[Tanya von Degurechaff]
"Tanya-sama, Wise Guy wants his retainer fee before you leave for the Dungeon." Tabbitha, the Pallum 'Thief' of the Royal Rats spoke up just as Tanya exited the back door of the Twilight Manor to get to the training fields.
Tanya sighed.
All she wanted to do was give them their marching orders before she headed out, and now she was going to have to deal with going into the slums of Daedalus now!? She just took a damn bath!
"Very well then, although I wish he had picked a better time than now; we leave in the morning." The diminutive teen pinched the bridge of her nose, "I thought I paid him two weeks ago specifically because we were going to leave?"
"Yup, that's a thing we did, but he said 'You Adventurers always have a nasty habit of getting delayed. So pay up.'" The shorter girl placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "He isn't wrong though, you're going to be gone for two weeks, and if you get delayed for any reason on the way down or back up then you'll miss the window."
Hack, the tallest member of their group ran a hand through his shaggy red hair and patted Tanya on the shoulder. "That's a possibility, and we went through a lot of trouble to get access to Wise Guy's network, if we lose it now then we'll lose almost a third of our eyes and ears in Daedalus. Better to be punctual with these sorts of things on the streets; especially since we're not working with the average street broker."
Tanya made a small noise in the back of her throat but nodded, and the Pallum produced a sack that held Tanya's 'Street Fashion'.
They were her Street Rat outfit- a collection of rags that were full of holes, some patched while others were not, with dirty, faded colors that looked dreadful and smelled awful to boot. Tanya had to work out in these clothes for a whole week and then let them ferment in a box to give them the right stale sweat smell to pass muster.
They were perfect.
The only thing that was left was to get Tanya and Tabbitha all gussied up for the part.
Which meant that they had to strip naked and roll around in the dirt, get water splashed on them, and dry herself and her companion off with a heat formula. They repeated this process anywhere from three to five times to get the right amount of accumulation, and when they got dressed up in their shitty clothes, they did it one more time for good measure.
Neither Hack nor Tabbitha made any comment about their nakedness throughout the procedure; modesty was something that the streets took away from them a long time ago. It also helped that Hack was a man grown and didn't get excited about the sight of two nubile bodies; he was a tits-and-ass man that had himself a girl he frequented in the Red Light district- the Humme Bunny whore he was sweet on was apparently as stacked as a woman could be with her slight frame, and he had no qualms about telling the tales of his bedroom adventures with the woman.
Once the sun had set, the pair of them had coin bags strapped securely to their bodies underneath their clothes with a single dagger each; partially concealed to play into the part of a proper 'Rat'. You didn't openly display that you were armed, but those who knew where to look could see that you were indeed armed, and more often than not they chose not to bother you; all it took was one mistake for a small child or Pallum to slip a knife between your ribs. Most ruffians chose not to take that chance.
With the cloud cover and lack of a moon, the conditions were perfect, and Tanya picked Tabbitha up and they shot off into the sky, the dirty flying 'Street Rat' deciding to take a circuitous flight path around the city and touching down on the 4th Avenue near the border of the Entertainment district and Daedalus. As for why she chose to land there instead of 3rd Avenue, which was closer, the Entertainment district's activity was the perfect cover for them to land and move through the area without much notice; according to the Royal Rats, the inhabitants of Daedalus often looked towards the sky and tried to look at the stars to escape from their terrible surroundings.
Rather than try to refute them and chance being spotted, it was just easier to fly where there would be fewer eyes looking up to begin with.
Tabbitha and Tanya, whose hair was covered with a nasty rag, took a meandering route away from the Entertainment district, occasionally stopping to pick up some useful rubbish and rags that an urchin might find helpful with surviving on the streets. Occasionally they walked by a trash can near a restaurant and fished out a half-eaten piece of bread and munched on that as they walked. They were 'wary' and always on alert, but were unhurried and comfortable with their surroundings.
More than once they had someone follow them, but they were able to either lose them or scare them off by bearing a bit of blade. "Try us, but I can promise you that the only ones who'll be walking out of here alive are us."
After that, there weren't any more followers. This was nice, because the last time they had to move through this area, it was Tanya and Hack, and they ended up killing six men who thought that Tanya would fetch a nice price on the slave markets. It was annoying to have to hold back her strength so much, but they managed to kill them in a believable fashion for an un-Blessed pair. No doubt those last kills in this area probably spooked the local criminals and made them a bit warier.
It took Tanya and Tabbitha nearly four hours to meader their way through Daedalus, sticking to the "safer" corridors and routes that every Street Rat knows; the various gangs hold territory and keep them open for foot traffic as long as one pays a toll. Tanya and Tabbitha paid their tolls with some scrap metal and a ratty blanket they found on a corpse on a stoop; apparently, Stoop Kid was sort of a legend in these parts, so to hear that Stoop Kid never left his stoop and died was sort of heartbreaking.
Tabbitha had many fond memories of Stoop Kid, so her tears were very genuine while Tanya just had to say that she had only heard about him through others. The Gangers took the blanket and said that they'd go out and collect his body- the kid was enough of a local name that they'd take his body and sneak into the Adventurers Cemetery to bury him next to his mother who died when he was young.
It was little things like that, those small bits of humanity in people who would gladly shank you for your shoes, that made Tanya reconsider purging all of the gangs from Orario if she ever found herself in a position to do so.
Not a whole lot, but enough.
When they finally reached the 48th Street Orphanage on 3rd Avenue, Tanya and Tabbitha's long journey had finally reached its halfway point. All that was needed now was to meet Wise Guy and drop off his payment.
They hopped the small waist-high wall and made their way into the church with their 'loot' for the evening, moving to the back door and knocking two times, then four, then three, and then once. The slat on the metal door opened up and a woman looked through. "It's almost one in the morning, state your business here."
"Just two scavengers here to drop off our loot for DubGee." Tabbitha piped up, and the woman grunted and slid the latch shut before a half dozen locks could be heard opening. When they were let inside they were ushered into a small room and then a trap door was lifted up that went underneath the orphanage. They were ushered down a series of hallways with thick stone walls until they arrived at a fairly spacious room with a wooden table in the middle that had two chairs.
When Tanya and Tabbitha entered the room, a wooden door about 15cm thick was closed behind them.
Seated at the table was a figure cloaked in ratty robes with a mask that covered his face. "Ah, you got my message. Thank you for coming."
His voice was muffled by the mask, but Tanya noted that this wasn't the same Wise Guy that they had spoken to before on account that he was a few inches taller; although that wasn't enough to set off any alarms, as Wise Guy was a Pallum last time, and the time before that Wise Guy was a woman.
Wise Guy wasn't so much a person as much as he was an idea.
The Wise Guy was a person of the streets, and thus the people of the Streets were Wise Guy.
Tanya thought it a very clever ruse to throw off any would-be competitors or assassinations; hard to press a broker out (or kill him) if you didn't know who he was.
"Of course, I am a woman of my word. My coin is good as well. I keep to my agreements, and your retainer shall continue as long as you are working on what I asked for." Tanya spoke as she took her seat at the table; Tabbitha stood to her left, her weak side, and kept her dagger out of sight. There were some peculiar customs on the streets, but her Royal Rats knew them well.
On almost a dozen occasions she would have insulted someone or burned bridges unintentionally if she tried to handle those situations as she normally would have if not for their teachings. While some of them were annoying to deal with, she was the outsider that needed to learn and adapt, not the other way around.
"Haha, your valis is most certainly welcome, Little V, but your word? Well, it's too early to tell." The man chuckled and stroked his chin through the mask with a gloved hand. "Now, as per our agreement...?"
Tanya reached up her shirt and grabbed the valis pouch that she strapped to her back and untied it, sliding it around her body before opening the pouch up and laying out stacks of coin that were wrapped in paper to keep them tight and prevent the tale-tell clinking that drew criminals like rats. She laid them out on the table, counting out loud. "25,000 valis in low denomination coinage for your retainer."
She turned to Tabbitha and the Pallum did the same, and Tanya laid out the rest. "25,000 valis in low denomination coinage for tonight's information."
The Wise Guy nodded and pulled a small string by his head twice with slow, deliberate pulls. The string ran along with a series of pulleys that likely were attached to some sort of bell outside of the room, and the door opened up to reveal the woman who came in and grabbed the coin before leaving; the old crone shutting the door behind them.
"Now, as for your information..."
The Wise Guy ran through the report in a style that Tanya had a great appreciation for; all of it was upfront with little interpretations meant to mislead. He merely provided the data and allowed Tanya to draw her own conclusions from it. The amount of foot traffic in less well-traveled areas, particularly the areas that the former Colonel had designated as possible locations; while his little spies couldn't get in safely, they could sit outside of it and watch who was coming and who was going.
There were other things, such as the network of other brokers that Tanya contacted; she didn't trust any of them, so she often paid them to watch each other as well, and sometimes she paid a little extra to get information from one verified by information from another. It wasn't quick or efficient, but it was thorough and it ensured that the possibility of betrayal would be far less because they all knew that they were monitoring each other, but as to who was watching who was up in the air.
It was a style of business that the Wise Guy applauded her for; apparently, the streets valued craftiness rather highly, which wasn't something that Tanya was surprised by.
"For my last little bit, I'll leave you with this," The Wise Guy leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. "The Poverty Goddess, Penia, is acting strangely. She has been gaining more offerings than usual, and someone within her congregation has been noticing that some of her flock have been going missing."
"People go missing on the streets all of the time, why is this any different?" Tabbitha spoke up, and the Wise Guy tilted his head.
"I'm not saying that it is anything at all, but my source noted that these weren't the regulars who trip and break their necks or get shanked in an alley. These were some of the more recognizable faces, the ones that made it, so to speak."
'Made it'.
That was the term used to describe the Street Rats that found a patron that could properly look out for their needs, in one way or another. Those that 'make it' aren't the ones that get offed so easily in Daedalus, particularly because they're protected for whatever reason they are useful; those that can read and write are almost always picked up because it's a valuable skillset to have. Others that were former Adventurers and know how to fight are also considered top picks for the moniker of a 'made' man or woman.
The factions within Daedalus know who each others protected people are, and it's sort of an unspoken rule that targeting them typically leads to all-out war; it was considered taboo. So for those people to start going missing without a visible reaction from the Goddess of Poverty who controls almost two-thirds of Daedalus was rather telling.
They didn't call Penia the "Lord of Daedalus Street" for nothing; it was why she was one of the key targets in Tanya's investigation because, with a moniker like that, there was no way something like a second Dungeon entrance could be concealed without her knowing about it. She had to be involved.
In Tanya's mind 'more people going missing' plus 'made people going missing' was leading to some more telling implications.
Something was rotten in the House of Penia.
Unfortunately, she was about to go out on an expedition, and trying to get the other information brokers to verify this information, or get additional eyes on the Church of the Almighty Poor district was just not in the cards. It was something she'd have to file away and handle later.
While she wished she could have her Royal Rats go around, the rules of the streets stated that if you wanted anything in Daedalus, you come yourself; proxies weren't tolerated when doing business, even if said proxy was a trusted Lieutenant.
Tabbitha was the Royal Rat's commander, and had been since they were kids running around and causing hell; many looked at Hack and thought that he was in charge, but the little Pallum ruled their group with a tiny, iron fist.
It was honestly adorable to see her larger companions shrink away from her as she ranted and stomped her feet. The diminutive woman was the brain, heart, and more importantly, the survival instinct- the lizard brain- of the Royal Rats that kept them alive both on the streets and in the Dungeon. She was smaller and weaker than all of them, thus she viewed the world from the lens that everything was a threat, and she treated it as such; more often than not her calls kept them out of trouble, and they all learned to trust her instincts.
There was only one other question that needed to be asked, and it was one that had been on her mind quite frequently these past few months.
"One last thing: Has Finn Deimne of the Loki familia ever approached yourself or any other broker in your network?"
The man froze in place before he began to chuckle softly. "No, if that blowhard ever set foot in Daedalus, I'd know about it. If you are curious as to who he might have contacted for information, then you'd be better off heading over to the Entertainment and Business districts; they're the types he would flounce around with."
He leaned over the table slightly and tilted his head. "This bit of information is unsolicited, but I think it will help you if you understood this. The brokers over there? They get all of their information on Daedalus from us, and not all of what we give them is... up to date, do you understand? To be sure, it is accurate, but just not something they can take advantage of. Those fools wave their golden, fat-fingered rings at us from the lofty villas and think that they know what is going on in here, but the fact is they don't even have a seat at the table."
His forehead thumped against the table as he continued to laugh. "Their money is good though, so they'll get what they want, just not what they need."
His chuckles petered out and he raised himself back upright. "Do be a dear and keep that to yourself, alright? We like you, Little V, you seem like you actually care about Daedalus, even if it's just improving a small little section... but for us? That is enough."
Tanya hummed and placed a single 1,000 valis silver coin on the table with the head facing up, a tip, and a symbol that she was pleased with the information and would continue to use their services in the future.
Before she stepped out she looked back at the robed man. "Do me a favor and gather up a list of those contacts in the better districts, and ways to get in touch with them. 10,000 valis sound acceptable?"
The Wise Guy nodded his head in the typical, over-exaggerated manner that all 'his' incarnations were known for. "Of course, of course. Always a pleasure doing business with you, Little V. Take care now."
The pair left the orphanage and moved north, crossing 3rd Avenue, and once they got to the nicer residential areas where everyone was asleep, they took to the sky and returned to the Twilight Manor.
"Excellent work, as always Tabbitha," Tanya spoke as they made their way back into the manor through Tanya's window where their clothing was waiting for them. The two of them grabbed their clothing and went into the Executive bath, where they found Riveria lounging in the hot pool.
The Pallum girl blushed profusely as the elf woman shut her book and sat it on the side of the large tub so that she could step out.
Tanya blushed as well; Riveria's nude body was a veritable work of art. She hated that she wished the woman would conceal her perfect alabaster flesh and succulent breasts. "Tanya-chan? What happened to you? Why are you so filthy and wearing those rags?"
Tanya sighed and got undressed. "I was meeting with one of my information brokers in Daedalus, the clothes were my disguise, and as for why I'm so filthy? Well, nothing sticks out more like a clean urchin."
The elf princess sighed and shook her head before she turned to Tabbitha and smiled, "You must be Tabbitha, one of the Royal Rats, yes? Please, get undressed, I will wash your back."
Tabbitha stuttered and hid her face behind her hands, her charcoal black hair swaying wildly as she shook her head and a whispered squeal escaped her lips. "Riveria-sama is going to be touching my body!?"
Tanya shook her head. Why was everyone such a fanboy or girl? Couldn't they look their heroes in the eye without turning into a blushing, stuttering mess? As Tanya stripped and began to scrub the accumulated dirt off of her body, she made small talk with Riveria, but inevitably it always came back to Tanya's late-night escapade.
"Going into Daedalus with just the two of you is quite reckless, Tanya-chan. This is why Loki-sama didn't want to allow you to go and 'infiltrate' like you wanted to before." The elf princess chastised while she massaged soap into Tanya's scalp. Tabbitha had already been thoroughly washed and was sitting in the tub with her hair up to her nose murmuring 'I got to use Riveria-sama's personal shampoo! My hair smells so good!'.
"Someone has to do it, Riveria, it might as well be me. Despite my fame, I'm still relatively unknown on the streets, and I am far more capable of blending in than anyone else. I spent a lot of time learning how to walk the walk and talk the talk. Anyone else would be just asking to tell Evilus that we're on the hunt." The blonde scoffed, but felt her shoulders relax as the woman's thin, dextrous fingers made her want to melt into a puddle. "Besides, could you see anyone other than me being willing to go through the hassle and humiliation to blend in well enough?"
The woman paused in her scrubbing. "I will... admit that your dedication to this is admirable, Tanya-chan, but I can't help but worry. It's almost like I'm seeing Aiz-chan run off into the Dungeon to fight monsters all over again, except the monsters you're seeking out could very well be above your ability to handle."
"Evilus is a threat that cannot be allowed to bloom once more," Tanya replied as Riveria poured water over her head to wash away the shampoo.
The trio soaked for half an hour and then returned to their rooms; Tabbitha took Tanya's clothes with her and said that she would inform the Rats of what they found in the morning. The Royal Rats still had contacts they would get in touch with to try and verify some of the information in exchange for valis, and to facilitate this Tanya put together a petty valis fund with almost 200,000 valis for the Royal Rats to use as payment. The Rats used the funds to purchase either durable goods like clothing, bedding, and blankets, or they purchased consumable goods like food and medicine; the party tailoring their offerings based on the needs of their informants.
Tanya sat at her table and transcribed the whole conversation down, to include the physical characteristics of the Wise Guy; while she didn't care to find out his identity, it was always useful to build thorough profiles on her information brokers for future observation- the fact that the Wise Guy took so many steps to conceal his/her/their's identity was a neat little diversion.
Idly she made a note to try and contact the information brokers Finn was likely using to get a feel for how his investigation was going; while she would like to trust the man, it was always best to trust but verify. If he was getting old information then it would do them no good.
It was an unusual oversight from the man who always seemed so on top of things, but, to be fair he likely knew that his reputation wouldn't allow him to set foot in Daedalus, so he was moving through proxy brokers instead.
With that done, the young teen tucked herself into her bed and dozed off. They would be leaving for the Dungeon at noon, and it always paid to be well-rested.
When the sun came up Tanya crawled out of bed and pulled on her flight suit; everything else could wait until she got some food and coffee. The Aerial Mage activated her flight formula and flew out of the window and down to the backdoor to the training ground and let herself in, the blond lazily floating through the halls until the scent of the canteen caught her nose.
Was it bad that she could probably navigate her way to the kitchen with her eyes closed?
A quick wait in line, some breakfast, and two cups of Jala Bean Tea (heresy!) just how she liked it- black with a teaspoon of sugar- and she sat down in her chair at the Executive table. Idly she reinforced her ears and listened to the conversations going on around her. Most of them were discussions about the upcoming expedition, others were well-wishes from those who weren't chosen to go, and the rest were various comments about how "Sleepy Tanya-sama was best Tanya-sama".
She rolled her eyes.
During her three months here she seemingly attracted her own little fanbase within the familia, much like how Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Aiz, and Lefiya had; although, she was pretty certain that their fanbases overlapped a lot- they were paragons for the young, lower-leveled female Adventurers to strive for. While the rest seemed to be uncaring or embarrassed, Tanya just took it in stride; she'd been the poster child of the Empire, what was a little adoration from a few dozen girls?
She had just finished eating and was about to turn her tray in to get cleaned when one of her familia members approached the table. "Excuse me, Tanya-sama. You have a guest waiting for you out at the front gate."
She blinked and looked up at him. He was... Hirako? Yes, she believed he was- he was one of the few Far Easterners in the Loki familia, and she spoke to him on a few occasions, "Thank you for informing me, Hirako-kun, I will go out and see to them."
The man flushed but bowed and left as she stood up from her seat.
She picked up her tray and deposited it with the staff before she flew out of the great hall and touched down at the gate. When she arrived she caught sight of her Captain and Alfrigg of the Freya familia standing off- their postures were relaxed, but it didn't take much for Tanya's mind to superimpose two cats arching their backs and hissing at each other.
"I was informed that I had a guest?" She asked one of the two guards, and they held out a hand to Alfrigg.
"Ah, Tanya-dono," Alfrigg's demeanor changed immeasurably and he turned and gave her a polite bow, "I was just here to see you, however, it appears that your Captain has decided to turn away our aid for this expedition."
Tanya blinked and felt her hackles rise- wasn't she sent out to gather support and build bridges? "It saddens me to hear that, however, perhaps my Captain has a reason for doing so?"
Finn stood up a little straighter. "Indeed, while we are very happy to see that the seeds we wish to sow for greater cooperations between familias are indeed starting to sprout, adding on additional Adventurers to our formations, especially when we have not had time to train nor adjust our battle strategies is risky at best, and foolish at worst. More importantly, we have not had time to vet the Adventurers you wish to provide; certain fighting styles and personalities might clash at the most inopportune time."
The Pallum man placed his hands on his hips. "I don't think I need to explain how that could be detrimental, yes?"
Alfrigg, for his part, crossed his arms and cocked his hip out, eyes narrowing. "The Adventurers we wish to supply are ten accomplished archers and a healer, all of whom are Level 4. They are very well trained, and archers can be fit into any formation without fear of disrupting them. We have even outfitted them for a long dive into the Deep Floors, and will for the most part be self-sustaining; the only thing you need to provide is food and additional arrows should the stock they brought with them fall low. There is very little cost associated with taking them along with you."
He took a deep breath and visibly made an effort to relax. "Freya-sama knows just how important this mission is, and has offered a flexible unit that will no doubt be beneficial. They do not care about glory or wealth, you can keep the drop items and fight whatever monster it is that you are chasing, however, having competent ranged support can only be beneficial."
Having ten Level 4 marksmen and an additional healer would be a huge boon, especially if it was only in the cost of food and arrows. Granted, Tanya would never dream of letting those men go unpaid and unrewarded for their efforts. "If the fear is that there might be personality clashes or glory-seeking, then I will take personal responsibility for them, and will take the time to educate them on their roles within our formations. While they might not be of use on the lower floors, they will be an immense safety blanket for me and the rear formation while you are conducting your investigation."
Finn's fears were not unfounded, as irregular troops within any formation were more likely to cause problems than not, but with archers and a healer, combined with the inherent professionalism that the Freya familia has displayed thus far, Tanya didn't think it would be too much of an issue to integrate them. It wasn't as if they had some "secret" weapon or formation that needed to be protected; the formations used in the Lower Floors to advance in a timely fashion with few casualties have been set in stone since Zeus and Freya were at the helm.
Finn's body wound up like a spring, but eventually, he relaxed, and the snarl that was building up on his lips faded away. "Very well then, if that is your prerogative, Degurechaff-dono, then you can integrate them into your detail. They will be your responsibility."
The hostility was palpable; he'd never used her surname before, was he that twisted up about having outer-familia elements in his formation? No, he let in Hephaestus' smiths just fine, and if the Dian Chet familia had offered to send a few of their healers along he would be more than happy to have them.
No, this was something else.
The smug radiating off of the other Pallum was nearly blinding. Alfrigg smiled, "I am glad to hear that our offer of cooperation was heard and accepted. I will inform your new team that they are to be at Babel 30 minutes prior to noon, is that acceptable?"
Finn's return smile was brittle. "Yes, thank you, Gulliver-san."
The Loki familia pair watched the Freya familia Executive leave before Finn turned to Tanya. "Degurechaff-dono, my office."
"You should not be going above my head and accepting offers without my permission, Degurechaff-dono," Finn sat behind his desk while Loki lounged in her large red armchair with a pile of reports in her hand, she had been on the same page for the last three minutes while Tanya and Finn stared each other down. Only Riveria and Gareth were present as everyone else had duties elsewhere. "I had valid reasons to not accept them, and yet you put me in such a position in front of an Executive from a rival familia. Do you know why you did was wrong?"
Tanya frowned severely, and her demeanor became as frosty as her posture was rigid. "The whole purpose was the solicit aid from the other familia and build bridges in the name of mutual cooperation, was it not?"
The Pallum interlaced his fingers and brought them to his lips. "There is a time and a place for cooperation, Degurechaff-dono, but last-minute additions that could be a threat to unit cohesion are not one of them."
"I could understand your argument if they were offering to hand over front liners for the Vanguard or maybe a few of their Level 6s for the 59th Floor team, however, they offered seasoned archers and a healer. That falls under my purview as the rear detachment Commander, and I need those archers, Deimne-dono. If you are going to take all of the firepower and the only other healer in the familia besides myself to the 59th Floor, then I will need them if we are attacked while you are away." She leaned forward slightly as she carefully enunciated her words. "I am responsible for all of our Low-Rankers attending, on top of the twenty-man team of blacksmiths from the Hephaestus familia. You are leaving me with only three Level 4s, and thirty Level 3s. I don't care how well we equipped them for this expedition, if we are engaged by Violas and the Virga, we might not be enough."
She stared down Finn. "I might not be enough to see them through a widescale engagement as we saw at the 24th Floor pantry, let alone the assault your camp experienced the last time you were down there. Those ten Level 4 archers and that healer might very well be the difference between life and death; the only way to defeat those Virga without a barrel full of Durandal weapons is at range, and those archers provide that range."
"Those men and women are my responsibility, and I will not turn down genuine aid from a reliable and capable ally, I don't care if that makes me appear weak; I would much rather our people make it out of that Dungeon alive." Tanya finished icily.
"Yup, your first job as an Adventurer of my familia is come home alive!" Loki shouted as she gestured at the pair with the stack of paperwork in her hand, "You can't make me money if you're dead!"
There was a sigh from Riveria and a slight chuckle from Gareth.
"We are both very well aware of that, Loki-sama, however, Degurechaff-dono's responsibilities were to provide some basic information and build a bridge for you to make overtures to the other Pillars, Loki-sama, not accept aid from rival familias unilaterally, especially not after I had already given my refusal." Finn frowned, "Undermining my authority is not something I will tolerate."
"I will question any orders that I believe runs counter to our stated mission, moreover, I will question the validity of orders that do not provide me with the tools I need for success," Her head tilted so hard her neck popped audibly, "Or are you trying to ensure that I do not get the manpower and tools I need? Was that why you chose the four Level 4s of our familia for your dive to the 59th floor to face this Mysterious Woman and relegated me to the rear detachment?"
The man's lip curled before he blinked and looked around the room and realized that there were others present. His posture changed and he put on a plastic smile. "Why do you think I asked to take command of the rear guard?"
"You asked me to take command for one of two reasons, Deimne-dono. One you wanted to get Raul-kun and his fellows some experience in the floors past the 50th floor," Tanya let her body tighten, "Or you expected that once your group left to the 59th Floor that there would be an attack on the base camp. You wanted me there to provide the magical firepower needed to help them hold on until your team could confront this Mysterious Woman and either kill her or capture her for questioning."
Tanya took a shallow breath. "Of the two, I think the second one is far more likely; the enemy we face are opportunists at heart, and without a large group of Level 5s and Level 6s around they might be more inclined to attack what they view as a soft target."
The man swallowed and considered his words. "That is one of my primary concerns, yes."
"Then why would you attempt to kick a party of ten Level 4s and a healer to the curb when you yourself believe that if I'm needed to ensure that there is still a base camp for you to return to?" Her voice was cold, apathetic. It was the same tone she took with her superiors who displayed little more intelligence than a brain-dead dog.
Colonel Degurechaff was making a reappearance, and honestly, that frustrated Tanya more than anything. "More bowmen capable of firing bows and arrows that could penetrate the thick skin of our enemies would only be a boon, one that we have spent the last two months training our Executives to perform for this very reason. Gareth-dono trained with the bow under Riveria-dono's tutelage until his fingers bled, and with his Endurance, that is saying quite a lot. Even Bete-kun, a man with a distaste for fighting with ranged weaponry that beggars belief, trained to become proficient in the event that these Virga appeared."
"We need those archers more than you need to assuage your pride. I do not know what your problem with Alfrigg Gulliver-dono is, but it is wholly unprofessional to toss away aid just because it is he who was offering it. You sought out the aid of Hephaestus-sama, Tsubaki Collebrand-dono, and her blacksmiths without my suggestion, and if Dian Chet-sama offered to send Teasarane-san as a healer you wouldn't object to her aid." Tanya stood at attention as she continued, "The rear formation is my responsibility, their survival is my duty. Seeing them return home alive is my whole purpose for being for the duration of this expedition, and I will stop at nothing to see that the monsters die while the men and women who you placed in my care come home. If you have an issue with that, then you can reprimand me at your earliest convenience, however, expect a swift rebuttal and a direct complaint to our superior."
Loki giggled maniacally.
Finn took a deep breath and then sighed. "This is getting a little bit more heated than it should be, so I will think on this during the expedition, and when we return to the surface I will convene with my fellows and... we will decide your punishment then. Perhaps some time will allow our tempers to calm. You are dismissed, Degurachaff-dono, return to your preparations."
Tanya stood on top of one of the marble pillars outside of Babel. She was wearing her newest Goliath hide flight suit and was equipped with Goliath hide bracers, shin guards, and knee guards that had a Damascus steel cap. Over her Goliath hide cuirass she had her third iteration of the totally-not-stolen MOLLE harness fashioned out of Infant Dragonhide, and on that harness was a variety of hardened leather pouches that held potions as well as a combat first aid kit that Tanya and the logistical team had put together, complete with a Goliath hide tourniquet.
When the archers and healer from the Freya familia arrived, she had them each distributed an IFAK and one of her thigh-mounted potion pouches.
"Finn-dono administered quite the speech for the Vanguard team, but my speech will be far more subdued. We all know our positions and our placements, but for the benefit of our Freya detachment, I will go through them again." Tanya projected an illusion over the 130 Adventures making up the rear guard; the other 80 were with Finn's group and would clear the majority of the monsters on the way down to the 18th Floor.
"This train contains eighty wagons, which is by far much larger than anything we've ever attempted before, however, this is just what we've always done, merely with extra steps. The train will be broken down into four wagon teams, those team Commanders please raise your hands." Four Level 2s raised their hands, they each had anywhere from seven to ten expeditions under their belt, and while they weren't the most seasoned, they knew what to do. "Each wagon team will have their assigned guard detachments, of which were are also four Commanders."
The four Guard Commanders were Level 3s and were quite seasoned in their roles, although this expedition was different as Gareth and Tanya handled things differently. "In the upper floors there won't be much to do except handle the stragglers leftover from the Vanguard, but once we make it past Rivira, those duties will change. The areas down below are much more open and have a larger variety of monsters than can and will attack from range; once we get to those areas, half of the Guard teams will be designated as Hunter-Killer or Interception teams."
They would go out and fight the monsters away from the caravan, so they didn't have anything to do except focus on killing instead of killing and trying to guard the wagons as well; Tanya was more than capable of providing overwatch for the wagons. "I'll make sure that every team gets the opportunity to fight monsters of their Level and collect some cores and loot, so don't worry about that."
There were a few hoots and some chuckling, and Tanya allowed herself to smile as well. "With the inclusion of the archers and healer from the Freya familia, this opens up some options, and I will be assigning a pair of them to each guard team to act as support, while the final pair will be with me. With the extra healer you can afford to take some risks, so to my Level 2s, if you want experience fighting tougher opponents and the opportunity to possibly Rank Up on the way down, this will be your chance."
Her expression hardened, "Do not, however, play it fast and loose. These men and women that Freya-sama had sent to aid us are not your get-out-of-jail-free card, and while I am certain that they will have no problems pulling your ass out of a fire, that does not mean you should count on it. Miracle workers, they are not, and if they do happen to save your life?"
She allowed herself to smirk and placed her hands on her hips. "Then I'll expect to hear that you bought them a drink at their favorite bar, and if I hear otherwise? Well, you don't want to know."
The laughter lasted for a good while, and when it petered out she resumed speaking. "I know that we might be rivals fighting for position on the leaderboard, but in the Dungeon? We're all brothers and sisters down there, and I will expect each and every one of you to go above and beyond for each other, because there is no familia in the eyes of the monsters- only US and THEM."
"Will they be feasting on our bones tonight!?" She hollered out with fury.
"NO!" They cried back as one.
"Good! Because fuck the Dungeon, and everything that tries to crawl out of it! Alright everyone, mount up, I think we've given the Vanguard enough time, let's go down there and those monsters just who the fuck they're dealing with! Alpha Team, you know what to do! Get this show on the road!"
It took them fourteen hours to make it down to the 18th Floor, but most of the hold up was the 10th floor and beyond. The 1st through 9th Floors all had simple, straight staircases that were easy to navigate down, even with the horses that were pulling the wagons. Once you got to the 10th Floor, however, the staircases grew fairly thin, limiting the number of wagons that could traverse it at one time; more than a few inexperienced familias saw fatalities when they tried to put four overly heavy wagons onto the staircase, and since it was the Dungeon, the staircase broke at the very top, sending those Adventurers falling to their deaths and killing a number on the ground.
Combined with the fact that each wagon had to be guided down by hand made the entire process slow and aggravating; not difficult, just annoying.
Most of the Level 2s tagging along for the first time got to cut their chops on fighting off waves of Orcs, Imps, Silverbacks, and Hard Armored- the numbers were much higher than they usually fought, and Tanya used the opportunity to stress test her Commanders and her wagon train structure. So far, things went very well, and Tanya got to iron out a few Command and Control issues early.
Dustin Havemar, the commander of the Freya compliment, was rather good company, and he didn't shy away from offering his advice, which was quite pleasant. Working with the A-Team Guard Commander, a Level 3 werewolf by the name of Calliope Durma, they situated Tanya's carriage in the center of the formation as it was the only one with a flat roof, and posted one of his archers on top; it gave the best elevation in the area beside the staircase, and it worked quite well.
They made sure to get the more novice archers from the Loki familia a chance to improve their craft, with the Freya archers providing tips and guidance while they were waiting for the train to exit each staircase.
The 13th Floor turned out to be quite a nuisance, with all of its holes and shit, and to be honest, she had to lean on Calliope and the "Wild Roses" party, to lead them through in a timely fashion. Tanya just skipped those floors entirely with her flight spell, so she wasn't as accustomed to them as she would have liked, but being the good Commander that she was, she delegated this particular movement to her competent and capable underlings.
When they finally arrived at the 18th Floor, the Vanguard was already there waiting for them with their camp set up and the cooking fires ready for the designated chefs to get to work.
The wagons were placed into their proper formations in the clearing and Tanya pulled her Tiny Home off to where the Executive tent was set up. Much to her surprise, that was where Finn, Gareth, and Riveria slept; the other Executives were to supply their own tents, and upon seeing the massive thing that they had Tanya carting around for three people... just really rubbed her wrong. The carpets and the big fucking cushions took up three wagons alone, and the multi-layered tent another two! Five whole wagons for this!?
Shit, they'd be better off just having three tiny homes built for them and saving themselves two wagons worth of crap! In fact, she was going to suggest just that in the next meeting.
While she was setting her home up, putting chock blocks in place on the wheels, and using the four jacks built into the frame to get it level, Tanya encountered a problem. A problem of the Amazon variety.
"What do you mean you won't come bathe with us? Come on, Tanya-chi, you gotta come! We have all sorts of fun!" Tiona giggled as she danced around barefoot on her patio while Tanya busied herself with getting her bedding properly placed out.
"I don't bathe with the other women for a very specific reason, Tiona-chan." Tanya sighed as she affixed her sheets and comforter onto the bed, "I have a shower in here, and that suits my purposes just fine."
"Wait, you have a shower in this thing!? Where!" The Amazon perked up and padded inside.
Tanya pointed out the cubicle with a curtain in the corner near the front of the cabin, "It's right there, and I have a second hose in a compartment on the outside for bathing outdoors or if we need water for whatever reason."
"Oooohhh, that will be nice once we get to 44th Floor, the horsies look so sad when we get there! Giving them a nice cool shower while we're going through there would be nice." The woman picked up and showerhead and held it above her head, humming a little tune as she mimed taking a shower.
"I only have 110 gallons, hardly enough to keep all of the animals cool, but I suppose it would be a lifesaver for the horses that are getting heat fatigue." Tanya mused as she hung her flight suit liner up to dry; she'd already taken a trip down to the small lake and cleaned it up.
"Anyways, why won't you join us?"
The young teen sighed as she leaned up against the wall and looked at the other woman. "Do you allow the boys to bathe with you?"
"Pssh, no! Why would we do that?"
"Well, then why would you want me to bathe with you as well?" Tanya asked with a raised eyebrow, "I am not certain if this has come up, mainly because my preferences are my own and I don't care to shout out to the world, but I am only interested in women."
"You," Tanya pointed at the Amazon, "and everyone else who would be there, are all incredibly beautiful women, but you are also women I respect. While I would like to believe that I could simply bathe and enjoy the water, I would inevitably look at some point, probably with the same lustful gaze of our male counterparts."
Tiona's eyebrows shot up. "So that's why you never bathe with us back at the Manor! Man, I just thought you were shy about your body or something."
"Indeed. So why would you eschew the 'perverted male gaze' of our counterparts... yet tolerate my own?" Tanya asked, genuinely curious, "I've asked Riveria to stop bathing with me even though she knows my preferences, but she doesn't seem to mind when I look."
"Well, when girls look it really doesn't mean anything, I mean, we play grab-ass and squeeze each other's boobs, so it really doesn't bother us if you want to look." The Amazon chuckled and raised her skirt teasingly.
Tanya palmed her face, "That is why I don't bathe with you girls, because if you want to get grabby, then I might become grabby as well, and while I'd like to think that I have excellent self-control... I am becoming more aware of myself and my body each passing day."
The Amazon giggled behind her hand, "Yeah, puberty is something else huh? All those fluffy, tingly feelings?"
Please, stop acting as if you aren't still in puberty yourself, Tiona, you're only 17 for crying out loud!
"Still, if it bothers you that much I won't pester you. I'll just have fun groping the girls myself!" The woman walked by and gave Tanya a big hug, "Have fun with your shower!"
The young teen shook her head and stripped down and took a quick shower. After she finished washing the girl busied herself with preparing for Aiz and Riveria's first lesson in Calculative Magic.
While she prepared the paperwork she could hear the squeals and shouts from the bathing area, along with the grumblings of the men who could only hear the bounty on the opposite side of the trees but not glimpse it.
Tanya's trailer was in between them and the firm, bountiful flesh of their female comrades, and no one was willing to take the risk in trying to slip past her.
It sure did sound like they were having fun though.
Aiz pouted at the paper in front of her, and Tanya blinked. "What is this?"
"It is a basic math test, for me to gauge where you are in your mathematical abilities. It starts off simple and then progresses to more difficult equations. It shows me where you stand, and gives me an idea as to how much I will have to teach you." Tanya replied as Riveria nodded her head and picked up her charcoal pencil and began to fill it out.
"This is not magic." The blonde continued her pout, "I've been practicing the exercises you showed me, and I think I can do them well enough. Watch."
The blonde held up her hand and concentrated, and over her palm, a three-dimensional box formed, and then another box formed within that. The lines were fuzzy and indistinct, wavering but eventually regaining her shape. That was one of the D-Ranked Mana Control exercises she showed Aiz, and one of the simplest outside of forming two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. Things only got more complex from there.
Aiz held it for a minute before she released it, "See?"
Riveria smiled a smug smile as she looked up at Tanya, with a tilt to her head that just screamed 'this is what I had to deal with, your turn'.
Tanya, for her part, shook her head. "While you formed the boxes, which is good, your control over the mana within the boxes was sub-par, at best. Watch."
The Aerial Mage formed the same construct, except it was crisp, with every line thick and vibrant; there were no fuzzy edges or indistinct anything anywhere. "The goal is not just forming the construct, but it is about controlling your mana to the extent that it is a mere extension of your body; you must discard the mindset that it is different, and view it as you would your sword."
Tanya tilted her head. "Tell me, Aiz, do you view Desperate as a sword in your hand? Or is it an extension of your very self?"
The blonde's face scrunched up cutely. "I am Desperate, and Desperate is me."
With that, Tanya leaned forward and gazed into the girl's eyes intently. "Then do not think that your mana is any different. You are your mana, and your mana is you. You are in command, you control how it flows and where it goes. You must seize that power within yourself and make it do what you want it to do. You are not guiding a flowing river or attempting to hold a slippery eel in your hands, you are a potter, taking that clay and shaping it to your wishes."
"See what you want in your mind, envision it, and make it so." Tanya leaned back and created ten different constructs in front of her, each one more complex than the last. "Visualization is key to mana control, Aiz. Until you can clearly envision what you want your mana to do, you will go nowhere."
The blonde's eyes widened and she leaned back in her chair.
"I want you to know this, Aiz Wallenstein," The girl's attention came back to Tanya, "Leaning magic is a journey of a thousand steps. Your Ariel series of spells comes as naturally to you as breathing, but your magic is unique to you and you alone. Trying to measure how easy it is to perform versus the standard magic mages use, versus the magics I use, will only lead you to failure and disappointment."
"So, your thought for this evening, when you go to be tonight is this: Look into your mind's eye, and see the victory you wish to have."
Aiz looked down at her hands. "The victory I... wish to have? Does he think... about such things?"
Tanya looked over at Riveria and arched an eyebrow. The elf princess smiled and mouthed that she would tell her later.
The former Colonel shrugged. "Anyway, my magic is called Calculative Magic for a reason."
She activated her Reinforcement Formula, and then through an illusion displayed the formula that was currently running for the pair of them to see.
As Tanya moved her body, some of the variables changed, moving her arm up and down caused a half dozen numbers to swiftly rise and fall. Clenching her fist caused other numbers to change, and when it relaxed they changed again. "As you can see, with the Reinforcement formula I am constantly calculating my magic. While the iteration I will be teaching you won't be this complex, as you are both lacking my... computational marks to aid you, the formula I will teach you should give you anywhere between a ten to one hundred percent improvement in your capabilities."
"For your mission, I will be enchanting a pair of wooden staves that I've collected, and those should take most of the burden of casting those spells, however, they will be useful only a small handful of times before they burn out." She projected an image of two small staves about a meter in height that had the formulas Tanya was using carved into their surface with silver filling the carvings. "It will take some time for me to fashion them, which I will be doing over the next couple of days, and will require the aid of a blacksmith, preferably Tsubaki-san since I can trust her not to go spreading this around."
Thankfully the enchanting was relatively easy, only requiring mana-infused blood from the recipient to function.
"That, however, is a crutch, one that you won't be able to rely on all the time. Learning how to perform this magic, learning the math needed to do so, and having the control needed to not let the spell falter are requirements that I cannot allow you to cut corners on, Aiz. So if you wish to learn, then you must be ready to receive and learn all I have to teach you."
The blonde girl pouted and looked back at the paper, looking like a kicked puppy all the while. "Okay... will this really help me?"
Tanya smiled and nodded. "Yes. I am confident that you can learn this Aiz, I've made many others far less capable than yourself learn, and I'm confident that you can succeed. However, be aware that I will be harsh in my methods."
Aiz hummed and did a little 'I can do this' pose with both of her fists clenched before she picked up her pencil and started to write.
Seven days might not be enough time to teach her everything, but it should be enough to help Riveria and Aiz cludge together a halfway passable spell framework to utilize the staves when she made them.
She had a feeling that they were going to need it.
A/N: I hope you enjoy reading about my take on the streets of Daedalus, writing about the Royal Rats and the whole culture that the streets of Daedalus has is a ton of fun; I particularly liked the Wise Guy. Such a cool character concept in my personal opinion.
I did have to change somethings around as Finn was initally going to overrule Tanya about the Freya attachment, but that seemed just a little too heavy handed for his character, especially since he was out in public. We get to see some of his true character slip through as Tanya tests him, all the while acknowleding his points but supplying her own reasons as to why he was being foolish. Tanya obviously doesn't grasp the dynamics between familias yet (but she is learning how to "Street" like a proper "Rat" lol), but in her eyes the extra archers would be more than helpful.