Orario.
I walked slowly towards the exit of the Dungeon and pondered what I had learned during my descent to the fifth floor. There was no point in going deeper, as that was more than enough to get the information I needed.
After all, I definitely didn't want to leave Morgan alone for too long. Also, my outing had been delayed until the next morning because I'd explored the Dungeon walls and deviated from the direct route.
If I try to summarize the information, there are a few main points. Monsters appear directly from the Dungeon walls and attack anyone who comes from outside. After their death, they disintegrate into dust and then return back to the walls, sometimes leaving behind small crystals or some materials that can be sold.
And it seemed to make sense, I mean, a complete match to the mechanics of the video game, but there was one 'tiny' detail that concerned me.
They had a mind. Primitive, and without a formed soul, but still.
The closest analog to Dungeon would be Tia. And this is not an idle assumption, as the monsters act exactly as Tia's summoned creatures do when using the Sea of Life. They obey their mother's commands unquestioningly, having only just been born, which is exactly what monsters do.
Dungeons are alive and have consciousness. This is a fact, as I could clearly feel the movement of life energy within its walls. And if that's the case, then what prevents it from not dividing into floors, and not sorting the monsters in ascending order, but to place the most dangerous creatures right at the entrance? That would be logical, assuming that the purpose of all monsters is to kill those who invade the Dungeon.
I frowned.
There were too many questions popping up, and that worried me, since the foundation of this world seemed to be STRICTLY connected to Tia. I'd hate to become the White Titan to the inhabitants here, but if they turn on Tia? Well, I've never considered myself a humanitarian.
- "Mr. Archaman!" A female voice called out to me as soon as I stepped through the threshold of the Guild as I left the Dungeon.
- "Hmm? Ms. Tull?" Coming out of my reverie, I asked and approached the equivalent of the front desk, "Do you have a question?"
It was Eina Tull, an employee of the Guild. A rather attractive girl with shoulder-length brown hair, pointed ears, and emerald eyes. Her outfit, or rather her work uniform, surprisingly did resemble that worn by the office plankton. It consisted of flat-soled shoes, long pants, gloves and a vest of the same color, as well as a white long-sleeved shirt and thin oval glasses.
- "I realize I'm minding my own business, but why didn't you listen to me? You have no armor or weapons, and with your first level it's very dangerous to go down into the Dungeon alone." she said rather sternly and with a hint of concern.
Ah, yes. She's also known for being strict and serious. Eina doesn't want her mentees to die in the Dungeon, so she takes a strict teacherly care of them. For the most part, though, it's about the newbies.
What about the level? Of course, neither Morgan nor I are level one. In fact, we don't have one at all. No one in our group belongs to this world, which means they are not subject to its rules, well, not all of them. Tia can create a Familia, but not give Falna.
Essentially, Falna is a sort of identification mark for the gods and a veil of divinity around the soul of a mortal. The body, on the other hand, adapts and therefore gives a boost to strength and ability. In our case, however, a bit of magic and Tia's divinity was enough, and here everyone counts just the way we want them to.
- "I can stand up for myself, Ms. Tull," I shrugged, to which I received a squinting look, "I'm also not stupid. You seem more stern than usual. Is something wrong?"
- "Yes..." Eina sighed, "One of my charges decided to go down to the fifth floor, where he met a minotaur. But luckily, he was rescued and was level one, just like you."
- "Oh? Impressive zeal. To the last breath, so to speak."
- "Don't pretend this doesn't concern you."
- "It doesn't, Ms. Tull. I'm strong," I said and rolled my eyes, at which Eina's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Anyway, your words are heard. Have a good day."
- "You too." She said, purely out of politeness, and I headed for the mansion I'd bought for our Familia.
Eina reminded me a bit of Sona, and so it was quite fun to annoy her. Even the looks more or less matched. Morgan's temperament tickled her nerves just as much, and the only one she considered 'normal' was Tia, as funny as that sounds.
With those thoughts in mind, I made my way to the mansion, created by me of course. It was located inside the city and had the appearance of the Emiya Residence, and fairly close to it was the shopping district. The land was expensive, except that it loses all meaning when you have the ability to create money from nothing.
I chose this place because none of us could cook, and Morgan's gastronomic creations looked like charcoal. So, for the most part, we took our meals home. I was also too lazy to create food that tasted pretty empty, besides, but that's not the main factor. Uh-huh-uh.
Now I wanted to just plop down on the couch and end up in Tia's lap, however....
- "Calm down, Bethe. We're here to talk, not fight." said the boy with the blond hair and blue eyes.
- "But you yourself heard how that first level mocked us, didn't you? That's an insult to our Familia and to the goddess, Finn!" said the half-human with wolfish features, gray hair, and amber eyes.
- "That's right!" the half-human girl with swarthy skin, short black hair, and brown eyes said. Another girl standing next to her with similar looks but longer hair nodded in agreement. And both of them wore rather revealing outfits.
- "See, even these two are supporting me!" said the one named Bete, and turned to the three remaining members of the group, who refrained from commenting and found the whole thing pointless, "What about you?"
- "Let's just talk and go to the dungeon. The fight will not be good for the Familia and our goddess." A short man with brown eyes, long brown hair and a beard said calmly. And the two girls, one with light orange hair, blue eyes and pointed ears, the other with golden eyes and the same color long hair, nodded at that.
- "Oops? A doggy waiting for a command? How... funny." Morgan, standing in front of the house, remarked snidely, to which the half-human named Bete grinned and the others frowned.
Heh. And why on earth would I even THINK to expect anything different? Morgan's actions must have a reason, though. She never does anything without a plan and a purpose. A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around.
- "What's going on here?" As I made my way over to Morgan, I asked the group.
- "You're the captain of the Familia to which this woman belongs, right?" A boy, apparently the leader, asked, to which I nodded briefly, "My name is Finn Daimne, and I am the captain of the Loki Familia. Miss for no reason at all started provoking a member of our Familia when we were just passing by, and we'd like to resolve things peacefully. And also, to be honest, ruining our reputation by bullying newcomers."
I raised an eyebrow.
How cautious he is. Finn can't know how strong Morgan is either, and on paper she's level one. However, he still acts cautiously and suspiciously, as if his sixth sense told him so.
Loki Familia is quite powerful considering the rumors surrounding it. There are many at least fourth levels present in it. Hence, she can be arrogant and disregard the opinion of someone like us. True, only on paper.
- "Romani Archaman, Captain of the Tiamat Familia," I introduced myself, and then turned to Morgan, "What are you up to this time? You simply can't have actions without a purpose."
- "Oh? Aren't you supposed to protect me, husband?" She asked in her customary tone, to which those present were greatly surprised.
- "In a case where it's obviously your fault?" Rubbing my temples, I said.
- "Why could a bitch like her get such a handsome man!" resented the girl in the group, the one with the dark skin and short hair.
- "It's very simple," Morgan said in a mocking tone, and then hung around my neck, "And I'm truly sorry that a child like you can't understand it."
When the last word was out of her mouth, the girl made an angry face and clenched her fists tightly, and then stormed off with her fist outstretched, aiming for Morgan. Of course, I habitually let the magic circle block the blow since I was in the line of attack.
This event caused everyone present to open their eyes in a daze and stare at me. I even felt like a fly might have flown into their open mouths. At first, I didn't understand the reason for this, but after a second, an epiphany came to me.
I instantly lowered my gaze, where I was greeted by Morgan's satisfied grin and her eyes glowing with amusement. My fingers traveled with bullet speed to my temples and began rubbing them as if trying to drill holes in them.
I thought I said she doesn't do anything without a plan, didn't I?
-0-
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