(Wednesday, 28/10/1058, early morning)
(Henryk's PoV)
"So, you free today?" I said to Welf as he showed me in.
"I think, yeah" He said in a troubled voice. "Sorry about yesterday. Today, though, I can go to the dungeon with you. I finished the project successfully yesterday!"
"Let's go then" I said to him as I waited for him to lead me out. It was only right to wait for the owner of the place I entered, my host, to allow me to leave instead of leaving as I please, as if I owned the place.
Well, I was in his forge for many reasons. The most important one is that I wanted to walk alongside him instead of having him see the wolves and Fey surrounding me.
Why am I bringing this up, you ask? That's because Fey's being Fey. She decided she was done waiting and flew to where I was, then landed in front of us.
I saw Welf's hand reach for the handle of his greatsword as he began to be cautious. The lack of expressive muscles on Fey's face didn't help.
"Papa~!" She threw herself at me, shocking Welf. He was in for a bigger shock when I accepted it with my arms wide open.
"Pray tell, what brings you here, Fey?" I said as I started patting her head.
"Fey's bored~" She leaned into my hand.
"I was about to tell you about this, right as she came down" I told Welf without turning back to face him.
"I need to know this, Henryk" Welf said, sounding uneasy. "How many are there?"
I turned to him after being done with Fey's head pats.
"If you are talking about tames, then there are quite a few. I have 4 wolves and a kobold. If you meant people, then there is my wife. There was personnel from the familia guarding and assessing us, but that has passed and we're cleared to adventure alone starting today" I said while counting on my fingers.
"Great" Welf said with a wry smile. "This is gonna be awkward" He said to himself.
(Central Plaza)
"Henry!" Of all things, I didn't expect Shira becoming a guided missile, and definitely not her targeting me. I was launched a few steps back, falling on my back. Before I could do anything, she rubbed her cheek on mine and stood up.
"You act like we haven't seen each other just moments ago" I said in a mock complaining tone.
"A few moments too long. I like the feeling of having you nearby. It brings me a sense of safety" She said with a toothy, or rather a fangy smile before gaining an edge to her eyes. She directed an analytical gaze at Welf, who was feeling as awkward as he thought he would feel, if not more.
"I'm Shira Williams, this bear's wife. What's your name?" After letting go of me, she stretched her hand for a handshake.
Welf shook hands with her. "Name's Welf Crozzo"
"I don't want to interrupt your introductions, but I need to clarify that I'm no bear" I interjected with a raised hand.
Welf took one look at me before nodding with a knowing smile, at her. He agreed with Shira and not me.
"I thought I gained a friend, not a backstabbing traitor" I pretended to wipe a tear that wasn't there.
"She's right, though?" He raised an eyebrow. "You do resemble a bear. The only thing you lack to be one is a full coat of fur and some claws"
I hung my head low as I heard Fey's giggles in the background. It was then that the wolves decided to approach Welf. He looked a bit uncomfortable until I shook my head at him trying to distance himself from them.
Ouros was the first to make contact, licking his face and soaking it in slobber. Ouros seemed to accept him with that gesture, which prompted the remaining three to either lick him or rub against him in a show of some amount of trust, marking him as an ally who bears their scents on him.
I laughed at his predicament, having to wipe the drool off his face and upper body, as much as he could without changing and showering, that is. I received immediate retribution when Futura thought that it was only fair that I had to deal with the same situation as him.
We had to spend a short moment to clean ourselves and for me to explain why they did all of that to him.
"As we discussed before coming down" I began to remind them of what we said when we were in the plaza. "I, being a tank, will be the vanguard. Shira, attacking from range, would be at the centre of the formation. Welf, having no defensive or ranged option, will be our rearguard. Accompanying each of us will be at least one wolf, with the extra wolf, Fey and Kob being free units that help where they see fit"
I took a breath.
"Does anyone want to change anything before we step inside?" I looked at them.
"No objections" Both Shira and Welf said. With the others expressing similar thoughts through the link, we started the dungeon dive.
(Kob's PoV) (AN: I hope to get this right *Starts to sweat bullets*)
(1st floor)
I followed mister through the winding tunnels of the first floor. I remained by his side, helping distract goblins and fellow kobolds so that he has an easier time taking them down.
On the way, I watched and marveled at how masterfully he took the life of anything that crossed his path. Not with his strength, but with skill and some amount of grace. I wish to be able to fight like him one day.
"Kob" Mister gave me some of the red liquid they called a potion to treat some of my injuries with. I don't know if he knows, but I felt greatly valued, validated even. The one who gave me a clearer mind was giving me purpose.
(2nd floor)
I got praised for noticing a lizard clinging to the ceiling above us. I enjoyed the praise.
(5th floor)
The party stopped when we finally isolated a war shadow.
I am to fight it and come out victorious. Mister wanted to test my strength and how eating some magic stones over the past couple of days may have helped.
'I can do this... I can do this...' I reassured myself constantly until they released it from its restrain.
The war shadow dashed at the nearest target in front of it, me. I raised my shield in a panic and hid behind it, hoping the war shadow would get tired.
"Create openings instead of having a war of attrition with it" I heard mister's voice behind me. "You need to also keep some energy to fight the other monsters you will face today. What will you do if you expended all of your energy here?"
I felt scared. Now that I was fighting alone, I felt afraid that I will be killed if I lowered the shield to step back. That thought was reinforced when my arms began to tire from receiving those hits.
"Either jump back to create some distance or slam the shield into its incoming claws!" Mister shouted for me, urging me to do something.
I gathered my little courage and jumped back. The blow glanced the shield and was not as intense as the previous ones as a result.
The war shadow screeched.
I kept my eyes on it as it got closer.
"Hit its hand with the flat of your shield! Now!" I did as instructed, blowing its claws aside and pushing it off balance.
I saw as it stumbled to regain its balance.
"What are you doing? Kill it while it's still disoriented! Use your knife!" Mister said loudly.
I tried to follow this command, but my hesitation at the beginning made me slow. I barely got to stab its yellow, glowing eye before it attacked me.
I collapsed on my knees with cold sweat running down my back.
I have done it.
I killed a monster that was stronger than I am.
I won.
I looked at the gleaming crystal covered in ash, its magic stone.
"You've done enough work to deserve this one. Eat it" Mister patted my head while talking softly. I hope that means mister was content with what I showed him.
(Some time before dusk)
(Welf's PoV)
'Man, this is truly bizarre. How can he trust a monster to eat magic stones? And how does he believe it is safe for non-monsters to eat them as well?'
I redirected my thoughts to a more pressing matter. That matter would be that Henryk is weaker than I thought. Getting down to the lower amongst the upper floors might take too long.
'Have I been manipulated into this contract? Was I too lax and careless because of it being my first contract?'
"Henryk, can we talk for a moment?" I approached him as he was resting after his last battle.
"What is it, Welf?" He replied, welcoming my approach.
"How long do you think it'd take you to go down to floors 10 and beyond?" I asked. I was willing to look past this minor problem to honor the contract. It was my mistake not making sure of things. I'll learn from it if this proved a disadvantageous deal.
"Today" "Huh?!" Henryk said, stunning me. My mind went blank.
'Does he wanna die?' It seems that I was looking him up and down, seeing as he smirked.
"Shake my hand" He stretched his hand to me, which I took. He squeezed as hard as he could, doing little to make himself look eligible to go down further.
He then went far enough that I didn't hear what he said, probably magic, judging by the fact that he was saying something at all.
When he came back, he offered me his hand again. Expecting the same result, the sudden increase in his strength gave me whiplash. It reminded me of the handshake we shared back at the forge.
'Now that I think about it, it felt strange how he struggled with the monsters on such shallow floors'
"With this much strength, I should be able to dive down to floor 12 with a decent party" He looked around us for a bit. "Honestly, I could go down to floor 14 with Fey and the wolves here"
"How strong... are they?" It came to me. His words meant that they were as strong as an early level 2 at least.
"Each is stronger than an early level 2" He said, clearly delighted and proud.
"Tell me these things the next time, will ya'?" I sighed. I hope that he isn't like this all the time.
(3rd person PoV)
(7th floor)
Shira watched in both worry and horror at how brutally efficient Henryk was at butchering the ants he struggled to fight for two days. It threw her off and made her doubt her own memory.
"Henry, am I dreaming?" She said, her voice a murmur.
He aimed at the joints of their exoskeletons, quickly switching to smashing them open if the swing was about to miss. Not a single ant survived more than one hit without becoming a cripple.
(8th floor)
Once the monsters from the previous floors, from the 1st to the 7th, began to appear again, Henryk took out his axe and had his spear ready to equip. Seeing as Prata preferred to be protective of Shira and remain by her, Henryk made Prata relocate their party's bag of equipment every time they started moving again and to put it down when they started another battle.
Also, their first encounter with a needle rabbit occurred. Henryk did not leave the floor before taming two of them. He reasoned that they were too cute to pass upon. That left some of the party questioning if he needed some counseling on what criteria he should implement for choosing which monsters to tame.
For the first time, he did not collapse when taming a monster.
After some time killing monsters, Shira grew more concerned.
"Henry" She called his name in hope to get a response. She worried that he might be too absorbed in taking lives, judging by the bright, delighted smile he had while swinging his axe.
"Yeah?" He jumped away from his last kill and approached Shira.
"Are you okay?" She said.
"I believe I am" As he observed her face, he noticed her fixation on his. "If I was smiling too much, I was relishing the strength I gained in two days' time. It's simply too good not to smile for" He said before joining the fray again.
'Still, my body should be adapted to more than 35%, maybe around 65% due to training in weapon handling. Should I release my mental limitation up to 90% if an infant dragon were to show up?' Henryk was mulling it over while they made their way down to floor 10.
(11th floor)
"Damn me" Henryk cursed aloud, completely disregarding that Fey could hear him. "That's an infant dragon, innit?"
"It didn't noti- Forget that. It noticed us just now" Welf said, his legs already trying to snap in the other direction from the monster known as the floor boss of the upper floors. "Run!"
"Ugh!" He tried to listen to his legs, but Henryk, grabbing Welf by the collar, had other thoughts.
"Welf, I wanna take that down" Henryk said while taking out his spear. He started chanting while the infant dragon galloped towards them. 'The surprise factor is over. He can hear the chant all he wants now'
{I ask thee, thou who oversees the fate of every living being, thee who directs the flow of things}
Before Henryk could finish the chant, the infant dragon was upon them. Henryk had to delay chanting the last verse and his spell key until he found a new opportunity, or until he made one.
'Futura, take Ouros with you to distract it. Give me enough time to complete my chant' Futura told him of her decision and went alone. She slammed into the rushing monster head-on, halting both.
{Answer my prayer and grant my humble wish} {Release my brain's inhibitions to 90%}
Henryk felt a bit dizzy momentarily before energy came rushing in. He tried to pull himself together and to figure out how to control his strength.
In the meanwhile, Futura mounted the infant dragon's back, biting its neck. Futura's body was under such great strain just to hold onto the monster's back and neck, to lock them in place so that the infant dragon could not turn its head around.
In response, the infant dragon hissed and roared, thrashing every which way to throw her off. After a few attempts, it succeeded in throwing Futura off its back.
The infant dragon turned to Futura, opening its maw, attempting to gnaw at her before she could try and get up.
Ouros slammed into its side, throwing its head, and subsequently its maw, off course, deviating them from Futura and into the dirt.
Prata and Platina, in the meanwhile, were prowling, getting ever closer through the withered, silvery-gray grass. They lunged at it from the darkness, from behind the cover of the grass, leaving Shira's defense to Fey alone.
When the four of them were done, they left the infant dragon missing its right hind leg. Henryk finally stepped forward to face the monster.
'What a pity. I'm getting much less excellia with one of its legs missing. The challenge and the excellia are both gone' Henryk thought.
Henryk started with a dash to the infant dragon's right side, stabbing at its face as it tried to bend down to bite him. When he reached its side, he tried to stab its stomach but failed. The infant dragon stood on its hind leg in spite of the excruciating pain it was presented with.
Seeing as the spear was below its barrel, Henryk transitioned from a stab to a pulling slice as he pushed the spearhead's edge against the underside of its belly and retreated, dragging along with him the bladed edge digging into the monster's underside.
"Rooaaarrr!!" The infant dragon bellowed in pain as a shallow, yet painful wound was made.
Henryk jumped back in time to avoid its swinging head, supported by its weight as its legs gave out under it. It was a combination of exhaustion, the excruciating pain and imbalance of a missing limb, and the pain of trying to support its posture with a wounded barrel.
"All the challenge is gone, you guys" Henryk moaned in frustration, a disproving expression directed at the wolves. He was also using that to hide the pain of his muscles fighting not to tear off or rip apart from being exerted at such a high degree.
'I should finish this quickly' Henryk thought, and rightfully so. He knew that the longer this went, he wouldn't be the one to fell the beast.
Henryk jumped on the monster's back, intending to stab its heart from there. He aligned his spear's tip so that it slides between the ribs, or where he assumed them to be based on the protrusions of the infant dragon's vertebrae.
Henryk felt an unimaginable amount of pain when the spear struck the side of a rib, producing a recoil that went back through the spear's shaft. Even still, he continued to push the spear down through the pain.
As the monster felt a stinging pain in its back, it writhed. Its writhing soon turned to thrashing, throwing Henryk off its back. Henryk barely managed to catch himself, the force he had to contend with forcing him to withdraw from the fight as he felt his muscles tear off.
He clinched his teeth as hard as he could, bottling the pain and the screams that wanted an escape.
Although Shira wanted to help when things started to go against Henryk, Fey followed his instructions and stopped her from doing so. Fey herself wanted to help but knew better. She did not want to displease him by going against his plan, not when he already ensured his survival.
With the wolves' help, having unwedged Henryk's spear, the infant dragon soon bled out. Its heart stopped beating as it fell on the ground, dead.
(Later)
"You should drink a few potions. While they won't fix absolutely everything, they fix most things short of death and injuries that are regularly permanent" Loki said to Henryk after berating and nagging him for his recklessness for more than an hour straight.
"Don't they drain the body of its resources to heal it?" Henryk said with heavily furrowed eyebrows.
"Don't give me that look and just do it" Henryk scrutinized her words further. "That's a concern only when an unblessed mortal drinks a potion"
Henryk thought about it for a few moments.
"Does that have to do with a hidden parameter or attribute of the falna?" He said with honest curiousity.
"It does" Loki confirmed his words.
"Considering the parameters I currently have, the most likely to have that effect is STA, but that may not be the case" He cupped his chin in thought, missing Loki's interested eyes. "Is it a hidden attribute that scales with level alone?"
"Bingo!" Loki said before jumping off her chair and opening the door to get out. It was the end of their conversation as far as she was concerned.
It was to her surprise to find a slack-jawed Ais on the other side of that door.
"Sorry" She knelt in apology, an apology directed at Henryk. "I didn't mean to hear your private information"
(Henryk's diary, Wednesday, 28/10/1058, written sloppily by Shira)
Well, today was certainly fruitful. The push from the early parts of the day made me go all the way to S999 or close enough that my fight with infant dragon, short as it was, was enough to reach the "hard limit" of my parameters.
I knew better. I have an idea of what to do from here, concerning my falna. I should delay my rank-up for a few days as I recover.
I had to promise both Shira and Loki that I would take those few days off the dungeon.
On another note, it seems that Ais mistakenly walked by Loki's room and heard her mentioning how I progressed from D500~ in my stats all the way to S999 in less than a month. She has been zealously following me, probably trying to get the secret out of me.
I had to promise Loki another thing, that I'd never give Ais an answer to that question, should it ever come to it, without proper reason, and that I had to discuss it with Lady Riveria and her first.
Shira, who is glaring at me for having her write this part herself, also commented on how I was a fool for desiring such a growth rate at the cost of the power it gives. I must add how I smirked at her, reminding her that she put herself into this position when she said she'd help me write my diary in my place.
I did receive a light smack on my shoulder for having her write that last paragraph, and another for asking her to write the first part of this one.
My last thought for the day is my dread of the future. Something at the back of my head is cautious about tomorrow, specifically tomorrow. I seem to have missed something that lingered at the far recesses of my mind.
I should use my magic to bring that concerning thought to the far front of my mind if I don't naturally remember it by noon.
(End of Chapter, start of Henryk's status update display)
Name: Henryk Williams
Familia: Loki
Level: 1
STR: B784 → S999
STA: A812 → S999
DEF: B767 → S999
AGI: B724 → S999
MAG: A897 → S999
Magic:
Incrementum Imperium
Skills:
Kefalés Tou Tyfóna
Yfirgangr