The Spark
Sorry for the wait, this is the chapter for last Sunday but I'm also here to say that there will be no more chapters till next Sunday.
This week, in particular, has been rather extreme for me, I have a few exams and tasks to do, I had a few things to do with my family, I got severe constipation for some reason, and now, I'm sick.
I'm feeling much better but sometimes I have to get up and fight with the toilet, not the best of times.
At least I've not played any games, though that hasn't improved my situation much.
I've also started to prepare to add images to my Discord and hopefully, I can actually finish the Zero Fate chapter, it's about 4K words long now and I really need to continue writing on it.
That's about it, peace!
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/Meanwhile, beneath Orario…/
/Scratch scratch scratch…/
'Inside a dark and damp room with only a small lamp to illuminate it, a man continually scribbled something on a small piece of parchment.'
'His hand heavy, it almost seemed as if the man was carving the ink onto the piece of paper, angrily linking together letters to form words and string them into extensive blocky paragraphs.'
'His appearance was like that of a religious fanatic or an ever pious follower doing what his God told him to, recording down their will, word by word.'
'Even as the minutes passed, turning to hours, maybe even days on end, the man never stopped his task, only when the candle was put out did he stop to fill another, creating a pool of wax on the ground and around the lamp as time passed by.'
'It was as if a demon had possessed him, as invisible obsession controlled his fingers and movements, he was a puppet to his own desires.'
/Step…/
'That was, until someone walked inside the room.'
"... Jura, when are you going to stop wasting your time in this shithole?"
"I can't even see my fucking hands in this darkness." A man said as he walked out of the shadows and into the light
"D-Do not b-bother me Dix! I'm… I'm almost there! I can even see it, t-that p-p-power…" The maniacal man replied as he raised his face to face the newcomer, revealing it
'A man with sunken eyes and a sickly smile, with only one ear left in his head.'
'A cat man, but his appearance was so decadent he may as well pose as another species.'
(Image?)
"Our previous test… Was a massive success, but it also warned me of the d-dangers." Jura said he pulled a few pieces of paper
'It was only them that one would realize the scope of his obsession for his craft, as all around him, shelves upon shelves of scrolls laid around, all written by him over the scope of years.'
'Right now, in the entire world, Jura may very well be the one that knew the most about monsters, his knowledge so extensive it could put entire libraries to shame...'
'Even if that knowledge was written under a rather twisted and psychedelic point of view bordering that of a fetish.'
"I hate to say it but… This monster of yours sure is something." Dix said with some irony as he crossed his arms
"Although we lost all scouts and a jewel, that doesn't matter because we managed to measure its destructive potential."
"The Freya Familia… According to our watchers in the Upper and Middle floors, they were completely and utterly trashed, it pains me to not have witnessed it..."
"Or being there to finish them off."
And above all, to not have put faith in it.
Were we more upfront about it, the Freya Familia would be no more, and our biggest hurdle would be gone.
"Although it's only an assumption, deeming the words of that 'monster' we can safely assume they got in that condition due to our interference."
"A single monster drove them to that state, if we can control it successfully, then we'll win."
Though now, the Freya Familia is aware of our existence to a certain extent, they shouldn't descend without proper planning, no matter how arrogant they are.
Not to say the growth we provided them, we lost too much here for a simple and inconsequential test.
I have to make up for it.
'But as he said that, Dix had the urge to laugh at his own words.'
"If we even can that is… Jura, a monster that cannot be controlled is nothing but a waste of time."
/SLAM!/
'But Jura was unwilling to accept it, slamming his fist on the table.'
"What do you know?! You kept making fun of me and undermining my research while doing nothing but bothering me, what do you know about whether or not…"
/SLAM!/
'Before Jura could even react, Dix vanished, slamming his head against the table.'
"Listen here, you talk with me like that again and I'll finish what that bitch did to you and make you fully deaf."
"Urg!..."
/Let go.../
"... What I'm trying to say is that it's too strong." Dix said as he let go of Jura
"Try to understand, a creature that almost wiped out the strongest Familia, how are you planning on putting it on a leash?"
"Even that monster was unable to call out to it, do you realize what that signifies?"
"You better give me a satisfying answer as we already spent too many resources putting up with your mess, and this time, I expect it to not involve the sacrifice of our personnel."
"Unless… You wish to make up for it?"
It's already been taxing and tiring to deal with that bitch, she's been sniffing around and drinking to her heart's content, trying to get into our heads.
She's a tumor that only consumes, even if she provides something to us... Maybe parasite would be more fitting.
But we can't do much to her since there is that shadow behind her, it would be a pain even for me to face him, and we would gain little but injuries by causing a Civil war amidst ourselves.
Besides, she has her uses, thanks to her, we've secured many eyes and hands all around and even extra manpower, even if they're all directly under her control.
I have to keep away or risk being charmed, tsk! What a shitty situation.
This place was already claustrophobic and now I have to avoid certain areas...
That shitty God of mine has also seemingly vanished, again, likely due to her as well.
She's been mingling with Thanatos as well, no doubt trying to use her body to get what she wants.
He's no fool, but how long will it take for that loser to fall under her feet?
Or maybe... That's exactly what that other maniacal bitch wants?
'Dix' expression turned into one of displeasure, he loved to be on top and to understand the situation, but he couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on anymore within Evilus.'
'Not that it mattered, to him, they were only a means to an end, a means to get what he wanted, the bloodshed necessary for him to quell his curse.'
'At least until he found a way to remove it for good.'
"..."
'Meanwhile, Jura's expression went from fury to fear as he looked away from Dix, unable to face him.'
"There is no need for that… I just n-need one more s-s-sample." He said while stuttering, fidgeting with his fingers as he thought of what words to use
"I confirmed the cause and the clear strength variation, Dix… This is the first monster in recorded history that can change its strength depending on where it is birthed!" He said with a broken smile
"There's nothing like it in the entirety of the Dungeon!"
"You're correct to say we can't do nothing if it is birthed on the 50th floor, but if we can simulate what happened on that day… Then we can mayhaps create a powerful force that can wipe out all."
"There is a reason the Guild kept quiet about it, they don't want us to know its characteristics! They do not wish to share us its… IT'S BEAUTY!!" Jura said as he opened his arms wide
"..."
'Dix expression did not change, he still looked at Jura with a cold expression.'
"W-we just… Need to make a few more experiments… T-to stabilize the process a-as you said before."
"I previously estimated the 24th floor Juggernaut to be Level 5, and if the Deep Floor Juggernaut put so much pressure on the Freya Familia… Then its power would have had to be that of a Level 7 even before its contact with the Jewel."
"It's a monster unlike any other… A monster that can rival a Floor Boss even if it's called upon the same area."
"And remember how we failed to control a Floor Boss before? This might be the chance for us to achieve the same outcome in an even more controlled environment."
"A-And I already have a proper candidate area for our next experiment, I…"
"Show it to me." Dix ordered as he crossed his arms
"G-Give me a minute!" Jura replied as he turned to his table, pulling the papers as he desperately sought after his item
'And eventually, he found it, a map of the Dungeon…'
"This place is…?"
"T-The Water City… 25th to the 27th floors…"
"An interconnected floor region considered as one by the Dungeon's criteria… It should be considerably easy to crash it down and summon the great beast."
"And then, even if other adventurers try to react, they won't be fast enough to stop us from accomplishing our experiment or even strong enough to do so."
"Its layout also allows us to use a myriad of diversions to confuse them, they wouldn't be able to track us, not within its complex tunnels."
"T-This is what I've concluded… Sir…"
"I see, then, what's missing?"
"..."
'Jura's expression went dark as he clenched his fist.'
"I… Want to kill the Gale." He said in a deep and serious tone unlike his usual cowardly nature
"So?"
"I was looking for her, seeking her… To drive a blade through her neck, to her long ears as she did to mine, to rip out her arm as she did mine."
"And once I'm done, I'll feed her to the Juggernaut, to give her an end like those of her past companions, it's the only fate she deserves."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Dix asked with a thin smile as he listened to Jura
"I… Was thinking about that."
/Smirk/
"Then… Why don't I help you?"
"The Gale took out many of ours in the past, her lone presence drove a nail through our forces, shoving us into this dark age where we're too scared to even go out into the sun."
"Every one of us hates her, so her death will serve as a great morale boost."
"I have something in mind, what do you think?" He asked as he approached Jura
This will be a good chance to test some things also.
"... As long as she suffers." Jura replied with a cruel expression
…
/Back at the surface…/
"Cough... It was an accident, after training for a bit…"
"Your shirt tore off, right?"
"That's okay, accidents happen, especially amidst beginners and when you wish to prove a point…" Hestia said with a nod as she interrupted Silver
"I don't doubt it's hard to keep up appearances during intense combat, adventurers always come back worn out, it's normal..."
"Still, once your shirt tore off... Why didn't you put on another?!" She exclaimed as she punched his chest
/Smack!/
Did you need to flash your chest to them and be proud of it?!
"... I was occupied, I could not…"
/Smack! Smack!/
"You're making excuses for why the sun is yellow! Stop trying to roll me around!" She said with a pout, trying to look ferocious as she cut him mid-sentence
'But Silver only found her cute, though, of course, he tried his best to not show.'
'That would only trigger her off...'
"A-Anyway… Can I continue with the training?" Silver said as he tried to push the conversation elsewhere
"Heh, trying to flee? Fine, but remember… I won't leave you off the hook so easily." She said with a teasing smile as she tried to look domineering and cool
'But given the height difference and the way Silver looked at her, her affront cooled off faster than a candle in the wind.'
'Still, she didn't realize that as she turned around, leaving with a proud and satisfied smile on her face, thinking she had succeeded in acting more "domineering" as her friends told her to.'
"Sigh... She's getting more possessive, someone's giving her some bad ideas..." He mumbled out loud with a chuckle as he scratched his head
I don't think she has a problem with me taking off my shirt, it's more of how and why I'm doing it…
I'm indeed overdoing it a little, that's for sure, there are boundaries I'm meant to stick to... Even if... Urg, forget it, that doesn't count... Shit...
'Silver closed his eyes as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead.'
In... In any case, that is mostly due to my laziness.
Well, I don't mind her actions, being cherished is a good thing, especially by a beautiful girl that cares about you.
Though it's cute to see her try to make me act more proper, her angry appearance is especially cute and teasable.
'He then thought about her words and complaints, smiling once more.'
... As if I'll ever stop, what can I do when the newbie mage casts a fireball? Evade it?
That would break the point of testing their capability and enforcing my own... Not that they need to be reminded of that.
Still, how else will my shirt catch on fire and let me tease them all a bit?
I wouldn't be able to play around with her as well.
'So I'll kindly reject her request.' Silver thought with a smirk, albeit he was ready to stop it if it really started to bother her
"Enough lazing around though." He said as he stretched his arms
I managed to rile up their spirits by having them all fight against these makeshift Goblins and Kobolds while even showcasing some of my Strength and the other Executives that joined at a later time.
That was some good training, they managed to get a taste of the Dungeon in this safe environment.
Now's the time to tell them how the training from here on out is going to happen and ramp up the rhythm a little.
It'll be the same thing from six months ago, the one-month training period to get them used to each other and the Familia, for them to learn about the Dungeon and how to work as a group.
With several more things since we developed quite a bit since then.
Not to say all of our newest shops and facilities that are under construction, we'll have to settle everyone in as smoothly as possible in these following few days.
Because I'll be leaving Orario for a few weeks soon.
They'll be training while I'll be outside, once I'm back, they'll be done with it all or still at it.
That's the situation I'm trying to envision here.
'With a pondering Expression, Silver went back to the training area, there was still much to do.'
'And tomorrow, Silver would be making a visit to the Familia of another small Goddess, one with a much fiercer personality.'
'He had a request to listen.'
…
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Notes
This chapter was the definite end to this Arc, now we move on to the last thing on the list before Silver leaves Orario.
I'm trying to make several foreshadowing to what will happen later following the expected line of thoughts the characters would have given everything that happened so far, and I think this is going well, I loved this chapter despite not feeling confident in how some interactions was executed.
I hope I'll do the next few arcs well.
That's all I wanted to say, have a nice day.
And remember, be strong!