DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Dungeon, 4th Floor.
The sixth day of the Aislynn Familia's first week of dedicated Dungeon diving has arrived. And currently, the three teams that were decided in the Dragon's Nest's dining room were moving through the Fourth Floor like it was their backyard. Back when they first entered the Dungeon, they were already strong enough to deal with Irregular Situations on these floors. And now that they have not encountered any since then, the group was steadily harvesting Excelia, magic stones, and monster drops.
"Anyone know what time it s?" Tatsuo asked after thrusting his spear through a Kobold's throat.
"It should be around five in the afternoon." Momo replied while wiping sweat from her forehead. "We're almost done for the day."
"What are we going to do about those people?" Sakura asked as her eyes flicked towards a corner hidden in shadows.
"Nothing." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "They've been following us for three days now. And if they know what's good for them, they'll just keep following us."
Reaching that point, Tatsuo paused, and narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"But if they decided they want to do anything else, they won't live to regret it." Tatsuo continued coldly.
Hearing that, Sakura's expression did not change as she nodded her head to Tatsu's words. All the while, she used her [Shadow Space] to collect the magic stones dropped by their latest prey. Momo, on the other hand, had her expression change wildly as color drained from her face.
"You…? Tatsuo, you can't kill them." Momo said in a hushed tone. "Heroes don't kill. That's not what we learned in school."
"That rule may apply in your world, Momo-Chan." Tatsuo said, his tone softening significantly. "But we're not in your world. And here, we aren't Heroes. We're Adventurers."
Momo knew Tatsuo was right. However, having been raised with the values of a Hero, she could not bring herself to agree with it. She then turned to look at Sakura, hoping for someone to affirm her beliefs.
Unfortunately, Momo was looking in the wrong direction for that affirmation. Sakura had been through too much to agree with such a philosophy. Though, she had no interest in killing if not necessary. She had no illusions that killing someone who tried to rob them in the Dungeon was not the right decision.
Because despite the fact that the Adventurers would probably want to kill Tatsuo and have their way with her and Momo, Sakura also knew that not killing them would be a much worse fate. Because leaving a group of Adventurers unconscious in the Dungeon would just mean that they would die to monsters in a slow and agonizing way.
"Look, Momo." Tatsuo said, his tone softening even further. "I'm not saying you have to kill anyone. And I would never ask you to… Unless it meant you getting hurt instead."
Hearing that, Momo could not help blushing despite herself.
"But I'd rather it not come to that." Tatsuo said as he stepped closer to Momo and placed his right hand on her left cheek. "Because if it does, it means I couldn't protect you."
Momo lowered her head even lower when she heard that. At the same time, Sakura smiled slightly. Meanwhile, Tatsuo flicked his eyes in the direction where the Adventurers were hiding with wrath burning in their depths as he continued.
"And if someone managed to hurt something I treasure, nothing in this world would be able to save them." Tatsuo said, his tone so cold that both Sakura and Momo shivered.
At the same time, although the group of Adventurers could not hear him, when they saw the cold in Tatsuo's eyes, they all shivered, as well, despite the fact that a Level 2 was leading them.
*Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!*
Unfortunately, right at that moment, the Dungeon decided it did not like the current atmosphere, and a large number of cracks manifested on the passage's walls and ceiling. In fact, the expanse of cracks was so large that it even engulfed the group of Adventurers who had been spying on Tatsuo's group of three.
"*Sigh* And we have to do this again." Tatsuo muttered as he lowered his hand from Momo's cheek. "I hope Lici learns to keep her mouth shut before too long."
"At least it hasn't happened every day." Sakura said as the shadows around her began to move.
Momo, on the other hand, did not speak. Instead, she snapped herself out of her embarrassment before raising her sword and shield and taking a defensive position in front of Sakura.
"Stay light on your feet, Momo-Chan." Tatsuo said while slinging his spear onto his back. He then continued while drawing his daggers. "Putting a wall at your back doesn't work in the Dungeon."
"I understand." Momo replied in a solemn tone.
*Spurt!*
In the next instant, Tatsuo [Blinked] towards a Goblin that just managed to climb out of the wall. Then, before it could even get its bearings, Tatsuo's dagger swept across its throat, leaving a deep gash that gushed blood.
*Thunk!* *Thunk!* *Bang!* *Crack!*
Then, before the blood could splash on him, Tatsuo [Blinked] away, reappearing behind a Goblin and a Kobold before plunging his daggers into the backs of their heads. Then, he spun on his left foot, lashing his right foot in a kick that landed on a Kobold's head, sending it flying accompanied by the sound of breaking bones.
At the same time, while making sure that Sakura was uninterrupted while casting her Magic, Momo moved swiftly as she circled her lilac haired friend dealing with any monster that got too close.
*Thunk!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Swish!* *Bang!*
Thrusting her short sword forward, Momo stabbed through a Goblin's throat. She then threw a kick to free her blade from the monster's neck. After that, she spun in place with her shield extended, slamming its edge into the side of a Kobold's head, collapsing its skull.
Then, after feeling a Goblin approaching with a rusty dagger in hand, Momo side stepped to avoid its lunge. However, before she could raise her sword to decapitate it, several shadow tendrils rose from the ground, skewered the Goblin through the chest, and threw it away from the two female Adventurers.
"Thanks, Sakura-San." Momo said as she raised her shield to block a claw swipe from a Kobold.
"There's no need for thanks.' Sakura replied calmly while sweeping her eyes over the battlefield. "For now, let's just focus on finishing these monsters."
"That's the right way to think." Tatsuo said as he [Blinked] behind Sakura to intercept three monsters, a Goblin and two Kobolds.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Bang!*
After speaking, Tatsuo swept his daggers to either side, blinding the Goblin and one of the Kobolds by slashing their eyes. Then, he swept all three monsters away with a powerful tail sweep, slamming all three into a wall, killing them on impact. {Pic}
As he shifted to deal with the next threat, Tatsuo glanced towards the Adventurers who had been stalking them. When he did, he clicked his tongue in disdain at the sight he saw.
Currently, the group of eight Adventurers were being thoroughly overwhelmed by the Monster party. The only one who seemed to be holding his own was the Level 2. However, he would more than likely tire from the sheer number of enemies. Still, Tatsuo had no sympathy for the group, as he knew they had ill intentions for following them.
'Looks like Momo won't have to deal with killing today.' Tatsuo thought to himself while continuing to put down the monsters. 'The only one who's gonna survive out of that group is the Level 2. And that will only be after he leaves the rest of his team to die.'
And just as Tatsuo thought, about twenty minutes into the battle, the Level 2 Adventurer from the group that had been stalking his team for the past few days eventually betrayed his teammates. Because despite being Level 2 and facing no real danger from these weak monsters, there were just too many. And had he stayed, he would have eventually been overrun due to fatigue with the rest of his team.
In fact, Tatsuo's team of three would have suffered the same fate had it not been for Sakura's [Kage Sosa] spell, which could restrain so many of the attacking monsters. Though, both Tatsuo and Momo could tell that if they did not finish the rest of the monsters off soon, or retreat, Sakura would reach her limit soon.
Luckily, after the Level 2 Adventurer escaped and his companions fell, the passage stopped spawning new monsters. As a result, the battle only lasted a few more minutes thanks to Tatsuo's, Momo's, and Sakura's killing efficiency.
"*Pant* *Pant* It's finally over." Momo said while breathing heavily.
"Yeah... *Pant* *Pant* I was about ready to grab both of you and start [Blinking] towards the floors leading up if they kept coming." Tatsuo added through his own ragged breathing. Then, he looked up at Sakura as he continued. "Sakura, are you---"
However, before Tatsuo could finish asking his question, he saw Sakura's eyes roll back just before her body started to tilt. Luckily, Tatsuo had more than enough Mind left to cast another [Blink]. Then, after reappearing next to Sakura, he caught her before she could fall to the floor.
"Sakura!" Momo shouted as she ignored her exhaustion and rushed over to Tatsuo's and Sakura's side.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure it's Mind Down." Tatsuo said while placing two fingers against Sakura's neck to check her pulse. "Her heartbeat is still strong. She's just exhausted. Good thing we each decided to carry a few potions. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to give her any of the Mind Potions she's got stored in her [Shadow Space]."
Mind Down is a condition that only affects mages. As mages use magic, they expend the power of their Mind. Overuse of Mind can lead to effects such as headaches and sluggish thoughts. However, when used past a critical point, it leads to the condition known as Mind Down, which usually ends in the mage falling unconscious.
"Right." Momo replied as she reached into the emergency waist pouch she carried and pulled out a Mind Potion.
Then, Momo pulled the cork from the potion bottle and held it to Sakura's mouth. However, a moment later, she frowned.
"How is she supposed to drink it like this?" Momo asked in a worried tone.
"Like this." Tatsuo said as he took the Mind Potion from Momo.
In the next instant, Tatsuo put the potion bottle to his lips, tipped his head back, and drank the entirety of the potion. However, he did not swallow its contents. Instead, he handed the bottle back to the confused Momo before lowering his head and pressing his lips to Sakura's.
Seeing that, Momo's face reddened immediately. Then, she raised her hands to cover her face. However, Tatsuo noticed the rather large gaps in her fingers and the eyes sparkling with curiosity that peaked between them. {Pic}
With his mouth full, Tatsuo could not laugh at Momo's cute behavior. So, he focused on feeding the potion to Sakura instead. Carefully opening Sakura's lips, he let the potion trickle into her mouth and between her slightly parted teeth.
After a few seconds, Sakura's mouth was full and she instinctively began swallowing the potion. and after about half a minute, Sakura finished drinking, though she did not wake up immediately. But the painful expression caused by the Mind Down state did ease noticeably.
"Alright, let's call it a day." Tatsuo said as he stood up with Sakura in his arms. Then, he turned to look at Momo and continued. "Momo, can you use your Skill to create some rope? I want to tie Sakura to my back so my hands will be free if any monsters show up on the way out."
"Of course." Momo, with her face still red, replied. Then, Momo placed her hand over the exposed skin on her arm as she called out the name of her Skill. "[Material Creation]."
In the next instant, Momo's arm started to glow. Then, a short length of rope sprouted from her upper arm before she grabbed it with her other hand and started to pull. And with her pull, eventually ten feet of rope was pulled from her arm before the glow faded.
"This should be enough, right?" Momo asked.
"Yeah, more than enough." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "As thanks, when we get back home, I'll cook your favorite things for dinner."
Hearing that, Momo smiled. Because her Skill, [Material Creation] used her body's lipids, or fats, to create the materials. So, eating food with higher fat content was critical when it came to keeping herself in fighting shape... As well as keeping her figure as incredible as it was.
After that, Momo helped Tatsuo tie Sakura to his back. Then, once Sakura was securely fastened, the trio started making their way up to the surface, where they would wait for the other two teams to emerge.
About half an hour later, on the top floor of Babel Tower, Freya was standing in front of a floor to ceiling window with her face pressed to the glass while looking down at the plaza below. Meanwhile, her loyal guard and the captain of her Familia, Ottar stood behind her, unmoving like a statue. {Pic}
"*Gasp* They finally came out." Freya said in a breathless tone. "Why are they so late? Don't they know how long I've been waiting? Mmm~~~~~! But with such magnificent souls, I can't bring myself to be angry, either... Oh, how I wish to see them up close again."
"Would you like me to deliver the letter to Lady Aislynn?" Ottar asked in his usual stoic tone.
"No... No, not yet." Freya replied without looking away from the plaza. "I still haven't found the correct wording. The last thing I want is for Aislynn to misunderstand my intentions."
In response, Ottar only nodded his head. At the same time, Freya's excited expression intensified as the ones she was waiting for finally stepped out of the entrance to Babel Tower. A moment later, however, her expression soured significantly.
"That fool has shown up." Freya said disdainfully. "He really must not have much in the way of survival instinct if he's approaching those children."