After a couple of hours of talking with Materia, in the upper cabin and making out a bit... Just a bit. We rejoined Eris out on the deck to talk some more before I brought the ship back to the shoreline and then put it back into my taming space seeing as the ship was technically alive.
From the shoreline we walked back into the streets of Melen and as we were talking, I asked curiously. "So Eris, how did the rest of the criminal purge go?"
The 'blind' magic-wielding swordswoman gave a soft humming noise before she looked elsewhere and then spoke calmly. "It was slightly messy in truth, dealing with the captains and adventurers whose strength could break the bonds I had available. Then of course needing to shackle up the annoying 'evil' gods to be sent to Lady Hera."
My lips twitched as I imagined a bunch of so-called evil gods just shouting at Eris and being the typical danmachi god shtick of being an annoying asshole.
Eris gave me a bland look and said with annoyance. "However bad you think it was... It was worse. I pity my friend's ears who carted the divines from Melen to Orario for judgment."
But then Eris looked a different direction and spoke. "In either case. Jake, you have done well for yourself here in Melen at least."
I gave an easy shrug and said. "It's been a bit touch and go. Been selling some weapons and elixirs to other Familia's to make the money I need. Also helps prices are much lower down here in Melen compared to Orario."
Idly I wondered how Tina and Tamamo were doing while helping the Astraea Familia get those mentally fucked previously slaves settled in. But I continued to bring Materia and Eris up through the large beachfront past the gates and onto our property's back lot.
"How about I make us some sandwiches for lunch?" I offered the two girls.
"Oooh! I wanna help!" Materia offered excitedly and I saw Eris pale before Eris said firmly. "No, its quite alright Materia, you help me to a chair please. I got a leg cramp."
And gods that was the weakest of lies for a level seven to make! But Materia being the sweetheart she was just nodded and fussed over Eris who threw me a firm shake of the head as I went into the kitchen to make us some quick lunch.
'Is Materia one of those girls who just can't conceptually cook? Whatever she touches turns to glowing purple sludge or something? I mean I have seen people get nose bleeds from seeing girls with their clothes all torn up from being in the dungeon.' I mused as I quickly made some food.
Bringing over the simple yet filling sandwiches, we continued talking genially about Orario, life as an adventurer, and Materia sharing her favorite novels.
But then a soft rumble rang out that made me pause. "Hmm? Coastal earthquake?" I mused before Eris tilted her head to the side and stared out past the walls towards the lake of Melen.
She calmly spoke out. "No. A mutated Amphisbaena has seemingly broken through the tunnel leading from the dungeon... It seems someone has been breaking the rules about purposefully feeding dungeon monsters, monster stones from other dungeon monsters."
I raised an eyebrow with my body rising with tension as I spoke slowly. "We are here right on the coast. Should we move Materia further inland?"
But Eris only smiled softly before saying easily. "The mutated Amphisbaena should... Should be considered around level seven, maybe lower level eight within the waters of Melen, but there are many Familia's within Melen with their own mages. And the Poseidon Familia is here who has several level sevens and three retired level eights that moved to the Hera and Zeus Familia's before returning."
Hearing that, I tilted my head in thought before nodding as it made sense with how the Hades and Poseidon Familia's regularly sent people that reached level five up to the Hera and Zeus Familia depending on their gender to join the big leagues as it were.
But then a massive rumble that shook the beach mansion so hard that our glasses of water actually tipped over on the table rang out with my hands slamming on the table to keep it down as I saw Eris go utterly pale.
"The... The Poseidon Familia is gone! Their souls are leaving through the air!" With a flash Eris snapped up to her feet while we followed with her staff sword being held up as she sprinted out of the house and I gaped as a loud scream of energy filled the air as a golden light shot into the sky.
And the oppressive light burned my eyes with its concentrated power with Eris hissing and covering her blind eyes with a groan as she whimpered. "Hades... Hades is being sent back to Tenkai!"
'What the actual fuck just happened?!" I mentally screamed and then I froze.
I slowly turned as a loud rushing noise of water hit the beach. And then the Amphisbaena's five massive heads grew from the water in the distance...
And I realized that I was now fucking stuck in fighting Kaiju territory as the massive Amphisbaena was... Just unspeakably massive. Each head from the distance looked to be bigger than two of my beach mansions stacked atop one another.
And it was fast... It was quickly moving down the couple miles of water towards the coastline even as alarms rang throughout Melen and hitting my ears at what was obviously a terrorist attack of some kind that had hit the Poseidon and Hades Familia.
"Actually Jake... I do believe moving Materia further inland now would be a good idea." Eris spoke with restored calm as she eyed the Amphisbaena rushing towards the city of Melen with its eyes glowing bright red showing it was controlled by the dungeons will.
I gave Eris a look before saying flatly. "Are you suggesting, you will be staying here to fight it?"
To which Eris snorted and replied frankly and quite shamelessly. "Oh dear Hera no, I know my limits and my magic cannot kill this creature on my own before I run out of Mind. I will merely work to divert its attention to allow the people of Melen to collect themselves."
The creature was moving through the water quickly... And knowing we had but minutes till it was upon land and within the city I bit my lips and said. "Materia, climb on my back, let's go."
I got Materia onto my back in a piggyback position with my hands supporting her legs and then I was off! Running towards the back portion of the city to get myself to the Astraea Familia where Tina and Tamamo was supposed to be.
"Jake over here!" I heard a voice call out through the rush of noise in the city and looking over I blinked seeing Tina was standing on Alise's shoulders with a pair of binoculars of all things as they were on top of a larger hotel.
I put Materia on the ground and pointed for her to go further east towards the edge of the city before I used my adventurer strength to just monkey climb up the ridges of the hotel and after climbing up I scowled as I saw the Amphisbaena having reached shallower ground was truly just fucking massive.
Tina gave me a look of relief as she sighed and said. "I am glad you weren't on the lake or still at our house."
And just as she finished speaking I saw a light from the Amphisbaena five mouths fill up and I mentally cursed as from all five mouths came powerful beams of elemental destruction that smashed into the city.
"No time for pleasantries Tina... Tina, Tamamo, you two are to go retrieve wounded." I ordered before I looked at the Astraea members with their leader Alise frowning before nodding.
"Me and Kaguya are only level three... We probably can't even break the scales on that monster so we will help your familia members in looking for wounded from the attacks that are inevitably going to blast around."
I nodded in understanding before exhaling and taking in the massive monster and wondering the obvious... What could I do to the monster to help?
And then I paused. As I had made a lot of potions, and poisons, and had several toxic and cursed weapons I hadn't done the challenges of to enhance their magical effects.
I mentally selected the flask that was a potion of Blindness and I then picked a large spear-like bolt that fit into the siege crossbow I had made to mess with large monsters and with a mental flex the bolt and potion fused.
[Bolt of Blindness] [Enemies struck with the magical bolt will have their vision darkened greatly while the bolt remains embedded within their form.]
I quickly made a dozen more and then I began making my way down to the coastline. As if I had my way... I was going to bring down the Amphisbaena with a thousand debuffs making it possible for the level fives and above to be able to deal with the massive mutated boss monster.
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