CHAPTER 2 PORT MEREN
Meren was a port city to the southwest of Orario.
With only about three kirlo between the two, it was no more than a hop, skip, and a jump from one city to the other. It served as Orario’s portal to the sea due to its proximity to the banks of Lolog Lake, a large brackish body of water that led to the ocean.
Day after day, countless ships from countries all over the world made port in the city’s harbor, dropping off their hefty loads of cargo. The majority of the goods would be further transported into Orario as imports. In fact, just about everything that eventually made its way to Orario’s marketplaces was first gathered together in Meren. The sea route’s ability to transport large quantities of goods was one of its key advantages, and Orario, too, was no stranger to using it for its own exports. The city had long made use of the port as its go-between for exchanging its world-renowned magic-stone goods for foreign imports.
Needless to say, Port Meren was an important point in Orario’s oceanic ventures.
“Wa-hah! I haven’t been here in forever!”
Just as Loki had informed them the night prior, Aiz and the others of Loki Familia had made their way to the port city. Tiona cried out boisterously from the middle of the great sloping street connecting the port with the bay. Though Aiz didn’t react as drastically, she also found herself rather in awe when looking past the crowds of people at the vast lake and countless ships moored there.
“Seriously. How many years has it been?”
A smile appeared on Tione’s face as she checked out the port.
“I don’t think I’ve been here since before I even started heading into the Dungeon!” Tiona responded with a happy laugh.
Much like how many goods made their way through the port city, quite a few people bound for Orario did as well. Those already on the continent could make their way to the Labyrinth City by traveling along its northern and eastern roads, but travelers from the Far East or various island and ocean nations first needed to pass through Meren. Tiona and Tione had made that very trip many years ago.
Only Aiz and a few others found themselves entranced by the surrounding scenery. Most of the group reacted similarly to Tiona and Tione—with a sort of nostalgic excitement.
“Check out this huge dodobass! I know they sell ’em in the city, too, but I’ve never seen one this big!” Tiona’s eager shouts continued as she spotted a gargantuan fish on display in one of the nearby shops. This one boasted a length of well over one meder.
“It seems fish undergo the same development as monsters…”
True to Lefiya’s words, the fish’s enormous warped scales certainly did make it look more like a monster than a fish. Most likely, it had evolved as such to ensure it didn’t become prey to those same monsters. Dodobass weren’t the only sea creatures available, either—shrimp, crab, and a whole assortment of other seafood could be seen for sale in shops, most so fresh they were still alive (something unseen outside of port cities).
The road lined with stone buildings was bustling with activity as foreigners, merchants, and fishermen milled about. Off to the side of the road were carpets laid out with rare fineries and tents lined with fish, snails, and other fresh seafood, all of them filled with the haggling voices of prospective buyers. This small snapshot of Meren—the bazaar-like atmosphere, the tanned skin of the fishermen and merchants, and the salty aroma wafting in on the breeze—was enough to make it clear that this was truly a seaside city.
“You came through here when you got to Orario, too, right, Lefiya?”
“I did, yes. Back when I was a student, my friends and I would come to this port often.”
“Really? Then you know any good restaurants? You gotta take us to one!”
Tiona latched onto the young elf’s back as she responded.
Despite Lefiya’s surprise at the sudden attack, she, too, felt a giddy excitement building inside her, as did the rest of the group. Bright smiles appeared on all their faces as they made their way down the road, eyes flitting back and forth around the environs and its endless distractions.
Aiz brought a hand to her chest.
I don’t remember this lake…nor this city…
Her own memories of ceaseless fighting with monsters were rusted with the blood of her many victims, so she couldn’t be sure whether she’d visited this city before or not. The Dungeon was everything she knew, leaving nothing behind but a vague feeling that she’d once been outside Orario.
…But this smell…I feel like I know it…
Somewhere in the back of her mind, the lake’s unique smell tickled her memories.
The humid breeze brushing past her was something she could never have felt when she was surrounded by the great walls of Orario. It had a gentle aroma, saltier than fresh water but not as strong as the sea, and it wrapped her in a warm embrace.
Her eyes narrowed instinctively as the wind played with the golden strands of her hair.
“Is something wrong, Aiz? You’re rather quiet over there, though you seem happy,” Riveria prodded her, the only one who’d noticed the Sword Princess’s spellbound expression.
“…Have you ever been to this city before, Riveria?”
“I have, yes.” The high elf nodded. “Once before I arrived in Orario and a few times after, as well. Though some believe the smell of this lake is trying on a forest elf’s nose…I’m actually quite fond of it. When I first laid eyes on this scenery, it seemed so different from the confining village in which I was raised—it was exhilarating.” A soft smile graced her lips as she looked out across the lake, toward the horizon and the glimmer of the far-off sea.
Hearing this, Aiz couldn’t help but think of everything she’d heard about Riveria’s past—how she’d left her elven home in hopes of broadening her world and discovering the unknown, similar to how Finn had hopes of restoring the pride of the prum race.
The first time she’d met Finn and the others was when she’d strong-armed her way into Loki Familia with such force, Loki herself had described it as “making a deal with the devil,” apparently leading to countless days of contention. Her journey to Orario had been far more than the “simple trip” she’d originally described it as.
All of this, however, would mean that Riveria, too, had experienced a great many wonders as she made her way to the city. Her longing to discover the unknown, her curious heart—everything about her had the makings of an adventurer, and today she was every bit a citizen of the great dungeon city of Orario. Having said that, even she herself had remarked at one point that she’d like to see it all again—to traverse the world a second time.
The sudden memory of this stole Aiz’s thoughts, her mind questioning what she would do if Riveria were to leave.
As improbable as it seemed, she found herself imagining what such a future would be like…and the resulting pang of heartache, like a child unwilling to leave her mother, brought an embarrassed flush to her cheeks.
“What’re y’all hangin’ about for, huh? C’mon! The sea is…I mean, the lake is callin’ us!” Loki shouted joyfully from her spot at the front of the group. This was in spite of the fact that she herself was contributing the most to this “hanging about.”
“Sometimes I really wonder about her…” Tione muttered wearily.
But continue behind her they did, and as Aiz watched her patron deity humming and strolling along in front of her, her thoughts drifted back to the night prior and the events that had led them here.
“We’ve gotta find that second entrance to the Dungeon, and the first place we’re gonna look is Port Meren,” Loki had announced from within Twilight Manor’s large dining hall once everyone had returned from the party.
“Meren’s that little port city just outside of town, isn’t it? How come we’re not searchin’ inside the city itself, huh?” Tiona questioned from her spot next to Aiz at one of the hall’s many tables.
Most of the other familia members, however, ignored her question, instead reacting as if they understood perfectly.
“Tiona, do you know how marine life-forms first emerged on the surface?” Finn turned toward the girl.
“Erm, well…from beneath…Babel?”
“And how are they going to do that? Grow legs and walk? You idiot!”
Tione immediately balked when her sister answered with a curious finger to her chin.
Riveria was much more amiable in her explanation.
“We’ve always been told that the hole directly beneath Babel was the only entrance to the Dungeon…but that’s not, in fact, correct. There exists another tunnel outside Orario—one that connects to the waterfront and through which the aquatic monsters of the deep can reach the surface.”
“And that’s…Meren,” Aiz finished the thought for her.
“There’s a hole that leads to the Dungeon’s lower levels right below our noses—in Lolog Lake. It’s how the water beasties make their way to the surface. Seems no one even knew it existed ere the gods’ descent,” Gareth added.
“Really? Whoa! I never knew!” Tiona exclaimed somewhat obtusely, garnering another look of disbelief from her sister.
“About fifteen years ago, the familias of Zeus and Hera worked together with Poseidon Familia to close up the hole at the bottom of the lake, making it impossible for any more monsters to use it as a path to the surface…or, at least, that’s what everyone thought,” Finn began as his green eyes turned toward Loki.
The recent activities of Levis and the Evils, however, strongly hinted that the hole may have been reopened. While it wasn’t a sure bet…the mere possibility that the violas and other vibrantly colored monsters were being transported via the hole at the bottom of the lake was one they couldn’t ignore.
“While investigating wouldn’t do any harm, I personally feel it’s a bit unwarranted…” Riveria added her thoughts on the matter, closing one of her eyes.
“Same. I’ve got two words—im-possible! You all saw those things on the twenty-fourth floor, right?” Bete piped up in agreement.
Next to him, Aiz and Lefiya exchanged glances, both of their thoughts traveling to the situation back in the twenty-fourth floor’s pantry.
It was there that they’d seen all those violas trapped in cages by the Evils’ remnants. While it certainly wouldn’t be impossible for associates of the Evils to transport them all the way down to the lower levels and release them into the water…it was still a bit far-fetched.
“I get what you’re tryin’ to say—I do! But accordin’ to Dionysus, some new, never-before-seen species of monster was just sighted off the coast of Meren…some kinda nasty snake thingie. Real ugly green color, too.”
The color drained from every face in the room at the news.
A “nasty snake thingie” and an “ugly green color”…That could mean only one thing—carnivorous violas.
As the group shared worried glances, Finn opened his mouth.
“In light of this news, I believe we’ve no choice but to investigate. If anything, we should be able to uncover some sort of clue.”
His proposition was met with unanimous support.
Thus, it was decided that Loki Familia would travel to Port Meren.
“But don’t we need permission from the Guild to go outside the city? The procedure is actually, uh, pretty annoying. Not sure we’d be able to finish things up in time to leave tomorrow.”
Tione was resting her chin somewhat dejectedly in her hands as she pointed this out.
Orario’s biggest fear or, in this case, the Guild’s biggest fear, was losing their first-tier adventurers. Aside from a few special cases, they weren’t allowed to leave the city whenever they pleased, and the process to obtain permission was nothing short of exasperating. Not only that, it could take as many as a few days for the paperwork to get finalized.
“Never fear! I already got permission!” Loki quickly asserted.
“…You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m serious! Delivered the form to ol’ Ouranos himself! Well, it’s mostly ’cause I made a big scene at the service counter. But I wrote specifically in hieroglyphics ‘We’re investigatin’ the violas. Don’t get in our way!’ so it’s all good.”
The goddess laughed triumphantly as Tione’s chin slid off her hands in disbelief.
At any rate, for whatever reason, whether barring them permission would raise suspicion or he actually wanted to use Loki Familia to solve this whole problem with the violas, the Guild leader had acquiesced to their request to leave the city.
As Loki proudly waved around the scroll with the Guild’s seal on it, even Finn found the corners of his lips curling upward.
“She must’ve obtained it earlier today after she left the mansion with us…”
“B-but still! Don’t you think this is all happening a little too quickly?”
Tiona offered her thoughts, and Lefiya was quick to respond.
“…You don’t trust her?” Aiz spoke up as well.
“It’s a little suspicious…” Tione finished. All four at the table felt a very real sense of foreboding sweep over them.
Everyone in the familia was more than used to their patron deity’s bizarre nature, but even as their caution rose, Loki never lost her wide smile.
“So! Will you and the other guys hold down the fort while we’re gone, Finn?”
“What?!”
“Aiz and the other gals plus little ol’ me want a few nights to ourselves. Wouldn’t want any men around to bother us, ya know.”
She continued rather teasingly, completely ignoring cries of injustice coming from Bete and the other men.
“What the hell?! You better have a damn good explanation for this!” Bete roared.
“What?” Loki shrugged him off. “We can’t just leave the manor unattended, can we? Who knows what could happen! But we already decided to go to Meren, sooooooo. Plus, I reassured the Guild that I’d leave at least half the familia behind.”
“That’s not what I’m askin’, you cow! Why do only the girls get to go, huh?!”
“Oh, right. Finn. I also want you to keep an eye on Dionysus and the others, okay? Always givin’ me the grunt work—would be nice if I had something to hold over him. Also, I don’t trust Hermes at all, sneakin’ around all the time.”
“LISTEN TO ME, WOMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!” Bete was practically fuming at this point. Raul and the others braced themselves while Finn could only sigh alongside his fellow elites as the familia’s women watched everything unfold in weary silence.
Aiz, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya exchanged glances among themselves. It would seem their lady-only investigation in Port Meren was about to begin.
“We really were the only ones who got to come…Ughh, I wish the captain was here…” Tione grumbled to herself, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Meren’s streets.
“Ah-ha-ha…” Lefiya forced a somewhat awkward laugh. True enough, the only ones allowed to join the investigation at the port had been Loki Familia’s women.
The womanizing goddess had invited her pride and joy—gorgeous elves, an elegant catgirl, an adorable human—making for a sight that attracted the notice of the surrounding crowd. Aiz and Riveria in particular garnered quite a lot of male attention with their beauty that rivaled even goddesses.
“Now then! We should be reaching the harbor right about now…”
Loki continued along aimlessly, still refusing to tell them exactly where they were going. The large pack on her back—a pack that she refused to allow anyone else to carry—was stuffed to the brim with an apparently “secret” item.
Under the dubious gazes of her followers, she finally cut through the crowd and made her way toward the harbor proper.
“Ah! It truly is a sight to behold!” Lefiya gasped in awe upon seeing the grand port up close. Its docks were bustling with sailors, their heads wrapped in towels for a truly “seaman” look, and all around them ships had laid anchor along the marina.
They bobbed and lilted in the pure breeze below a blue sky—sailboats of all shapes and sizes, more than they could count. And in the middle towered the merchant ships, so tall you had to crane your neck just to see them in their entirety. Every one of them found their gazes stolen by these seaworthy masterpieces, Aiz included.
“You’ve fallen in love with the ships, huh, Aiz?”
“Yes, they’re…amazing.”
Tiona asked her question with a laugh, arms behind her head. Aiz surveyed the breathtaking view, watching in fascination as one of the mighty vessels pulled out of the harbor.
The arc-shaped port city wrapped around the banks of the brackish lake was so alive with activity, it nearly put Orario to shame. Brawny seamen lugged crates and barrels down from their ships where horse-drawn carriages carted everything away to locations unknown. Passenger ships unloaded their cargo of people—everything from finely dressed elves to traveling animal people making their way down the wooden bridge connecting the ship’s deck with the dock below.
Beyond the dock itself, the wide expanse of Lolog Lake was a sight to behold. Big enough that its opposite bank remained hidden along the hazy horizon, it could easily have been mistaken for the sea itself, spread out beneath a swath of fluffy white clouds. As the radiant sun reflected off its surface, it glittered the same brilliant blue as Lefiya’s eyes.
Amid the scent of the water drifting in on the breeze, the seagulls cawing in the distance, and the cries of the sailors going about their business, even closing one’s eyes couldn’t diminish the feeling of standing on the threshold between land and sea. It was a different experience from the unknown discoveries they made deep within the Dungeon. As Aiz felt her mind and body grow calm, she found herself at a loss for words.
“Over here, y’all!”
Aiz and the others followed the sound of their patron deity’s voice toward the southern wharf.
Loki herself wove her way through the mountains of casks and cargo until she seemed to find what she was looking for—and raised her voice to meet the figure in her sights.
“Hey, Njör?r!”
“Hmm? Well, I’ll be. If it isn’t Loki!”
The god who turned around was a finely built specimen. His brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that dangled from the back of his head, and the smile he gave the group exuded a sort of calming warmth despite the virile gallantry of his features. He was about the same height as Bete, and his upper half was bare, revealing a muscular chest and arms. His physique was one not often seen in the streets of Orario. For Aiz and the others, their first impression of him said that this fellow carrying a fishing net slung over his shoulder was unmistakably a man of the sea.
“Feels like just yesterday we last saw each other. How many years has it been? Or should I say, how many decades?”
“Well, considerin’ our scale of time, a few years feels like a blink of an eye. You forget to catch up and suddenly it’s been half a century. I really did mean to visit more often! On my honor!”
“You lie the same, too.”
Njör?r laughed as sweat glistened on his pearly white skin. The strange fact that no part of him was tanned proved he was a deity. His shorts stopped at the knees to reveal two shapely legs that looked as though the sea itself had washed them clean.
As he put down his fishing net and walked over to Loki with an amiable smile, the long-standing relationship the two shared was clear.
“Seems you’re doing fine, too, Riveria. Word of your fame reaches even beyond the walls of the city.” The carefree god shifted his attention to the nearby high elf.
“There’s no need for flattery, Njör?r. It does nothing but swell one’s pride.”
Riveria responded with a small smile.
“Lady Riveria, are you and this god acquaintances?” Lefiya asked somewhat timidly.
“He did much for me before I came to live in Orario. He’s a friend of Loki’s from the heavens. Surely you have heard of Njör?r Familia and their famed sea products, yourself?”
“Oh, yeah!”
“Now that you mention it…”
Tiona and Tione piped up as even Aiz’s face mellowed in realization.
Besides its important role in trade, the port of Meren was also famous for its fishing industry, with a fourth of its area devoted to the craft. The ones in charge of the business were none other than Njör?r Familia.
The familia itself was made up of a system of fisheries, prevalent mostly in cities along the coast. This included, of course, Lolog Lake but also the ocean it flowed into. The large catches Njör?r’s followers brought in from the water were sold not only in Meren’s shops but also in Orario, bringing a fresh taste of the sea to the city. Both Njör?r Familia and Demeter Familia, the latter with its rich agricultural industry, had long histories of supplying food to the Labyrinth City.
“What brings you here, then? You even brought the whole family along, though I see that Finn and Gareth are missing. Quite the bag you’ve got, too…” Njör?r shot Loki’s bulging backpack a dubious look as the fishermen around them continued their work.
Loki just grinned. “I’m actually on a bit of a treasure hunt. But I decided to have some fun while I’m at it. To that end, I was hopin’ I might ask ya a question or two.”
“And what might those questions be?”
“You’re pretty familiar with this area, yeah? I mean, obviously…”
The two deities continued their huddled chat, faces close. Aiz and the others standing nearby could catch only a few phrases here and there—“A ‘hidden gem’ kinda place,” “Somewhere nobody else knows about, yeah,” “A real paradise, if you know what I mean…!”
Njör?r threw a suspicious glance at Loki’s bag and her pack of followers, apparently inferring what the goddess was up to before leaning in to whisper in her ear.
Loki responded with a series of nods, the smile on her face growing with every word.
“Amazing! Thanks, Njör?r! I’ll tell ya all about it later, yeah?”
“You’re sure I can’t join you—?”
“No can do!” Loki promptly turned down the other god before spinning around to call out to her followers. “Got everything I needed to know! Let’s skedaddle!”
As the excitement in their patron deity’s voice neared its climax, so did the sense of foreboding everyone was feeling.
Following Njör?r’s recommendation, the group headed even farther south, putting distance between themselves and the city proper. They stopped when they reached a small alcove, hidden from sight in the shadows of the surrounding trees and rocks.
“Oh, wow! The sand is so white!”
“It’s a beautiful beach. And here I’d always thought the port was nothing but rocks and cliffs…”
“It’s gorgeous…”
Tiona, Tione, and Aiz couldn’t hide their wonder at the view of the sandy white hills spreading before their eyes.
It was a fairly sizable inlet just off the side of the lake’s banks, completely surrounded by towering trees and giant boulders. Cliffs scraped the sky to either side while the beach itself was devoid of life—a true “hidden gem” if they’d ever seen one.
The sound of gentle waves lapping at the sand drew them in like moths to a flame. None of them could keep the smiles off their faces as they took in the sight of the sculpted coastline.
“All righty then! I brought y’all a change of clothes!!”
The squawking voice of their goddess put a stop to their appreciation of the beauty.
She’d struck a strange pose, as if she’d been waiting for just this moment, and was now riffling through her pack and exposing its contents.
—Long, long ago, when the gods had first descended from the heavens, they’d brought with them culture and inventions to impart upon the peoples of the world below. Among those inventions was a set of things commonly referred to as the Three Sacred Treasures.
Despite “three” being included in their name, their numbers actually varied depending on the race or cultural sphere in question. They included everything from special ears one could wear to make one look like an animal person, elastic spats popular even among adventurers, bloomers, stockings, sailor uniforms…the list went on, oftentimes instigating debates over which of the inventions should actually be considered “sacred treasures” (and occasionally even resulting in bloodshed). Even to this day, the heated debate between those who sought the truth—people whose eyes had been opened after the desecration of a god—refused to die down.
There did, however, exist one treasure that not a single soul in all the world would deny.
And that was the bikini.
“So this is the real reason we came to Meren…”
Aki lamented, red-faced, as she used both her hands to cover her chest and belly, where the skin was bare thanks to the ridiculously skimpy bits of cloth her patron deity had forced her into.
The slender tail poking out from her rear lilted back and forth as she and her fellow familia members came out from behind some nearby rocks after all of them had changed into similar attire. They were now hiding themselves behind their hands. Aside from their chests and hip areas, every bit of the blushing maidens’ skin was exposed to the brilliant sun overhead.
“Even after all those baths we took down on the eighteenth floor…”
“…Somehow this is still more embarrassing!”
Lefiya and Leene awkwardly swayed back and forth.
The majority of them had been forced into two-piece suits, and the size of the bottom halves only added to their shame. Lefiya’s still-developing breasts formed a graceful valley that peeked out of her suit’s top, the lower half (complete with short miniskirt) snug against the smooth curves of her bottom.
“You carried that big bag of bikinis all the way here…?”
Alicia raised the question. She wore a one-piece suit that made her turn a brilliant shade of red that spread all the way to the tips of her long, pointed ears. Nearby, her patron deity was eyeing the elf’s fully developed body with a sense of satisfaction.
“Whoa! Wooow! This is amazing! Bodies glistening in the sun! Is this paradise?!”
The womanizing goddess’s excitement was reaching its peak. Though Loki had denied her true motives for investigating the lake, it was clear as day to her followers what was most important in her mind. Fist raised toward the sky in triumph, her bloodshot eyes examined every detail of the embarrassed and incredibly uncomfortable girls and their bodies.
“Hey! Where’s Riveria? Where’s my darling, adorable little Riveria, huh?!”
“She’s frozen behind that rock, still holding her suit…”
“Whaaaaat? C’mon, I need to see the goods! Hurry up or I’ll put that thing on for ya!”
“—You will do no such thing!!” “Stop right there!” “You’ll not defile Lady Riveria!!” The elves in the group were to their feet immediately, racing toward Loki as she dashed to the rock where Riveria was paralyzed. With Alicia in the lead, the elves sent the goddess facedown into the sand.
“Guwwagh!!” Loki yelped, though her cry of surprise quickly devolved into a bout of lascivious laughter at the sensation of naked skin pressing against her from all sides.
Meanwhile, just as Lefiya had described, Riveria remained as still as a statue behind the rocky outcrop, risqué outfit clutched between her hands.
…Th-they’re not lying…It really is embarrassing…Aiz thought, eyes traveling down the length of her bikini-clad body as she blushed.
It was a white two-piece, similar to the others aside from the long pareu-style skirt dangling from her bottom half.
She’d put up a fight, too, when Loki had first coerced her into wearing her standard battle attire, but even that didn’t hold a candle to the shameful bits of cloth she’d been forced into now—even if no one besides her familia was present.
Rubbing her naked arms uncomfortably, she mentally thanked no one in particular for the fact that the men hadn’t been allowed to join.
“M-M-M-M-Miss Aiz in a bikini…?!”
“Wooow!” “I knew she’d look good in that!” “Nice!” “I’m jealous!”
There were many compliments once Aiz emerged a few moments after the others. And not only from Lefiya, either—her smooth skin, slender frame, and shapely breasts left the group agape in awe.
It was also enough to make Little Aiz inside her, dressed in a tiny swimsuit, dizzy from the attention. As her cheeks grew redder, she found her eyes dropping toward the ground, unable to meet the gazes of her normally indifferent peers.
“You and your sister don’t feel the least bit embarrassed…do you?” Aki threw a glance in the direction of the two Amazonian sisters.
“Why would we? It’s not like it’s a big deal.”
“These aren’t even that different from what we usually wear!”
They responded nonchalantly. True to Tiona’s words, the blue bikinis they sported now showed no more skin than their normal battle gear. The feather-like cloth was so thin that it was practically see through, yet they felt no shame in baring copper-colored legs or ample chests.
Before long, Loki called out to them, having forsaken her quest to see Riveria suited up.
“All right, everybody! It’s time to put aside our work for a while and have some fun!! Instead of swimming in the ocean, swim in the lake! Some dearly needed relaxation for my battle-weary maidens!! Complete with wardrobe malfunctions, of course!!”
“As if!!”
The cry from the group of red-faced girls was unanimous.
No matter the reason behind it, the group of adventurers had certainly earned themselves some time in the sun, and they were going to take advantage of it.
“Mmm, salty! But I thought this wasn’t the ocean!” Tiona immediately took a running jump into the water. Shaking her head like a wet dog, she brought a hand up to wipe her bangs out of her eyes, clearly enjoying herself.
“M-Miss Tiona! How can you just jump in like that?”
“Easy peasy! Come on in, Lefiya!”
“I, well, here I goooooo!” Taken in by the innocent girl’s antics, the elf’s lips curled into a smile as she made her way across the white sand and into the water.
Though summer was a ways off and the water still had that mid-spring chill, the Dungeon-hardened adventurers rushed in en masse. They played in the waves and splashed one another, their laughing voices quickly filling the deserted inlet.
Jostling breasts, wriggling hips, hands reaching to fix bits of cloth that had gotten themselves wedged in a little too far—Loki, too, was having the time of her life as she watched the girls enjoying themselves in the lake waters.
“Beautiful. Just beautiful. I may not have the ocean, but I still got me a gaggle of bikini-clad girls to ogle…hee-hee-hee, the perfect combination!” She sighed.
“She really is a perverted old man…” Tione grumbled, not surprised in the least as she saw the drool bubbling out from between the goddess’s lips. She turned her eyes skyward. “I wonder if the southern kingdoms feel like this…” she murmured, her voice swallowed up by the never-ending sky.
It was almost as if the dazzling sun overhead was shining just for them and their private beach.
“…”
Meanwhile, Aiz had found herself a small corner of the beach and was currently idling about without much to do. Somehow, she looked less and less like the aloof Sword Princess and more like a small child hesitant to approach the white waves breaking on the sand.
“Miss Aiz! Would you like to join us?” Lefiya called out exuberantly once she noticed her seclusion.
“…Um…” Aiz’s gaze turned in the opposite direction of the sea-drenched elf.
Just past the beach, she could see the heads of the others in their group floating in the water. Even farther out, Tiona could be seen gliding cheerily back and forth among the waves.
It looked deep. Very deep.
“…I’m, uh…I’m fine…really…”
“?”
Lefiya cocked her head to the side in confusion at Aiz’s more hesitant than usual demeanor.
“Whassup, Aizuu? Don’t tell me you still can’t swim?” Loki approached the beached girl.
“Urk!” The goddess’s assumption was right on the money.
“…”
“You…can’t swim, Miss Aiz?!”
—This isn’t good!
Aiz’s behavior grew even more suspicious. The nervous flitting of her golden eyes gave away her secret.
Lefiya’s cry of surprise was enough to draw the attention of Tiona and Tione, who both made their way over, babbling excitedly. (“What is it? What is it?”) Their brows furrowed doubtfully upon first hearing Lefiya’s explanation but then softened in acute realization.
“You know, now that you mention it…”
“Even down in the Dungeon, she never got too close to the water…”
“And anytime it looked like she was about to fall into any, she’d just use her wind magic to kick herself off the surface…”
As Tiona and the others discussed the situation among themselves, Aiz gave a tiny gulp. Clasping her hands, she awkwardly rubbed her slender fingers against one another.
“…When I try to swim, I only…sink…” she finally uttered, red-faced and quiet as a mouse.
“Whaaaaaaaaaat? Really?!”
“You can’t be serious!”
“B-but you’ve never had a problem bathing in the Dungeon’s pools! Like down on the eighteenth floor, you seemed just fine…”
Tiona shouted with surprise, and Tione and Lefiya echoed her sentiment.
The reactions only increased Aiz’s discomfort. “I’m…fine if I can touch the floor…I just can’t…put my head under the water…” Her eyes fell to the ground as she felt shame well up inside her.
The “Leviathan Seal,” as the Guild officially called it.
As Tiona and Tione looked out upon this unbreachable gate of contrasting black and white, they found themselves losing track of time completely.
…We should check to make sure there aren’t any gaps in the lid.
Turning their gazes away from the fossil’s empty eye sockets, the twins returned to the task at hand.
Searching the entirety of the great hole, they looked for any signs that a monster had passed through—anything that could serve as a secret path. Each taking a different side, they searched every nook and cranny of the mighty lid, including the surrounding rock.
Their efforts, however, seemed to be in vain.
Not a single scratch! Tiona floated upside down as she waved her arms back and forth in the water.
Yeah, there’s just no way a monster could have broken this seal, not that we didn’t already know…Doesn’t seem like anything even came close, and there aren’t any gaps around it, either…Tione threw a sidelong glance at her sister with a sigh.
Even the many monsters they’d had to tackle just to get to this spot had all but disappeared. The lid, with all its monster-warding properties, was intact and in good health.
Monsters don’t wanna get close, right? So maybe we should search a little farther out? Maybe they built another hole a ways away or somethin’, yeah?
I’m not too keen on scouring every inch of this place without even knowing where to look…
As always, the two sisters found themselves at an impasse. Sending bubbles toward the surface, they took another look around at their environs.
!
All of a sudden, Tione’s eyes grew as sharp as a hawk’s.
Far, far off in the distance, she caught sight of two long figures floating in the water.
Decidedly yellowish-green figures.
Tione!
That’s them, all right! Violas!!
They were off without a second thought, zooming through the water.
The two monsters were swimming not more than ten meders or so from the lake’s surface. And a great many ships were cutting through the water above. The two sisters swam as fast as they could to intercept the giant flowers.
!
Their heated pursuit sent intense ripples of water in the direction of the violas, who quickly became alerted to their presence.
Great buds opening with a snap, they revealed their ghastly fangs and jaws. Then, every one of their mighty tentacles came careening toward them.
“Bweyyh mreallwy mwarh ere!!” Tiona exclaimed unintelligibly as she glided out of the way of the incoming tendrils with grace and speed that could rival a mermaid’s. She used the opportunity to brandish the Corbel Edge in her hand before neatly severing the tentacles.
!
As the tentacles scattered in the water, Tione dove forward.
She was at the beast’s stiff torso in a flash, marine-blue blade flashing as she neatly divided it in two, just as her sister had.
“Gnngh!”
hwwwuuaargh?!
The weapons, forged specifically for use in the water, cut through the normally impervious skin of the flowers with little resistance. And as the gracefully curving blue glint of the blade separated its head from its body, the flower itself quickly shriveled into nothing.
The remaining viola took one look before turning tail.
Crap! It’s getting away!
After all these years out of the water, the twins’ attacks didn’t cut quite as deep.
Severely injured, the giant flower quickly made its way to the water’s surface, almost as though seeking salvation in the light of the sun.
Tiona and Tione followed after it—until a new ship appeared from the direction of the ravine.
Shit!!
In a fit of rage, the viola shot its tentacles toward the ship’s hull.
“Loki!” Aiz shouted sharply.
She’d noticed it before anyone else, and her voice prompted the rest of her Loki Familia peers on the beach to look up at the situation forming in the middle of the lake.
“A boat?!”
“And there’s something wrapped around it!”
The galleon that had just appeared on the lake was currently grappling with a set of yellowish-green tentacles from within the brackish waters. Just when it appeared that the severed tentacles would bring the ship down, the viola itself reared its ugly head. The giant flower opened its jaws, fully prepared to sink the vessel with it.
“Holy hell! Aiz! Everyone! Get out there!” Loki shouted.
Immediately, Lefiya and the other mages up and down the beach began casting their spells as Aiz and her fellow frontliners found their footing in the sand and raced toward the ship.
Gnnghh?!
When all of a sudden.
A shadow jumped down from the galleon’s deck, delivering a blow straight to the viola’s head.
“What…?”
The beast’s giant head went tumbling through the air before plummeting into the water.
Not long after, the tentacles that had been gripping the ship separated themselves from the hull as the rest of the flower’s body sank back into the deep. Aiz and the others could do nothing but stare at the spectacle in shock.
“What just happened?!”
“Someone killed the viola?!”
Tiona and Tione, too, heads bursting out of the water a short distance away, were stunned into silence.
The giant flower, a creature that could give even first-tier adventurers a run for their money, had been slain.
As an excited clamor built up aboard the surrounding ships floating on the water, Tiona and her sister could only stare up in wonder at the giant vessel before them.
Then—THUD!
The dark shadow that had so readily ended the viola’s life landed atop a nearby fishing boat, scimitar flashing.
“Rjada ru jheeda…die Hyrute.”
Tiona reacted almost immediately to the non-Koine words—the words of her people. Spinning around with a jolt, she came face-to-face with the woman standing on the boat.
All eyes of the men on the boat were focused squarely on this newcomer and the copper skin laid bare by her revealing clothes. A silken neckerchief covered her mouth, hiding the lower half of her face.
She was watching Tiona silently, eyes staring out from beneath her sand-colored hair.
“Bache…”
First Tiona, then Tione went wide-eyed in wonder, unable to believe what they were seeing—when suddenly, a voice calling out from the galleon’s deck landed the final blow of surprise.
“Now there’s two faces I haven’t seen in a long while.”
“?”
The sound of the not quite young, not quite old voice brought time to a screeching halt.
Their gazes moved upward to find an entire group of Amazonian soldiers staring down at them from the boat’s deck—along with a certain young goddess.
Her skin was the same copper hue as her followers’, bloodred hair billowing in the lake breeze. While her short stature may have given her the appearance of a child, the necklace of fake bones around her neck, the fanged mask over her face, and the two eyes glinting behind it projected nothing if not pure authority. Next to her stood an Amazon with hair the same color as the woman still behind them on the fishing boat.
As Aiz and the others watched the spectacle unfold from their spot on shore, Tione’s eyes flashed with a sudden fury. She screamed up at the group of women smiling down at them from above.
“Kaliiiiiiiiiiiii?!!”
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