Chapter 18
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Ebiris
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Of course heart-warming group photographs are all well and good, but as soon as that was done people were naturally curious about the fact he'd just cloned himself.
"What was that?! You did the hand thing, like you talked about for chakra, was that a technique anyone can do?!" Rina asked excitedly.
Was it? It didn't feel like a perfect match, but like the mafuba it felt 'close enough' to what chakra was built to assist with. The hand-sign thing was a definite indicator of a connection, both with that and the wealth of other ninja techniques he now knew. Chakra had definitely moved when he'd performed the technique, and his total reserve of power was split between the two of himself, though both were capable of using his full output.
It hadn't doubled up Domain of the Hero, at least.
"I think it might be? I just picked it up along with a bunch of ninja skills while we were talking to Ishtar earlier," he answered, considering how best to explain it to others.
"You know about the ninja, Lord Ichiban?" Haruhime asked, her ears twitching excitedly.
"Kinda, the place I'm from isn't exactly the far east as you know it, but it's similar," he answered to keep it brief. "And chakra seems to be good for mystical ninja style arts when you get past the basics of using it to enhance your body. Although this might be a bit hard for Ray and Fear to do without fingers, lemme see if I can walk you through it?"
First he demonstrated the hand-sign, middle and forefinger up on one hand held with the wrist fully bent up, and then crossing them with the same fingers of the other hand. He got immediate use out of his own clone who went around correcting everyone else's posture as they copied it, at least the ones with appropriate hands.
Ray and Fear were both well out of luck, while Gros only had three fingers on each hand. "We'll try and figure out something for you guys if we can get it to work for anyone else first," he reassured them that they wouldn't be forgotten in the developing art of ninja magic.
The pose itself was actually tricky for everyone since it required bending the wrist back at a fairly unnatural angle that was hard to do without pressing your hand against something. "Okay, now once you've got it, you want to push your chakra down your arms to your fingers in a steady flow so it merges where your hands are touching, then pull it back apart where your fingers go off in different directions. Basically you're splitting your energy, and then…" well the best way to show it was a demonstration, so, "Kage no bunshin!"
Another puff of smoke, and then there were three Ichibans, his energy reserves split in half from himself while the other shadow clone he had helping people with the hand-sign remained at the same level. With a thought he dismissed that one, and all the energy flooded back into him along with precise memories of the clone's perspective while it had existed. So he was now three quarters full while his remaining clone held a quarter of his capacity. His capacity which had barely gone down from a day in the Dungeon plus maintaining Domain of the Hero. He could probably afford to make a bunch of these and they could fight just fine.
Everyone screwed up their faces in concentration and there were a few yells of the activation phrase but to no avail until Pearl called, "Kage no bunshin!" and then there were two gigantic dragon-plant-woman chimeras in front of Ishtar's tower.
"Alright, Pearl! That's how you do it!" he cheered approvingly, this an instant and clear success far beyond his attempt at showing Shakti how to do the mafuba.
The two Pearls stamped their feet a bit and shifted around for position, looking at each other before looking back at Ichiban. "Everything's easy when you explain it, sweet-cheeks!" they said in eerie harmony.
"No way I'm getting beaten by a literal bird-brain," Rina groused, pressing her fingers more tightly together and trying again. "Kage no bunshin!"
It didn't work, but with Pearl's example Ichiban knew it could, so he wasn't disheartened and focused his senses more firmly on the flow of chakra through Rina's body. "Yeah, your energy's not concentrated enough, it's going into your other fingers and cycling back, you need to focus it just on the ones you're extending," he suggested, his clone helping Lyd with bending his wrist back sufficiently.
"Kage no bunshin!" there was a puff of smoke and suddenly two Haruhimes were standing there, staring at each other with wide eyes. "Oh my!" they said, voices blending over each other.
That at least spurred Rina on and her next attempt saw success, doubling up the amazon population in the immediate area. "Wow, it actually worked!" she grinned excitedly, Let and Lyd soon giving their efforts to create additional xenos.
That left the ones who didn't have normal hands, and while the others messed around with their own clones Ichiban tried to help out Ray and Fear with forming equivalents to hand-signs with their wings while his own clone took the rather more simple job of developing a hand-sign with one less finger that Gros could use.
Wings did technically have finger-bones under the skin, and he knew from how Fear fired her feathers around like projectiles that these two could be really dextrous, but it was still a challenge working with the different way chakra moved through a wing compared to a hand. There weren't really separate appendages to work with even the way Pearl's wings had. Still, with his ability to sense the flow of chakra in their bodies and perceive even the most minute movements they made so long as their feet were touching the ground, he was able to make some progress in refining their chakra flows under his instruction.
Did his monster training abilities that had worked so well on Pearl when she was a more typical dragon translate to training intelligent monsters in mystic ninja arts? The fact Pearl had figured out the technique even ahead of Rina wasn't lost on him, and it didn't take long for Gros to prove capable of his own version of the technique. It took longer with Ray and Fear, but he was patient and even as the sun went down and their surroundings were lit by moody magic lighting, the last two xenos doubled themselves up with cries of, "Kage no bunshin!"
"Alright, so this is one anyone can learn!" Ichiban said proudly as he looked over the expanded crew. "You don't even have to stop at a single clone, but remember each one splits your energy. Rina could probably manage a lot more than you, Haruhime," he warned the level one renard not to tax herself, as she was probably already leaning a bit on Domain of the Hero to manage the technique.
"I understand, Lord Ichiban. I will be careful with how I use this gift," both of her answered with matching polite bows.
He gave her an encouraging nod and went on, "Also even if the clones can use all your power, they're not as tough as you are. One good hit should pop them, but you get all their energy back when they go so it's not all bad.
"Lord Ichiban, what about items we're carrying? Are they duplicated as well?" Haruhime asked, looking at the camera.
"I think any pictures would pop when the clone does," he pointed out. "But magic stuff doesn't seem to work on duplicates," he could tell that Rina's belt and Pearl's lion cloak weren't doing anything for the clones, they were just cosmetic.
At that both Rinas reached into their thigh pouches and pulled out matching bundles of valis. "Oh, this is gonna cause problems, isn't it?" one of them asked.
Oh yeah. "Okay, just be careful and don't use this to screw anyone over," he asked. "I'm gonna spread it around and you all should too, since it's too good not to use, but these ninja arts were meant for heroic deeds, not scamming people!" he insisted fervently. It might even sound like a bit of a misnomer to say that considering the origins of ninja, but he felt like it was true, there was a weird synergy between these ninja skills and the knightly skills he'd picked up back in Rivira.
At worst shop-keeps would have to start punching people to make sure they were real. Or maybe someone could invent a magic clone detector – that pallum guy was able to sense magic after all, and clones plainly stood out as fake to Ichiban's own magical senses, so it wouldn't be impossible.
Everyone nodded, and he felt like he could at least trust this group. The xenos were just too naive about the world to think like that, Haruhime seemed really nice, and whatever else you could say about Rina, she was blunt and up-front about everything.
"Great!" he nodded back. "That's just one ninja technique, I've got a ton more and I was thinking now we know this one, there's nothing stopping us having fun and learning. I can make a bunch more clones and have them teach stuff to everyone else's clones while we go have some fun. When the clones pop, everything they saw and learned gets sent back to you. It's pretty much the perfect ability for training!"
Everyone was in awe of his wisdom and the incredible utility of ninjutsu, and the group soon split off on one hand to enjoy the Entertainment District's night-life with Haruhime dragged along as the event photographer, while everyone's clones plus a half dozen split off by Ichiban stuck around the front of Ishtar's tower to train more techniques.
From basics like vanishing in a puff of smoke and running up walls, to specialised techniques like Fear turning her already deadly feathers into chakra-infused darts that channelled elemental energy, or Lyd and Rina turning their weapons invisible to confound foes, Ichiban drew on his new bounty of ninja techniques to give everyone something useful. Gros and Pearl learned to turn themselves briefly insubstantial to charge through obstacles, Ray focused her sonic attack into something that could shatter bones rather than merely disorient. Even Haruhime learned a technique to replace herself with a nearby object wreathed in an illusory copy of herself so she could escape danger.
All the potential chakra promised was coming out now as Ichiban actually knew how to use it in myriad ways that would have been way too complicated to figure out from scratch but were easy to teach when everyone had their abilities boosted by Domain of the Hero.
Yet even while working to such productive ends they were able to have fun. Entering a strip club where Ray wanted to see the 'dancing' she was promised earlier initially had the xenos getting more attention than the dancers, but soon they were able to settle in and enjoy the show, making sure of course to give the performers real valis since they were all here as themselves not their clones.
Between the exoticism of the xenos, their big spending habits, Ichiban's own local fame, and Rina being fresh off the big event of her own level up, they didn't have any shortage of pretty ladies eager to make them feel at home, the drinks and good times rolling much like it had that first night here with Mord's crew before everything went to hell.
Nothing bad happened tonight though. Rina's axe, which she was keeping under the table and out of sight, did change at one point, its head becoming heavier and with an additional point past the tip. To his magical senses it gave off a feeling of impact, and he told Rina as much. She'd have to test it properly next time they were in the Dungeon, but it was surely upgraded in some fashion.
They didn't want to leave Pearl out on her own too long though so they only stayed for a few performances. Even that small taste of the night-life was enough for the xenos to be chattering excitedly as they left with dancers encouraging them to come back soon.
"I was a little tempted to join in," Ray admitted as they stepped back out onto the street where Pearl was letting a pair of signboard-toting bunny-girls sit on her back and commiserating over being stuck outside whether for advertising or because you just don't fit inside buildings. "But I was scared, what if I took off my clothes and people saw me as a monster?"
"They wouldn't!" Haruhime insisted as she stepped out with them, holding the camera and an increasingly full satchel of photographs she'd been taking. "It's not just about the clothes, Lady Ray. You're elegant and beautiful, and people can tell you don't mean harm. Even Lord Lyd and Lord Gros have a peaceful and charming manner I've been able to see since I met you all."
"Haha, you hear that Gros? She thinks you're charming!" Lyd teased his friend, earning a grumble in response. Though really, neither of them had anything on Let who was stumbling out after the group with several lipstick marks decorating his face and a dazed look in his eyes.
Haruhime had already diverted herself onto snapping a picture of Pearl and her new friends posed so casually while serving as a juxtaposition of form and proof of how even the strange such as her can be adapted to and accepted in the daily life of Orario, while Ichiban suggested they call it a night. "Lets go check in on the clones, then we can call it a night? You guys can stay at mine and Pearl's place, get some rest before you have to go back down into the Dungeon tomorrow?" he suggested.
"Speaking of, when are we going back down?" Rina asked.
"Maybe the day after tomorrow?" he wasn't sure, "Depends on when Tsubaki finishes with Yankimaru. Naaza probably wants a day to work on her potions too, although if I teach her the clone technique she can just leave one of them to work in the shop for her."
Rina's eyes widened at that particular utility and then her shoulders slumped. "See, I was excited at first at the thought of being a one woman harem, but that actually means I'm going to be working a lot of extra shifts, doesn't it?"
"Just do what you love and it won't feel like work," he could only respond with a platitude to that as they went to rejoin their other selves, the Ichiban clones having sensed them coming of course and gotten everyone to line up and bow politely to their arrival. Then the clones all popped themselves, and the whole group froze up with the sudden influx of new memories and experiences.
Ichiban couldn't help but smile smugly at it. "See? That's what it's like for me when I suddenly get new abilities dropped on me. Confusing, isn't it?"
He got a round of dazed nods followed by bubbling excitement as people started testing out their new ninja skills. "I'll say, but this is really convenient! What an amazing technique!" Rina gushed, her axe turning into a wispy phantom of smoke as she twirled it in her grasp. "The Dungeon won't know what hit it!"
On that happy note they parted ways, Rina and Haruhime staying behind while Ichiban and his crew of friendly monsters took their photo album of the night and left, a fairly lengthy walk through the night-time streets of Orario before they reached the place he'd rented outside the city walls. It was basically a cottage adjacent to a stable meant for the horses and carts that came and went from the city. The stable was just big enough for Pearl to get a roof over her head, and while the cottage was pretty crowded with their guests it was no big deal for xenos used to sleeping on the bare rock of the Dungeon. A few blankets and pillows were luxury for them, and a peaceful night passed.
Of course Ichiban hadn't really done much shopping for himself, so there was no home-cooked breakfast in the morning. However it wasn't far to get back onto the city and then take advantage of the many street food vendors as they started the new day. They stopped off at some clothing stores where the xenos basically blew most of their money on a heap of clothes in various sizes and styles, all stuff they could just bring back and let their friends play with, and once they reached Babel they parted ways.
"I'll stop by and visit next time I'm down on the middle floors," Ichiban promised them.
"You might see us before then!" Lyd answered, taking one last look at the bright blue sky overhead. "Now we can teleport we'll be bringing more of our friends up to see this. Some might even stay up here, now we know we can live in peace among humans."
"Some of us have to stay in the Dungeon though," Gros said firmly. "So any newborns can find us and have a place of safety."
"Well if you ever need help down there or up here, you can count on me," Ichiban promised, giving hearty handshakes to the male xenos and then being hugged by the female ones. It wasn't really just because they were women, but lacking hands made them want to express the same sentiment through solid physical contact, and then with waves and good wishes they descended into the Dungeon amidst all the other adventurers starting their own days, no fright or battle ensuing from their by now recognised presence.
"Come on Pearl, time to go see how Yankimaru's doing," he said after the xenos vanished from sight, heading up the street towards the Hephaestus familia workshop. Pearl did have to once more wait on the street while Ichiban went through the alley around the back where he'd dropped the robot off with Tsubaki several days ago, where he saw she'd now built a scaffold around him which added to the super robot vibe he had. The brassy colour of his plating was now augmented with a shiny golden hue from the orichalcum that had replaced much of his structure, and his beard was once more complete. Of course the real changes were under the hood, but he looked ready to go.
"Yo, Tsubaki!" he called over to the smith who was pounding something else over an anvil, turning with one eye to look at him before she smiled and got up to stand proudly by the remodelled robot. "Yankimaru's looking good, you all done with him?"
"We won't know for sure until you turn him back on, but I think so," she said, grinning up at her handiwork. "Lady Hephaestus was real shocked when she saw that crystal you wanted me to use for his new power source. Not as shocked as I was yesterday when I suddenly felt myself come alive with all that new strength myself, gave me a bunch of ideas and the work just flew by after that. That was you too, yeah?"
He nodded, glad word had gotten around enough he didn't need to keep explaining it too much. "New ability, calling it Domain of the Hero," he confirmed, still barely feeling much of a drain from it even after having his device keep it running overnight.
"Hah!" she laughed at the name and he refused to feel self-conscious over it. It wasn't a mean laugh anyway as she went on, "Sounds about right. Anyway, Yankimaru will be a lot tougher with the orichalcum plating, I redid his axe and hammer the same so they'll stand up to the force he puts out. I'm just not sure how he'll actually move without turning him on, so… you gonna do it?"
Hell yeah, he was waiting for this. Summoning the device, he pressed the command button and declared, "Yankimaru, all system go!"
"Main system turn on!" the helpful English speaking voice of the wand declared.
There was a woosh, not the usual discharge of steam but instead a rush of air flowing towards Yankimaru as he straightened up within his gantry. It picked up rapidly, Tsubaki's one visible eye widening as her hair first flapped in the wind before she was lifted off her feet and flew crashing into Yankimaru.
"Yankimaru, what are-" Ichiban got out before the device was ripped from his hand and soared across the yard to slam into the robot's chest with a loud clang right beside Tsubaki. His own feet started to lose traction, pulled along the ground by the increasing suction drawing everything towards the robot now powered by an almighty mystical gem of wind.
"Mrooowl!" a cat that had been scampering along the wall around the workshop yard dug its claws vainly into the dirt as it too was dragged into the increasingly powerful vortex.
"Cat! No!" as its grip failed and it started lifting into the air, Ichiban pushed himself into a powerful chakra-infused leap to catch the flailing feline in mid-air before being swept into the whirlwind himself, crashing through the scaffold and colliding his back against one of Yankimaru's armoured shoulders.
"Ichiban, turn it off!" Tsubaki yelled, even her high tier adventurer strength struggling to move where the suction was most powerful right next to Yankimaru. It was getting worse farther out though, tools and weapons lifted off their racks and flying like bullets across the yard to crash into Yankimaru while Ichiban did his best to shield the cat with his body.
"Barrier set!"
Even out of his hand the device was able to pull on his mana, automatically putting up force-fields to catch the flying objects that fell against it like rain. Hey, it responded to verbal commands now and was synched up to Yankimaru, he shouldn't even need to push the button? "Device, make Yankimaru stop the wind!" he yelled.
"Wind system off!"
Abruptly the wind ended, Ichiban tumbling to the ground now he was no longer held up against the robot by a localised typhoon. He let go of the cat which bolted off with an aggrieved yowl while Tsubaki staggered away, several guys from her familia having ran out just in time to catch the tail end.
The yard was a mess, even anvils had started being dragged across the ground by the wind at the end there, they were lucky he and Tsubaki hasn't been bombarded. "Okay… shit," he panted, surprised and overwhelmed by the sudden crisis. "It works without the wind, right? Yankimaru, raise your arm?"
The robot did so, proving it would in fact respond to orders… orders he wasn't even holding the control rod to give. The expanded function of the device at least seemed to translate to making Yankimaru a bit more user friendly. He still picked it up from where it had fallen. "Okay, just… just keep the wind system off for now, we'll figure out how to use it safely when we're in the Dungeon. You can move around otherwise?"
It was almost eerie the way the robot proceeded to rotate and lever all of its joints at once to verify its range of motion before the helpful if unnecessarily foreign voice of the device reported, "Ambulatory systems operational, my Master!"
Ambulatory? If you're going to speak English at least use easy words!
"Okay, it seems like he's working at least. And the crystal's definitely doing something," he said to Tsubaki who was standing up and smoothing down her hakama pants.
"Yeah, I mostly just followed the original design, so might be trial and error seeing how it integrates, but the new plating's first rate," she promised, recovering from the shock of the sudden windstorm and looking towards the other smiths that had rushed out. "Oi, if you've got time to look you've got time to put all this mess back to rights!" she yelled with all the authority of a familia captain, sending her underlings scurrying to look busy.
He'd already paid her for her labour with money he earned from the sale of the Black Amphisbaena's stone plus what Naaza distributed from sales of her miracle regeneration potion, but there was no reason not to do Tsubaki another solid and have someone else spreading around ninja techniques so he offered, "Hey, before I head off I figured out a chakra technique that lets you clone yourself. Want me to teach you?"
"Okay this I've gotta see," she said, tossing her ponytail back over her shoulder and gesturing for him to show her. The almost indulgent look on her face faded into shocked surprise when he did the kage no bunshin for her, her one visible eye wide and her jaw falling open. "No way. This isn't an illusion, there's actually two of you? And you can teach it?" she asked, poking him and his clone in the chest to verify her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
"Totally real!" he said in stereo, grinning back at her. "The clone can't take a lot of punishment and it uses half your energy, but otherwise it's the same as having another you around."
Whether it was because he'd gotten better at teaching from showing everyone last night or it was the difference of Tsubaki's higher level and control, she took right to the technique and pretty soon there were four of her in the yard, one going right back to the smithing he'd seen her doing when he arrived, one bossing around her underlings, and one rushing right on out of there on some kind of errand.
"Lady Hephaestus is gonna be thrilled, I'd fallen way behind on other orders dealing with your stuff, but now I can get caught right up," the last Tsubaki said, lingering with him. "I bet this would be great in the Dungeon too, you could be your own supporter!"
"Well, you'd still only have yourself for company, it'd be kind of lonely," Ichiban said, having at least considered the possibility of storming the Dungeon with an army of clones, but it wouldn't be as fun as doing it with a party of brave allies no matter how comfortable he was with his own company. "Anyway, do me a favour and spread it around? I've already taught a few people, there's no reason to keep it secret or anything."
"I don't really offer training outside my own familia, but I'll at least try teaching some friends outside ourselves if you don't get to them first," she answered, which was probably as good as he was going to get.
Bidding the blacksmith farewell, he and Yankimaru went back out onto the street where Pearl was thrilled to see her old perch back in action.
"Look at you, so shiny!" she cooed, leaning close and sniffing at the impassive giant robot which stood tall enough she didn't have to contort herself downwards as she would to get her head close to someone normally. "He smells like Aria," her tone turned confused and then her eyebrow twitched. "Shut up you annoying brat, it's Yankimaru, not Aria. You thought sweet-cheeks was Aria, everyone's Aria to you!" she complained to the voice in her head.
At least she wasn't burning a hole in the ground with her plasma breath, content just to bicker in a distracted but not enraged fashion. "Yeah, it's that wind crystal, remember? We got it plugged into his power core so it should make him stronger, but we can't really test it out here," he explained, little as she seemed to be paying attention with the voice in her head distracting her.
He wondered if he should be more concerned about someone of Pearl's power dealing with a weird voice in her head, but she seemed to have a handle on it.
With Pearl talking to herself and Yankimaru remaining silent as ever, the trio crossed the road over towards the Pantheon, Ichiban ordering Yankimaru to watch Pearl and Pearl to watch Yankimaru while he went inside. It was fairly quiet, being the middle of the day, meaning he had a free line up to go bug his favourite civil servant.
"Hey Rose, how's it going?" he grinned at the severe red-haired werewolf.
"Busy, Mr. Kasuga," she answered, though she didn't seem particularly stressed by it even as she looked up from the book she was writing in, a whole lot of numbers there as far as Ichiban could see. "The amount of magic stones brought out has been increasing beyond projections since most adventurers acquired chakra and the spells from the re-usable grimoires, and then there was a surge yesterday no doubt because of your power boosting effect. Today's going to be the first full day seeing the effects of it, so we're all bracing for it here and trying to determine the long term economic impact."
Now that he looked he could see that even if the Guild workers weren't dealing with lines of adventurers they all seemed to be busy filling out documents, moving boxes around, and clattering around abacuses.
"Yeah, I'm gonna keep Domain of the Hero running as long as I'm around," he promised, "But if I make it to the bottom of the Dungeon and find a way back home, it'll run out then."
As he gave the warning, a book suddenly appeared in his hand, a bluish metallic cover around its pages, and a palpable feeling of magic emanating from it, like he was holding a school or a library in his hand.
"Oh. It's my first time seeing that happen," Rose said, her eyes widening briefly before she leaned over her desk to stare at the newly arrived magical artifact in Ichiban's grasp. "It just appeared."
"Yeah. Heh, remember when we first met and I zoned out? That was another one giving me magic, but sometimes it's items like the scrolls. And this. Huh," he opened it while leaning over and holding it so Rose could see as well.
The Tome of Titanium.
Following the rituals and meditative exercises detailed within this tome, the bearer will find their mind focused to a superhuman level of sharpness and clarity. The benefits pass on to those who work under the tome holder, increasing their overall intelligence by 50%.
Step One. The mantra of clarity…
It went on like that, the words written in the local language which Ichiban could read just fine by now. "You seeing this?" he asked Rose.
"Y-yes," she agreed, stumbling briefly over her words. "That's… quite an artifact."
He closed it and put it down on her desk. "Why don't you take it?" he offered. "It sounds like it's more suited to someone working with a team on the kind of problems you've been talking about more than I could use it. Heh, might even get you a promotion, as if you haven't already earned one dealing with all my crap," he laughed good-naturedly.
This one definitely made up for the necromancy in terms of being well-timed and considerate.
"It hasn't been that much trouble," she demurred, which was nice of her to say but he'd seen her face when he walked in with a bunch of magic scrolls last time, he knew she was just being polite.
"Just take it," he insisted. "All the other stuff's been great for the adventurers, but you've helped me from the start just like Naaza had, you deserve more than this."
She put her hand on the book's cover and slid it closer to her side of the desk, nodding. "I won't refuse your generosity, Ichiban," she said gently, gaze fixed on him rather than the book now as she asked, "You really think you'll reach the bottom of the Dungeon and find a way back to your own world there?"
It was all he had to go on, and he told her as much. "No one else has any clues, so the only place I can try is the one place no one's been," he said, using the faultless logic of a hero progressing the main quest. His only other hope was that he'd just randomly get given a dimensional travel magic, and that just didn't feel like the kind of thing that happened even with how crazy his gifts had gotten.
"When we first spoke I was sure I wouldn't see you again because you'd get yourself killed in the Dungeon," she said, shifting her gaze and not really looking at him."It's only been two weeks and still I find I've gotten used to you coming by with a smile and an upheaval of my routine. Now I almost…" she trailed off, blinking several times and then picking up the book to hold against her chest as she met his eyes again. "Forgive me. Of course I hope you find what you're looking for in the Dungeon, Mr. Kasuga. Now I should really get to work studying this tome. Thank you," she gave him a stiff bow before going through one of the doors to the back of the Pantheon.
He heard a thump nearby and glanced over to see Eina at her desk. "Ahaha! Banged my knee!" she said, innocently waving her gloved hands and then casting, "Cure!" and covering herself with sparkly lights. "All better! Please come by again, Mr. Kasuga!"
"… right. You be careful there, Eina," he returned with a nod before walking back out of the Pantheon, his awareness spreading as he set foot on solid stone outside after being on a floor of wood and carpet inside. "Yo Pearl, lets head over to visit Naaza?" he suggested, starting on the familiar path to the Blue Pharmacy.
Not that Pearl could actually get inside, but she was happy enough to go around wherever Ichiban went, or at least as close as she could manage at her proportions.
"Welcome, honoured customer," Miach's smooth voice sounded after the jingling of the bell with Ichiban stepped through, the god bowing to greet him before straightening up. Instead of his usual black robes he was wearing a long dark blue coat exposing a ruffled brown waistcoat and white shirt with a bow tie on it.
"That's how you greet a customer, be more like Lord Miach," Naaza told Orin who was dressed in the same kind of outfit except without the coat. Naaza herself was wearing a dark blue dress with a white collar and pockets, buttons all up one side that kind of had the feel of an old-fashioned nurse uniform. The white hat she had on was a lot like the one he'd seen Airmid wearing, except with a blue rather than yellow trim.
"That's a hard act to follow!" Orin whined at being compared with the effortlessly charismatic deity even as everyone relaxed because it was Ichiban and not a 'real' customer.
"Yo," he waved. "Got the new uniforms sorted out? Everyone's looking real sharp," he said approvingly, looking over the well-dressed trio.
"Thank you, Ichiban," Miach said genially. "I wasn't sure at first, but we do feel more prosperous dressed up like this," he chuckled and pulled on the lapels of his coat. "You arrived just in time for their debut."
"I like it!" he said encouragingly, casting his gaze over the trio. "Really gives the place a more professional feeling."
"Lord Dian Cecht will be in for a surprise next time he comes over," Naaza said smugly, turning her nose up. "So did everything go okay with the xenos?" she then asked more conversationally.
"Oh yeah, they all headed back down earlier but they had a good night last night," Ichiban said, relaying a quick summary of their adventures in the Entertainment District. Considerably more mild than his first night's adventure there. "… and yeah, that whole thing with the ninja clones, it seems anyone with chakra can learn it, so I can teach you right now. Maybe Orin as well if I give you chakra?" he offered that last part to the elf who despite having joined the Hestia familia remained committed to being a non-combatant.
"So wait, if I can learn this technique and make myself into two people and both work here, does that mean I get paid twice as well?" he asked.
"N-no!" Naaza almost choked on her words as she blurted out a hurried denial. "It's still just you!"
"Oh," Orin slumped in disappointment. "Well, I'll give it a try. I can show Bell if it works and he can use it in the Dungeon."
Naaza picked up the technique quickly, though interestingly her clones came out with more energy than anyone else's, a magic circle glowing under her feet when she called out, "Kage no bunshin!" before resolving into a pair of dog-girls each perhaps carrying two thirds as much energy as the original.
"It's unorthodox but it's still a spell, so my Mage development ability supports it," she said when Ichiban pointed out the discrepancy in her use compared with everyone else he'd seen. "All the more reason to be glad I picked that one."
She wound up splitting herself into three with no strain, one going off to run some errands, another brewing potions in the back, and the third helping run the store and seeing to other customers who came in while Ichiban tried to teach Orin how to use chakra and then turn it into the clone technique.
Despite spending a while at it however, he wasn't able to pull it off even when he was definitely moving his chakra in the right way and pulling off the hand-sign correctly. "I think you just don't have enough energy for it," he could only conclude. Haruhime had been level one as well but clearly she had some experience building up her statistics, while Orin was completely fresh. "Try and remember for showing Bell later, he might have more luck, in the meantime exercise and practice more with magic and chakra, see if it comes when you build up your core abilities."
Leaving the disappointed elf to chew on that, he checked in on one of the Naazas. "Think you'll be okay to go into the Dungeon again tomorrow, see if we can make it properly deep this time?"
She nodded seriously while ladling something from her cauldron into a vial. "I'll pack for several days, make sure you do as well," she suggested. "This potion used that magic blood you gave me, it restores mind and boosts the power of magic spells for a few minutes after drinking. With everyone knowing Cure, I need to branch out past healing potions."
"Nice. Make sure to bring a couple down with us. I've got a feeling this next trip could go all the way. Unless we run into something weird again like the xenos, we can just keep going."
The small smile on Naaza's face flattened into a serious look and she nodded. "I won't doubt it, not after everything I've seen. I'll be ready for the journey."
Nodding to her resolve, he bid farewell to the Blue Pharmacy and went back out to rejoin the ever patient Pearl and Yankimaru, finding at least that the former had found a way to amuse herself by singing for the crowds on the street. Not as busy here as when she'd been doing it in the plaza outside of Babel, but it still seemed just as appreciated. He stuck around to let her finish her set before they set off on another walk. Just a man and his robot and chimeric dragon-pigeon taking in the sights and sounds of Orario as afternoon bled into evening.
He could feel it deep inside himself. Once he set foot in the Dungeon tomorrow, that was going to be it. No more conspiracies, no more hidden factions, no more twists. Just him and his friends against the Dungeon that had threatened the world for over a thousand years, using all their new tricks and power to descend until either the Dungeon grew too deadly even for them, or they reached the bottom.
The bottom where he was banking on finding answers, based on nothing more than a gut feeling about how stories and games worked. But that gut feeling remained strong, just as his feeling of finality regarding his last day in Orario while he wandered around and just took in the ambience.
If he was wrong, he'd feel silly of course. But it wouldn't be so bad to come back up here and stay with the friends he'd made. This city wasn't perfect, but it had welcomed him all the same. From the humble debt-ridden potion shop to the elite familias that effectively ruled the city, from the dignified Guild workers to the more silly people waitressing tables or selling fried potato snacks… and hell, one of those silly waitresses was also the seductive leader of the top familia.
Be like getting in a cab and finding it driven by the chairman of the Tojo Clan.
Either way, they'd all welcomed Ichiban and made him feel at home in this fantastical environment. They'd overcome their own biases to accept Pearl and the xenos he befriended down in the Dungeon. Orario had heart, and he'd miss it if he found a way home. And if he had to stay, it wouldn't be the worst place for him to build a new life.
But he had a life of his own to get back to, one he'd spent eighteen years in prison for. He wasn't going to give up on it until he'd tried everything he could to get it back. So, after one last circuit around Orario, he and Pearl and Yankimaru went back to the place he was staying where at least two of them could sleep.
The next day they got up early, Yankimaru being stowed away in an off-brand pokeball, with Pearl needing the same once they got to Babel but as she didn't care for it they walked through Orario together so he could just mafuba her at the last minute and let her back out once in the Dungeon.
There were plenty of other people out and starting their own business early, carts rolling in from nearby farms to feed the city, shops being opened up, and of course adventurers converging on the middle of the city from all over to begin their own dives into the Dungeon, no doubt finding new limits as they explored the capabilities they had under Domain of the Hero.
Which would be getting stronger the deeper Ichiban went as well. Luckily if he did leave abruptly everyone going anywhere deep should know teleport so they could get out in a hurry. There wasn't really any way to sugarcoat it, taking away an ability like that was always going to have consequences.
Regardless, there were friendly faces all around greeting him and Pearl as they reached Babel and waited for the rest of their party. Despite Rina's talk of needing huge expeditions to make it anywhere deep, being able to create shadow clones to guard a camp and having the ability to teleport out instantly from any depth greatly simplified logistics.
Naaza was first to find him, back in her usual sweater and skirt rather than the uniform she'd worn in the pharmacy, a big backpack over her shoulders and an endless quiver of arrows at her hip. "Good morning, Ichiban," she called when she got close, turning to look at the big grey tower stretching up over their heads. "Today's the big one, huh?"
"Well, today and tomorrow and the day after besides… we're gonna be down there a while," he answered, giving her an encouraging grin. "You ready?"
She nodded, turning back to look up at him. "I'll support you as far as I'm able to. Being able to teleport out when I reach my limit makes it a lot easier."
"No kidding," Rina said as she weaved through the crowd to join them, carrying a backpack of her own rather than travelling light as she'd done on previous trips. "It's nice when you reach the top few floors, but otherwise the trip back is always the worst part. You're at your weakest, morale's low from hitting whatever forced you to turn back, and you've probably just used up a bunch of healing supplies or had a weapon break. All this magic completely changes things." She smiled at the three of them before looking up at Babel as Naaza had done, "So, this time we're going as deep as we can?"
"All the way to the bottom," Ichiban agreed, taking a deep breath and psyching himself up, even if he knew the start of the journey would be nothing more than routine. "Lets do this."
"What was that?! You did the hand thing, like you talked about for chakra, was that a technique anyone can do?!" Rina asked excitedly.
Was it? It didn't feel like a perfect match, but like the mafuba it felt 'close enough' to what chakra was built to assist with. The hand-sign thing was a definite indicator of a connection, both with that and the wealth of other ninja techniques he now knew. Chakra had definitely moved when he'd performed the technique, and his total reserve of power was split between the two of himself, though both were capable of using his full output.
It hadn't doubled up Domain of the Hero, at least.
"I think it might be? I just picked it up along with a bunch of ninja skills while we were talking to Ishtar earlier," he answered, considering how best to explain it to others.
"You know about the ninja, Lord Ichiban?" Haruhime asked, her ears twitching excitedly.
"Kinda, the place I'm from isn't exactly the far east as you know it, but it's similar," he answered to keep it brief. "And chakra seems to be good for mystical ninja style arts when you get past the basics of using it to enhance your body. Although this might be a bit hard for Ray and Fear to do without fingers, lemme see if I can walk you through it?"
First he demonstrated the hand-sign, middle and forefinger up on one hand held with the wrist fully bent up, and then crossing them with the same fingers of the other hand. He got immediate use out of his own clone who went around correcting everyone else's posture as they copied it, at least the ones with appropriate hands.
Ray and Fear were both well out of luck, while Gros only had three fingers on each hand. "We'll try and figure out something for you guys if we can get it to work for anyone else first," he reassured them that they wouldn't be forgotten in the developing art of ninja magic.
The pose itself was actually tricky for everyone since it required bending the wrist back at a fairly unnatural angle that was hard to do without pressing your hand against something. "Okay, now once you've got it, you want to push your chakra down your arms to your fingers in a steady flow so it merges where your hands are touching, then pull it back apart where your fingers go off in different directions. Basically you're splitting your energy, and then…" well the best way to show it was a demonstration, so, "Kage no bunshin!"
Another puff of smoke, and then there were three Ichibans, his energy reserves split in half from himself while the other shadow clone he had helping people with the hand-sign remained at the same level. With a thought he dismissed that one, and all the energy flooded back into him along with precise memories of the clone's perspective while it had existed. So he was now three quarters full while his remaining clone held a quarter of his capacity. His capacity which had barely gone down from a day in the Dungeon plus maintaining Domain of the Hero. He could probably afford to make a bunch of these and they could fight just fine.
Everyone screwed up their faces in concentration and there were a few yells of the activation phrase but to no avail until Pearl called, "Kage no bunshin!" and then there were two gigantic dragon-plant-woman chimeras in front of Ishtar's tower.
"Alright, Pearl! That's how you do it!" he cheered approvingly, this an instant and clear success far beyond his attempt at showing Shakti how to do the mafuba.
The two Pearls stamped their feet a bit and shifted around for position, looking at each other before looking back at Ichiban. "Everything's easy when you explain it, sweet-cheeks!" they said in eerie harmony.
"No way I'm getting beaten by a literal bird-brain," Rina groused, pressing her fingers more tightly together and trying again. "Kage no bunshin!"
It didn't work, but with Pearl's example Ichiban knew it could, so he wasn't disheartened and focused his senses more firmly on the flow of chakra through Rina's body. "Yeah, your energy's not concentrated enough, it's going into your other fingers and cycling back, you need to focus it just on the ones you're extending," he suggested, his clone helping Lyd with bending his wrist back sufficiently.
"Kage no bunshin!" there was a puff of smoke and suddenly two Haruhimes were standing there, staring at each other with wide eyes. "Oh my!" they said, voices blending over each other.
That at least spurred Rina on and her next attempt saw success, doubling up the amazon population in the immediate area. "Wow, it actually worked!" she grinned excitedly, Let and Lyd soon giving their efforts to create additional xenos.
That left the ones who didn't have normal hands, and while the others messed around with their own clones Ichiban tried to help out Ray and Fear with forming equivalents to hand-signs with their wings while his own clone took the rather more simple job of developing a hand-sign with one less finger that Gros could use.
Wings did technically have finger-bones under the skin, and he knew from how Fear fired her feathers around like projectiles that these two could be really dextrous, but it was still a challenge working with the different way chakra moved through a wing compared to a hand. There weren't really separate appendages to work with even the way Pearl's wings had. Still, with his ability to sense the flow of chakra in their bodies and perceive even the most minute movements they made so long as their feet were touching the ground, he was able to make some progress in refining their chakra flows under his instruction.
Did his monster training abilities that had worked so well on Pearl when she was a more typical dragon translate to training intelligent monsters in mystic ninja arts? The fact Pearl had figured out the technique even ahead of Rina wasn't lost on him, and it didn't take long for Gros to prove capable of his own version of the technique. It took longer with Ray and Fear, but he was patient and even as the sun went down and their surroundings were lit by moody magic lighting, the last two xenos doubled themselves up with cries of, "Kage no bunshin!"
"Alright, so this is one anyone can learn!" Ichiban said proudly as he looked over the expanded crew. "You don't even have to stop at a single clone, but remember each one splits your energy. Rina could probably manage a lot more than you, Haruhime," he warned the level one renard not to tax herself, as she was probably already leaning a bit on Domain of the Hero to manage the technique.
"I understand, Lord Ichiban. I will be careful with how I use this gift," both of her answered with matching polite bows.
He gave her an encouraging nod and went on, "Also even if the clones can use all your power, they're not as tough as you are. One good hit should pop them, but you get all their energy back when they go so it's not all bad.
"Lord Ichiban, what about items we're carrying? Are they duplicated as well?" Haruhime asked, looking at the camera.
"I think any pictures would pop when the clone does," he pointed out. "But magic stuff doesn't seem to work on duplicates," he could tell that Rina's belt and Pearl's lion cloak weren't doing anything for the clones, they were just cosmetic.
At that both Rinas reached into their thigh pouches and pulled out matching bundles of valis. "Oh, this is gonna cause problems, isn't it?" one of them asked.
Oh yeah. "Okay, just be careful and don't use this to screw anyone over," he asked. "I'm gonna spread it around and you all should too, since it's too good not to use, but these ninja arts were meant for heroic deeds, not scamming people!" he insisted fervently. It might even sound like a bit of a misnomer to say that considering the origins of ninja, but he felt like it was true, there was a weird synergy between these ninja skills and the knightly skills he'd picked up back in Rivira.
At worst shop-keeps would have to start punching people to make sure they were real. Or maybe someone could invent a magic clone detector – that pallum guy was able to sense magic after all, and clones plainly stood out as fake to Ichiban's own magical senses, so it wouldn't be impossible.
Everyone nodded, and he felt like he could at least trust this group. The xenos were just too naive about the world to think like that, Haruhime seemed really nice, and whatever else you could say about Rina, she was blunt and up-front about everything.
"Great!" he nodded back. "That's just one ninja technique, I've got a ton more and I was thinking now we know this one, there's nothing stopping us having fun and learning. I can make a bunch more clones and have them teach stuff to everyone else's clones while we go have some fun. When the clones pop, everything they saw and learned gets sent back to you. It's pretty much the perfect ability for training!"
Everyone was in awe of his wisdom and the incredible utility of ninjutsu, and the group soon split off on one hand to enjoy the Entertainment District's night-life with Haruhime dragged along as the event photographer, while everyone's clones plus a half dozen split off by Ichiban stuck around the front of Ishtar's tower to train more techniques.
From basics like vanishing in a puff of smoke and running up walls, to specialised techniques like Fear turning her already deadly feathers into chakra-infused darts that channelled elemental energy, or Lyd and Rina turning their weapons invisible to confound foes, Ichiban drew on his new bounty of ninja techniques to give everyone something useful. Gros and Pearl learned to turn themselves briefly insubstantial to charge through obstacles, Ray focused her sonic attack into something that could shatter bones rather than merely disorient. Even Haruhime learned a technique to replace herself with a nearby object wreathed in an illusory copy of herself so she could escape danger.
All the potential chakra promised was coming out now as Ichiban actually knew how to use it in myriad ways that would have been way too complicated to figure out from scratch but were easy to teach when everyone had their abilities boosted by Domain of the Hero.
Yet even while working to such productive ends they were able to have fun. Entering a strip club where Ray wanted to see the 'dancing' she was promised earlier initially had the xenos getting more attention than the dancers, but soon they were able to settle in and enjoy the show, making sure of course to give the performers real valis since they were all here as themselves not their clones.
Between the exoticism of the xenos, their big spending habits, Ichiban's own local fame, and Rina being fresh off the big event of her own level up, they didn't have any shortage of pretty ladies eager to make them feel at home, the drinks and good times rolling much like it had that first night here with Mord's crew before everything went to hell.
300 – Titanic Hydra (merged with Millwood Battle Axe)
League of Legends
This heavy, pointed axe is a powerful, crushing weapon. When the Titanic Hydra strikes a foe, it will create a shockwave from the point of impact that spreads out in a cone, damaging foes behind the target. The Titanic's blows become more vicious the more lifeforce the wielder holds, the power of its blows increasing with the lifeblood of its wielder.
League of Legends
This heavy, pointed axe is a powerful, crushing weapon. When the Titanic Hydra strikes a foe, it will create a shockwave from the point of impact that spreads out in a cone, damaging foes behind the target. The Titanic's blows become more vicious the more lifeforce the wielder holds, the power of its blows increasing with the lifeblood of its wielder.
Nothing bad happened tonight though. Rina's axe, which she was keeping under the table and out of sight, did change at one point, its head becoming heavier and with an additional point past the tip. To his magical senses it gave off a feeling of impact, and he told Rina as much. She'd have to test it properly next time they were in the Dungeon, but it was surely upgraded in some fashion.
They didn't want to leave Pearl out on her own too long though so they only stayed for a few performances. Even that small taste of the night-life was enough for the xenos to be chattering excitedly as they left with dancers encouraging them to come back soon.
"I was a little tempted to join in," Ray admitted as they stepped back out onto the street where Pearl was letting a pair of signboard-toting bunny-girls sit on her back and commiserating over being stuck outside whether for advertising or because you just don't fit inside buildings. "But I was scared, what if I took off my clothes and people saw me as a monster?"
"They wouldn't!" Haruhime insisted as she stepped out with them, holding the camera and an increasingly full satchel of photographs she'd been taking. "It's not just about the clothes, Lady Ray. You're elegant and beautiful, and people can tell you don't mean harm. Even Lord Lyd and Lord Gros have a peaceful and charming manner I've been able to see since I met you all."
"Haha, you hear that Gros? She thinks you're charming!" Lyd teased his friend, earning a grumble in response. Though really, neither of them had anything on Let who was stumbling out after the group with several lipstick marks decorating his face and a dazed look in his eyes.
Haruhime had already diverted herself onto snapping a picture of Pearl and her new friends posed so casually while serving as a juxtaposition of form and proof of how even the strange such as her can be adapted to and accepted in the daily life of Orario, while Ichiban suggested they call it a night. "Lets go check in on the clones, then we can call it a night? You guys can stay at mine and Pearl's place, get some rest before you have to go back down into the Dungeon tomorrow?" he suggested.
"Speaking of, when are we going back down?" Rina asked.
"Maybe the day after tomorrow?" he wasn't sure, "Depends on when Tsubaki finishes with Yankimaru. Naaza probably wants a day to work on her potions too, although if I teach her the clone technique she can just leave one of them to work in the shop for her."
Rina's eyes widened at that particular utility and then her shoulders slumped. "See, I was excited at first at the thought of being a one woman harem, but that actually means I'm going to be working a lot of extra shifts, doesn't it?"
"Just do what you love and it won't feel like work," he could only respond with a platitude to that as they went to rejoin their other selves, the Ichiban clones having sensed them coming of course and gotten everyone to line up and bow politely to their arrival. Then the clones all popped themselves, and the whole group froze up with the sudden influx of new memories and experiences.
Ichiban couldn't help but smile smugly at it. "See? That's what it's like for me when I suddenly get new abilities dropped on me. Confusing, isn't it?"
He got a round of dazed nods followed by bubbling excitement as people started testing out their new ninja skills. "I'll say, but this is really convenient! What an amazing technique!" Rina gushed, her axe turning into a wispy phantom of smoke as she twirled it in her grasp. "The Dungeon won't know what hit it!"
On that happy note they parted ways, Rina and Haruhime staying behind while Ichiban and his crew of friendly monsters took their photo album of the night and left, a fairly lengthy walk through the night-time streets of Orario before they reached the place he'd rented outside the city walls. It was basically a cottage adjacent to a stable meant for the horses and carts that came and went from the city. The stable was just big enough for Pearl to get a roof over her head, and while the cottage was pretty crowded with their guests it was no big deal for xenos used to sleeping on the bare rock of the Dungeon. A few blankets and pillows were luxury for them, and a peaceful night passed.
Of course Ichiban hadn't really done much shopping for himself, so there was no home-cooked breakfast in the morning. However it wasn't far to get back onto the city and then take advantage of the many street food vendors as they started the new day. They stopped off at some clothing stores where the xenos basically blew most of their money on a heap of clothes in various sizes and styles, all stuff they could just bring back and let their friends play with, and once they reached Babel they parted ways.
"I'll stop by and visit next time I'm down on the middle floors," Ichiban promised them.
"You might see us before then!" Lyd answered, taking one last look at the bright blue sky overhead. "Now we can teleport we'll be bringing more of our friends up to see this. Some might even stay up here, now we know we can live in peace among humans."
"Some of us have to stay in the Dungeon though," Gros said firmly. "So any newborns can find us and have a place of safety."
"Well if you ever need help down there or up here, you can count on me," Ichiban promised, giving hearty handshakes to the male xenos and then being hugged by the female ones. It wasn't really just because they were women, but lacking hands made them want to express the same sentiment through solid physical contact, and then with waves and good wishes they descended into the Dungeon amidst all the other adventurers starting their own days, no fright or battle ensuing from their by now recognised presence.
"Come on Pearl, time to go see how Yankimaru's doing," he said after the xenos vanished from sight, heading up the street towards the Hephaestus familia workshop. Pearl did have to once more wait on the street while Ichiban went through the alley around the back where he'd dropped the robot off with Tsubaki several days ago, where he saw she'd now built a scaffold around him which added to the super robot vibe he had. The brassy colour of his plating was now augmented with a shiny golden hue from the orichalcum that had replaced much of his structure, and his beard was once more complete. Of course the real changes were under the hood, but he looked ready to go.
"Yo, Tsubaki!" he called over to the smith who was pounding something else over an anvil, turning with one eye to look at him before she smiled and got up to stand proudly by the remodelled robot. "Yankimaru's looking good, you all done with him?"
"We won't know for sure until you turn him back on, but I think so," she said, grinning up at her handiwork. "Lady Hephaestus was real shocked when she saw that crystal you wanted me to use for his new power source. Not as shocked as I was yesterday when I suddenly felt myself come alive with all that new strength myself, gave me a bunch of ideas and the work just flew by after that. That was you too, yeah?"
He nodded, glad word had gotten around enough he didn't need to keep explaining it too much. "New ability, calling it Domain of the Hero," he confirmed, still barely feeling much of a drain from it even after having his device keep it running overnight.
"Hah!" she laughed at the name and he refused to feel self-conscious over it. It wasn't a mean laugh anyway as she went on, "Sounds about right. Anyway, Yankimaru will be a lot tougher with the orichalcum plating, I redid his axe and hammer the same so they'll stand up to the force he puts out. I'm just not sure how he'll actually move without turning him on, so… you gonna do it?"
Hell yeah, he was waiting for this. Summoning the device, he pressed the command button and declared, "Yankimaru, all system go!"
"Main system turn on!" the helpful English speaking voice of the wand declared.
There was a woosh, not the usual discharge of steam but instead a rush of air flowing towards Yankimaru as he straightened up within his gantry. It picked up rapidly, Tsubaki's one visible eye widening as her hair first flapped in the wind before she was lifted off her feet and flew crashing into Yankimaru.
"Yankimaru, what are-" Ichiban got out before the device was ripped from his hand and soared across the yard to slam into the robot's chest with a loud clang right beside Tsubaki. His own feet started to lose traction, pulled along the ground by the increasing suction drawing everything towards the robot now powered by an almighty mystical gem of wind.
"Mrooowl!" a cat that had been scampering along the wall around the workshop yard dug its claws vainly into the dirt as it too was dragged into the increasingly powerful vortex.
"Cat! No!" as its grip failed and it started lifting into the air, Ichiban pushed himself into a powerful chakra-infused leap to catch the flailing feline in mid-air before being swept into the whirlwind himself, crashing through the scaffold and colliding his back against one of Yankimaru's armoured shoulders.
"Ichiban, turn it off!" Tsubaki yelled, even her high tier adventurer strength struggling to move where the suction was most powerful right next to Yankimaru. It was getting worse farther out though, tools and weapons lifted off their racks and flying like bullets across the yard to crash into Yankimaru while Ichiban did his best to shield the cat with his body.
"Barrier set!"
Even out of his hand the device was able to pull on his mana, automatically putting up force-fields to catch the flying objects that fell against it like rain. Hey, it responded to verbal commands now and was synched up to Yankimaru, he shouldn't even need to push the button? "Device, make Yankimaru stop the wind!" he yelled.
"Wind system off!"
Abruptly the wind ended, Ichiban tumbling to the ground now he was no longer held up against the robot by a localised typhoon. He let go of the cat which bolted off with an aggrieved yowl while Tsubaki staggered away, several guys from her familia having ran out just in time to catch the tail end.
The yard was a mess, even anvils had started being dragged across the ground by the wind at the end there, they were lucky he and Tsubaki hasn't been bombarded. "Okay… shit," he panted, surprised and overwhelmed by the sudden crisis. "It works without the wind, right? Yankimaru, raise your arm?"
The robot did so, proving it would in fact respond to orders… orders he wasn't even holding the control rod to give. The expanded function of the device at least seemed to translate to making Yankimaru a bit more user friendly. He still picked it up from where it had fallen. "Okay, just… just keep the wind system off for now, we'll figure out how to use it safely when we're in the Dungeon. You can move around otherwise?"
It was almost eerie the way the robot proceeded to rotate and lever all of its joints at once to verify its range of motion before the helpful if unnecessarily foreign voice of the device reported, "Ambulatory systems operational, my Master!"
Ambulatory? If you're going to speak English at least use easy words!
"Okay, it seems like he's working at least. And the crystal's definitely doing something," he said to Tsubaki who was standing up and smoothing down her hakama pants.
"Yeah, I mostly just followed the original design, so might be trial and error seeing how it integrates, but the new plating's first rate," she promised, recovering from the shock of the sudden windstorm and looking towards the other smiths that had rushed out. "Oi, if you've got time to look you've got time to put all this mess back to rights!" she yelled with all the authority of a familia captain, sending her underlings scurrying to look busy.
He'd already paid her for her labour with money he earned from the sale of the Black Amphisbaena's stone plus what Naaza distributed from sales of her miracle regeneration potion, but there was no reason not to do Tsubaki another solid and have someone else spreading around ninja techniques so he offered, "Hey, before I head off I figured out a chakra technique that lets you clone yourself. Want me to teach you?"
"Okay this I've gotta see," she said, tossing her ponytail back over her shoulder and gesturing for him to show her. The almost indulgent look on her face faded into shocked surprise when he did the kage no bunshin for her, her one visible eye wide and her jaw falling open. "No way. This isn't an illusion, there's actually two of you? And you can teach it?" she asked, poking him and his clone in the chest to verify her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
"Totally real!" he said in stereo, grinning back at her. "The clone can't take a lot of punishment and it uses half your energy, but otherwise it's the same as having another you around."
Whether it was because he'd gotten better at teaching from showing everyone last night or it was the difference of Tsubaki's higher level and control, she took right to the technique and pretty soon there were four of her in the yard, one going right back to the smithing he'd seen her doing when he arrived, one bossing around her underlings, and one rushing right on out of there on some kind of errand.
"Lady Hephaestus is gonna be thrilled, I'd fallen way behind on other orders dealing with your stuff, but now I can get caught right up," the last Tsubaki said, lingering with him. "I bet this would be great in the Dungeon too, you could be your own supporter!"
"Well, you'd still only have yourself for company, it'd be kind of lonely," Ichiban said, having at least considered the possibility of storming the Dungeon with an army of clones, but it wouldn't be as fun as doing it with a party of brave allies no matter how comfortable he was with his own company. "Anyway, do me a favour and spread it around? I've already taught a few people, there's no reason to keep it secret or anything."
"I don't really offer training outside my own familia, but I'll at least try teaching some friends outside ourselves if you don't get to them first," she answered, which was probably as good as he was going to get.
Bidding the blacksmith farewell, he and Yankimaru went back out onto the street where Pearl was thrilled to see her old perch back in action.
"Look at you, so shiny!" she cooed, leaning close and sniffing at the impassive giant robot which stood tall enough she didn't have to contort herself downwards as she would to get her head close to someone normally. "He smells like Aria," her tone turned confused and then her eyebrow twitched. "Shut up you annoying brat, it's Yankimaru, not Aria. You thought sweet-cheeks was Aria, everyone's Aria to you!" she complained to the voice in her head.
At least she wasn't burning a hole in the ground with her plasma breath, content just to bicker in a distracted but not enraged fashion. "Yeah, it's that wind crystal, remember? We got it plugged into his power core so it should make him stronger, but we can't really test it out here," he explained, little as she seemed to be paying attention with the voice in her head distracting her.
He wondered if he should be more concerned about someone of Pearl's power dealing with a weird voice in her head, but she seemed to have a handle on it.
With Pearl talking to herself and Yankimaru remaining silent as ever, the trio crossed the road over towards the Pantheon, Ichiban ordering Yankimaru to watch Pearl and Pearl to watch Yankimaru while he went inside. It was fairly quiet, being the middle of the day, meaning he had a free line up to go bug his favourite civil servant.
"Hey Rose, how's it going?" he grinned at the severe red-haired werewolf.
"Busy, Mr. Kasuga," she answered, though she didn't seem particularly stressed by it even as she looked up from the book she was writing in, a whole lot of numbers there as far as Ichiban could see. "The amount of magic stones brought out has been increasing beyond projections since most adventurers acquired chakra and the spells from the re-usable grimoires, and then there was a surge yesterday no doubt because of your power boosting effect. Today's going to be the first full day seeing the effects of it, so we're all bracing for it here and trying to determine the long term economic impact."
Now that he looked he could see that even if the Guild workers weren't dealing with lines of adventurers they all seemed to be busy filling out documents, moving boxes around, and clattering around abacuses.
"Yeah, I'm gonna keep Domain of the Hero running as long as I'm around," he promised, "But if I make it to the bottom of the Dungeon and find a way back home, it'll run out then."
150 – Tier 1 Tomes (Titanium)
Endless Legend
Tomes are some of the most powerful arcane relics on Auriga, costing a small fortune each to make. Within them exist powerful rituals that can reshape the land and people within. Each can affect roughly 50 miles, and project from the tome itself.
Titanium: This focuses the mind to a needle point, allowing for impossible feats of concentration and focus. The overall intelligence of those working under the Tome holder is increased by 50%. A must have in every Vaulter lab.
Glassteel: One of the most valuable tomes, this contains spells that rouse Dust from its slumber, kicking it up into Dust devils. Drawing Dust into a single place makes it far easier to harvest, and it seems to call Dust upon the wind, always bringing enough back to the lands to harvest. No true Broken Lord is without one.
Adamantium: This tome contains powerful geomancy, allowing the holder to call metal up from the depths of the earth. It takes time for the ore to rise to the surface, but it greatly increases mining output.
Palladium: Within this distressingly warm and... breathing... tome are spells that cause vegetation to explode into life, growing rapidly to suit the will of the holder. Farm output is doubled, and no matter where the holder goes, there is always enough native flora and fauna to support them and their troops.
Dust: Within this Dust infused scroll, you find hints of Endless Wisdom. Sadly, it is only about killing others. While under the effects of this Tome, warriors train harder and faster, rapidly turning into an expert fighting force in a matter of months, not years.
Endless Legend
Tomes are some of the most powerful arcane relics on Auriga, costing a small fortune each to make. Within them exist powerful rituals that can reshape the land and people within. Each can affect roughly 50 miles, and project from the tome itself.
Titanium: This focuses the mind to a needle point, allowing for impossible feats of concentration and focus. The overall intelligence of those working under the Tome holder is increased by 50%. A must have in every Vaulter lab.
Glassteel: One of the most valuable tomes, this contains spells that rouse Dust from its slumber, kicking it up into Dust devils. Drawing Dust into a single place makes it far easier to harvest, and it seems to call Dust upon the wind, always bringing enough back to the lands to harvest. No true Broken Lord is without one.
Adamantium: This tome contains powerful geomancy, allowing the holder to call metal up from the depths of the earth. It takes time for the ore to rise to the surface, but it greatly increases mining output.
Palladium: Within this distressingly warm and... breathing... tome are spells that cause vegetation to explode into life, growing rapidly to suit the will of the holder. Farm output is doubled, and no matter where the holder goes, there is always enough native flora and fauna to support them and their troops.
Dust: Within this Dust infused scroll, you find hints of Endless Wisdom. Sadly, it is only about killing others. While under the effects of this Tome, warriors train harder and faster, rapidly turning into an expert fighting force in a matter of months, not years.
As he gave the warning, a book suddenly appeared in his hand, a bluish metallic cover around its pages, and a palpable feeling of magic emanating from it, like he was holding a school or a library in his hand.
"Oh. It's my first time seeing that happen," Rose said, her eyes widening briefly before she leaned over her desk to stare at the newly arrived magical artifact in Ichiban's grasp. "It just appeared."
"Yeah. Heh, remember when we first met and I zoned out? That was another one giving me magic, but sometimes it's items like the scrolls. And this. Huh," he opened it while leaning over and holding it so Rose could see as well.
The Tome of Titanium.
Following the rituals and meditative exercises detailed within this tome, the bearer will find their mind focused to a superhuman level of sharpness and clarity. The benefits pass on to those who work under the tome holder, increasing their overall intelligence by 50%.
Step One. The mantra of clarity…
It went on like that, the words written in the local language which Ichiban could read just fine by now. "You seeing this?" he asked Rose.
"Y-yes," she agreed, stumbling briefly over her words. "That's… quite an artifact."
He closed it and put it down on her desk. "Why don't you take it?" he offered. "It sounds like it's more suited to someone working with a team on the kind of problems you've been talking about more than I could use it. Heh, might even get you a promotion, as if you haven't already earned one dealing with all my crap," he laughed good-naturedly.
This one definitely made up for the necromancy in terms of being well-timed and considerate.
"It hasn't been that much trouble," she demurred, which was nice of her to say but he'd seen her face when he walked in with a bunch of magic scrolls last time, he knew she was just being polite.
"Just take it," he insisted. "All the other stuff's been great for the adventurers, but you've helped me from the start just like Naaza had, you deserve more than this."
She put her hand on the book's cover and slid it closer to her side of the desk, nodding. "I won't refuse your generosity, Ichiban," she said gently, gaze fixed on him rather than the book now as she asked, "You really think you'll reach the bottom of the Dungeon and find a way back to your own world there?"
It was all he had to go on, and he told her as much. "No one else has any clues, so the only place I can try is the one place no one's been," he said, using the faultless logic of a hero progressing the main quest. His only other hope was that he'd just randomly get given a dimensional travel magic, and that just didn't feel like the kind of thing that happened even with how crazy his gifts had gotten.
"When we first spoke I was sure I wouldn't see you again because you'd get yourself killed in the Dungeon," she said, shifting her gaze and not really looking at him."It's only been two weeks and still I find I've gotten used to you coming by with a smile and an upheaval of my routine. Now I almost…" she trailed off, blinking several times and then picking up the book to hold against her chest as she met his eyes again. "Forgive me. Of course I hope you find what you're looking for in the Dungeon, Mr. Kasuga. Now I should really get to work studying this tome. Thank you," she gave him a stiff bow before going through one of the doors to the back of the Pantheon.
He heard a thump nearby and glanced over to see Eina at her desk. "Ahaha! Banged my knee!" she said, innocently waving her gloved hands and then casting, "Cure!" and covering herself with sparkly lights. "All better! Please come by again, Mr. Kasuga!"
"… right. You be careful there, Eina," he returned with a nod before walking back out of the Pantheon, his awareness spreading as he set foot on solid stone outside after being on a floor of wood and carpet inside. "Yo Pearl, lets head over to visit Naaza?" he suggested, starting on the familiar path to the Blue Pharmacy.
Not that Pearl could actually get inside, but she was happy enough to go around wherever Ichiban went, or at least as close as she could manage at her proportions.
"Welcome, honoured customer," Miach's smooth voice sounded after the jingling of the bell with Ichiban stepped through, the god bowing to greet him before straightening up. Instead of his usual black robes he was wearing a long dark blue coat exposing a ruffled brown waistcoat and white shirt with a bow tie on it.
"That's how you greet a customer, be more like Lord Miach," Naaza told Orin who was dressed in the same kind of outfit except without the coat. Naaza herself was wearing a dark blue dress with a white collar and pockets, buttons all up one side that kind of had the feel of an old-fashioned nurse uniform. The white hat she had on was a lot like the one he'd seen Airmid wearing, except with a blue rather than yellow trim.
"That's a hard act to follow!" Orin whined at being compared with the effortlessly charismatic deity even as everyone relaxed because it was Ichiban and not a 'real' customer.
"Yo," he waved. "Got the new uniforms sorted out? Everyone's looking real sharp," he said approvingly, looking over the well-dressed trio.
"Thank you, Ichiban," Miach said genially. "I wasn't sure at first, but we do feel more prosperous dressed up like this," he chuckled and pulled on the lapels of his coat. "You arrived just in time for their debut."
"I like it!" he said encouragingly, casting his gaze over the trio. "Really gives the place a more professional feeling."
"Lord Dian Cecht will be in for a surprise next time he comes over," Naaza said smugly, turning her nose up. "So did everything go okay with the xenos?" she then asked more conversationally.
"Oh yeah, they all headed back down earlier but they had a good night last night," Ichiban said, relaying a quick summary of their adventures in the Entertainment District. Considerably more mild than his first night's adventure there. "… and yeah, that whole thing with the ninja clones, it seems anyone with chakra can learn it, so I can teach you right now. Maybe Orin as well if I give you chakra?" he offered that last part to the elf who despite having joined the Hestia familia remained committed to being a non-combatant.
"So wait, if I can learn this technique and make myself into two people and both work here, does that mean I get paid twice as well?" he asked.
"N-no!" Naaza almost choked on her words as she blurted out a hurried denial. "It's still just you!"
"Oh," Orin slumped in disappointment. "Well, I'll give it a try. I can show Bell if it works and he can use it in the Dungeon."
Naaza picked up the technique quickly, though interestingly her clones came out with more energy than anyone else's, a magic circle glowing under her feet when she called out, "Kage no bunshin!" before resolving into a pair of dog-girls each perhaps carrying two thirds as much energy as the original.
"It's unorthodox but it's still a spell, so my Mage development ability supports it," she said when Ichiban pointed out the discrepancy in her use compared with everyone else he'd seen. "All the more reason to be glad I picked that one."
She wound up splitting herself into three with no strain, one going off to run some errands, another brewing potions in the back, and the third helping run the store and seeing to other customers who came in while Ichiban tried to teach Orin how to use chakra and then turn it into the clone technique.
Despite spending a while at it however, he wasn't able to pull it off even when he was definitely moving his chakra in the right way and pulling off the hand-sign correctly. "I think you just don't have enough energy for it," he could only conclude. Haruhime had been level one as well but clearly she had some experience building up her statistics, while Orin was completely fresh. "Try and remember for showing Bell later, he might have more luck, in the meantime exercise and practice more with magic and chakra, see if it comes when you build up your core abilities."
Leaving the disappointed elf to chew on that, he checked in on one of the Naazas. "Think you'll be okay to go into the Dungeon again tomorrow, see if we can make it properly deep this time?"
She nodded seriously while ladling something from her cauldron into a vial. "I'll pack for several days, make sure you do as well," she suggested. "This potion used that magic blood you gave me, it restores mind and boosts the power of magic spells for a few minutes after drinking. With everyone knowing Cure, I need to branch out past healing potions."
"Nice. Make sure to bring a couple down with us. I've got a feeling this next trip could go all the way. Unless we run into something weird again like the xenos, we can just keep going."
The small smile on Naaza's face flattened into a serious look and she nodded. "I won't doubt it, not after everything I've seen. I'll be ready for the journey."
Nodding to her resolve, he bid farewell to the Blue Pharmacy and went back out to rejoin the ever patient Pearl and Yankimaru, finding at least that the former had found a way to amuse herself by singing for the crowds on the street. Not as busy here as when she'd been doing it in the plaza outside of Babel, but it still seemed just as appreciated. He stuck around to let her finish her set before they set off on another walk. Just a man and his robot and chimeric dragon-pigeon taking in the sights and sounds of Orario as afternoon bled into evening.
He could feel it deep inside himself. Once he set foot in the Dungeon tomorrow, that was going to be it. No more conspiracies, no more hidden factions, no more twists. Just him and his friends against the Dungeon that had threatened the world for over a thousand years, using all their new tricks and power to descend until either the Dungeon grew too deadly even for them, or they reached the bottom.
The bottom where he was banking on finding answers, based on nothing more than a gut feeling about how stories and games worked. But that gut feeling remained strong, just as his feeling of finality regarding his last day in Orario while he wandered around and just took in the ambience.
If he was wrong, he'd feel silly of course. But it wouldn't be so bad to come back up here and stay with the friends he'd made. This city wasn't perfect, but it had welcomed him all the same. From the humble debt-ridden potion shop to the elite familias that effectively ruled the city, from the dignified Guild workers to the more silly people waitressing tables or selling fried potato snacks… and hell, one of those silly waitresses was also the seductive leader of the top familia.
Be like getting in a cab and finding it driven by the chairman of the Tojo Clan.
Either way, they'd all welcomed Ichiban and made him feel at home in this fantastical environment. They'd overcome their own biases to accept Pearl and the xenos he befriended down in the Dungeon. Orario had heart, and he'd miss it if he found a way home. And if he had to stay, it wouldn't be the worst place for him to build a new life.
300 – Void Staff (merged with dwemer centurion control rod)
League of Legends
This plain wooden pole inset with blue crystals may seem innocuous, but it's infused with the insidious energy of the Void. This weapon lends the piercing nothingness of the void to its wielder's magic, allowing them to tear through magical defenses as if they were nothing.
League of Legends
This plain wooden pole inset with blue crystals may seem innocuous, but it's infused with the insidious energy of the Void. This weapon lends the piercing nothingness of the void to its wielder's magic, allowing them to tear through magical defenses as if they were nothing.
But he had a life of his own to get back to, one he'd spent eighteen years in prison for. He wasn't going to give up on it until he'd tried everything he could to get it back. So, after one last circuit around Orario, he and Pearl and Yankimaru went back to the place he was staying where at least two of them could sleep.
The next day they got up early, Yankimaru being stowed away in an off-brand pokeball, with Pearl needing the same once they got to Babel but as she didn't care for it they walked through Orario together so he could just mafuba her at the last minute and let her back out once in the Dungeon.
There were plenty of other people out and starting their own business early, carts rolling in from nearby farms to feed the city, shops being opened up, and of course adventurers converging on the middle of the city from all over to begin their own dives into the Dungeon, no doubt finding new limits as they explored the capabilities they had under Domain of the Hero.
Which would be getting stronger the deeper Ichiban went as well. Luckily if he did leave abruptly everyone going anywhere deep should know teleport so they could get out in a hurry. There wasn't really any way to sugarcoat it, taking away an ability like that was always going to have consequences.
Regardless, there were friendly faces all around greeting him and Pearl as they reached Babel and waited for the rest of their party. Despite Rina's talk of needing huge expeditions to make it anywhere deep, being able to create shadow clones to guard a camp and having the ability to teleport out instantly from any depth greatly simplified logistics.
Naaza was first to find him, back in her usual sweater and skirt rather than the uniform she'd worn in the pharmacy, a big backpack over her shoulders and an endless quiver of arrows at her hip. "Good morning, Ichiban," she called when she got close, turning to look at the big grey tower stretching up over their heads. "Today's the big one, huh?"
"Well, today and tomorrow and the day after besides… we're gonna be down there a while," he answered, giving her an encouraging grin. "You ready?"
She nodded, turning back to look up at him. "I'll support you as far as I'm able to. Being able to teleport out when I reach my limit makes it a lot easier."
"No kidding," Rina said as she weaved through the crowd to join them, carrying a backpack of her own rather than travelling light as she'd done on previous trips. "It's nice when you reach the top few floors, but otherwise the trip back is always the worst part. You're at your weakest, morale's low from hitting whatever forced you to turn back, and you've probably just used up a bunch of healing supplies or had a weapon break. All this magic completely changes things." She smiled at the three of them before looking up at Babel as Naaza had done, "So, this time we're going as deep as we can?"
"All the way to the bottom," Ichiban agreed, taking a deep breath and psyching himself up, even if he knew the start of the journey would be nothing more than routine. "Lets do this."
Author's Notes said:
