Loki's Renard

Arc 2 Chapter 2 - From the Strongest

Hey guys, hope you're ready for the next chapter. Uni is starting up again so I might not have much time to write as opposed to right now, but I'll keep trying to bring you new chapters when I can. Anyway, onto the story.

><><><><><

Akihide looked down at the staircase. Ottar had lead him down to here, not actually performing any of the fights himself and leaving it to Akihide, but was kind enough to help gather the magic stones, despite Akihide's insistence that he collected all the stones, since he was the one wasting Ottar's time by having the older adventurer take him down to Floor 10. Ottar told the boy that if he wanted to surpass his level 5 record and surpass him, he had to go on an adventure to lower floors in the Dungeon. And if the Loki Familia wasn't keen on allowing him to go, he would be more than happy to take him down and watch him grow.

"To be an adventurer, one must not grow complacent with their abilities." he said sagely to Akihide. "One must always look to grow stronger, to surpass the ones who came before him. That is my goal, to prove myself worthy of standing beside her by being stronger than anyone else, even those that came before in the Zeus and Hera Familias. Level 9 is my goal for now, but it will change when I accomplish it." he said, remembering the words of the previous Captain of his familia, Mia Grand, well.

And so, he accompanied the boy down the first nine floors of the dungeon, giving the boy tips on how to use his new weapons. Utsukushī-me, the wakizashi, was very easy to get used to. He simply used it as if it was his tantō, but it just meant getting used to the longer blade. The katana, Megami no Hana, was a different story. Akihide had no practice swinging a sword, so it took him quite a few tries killing Kobolds and Goblins before he somehow managed to get a basic and unrefined understanding of the blade. All in all, he wasn't bad for a newbie to the weapons, he was actually very good. Not good enough to be considered a prodigy, but more than enough to be considered naturally talented.

And that lead them to here, standing at the entrance to Floor 10. Akihide looked down and gulped slightly at what was down there, but had a smirk across his face all the same, simultaneously terrified and excited to explore a new area of the Dungeon and face new monsters. Ottar looked over at the boy and nodded. "It's time to go. Are you ready for this?"

Honestly, Akihide didn't know if he was ready or not. All he knew was that if he continued listening to Riveria and not going on adventures, he was never going to get stronger. Akihide nodded his head. "Well, there's only one way to find out." he replied. Ottar seemed satisfied with that answer, and the two began descending down to Floor 10.

"The monsters you will encounter here are ones you've never seen before, and there are no familiar monsters from the first nine floors, barring the Needle Rabbit, but they are much rarer in these floors." said Ottar, as they went down the staircase which was longer than any other staircase that Akihide had been down ever. "The most common ones you'll find are Orcs and Imps, but there will be Bad Bats as well. Orcs can make even level 2 adventurers lose their footing, but they're extremely slow, so use your superior speed to your advantage. Imps are always in packs and attack in groups. They're clever as well, so be sure to kill them quickly as well. Bad Bats are special in that they create sonic waves of sound, which can dull your senses and throw you off, and that they can fly. Be sure to make quick work of them. The trick to Floor 10 is speed."

Akihide nodded as he listened to Ottar. Each of the monsters on Floor 10 were dangerous in their own way. Orcs had their insane strength, Imps were clever pack hunters and Bad Bats caused the senses to go haywire. All of them were trials and adversities he hadn't overcome before, the closest was the strength of a level 2 when he faced off with Kaguya during training. But he had to be ready to face things he wasn't prepared for. The incident on Floor 4 taught him that much at least. To deal with the unexpected, such as pass parades, enhanced species and new monsters he hadn't fought before. It was all part of being an adventurer.