When Tina arrived on the 18th floor, the first thing she noticed was how... peaceful... it appeared. Lush trees, green grass and blooming flowers everywhere one looks, with an absolute mammoth of a tree at the center of the floor, reaching so high it halfway gets to the ceiling, which was hundreds of meters in the air.
In short, the floor was absolutely massive. And it was lively as if one were outside in the nature, touching grass.
She glanced around for a while as she walked, trying to find some semblance of civilization, which was how she eventually stumbled upon a small patrol.
"Halt! Who are you!?"
Tina turned to the voice of the patrolling adventurer and raised her hands in a sign of surrender. "My name is Tina, I am looking for my party members, have you seen them?" She asked, before realizing she needs to describe them, so she continued talking. "One has white hair and red eyes and is on the shorter end. The second has red hair and is tall, and the third is a female Pallum with brown hair."
The two guards looked at each others before nodding in silent understanding. "You're describe the 'Little Rookie' and his party. If you are part of them, why were you separated?"
"I fended off a horde of monsters chasing us down, giving them time to escape to the 18th floor. I only now caught up"
The two patrolling adventurers seemed sceptical, but they lowered their open guard and hostility with careful nods. "Then follow us to our camp. We are members of the Loki Familia."
"Ah, perfect, then I am in your care" Tina answered and followed the duo. The way to the camp was silent, with the two patrols remaining vigilant around Tina as they did not trust her claim fully just yet.
When they arrived, the first thing Tina saw was that there seemed to be a gathering of sorts. Her eyes immediately fell on the small humanoid standing on a makeshift podium made out of some chests. He exuded an aura of a commander, a presence that simply cannot be ignored by anyone so attuned to all beings like her.
Finn Deimne, the now named Pallum Tina was observing, trailed with his eyes over the crowd and landed on her, observing her for an extended perior, but he clearly seemed to not register her as a threat as he simply smiled and commenced with his speech.
"Dear brothers and sisters, fellow members of the Loki Familia. Today is not simply a day to celebrate our imminent return to Orario's surface. But we shall also give praise to a group of young rookies who have endured hardships in order to greet us on this floor"
As he spoke, Bell, Welf and Lily, all three having various bandages all over their bodies, showed up close to Finn.
"These young Adventurers risked their lives in a daring escape towards this safe haven, the 18th floor, having achieved something monumental for their first ever dive into the middle floors. As such, we shall welcome them like brothers, as fellow adventurers who put their lives on the line. Greet them as you would greet those next to you."
Cheers erupted from the crowd and Tina herself had to give some faint claps with her gloved hands. He had charisma, he knew his way around words and he could weave himself into the hearts of listeners. She made a mental note to keep a good eye out on him. He could pose a significant risk factor in the future, should she ever antagonize him.
"And now, let us commence with a grand feast!"
Once those words left Finn's mouth, Tina decided to rejoin her party, approaching Bell, Welf and Lily from behind. "You lot look like you've seen better days."
The reaction was instant. All 3 of them turned around and made wide eyes at the sight.
"TINA!" Bell exclaimed and reached out to hug her, only for her to grab him by the head and keep him at literally her arm's length away from her.
"Calm it, boy" She said before letting his head go, making him grow a sheepish smile and an embarrassed flush on his face. "I told you I'd be fine and rejoin later."
She then felt a number of powerful presences close in on them and turned around to see familiar high-level figures approach. Leading them was Aiz Wallenstein, a 16 year old blonde with golden eyes and a white blouse underneath a chestplate, with her iconic rapier Desperate at her hip.
"You must be Bell's missing party member!" Tiona enthusiastically exclaimed before stepping forward, fervently shaking Tina's hands with her own.
"And you are Loki Familia's Elite" She responded and shook Tiona's hands back, although not nearly as fervently as Tiona herself. "I heard a great many things about you in my short time in Orario" she lied as naturally as she breathed, her concealed face helping her with being convincing.
Aiz suddenly stepped forward and had this glint of curiosity in her doll-like, emotionless expression. "You... strong..."
Tina knew that Aiz had a refined sense for strength, given her obsession with it, but didn't think she'd make a call-out right here and now in front of others.
"Not really, I am a freshly ensigned Level 1. I joined Hestia Familia yesterday night, less than 12 hours ago."
"And still, you managed to make your way to the 18th floor. Better yet, if Little Rookie is to be believed, you stalled a horde of Floor 16 monsters and made it past Floor 17's Goliath without any visible injuries" Finn chimed in, analytical and critical of her appearance. "It speaks volumes of either your capabilities for stealth or your strength to accomplish that."
"Yeah, about that..." Tina started before placing her hands on her hips. "Goliath has been dealt with. I practiced some of my moves on it and wanted to train myself some more but damaged its crystal, killing it" she said, reaching into her pocket and taking out the magic stone, proof of the slain Goliath.
The people present who heard her and saw the Magic Stone made wide eyes, gasping at what they were seeing. A level 1 fresh out the wetlocks, soloing Goliath? Utterly insane, impossible, unheard off. And yet, here it was, undeniable proof.
"Wow..." Riveria Ljos Alf, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia and heiress to the elves commented. "The real deal" She commented, taking the Stone from Tina's hands and inspected it. "I've seen the Goliath's Magic Stone tens of times in my life, so I can attest that this is not a fake in any capacity. But it is indeed damaged, its innate energy leaking like it is bleeding."
"Yeah... sorry about that. No cashing that in, I guess" Tina apologetically commented, reaching with her hand behind her head to scratch it with mild embarrassment. "But the good news is, I got a much better hang of my innate abilities now and am more confident in employing them"
"That's fantastic!" Bell complimented with his usual, child-like enthusiasm.
"How..." Aiz started, grabbing Tina's wrist with her hands and tugging at them. "How did you become so strong...?"
Tina knew she could not evade this question, and besides, she did intent to fully influence Aiz, so she decided to put on a little show.
She lifted her right hand and closed it slowly into a fist, and the next second, everyone around her began to slowly levitate from the ground, as if gravity had given out from around them.
"Wow, what is that!?" Tiona, ever the joyous bundle of energy, asked with utter excitement and bewilderment while making swimming motions to float around her immediate area.
"This is my Ability..." Tina began explaining before opening her fist, dropping everyone back onto the ground. "There is a power in this world that encompasses all creation. Every living being, every object, all things. It is as omnipresent and cosmic as time and space. I call it The Force. I am in attunement with it and can employ it for various abilities."
"That's so cool!" Tiona once more exclaimed and clapped her hands excitedly. "Can you teach us?"
"I could, sure, but its an arduous and long process to practice it, and it has its own set of risks... particularily if you are emotionally unstable." As she spoke, Tina's eyes glanced over at Aiz, and the girl seemed to understand that this was addressing her, because she furrowed her eyebrows in response.
"Why? What's the risk?" Tione asked rather innocently, though she crossed her arms and had this expression that communicated she took it rather lightly.
"For starters..." Tina began, mimicking Tione and crossing her arms too. "You could lose yourself to your baser emotions and go on a rampage wherein you cannot distinguish friend from foe. It can also impart your sanity permanently, making you insane... or worse..."
Those weren't entirely lies. If you look at a rather concerning amount of Sith, all of them have a screw loose or dozens. Either crazed for blood, sadists with a pension for the disgusting stuff or hedonists of the highest calibre, you cannot make any strong arguments that Sith are rational and perfectly healthy in the head. Tina understands that much.
"Sounds dangerous, Lass" Gareth, the Dwarf who had been silent so far, commented with a hearty laugh. "It ain't for me, then, that's fer sure!"
"Anyway..." Tina sounded and let loose a sigh. "You mentioned a feast, right? You go on and enjoy it, I want to lay down and rest somewhat"
After saying that, Tina turned away and walked off into the distance, clearly not intent on resting with the rest of the camp...
When Tina was far enough away, she glanced around and then used her force-enhancements in order to make a leap into the air, jumping up the high branches of the mammoth tree at the center of the floor. On the branches, hundreds of meters from the ground, she felt secure enough to remove her helmet.
Once the object was off, she exhaled sharply, taking in a fresh breath. "I might need a new helmet, this one feels cramped..." she commented, setting it down and letting herself fall on the branch, resting and beginning to drift off into a long sleep...
She did not wake up for a very long time, and when she did, it was because a really loud, shrill screech echoed seemingly across the entire floor. She roused herself awake and sighed, annoyed at having her rest disturbed. However, her senses suddenly picked up on a unique connection, one she had only felt once before...
When she received her Falna.
There was no mistaking it, her goddess had come into the dungeon. Which was a big problem... because from her knowledge, gods were prohibited from entering the dungeon.
She immediately leapt down the mammoth tree and raced towards the direction the shriek had come from, and sure enough, she was confronted with quite a sight.
Hestia, accompanied by Ryuu, Hermes, Asfi and the Takemikazuchi familia, which had blindsided them with a pass parade yesterday. The atmosphere was tense, mainly because Bell and Co had recognized the Takemikazuchi Familia as well, and Welf and Lily were NOT happy to see them.
"Well, that's a surprise, to be sure..." Tina voiced, sighing out loudly. She knew what was coming soon, and she was NOT looking forward to it at all... this had just begun to unravel itself into a fiasco of epic proportions.