DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Dungeon, 4th Floor.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Tiona shouted as she skipped towards Tatsuo, Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch. "That was amazing! I didn't know you could use Magic! Why didn't you use it when we sparred?"
Hearing Tiona's excited voice, Tatsuo, Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch, all of whom were trying to catch their breath after such a long battle with Tatsuo, Elicia, and Zelretch trying to soothe the headaches caused by the Mind usage, turned to look in her direction. And when they saw all the Adventurers from the various Familias approaching, they tensed slightly. Especially when they noticed the girls from the Ishtar Familia.
"Well, we did agree to fight hand to hand yesterday, right?" Elicia askedd in a slightly exhausted tone. "If I started using Magic, it wouldn't be fair, would it?"
"Hmm? Now that you mention it..." Tiona muttered while lowering her head in consideration. A moment later, however, her head shot back up, her usual vibrant smile spreading across her face. "That doesn't matter! You guys are so strong. I would have never thought you were Level 1s if I didn't know you first."
"If we weren't Level 1s, why would we be fighting monsters on the Fourth Floor?" Akatsuki asked in a dull tone.
"Oh, right!" Tiona exclaimed excitedly. "That makes a whole lot of sense."
"Alright, that's enough, Tiona." Riveria said in an exasperated tone. "It's obvious they're tired. How about letting them catch their breath for a little bit?"
"Huh? Oh..." Tiona muttered after looking at the four members of the Aislynn Familia and seeing the exhaustion in their expressions.
"Would you like us to escort you back to the surface?" Finn asked.
Before Tatsuo replied, Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch all turned to look at him, the Familia Captain, with an amused expression. And when his expression filled with irritation, their smiles widened.
"Seriously, why the hell am I, the youngest member of the Familia, the damn captain?" Tatsuo muttered under his breath. Then, he gestured towards the magic stones and monster drops all over the floor, signaling his smart-assed companions to pick them up. After that, however, he raised his voice to reply to Finn's question. "I'd like to say yes. But we have plans to meet up with the rest of our Familia. And if we don't show up at the meeting point, they'll definitely worry about us."
"Ooh! I can go find them!" Tiona said excitedly while raising one hand high above her head. "The Fourth Floor isn't that big. So, it shouldn't take long to find them."
Hearing that, Tatsuo glanced at Tiona. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and put on a grateful expression.
"If you don't mind, we would appreciate it." Tatsuo said, his tone making it clear that he was quite tired.
In response, Tiona turned to look at Finn, waiting for her captain's permission. And when she received a nod from the Pallum, she immediately turned around and ran off.
"Hey! Wait for me, Tiona!" Tione shouted, not wanting to miss out on the praise that Finn would give after a job well done. "I'm coming with you! The captain's praise will belong to me!"
And just like that, the Hiryute Sisters ran off, disappearing around a corner before anyone could say anything else.
Meanwhile, as the Hiryute Sisters ran off, Aisha approached Tatsuo while smiling seductively.
"Well, well, well, aren't you handsome." Aisha said while reaching out to stroke Tatsuo's cheek.
However, before Aisha's hand could touch him, Tatsuo calmly took a step back, leaving Aisha stunned momentarily.
"Oh, playing hard to get, are we?" Aisha said playfully.
"I don't really like being touched by strangers." Tatsuo said bluntly.
"Ah! Right, I forgot to introduce myself." Aisha said while continuing to smile. "I'm Aisha Belka, a member of the Ishtar Familia. And I'd really like to get to know you."
"Yeah, no thanks." Tatsuo replied while taking another step back. "Our goddess told us to keep away from Familias like yours and Lady Freya's."
At first, when Aisha and the other members of the Ishtar Familia heard that, they were taken aback. However, their confusion never turned into anger. Especially after they remembered the warning Ishtar gave Phryne about messing with Aislynn's business.
Aisha was the first to recover, once again putting on a flirtatious smile as she leaned forward to draw attention to her cleavage.
"Well, if you don't wanna get close to our Familia, how about meeting somewhere neutral?" Aisha asked with a wink. "Then, we can get to know each other... on an intimate level."
"I don't think his girlfriends would like that." Akatsuki said while rolling her eyes.
"Girlfriends?" Aisha asked in an interested tone. "As in more than one?"
"That's generally what 'girlfriends' means." Elicia said in a faux-innocent tone.
Hearing the veiled mockery in Elicia's tone, Aisha glanced at her momentarily. However, she did not lose her cool. Instead, she batted her eyelashes at Tatsuo while leaning even closer.
"Then, what if I become one of your girlfriends, too?" Aisha asked coquettishly.
"Nah, I'm good." Tatsuo replied while waving off Aisha's offer. "Dating between Familias is too much of a hassle."
"You could always come to our Familia then." Aisha said despite catching Tatsuo's hint. "Then it wouldn't be a problem, right?"
"That's enough, Antianeira." Ilta said in an annoyed tone. "Trying to poach the members of another Familia like that is distasteful."
"Oh, is it?" Aisha asked in an uncaring tone. "Or are you just jealous that I have a chance to attract such a good-looking guy while you're too plain and rigid to do the same?"
"You...!" Ilta exclaimed angrily.
"Paluza is right." Finn said, cutting in before the confrontation could escalate. "You should stop trying to poach him. Unless you're not afraid of an angry Dragon God of Dreams showing up at the Belit Babili."
Aisha stiffened at that. But before long, she made a show of giving Tatsuo a reluctant gaze.
"*Sigh* fine~." Aisha whined. "But if you ever change your mind, Handsome, you know where to find me."
"Yeah, I highly doubt that will ever happen." Tatsuo said bluntly.
"But you didn't say it would never happen." Aisha said as she turned around to lead the rest of her Familia away. Then, she looked back over her shoulder and winked at Tatsuo. "And that's enough for me."
"I'm just smart enough to not speak in absolutes." Tatsuo said with a shrug. "Otherwise, I'd end up bringing trouble on myself like a certain someone."
While speaking the last sentence, Tatsuo glanced at Elicia, who puffed her cheeks out indignantly in response, causing Akatsuki and Zelretch to laugh at her expense.
"You guys just wait!" Elicia shrieked. "I'm gonna tell Fonzie that you're bullying me when we get back home!"
With that, the laughter grew in volume and intensity. Even Tatsuo joined in, causing Elicia to get even more upset. However, the members of the other Familias only looked on with confusion, as they had no context for the inside joke.
"*Cough* Anyway, why don't we start heading back." Finn said. "It shouldn't take long for Tione and Tiona to find your companions."
"Sure." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Just let us finish picking up all the drops."
"Why even bother with drops from such weaklings." Bete said in an irritable tone.
"Because we're only Level 1 and we have no intention of just living off our goddess." Tatsuo replied without even looking in Bete's direction. Then, while turning around to help Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch pick up the drops, he continued in a sarcastic tone. "But then again, since you started at Level 5, I'm sure you couldn't relate, right?"
"I'm gonna kick your ass." Bete said through a growl.
"Enough, Bete." Riveria said in an authoritative tone. "Loki said the Aislynn Familia is an ally. So, being intentionally antagonistic makes us from the Loki Familia look bad."
"Tch! Whatever." Bete muttered before spitting on the floor and walking away, making his way towards the surface without looking back.
And that was Bete's way of representing the Familia. Although he spoke harshly to everyone, including the higher-ups and even his goddess, Bete never did anything that could damage the Familias reputation. So, since it was impossible for him to apologize, he simply chose to walk away and not engage any further.
*Smack!*
"Hahaha! I like you, Kid." Gareth said in a jovial tone as he reached up and slapped Tatsuo on the shoulder. "Probably won't find another Level 1 outside of your Familia that would talk to Bete like that."
"It's really only because I know he can't catch me." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "I mean, I'm sure you saw one of my spells while I was fighting."
"One of?" Ilta asked with an eyebrow raised. "I counted at least seven or eight. And you called out 'Void Dragon's something when you used all of them. How do you have more than three Magic spells? Do you have even more magic than Nine Hell?"
"You know, Riveria only has three Magic spells." Zelretch pointed out. "It's just that depending on the length of her chant, the spells can vary wildly in power."
When Riveria heard Zelretch explain the way her three spells worked, she could not help glancing at Zelretch. Though it was already known how Riveria received the alias, "Nine Hell," most new Adventurers would not be able to explain it so easily, even if they heard an explanation from their god or goddess.
'Actually, after watching them fight, it shouldn't surprise me that he was able to understand.' Riveria thought to herself. 'He uses a strange form of Magic himself. It wouldn't surprise me if he had extensive magical knowledge. Perhaps I should find time to have an in-depth conversation with him in the future.'
"I am aware." Ilta, completely unaware of Riveria's thoughts, replied in an irritated tone. "But this and that are completely different. All of his chants are different, even if they start with the same two words."
"Talent." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "I'm just built different."
Aside from Ilta, every other Adventurer from a Familia other than the Aislynn Familia showed dumbfounded expressions. Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch, on the other hand, rolled their eyes at Tatsuo. Yet, they did not say anything to ruin his moment.
"*Cough* It's rather inappropriate to ask an Adventurer from another Familia about their secrets, Paluza." Finn said after coming back to the here and now.
Finn's gentle reprimand also snapped Ilta out of her daze. It also had the effect of stopping her from questioning Tatsuo even further. Though, it did not stop her from giving Tatsuo an annoyed glare.
Not long later, Tatsuo, Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch finished picking up all the magic stones and drop items from the Goblins and Kobolds. Then, they all turned back to look at the other Adventurers.
"Alright, we're done here." Tatsuo said cheerfully. "Let's start heading back to the surface."
Then, without giving anyone a chance to say anything in return, Tatsuo turned around, leading Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch towards the stairs leading up to the Third Floor. Meanwhile, Ilta pouted at Tatsuo's cheeky behavior. However, she did not try to stop him, as they, too, were heading back to the surface.
Along the way, just before reaching the stairs to the Third Floor, Tione and Tiona, accompanied by the other members of the Aislynn Familia met up with the group and the large group, consisting of the Aislynn Familia, the Loki Familia, the Ganesha Familia, and the Miach Familia made their way back to the surface while chatting. Though, with all the personalities in the group, it would be a bit of a stretch to call their chat harmonious.
DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Orario.
After returning to the surface, the other Familias left the members of the Aislynn Familia to get cleaned up. Yet, before they left, they promised to visit the Aislynn Familia formally. Though, Ilta and Naaza did not set a date for their visit to the Dragon's Nest, as they wanted to talk to their Familias patron gods before they committed to anything.
Yet, as soon as the other Familias left, the members of the Aislynn Familia decided that since they got out of the Dungeon earlier than usual, they would get cleaned up at home instead. Then, after making that decision, they left Babel Tower and started walking towards the Pantheon in the Northwest District of Orario.
{Pic}
However, before they could even get out of the plaza around Babel Tower, they noticed their goddess, Aislynn, approaching while accompanied by two women, one of which had the unmistakable aura of a goddess.
"Who in this city doesn't Aislynn know?" Alfonzo muttered while looking at the two women walking next to Aislynn. "She's even coming this way with Hephaestus and Tsubaki."
"Huh? Hephaestus?" Sakura asked while blinking her eyes in confusion. "But isn't Hephaestus a man?"
"And isn't he supposed to be crippled, or something?" Violet asked.
"This is an anime world." James said with a shrug. "Gender swapping ugly male characters into hot chicks is pretty much par for the course."
"Yeah." Elicia added with a nod. Then, she looked at Sakura with a grin. "Or did you forget? In your world, King Arthur was a cute, petite blonde girl."
"Oh... Right." Sakura said, her tone making it clear that she had, in fact, forgotten about that.
At the same time, just as Tatsuo and the others noticed Aislynn, Hephaestus, a beautiful goddess with sharp facial features, neck-length red hair, and red eyes wearing an eyepatch over her right eye, and Tsubaki, a beautiful woman appearing to be in her late-twenties with brown skin, long black hair, and red eyes wearing an eyepatch over her left eye, noticed them, as well.
The two groups drew nearer to each other at a leisurely pace. However, when they got close enough, Hephaestus' and Tsubaki's visible eyes narrowed as they locked onto the weapons James, Alfonzo, Violet, Akatsuki, Zelretch, and Momo were carrying. And to their astonishment, they could not immediately recognize the metal those weapons were made of.
{Pic}
At the same time, Aislynn noticed the expressions on the two women's faces. And she could not help letting out an amused sigh.
"Hephaestus, didn't I tell you not to be too surprised when you saw them?" Aislynn said with a smile. "I told you, my children are quite impressive when it comes to metalworking, did I not? Oh, and before you ask... No, I won't transfer Tatsuo and Alfonzo to your Familia."
Hearing that, Hephaestus could not help looking at Aislynn with a glare full of resentment. To think two such forging prodigies were not in a Production Familia like her Hephaestus Familia was absolutely unacceptable.