Peace!
4.5K Words.
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"Awww... damn… urg… ARG! M-My back!"
Silver woke up sometime later with a cramp in his back. What did he expect, sleeping in heavy armor? He pushed himself from the bed and carefully took off the armor, stashing it in the inventory space.
At the same time, he took off clothes and gave himself a clean using Wind Bath's variation, Bubble bath.
It's much faster than a standard bath, but it's very uncomfortable. It also wastes Mind, something he preferred to keep for emergencies. This wasn't the village anymore… danger could be everywhere.
Anyhow, once he was clean and presentable, he put on new clothes while wrapping a long black scarf around his neck; it was rather cold after all… before strapping a simple pocket-watch to his waist.
Clocks weren't a novelty around here, but he wondered if anyone had made one like this one.
He checked the time, "So I slept for an hour? It's almost time for dinner."
He descended the stairs and saw what he assumed to be the innkeeper attending to some clients and his daughter playing on the counter. There was also another woman talking to clients that he could only imagine being his wife.
'I came here while in a state of emergency, so I didn't have the time to look around. My head still hurts, but it's manageable now.'
'Good carpet, nice woodwork, the atmosphere is calm and relaxing… not bad for an inn near one of the main roads.'
"Look who it is… did you sober up a little?" Someone called behind him
Silver turned around to the woman from before. She had sneaked up behind him while he was distracted.
"Haha… I wasn't drunk… but yes, I'm better, thank you."
'I do think I paid for everything… I remember giving them some coins before I collapsed…'
"That's good to hear! Our first meeting wasn't very pleasant, but after taking care of yourself, you don't look half bad, don't you young man?"
"A bit late but… welcome to tropical mangos!"
"The pleasure's all mine… that said…"
She nodded in understanding, "Ah, yes. You were a bit out of it and ended up giving us all your money… here, not a single coin is out of place… minus 200 Valis for a single night."
Silver took the pouch and knew from the get-go she wasn't ripping him off, she seemed trustworthy.
"We usually get customers like you later at night… but so soon was quite unexpected. Try to tone it down a little youngster, you were barely walking straight."
"T-Thanks… I will…"
'Seems there was some misunderstanding here.'
"That said… would you like a meal? I'll…"
/Tap tap tap…/
They were suddenly approached by a small child with a toy in her hand.
"A Pallum kid?"
"I AM NOT A KID! I am eleven years old!" She screamed in a childish tone as she raised her toys before him
"…"
'Cute.'
He smiled at her for a moment before he turned to the woman, "I liked it here… is that room available or…"
"You can take it. The same as before: 200 Valis, and you gain a free bath if you order an entire week!"
"Then make it a month and add dinner as well."
'This place is close enough to the Dungeon, and it's in a pleasant spot. The Guild isn't that far, and there are a lot of cool places to explore… even if I join a Familia, it doesn't matter much. This kind of money I can make in a day at worst.'
'Even if I end up joining a Familia today, I'll just consider this as a gift for them welcoming me given my previous condition… another reminder to plan things ahead a bit further.'
"Huh?!"
She touched her head in surprise before she began making the calculations.
"So, uh... three thousand… No, it's…"
"Make it 350 Valis a day, a full meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus the bath. I imagine you brought the pamphlet, right? That's where the free bath comes from."
The innkeeper stood behind the little girl and gave her a small pat.
"So it's an extra 150 Valis for three meals every day?"
'Pamphlet, huh… I do have it. I got quite a few of them when I passed by the Guild… one reason I remembered there was an inn nearby.'
"Let's go to the counter, we can solve the rest there."
He nodded, following the innkeeper to the counter before giving the lady and the child a nod. There, Silver took the coins and placed them on the counter.
"Let's see… is there anything you are allergic to? Like Bluip flowers, they are a common seasoner around here."
"As far as I know, no."
"We put you in room 1-400, no? You can keep that one, just check the board for the times and the food. If you want, we can wake you up for breakfast." He said as he gave Silver a key with the number 1-400 carved on it
"I'm honestly surprised you woke up so soon… adventurer's sure have potent vitality." He joked as he counted the coints and placed them somewhere out of sight
"…"
Meanwhile, Silver noticed the little girl looking at him from behind the counter, curious. She seemed upset, frowning as she glared at him.
"..."
'Did I do something wrong?… Sigh, kids…"
"I will give you a challenge. If you can answer me… I'll give you another toy."
Her eyes brightened up as she jumped up and down, "Go on then, haha! I've never lost!"
"Here's the puzzle, what came first? The chicken or the egg?"
"The egg!... Wait, but who put the egg, then?... The chicken? But then…"
The child kept running in circles, confused. The father knew of this trick question and just smiled at the little girl.
He looked back at Silver, "So, what will it be today? We have fish with cold ale, and fish with fruit."
"Today is fish day?" Silver asked as he raised an eyebrow
"It's just what the market has in store, haha! When it's harvest season, we have lots of vegetables and such, when it's breeding season on the river, we have something else… that's just how it is."
"I am not that hungry right now since I ate quite a bit in the morning… so I was thinking of going around town. I dont know if I will return in time to eat dinner here though."
"Well, it's your money. We just started cooking it, but dinner still ends at eight, and I close the doors at ten. Sometimes I will be around until eleven, I guess if you're lucky I'll be around then… just no fuss, alright? Hate when I trap a customer outside."
"Sure, I won't take that long… and I'll be in good shape if you're worried."
"I said nothing." He replied with a smirk as he returned to whatever he was doing
As for Silver, he just waved at the innkeeper and his wife and left the store.
"Let's see… where to go now?"
'I'll call it a day for the Dungeon. This leaves me with some of the night-time tourist attractions…'
Silver thought of a certain district but ended up shaking his head… that's a bit too much for his first day… So he took out some of the pamphlets, sticking with one of them with an interested gaze… "Hostess of Fertility… I know this name."
'A good place to have my first proper meal.'
...
He went down a few streets and alleys, arriving at the western road. From there, he just asked for directions, reaching his destination in no time.
/Chatter…/
"I hear the talks and the smell of food and booze from here… What a lively place."
The Hostess of Fertility was a wooden building three stories tall, but the extra rooms on the second and third floors weren't for clients.
The front entrance has a set of double doors with wood carvings decorating the frame. Carvings decorate various places on the front of the pub. Their sign could be seen on the left side of the entrance, as well as on an overhanging sign with a crossed fork and knife.
There was a large wooden statue in front of the building, but Silver couldn't recognize which goddess it represented.
(Image)
'They say every waitress here is quite strong… around Level 3 or 4. That alone makes this place stronger than most Familias out there. But I guess what makes this place stand out… is that every waitress is a beautiful single girl.'
Silver opened the front doors, excited…
/FWUSH!/
/STAB!/
A large kitchen knife suddenly passed him, puncturing the wall beside him!
"…"
'Did I almost just…'
He looked forward and saw a group of burly adventurers being kicked around by the girls in the pub.
/Fwoosh!/
'Poor bastards... what the hell did they do?' He thought as he took a step to the side, allowing them to be thrown out of the pub like sacks of potatoes
How could I have forgotten?... Because this is a gathering place for high-level adventurers, trouble was quite common here… all it took was a little spark oftentimes…
One of them, a catgirl with dark hair, noticed Silver and swiftly ran to him, but not before pulling the knife out of the wall and hiding it behind her back.
(Image)
"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility, Nya!" She said with a small smile
"Hello... I guess I came at a bad time…" He said as he looked to the side where two broken tables stood amidst a pile of rubble
"Nya… That's just a coincidence, please come this way." She said as she grabbed his arm and with immense strength pulled him to the side
"…"
'I think she just cut off the blood supply to my arm with this grip…' He thought as his expression went pale… The other adventurers were… jealous?
Forget those idiots. She led him to one seat at the counter. She then gave a slight bow and went to serve other customers while the others cleaned the mess the adventurers left behind.
Silver looked ahead to see an extensive collection of different wines and drinks. As expected, he didn't recognize any of them.
"Hum… Dionysus Light wine… Acratopotes Blue Wine…"
I recognize the gods but not the wines…
/Bang!/
A large cup filled with an orange liquid was slapped right in front of him out of nowhere. The one who did it was a smiling middle-aged woman. She was "big", not fat but nor slim.
If he could describe her in a few words… she was the definition of a strong woman… and rather directly.
(Image)
Seeing his gaze, she laughed, "This is the first time someone has looked at me like that since I opened this pub! I know I am beautiful, but I am not taking any boyfriends your age!"
"Eh?"
Silver was stunned.
/Bang!/
She placed a bowl of beef with some noodles before him… the plate was almost the size of his damn chest!… But it looked so good…
"This is an apology for the previous incident! Enjoy it! It shall be the last time this happens!" She added with a wide smile as she put some cutlery for him to use before the plate
"... I don't even know where to begin, but… thank you."
"An honest boy! Quite rare!"
She turned around, her smile vanishing… 'I even feel a little bad to say this was supposed to be the food for those bastards I just kicked out... NAH!'
'Better to give it to him than to throw it away.'
/Munch/
Silver dug in at the plate with eagerness, taking a large bite of the steak… "This is good! Who made this? Give that person a bonus!"
She laughed as she cleaned a cup, "I already pay her a lot! Do you want me to go bankrupt?"
She looked around to see that the number of customers was increasing, "If you want anything else, just call me."
"Okay... she left."
'A rough woman…'
...
Silver enjoyed his meal… the beef was good, the needles were just right, and the orange juice was sweet.
He patted his stomach, "That was amazing… I think I can go for another bite…"
A sweet voice suddenly rang behind him, "So, what will it be?"
Silver's body stiffened for a moment. But he quickly recovered as he turned around calmly.
"No reaction? How boring." She replied with a faint smile as tilted her head slightly
A beautiful woman with long silver hair… if the previous one was blunt, then this one is flirtatious. Her smile as she placed her finger close to her chin seemed to attract others' attention... her mere presence… captivating.
She was also the only person he had seen so far… if not in his whole life… that had eyes similar to his. Albeit her's were darker, closer to grey than silver.
(Image)
She grew a little flustered, "If you stare at me like that, I'll get the wrong idea…"
Silver's expression did not change. He looked at the small board over the counter, pointing at it, "Can I get a Big Bull Ramen with grape juice?"
'Another pretty girl. This one is quite unusual… silvery hair like hers is a bit unusual, especially in a human. I've seen this color in demi-humans before but never in…a young human.'
"... Yes…"
She went away dejectedly, only for the catgirl with dark hair to laugh at her.
Silver frowned as he saw this, 'I can't even begin to comprehend what passes through the head of some people...'
He closed his eyes, paying attention to the conversations of those around him as he waited for his food.
…
/Cling!/
/Cling!/
/Cling!/
Sometime later, when the pub was at its busiest, a group of adventurers entered the pub.
/Silence…/
The pub immediately quietened down… causing Silver to grow confused at the sudden silence. He turned, surprised at what he saw.
Several people stepped in: a werewolf with gray hair and an unpleasant expression, two Amazons with similar faces, likely sisters, two elves, one with long green hair, and the other with lengthy golden yellowish-orange hair.
And finally, a human with shining golden hair… it was impossible not to know who this woman was… or rather, everyone knew who everyone there was!
Who doesn't know who these people are? They are some of the most famous adventurers in Orario!
Everyone there apart from the elves is Level 5, with one of them being Level 6 and the other Level 3… A very scary group of monsters.
'I recognize them… the Elven girl's face was at the Guild when I arrived. I think she leveled up recently, so she was being promoted alongside a few others.'
'These people are… some of the elite fighters of the Loki Familia.'
""…""
While the silence was strong, it only lasted for a moment. The reason was quite evident…
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING AT?!" The werewolf exclaimed loudly as he proudly stepped inside the pub
""…""
"Bunch of pussies…" He said as he went to an empty table and sat there
Now that Silver thought about it, that table had been empty for quite a while… they must've reserved it.
"Calm down, Bete. We just arrived." One of the Amazons said as she sat down on the table
Amazons are a demi-human race of dark-skinned women. They possess superhuman physical prowess like most demi-humans, being deemed one of the stronger races all around.
According to his grandfather, most Amazons have rough personalities, and it's mostly advised not to piss them off. Given their innate physical power, Amazons have a high success rate in becoming higher leveled adventurers.
Better not gamble on making one angry just in the off-chance she is of a higher level than you… different from gods, it's hard to tell the level of an adventurer unless they make it evident.
Bete didn't seem pleased. He sat down and crossed his arms, evidently annoyed, "Tsk."
They all sat down calmly before making their requests and waiting. Peace soon returned to their pub.
He gazed at their group silently, in particular, at the silent beauty with golden hair, 'She is truly beautiful.'
'So she is the Sword Princess… the "heroine" of this story? Back in Rapture I also met some characters I could call "protagonists"… I wonder how things will go this time.'
'A Level 5 monster, huh… even amidst other Level 5s, she'd be considered an elite with her set of abilities and powers… no… I suppose everyone in there would be considered that.'
While Silver reflected about how novel this feeling of meeting named characters was, he didn't notice the gaze on his back… It was none other than Ais.
Her eyes were fixed in his direction; she just couldn't point out what she felt was odd about him. In the end, with her usual expressionless eyes, she looked away from him.
Seeing her change in 'mood', the blond elf asked, "What is it, Ais?"
Ais shook her head, there was nothing wrong… "It's nothing, Lefiya."
…
Several more minutes of waiting later, his food came. It was a big bowl of ramen filled with many kinds of vegetables and succulent meat.
It was served by none other than the burly woman… albeit her expression seemed a bit different… she seemed annoyed by something.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, kid. Now, focus on the food. I want that plate clean! Else we are going to have to talk." She said with a smile on her face as she turned around to go clean a few cups
He smirked, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea…"
/BONK!/
"Ouch?!"
She suddenly bonked his head with a wooden spoon, "Pfft, haha! You amuse me, boy. I might've given you a chance if this were thirty years ago. Go back to eating now!"
He couldn't complain about that; the food was delicious after all. Even with its amount, Silver devoured it all in half an hour.
"Can I get a refill?" He asked as he pushed the plate back
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Ho? You think you can take on another?"
"Well, I am quite hungry."
He made his order, and she took a mental note of it, "Sit tight then; your food will arrive in a few minutes..."
"... Just make sure to finish it all! If you don't, there will be consequences."
"Sure thing."
'What kind of customer service is this? Is she threatening me to enjoy the food or what?… Well… I'm hungry anyway.'
Silver laughed faintly before resting his back against his seat.
/Whispers…/
But he soon caught wind of the conversation coming from a nearby table…
…
"… Today we had quite the fight against those monsters, huh?" One of the Amazon sisters pointed out
"We would've been fine if Bete hadn't rushed to the middle of those hornets!" The other sister added as she seemingly mocked the werewolf
/Bang!/
"What did you say?!" Bete yelled while slamming the table
The green haired elf was fast to raised her cup over the table before it spilled, "Stop it, Bete. Before you break the table. Like last time."
"Tch…"
/Gulp!/
He drank a big mouthful of his drink… "Fucking hell! Fuck those hornets…"
The werewolf continued to voice profanities while drinking…
The Elven lady continued, "... Well, it happens. It was not a failure. On the contrary, we got the items for the commission. It's success one way or another."
The youngest-looking one of the Amazon sisters rejoiced, "Riveria is right! Let's celebrate!"
Lefiya, however, was a little depressed, "I just hoped Mr. Gareth and Mr. Finn were here with us…"
/Gulp!/
Bete's cheeks were slightly red now… "Weren't they doing some stuff for the loli Goddess?"
"Bete! You shouldn't talk about Loki-Sama like that…" Lefiya voiced out as she looked at the entrance
"HUH?! Let that bratty goddess know…"
/Silence…/
Everyone looked at Bete in silence… even Silver.
"What happened?"
Bete looked behind him to see a red-haired small girl. Well, she wasn't small… she was almost as tall as the Elven lady…
She looked rather tomboyish in her choice of clothing as she wore tight tank tops and small shorts. Her mischievous smile said quite a bit about her personality.
The goddess of their Familia, Loki, looked down at Bete with a 'sweet' smile, "Why did you stop, my child? Continue for me, please!"
(Image)
Her eyes, which were normally closed most of the time, opened slightly to look straight at him…
/Gulp/
Bete swallowed dry. Sobering up almost instantly…
"Nothing to say? Alright, you're done! Finn! Gareth! Get him!"
(Image)
A small blond man and a dwarf entered the store. They looked at Bete with pity as they approached him.
"Sorry for this, Bete, but what she declares I shall obey." Gareth, the dwarf, said as he slowly unraveled a rope in his hands
"You asked for it, Bete. I warned you about this before… Close your eyes and accept your punishment." Finn, the Pallum hero, added as he smiled
"S-Shit!!"
…
Just about two minutes of minor struggle latter… Bete was tied to the ceiling like a sausage.
/Laughter!…/
It was silence of first, but as soon as the first laugh broke the silence, everyone started to laugh at him
"FUCK YOU ALL! I WILL…"
/Spank!/
Loki picked up a wooden spoon and slapped his ass.
"Be a good dog and stay there."
"Arg…"
"Now that we had this out of the way, let's drink! Mia-chi! Get me one of those expensive wines!"
"Tsk."
The burly woman behind the counter didn't seem to be that pleased with the order, but she still went and picked up a few bottles..
She passed right before him, and Silver couldn't help but mention it, "You don't seem pleased… again."
Her eyes were heavy and so was her tone, "You enjoy asking questions, don't you?"
"I didn't ask anything."
"Being cheeky now?... It's just that those guys always cause trouble! They drink, and I have to kick them out!"
"Really? Those girls don't seem to be…"
"GUAAAAA!!!"
Silver looked behind him to see one of the Amazons placing one of her feet on the table and roaring loudly… She was already drunk from the beers the waiters had brought them before…
"... Forget what I said."
"Is there anything else? I need to deliver this wine to that alcoholic goddess."
"Just give me a light drink later, please. I also have my small thing to commemorate…"
"Sure."
…
Silver finished his drink and relaxed a little, ignoring the screams behind him.
The alcohol itself was alright, tasty enough… Silver was no fan of drinking at the end of the day.
'Cheers to a new life!'
"Bottom's up…"
...
About an hour later, Silver decided that it was time to leave. It was quite fun seeing these people all around him, but he had to go since it was getting late.
He still had much to do tomorrow, and his stomach was quite full.
He looked around for the waitresses, settling down with the one closest to him, "Excuse me, miss."
It was an elven lady. Her beauty was truly phenomenal; no wonder she was said to be a fairy.
(Image)
But her expression was dull and stoic, "Yes?"
"Can I have the bill?"
"Of course. Let me go get it for you."
She went to the counter and talked with Mia; The latter went to the desk and pulled out a note, and she handed it to her.
"Here it is."
"Hum… 400 Valis for this… 340 for the spaghetti…"
"3000 for the Drink? Damn! You got me this time, lady!"
Mia snickered on the side.
"Sir?"
"I will pay! Sheesh, don't look at me like that… the food was more than worth it."
He took out five coins worth a thousand each and took the change afterward, "You'd better wait! I will get revenge on you!"
But she only laughed at his words, "HAHA! I will be waiting, boy."
He got up and went outside. On the way, he passed by the Loki Familia's table, taking a glance at Loki as she downed a large mug down her throat…
'Gods, huh…'
"…"
Ais stopped what she was doing and looked at his back, once again the sight reminded her of something… but in the end, they continued to laugh and drink for the next several hours.
"... WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING! It's already past ten, and we're closing! PAY UP AND LEAVE!" Mia exclaimed loudly at everyone in the pub
They all came to their senses and paid up, running away afterward to avoid their wrath.
The Loki Familia group left soon after, onto another day, another adventure.
…
As for Silver? He was currently crashed down on bed, suffering from an intense headache… but why?
That's because for the past few hours, someone kept practicing "magic". Even here after a "rough" time in the Dungeon, his training continued.
Compared to his time in the village, what he did here could be considered a vacation… Today's training session was about the other possible applications of his powers.
His powers could be explained in a simple manner. It was a force generated inside his body before being released. But this time, instead of releasing it, he channeled it inside.
Silver was trying to recreate what he once knew as Gene Tonics, which could be easily explained as 'passive Plasmids'.
He could modify parts of his body, but could he do so permanently? Could he change his body in a meaningful way permanently?… He knew he could, but could he with the current iteration of his abilities?
He had been experimenting with this for over a year, albeit only recently did he start researching it more seriously due to a lack of time.
Well… it was never too late to start.
…
/Meanwhile… Somewhere further north…/
"Do you remember that boy at the hostess?"
"Yeah..."
'That look on her face… she's going to cause trouble again...'
"I can tell… he has no Falna… hey Finn, how about we recruit him?"
"What? Why the sudden interest?"
Loki… smiled, "Just because? I felt a connection? I feel like it was meant to be?"
"Like how you did with us?"
For some reason, Finns thumb ached… but she did not reply.
"That's unlike you. The Loki I know would've dragged him right then and there."
She grimaced, "It could've been the drinks… but now I'm regretting it. Can you find him for me? I'm serious this time, you know!"
"... Sigh. Do as you wish, just don't cause trouble."
"What do you take me for?"
"..."
Finn just looked at her with a blank expression before going back to his table and sitting down.
His silence greatly pissed her off...
...
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Notes
Onto the next chapter.