DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Dungeon, 3rd Floor.
Like Tatsuo's Team, the team led by Alfonzo also began exploring the Dungeon after separating. And after two hours, they finally stepped onto the Dungeon's Third Floor after clearing the first two with little effort.
"The second floor was too easy, too." Elicia said while twisting one of the needles stuck into her wristband. "Why did Rose make such a big deal about not biting off more than we can chew?"
"Well, most Adventurers aren't nearly as experienced as we are." Alfonzo said calmly while looking around the new passage. "I mean, most newbs are facing monsters for the first time once they set foot in the Dungeon."
"Besides, the spawn rate really did increase by quite a bit after we stepped onto the second floor." Violet added. "So, I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens on this floor, too."
"It still wouldn't be a challenge for combatants at our level." Zelretch said, without a hint of arrogance in his tone. "Though, I would imagine that will change once the variety of monsters increases. Goblins and Kobolds aren't the most challenging foes, after all."
"These monsters are smelly." Aletia said with a displeased expression on her face.
"Yeah, their breath really does stink, doesn't it?" Elicia asked with a giggle. "I guess that's the hardest part about these floors, huh? *Sigh* It really is too easy. How are we supposed to gain Excelia like this?"
*Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!*
As though the dungeon took Elicia's complaint as a challenge, the team was forced to stop their advance as the walls, ceiling, and floor of the passage, both in front and behind the team, started to open up. And through those cracks, no less than ten Goblins and fifteen Kobolds stuck their heads out and glared at the team with murderous intent.
"The queen of raising flags strikes again." Alfonzo muttered in an exasperated tone.
"Yeah, I can't even deny it this time." Elicia said as she dropped into her fighting stance. "I know the Dungeon is alive, yet, I still opened my big mouth."
"We can chastise Young Elicia later." Zelretch said as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a handful of gemstones. "For now, let us worry about clearing the current threat."
With that as the starting signal, Violet turned around and rushed to cover the path behind the group with her shield raised. Meanwhile, Alfonzo took his stance on the other side. At the same time, Elicia stood in the center of the group with two handfuls of needles at the ready as Aletia began chanting.
"[Oh, fire, I beseech thee. Gather at my call and smite mine enemies. Fire Dragon]."
As she chanted, Aletia pointed the tip of her staff at the nearest goblin. Then, once her chant was complete, an eastern dragon formed of flames extended from the stave and rushed towards the Goblin with its jaws open.
"Argh!" The Goblin screamed as the heat scorched its skin.
However, before the Goblin's cry could last too long, the [Fire Dragon] bit its head off, cauterizing the stump before it dissipated into sparks.
*Poof!*
*Clink!*
A moment later, the Goblin's corpse turned into ash, and a small magic stone fell to the floor.
Seeing one of their own die, instead of getting scared, the monsters grew more bloodthirsty. Then, they rushed at the group from all directions while crying out. However, none of the members of the team were so inexperienced that something like this would stop them.
The first one to move was Alfonzo. Wielding his short swords, he charged right up to the nearest Kobold. Then, as it swiped its claws at him, he tilted his body out of the way before throwing a kick at its out stretched arm. Finally, when the monster lost its balance, he swung the sword in his left hand and cleanly removed its head before stepping back to avoid a second Kobold who was lunging towards his leg to take a bite.
Yet, before Alfonzo could swing his other sword to take the second Kobold's head off, a volley of three needles soared past him, imbedding themselves in the Kobold's eyes and throat, killing it instantly.
On the other side, just as Alfonzo started to move, Violet chanted her spell, as well.
"[Blessing of Steel. Wisdom's guardian. With strengthened will and the desire to overcome, Arx Custos]." Violet chanted as she set her stance.
With her chant, Violet's defensive parameters increased. And she was just in time to intercept two Goblins and a Kobold.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Thunk!*
Then, just as the three monsters moved into range, Violet stepped forward with her left foot while simultaneously swinging her shield, bashing the two Goblins in the head and crushing their skulls.
And with the shield bash, Violet's shield ended up in the perfect position to block the Kobold's thrust. Then, after exerting a bit of force to push the dog-headed monster back, she thrust with her spear, its tip piercing the monster's throat and exiting through the back of its neck.
*Poof!* *Poof!* *Poof!*
*Clink!* *Clink!* *Clink!*
However, just as the three monsters turned into clouds of ash and their magic stones fell to the floor, another group of five monsters lunged at Violet, and the only thing she could do was raise her shield and prepare to tank the attacks.
"[Binden]. [Zerschmettern]." Zelretch chanted as he threw a handful of gemstones at the monsters attacking Violet.
Five of those gemstones landed in front of each of those monsters. And as they hit the floor, the magic energy loaded into them caused the gems to shatter. When they did, the magic energy rose and bound the five monsters in place.
At the same time, the last two gems Zelretch threw landed on the foreheads of a Goblin and a Kobold. However, these two did not have such mild effects. Instead, as soon as the gems shattered, the two monster's heads shattered right along with them.
Meanwhile, Violet did not miss the opportunity Zelretch's magic presented, as she stepped forward and swung her spear in a wide arch, removing the heads of the three remaining monsters in one stroke.
Like that, the team continued to fight the hoard. Though, the numbers did not make it as leisurely as their trek through the Dungeon had been up to the point before this ambush started, they did not have any real issues dealing with it, either. {Pic}
DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Dungeon, 4th Floor.
While Alfonzo's team fought the hoard of monsters, which was considered an irregular situation, Tatsuo led his team down to the Fourth Floor of the Dungeon. And like Alfonzo's team, his team had not come across any situations they could not handle until now.
"We've been down here for about three hours." Akatsuki said while scanning the surroundings with her gaze. "That means it should be about... 2 p.m., right? How much longer are we gonna stay?"
"We'll try to meet up with Alfonzo's team around 5 or 5:30." Tatsuo replied. "They should definitely be on the Fourth Floor by then. Then, we'll head back up. And as long as we don't get pulled into too many fights, we should be back on the surface by 6."
"Just in time for dinner." James said with a smile. "So, what's on the menu? Or, do you want me to cook something on a makeshift grill outside?"
"Even if you're good on the grill, do you really think you're better than Tatsuo-Kun and James-San?" Akatsuki asked in a scathing tone.
"*Sigh* Probably not." James replied in a faux-downcast tone. "I've never made anyone food-gasm before, after all."
Immediately, Akatsuki, Sakura, and Momo blushed in response at the memories of all the times they moaned and writhed from Tatsuo's and Alfonzo's cooking. On top of that, Akatsuki shot James a glare that promised pain in the future. Yet, James only smiled obnoxiously in response.
"There's a monster coming." Sakura said quietly.
From the moment Sakura entered the Fourth Floor, just like she had done on the Second and Third Floors, she quietly chanted her magic and connected to all the shadows in the surroundings, tracking any movement so the team would not be caught off guard.
And although there had never been any monsters near the entrance to the new floor in the past, she felt it was better to be safe than sorry. And as it turned out, that caution paid off this time.
Immediately upon hearing Sakura's warning, the other members of the team raised their weapons and prepared for battle. Though, based on what they had seen on the previous three Floors, they were not worried.
At least, that was the case until they saw the monster that appeared in front of them a few seconds later.
The type of monster in front of them was not a surprise, as it was a Kobold, a monster that frequently appeared on the first Four Floors of the Dungeon. However, that was where any signs of familiarity ended.
Usually, Kobolds were a little over three feet tall with grey, matted fur, red eyes filled with malice, and sharp claws. And while the red eyes filled with malice and the sharp claws were the same as every other Kobold they had seen, the rest was totally different.
This particular Kobold stood nearly six feet tall. On top of that, its fur was pitch black. Plus, its eyes, which were indeed filled with malice, also had a hint of intelligence shining in their depths.
"Seriously?" James asked in an incredulous tone. "Did we really run into an irregular monster on our first dive into the Dungeon."
"Looks that way." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "But from what I'm feeling, this thing is still a Level 1. Though, it's pretty damn close to Level 2."
In most cases, monsters only attack the Adventurers courageous enough to venture into the Dungeon. However, every now and then, after a monster finds a discarded magic stone and eats it, they tend to gain a taste for them. As a result, they become more likely to attack other monsters to take their magic stones for themselves.
As a side effect, the monsters that devour magic stones find their strength increasing and they grow to a point that they are incomparable to the other monsters of their species. And this was how they come to be known as "Irregulars."
Usually, if one of these monsters is discovered, the survivors of the encounter report it to the Guild, and a stronger team is dispatched to deal with it. Unfortunately, that also suggested that there were casualties upon first contact with an Irregular.
"Then, we should still have a---" Momo began to say as she stepped forward with her shield raised.
*Screech!*
However, before Momo could finish, the Irregular Kobold charged forward at a speed comparable to James' [Flash Step], and raked its claws at Momo's shoulder. Luckily, her shield was already raised. So, getting the shield between herself and the Kobold's claws did not take much effort.
Still, the force behind the blow knocked Momo's shield aside, and she was forced to take several steps back to bleed off the force.
In the next instant, both Tatsuo and James dashed forward on either side of Momo. Then, in perfect sync, James drew one of the katanas on his hip for an iaido slash, aiming his slash at the Kobold's chest, while Tatsuo thrust his spear at the monster's left leg in an attempt to hamper its mobility.
Meanwhile, Sakura manipulated the shadows from behind Momo while Akatsuki, using her [Sneak] and [Silent Step] Skills, crept behind the Kobold with her daggers drawn and ready to pierce the Kobold's neck from behind. {Pic}
Unfortunately, this Kobold was much more capable than the team imagined.
*Clang!*
*Bang!*
Taking a single step back, the Kobold evaded both James' slash and Tatsuo's thrust. Then with a swipe of each of its claws, it forced Akatsuki to pull her daggers back to defend while tearing apart the shadows encroaching on it. On top of that, the slash Akatsuki blocked sent her flying backwards until her back slammed into the wall behind her.
"Argh! *Cough*" Akatsuki coughed harshly after slamming into the wall.
"Damn... Sakura, help Akatsuki!" Tatsuo shouted as he charged at the Kobold with is spear.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Clang!* *Swish!* *Clang!*
After shouting his order, Tatsuo charged forward, thrusting and sweeping his spear in an attempt to occupy the Kobold's attention. Meanwhile, Sakura extended the shadows towards Akatsuki before pulling the injured assassin over to herself. She then reached into her shadow and pulled out a glass bottle containing a green liquid and fed it to Akatsuki.
The liquid in the bottle Sakura produced was a Healing Potion, a low-quality one, but more than enough for the minor injuries Akatsuki sustained when she was slammed into the wall.
Before leaving the Dragon's Nest, Aislynn provided every member of the Familia with Healing, Stamina, and Mind Potions. Though, she did not provide too many, as she wanted to make sure that the group would be careful while exploring the Dungeon. Naturally, these three types of potions restored the aspects of an Adventurer that their names suggested.
Meanwhile, James did not rush in to assist Tatsuo. Instead, he raised his katana in front of him while watching the Kobold's movements.
"[Scatter, Senbonzakura]." James chanted solemnly.
With that, James' katana glowed the color of cherry blossoms. Then, from the tip, it broke down into a thousand cherry blossom petal-shaped blades, leaving just the hilt and the guard in his hand. And once the process was complete, he waved the hilt in the Kobold's direction sending the thousand petal-blades flying towards it.
At the same time, Tatsuo disengaged before leaping backwards. Then, he raised his left hand towards the monster. A moment later, a midnight purple magic circle appeared in front of his outstretched palm.
"[Lightning Bolt]." Tatsuo chanted.
*Zap!*
In the next instant, a bolt of white lightning shot out of the center of the magic circle and struck the Kobold, scorching the fur on its chest while causing its body to lock up as the lightning ravaged its insides.
Taking advantage of the Kobold's paralysis, James commanded the petal-blades to encircle the monster, inflicting large and small wounds all over its body. However, he never intended to deliver the finishing blow. That honor was already reserved for someone.
A few moments later, unbeknownst to the Kobold, a gap in the petal-blades opened behind it. On top of that, because of the low lighting in the passage, it did not notice that the shadows had spread much further than usual. Nor did it notice the head that poked out of the shadows underneath it.
*Shing!*
So, when two blade flashes cut the back of its ankles, the Kobold was caught completely off guard. As a result, it quickly fell to its knees while roaring in pain. However, before the roar could last for too long, the one hiding in the shadow, Akatsuki, leapt out and swung her daggers, removing the Kobold's head.
*Poof!*
*Clink!*
The moment the Kobold's head hit the ground, it, still showing ferocity in its eyes, and its body turned to ash, leaving a larger magic stone in its place. At the same time, the passage fell silent, with the exception of James' and Sakura's groaning from over using their Mind. Akatsuki was also breathing hard. Although the Potion she drank had healed most of her injuries from hitting the wall, she was still tired from the exertion and the time she had to hold her breath while moving through Sakura's [Shadow Space].
The only ones who seemed to be in good condition were Tatsuo and Momo. Tatsuo's status as a demi-human with draconic traits seemed to increase his physical parameters while Momo did not get too involved in the fight after blocking the Kobold's first attack. So, she was fine, as well.
"What kind of protagonist aura is this?" Tatsuo asked with a scoff. "It's only our first day down here, and we ran into a damn Irregular. You gotta be kidding me."