100 The Second Line
A.N. It's the holidays now and I'm off Uni for the moment. So hopefully I can update more frequently.
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"Traffickers." Finn said in disgust as he tossed a bunch papers on Bors' desk. "Entire basements filled with cages of low-level adventurers and a few children as well as smuggled monsters. There's no telling how many people have already been lost to this ring of scum."
Bors pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled loudly as his cheeks blew out in frustration.
"We raided so many houses in this place." The man grunted. "And all this time they were in the middle of the city square!"
"It's the typical hide-in-plain-sight tactic." Finn sighed. "The oldest trick in the book and one we unfortunately fall for continuously. If it hadn't been for Lyze's bloody rampage on them, they may have escaped with the innocents."
"You really do have quite a little monster on your team you do." Bors said. "Those bodies were mauled beyond what seemed appropriate. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he threw them in his mouth, had a few chews and then spat them back out."
"When it comes to evil-doers and abusers, Lyze is not able to practice any restraint." Finn said with a slight fondness to his tone. "Fortunately this time, he retained enough sanity to actually keep the leader behind for interrogation. As we speak he is being interrogated for any remaining piece of information we might need in relation to Rivira. After that, I hope you take him up to the surface."
"Oh yeah, sure sure." Bors said as he pulled out a flask and poured a small bit of rum into a overly used glass beside him. "Now that these rats are out of my city, I can finally kick back and relax and not have to worry about another incident from these guys again."
"I guess you owe Lyze for that luxury." Finn smiled before sighing. "Meanwhile I'm constantly going to be tormented by his shenanigans. He just can't keep himself out of trouble."
"From the way you describe it, it sounds like trouble just comes to him."
"Both arguments provide me no comfort Bors."
"...In any case, make sure to give my thanks to him."
"Will do." Finn said as he looked out the window to assess what time of the day it was from the light level on this Floor. "Well Bors, my company is gathered outside the city walls awaiting departure. I shall be seeing you on the way back up."
"Good luck with Balor." The ruffian said.
"I certainly hope it will be on our side. Balor's different to all the other monsters. Even going in prepared with all the knowledge that we have of him, it is no less daunting."
"Well I have complete faith in you." Bors held a thumbs up. "If the Freya Familia can do it, then so can you. I mean come on Finn, your Familia is full of the best teamwork in the city and you're all plenty powerful to boot. I doubt anything will go wrong."
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(Lyze POV)
The Great Tree Labyrinth.
About as fantastical as its name implied. Where we left all the dull bedrock behind, now the floors we were on seemed to be hollowed out in the walls of a giant tree since they were made of wood. And there were multiple pathways that were suspended above ground, which led to holes in those walls from which you could go down to the next. Below those pathways on the ground was a forest even more lush than the one on the 18th floor.
But where there were plants, there were insects. And unfortunately, those insect were a hundred times bigger than their smaller counterparts. And Finn had charged me with torching all the nests we were coming across. I sniffed in grimace as I lit a giant hornet hive on fire and the whole thing came crashing down as it burned with my silver flames.
"Is it really necessary to go out of our way to take these things down Finn?" I asked the Pallum. "You took us off the path so you could put me to pest control."
"Says the one who goes out of his way to wipe out every monster horde and every criminal gang whenever he has the opportunity." Finn replied to me. "If we don't do it Lyze, then who will? And besides, you have the more convenient and flexible magic and you can also fly, so it is best you are the one put to this task instead of someone else."
"I'm glad you find me so dependable." I muttered.
"Still, I've noticed that the colour of your flames have changed again." Finn said as he looked at the roaring silver flames. "A new level of fire magic?"
"No. A different path of my powers that I recently discovered."
To be honest, this Flame of Origin power I had was very confusing. It didn't seem to naturally burn things on the material level. Say I hit a living being with it casually, their flesh would not burn but it would seem like they grew tremendously weaker, due to spiritual damage. I could punch somebody and just extinguish their soul but leave their body unharmed.
It only burned the physical things if I willed it to. Pretty simple right? So why was I calling it confusing? Because Nekros had said that it was a power that when trained enough could become stronger than Chaos. It was hard to imagine that such a simple yet straightforward power could transcend the might of that particular being. And it also practically turned me into some sort of living leech as my body sucked in all the life-force around me. Granted it boosted my Excelia gain but still...the insidious nature of this power did not comfort me.
Another problem was that I had too many powers that I knew what to do with. They say when you are a practitioner of many, you are a master of none. That was exactly the case with me. Bear in mind I always had to keep the power of Chaos through mental fortitude alone...24/7.
And then there was several different types of elemental magic I had to use. I'd completed fire and air no problem. And lightning is just another form of fire, so I didn't count it as an individual element but I was very proficient in it. Earth magic however was very complex since it connected me to a domain that already existed all around me and it was hard to process all that information. And water magic was my weakest point, the best application of me using it being ice as ice is also just another form of water.
Which was a shame because I knew when it came to living creatures, being able to control water like I did was a deadly weapon to use. And you know why? I'll give you a hint.
Nearly half of your total blood volume is water.
I tried applying this science once to a monster...and the aftermath was just horrific and messy due to my lack of proper control. I couldn't imagine what would be the result of trying on another person. The problem was that water both acquiesced and resisted, in the fact it followed your will but also tried to flow its own way. It took a great deal of patience dealing with water, which was something I had developed more of lately but still not enough that I could master water.
Then I also had to keep practising and refining all the 'skills' I had such as the inherent magical powers of Britannia, to make sure that I didn't grow sloppy with them. Once I neglected practise of 'Full Counter' and ended up diverting only a percentage of the attack while the majority of it still hit me.
And now I had this new power on top. My attention was being divided on way too many fronts. Not to mention I was keeping on top of my combat training as well, grinding at it everyday to make sure I was eligible for ranking up my development ability when the time to level up again came around. Looking back on it now, perhaps coming on this expedition was perhaps not the best idea when I was trying to sort myself out.
Finn and I jumped aside as a few fire attacks assailed us and torched the ground where we standing. Looking up, we saw a gathering of Firebirds, bird monsters that depended on long range attacks circling the area we were in. Some ways away from us was the rest of our Familia fighting off ground monsters. I watched as Noir sliced through 4 Bugbears at once with smooth and precise hits that wasted little energy yet committed the kill so effortlessly. No drama, just quick cuts that indicated years of experience where young men chose to be flashy yet old people chose to be quick and saw the shortcuts that young men would not see.
He really was an amazing fighter. And the fact he always emphasised on my own talent of the sword was nothing short of the greatest praise.
Dain chose the ever traditional dwarf way, that was with his fists to pummel the heads in of Battle Boars and Lizardmen. If dwarfs were not fighting with weapons that were as big as they were, then they would be using their fists. It was no wonder so many people considered them muscle-heads.
And then of course were the Amazons led by Bara who knew nothing but brute strength and force as they swarmed monsters and gave them facefuls of half naked women.
Standing in the middle of all this, a feeling rose within my chest as I saw everybody fighting against a common enemy. Everybody fighting with their lives on the line in a bid to eliminate the enemy while at the same time protecting each other every time someone was in danger. A sense of comradery and loyalty, accompanied by the excitement that was battle and the satisfaction of every victory achieved.
'This is what I missed out on...'
In my past life, I had always been a loner. I had friends but principally, I was alone. I always believed in self ability, that the best person to fulfil your desires and accommodate your ambitions was yourself. And so I worked hard, training every day and always eating healthy (occasionally having cheat days of course) and making myself into something that was the best version of me that I could be.
But I could never deny the truth that I was alone. In my pursuit of success to prove to myself before everyone else that I was a winner and a fighter, I neglected to strengthen the bonds I had with other people and many I drove away. The only person I truly had in my life whom I could completely depend upon, who was there for me every single day supporting me was my mother
My mother...
The warm feeling in my chest was suddenly replaced by a constricted feeling as my mood darkened. I opened my free hand and it was bathed in silver flames that flickered with that beautiful silver glow, and drew Finn's attention. I condensed it into a ball of fire and then placed it on the back of that hand as I held it in the direction of the birds.
With my other hand, I pinched the fireball and pulled back as I stuck two fingers of my raised hand out. In this formation, the ball of silver fire was stretched out into the shape of an arrow, like I had pulled back a bow while Finn watched me intently. I aimed at the middle most bird and let my arrow fly true. The middle bird combusted instantly while the resulting explosion caught onto the other birds and they dropped to the forest floor shrieking as their souls were consumed.
"We should get back to moving on Finn." I said. "At the rate we're going, it won't be long until we reach the Water Temple if we're slaughtering them so easily."
"Yes, we should." He gave me a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
"...I'm fine." I said as I took out both Geranos and Excalibur. "Just need to not get myself distracted by personal issues. The Dungeon is no place for that."
"Well don't push it too hard." Finn said. "We can't lose our greatest prodigy after all. It would make our Familia lose credibility." He laughed.
I said nothing as I rushed towards a Lizardman who swung his stone sword at me. I tanked the blow with Excalibur and stuck Geranos deep into his throat before pulling the dagger down and opening up his neck. I then slid through the legs of a Bugbear as it tried to grab me, then kicked up with my legs so my body would be pulled off the ground and sliced him in half with Excalibur. As I landed again, a gaggle of monsters tried rushing for me, aiming to be the first one to kill but I slashed with Geranos and a shockwave of silver flames bisected each of them, making them disappear into smoke.
"I'm loving this dagger more and more." I said as I looked down at Hephaestus's gift. I was definitely returning the favour when I reached the surface. One thing I noticed was that with this growth weapon, it was so much easier to draw out the Origin Flame. I was still facing slight blockage whenever I tried to call upon my innate power by myself. It was like I wasn't drawing out my true power with my hands alone but with the knife, I drew forth so much more magic. It was just like...
"...like a Sacred Treasure." I realized.
Sacred Treasures were magical weapons that had the ability to draw out more of your magical power than you could by yourself. Excalibur was an awesome weapon but it was not a Sacred Treasure so to speak. It was just a sword possessed by the spirits of its previous wielders who imparted their wisdom to me in the way of the sword whenever I asked of it, although I did that rarely. I liked to be the one in control of Excalibur, not IT being in control of me.
Were Growth Weapons this world's version of Sacred Treasures? Except they were bound to their intended person. In Britannia, anybody could pick up a Sacred Treasure and use it. I'd have to do more research on the topic.
A Battle Boar loomed over me, trying to squash me with its front limbs but I coated the hand holding Geranos completely in flames and socked him in the face with all my strength. His body went flying but before he could impact anything, his corpse was burned up into crisp ash mid-air as he was devoured by the Flame of Origin.
Yep, confirmed. Geranos was indeed a Sacred Treasure.
I heard Riveria yell out to me.
"LYZE! ABOVE YOU!"
I looked up to see a what looked like a giant mushroom monster jumping over me as it blew out some strange mists. The creature reminded me of those mushrooms in the first season of SDS which blew out spores that made Diane the size of a regular human and Elizabeth the size of a pencil.
Just like that mushroom monster, this one also blew out spores. These spores however were known to be poisonous and I heard my Familia's shouts intensify as the coloured mists engulfed me. I waited for a few moments so that the Dark Fungus would enter my range and I swiped out with Excalibur, lobbing the thing's cap off and disconnecting its main body from its core. Using wind magic, I blew the mists into the undergrowth as some of my Familia members rush up to me, with Riveria at their lead.
"Are you okay?" The elf asked me, worried sick.
"I'm alright." I said with a cheeky smile. "Absolute poison resistance, remember. I can't even get intoxicated, so what chance do these monsters have against me?
Riveria sighed as she expelled all the anxiety from her body. "Yes, I forgot about that. Still, pay attention to your surroundings from now on. We can't have you dying on us because of some silly mistake and over-confidence now can we?"
"Nope." I said as I took in the worry in her eyes as well as they eyes of others who came with her.
Especially Ais.
I was still confused over my behaviour and feelings around her. Out of everyone in the Familia, she tugged on my heart the most. Maybe it was because she was unlike her older counterpart and that she was an adorable little kid who did the weirdest yet most innocent things, like kissing me because she thought it was an innocent expression of appreciations yet not realising the significance of such an act. Or maybe because she was easily my closest friend in the Familia. We had a lot in common and it was no secret she admired me given how readily she followed my example.
I'd come to care deeply about her and the reason was simple.
These people were not fiction anymore. They were...my new family. Yes, that was what they were now. I could freely admit that. They cared for me and I cared for them. They would lay their life down for me and I would do the same for them. I would fight tooth and nail to make sure that they all stayed alive with me, healthy and well.
When I found my mother again, I was going to bring her back to this world, introduce her to my new brothers and sisters...and I would live out the rest of what remained of my life here, taking up the aspiration to grow strong again but this time with my family and friends beside me. I would grow beyond everyone in this world, even Loki, Freya and Ouranos. And with that power, I would create something new that everyone could share and live happily.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Orario, was now my home.
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(General POV)
A Green Dragon wailed and roared in furious defiance as a dark blur shot across the clearing and bounded between the trees at amazing speed. Using the trees as footholds and launching pads, Lyze launched himself across the clearing the dragon was in and every time he crossed it, he would leave a deep gash across its scaled bloody, making it bleed out.
When the dragon tried to use its head to butt him mid-air, he twisted out of the way and spotted his opening. Landing on the trunk of a thick tree, he flexed his legs and made the mightiest jump he'd made yet to ensure maximum speed. The force of his legs snapped the trunk in two, which was about as thick as the height of a grown man mind you.
Lyze flew under the dragons neck, and sliced its throat opened right under the jaw. The Green Dragon stumbled forward as its eyes rolled back in shock from the sharp pain, the wound creating a waterfall of red as its heart pumped and made blood spurt out like a geyser. The dragon lumbered forwards in its daze and crashed forwards on the ground face first, its head coming to rest by the feet of the Executives as Finn stuck his Fortia spear into its head, piercing its brain and finishing it off once and for all.
"Well done, Lyze." He said as the boy landed on the ground and picked up the core. "I see that perhaps you were right when you said that I should just let you handle it instead of the others."
"Yeah." Lyze said as he stared over at a bunch of level twos and some level threes nursing wounds they got from fighting this monster he'd just obliterated. "When they said a Green Dragon was amongst the nastiest dragons in terms of attitude, they weren't kidding."
"Well obviously they would." Gareth said as he staked towards a specific tree the dragon had been guarding. "Dragons are shrewd by nature and they lust after treasure. And once they get ahold of it, they sleep on top of it until they die."
"And now that the Dragon is gone, we have a treasure tree to loot." Riveria said. "This is sure to put in more reward when we tally up our earnings after this expedition.
"The good news is that it is the last monster." Tsubaki said as she stood before a dark entrance that unlike the rest of the Labyrinth, was made completely from rock. "Now we move on to the Water City beyond this point."
"The Second Line." Lyze said as he stepped up to the entrance. "Why do they call it that, Teach?"
"I've always been of the opinion it was a separation thing." Tsubaki said. "The First Line divided the Upper floor from the Middle floors. And the Second Line divided the Middle floors from..." Tsubaki gestured a hand to the tunnel. "...the Lower Floors. The second we enter the Water City, we enter the beginning of the Dungeon's real danger zone."
"And where your powers will truly be put to the test Lyze." Finn said. "You've found the Middle floors easy enough. But from now on, you're not just going to be able to slice monsters in half or blow them up all the time. In these floors onwards, they get smarter, tougher and more dangerous."
"I'm prepared." Lyze said with confidence.
"...Then let us be on our way. Amphisbaena is the greatest hurdle that lies between us and the next safe zone. I suppose you're ready to fight it Lyze?"
"Bring it on."
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