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The walk up to the place called Rivira wasn't smooth sailing, or rather it was, but not so much for Aamon, who was on edge for the entire ride. Traveling near the center of the pack so as to avoid any sort of monsters that happened to spawn on their way up, the white-haired youth learned first hand that the forest he had woken up on was only one of many floors that contained bloodthirsty beasts. Traversing through the various twists and turns the "Dungeon" had to offer, Aamon also managed to gather quite a bit of information by simultaneously watching the environment around him and listening in on those who were close by.
So much so that even though he had lost all memory, he reckoned that he had a firm grasp on how everything functioned.
Or a good chunk of it.
For starters, the group he was a part of was a coalition of sorts made up of differing factions called Familias, namely groups of adventurers that functioned like parties or guilds. This current "expedition" was led by the Loki Familia, a rather strong group of Dungeon divers directed by the same guy Aamon had talked to, Finn Deimne. He didn't really have clues about a few terms that were thrown around, such as "levels", "gods and goddesses", "Monster Rex's", and plenty of other unrecognizable drivel that he set to the side, but he felt a lot better than before about things. He wasn't completely in the dark, and that by itself was pretty satisfying.
As for the location, he managed to get some answers out of those nearby, asking other people near him such as a blonde girl named Ais Wallestein, a quiet girl with a moutful of a last name, Tione Hiryute, sister to Tiona, and Tsubaki Collbrande, an eye patched woman who requested to get a good look at his weapon.
The place was simply known as "The Dungeon," meaning it was singular. Only one existed. The Dungeon was a chasm made up of multiple floors that ran far down into the depths of the earth, shifting and reforming as it went. From the way Aamon was told, it sounded like it had no bottom, or at least it was unknown just how far down it stretched. The Loki Familia and others had gone on an expedition to the 49th floor to simultaneously train and gather some items that had been requested by other factions, meaning that there were at the very least 50 or so floors. Each floor spawned monsters with the occasional exceptions, such as the much repeated town of Rivira.
Also known as the 18th Floor.
The floor that Aamon had been on and where Tiona had managed to rescue him was the 30th floor, in a place called the Dense Forest Ravine. The coalition had been wandering by on pure chance, and the young Amazon noticed some commotion and wandered to it looking for some fun. No one else was around, no signs of any dead bodies either or signs of commotion.
"In other words, you're one lucky bastard," Tione said, cutting into some Information Tsubaki was giving him. "Most adventurers don't get so lucky on the lower floors."
"The lower you go," Ais chipped in during the moment of silence caused by the large chested Amazon. "...The stronger the monsters."
(("Then the only point of going lower is to find items and train yourself to go further,")) Aamon surmised, not even paying attention to what they were actually trying to tell him. (("Was I a strong adventurer who pushed himself too far?"))
Though, that didn't exactly add up no matter how the white-haired youth spun it.
If he had been some kind of adventurer exploring the deep confines of the 30th floor, by himself, which seemed to be an enormous feat in and of itself, then why was he so weak. Why did everyone seem so much stronger than he himself was? Even as they went further up, he could still feel the danger emanating from every monster the group encountered, their blood red eyes fixating on him like he was a five-star meal. If he had truly made it to the 30th Floor alone, then logic would dictate that the monsters above would be somewhat easier for him to manage, if not outright easy.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Unless there was some unknown beast that could block memories and hinder strength, he most likely wasn't any sort of super powerful explorer.
He was just a guy that got extremely lucky.
At some point or another, the floor shifted from a forest to a regular stone path, though with the walls being rather damp and the air heavier with some kind of water vapor. Having been walking for a while, Aamon assumed they were about to arrive at the spot Tiona referred to as Water City.
Aamon's senses having stayed heightened through all the danger surrounding him, it wasn't too long before the youth could eventually hear it long before he saw it.
The roar of a waterfall.
As the amalgamation of Familias made their way through the passage, the sound became clearer and clearer until eventually, even those without enhanced hearing could pick up on it. The pounding echo of endless gallons of water pouring into the water basin below. Even without being told, Aamon was already aware of just how amazing it was gonna look.
And sure enough, as soon as the Familias stepped out of the passage, the youths neon purple hues was nearly overloaded by how much there was to see.
For starters, there was water everywhere. It wasn't even an understatement. Apart from some decently sized walkways and passages that lead upwards, the entire floor was full of crystal clear liquid. Obviously, there was the waterfall, an enormous tower of constantly tumbling H²O, water that eventually transferred into an ever flowing channel of sorts. On various ends, pools of numerous sizes could be seen, each interconnected in some way or form with one another, no doubt letting monsters native to the floor move around. In simple terms, it was quite the sight to behold, even if it was just as dangerous as the other floors had been.
"I guess this is your first time seeing the floor huh?" Tiona questioned curiously, eyeing Aamon's face as they walked forward. The youth wasn't sure how long she had been watching him, only that she was standing next to him, hands clasped behind her back as she walked in step. "It's pretty amazing, dontcha think?"
Aamon noted a new feeling he had just unlocked, a feeling of amazement and wonder, something that he probably would have gotten either way with how many things he was witnessing. It had only been a few hours since he had awoken, and here he was scouring through the most dangerous but probably one of the most beautiful places he would likely ever see. A maze of waterways and passages that could potentially lead a small group of adventurers to their death but at the same time held an amazing scenery that could capture the eyes.
"I wonder if it's actually my first time," Aamon replied, glancing at the curious Amazon, neon purple hues meeting her own green ones. "I'm not very strong but I still feel like maybe I did something as an adventurer. I don't remember it but maybe I've visited it before."
Tiona didn't say anything at first, merely walking along, eyes shifting away from the youths gaze. It was rather difficult to tell what was going through her mind, which was kinda interesting since Aamon hadn't actually had a problem reading her facial expressions before. The energetic girl was one of the few people so far that Aamon could say wore their heart on their sleeve, keeping an upbeat attitude and a bright smile that brimmed with confidence. For him to not know what she was pondering, he could only imagine what was going through her head.
Groooahhh!!!
The sound of Tiona's stomach gave it away.
"I'm hungry."
(("Not exactly what I thought it'd be,")) Aamon let out a small sigh, shaking his head, mentally adding exasperation to the list of available emotions.
"We could catch us some fish and cook something up," Tione suggested, looking like she wanted to dive straight in.
"That won't be needed," Riveria chimed in, causing the ample bossomed Amazon to flinch. "Some of the supporters have rations available. If you really can't wait, then have some of those."
"Is it even safe to jump in the waters?" Aamon questioned, walking over to the edge of the rushing basin just underneath the waterfall. He ran his hands along the surface of it, giving it a light tap before rubbing it off on his pants. "We're still in the dungeon after all."
"It's fine," Tione waved dismissively. "I'm an excellent swimmer."
"I don't think that's-"
"Aamon, get away from the water," Riveria instructed. "It's dangerous."
It was as if the world had heard her words and sought to show how true they were. The moments the final syllables exited her mouth, the water near the white-haired youth bubbled rapidly, quickly becoming more and more active each millisecond that passed.
The water erupted, exploding outwards as a large noodle rose from the depths, a thick 10 meter long serpent with blood red eyes similar to that of monsters seen previously. It's body was reminiscent to that of an eel while its head was that of a serpent, making it a sort of oddity when paired when its sea green scales. When it opened its mouth, preparing to attack, Aamon could see a set of razor sharp pearly white and two sets of fangs. The white-haired youth didn't even have time to react before the lightning fast giant struck out, launching towards him without hesitation.
For a big ąss snake, he moved quick.
"Aqua Serpent!!" Aamon heard someone shout before he was forcefully yanked backward, practically hurled away from the waters edge.
Slamming into the ground, the young man skidded a bit before he was halted by Tiona, prevented from falling into a separate pool of water. Quickly readjusting himself, Aamon was just in time to see a grey haired male slamming his foot into the Serpents head, blasting a hole in it with sheer strength. The male had wolf ears and tail, a grey jacket and black pants, though it was difficult to say what he fully looked like as all Aamon could see was his backside.
"Are you okay?" Ais asked, hand on the hilt of her sword.
"I've been better," Aamon admitted, lifting himself back onto his feet. "Guess the waters aren't that safe on the surface either."
"Gee, what makes you say that?" Tione said sarcastically with a shake of her head. "It was stupid of you to get that close."