AN: So here's an update, hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls or Danmachi.

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( - )

(Last Time)

Tsubaki clapped him on the shoulder and nodded. Her lips curved up into a wide grin as she looked out over their assembled group. "Right, now we're all here and assembled, let's be off. We're meeting the rest outside the Dungeon in an hour, and I'm not sure about you, but I'm bored of the waiting. The sooner we get down to the Dungeon and get stuck in, the better!"

At her words, those present all cheered.

From behind her, and standing in the doorway to the manor, Azoth could see Hephaestus watching them leave.

Sparing a moment to send her a wave, he quickly filed in behind Tsubaki as they all set off towards the Tower of Babel, and the formidable Dungeon that sat beneath it.

( - )

Chapter 18

( - )

(With Azoth)

The Dungeon was just as gloomy and claustrophobic as he remembered. But then again, that might be because he'd walked these very same corridors and tunnels just recently. They were narrow and rocky. Which made it hellish going for those riding in the backs of the small wagons they'd brought with them.

It wouldn't remain that way though, as from what he'd heard the Dungeon's environment was incredibly varied. The topography and climate of every couple of floors seemed to change. On some floors it was a vast labyrinthine maze, on others it was covered with pools of lava, while still others were watery catacombs, dense jungles, or frozen tundra. Each of these floors seemed to exist as a separate plane of reality to those that came both before and after. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for it either. It just was…. It was like wandering through the planes of Oblivion….

A shiver went down his spine.

Thankfully, the Dungeon was nowhere near as horrific and twisted as that fell place.

Shaking his head, and forcing the unpleasant thoughts away, Azoth took a moment to look back at the rest of the procession filing along behind him. They were all walking shoulder-to-shoulder in pairs, leaving a couple of paces on either side between them and the wall of the tunnel as they trudged through the gloom.

He could hear the murmur of voices, the occasional telltale of armour and the rumble of metal studded wagon wheels as they trundled over the rocky terrain. But otherwise, they were mostly quiet and contemplative as they made their journey ever downwards. The excitement that had been so prevalent at the start of the journey had long since petered out as they began the long, monotonous journey from the surface, down through the Upper Floors, Middle Floor and Lower Floors, and into the mostly unexplored Deep Floors that lay many miles below them.

Facing the front, he allowed his hand to rest on the pommel of Dawnbreaker.

The atmosphere didn't surprise him. After all, the expedition would probably end up taking them several weeks – including the time taken for stops at the different 'safe' floors dotted throughout the Dungeon – especially with how heavily ladened the convoy was as they brought all the supplies, equipment and extra gear that they'd need with them.

Gripping the glowing pommel of his sword tightly, Azoth idly loosened the strap of his helmet with his free hand to make it slightly less constraining.

The air on the current floor had already been heavy and stale, and it was only being made worse by the vast number of people attempting to traverse the labyrinthine warren of tunnels. Already he could feel sweat running down his back and soaking his padded underclothing. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and it would only get worse after the sweat cooled down.

Cracking his neck, he looked up ahead.

The aim for the day was to make it to the Eighteenth Floor. Which was apparently a 'safe' floor, where monsters didn't spawn, making it an ideal place to camp down for the night and take stock of their current position.

Large-scale expeditions, according to Tsubaki, were a complete headache to manage and organise and required those in charge of the different groups that made up the party – in the case of the current expedition that was the Loki, Hephaestus, Dian Cecht and Hermes Familia's – to liaise almost constantly in order to keep track of supplies, formations and timings. A single administrative mistake could delay the entire expedition, and a delay in the Deeper Floors, where stronger monsters lurked, the surface was several weeks away, and there were fewer available supplies, could be fatal.

Good organisation and communication between the different groups was essential, as it often meant the difference between success and failure.

Fortunately, Finn and the other Loki Familia elites – specifically the hardened veterans like Gareth and Riveria – were all old hands when it came to leading large-scale expeditions, and so had the matter completely in hand.

Not that it had much to do with him, as Tsubaki was the Familia Captain and the representative for the six Hephaestus Familia members on the expedition. This meant that he was free from any leadership responsibilities. Which was a definite positive, as while he could lead and administrate when required, it wasn't something he desperately sought out. Instead, he'd always preferred going with the flow and doing his own thing for the most. Even when he had been in a leadership position with the Companions, he hadn't thrown out orders, so as much as he had just set out some loose guidelines and let the others do as they please, so long as they didn't step too far out of line.

His smile slipped away.

Not that having experienced veterans around helped all that much when it came to staving off the lingering boredom that came hand-in-hand with trudging through the cleared-out tunnels that threaded through the Upper Floors.

The vanguard a couple of hundred paces up ahead, had been making easy work of any monsters they came across so far. Which wasn't all that surprising considering the Amazon twins were leading the vanguard. And even if they hadn't been so competent. The sheer size of the expedition was more than enough to deal with any low-level monsters that might try to ambush them as they passed. After all, the weakest amongst their number were still Level Three. Which, according to Tsubaki, was pretty strong, and well above the average level of the adventurers in Orario.

He let out a huff of boredom.

This kind of dungeon diving wasn't anything like the dungeon diving or tomb raiding he'd done back in Skyrim. Though admittedly part of that might be due to the difference in scale. Back in his homeland, he could clear out a large, ancient tomb in a matter of days, if he was minded to. During which he, and whatever follower he'd managed to drag into the adventure with him, would face off with all manner of Draugr, monstrous creatures, along with the occasional group of bandits or coven or mages, that might've already taken up refuge in the chosen tomb or cave.

Orario on the other hand was a completely different beast. Adventurers had been diving into the Dungeon's depths for over a thousand years, and in all that time no party let alone any single individual had ever made it to the bottom. Hells, the furthest the Hera and Zeus Familia's – the strongest Familia to have ever existed – had gotten, was a floor in the mid-sixties, and even then it had taken them centuries of expeditions to reach even that far.

The sheer scale of the Dungeon was daunting, and he already had a lot of experience adventuring underground; clearing out caverns, caves, bandit-infested grottos, undead-ridden tombs, and Falmer lairs. Back in Skyrim, it had been dangerous, difficult and time-consuming. But all of it had been possible, and it had never taken him much longer than a week to clear out a dungeon or tomb.

Looking back, he almost felt like kicking himself for his arrogance, as when he had first arrived and learned of the Dungeon. Back then he had been almost dismissive about how much of a challenge it would really be.

He'd massively underestimated just how dangerous and large the Dungeon truly was. Now that he was heading down to the Deeper Floors, on a Grand Expedition that had been months and many millions of valis in the making though, he was starting to feel nervous as he started to truly understand the enormity of what lay ahead.

He was confident in his skill, but he wasn't a complete fool. Nobody actually knew what truly lay at the bottom of the Dungeon, not even the gods. Nor what kind of monstrous entities might lurk within its depths.

His lips thinned.

Despite that, he did have his own thoughts about just what might be lying in wait at the bottom of the Dungeon. Alduin, or the 'One Eyed Black Dragon' as he was better known by the inhabitants of this world. He could be one of the… things… that had made its home in the Dungeon.

His eyes narrowed at the thought of the ancient black dragon.

The stories he had heard about his old foe since arriving at Orario, were vague and conflicting at best.

Some claimed that Alduin had spent the last thousand years roaming the skies of Genkai, destroying any and all in his path. It was definitely possible considering he was a nasty bastard. But he was still a little leery about just how true such a claim actually was.

The Alduin he had fought in the past. A version of the black dragon which had been a thousand years younger than the one that predated this world. That Alduin was more than capable of razing the land to ashes and enslaving humanity. But it wouldn't take him a thousand years to do so. Which meant that either the gods of this world interfered with what was going on far more than they claimed they did – enough to hold off the Son of Akatosh for over a millennium – or Alduin wasn't roaming the surface, or at least not at all times.

Instead, it was possible that Alduin elsewhere, such as in the depths of the Dungeons, devouring powerful monsters and absorbing the energy from the soul gems that made up their core – considering he had invaded Sovngarde to harvest the souls of the dead it wouldn't surprise. With him only occasionally ascending to the surface to spread his wings, cause havoc, and wipe out entire towns and villages, when he was bored.

That, in his mind, sounded far more likely than him just aimlessly flying around.

Alduin was patient and cunning.

A thousand years to him was not an obstacle, but instead an opportunity to grow powerful and come up with plots for domination.

A cold chill ran down his spine.

The Alduin he had fought was tired and spiritually wounded from his battle with the Four Heroes, and his impromptu trip through time courtesy of the Elder Scroll. He had been younger too and angrier at his previous failure. Plus he had been at a distinct disadvantage when facing off with a Dragonborn that was uniquely suited to killing him, and the Heroes of Sovngarde, including the Four Heroes that had originally banished him.

In the end, he'd been weakened and wounded to the point that he was able to fight him in single combat and even destroy one of his eyes.

That had only been a few months ago for him, but for Alduin it had been over a thousand years. A thousand years of brooding and feasting on the souls of monsters and slain mortals – some of whom likely had the Blessings of the many different gods that had descended to the mortal plane.

His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists.

It was complete conjecture and his own biased opinions.

But considering all he knew and all he had heard, he couldn't fight off his sinking suspicions of just what or who might be awaiting the first unlucky adventurer to make it to the bottom of the Dungeon.

Gripping onto the worn, familiar handle of Dawnbreaker, he frowned.

Exhaling softly, he unclenched his hand.

Or he could just be worrying about nothing.

Maybe Alduin was just randomly roaming the skies taking the occasional potshot at mortals but otherwise keeping to himself.

It was possible.

Unlikely, but possible.

That said, Alduin wasn't the only one that had changed.

He too was stronger than he had been before. After all, he had the Blessing of a God, and a proper one this time, not a chaotic, eldritch monstrosity like Meridia or Hircine. Who despite being some of the more neutral Daedric Princes, were still pretty fucked up when compared with the Divine beings he met and interacted with since arriving at Orario.

His smile turned slightly more genuine.

Comparing the interactions he'd had with the different Daedric Princes with the interactions he'd had with the gods and goddesses he had met since coming to Orario, was like comparing cabbages and chickens.

In that, there was just no comparison.

He let out a huff of amusement at the thought of just what Meridia would think of the comparison.

She'd likely melt him from the inside out and leave him a smoking ruin, and she was one of the 'nice' ones.

"Something funny?" Tsubaki asked from his side.

The half-dwarf had been walking at his side for the last couple of hours, occasionally bantering and engaging him in small talk, but otherwise just meandering along, like the rest of the convoy as they trekked through the distinctly dull and relatively safe Upper Floors.

"Nothing important," he shook his head, glancing over at the one-eyed woman. Her single visible eye was lidded, as she eyed him up and down curiously.

Ignoring her piercing gaze, he looked away.

Up ahead he could see the front of the procession trailed had disappeared around a nearby curve in the tunnel.

Scanning the group ahead of him, he once again noticed the occasional member of the Loki's Familia pass by as they patrolled the flanks keeping an eye out just in case more monsters spawned from the walls.

Considering the floor they were on – Floor Nine maybe - he wasn't sure their presence was needed. The weakest members of the expedition were more than strong enough to make it down to Floor Seventeen alone, let alone as a part of a forty-plus member group.

Still, it was a good practice to get into, especially the deeper they got.

"Don't tell me you're actually nervous?" Tsubaki scoffed, cutting through his thoughts with casual ease. "The monsters on this floor are weak. Even runt like Leo could solo most of this floor by himself."

"Oi!" Leo called out from behind them.

The short smith was following in the wake of the Hephaestus Familia wagon, alongside the bored-looking Lisabeth, Nyssa, Beckendorf and Agil.

"It's a compliment runt," Tsubaki called back over her shoulder, garnering another complaint from Leo and some chuckles from the others.

Smiling wryly, Azoth shook his head. No, he was not worried. Call him arrogant, but those around him – mainly from the Hermes Familia – had already coaxed his ego into that of a blazing bonfire with their awe and their exclamations of how powerful and 'badass' Level Six adventurers were. "Tell me more about the Monster Rex on Floor Seventeen."

"You mean the Goliath?" Tsubaki asked curiously. "Not much to say really. It's big, brawny, and can take a lot of damage. But it isn't all that tough compared to the monsters on the Lower Floors. Which isn't to say it's not dangerous though…." She looked around, her gaze drifting over some of the weaker members of the Loki and Hermes Familia.

"A Level Two adventurer, or even half a dozen of them, wouldn't stand a chance." She continued, grimacing. "It is a real rookie killer and the first proper challenge most adventurers come across. I mean sure, Minotaur's are tough for newer adventurers. But with the right mindset, and some decent prep ad equipment, they're manageable. A well-prepared Level Two adventurer could take one on and win. Same with most of the monsters between the surface and Floor Seventeen really, they're only dangerous to Level Twos in large numbers."

"But the Goliath is different?" Azoth asked. He'd heard about a lot of the monsters that dwelled on the Upper Floors, but his knowledge of what dwelled below, especially the larger threats known as 'Monster Rexes' was pretty sketchy at best. For all that he was a Level Six adventurer, his experiences were all from a region completely alien to Orario and its culture, just as his 'Blessing' was from a very different divine entity to Hephaestus.

"Yeah, it spawns on Floor Seventeen and basically acts as a big meaty wall between the Upper and Upper-Middle Floors and the safe zone on Floor 18. It kind of guards the Upper and Upper-Middle Floors from the more dangerous Lower-Middle Floors. Not that it is really that much of an imposition, as it gets killed off pretty regularly and it takes a few weeks before it spawns again. That's how some of the weaker brats make it up to Floor Eighteen. it's all about timing." Tsubaki replied.

There was an odd smile on her face, as she looked over at him, and noticed how closely he was listening.

"Still, if a party did want to venture lower than Floor Eighteen, then they really should be able to fight and kill the Goliath, as the going only gets tougher the further down you go." Tsubaki continued her brow furrowing and her smile fading. "Or at least that was how it was explained to me when I was first starting out as a greenhorn. I mean we all paid our dues." She gestured back to indicate the other members of the Familia. "Took me a couple of attempts and more than a few 'tactical retreats' but me and my old party beat it in the end. It's basically a rite of passage for those looking to be top-tier adventurers."

"A rite of passage?" Azoth queried.

"For Level Twos and Threes," Tsubaki nodded. "A good group of maybe a dozen Level Twos could eke out a victory through attrition. But they'd take some casualties. Three or four Level Threes could do the same if they did some research and preparation. A Level Six like you? It wouldn't stand a chance. You'd slaughter it one-on-one I reckon."

"Thanks," Azoth grinned, buoyed up by her confidence.

The adventurers in Orario were not good for his ego, they were all far too cheerful and positive, especially when he was comparing them against the dour, stoic and perpetually grumpy natives of Skyrim.

"Wasn't meant as a compliment, just a statement of fact," Tsubaki shrugged. "Someone at your level should be able to take it one-on-one without any issues."

"So there's no point in me joining up with the vanguard and trying my hand at it?" Azoth asked. As much as he preferred smithing to fighting, he did still love a good challenge. And a 'rite of passage' definitely sounded like a challenge.

"You can try. Considering you're still pretty new to the Dungeon, especially for your stupidly high level, you could do with some experience fighting some of the stronger monsters. They'll make the ones on the surface look like fodder." Her brow furrowed, her gaze resting on his freshly forged armour. "Or maybe not… but either way, you can ask Finn if you can fight it. I doubt he'd say yes though."

"Oh, why?" Azoth asked. Finn had seemed amiable and easy-going for the most part. They weren't at all close – he just didn't know the short blonde that well – but nor were they antagonistic either. Friendly acquaintances, that was a good description of what they were.

"Because he'll want to blood some of the Loki Familia by sending a couple of them up against Goliath and sending you in there with them would defeat the whole purpose of it," Tsubaki said, knocking her hand against his breastplate. "He might agree to you supervising the attempt, as he'll likely have a couple of his executives around waiting to step in if and when needed. But from what I know of you, you seem more of a doer than an observer."

"That's a fair assessment," Azoth hummed. He'd leave it this time. But in the future, he might come back and try his hand at the 'rite of passage' as Tsubaki called it. Besides, he doubted it would put up as much of a fight as a dragon.

"And anyway, we'll be busy doing some repairs when we get up to Floor Eighteen anyway, as you can bet some of those clumsy brats will end up trashing their gear," his companion grumbled.

"Great," Azoth muttered, rolling his eyes.

He knew it was his job – along with the rest of his Familia's – to repair and maintain the expedition's gear. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Repair work, especially of basic weapons and armour, just wasn't all that interesting.

"Cheer up," Tsubaki tapped her gauntleted knuckles against his pauldron. "It won't be long until we reach Rivira, and when we do, yours truly happens to know the location of a pretty nice hot spring. It's the perfect place to rest and chill out while we wait for the others to get their shit together."

Azoth smiled.

It had been a while since he'd had a good soak in a hot spring.

The last time he'd managed to do so had been back when he was travelling through the Rift. He grimaced at the moment. After all, even when he had gotten the time to have a soak, his peace had been abruptly ruined by a runaway mammoth and a panicking giant that took one look at him and decided he was the cause of its bad day and so deserved a one-way ride to the heavens courtesy of its club.

It had taken him hours to wash the giant's blood out of his hair. One of the downsides of having naturally white hair.

"Something's happened," Tsubaki's voice suddenly cut through his sudden bout of reminiscence.

Frowning, he grabbed the hilt of his sword and looked up the line. Those in front had stopped moving, and the Loki members that were patrolling the flanks were all looking tense.

"Come on," Tsubaki said her brow furrowed as she turned back to the others. "Agil, you're in charge. Keep an eye on things. There shouldn't be any problems this far up, but you never know."

"On it," Agil nodded.

He looked serious.

"Azoth, with me," She continued as she stepped out of line and started making her way up toward the front.

"What do you think it is?" He asked as he followed behind her.

The rest of the convoy looked bored as they milled around, waiting for those ahead to continue moving.

Only a couple of them looked as tense as Tsubaki seemed to be.

The difference was noticeable.

"Could be nothing. Probably is." Tsubaki said after a moment, her gaze shifting over those she passed dismissively. "But it could also be something more serious."

"Not many of the others look all that worried," he frowned. She'd just been telling him that the monsters on the Upper Floors were fodder. Against more than fifty adventurers, many of whom were strong and highly experienced, there really shouldn't be any issues.

"That's because most of them are young," she said softly. "They've only had to worry about monsters. Most of them…, they haven't had to worry about Evilus."

"Evilus?" Azoth frowned.

He'd heard that name before.

Tsubaki looked over at him, her single visible eye locking with his own. "They were bad news. A fucked up radical group of shitheads that terrorised Orario after the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia were exiled. They were all crazy. They killed without reason, burned down Familia homes, and ambushed adventures in the Dungeons. I'm not sure what their endgame was, but they… they were bad."

Azoth grimaced.

He sensed there was a lot more to the group than she was saying. He could practically feel the pain and anger radiating off the normally cheerful and easy-going woman. But he wasn't going to push it. Not now, not when it seemed so personal to her. He might ask others though. The group sounded like trouble, and considering he'd cracked the skulls of bandits, Stormcloaks, cultists, sorcerers and the Thalmor, he had a lot of experience dealing with trouble.

"Let's see what's going on," he said instead, forcing a smile and patting her gently on the shoulder.

"Aye," Tsubaki grunted, her expression hardening as she let out a fake cough and continued moving.

Reaching the front, he quickly noticed both Gareth and Finn standing slightly ahead of the rest. Gareth was leaning on his axe and scowling into the gloom.

Finn was biting his thumb and frowning, his eyes flitting back and forth as he looked back and forth between the main tunnel they had been travelling down and one of the half dozen side tunnels that lead off the main one.

"Where are the others?" Tsubaki asked Gareth, nodding to the short, bearded man and gesturing at the lack of other Loki Executives.

"Run off like idiots," Gareth frowned.

"What do you mean?" Tsubaki frowned.

"Exactly what I said," the armoured dwarf replied with a scowl. "We met up with some panicking kids." He nodded his head over to the side of the tunnel where four gasping, bloodied young men were leaning against the wall. Both Riveria and Airmid were looking them over. Airmid looked to be in the middle of casting some kind of healing spell to patch up the worst of their wounds.

"What happened to them?" Tsubaki asked.

"Minotaur," Gareth grunted. His dark eyes narrowed. "Appeared out of nowhere apparently. Gored a couple with its horns and cut another in half with its sword."

"An earth-form sword?" Tsubaki asked.

Gareth shook his head. "Apparently not. Probably picked one off the corpse of a dead adventurer."

"Well shit," Tsubaki frowned. "Surprised one would come up this far."

"They normally wouldn't," Finn cut in. "This is probably a hangover from a mistake we made during our last excursion."

"How do you mean?" Azoth asked, making his presence known.

Finn glanced over at him but didn't otherwise comment on his appearance. "The last time we were in the Dungeon we came across a large minotaur herd on the Sixteenth Floor. They didn't pose much of a threat, so we weren't all that careful. Turns out that was a mistake. After we killed a couple, the rest turned and fled. More than sixty of them in total."

"And I'm guessing they went up," Tsubaki scowled. "Didn't you hunt them all down?"

Azoth fought back a wince at the accusatory tone that had entered Tsubaki's voice as she scowled down at the short, blonde spearman.

"We did," Finn snapped. "Or at least we thought we did. Obviously, we missed one."

"And I'm guessing that the one you missed is causing a ruckus," Azoth asked.

"That's the assumption," Gareth grunted. "It's most likely been roaming about the Upper Floors for over a month now, probably growing stronger and more vicious with every Level One it corners and kills. It's a mess. But anyway, Ais and Bete decided to hunt it down before it caused any more damage."

"What about the vanguard?" Azoth asked.

"They're aware, I sent Lefiya and Raul to let them know," Finn shook his head. "They'll hold their position until we catch up."

Tsubaki nodded. "And when will that be."

"Once Airmid has got the others back on their feet," Finn said, glancing over at the silver-haired Captain of the Dian Cecht Familia. "Hopefully Bete and Ais will have dispatched the minotaur and caught up with us by then."

"They should have already done that, and brought back any survivors," Gareth said gruffly, his expression hardening. "Somethings not right."

"I'll go and retrieve them," Riveria cut in as she stood up to her full height and swept past Finn and Gareth. Her staff was held loosely in her hand. "Things might be more complex than we first thought. That, or they might be looking for more survivors. Once I find them, I will assess the situation and make a call on the next steps. Feel free to continue the expedition Finn, we will meet up with you again once the situation has been resolved."

"Go easy on them," Gareth said, his frown easing.

Riveria gave him the side-eye but didn't otherwise reply.

"Reading between the lines, I'm going to guess they didn't ask before rushing off?" Tsubaki asked dryly as she looked between the three Level Six members of the Loki Familia.

Ignoring the reaction Tsubaki's comment provoked. Azoth turned and eyed the four wounded adventures. The Dian Cecht Familia Captain was still looking after them, noticeably using magic as opposed to a healing potion or elixir. "I'll come with you. I've got a healing spell. It's limited, but it'll at least patch them up and stop anyone from bleeding out. Besides, it'll save on wasting healing potions."

Finn glanced over at him for a moment and then looked to Tsubaki.

His Familia Captain just shrugged and grinned. "We're not going anywhere, and if the Snow Prince wants a bit of alone time with the Loki Familia's elf princess, who am I to stand in his way."

Gareth let out a chuckle.

Azoth though, just sent her a sour look.

"Do behave Tsubaki," Riveria rolled her eyes. She didn't look at all bothered by Tsubaki's less-than-subtle commentary. "Your assistance would be appreciated though, Azoth."

Jabbing Tsubaki in the ribs as he passed – cutting off her snickering and making her yelp. He nodded and joined Riveria as the two of them headed off down one of the winding side tunnels.

( - )

"They'll be fine," Azoth said, breaking the silence that had started to form between them.

"I'm aware," Riveria replied softly. "I have faith in both of them."

Her words didn't quite match up with her expression. She looked equal parts angry and worried.

"This is not the first time they've wandered off alone," she continued calmly. "Bete was already an experienced adventurer when he joined us. He'd fought monsters and had firsthand experience of how dangerous the profession can be. Unfortunately, with that experience also came both his reckless desire to get stronger no matter the cost, and his desperate desire for independence."

"So, what's changed," Azoth said dryly. He liked Bete, but he could definitely see why some wouldn't warm to the werewolf.

"More than you might think. Back when he first joined, he challenged Finn for leadership of the Familia if you can believe it. A Level Two adventurer challenging an experienced Level Five to single combat. More than that, he actually expected to win. He saw Finn's size, noticed his race, and immediately assumed he was weak." Riveria shook her head, her long, green tresses waving back and forth. "Finn gently disabused him of the notion. But even so, he then proceeded to challenge Gareth. Then myself, and worked his way through the rest of the Familia until he eventually fought Ais, our newest Level Two."

"Did he win?" Azoth asked.

"He was several years older than her, more experience at fighting and had been a Level Two for over a year by that point…," Riveria smiled. "She narrowly defeated him."

"And that settled him down?" Azoth asked disbelievingly.

"It didn't so much settle him down as it made him more focused. After he failed to defeat Finn, Gareth, and myself he felt hopeless and so got angrier. That led to him fighting the others and facing similar defeats. He saw us as an insurmountable obstacle. But when he lost to Ais, a girl younger and less experienced than him, he found himself a challenge. One that needed to be overcome. She defeated him that day, but would she the next? Instead of allowing his anger to consume him, after being humbled by Ais, he learned to harness it."

Riveria smiled.

"He kept challenging her after that, constantly pushing himself until he defeated her." She turned to look at him. "He has gotten close many times. But he still challenges her to this day."

Azoth let out a laugh.

He could picture what that must have been like.

"I think it did them both a lot of good," Riveria continued, her lips curving up into a gentle smile. "They both had difficult childhoods and had trouble settling in. When we first took them to the Dungeon, both slipped away at one point or another. Neither of them liked being supervised or having someone at their back ready to bail them out if needed. Instead, they both possessed the same desperate desire to get stronger at any cost. Though for different reasons. Fortunately, after their initial fight, they both found in each other a rival, someone who they could compete and train against. I'd also like to think that they also found a friend."

"And I'm guessing Tiona and Tione joined soon after and made their twosome into a quartet?" Azoth asked.

"They have all created an unlikely friendship of sorts. Same with the newest addition to their little group, Lefiya. They don't always like each other and often argue. But they all have similar goals and ambitions and for all that they sometimes complain... mainly about Bete, they do all care for one another." Riveria nodded. "The same could be said for the rest of the Loki Familia. Just like the name suggests we are just a large, dysfunctional family."

"With you being the mother?" Azoth grinned.

Riveria's eyes narrowed.

"That is what Loki, the Familia's resident toddler, likes to refer to me as." She allowed.

"Among others," Azoth added slyly.

Riveria gave him a flat look.

"Sorry," he grinned unapologetically.

"How have you been fitting in with your Familia?" Riveria asked, deliberately shifting the conversation on.

"Well," Azoth said after a moment. "It's still early days. But they've been kind, friendly and had a good laugh. I'm not sure if I'll ever come to think of them as family, but I think that they'll certainly become good friends."

"I'm glad," Riveria nodded. "Being an adventurer is a dangerous profession. It is akin to walking hand-in-hand with death. All it takes is one unfortunate day one mistake, and it might be your last…. But it is also rewarding and exciting... You see things few others ever will, explore places that most of the world will never know of, and push ever onward towards an all but impossible goal. But in the end, it's not the goal that matters. Instead, it is the journey. And that journey is made all the better because of the friends and comrades you make along the way."

"A little trite," Azoth said, his lips curving up into a slight smile. It was a bit corny. But after thinking back on his own adventures. It struck a chord. "But very apt."

Riveria gave him the side-eye.

Azoth grinned.

"What of-" Riveria began to speak, only for her to suddenly cut herself off.

Looking ahead, Azoth didn't have to wonder why.

Up ahead he could see several pools of blood, a couple of torn-up bodies, and yet more blood that had been splashed against the cavern wall.

Thankfully, none of the bodies belonged to Ais or Bete. Instead, the blonde swordswoman and grey-haired werewolf were standing in the middle of the passage just in front, facing down another much larger figure.

"Ottar," Riveria muttered under her breath. She looked tense. Her green eyes flashed with danger, the staff in her hand creaked, and he could practically taste the magic humming through the air. She looked like a coiled snake just waiting to strike.

Eyeing the now-named Ottar, Azoth quickly understood her concern.

The other man was huge. He stood taller than an Altmer, was broader than an Orismer and he'd seen trolls that looked friendlier. He was all muscle and tightly controlled fury. His arms were as thick as Azoth's legs, and bare of any armour. His shoulders were broad. His eyes were dark and cold. And on his back, he had two large black swords hanging off a harness.

Yet, despite all of his other very visible traits, Azoth found his eyes drifting inexorably up to the fluffy ears that were visibly peeking out of his tawny hair.

They didn't quite fit with the rest of his aesthetic.

"Nine Hells," Ottar rumbled in greeting. His voice was deep and bass and seemed to reverberate from deep within his chest. His dark eyes shifted to Azoth. "Snow Prince."

Grimacing at the alias, Azoth unhooked Wuthraad from his back. Locking eyes with the much larger man, he jabbed it into the rocky ground in front of him and leant forward on it affecting a bored demeanour. "You're a big one."

Ottar cocked an eyebrow but didn't respond.

"I didn't expect you of all people to be here," Riveria spoke up, her eyes flitting warningly over to him for a moment.

"I am an adventurer." Ottar rumbled, his eyes lingering on Azoth, before moving to Riveria. "Where else would I be but the Dungeon?"

"Where you normally are, at Freya's side," Riveria replied, her voice firm.

"He's not letting us pass. The minotaur, it's fighting someone. You can hear it." Bete growled.

"It is basic etiquette not to interfere in another adventurer's fight," Ottar frowned. "I am just upholding the other adventurer's rights."

"And is that other adventurer a Level One?" Riveria asked. "You know that that 'etiquette' doesn't hold true if the other adventurer is in real danger."

"For now." Ottar tilted his head, completely ignoring the second part of Riveria's statement.

"That's suicide. A Level One doesn't stand a chance against a minotaur." Bete snarled. "The weakling's just gonna get himself killed."

"And that's his choice," Ottar said bluntly. Conveniently ignoring the fact that it wasn't the other adventurer's choice to run into a powerful monster like a minotaur on a floor where one of its ilk should never ever have been. "Whether he lives or dies that is on him. This is his adventure, and I will not allow you to interfere."

Ais visibly scowled, perhaps one of the first genuine emotions he'd seen from the younger girl.

"Ais," Riveria said sharply.

"Don't try it, girl," Ottar said warningly.

"Or else what?" Azoth asked pulling Wuuthrad out of the ground and taking a step forward.

"Azoth," Rivieria hissed.

The air crackled with magic.

Bete let out a low growl and bared his fangs.

With a whisper of metal, Ais drew her rapier, her golden eyes locked on Ottar.

Cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, Ottar drew one of his jagged, black swords and raised it in warning.

"I'll stop you," he said, his tone final.

An explosion sounded off in the distance.

Without another word, Ais and Bete darted forward charging Ottar's flanks.

"Foolish," the giant man ground out, his blade already in motion as he moved to intercept.

Before he could, Azoth made his own move, his great axe blur of silver as he darted forward and caught Ottar's sword with the head of Wuthraad and shoved it away giving both Bete and Ais the space they needed to rush past the stronger adventurer.

"That was a mistake," Ottar said, pushing the axe away and reorienting himself.

"We'll see," Azoth laughed and took a step back, his eyes flashing with excitement, and he twirled Wuthraad in his hands and set his feet in a ready stance.

Behind him, he could hear Riveria let out an annoyed sigh.

Dark black eyes met piercing violet.

"So it begins," Azoth said with a wild grin.

"No," Ottar replied, his expression bored. "Now it ends."

( - )

AN: Don't you just love a cliffhanger?

Please do let me know what you think either in reviews or PMs.

Also if you like my writing and Danmachi, feel free to read my other crossovers. I've got two PJO/Danmachi stories. One on my Greed720 account, which is Bell in the PJO-verse, it's called 'Is it Wrong to Get Lost in a Labyrinth'. The other is a PJO/Danmachi story, which has Percy Jackson in Danmachi, but revolves mainly around Xenos, it's called 'Death is only the beginning'. Please do check them out if you fancy, and let me know what you think.

Also, in terms of updates, I've finally started to put a schedule together, after doing a two week poll to narrow down my more popular stories. So yup, should hopefully start churning out chapters slightly faster, though of course real life will always need to come first. Which is part of the reason why I don't make too many promises, especially have dedicated days to update etc.

But either way, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think.

Catch you later.

Greed720.