(A/N: TFW you got sick the moment break starts and can't do shit for the majority of it. like bruh...Anyway, I'm tired, and was too lazy to proofread this. so...fun...the ending may seem weirdly scratched out or repetitive or a number of other flaws and that's because I'm writing this with maybe 5% of my brain functioning.
and fun fact about this chapter did you know that I completed maybe 33% this chapter the same day I released the last one. considering this one is 3,000 words and the usually I write 2,000 word chapters... I'll let y'all do the math, anyway have a great day, I'm getting some much needed sleep.
oh and one last thing I swear, I added another OC, now this one is a little different, (you'll see why later down the line) but just know that it is necessary for the plot to work. not a creative decision, anyway bye.)
(3rd person POV)
A terrible day at sea. Strong uncontrollable winds that would've torn smaller ships to shreds, ice-cold pouring rain that pelted at the skin relentlessly, and temperatures low enough that one's breath was visible and one's whole body would shiver. Waves were so large that they'd surely engrave fear into even the most experienced of sailors.
Within this maelstrom stood a ship attempting and failing to move past this hurricane of chaos. The wooden frame of the ship creaked and shook as it went against the impossibly large walls of water. Splintered wood and the smell of salt water filled the air and the ship was sure to fall apart soon.
The people on the ship, however? They were far afraid, in fact, one could even say that the emotion held by the people aboard was boredom, annoyance even.
"How long has this storm been going on?" the voice of a young girl rang out.
"Some 3 days," the voice of another woman rang out.
"And how much progress have we made?" asked the child.
"It's hard to tell, but If I had to say...we haven't moved an inch," the woman cooly responded.
"..." the child cooly, "I see," they responded calmly... "LIKE HELL!" she stopped on the ground in anger. Luckily the child's strike wasn't so strong as the damage to the ship, but a faint creek could be heard at the child's strike. "We would be in Oarario by now if it weren't for this stupid storm!" She complained.
"..." no one could respond. After all, the one who stood before them was none other than their goddess.
The tan-skinned, blood-red-haired, red-eyed, child-like figure, with a white skeletal mask, sat under the main deck, her vexed facial expression saying all it needed to about the situation.
Kali, a goddess ruler of the country of Telskyura, a country of Amazons.
"If it weren't for that damn girl...!" her complaints continued as the silhouette of the girl in mind formed within her mind.
Delay your travel to Oarario. She had walked onto their ship saying such things, to the goddess.
Hair white as snow, eyes that glowed a light azure. She stood a short 4 '4 and her body was like that of a child, yet the atmosphere she gave was far more mature and her aura was reminiscent more so of a god's than a mortal's.
Her voice was simultaneously high-pitched like a child's, yet authoritative. Calm and breezy like the wind, with a cool confidence that they'd agree, and her expression held a perfect poker face, betraying no sign of emotion.
Of course, they had denied her request. It made almost no sense to comply, and after she left they thought that was the end of it. However, things weren't that simple. Just as they were beginning to leave, she appeared again.
In a manner that can be described as anything, but normal.
Floating above them in the air at midday, she looked down upon them with the same expressionless face.
"I've given you your warning. Stop now and I won't do anything. Continue and I shall bear no responsibility for what I'm about to do," she spoke in her same breezy way. Despite speaking in a monotone and quiet voice somehow everyone clearly heard what she was saying.
"Ho~?" Kali was intrigued slightly by what she could mean. And so she egged her on. "Just try to stop us," she laughed wickedly. She was convinced that she would be helpless against her familia. And if common sense were a factor she may have been correct. After all, she had two level 6s on her side. The amount that could single-handedly stop them could be counted on one hand. The likelihood of this nobody being one of them was close to none in Kali's and frankly the rest of the Amazonian's eyes.
Upon hearing this response, the girl closed her eyes and tilted her head downward.
"Very well," she said. "Now you have no one to blame but yourselves," she said.
She slowly raised her left arm in the air and stood there quietly for 5 seconds.
And nothing happened.
"Oi don't tell me all you can do is fly and act like a fool!" laughed kali. "Hey, Bache, Argana. Kill her," Kali commanded. However, as she did so something strange began to take place.
Winds that were lightly blowing began to pick up, clouds began to circle, and the more time that passed the more intense the effect became.
"Hey what the hell is happening," Kali said with a half smile.
"..." everyone else was too stunned to say anything.
Black clouds billowed and spread across the sky covering what had once been a bright blue sky.
The tides slowly began to grow larger and winds blew with more intensity in this one instance than most of the Amazionins had ever felt before.
"Oi, oi, oi what the hell is this?" Kali spoke slowly.
It was only natural this would be her reaction. The thing playing out before the goddess's eyes should be impossible. By all accounts this was magic. It had to be, there was no other way this made sense. Yet no chant, and a scale far larger than anything that any child could reasonably accomplish.
It was almost as if this was a god using their arcanum, but that too should be impossible. In the first place, Kali would've recognized her immediately if she were a goddess. There was no way she could have hidden her aura.
But then there was no explanation for this scene before her.
"I'll ask this final time, delay your venture to Oarario."
"Tch, come down here a fight face to face!" Kali yelled in response.
"..." she simply stared down at them silently with the same blank expression.
"..."
"...no," she refused, her breezy response simply pissing off Kali more. Kali continued with the insults and provocation in an attempt to fight, but the girl simply stared down at her from on high, refusing to fall for such things. It didn't take long for her to disappear, yet the storm continued, and since they had been stuck in this situation.
If the impossible range and potency of the spell weren't enough on its own the duration of it seemed to be equally absurd, if not more so. The amount of mind necessary to accomplish such a spell and keep it going for such a time and range was truly unprecedented.
Returning to the present, while Kali was busy badmouthing the mysterious girl, the amazonian warriors were busy making sure the ship wasn't going to fall apart.
Normally one would think to return to the island and wait out the storm but their goddess, Kali, had refused, saying things such as "we shall not lose to this storm" or something or other.
No matter how ridiculous it may have seemed, the Amazons without a word of objection or complaint simply followed their goddess will.
No room for second thoughts or objection. And after 3 days of holding on, the cruel unrelenting storm finally calmed...
The winds weakened, the once monstrous waves turned to shallow things that couldn't reach the main deck, and beams of light began to shine through the endless black herd of clouds. The cacophony of waves hitting the deck, yelling of orders, storming thunder, and more finally quieted creating an almost peaceful aura.
"Heh, now then let's not waste any time, WE MUST FIND AND KILL THAT DAMN-" Kali had begun but before she could finish the captains of the familia were forced to remind her why they had wanted to go out to sea in the first place.
After regaining her composure she adjusted her plan of action. "Alright full speed to our original destination, if we find that bitch on the way though we're killing her. Got it!?" she yelled.
The Amazons all unanimously agreed.
And with that, they began their voyage.
To Orario
(Rimuru POV)
I stared listlessly at the bed in front of me at the moment. Sophia's body sprawled across it, dirt and grime all over her. We had left the dungeon and were now back at her house with Amaterasu.
I had talked to Finn and it ended up just being a basic recap of what Aiz had already told him. Aiz and I had already basically reached an agreement. And Finn didn't seem too upset about it so he simply allowed me to go on with the agreement that I'd tell them about my abilities to help with a contingency plan if I ever went rogue. I mean I understood where they were coming from with that request but really I doubted there was much they could do. And even if there were to expect me to just hand over my weakness on a silver platter is a little...
I ended up agreeing because it knew that we'd come to an impasse otherwise, but I'm going to need to come up with a contingency plan of my own if I wanted to make sure they didn't just try to eliminate me.
Just as they didn't trust me I similarly had reservations about trusting them. I had yet to give them the information needed so I could theoretically lie, but in all likelihood, Loki, their goddess, would be there to concur with everything I said, making that option a little hard.
"..." I stared at Sophia blankly as I began to recall what had happened on the 38th floor.
The white walls stretched out on either side of us. Aiz and I sat silently waiting for Sophia to wake up.
The barrier I had set up was now surrounded by monsters, not that I cared, killing them would be a breeze.
So we simply waited... in awkward silence.
Aiz was, perhaps unsurprisingly, bad with words. Ending conversations before they could really even get started and killing the vibe.
It may have to do with her just being nervous around me but I wouldn't be surprised if she was this clumsy with her words around everyone.
We had both given up on any actual conversation by this point and were simply sitting here.
I was busy watching Sophia while from the looks of it, AIz was having trouble even staying awake.
Oh yeah, she was also awake for the entire 3 days wasn't she?
"You should really get some sleep," I said to her.
"...I need... to monitor you," she spoke sluggishly.
"How are you supposed to do that when you can barely stay awake?" I ask.
"..." she didn't say anything, but she still held a look of defiance within her eyes.
I shrug, "suit yourself,"
It didn't take long for her to fall asleep despite her defiance.
And then it was only me.
I silently mull over the situation in my head while calculating my next move. I now had a connection with Aiz, which naturally would be a ticket to a sort of alliance with Loki familia. Or at the very least we could hopefully avoid conflict in the future.
And if that happened Hermes naturally becomes backed into a corner, after all, with one of the largest familia on my side, there isn't much he can do to me anymore.
Things are finally beginning to look up. I had thought.
Just as the thought was passing through my mind, Sophia's ears began to quiver slightly.
"Hmm?" I turn towards her again.
Her eyelids twitched slightly as she slowly began to regain consciousness before her eyes finally opened themselves into a squint. She blinked a few times before fully awakening.
"Rimuru" she spoke quietly, her eyes sharpening when she saw me.
"Good morning, how was your sleep," I asked.
"...it was fine," she said as she began to roll her stiff shoulders. Her signature neutral expression was back on her face as if nothing had been happening for the past 3 days.
It made her reaction when I first woke up seem like a lie.
She got up and began to dust herself off, before her attention was diverted to Aiz who was slumped up against a wall, still asleep.
"Don't worry we were able to talk some things out," I said.
"Hmm, I see," she accepted it with very little pushback as she tended to do.
"She also explained the situation to me. Of course I'll need you to concur with what she is saying," I said.
"Hmm, very well," After stretching herself a bit she finally got down to explaining what happened from her perspective, and luckily it was mostly more of the same. She added more details about what happened before but I had fairly accurately predicted what happened before she said anything, it didn't take a rocket scientist.
Partway through Aiz had woken up, once again, and silently watched our interaction.
In any case, once Sophia had finished explaining what happened, I decided I needed to do something.
"Okay," I said as she finally finished her story. "I see, so it does match," I say.
"Hmm," Sophia hums lightly.
"In that case, I need to thank you,"
"Huh?" Sophia grunted in, what I can only assume is, confusion. "What for?" she asked.
"For helping me, you threw yourself in the dungeon for three days straight to protect me, what else?"
"Ah...yeah, I suppose," she said slowly, a strange expression crossing her face.
Is she...embarrassed? I thought to myself. Well, this was certainly odd. I'd half expected her to accept it expressionlessly without showing any sign of caring. Embarrassment was the last emotion I thought I'd find on Sophia of all people.
Why? That was the only thought that came to mind. Is it because I said thank you? I questioned internally.
I shake my head though. Now's not the time for this, I think to myself, adjusting myself and putting myself back on track.
I introduced Aiz and Sophia. It was, predictably enough, a very dry interaction.
"Sophia, this is Aiz, I'm sure you already know her," I said, Sophia merely nodded in acknowledgment.
"Aiz this is Sophia, she's a friend," I say. She too nodded in acknowledgment and that was the end of that whole exchange.
As I said. Predictably dry.
Well after that disappointing introduction, I began to explain what my next plan of action was going to be to the two.
"I want to form a truce with Loki Familia," I said. "And for that, I'll need your help Aiz," I say, directing my attention toward her.
She listlessly stares back before speaking... "I'm not sure...how much help I'll be," she said.
"As long as you explain what you told me to them I'm sure they'll be willing to listen. I wasn't with you guys for very long, but even I noticed. you have sway Aiz, there are a lot of people who'll listen to you," I said.
She hesitantly nodded. She really underestimated her position within the Loki familia it seemed.
"Okay, and the Loki familia should be on the 18th floor, no?" I asked Aiz.
"Yeah," she gave affirmation.
"With that being the case, I'll go ahead and follow Aiz to the 18th floor and talk it out with the Loki familia. I'll send you back to Amaterasu, Sophia," I said as I turned towards Sophia. Meanwhile, Aiz wore a confused expression. Likely unsure of how I planned to send Sophia back.
"Hmm," she frowned slightly.
"Is there an issue," I asked.
"...No, I suppose there's nothing left for me to do?" She sighed. I nodded in agreement.
"That and you need more rest," I said.
"..." she neither confirmed nor denied my statement.
"Alright then, let's deal with the monsters," I said.
The two hum in agreement.
"Alright then let's go,"
As I say so I snapped my fingers and undo the barrier. Immediately monsters come flooding in from both sides of us, "I'll go this way," I gesture towards one side of the hall, "you two deal with the other side." and we immediately get to work.
I use sticky steel thread for crowd control on my side while also using my sword to cut them down one by one. It seemed that those two on the other hand decided to go for a different approach. AIz was the vanguard that went ahead and began to slice down monsters while Sophia provided support from the back. This allowed Aiz to go as wild as she needed without worrying about blind spots.
In any case, after not even a minute we had thoroughly dealt with the group of monsters.
"Now then, let's move forward with our plan," I say, turning towards them when we're done.
Sophia simply nods. Aiz still holds a dubious expression.
"How are you going to-" before she can even finish I begin to activate spatial motion connecting the Amaterasu familia's headquarters with the dungeon through this portal.
"Alright, goodbye for now," I say to Sophia. She nods.
"Good luck," she said before she stepped through the portal back into her home.
I turn my attention to the now stunned Aiz.
"what...?"
"It's teleportation," I explained.
"Teleportation?" she repeats in disbelief.
"Yeah," I said. She blinks at me several times. "How-"
"Don't worry about it," I reply before she gets a chance to ask. "Well then," I began to open another portal this time on the 19th floor.
If it's Loki familia they'll be monitoring the entrance to the 19th floor, so let's try to be more inconspicuous.
I connect to a spot that's slightly further away from the 19th-floor point entrance. "Come on," I call out to the still star-struck Aiz as I step through the tear in space.
Aiz eventually follows and I close the tear promptly after.
We are now on the 19th floor of the dungeon, the colossal tree labyrinth.
Filled with plants and other such vegetation along with a small number of monsters. I wipe them out quickly with my sword.
"So do you know how to get to floor 18 from here?" I asked Aiz.
"Hm," she nodded and began to walk to what I presumed was the exit. I quietly followed after.
After a short minute walk, we finally reached the base of the tree and the exit of the 19th floor.
I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves, "alright, here goes nothing," and so I slowly walked behind Aiz towards the Loki familia in an attempt to mend our relationship.
(A/N: Oh and happy Thanksgiving)