would be difficult to not notice that.'
'Silver's hand was shinning!'
"Wh-Wh-What are you doing?" Raul asked, his voice trembling as he didn't know how to feel
'This prompted the others to look at him as well, albeit they didn't stop walking.'
"I'm taking a look at the map."
"The map?... But your hand..."
"This is my map." Silver said as he interrupted Raul
/Chun!/
'A greenish projection suddenly appeared in front of him, shocking Raul and the others who were paying attention to his actions.'
"We should be here... And given our path so far, we should be moving... Here."
"Ah... Y-Yes, that is the entrance we are moving towards..."
'His confidence made Raul quiver a little, that was the sort of thing he wanted too much to acquire, but his cowardly behavior was holding him back.'
'Not everyone is born a Hero, some grow to challenge the Dungeon, others grow to fear it, Raul was the latter.'
"That's a fairly useful ability boy, do you have the entire Dungeon in that hand of yours?"
"Not quite, my ability is just a compilation of all of the maps I have faced over time... Here, this is what I have..."
/CHUN!/
'The entire map vibrated as it zoomed out, showing more and more floors... Eventually becoming a large pyramid!'
"This is..." Riveria said as she looked at the map in interest
"The entire Dungeon from the 36th floor to the 1st floor, of course, many areas are missing and the Dungeon itself changes from time to time, so some things would be different..."
'He raised his hand, pointing it at the map.'
"See this red dot over here, this is us, with this amount of zoom, it's a bit imprecise, so I rarely use it like this."
'Finn scratched his chin as he looked at it, he thought to himself how envious he is of this ability.'
'Mappers are extremely important to any Expedition, but he alone is better than most put together.'
"In-Incredible..." Anakitty said as she looked at the map
"Can you add Orario at the very top?"
That may be a bit much...
"I can." Silver replied as if it was a matter of course
/Chun!/
'Buildings materialized and a large tower rose from the tip of the Pyramid, it was the Dungeon seal, Babel.'
'With Orario as a reference, this allowed everyone to realize just how incredibly large the Dungeon is, and even the incomparably large tower of Bable is just as tall as the Upper floors and few more combined are deep.'
'This also allowed them to compare the size of the floors with the city, and even though the buildings were small, the size of small ants, they could still see where the walls of Orario laid.'
"The Dungeon sure is massive ain't it?" Narvi asked with wide eyes
"Sure is, one day, I'll also add the Deep floors and the surroundings of Orario to my map, but for now, it shall remain like this."
"With that in mind... Wouldn't it be faster if we just broke that wall over there?"
'Silver finally showed his reason for doing this, he merely wanted to reduce their travel time...'
"You talk as if that was simple, breaking the wall is simple, digging a 10 M-long stable hole is another thing." Finn said as he shook his head
"That I agree, so..."
/Tremble.../
"Allow me to dig it for you."
'The walls of the Dungeon trembled, and a small hole started to open...'
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