Danmachi: Master of the Aegis

Quest 5: Expedition Unknown Part 2

Last time, Leo met up with the other members of his Expedition Team and led them to the corridor he and Bell discovered the lab within it. He, Pyra, Ais, and Lefiya scouted the top floor where they were attacked by monsters and discovered a door leading deeper into the lab. What awaits them within the deeper parts of the Lab?

Leo opened his eyes as he sat up, seeing the inside of his and Pyra's tent, he assumed it was morning despite it being impossible to tell what time of day it was. He had taken first watch last night alongside Pyra once they got camp setup as he wanted to make a new entry in his journal for the new monsters he, Ais, and Lefiya encountered yesterday. Leo looked over to his right seeing that his Blade was still asleep. "Pyra, it's morning, time to wake up." Leo said softly as he gently shook Pyra by the shoulder. The Blade began to stir as she sat up before letting out a gentle yawn. "Morning already? Is your arm okay Leo? That injury didn't do any lasting damage right?" Pyra asked her Driver, concern evident in her tone. Leo let out a sigh, Pyra had been fussing over his injury since they returned to camp yesterday despite Lefiya using her magic to heal it.

            "I'm fine Pyra, Lefiya's healing magic worked wonders for it. Besides it was a small gash, nothing severe worth panicking over." Leo said in a calm tone, hoping it would help Pyra relax. A grimace spread across Pyra's face at the mention of Lefiya, she wasn't fond of the elf's attitude towards her Driver. "She seems rather rude, she scolded you after you saved her! She and that Bete seem to have it out for you." Pyra grumbled in frustration as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Leo let out a sigh, he could sense hostility from Pyra that was directed at his fellow Familia members, particularly Bete. "Lefiya means well, from what I can tell she tends to put pressure on herself to improve so she can keep up with other members of our Familia. I think that causes her to get standoffish with others." Leo explained as he had observed the elf girl get snappy with others on more than one occasion.

Pyra nodded her head in understanding but the grimace on her face. "Bete seems to just be a jerk, he constantly calls you weak despite your skills in battle." Pyra said, still clearly annoyed by the werewolf's attitude. Leo at that let a thoughtful look spread across his face, he never really paid Bete's insults much mind. "Bete talks to everyone who is below his level that way. It comes off as crude and mean spirited, but I get a sense those words come from a place of concern." Leo said in a thoughtful tone as he always found the werewolf's behavior to be odd. Pyra's grimace however was replaced by a look of surprise and disbelief. "You think he treats people that way because he's worried about them? I don't think he cares about anyone but himself." Pyra said doubting the credibility of her Driver's words.

"I don't necessarily think that's the case, if he didn't care why wouldn't he simply tell them to go get slain by a monster? He always tells them to give up and turn back. I theorize that in his own backwards and twisted way, that is his form of telling other Adventurers to stay out of situations that could potentially lead to their deaths." Leo summarized his thoughts as once again Pyra looked at him in slight disbelief. The Blade remained silent for a moment, mulling her Driver's words over in her head before responding. "I still think he's just being a jerk." Pyra said shortly as a pout spread across her face. Leo couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his Blade's antics. Perhaps he was wrong about Bete, but he still believed deep down there was a decent person in the werewolf.

         Leo heard movement outside the tent as he crawled over to the opening of the tent before pushing it aside to peek outside. Leo saw that Gareth, Ais, Lefiya, and Bete were already up and starting breakfast. "Took you long enough bookworm." Bete snarled as he locked eyes with Leo, who merely rolled his eyes at the comment. Leo climbed out of the tent before stretching his body, a few of his muscles popping as he let out a sigh. Leo then stepped to the side, letting Pyra exit the tent after him. "Apologies, I was making a quick entry in my journal on those Dockle Paguls we encountered yesterday." Leo explained casually as he sat down near the fire they had burning at the center of the camp. Bete scoffed at Leo's words, only to get jabbed in the gut by the scabbard of Ais's sword.