"-and now on to the main items."
Currently, the entire Familia, including my children, were having a meeting in the crowded office with the rewards from the Xenos quest laid out on the table.
Of course, the value of the reward would be split equally between all members and the Familia itself, but for most of the items, people would want the actual item rather than the valis you could get from it.
And that's what we were gathered for, to discuss who wants and gets what.
Having gone through everything else, with Lyra snagging most of the materials she could use for bombs, Asta taking some rare materials for crafting, Celty getting a nice necklace, and stuff like that, we were onto, as Lyra said, the main items.
Namely, the three grimoires.
Why were they the main items?
Well, on their own, they valued half of the entire reward, so anyone receiving one would be getting more than their share.
Not that there were any greedy people in our Familia who would want more than their share...
"Now, there are a few candidates who could most benefit from getting another magic, so quite simply, between Alise, Iris, Haruhime, Ariel, Ryana, and Maryuu, we'll be picking at random, any objections?"
As expected, there were none.
"Alright, I have a deck of cards here, all six of those I named will pick one, and the highest three cards will get a grimoire, simple?"
The six then take a card each, and with bated breath, they reveal their numbers.
"Haruhime, Ariel, and Ryana are the winners. Yay."
Lyra, please don't try to inspire us, leave that to Alise.
Speaking of my redheaded wife...
"You sad about losing?"
"Huh? No. I wouldn't've used it anyways."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I would've given it to Maryuu or Ryana, they could both use an expansion to their arsenal."
That is true, Ryana has been getting by just with her singular fire magic, and while Maryuu acts on the frontline with her mace, her specialty lies in her single healing magic.
Well, at least Ryana got one.
Looking over, I see Ariel staring at her grimoire in excitement.
I should probably stop her before she makes a mistake.
"Ariel-"
Oh, seems that Ryuu will do it for me.
"-you should wait until after you level up. You may gain another magic from that, and it's said magics gained from level-ups are easier to use, not to mention the possibly wasted grimoire."
"Aww~ okay~"
Seeing Haru about to open hers, I quickly grab her hand.
"Haru, you should sit down when you use a grimoire. Most people pass out from it."
With both Haru and Ryana sitting down, they simultaneously open their grimoires before slumping back against the couch, creating a chorus of giggles throughout the room.
Quite a comical sight.
Everyone then leaves to store their new wealth and items and soon enough, the two regain consciousness.
"Auu, huam~ Huh? Where'd everyone go?"
"Good morning, Miko-Hime."
Her face goes red at my teasing.
She always gets embarrassed with being called by her alias, even though it's quite tame compared to some others.
Mother Astraea then walks over to the two.
"Let me update you two's status'."
"Ah, do you want me to leave, Ryana?"
"No, it's alright, I don't mind. I trust you, after all."
Looking away as Ryana and Haru lift up their shirts, the room lights up in the familiar glow of a falna being updated.
"You can look now, Sirius. Here, it seems that they both got quite the magic."
========================================================
Name: Haruhime
Level: 2
Strength: E418
Endurance: F369
Dexterity: D507
Agility: E498
Magic: C657
Mage: G
Skills:
Mikuzumenohou
Magic:
Uchide no Kozuchi
Kokonoe
Miko no Shukufuku - Protects targets with barrier magic in vital locations.
========================================================
Name: Ryana Lietz
Level: 4
Strength: F372
Endurance: F363
Dexterity: E427
Agility: E445
Magic: C644
Mage: E
Abnormal Resistance: G
Spirit Healing: H
Skills:
Static Cannon - Increases the effect of magic when stationary.
Magic:
El Eldheitr - Creates a large firestorm.
Rupture - Short chant magic that fires a shockwave and can be condensed for piercing power.
========================================================
Wow.
So a support magic for Haru, and a great attack magic for Ryana.
"Damn. Congrats, you two."
"Ah, thanks."
"Thank you, Sirius."
Hmm... I'm curious about how Haru's barrier magic decides what's 'vital' or not, and Rupture just sounds plain cool.
"Well, do you wanna go test it out?"
The two nod fervently at my words.
Well, time for training I guess.
----- 2 Days Later -----
Having been a few days since the Xenos quest ended, I was thinking of heading back into the dungeon alone for a couple of days, this time with my previous goal of exploring and clearing every floor instead of, well, finding Xenos.
As I had discovered, I was able to safely explore all the way to the Great Desert area, or floor 43.
Of course, I still had some trouble with monster parties, sudden hordes, and the Udaeus, but that was all part of being an adventurer.
Since I was gonna be passing so many floors on my way down, I was looking over the quest board in the guild, looking for anything that wouldn't take too much time.
After all, Alea wants some magic later on, and Papa's gonna get a grimoire.
...Eventually.
Hmm, herb collection on the 29th floor, rare minerals on the 35th, Blue Crab shells on the 26th...
"Excuse me! Celestial Sword!"
Huh?
Looking over, I see a Half-Elf girl dressed in the guild uniform running my way.
Oh! This was the advisor Rose recommended to the newbie group... Eina, right?
"Uh, good morning? What's wrong?"
"There's an irregular located on the 24th floor! Please accept this emergency quest!"
Ending her words with a bow, I quickly try to make her stand up again.
"Alright, I'll do it, but please calm down and tell me what you know."
"What seems to be the problem, husband?"
I turn my head to see Ryuu coming towards us with the newbie group, as well as Iska, Maryuu, Noin, and Asta.
"Hey, sweetie. What are you guys doing here?"
"We're taking the young ones to some deeper floors, and hopefully getting Ariel to level up. We were checking if there are any quests for us, but it seems that something else has come up?"
Hmm, but still... Iska, Maryuu, and Noin are in Kaguya's squad, while Asta is in Lyra's.
What's with this odd combination?
Noin then answers my unasked question.
"With Ryana getting a new magic, we wanted to get some training done in the dungeon. We don't want to stay at level 4 forever after all. Ryuu's just here to watch over the newbies."
I guess my confusion was written clearly on my face.
Well, makes sense.
Those four, alongside Ryana, haven't levelled up in my entire time here, and Ryana just got a big boost in power, so they wouldn't want to fall behind.
Turning back to Eina, I nod at her to continue the explanation of the emergency quest.
"My apologies. On the 24th floor, an irregular Green Dragon has taken over the pantry located to the east, quickly growing in strength and killing any adventurers that enter the area. While it hasn't moved out, it's only a matter of time before it starts hunting adventurers."
Ah.
Yeah, that's bad.
Irregulars are bad on their own, but when it takes over a pantry, it's way worse.
A pantry, which every floor usually has three of, is a large room where a giant crystal secretes a substance that monsters enjoy eating.
Essentially, a feeding ground.
So when an irregular, that gains strength by eating other monsters, monopolizes a place like that...
Yeah, bad things happen.
Unfortunately, as pantries are viewed as dangerous areas, no one explores them unless a quest specifies it, so often irregulars like these aren't noticed until it's too late.
Well, we should probably hurry.
"Alright, I'll accept on behalf of the Astraea Familia. Do you girls want to join?"
""Yeah!""
Well, they're enthusiastic.
"Ryuu? What about you?"
"Hmm, depending on its strength, it would be a good feat for Ariel. Yes, we'll join you."
"Ah, okay, thank you. As for the reward-"
"Don't worry about it. We should leave as soon as possible."
"O-Okay, please, be careful."
What an earnest girl.
'Be careful'... we have a level 6 and a level 5, you know?
----- 4 Hours Later -----
"Okay, we're here. She said the eastern pantry, so follow me. Don't engage in combat until we get close, we don't want any monsters interrupting us."
Getting a nod from everyone, we sprint toward the location of the irregular.
Thanks to my conquering of every floor and fully exploring them, I had the map of the entire dungeon up to the 43rd floor memorized, so there was no need to stop for navigation.
While originally only doing so for the excitement and the feeling of accomplishment, I've been given several unseen benefits from my self-set goal.
Coming up on the pantry, I can sense the irregular before entering.
If previous experience is to go by... around level 4, nearly level 5.
With proper support, it'll be a good match for them.
"Alright, we're almost there. Newbies, you four will be fighting the irregular, it's high level 4 to low level 5. Ryuu, you and I will be supporting them. Other four, you clear out any monsters around, especially those entering the pantry."
""Got it!""
Huh, it's nice, being a team leader like this.
Entering the pantry, I let loose a horizontal slash, killing a multitude of monsters with ease.
Looking near the crystal, I see the Green Dragon, its usually green scales coated black.
"Well, that's you girls' fight. We'll be here to save you, so fight with all you have!"
----- Ariel POV -----
Staring at the giant Green Dragon, I feel my body begin to tremble, the pressure of a higher-level enemy bearing down on me.
I know, compared to my Familia, that I'm weak.
Of course, there's still my girlfriend, Haruhime, and my dear friend Lily that are at my level or lower.
But they each have something else that sets them apart, Haruhime with that crazy level-boosting magic, and Lili with her witts and planning.
But me, well, I'm a mage, and I'm still far and away the best one here.
There's Ryana and Celty, the two other mages of the Familia, sending their strong fire magic to melt any enemies in front of them.
I look up to them as they always teach me tips and tricks to help me in positioning and magic control.
But even past those two, there's Alise, Ryuu, and Sirius.
Even when acting as the vanguard, their magic is stronger than mine, more controlled than mine.
And if that wasn't the end of it, there's also Lefiya Viridis, my rival.
Having entered the School District at the same time, at the same age, and both showing great talent in magic, we were quickly compared against each other as the two geniuses of our generation.
I took pride in that, being her rival.
But a few months ago, she surpassed me, becoming level 3 near the beginning of the year.
It's vexing.
Extremely vexing.
But I want to be strong.
Not only for my own pride but to protect my Familia- no, my family.
My Goddess, being the Mother figure I always wished for.
Numerous kind older sisters and my single older brother, who was always ready to tease me.
My three cute nieces and adorable nephew.
And of course, my lover, Haruhime.
All these connections, these inseparable bonds... I'm forever grateful for them taking me and my sister in.
How Iris can smile so freely now... Ah! No, can't cry right now.
But yes, this family, this love... I don't want to let it go.
I want to protect it.
So I'll get stronger.
To not regret.
To let these precious days continue.
My trembling hand stills as I glare at the irregular with renewed resolve.
As Sirius always says, it's time to go on an adventure!
"- Grow!"
Three wisps of light emerge from Haruhime's three tails, shooting off to Iris, Lili, and myself, increasing our levels.
The two frontline fighters, Iris and Haru, then leap to intercept the monster, Haru drinking down a mind potion while my sister chants her debuff magic, Hunter's Ground.
Firing off her crossbow, Lili overlooks the battlefield with her typical analytical glare.
"Ari. On my signal, fire off a lightning lance toward its eyes."
Nodding my head, I begin chanting Fulmen Lancea, remembering the training I had done with Sirius.
Seriously, that guy was something else when it came to mind and magic control.
Focus, concentrate on every syllable, every intake of air, every flick of the tongue.
Take note of the natural flow of mind from a chant, the path it takes like a river, and expand it, letting even more mind flow.
While most good magic users could influence the power of one's magic, without the help of a skill, it's never to this extent.
Yeah, my older brother is something else.
The peak of magic control, as far as I know.
Maybe Nine Hells is better, but in terms of combat magic, I doubt many can beat him.
So focus, Ariel!
Remember the hours of practice, the calm teachings, all of it!
"Get ready..."
Nearing the end of my chant, another thing he said enters my head.
Feelings influence power, at least on rare occasions.
So think back!
To the times when everyone looked at you with disgust.
Where the only bastion of love was your tired sister.
I was saved from those days by Metis, but I still hadn't found the family I longed for.
But now... now I have it.
Picture it, Ariel!
Haru being cut down by the irregular's sharpened claws, Lili being burnt to a crisp by its flame breath, Iris being swallowed by its jagged maw.
All these peaceful times that you love so dearly, being destroyed...
Picture it!
Will you look away?
Cry?
Lament in your sorrow?
No!
We're aiming to be strong, strong enough to protect them.
So, in the face of such an opponent... will you leave the outcome to fate?
An unfamiliar strength rises from me along with my defiance.
Hell no!
A wave of nausea assaults me as the mind leaves my body, forming a crackling spear of blue lightning.
"Fire, Ari!"
"Gah!"
Being blown back by the recoil of my own spell, I look up just in time as the lance curves into the irregular's eye, gouging a deep hole into the monster's head.
Get up, get up, get-
Huh?
Looking on in wonder, I see the monster slowly disintegrating into ash.
...
What?
"H-Holy fucking shit, Ariel!"
"Husband, don't be so vulgar. But really, Ariel, that was quite the attack."
Slowly turning my head, I see that everyone is in a similar state of shock.
Uhh, I guess Sirius' advice worked better than I thought?
Getting to my feet, I stagger, falling into the arms of Ryuu.
Huh? Did I use all my mind with that attack?
"Hmm, she's nearing a mind down. Even with a mind potion, it's best to not let her use magic."
"That's fine. It's getting late, so we'll head back to the 18th floor."
The sounds start to fade into the background.
"Weren't you going to go deeper?"
Ah, I'm getting sleepy.
"I can just go tomorrow, no biggie."
My senses getting number, I slowly close my eyes and succumb to unconsciousness.
----- Sirius POV -----
"Oh, she's out."
Looking at the sleeping Ariel, I send off a stream of Aqua Corona to her.
Seeing that it's not doing anything, it seems to be just normal fatigue, amplified by being so low on mind.
"Well, let's let her rest. She did quite a good job, as short as the fight was."
Damn, and I wanted to see how they'd do against insurmountable odds.
Well, we're taking them on the next expedition to the newly explored floors, so we can see about it then.
But still, that fight was just so... anticlimactic.
It got my blood boiling in anticipation only for the monster to be fried with one shot!
"Yes, I can carry her back. So, husband. You were saying something about the 18th floor?"
"Ah, yeah. Well, we should all take a bath and rest, then we'll head back to the surface to report to the guild, and hopefully for Ariel to level up from that. As for you girls..."
Turning to the four level 4's, Noin responds while fiddling with an arrow.
"We'll join you. We're also curious about if we'll be getting a new level 3. Though we'll be leaving afterwards, we want to gain at least 50 stats in our next update."
That reminds me...
"Would you mind if I look at your statuses? I'll show you mine of course."
I mean, after Ryana showed hers, they were the only four I haven't seen, my curiosity was killing me.
"You haven't seen ours? Well, yeah, of course you can."
"Thanks. Haru, Lili, Iris. Are you three all good to go?"
"Yeah, but guess what! It dropped a Green Dragon fang!"
Haru then shows off the loot, her tail wagging in happiness.
"Oh? And it's black just like the irregular. You guys might fetch a good amount of valis with that."
Lili's eyes sparkle with her usual glint of greed.
Haa, although we've tried to get rid of her insane levels of frugality, she still copies Lyra in haggling at every turn.
We even had to force her to buy new clothes each time she rips hers!
Hmm, maybe it's a Pallum thing?
"Well then, let's go back to the 18th floor."
It's bath time.
Maybe Ryuu and I can have some fun in the tent?
Actually... no, probably not.
We don't like doing it without all three of us, and with how good it feels to watch the two of them-
"Husband, that look."
Ah, right!
Clear my mind of perverted thoughts.
Damn, I really need to work on not showing my lust so clearly on my face.
"-and now on to the main items."
Currently, the entire Familia, including my children, were having a meeting in the crowded office with the rewards from the Xenos quest laid out on the table.
Of course, the value of the reward would be split equally between all members and the Familia itself, but for most of the items, people would want the actual item rather than the valis you could get from it.
And that's what we were gathered for, to discuss who wants and gets what.
Having gone through everything else, with Lyra snagging most of the materials she could use for bombs, Asta taking some rare materials for crafting, Celty getting a nice necklace, and stuff like that, we were onto, as Lyra said, the main items.
Namely, the three grimoires.
Why were they the main items?
Well, on their own, they valued half of the entire reward, so anyone receiving one would be getting more than their share.
Not that there were any greedy people in our Familia who would want more than their share...
"Now, there are a few candidates who could most benefit from getting another magic, so quite simply, between Alise, Iris, Haruhime, Ariel, Ryana, and Maryuu, we'll be picking at random, any objections?"
As expected, there were none.
"Alright, I have a deck of cards here, all six of those I named will pick one, and the highest three cards will get a grimoire, simple?"
The six then take a card each, and with bated breath, they reveal their numbers.
"Haruhime, Ariel, and Ryana are the winners. Yay."
Lyra, please don't try to inspire us, leave that to Alise.
Speaking of my redheaded wife...
"You sad about losing?"
"Huh? No. I wouldn't've used it anyways."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I would've given it to Maryuu or Ryana, they could both use an expansion to their arsenal."
That is true, Ryana has been getting by just with her singular fire magic, and while Maryuu acts on the frontline with her mace, her specialty lies in her single healing magic.
Well, at least Ryana got one.
Looking over, I see Ariel staring at her grimoire in excitement.
I should probably stop her before she makes a mistake.
"Ariel-"
Oh, seems that Ryuu will do it for me.
"-you should wait until after you level up. You may gain another magic from that, and it's said magics gained from level-ups are easier to use, not to mention the possibly wasted grimoire."
"Aww~ okay~"
Seeing Haru about to open hers, I quickly grab her hand.
"Haru, you should sit down when you use a grimoire. Most people pass out from it."
With both Haru and Ryana sitting down, they simultaneously open their grimoires before slumping back against the couch, creating a chorus of giggles throughout the room.
Quite a comical sight.
Everyone then leaves to store their new wealth and items and soon enough, the two regain consciousness.
"Auu, huam~ Huh? Where'd everyone go?"
"Good morning, Miko-Hime."
Her face goes red at my teasing.
She always gets embarrassed with being called by her alias, even though it's quite tame compared to some others.
Mother Astraea then walks over to the two.
"Let me update you two's status'."
"Ah, do you want me to leave, Ryana?"
"No, it's alright, I don't mind. I trust you, after all."
Looking away as Ryana and Haru lift up their shirts, the room lights up in the familiar glow of a falna being updated.
"You can look now, Sirius. Here, it seems that they both got quite the magic."
========================================================
Name: Haruhime
Level: 2
Strength: E418
Endurance: F369
Dexterity: D507
Agility: E498
Magic: C657
Mage: G
Skills:
Mikuzumenohou
Magic:
Uchide no Kozuchi
Kokonoe
Miko no Shukufuku - Protects targets with barrier magic in vital locations.
========================================================
Name: Ryana Lietz
Level: 4
Strength: F372
Endurance: F363
Dexterity: E427
Agility: E445
Magic: C644
Mage: E
Abnormal Resistance: G
Spirit Healing: H
Skills:
Static Cannon - Increases the effect of magic when stationary.
Magic:
El Eldheitr - Creates a large firestorm.
Rupture - Short chant magic that fires a shockwave and can be condensed for piercing power.
========================================================
Wow.
So a support magic for Haru, and a great attack magic for Ryana.
"Damn. Congrats, you two."
"Ah, thanks."
"Thank you, Sirius."
Hmm... I'm curious about how Haru's barrier magic decides what's 'vital' or not, and Rupture just sounds plain cool.
"Well, do you wanna go test it out?"
The two nod fervently at my words.
Well, time for training I guess.
----- 2 Days Later -----
Having been a few days since the Xenos quest ended, I was thinking of heading back into the dungeon alone for a couple of days, this time with my previous goal of exploring and clearing every floor instead of, well, finding Xenos.
As I had discovered, I was able to safely explore all the way to the Great Desert area, or floor 43.
Of course, I still had some trouble with monster parties, sudden hordes, and the Udaeus, but that was all part of being an adventurer.
Since I was gonna be passing so many floors on my way down, I was looking over the quest board in the guild, looking for anything that wouldn't take too much time.
After all, Alea wants some magic later on, and Papa's gonna get a grimoire.
...Eventually.
Hmm, herb collection on the 29th floor, rare minerals on the 35th, Blue Crab shells on the 26th...
"Excuse me! Celestial Sword!"
Huh?
Looking over, I see a Half-Elf girl dressed in the guild uniform running my way.
Oh! This was the advisor Rose recommended to the newbie group... Eina, right?
"Uh, good morning? What's wrong?"
"There's an irregular located on the 24th floor! Please accept this emergency quest!"
Ending her words with a bow, I quickly try to make her stand up again.
"Alright, I'll do it, but please calm down and tell me what you know."
"What seems to be the problem, husband?"
I turn my head to see Ryuu coming towards us with the newbie group, as well as Iska, Maryuu, Noin, and Asta.
"Hey, sweetie. What are you guys doing here?"
"We're taking the young ones to some deeper floors, and hopefully getting Ariel to level up. We were checking if there are any quests for us, but it seems that something else has come up?"
Hmm, but still... Iska, Maryuu, and Noin are in Kaguya's squad, while Asta is in Lyra's.
What's with this odd combination?
Noin then answers my unasked question.
"With Ryana getting a new magic, we wanted to get some training done in the dungeon. We don't want to stay at level 4 forever after all. Ryuu's just here to watch over the newbies."
I guess my confusion was written clearly on my face.
Well, makes sense.
Those four, alongside Ryana, haven't levelled up in my entire time here, and Ryana just got a big boost in power, so they wouldn't want to fall behind.
Turning back to Eina, I nod at her to continue the explanation of the emergency quest.
"My apologies. On the 24th floor, an irregular Green Dragon has taken over the pantry located to the east, quickly growing in strength and killing any adventurers that enter the area. While it hasn't moved out, it's only a matter of time before it starts hunting adventurers."
Ah.
Yeah, that's bad.
Irregulars are bad on their own, but when it takes over a pantry, it's way worse.
A pantry, which every floor usually has three of, is a large room where a giant crystal secretes a substance that monsters enjoy eating.
Essentially, a feeding ground.
So when an irregular, that gains strength by eating other monsters, monopolizes a place like that...
Yeah, bad things happen.
Unfortunately, as pantries are viewed as dangerous areas, no one explores them unless a quest specifies it, so often irregulars like these aren't noticed until it's too late.
Well, we should probably hurry.
"Alright, I'll accept on behalf of the Astraea Familia. Do you girls want to join?"
""Yeah!""
Well, they're enthusiastic.
"Ryuu? What about you?"
"Hmm, depending on its strength, it would be a good feat for Ariel. Yes, we'll join you."
"Ah, okay, thank you. As for the reward-"
"Don't worry about it. We should leave as soon as possible."
"O-Okay, please, be careful."
What an earnest girl.
'Be careful'... we have a level 6 and a level 5, you know?
----- 4 Hours Later -----
"Okay, we're here. She said the eastern pantry, so follow me. Don't engage in combat until we get close, we don't want any monsters interrupting us."
Getting a nod from everyone, we sprint toward the location of the irregular.
Thanks to my conquering of every floor and fully exploring them, I had the map of the entire dungeon up to the 43rd floor memorized, so there was no need to stop for navigation.
While originally only doing so for the excitement and the feeling of accomplishment, I've been given several unseen benefits from my self-set goal.
Coming up on the pantry, I can sense the irregular before entering.
If previous experience is to go by... around level 4, nearly level 5.
With proper support, it'll be a good match for them.
"Alright, we're almost there. Newbies, you four will be fighting the irregular, it's high level 4 to low level 5. Ryuu, you and I will be supporting them. Other four, you clear out any monsters around, especially those entering the pantry."
""Got it!""
Huh, it's nice, being a team leader like this.
Entering the pantry, I let loose a horizontal slash, killing a multitude of monsters with ease.
Looking near the crystal, I see the Green Dragon, its usually green scales coated black.
"Well, that's you girls' fight. We'll be here to save you, so fight with all you have!"
----- Ariel POV -----
Staring at the giant Green Dragon, I feel my body begin to tremble, the pressure of a higher-level enemy bearing down on me.
I know, compared to my Familia, that I'm weak.
Of course, there's still my girlfriend, Haruhime, and my dear friend Lily that are at my level or lower.
But they each have something else that sets them apart, Haruhime with that crazy level-boosting magic, and Lili with her witts and planning.
But me, well, I'm a mage, and I'm still far and away the best one here.
There's Ryana and Celty, the two other mages of the Familia, sending their strong fire magic to melt any enemies in front of them.
I look up to them as they always teach me tips and tricks to help me in positioning and magic control.
But even past those two, there's Alise, Ryuu, and Sirius.
Even when acting as the vanguard, their magic is stronger than mine, more controlled than mine.
And if that wasn't the end of it, there's also Lefiya Viridis, my rival.
Having entered the School District at the same time, at the same age, and both showing great talent in magic, we were quickly compared against each other as the two geniuses of our generation.
I took pride in that, being her rival.
But a few months ago, she surpassed me, becoming level 3 near the beginning of the year.
It's vexing.
Extremely vexing.
But I want to be strong.
Not only for my own pride but to protect my Familia- no, my family.
My Goddess, being the Mother figure I always wished for.
Numerous kind older sisters and my single older brother, who was always ready to tease me.
My three cute nieces and adorable nephew.
And of course, my lover, Haruhime.
All these connections, these inseparable bonds... I'm forever grateful for them taking me and my sister in.
How Iris can smile so freely now... Ah! No, can't cry right now.
But yes, this family, this love... I don't want to let it go.
I want to protect it.
So I'll get stronger.
To not regret.
To let these precious days continue.
My trembling hand stills as I glare at the irregular with renewed resolve.
As Sirius always says, it's time to go on an adventure!
"- Grow!"
Three wisps of light emerge from Haruhime's three tails, shooting off to Iris, Lili, and myself, increasing our levels.
The two frontline fighters, Iris and Haru, then leap to intercept the monster, Haru drinking down a mind potion while my sister chants her debuff magic, Hunter's Ground.
Firing off her crossbow, Lili overlooks the battlefield with her typical analytical glare.
"Ari. On my signal, fire off a lightning lance toward its eyes."
Nodding my head, I begin chanting Fulmen Lancea, remembering the training I had done with Sirius.
Seriously, that guy was something else when it came to mind and magic control.
Focus, concentrate on every syllable, every intake of air, every flick of the tongue.
Take note of the natural flow of mind from a chant, the path it takes like a river, and expand it, letting even more mind flow.
While most good magic users could influence the power of one's magic, without the help of a skill, it's never to this extent.
Yeah, my older brother is something else.
The peak of magic control, as far as I know.
Maybe Nine Hells is better, but in terms of combat magic, I doubt many can beat him.
So focus, Ariel!
Remember the hours of practice, the calm teachings, all of it!
"Get ready..."
Nearing the end of my chant, another thing he said enters my head.
Feelings influence power, at least on rare occasions.
So think back!
To the times when everyone looked at you with disgust.
Where the only bastion of love was your tired sister.
I was saved from those days by Metis, but I still hadn't found the family I longed for.
But now... now I have it.
Picture it, Ariel!
Haru being cut down by the irregular's sharpened claws, Lili being burnt to a crisp by its flame breath, Iris being swallowed by its jagged maw.
All these peaceful times that you love so dearly, being destroyed...
Picture it!
Will you look away?
Cry?
Lament in your sorrow?
No!
We're aiming to be strong, strong enough to protect them.
So, in the face of such an opponent... will you leave the outcome to fate?
An unfamiliar strength rises from me along with my defiance.
Hell no!
A wave of nausea assaults me as the mind leaves my body, forming a crackling spear of blue lightning.
"Fire, Ari!"
"Gah!"
Being blown back by the recoil of my own spell, I look up just in time as the lance curves into the irregular's eye, gouging a deep hole into the monster's head.
Get up, get up, get-
Huh?
Looking on in wonder, I see the monster slowly disintegrating into ash.
...
What?
"H-Holy fucking shit, Ariel!"
"Husband, don't be so vulgar. But really, Ariel, that was quite the attack."
Slowly turning my head, I see that everyone is in a similar state of shock.
Uhh, I guess Sirius' advice worked better than I thought?
Getting to my feet, I stagger, falling into the arms of Ryuu.
Huh? Did I use all my mind with that attack?
"Hmm, she's nearing a mind down. Even with a mind potion, it's best to not let her use magic."
"That's fine. It's getting late, so we'll head back to the 18th floor."
The sounds start to fade into the background.
"Weren't you going to go deeper?"
Ah, I'm getting sleepy.
"I can just go tomorrow, no biggie."
My senses getting number, I slowly close my eyes and succumb to unconsciousness.
----- Sirius POV -----
"Oh, she's out."
Looking at the sleeping Ariel, I send off a stream of Aqua Corona to her.
Seeing that it's not doing anything, it seems to be just normal fatigue, amplified by being so low on mind.
"Well, let's let her rest. She did quite a good job, as short as the fight was."
Damn, and I wanted to see how they'd do against insurmountable odds.
Well, we're taking them on the next expedition to the newly explored floors, so we can see about it then.
But still, that fight was just so... anticlimactic.
It got my blood boiling in anticipation only for the monster to be fried with one shot!
"Yes, I can carry her back. So, husband. You were saying something about the 18th floor?"
"Ah, yeah. Well, we should all take a bath and rest, then we'll head back to the surface to report to the guild, and hopefully for Ariel to level up from that. As for you girls..."
Turning to the four level 4's, Noin responds while fiddling with an arrow.
"We'll join you. We're also curious about if we'll be getting a new level 3. Though we'll be leaving afterwards, we want to gain at least 50 stats in our next update."
That reminds me...
"Would you mind if I look at your statuses? I'll show you mine of course."
I mean, after Ryana showed hers, they were the only four I haven't seen, my curiosity was killing me.
"You haven't seen ours? Well, yeah, of course you can."
"Thanks. Haru, Lili, Iris. Are you three all good to go?"
"Yeah, but guess what! It dropped a Green Dragon fang!"
Haru then shows off the loot, her tail wagging in happiness.
"Oh? And it's black just like the irregular. You guys might fetch a good amount of valis with that."
Lili's eyes sparkle with her usual glint of greed.
Haa, although we've tried to get rid of her insane levels of frugality, she still copies Lyra in haggling at every turn.
We even had to force her to buy new clothes each time she rips hers!
Hmm, maybe it's a Pallum thing?
"Well then, let's go back to the 18th floor."
It's bath time.
Maybe Ryuu and I can have some fun in the tent?
Actually... no, probably not.
We don't like doing it without all three of us, and with how good it feels to watch the two of them-
"Husband, that look."
Ah, right!
Clear my mind of perverted thoughts.
Damn, I really need to work on not showing my lust so clearly on my face.
