Target of Revenge

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/Step step…/

'Under the setting sun, Silver made his way back home.'

'He had done everything he wanted to, and starting tomorrow, he would dive into the Lower floors!'

/Thud!/

"Outta the way old man!" A kid said as he ran around, with several other kids behind

"..."

I like this peace... But old man? I...

"Sigh..."

No point in getting frustrated by a bunch of kids.

'He looked around, seeing the people moving on with their days without a care, he decided to do the same.'

"Pretty much everything short-term has been dealt with." He mumbled to himself

I still have many people to visit on a daily basis, people to spend time with...

Not because I have to, but because I want to.

To go out with my Goddess, eat tasty food with Artemis, and make fun of a certain Elf at a certain bar...

Those that I want to be with, my own Familia, my friends… And many others as well.

'He raised his head to look at Babel, the setting light from the sun behind it, something seemed to flash at the very top for a moment.'

"A lot has happened recently…"

Ishtar, Ikelos, Evilus, the Xenos, and the Guild…

Loki and the others as well.

All of those matters will have to be dealt with over time, they have just started and are far from over.

Today, I learned that I do have some sort of resistance to a Goddess Charm…

But I get incapacitated in the process.

Further testing wasn't done due to some obvious reasons… Still, it's not time to enact my plans.

Ishtar can wait for now… But not for long.

"Dionysus." Silver said as he looked at the moon rising in the sky

Like always, I'll stay away from that maniac of a God, but I do need his Special Wine.

One day I'll have to get it.

So I'll investigate him on my own first, and see if I have the opportunity to take one of his wines without him noticing.

Once I have that done… I'll take care of Ishtar.

"But until then…"

It's a game of patience.

I can't stay put, nor will Ishtar.

She's still on edge from what I did to her last time, and due to it, I have stopped sneaking around her Manor due to the risk of being found out.

But she can't be on edge forever, nor can she allot resources to seek Haruhime forever.

She'll have to go on with her life, but that doesn't mean she'll give up on what she lost.

"Soon, everything will fall in place." He said with a small smile as he walked down the street

'One of the kids nearby kicked a ball in his direction, and Silver precisely kicked it back to them...'

'As they laughed under the night sky, he thought about the future.'

…

'While Silver returned to his home, Orario welcomed the night…'

'But below it, in a dark and humid place, a man sat alone on the ground, messing with something…'

'He looked like a beggar, his clothes were ripped apart, he looked dirty, and his beard and hair were unkept.'

/Creak… Creak…/

'From the dark, a woman approached, taking a look at this pathetic man and giving him a light kick so he would stand up.'

'And albeit he didn't, simply taking a seat on the ground, that was enough for her.'

"How does it feel?" Asked Valletta as she looked at the man opening and closing his new brown, prosthetic hand

"How does it feel?... How… Does… It… Feels?" He asked, word by word as he looked at the glimmering metal of his arm, now occupying the place his old flesh arm once stood

This bitch… She came here to make fun of me, didn't she?

Couldn't have expected less from her rotten personality…

'He looked at Valletta with dead eyes, saying:'

"I feel terrible."

It hurts… It burns…

But most importantly… My shame, my pride… Wounded more than my arm.

I can't…

"Holy shit, you look like a dried fish… You even smell rotten." She said with a sick smile as she grabbed her nose

He looks as if he's about to explode…

Perfect! He's exactly where I wanted him to be…

Just like that other crazy son of a bitch.

"... Fuck you…" He said slowly as he pulled his fingers, but as expected, he felt nothing

'He couldn't feel his bones, his flesh, his muscles twitching under his skin... He only felt the cold and hard metal.'

I... I can… Still feel it…

It is here… Yet… Not.

/Creak creak…/

"Tsk… Hey man, it wasn't me that fucked up that badly down there aye?" She said with a sarcastic smile as she walked away

"You even lost that spear, it wasn't cheap you know?"

I really tried to recover it, but the Guild was smart for once and didn't leave all of their eggs in one basket…

This is troublesome as they'll likely create countercurses… I'll have to take that into consideration.

"Well… I'm magnanimous, and I have…"

"Shut the fuck up… Crazy B." The man said without looking at her, his attention entirely focused on his arm

"You sure have some balls to call me that half man?" She said sarcastically

"You better watch out, otherwise, that girl will end up taking over your place, since she at least still seems to have a decent head on her shoulders…"

'She smiled evilly.'

"And a pair of functioning arms."

"... What a pathetic attempt at rilling me up."

After I'm done with him, she's next.

"Heh, despite it all, she has already realized her position, taking over the reins since you're here crying alone like a lil' bitch." Valletta said as she shrugged

"Well... I guess this suits you more."

"So sit your tits and learn how to use it, kay? Not wanna hear shit of you breaking it, had to sell my ass for it, damn those pharmacists and their unreasonably steep prices." She said with a frown

'But internally, she was smiling.'

/Creak... Clink.../

"You owe me one... And oh! See ya around." She said as she stopped before taking a turn to a hallway, leaving him alone in the dark, tinkering with his metal arm

'... Until…'

"You and I… We don't look that much different." A man with a weak voice said from the darkness

'A Catman with one ear and arm missing walked out into the light.'

'His appearance was very sickly, reminiscent of someone that has eaten and exercised very little, and his eyes had large dark circles signalizing that he had many sleepless nights.'

'Even the faint light coming from the lamp near the man on the ground seemed too strong for him as he faintly closed his eyes to look at the man below him.'

'But that was only for his face as his body wasn't a complete twig as most would think, but neither was it muscular.'

'His expression wasn't one of sarcasm, neither one of pity, but more of understanding as he knew very well what was like to lose everything, including your own body.'

'The hate, the pain…'

"I can… Unders… Understand it." He said with slight difficulty

"I also felt it… I still feel it, the pain from my missing limbs every day."

They burn, they ask for revenge.

I can see her face... Every damn time I close my eyes...

Sleep has become a shore, but I moved on... I'll take her out from them...

'He touched his head, saying with a pained expression:'

"Every. Single. Day…"

"But there is no need to give in to complete despair…"

"Shut up, don't put me in the same box as you, Jura." The man on the ground said as he turned his face from the dark

Compared to this hopeless man who has already given up his mind to despair…

'If it wasn't obvious already, it was Dix Perdix, Captain of the Ikelos Familia... Or what remained of him.'

'Without his glasses, his red eyes with Daedalus' Initial now shone under the light.'

'He exuded a faint pressure, making the Catman retreat into the darkness again.'

"Eek!"

"But… Wouldn't you like to hear what I have in mind?" Jura said with a sick smile

"You want to take someone down, I want to take someone down as well, our interests align… Combined we..."

"We even share the same Familia…"

"Get to the point." Dix said in a deep tone

"Urg…"

"I have researched, for many years… Something… A creature… A monster… A Holy beast that purges everything when the Dungeon bleeds." Jura said slowly

"However, I still lack some things to…"

"And?" Dix said, already losing interest

"I would like you to help me gather the remaining intel so… Wait!" Jura exclaimed as he saw Dix leaving

"Don't waste my time with your monster fantasies and fetishes."

"Kek… I won't deny my love for monsters…" Jura said in a low tone

"But this one… It is special… It could take down everything we know at once… And I have plans to control it."

The research is about to be completed, a few more months is everything they need.

With it, my strength as a Tamer will reach a new height!

'Dix stopped moving.'

"Would you like to hear the story of the Ultimate Monster I've been researching for the past few years?"

"The beast responsible for the massacre of the Astrea Familia, the Juggernaut?" Jura said from the dark, his shadow seemingly distorting as the flame moved, resembling a twisted monster

…

/Later that day…/

/ROAAAAR!/

'Deep in the Middle floors, a party of adventurers could be seen fighting a large Green Dragon ferociously…'

'Albeit 'fighting' is a kind word to use as it was mostly a battle of attrition…'

'They kept their distance, waiting for the beast to tire itself out.'

'For these adventurers, this monster was considerably out of their league. But when the Human mind is at game… Things change a little.'

'The Dragon was considerably injured, it's scales were twisted, it had gashes all round displaying its pink flesh for the world, and it even had traces of burns...'

'And considering that one of its legs was buried in a pit, it was most likely caught in a trap!'

'In front of it was a Blue haired Elf with a thin sword, a rapier, evading as much of the Dragon's moves as she could while on the side were two guys, holding a set of metallic ropes, binding one of the Dragon's legs with all they could.'

'Behind the elf were two girls, one with a bow, and another one with a magic staff…'

/Roar…/

'The Dragon opened its mouth, red flames channeling from within… Aiming at the group of 3 girls!'

'But it was a tad bit late, they had already prepared for this…'

"... Orti Gyara!" The elf exclaimed as her sword glowed faintly and a Bluish-Gold magic circle formed beneath her feet

/Splash!/

'A dome of water formed around them, blocking the abhorrent flames as they ravished their surroundings…'

/Ro…/

'After this breath, the Dragon became clearly tired, it had lost a lot of strength already.'

"Let's finish this!" The Elf exclaimed as she used her sword to cut through the dome of water

'She ran and ran, determination in her gaze, a desire burning in her heart…'

'To stand alongside someone, and enjoy an adventure in the process.'

/Slash!/

/Splurt!/

'Like a history of old, the heroic Elf slew the Dragon, and the adventurers all let a collective sigh of relief, they had won.'

'For now.'

'To claim the Dragon's bounty... After a well-deserved rest.'

"Huff… Huff…"

'Looking at the stone ceiling of the Dungeon, the Elf smiled sweetly.'

Little by little…

…

/Sometime in the Middle of the night…/

/Step step…/

'A man clad in dark clothes walked through a series of stony hallways, seemingly without an objective as he always seemed to choose the right whenever a junction passed through…'

"It never ends." The man… Woman said in a low tone

'She placed her hands on the cold hard walls of this place, thinking deeply.'

As expected, is this a guise?

I've walked on and on, but I never reach anywhere, the trail led here, but now…

It's not Magic or anything of the sort, it is merely a complicated and intricate design meant to mess with the mind of those that walk within it.

Without proper ways of keeping track of where you are, getting lost is a given.

'She looked at the dark halls, her instincts told her that there was something hiding there…'

'And whatever it was, it wouldn't be simple to deal with.'

Time to leave, I've gone too far on my own.

'She turned around, walking slowly in these silent halls.'

What Hermes said proved my suspicions, this place is too big for the Ikelos Familia to manage on their own.

Intricately constructed hallways beneath Daedalus street, fusing perfectly with the sewer system in a natural way, due to it, the cleaning Golems that perform maintenance on a daily basis never noticed anything.

How long have they done this? Collecting materials in a silent way without leaving trails behind?

Decades? Centuries even... This predates Ikelos descent itself.

So who started it? Who made it? And for what purpose?

How did they do it? To build such a space beneath Daedalus street without the Guild noticing it?

"..."

It would be a lie to say the Guild doesn't pay attention to this area, on the contrary, of all 8 Districts, this one is likely to be the contestant for the place the Guild pays the most attention to.

A place where criminals gather, and the poor live...

Hence, it is weird for their actions to be so… Invisible.

It's as if they never used the surface to trade at all…

Unless… These tunnels lead somewhere beyond Orario… Beyond the Guild's eyes…  Clear gaze would be most appropriate.

Still, some materials would have to move, they must have supply routes… From within and outside of Orario…

Melen is a likely scenario, all Naval products pass through there…

The Guild has a strong influence there as well, so I'll set aside some time to contact the Branch.

In any case, it is almost confirmed that the Ikelos Familia has someone backing them. Perhaps they were even the ones responsible for making them disappear from our Radar all those years ago…

If they don't exist this matter would become...

'She shook her head.'

I'll assume they exist for now.

"During those years, did they hide in these Tunnels?" Fels said as she looked around

It is a possible explanation, but that would mean this place is more than just a series of passageways.

Where they lead is currently unknown, and it's very dangerous to proceed forward…

Yet, the Guild does not possess the necessary personnel for such a task, and due to Ouranos-Sama Neutral policy, our greatest personnel does not surpass Level 4…

And that would be me.

"However… This has caused me quite the trouble."

Yesterday… Right after the capture of the Ikelos Familia adventurers…

Someone snuck into our camp, incapacitating our guards, killing all captives aside from 2…

Their Captain, and a 'promising' Level 4 adventurer.

I should be thankful that not all Level 4's were retrieved… But this situation is the worst possible.

It clearly shows the Guild's inability to deal with this matter on its own.

"The right course of action would be to seek help…" She mumbled as she walked

But that could lead to a potential breach and consequentially, chaos.

Besides, who can the Guild ask?

In order to make things simpler, All Familias with Level 4 adventurers have been set as possible suspects, and any adventurers with abilities that meet the situation have also been set as possible suspects.

Aside from a few that have clear Alibis...

Investigating them all will take months… Years even. At a minimum, 7-9 months for any conclusive data to be compiled.

Worse, this could very well lead to nothing as it isn't difficult to expect that said Familia would've kept their members' levels hidden…

This has set our resources thin, and with our enemy's desire to stay hidden, we cannot risk potential losses by exploring an unknown place that is likely to be full of traps.

Sending a single High-Level adventurer is no different from sending them to their deaths, the Ikelos Familia Captain can deal with anyone below Level 5, regardless of his current condition.

It may even lead to nothing, this could be a ruse meant to buy time for whatever they were planning.

It would be very good if their goals were purely monetary... But that money has to have flown somewhere within the city.

Following the money could very well lead somewhere... But the lack of personnel...

"We're in a bind." She said as she took another turn

Looks like… This matter will have to be left for the future.

My apologies adventurer Silver, I have failed my end of the deal…

Killing Perdix at sight would've been the better option.

'She shook her head.'

There's no point in crying over spilled milk, I need to prepare some countermeasures…

Especially towards… The Hestia Familia.

They're definitely a target now.

If they're not, then they'll become soon enough.

It would be too easy to eliminate them if they so wished, adventurer Silver can't remain by their side all the time to secure their safety.

His strength has been somewhat determined by this recent event, but I won't bet on his ability to deal with everything on his own.

Given his way of thinking, I'm sure he has already realized this and is making preparations as I speak.

"I'll have to contact them."

The Ganesha Familia.

They are our most reliable allies right now, and the only ones with the strength that can rival Dix's… And whatever is hiding behind him.

'Fels did not believe that there was anything stronger than Perdix hiding in the shadows because if that were to be the case, that would mean a whole other heap of trouble…'

'Regardless, she would prepare for it, find ways to make sure the populace wouldn't be affected by it and 'peace' could remain, even if such a thing is a greedy thing to ask for in a period full of distress.'

'Her steps eventually disappeared, making the hallway return to its eerie silence.'

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