Despite her aloof expression, Aiz’s mind raced as to how to lift the young girl’s spirits. At long last, she reached out with her right hand.
Pausing for a moment, her fingers dangling in midair, she gently placed her hand on Lefiya’s head.
The young elf’s shoulders shook as Aiz clumsily patted the girl’s golden hair. “It’s okay.”
Lefiya finally lifted her face, eyes moistening with tears.
The two stared at each other for several seconds before the young elf blushed and snatched the cloth from Aiz’s arms. “I-I’ll carry this!”
“Ah.” Aiz couldn’t react as the cover for her tent disappeared from her grasp.
“—A-I-Z!”
“Huh?!”
“…hm?”
Pounce! Aiz felt a sudden weight on her back as two arms wrapped around her shoulders.
Lefiya watched in surprise as a young Amazon playfully hugged Aiz from behind.
“Tiona…”
“What’cha up to? Is Lefiya depressed again and came to be cheered up?”
“I-I didn’t come here to be cheered up!”
The elf blushed at the Amazonian girl’s words. Aiz watched the two of them as the teasing Tiona laughed at the elf’s sudden embarrassment, her expression softening. Tiona had healthy, glowing skin the color of wheat. Her face showed no signs of negativity; the girl was overflowing with positive energy.
She wore a traditional Amazonian outfit, and most of her skin was exposed. Rather than a shirt or robe, she had only a single strip of cloth wrapped around her chest and wore a long pareo-style skirt around her waist. Her midriff and limbs were essentially bare.
The moment her brown eyes met Aiz’s gaze, the girl’s face lit up like a sunflower.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Lefiya. No one gets out of a brawl on the wastelands of Moitra without a scratch. Apologizing for every little thing is just going to put Aiz in a tough spot. Right, Aiz?”
“…Yes.”
“Um…I-I understand.”
Tiona smiled for a while at Lefiya, who tried to shrink away as much as possible.
But now, the Amazon tightened her grip around Aiz’s shoulders.
“Still. Aiz, why were you so reckless?”
“…”
“Even though I tried to stop you. All you had to do was clean up behind the wall. You didn’t have to charge straight out into those Fomoire.” Tiona’s tone changed to something just short of interrogation.
Tiona was reproaching Aiz for independently deciding to charge in during their battle with the monsters. But Aiz didn’t know how to respond. All she could do was apologize for making her friend worry about her. “…I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“I mean, I’m kind of the same…but you put yourself in a lot more danger.” Tiona squeezed her arms a little bit harder as she continued her lecture. Aiz felt the weight of the Amazon on her back but couldn’t look at her.
“You know what it is about you, Aiz…?” Tiona began in a slightly irritated voice, her elbow wrapped around Aiz’s neck. The blond girl didn’t try to break free from the rough embrace despite the sudden squeeze.
Lefiya watched the two of them from a few steps away with a lonely and slightly jealous look in her eyes.
“Hey! Ya gonna make me hurl! Get off!”
“Oww!”
A long leg suddenly swung in from the side and kicked Tiona in the small of her back.
The leg belonged to a young man with wolflike ears and a sleek gray tail. Although both of his eyes were half closed, one of them was twitching in irritation.
A werewolf had appeared next to the girls.
Tiona angrily hopped off Aiz’s back and turned to face the newcomer.
“What’s the big idea?! That really hurt, you know?!”
“Said ya were making me sick, didn’t I? No need ta get all worked up. I didn’t come down here to see that!”
“Sure, you say all that, Bete, but really, you’re just trying to make a pass at Aiz again, aren’t you? You blowhard!”
“Why, you…you wanna start something?!”
“See, just as I thought! Sorry, you wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
“Bring it on, ya nasty girl!”
“Um, e-excuse me, you two, fighting right now isn’t really…”
Bete and Tiona’s conversation was quickly spiraling out of control, so Lefiya cautiously tried to break up their argument.
Aiz, left standing all alone, watched the events unfold with a distant expression.
Drawn in by the commotion, another Amazon like Tiona walked up to the group and stood shoulder to shoulder with Aiz. “What’s going on here?…Like I need to ask.”
“…Tione.”
The two looked very similar, with the exception of this new Amazon’s long hair, which extended down to her waist and considerably larger bustline.
Tiona’s twin older sister, Tione, took one look at the group, sighed, and then turned to face Aiz.
“The general would like to speak with you. Go now. I’ll take care of these two.”
“…Sorry.”
“Oh, it’s fine.—Hey, you two, if you’ve got time to be playing around, then you can come and help me put up this tent.”
Aiz could hear Tione taking over the situation as she left the others behind.
She made her way through the camp that was taking shape.
The human girl headed toward the center, where a large tent had already been constructed. A flag was staked outside the cloth structure—one bearing the comedic smile of the trickster.
Loki Familia.
Aiz, Lefiya, the Amazonian twins, and Bete were all affiliated with the god who owned this group.
These groups, each headed by one of the deities who’d come down from Tenkai, were known as familias.
For these deities, their time spent on Earth was nothing more than a game for their own amusement. They had agreed to seal away their divine powers—powers of omniscience and omnipotence known as Arcanum—to keep the playing field level. This meant that the gods and goddesses on Earth were physically powerless. Therefore, they provided their “children” with Blessings in exchange for protection and support while living on Earth. It was a symbiotic relationship; each depended on the other. But the gods were competitive. They had enjoyed centuries of entertainment from seeing who had the strongest, richest, and overall best familias.
The people who had received their Blessings lived and worked together, becoming a family of sorts—a familia.
“Finn.”
“Ah, Aiz, you’re here.”
There were many familias all over the world. The deity who led each decided that group’s specialty from many different possibilities.
As for Loki Familia—they specialized in Dungeon crawling, pressing as deep into the labyrinth as possible, as well as developing the floors that were already cleared.
“Ga-ha-ha, we were just talkin’ about you, Aiz.”
“Gareth…Now is not the time for laughing.”
Aiz pulled back the cloth doorway to find three demi-humans gathered around a short table.
The first was another elf like Lefiya, named Riveria Ljos Alf.
Across from her was a robust dwarf, Gareth Landrock.
Lastly, standing at the head of the table was the young prum boy, Finn Deimne.
The three of them were the highest-ranking members of Loki Familia, the brain trust.
“Well, then, I think we can skip the formalities. Do you know why you’re here, Aiz?”
“…Yes.”
“In that case, I can get right to the point. Why did you ignore your orders to reinforce the wall?”
Finn, who stood only as high as Aiz’s elbow, spoke in a very calm manner. He had soft yellow hair and blue eyes as clear as a lagoon. Despite looking younger than anyone else, the young man had an air of knowledge that inspired trust in all who laid eyes on him. He made all the decisions concerning the familia’s Dungeon activities. Fin
n was the top, the field general.
“You are very strong, Aiz. That’s why you were given the rank of captain. I shouldn’t have to say this, but your actions have an effect on everyone beneath you. There will be problems if you don’t understand that.”
“…”
“Is the rank too much pressure?”
“…No, sir. I’m sorry.”
Finn could practically see the gears turning in the girl’s head.
A smile grew on the boy’s face as Aiz reflected on her actions and gave a genuine apology.
“Aww, don’t be so hard on her, Finn. Aiz was probably just tryin’ to bail us out, divin’ inta the Fomoire like that. My brethren on the wall were nearly finished.”
“If you’re willing to say that, the fault also lies with me. My incantation took too much time.”
Gareth stroked his long beard as he and Riveria chimed in to lend Aiz a hand.
Aiz’s shoulders sank, her expression still as aloof as ever. The dwarf arched his eyebrows slightly while the elegant elf had nothing else to say and fell silent.
Taking in the whole scene, Finn put on a strained smile and, after a short while, looked up at Aiz.
“Aiz, we are in the Dungeon. No one knows what will happen. Not everyone can move like you, fight like you. Promise me you won’t forget that.”
“…I promise.”
“I can tell just by looking that Tiona has already given you a talking-to as well. You may leave.”
Aiz made a quick bow to acknowledge him as Finn made it clear that there was nothing left to say. She directed her gratitude toward Riveria and Gareth as well.
As Aiz left the tent, she contemplated the general’s words then suddenly looked up.
There was no sky, only a domed ceiling composed of rock. Innumerable pillar-like objects jutted down from its surface, illuminating the floor bit by bit with an inexplicable light.
The Dungeon—a boundless underground maze that loomed just beneath the surface of the aptly named Labyrinth City, Orario.
Aiz stood in a deep part of the mysterious realm that continuously spawned monsters.
Loki Familia was based in Orario for a reason. The only dungeon in the world was right beneath their feet. Adventurers came from far and wide to venture into its depths. Therefore, many gods and goddesses sent their followers into the Dungeon to reap the economic opportunities that it provided, as well as to increase their influence.
Aiz’s familia was one of them.
“Hey, clumsy! Why can’t ya pitch a single tent, ya boneheaded Amazon!”
“Shut your yap! You suck as a teacher, you know that, Bete? I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Lefiya, I’ll finish up. Go help the others prepare dinner.”
“S-sure.”
Loki Familia was currently in the middle of an expedition.
They’d traveled deep into the Dungeon and planned to spend many days attempting to unearth some of the secrets lurking within it. Right now, they were focused on creating a base camp and trying to squeeze as much rest into this downtime as possible.
They had just emerged from an intense battle—but none of the party members looked tired. In fact, many looked excited and filled with satisfaction at what they had accomplished thus far. The atmosphere around camp was pleasantly relaxed. Aiz walked past all of her industrious allies as they put the finishing touches on their camp and talked among themselves.
Tents had been constructed all over the place and quite a few large cargo boxes were scattered about. Making her way past the containers filled with spare weapons and supplies, the girl’s line of sight instantly opened up as she headed out of the camp.
It was unbelievable that this kind of view could be seen so far underground.
She was surrounded by a forest of ash-colored trees. In fact, the trees looked more like they’d been covered in an ash-like snow rather than having that color and texture as their natural appearance. The forest spread out in every direction, covering the landscape all the way to the end of the floor. Several rivers wound their way across the ground, like the veins of a leaf. Aiz listened to the crystal-blue water flowing around her.
The light pillars above her head were weak, making the surroundings feel like dusk on the surface.
They had chosen to construct their base camp on the top of a ten-meder hill overlooking the landscape. Aiz could see everything on the floor from her spot on the ledge.
“…”
They had arrived on the fiftieth floor of the Dungeon.
Many Dungeon-crawling familias resided in Orario, but this was the leading edge of exploration.
Of the thousands of adventurers living in the labyrinth city, very few had ever seen the forest of ash. Aiz stood by herself and took it all in.
Loki Familia had gathered together to eat around the light of many portable magic-stone lamps.
They were on level fifty of the Dungeon. The risk of being overwhelmed or ambushed on this floor was significantly lower because monsters were not born on this level. They had reached a safe point. There were several floors like this in the Dungeon, and each of them was used as a resting point by adventurers. That was why Loki Familia had chosen this floor to set up their base camp.
“I want to congratulate all of you on a job well done in the Moitra Sands. It’s thanks to everyone’s individual strengths that we’ve made it to the fiftieth floor. Allow me to show my appreciation to all of you, thank you.”
“The forty-ninth floor is always rough. Especially today, with all those Fomoire popping out of nowhere.”
“Be grateful the floor boss, Balor, wasn’t there.”
“Ha-ha. Anyway, this deserves a toast. We don’t have any wine, but all the same—”
“Cheers!”
The Amazonian twins chatted between themselves after Finn’s opening address. Conversations broke out all over camp after everyone took a big swig from their glasses. Being in the Dungeon, they couldn’t afford to let down their guard, but with delicious food and drink sprawled out in front of them, most were able to relax a fair amount.
A large pot, roughly the size and shape of a cauldron, had been set up in the middle of camp. Every adventurer in their group had gathered around it. Bubbling inside the vat was a broth made of herbs collected from within the Dungeon and mruits—a type of fruit that shared the same flavor and texture as meat. Both ingredients were normally food the Dungeon provided for its monsters, but they were still suitable for human and demi-human consumption and were perfect for long journeys like this one.
Normally, adventurers were forced to subsist off limited, tasteless rations brought down from the surface. Having this much food at once was a treat for everyone involved. This had been all part of Finn’s plan—carefully budgeting the space available in the cargo boxes. And now all of the adventurers under his command were able to indulge in flavors that could not be found anywhere else.
“Um, Aiz, are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”
“Yes, I’m fine…”
“What’s with the act? I can hear your stomach from here! Have some, have some!”
Lefiya noticed Aiz sitting by herself, staring at a bite-size block of rations between her thumb and forefinger. The moment that she walked over to start a conversation, Tiona appeared behind her with a bowl of meatless broth in her hands.
The girl’s golden eyes sparkled for a moment as the soup’s fragrance wafted into her nose. But her iron will held strong and she looked away. Aiz was a firm believer that sudden changes in diet would have a negative effect on her condition. She resisted the smiling, wheat-skinned Amazon’s advances with all of her might.
Tiona was persistent, but it was her sister, Tione, who lost patience first and smacked her across the back of her head.
“Now would be a good time to go over our plan moving forward.” The vat emptied and cleanup under way, Finn made his way to the center of the group.
Everyone except for the lookouts formed a circle aroun
d him. He made eye contact with each of them in turn.
“The goal of this expedition is to document new information on the Deep Levels. That has not changed. However, we have a quest to complete before proceeding to the fifty-ninth floor.”
A request or mission given to adventurers to carry out was called a quest.
A client would offer a reward to adventurers in exchange for fulfilling said request.
Adventurers accepted quests from many different clients, be they familias, merchants, or the Guild.
“A quest…The one issued by Dian Cecht Familia?”
“Indeed. They would like us to bring back a large amount of water from the Cadmus Springs on the fifty-first floor.”
Finn acknowledged Tione’s question with a nod. Tiona suddenly appeared at her sister’s side and was quick to voice her opinion.
“Cadmus Springs…Gahhh. Such a pain. Why did you accept that one?”
“The reward they’ve proposed is worth that pain. Also, they’ve treated us well in the past, so we couldn’t ignore it.”
“Bastards, sendin’ us to do the dirty work…”
Riveria stepped forward to answer the question as Bete snarled behind her.
Ignoring his allies’ misgivings about the content of their mission, Finn started to explain the plan. “We’ll send two small teams to the fifty-first floor. Avoiding combat as much as possible to conserve weapons and items, both teams will quickly secure the water and return to camp. Any questions?”
“Oh! Me, me! Why are we splitting into two parties?”
“Because they want a lot of water. One group can only carry back so much. We’ll need at least two full containers to fill their order.”
Gareth supported Finn’s plan. “We’ve got storage problems of our own, with the food an’ all. Floor fifty-nine is still ahead of us, so we can’t spend too much time on a quest. Splittin’ up’s faster, more efficient.”
Expeditions were also a battle against time. It had taken them the better part of five days to reach the fiftieth floor. The trip back to the surface always had to be considered. The schedule was tight, and they couldn’t afford to lose any time or supplies getting sidetracked.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 1 Page 2
