Chapter 3: THE DEAL AT THE TAVERN

"......Gold?"

Alter's mind was hazy, unconsciously calling to his partner. But she did not replied. Slightly opening his eyes, he noticed that both of them were calmly floating, and there was nothing but blue in the surroundings. His body was stiff, but he felt refreshed as if he had slept for an eternity.

"Where.. where are we?"

Examining his surroundings and the sleeping Gold, he failed to comprehend the situation. Drowsiness overtook his mind, and he slowly fell asleep, not noticing the intense vibrations indicating a fierce fight currently happening nearby. Before he completely lose consciousness, he made one baffled remark.

"Was Gold always that small?"

_________________________________________________________________________

If someone ask for a place to acquire information, lodging, food service, jobs and good ol' wine, there would be no better place than a tavern. Notorious as a stage for drunken fist fights, gathering spot, backdoor deals, lover's quarrels and viral rumors, the Tavern was one of the largest building in the city of Veleia. It was also one of the oldest buildings, along with the adventurer's guild, the marketplace and the temple, dating back to the where great conflict and strife were prevalent in the ancient world.

Being adjacent to the Adventurer's Guild, the Tavern provide services from gourmet and mundane meals, to selling and buying information from legal information brokers that reside in certain parts of the Tavern. Both adventurers and normal folks come and go, and the Tavern was never empty at any point in time.

Within were different kinds of people and races. There were the rare Elves, the sturdy looking short Dwarves, and the diverse Beastmen. They were welcomed in the Romanum Imperium as long as they have citizenship. And the most numerous of all were the humans.

The people would create a ruckus here and there, boasting about their adventures. Others would spread rumors, not caring if they were the truth at all.

"It seems that something is stirring in the Northern Tribes. Peace talks with the Hellenic League were not faring well, if the barbarians attack, the Imperium might be in a pinch."

"My friend had just discovered a new type of ore near Mount Vesuvius. The blacksmith god might visit him any time now."

"The 2nd Prince and the 2nd Princess were both gathering support from the Legion. Which side would you join?"

"Ha! I killed a Dire Wolf yesterday. Bet you can't even make a scratch against it, shorties!!"

"Oh we'll scratch you instead!! Get him boys!!!!"

The boisterous chatting and swearing filled the tavern hall. Sitting on a chair at the other end of the counter, a hooded figure was observing the surroundings. At close inspection, the conspicuous white cloak could not hide the contours of a young lady, but among the regulars of the Tavern, no one was brave enough to dare come near.

"Bart, I'll bet my money pouch there's a cutie hiding in those white clothes."

"Stop it you fool!! She's bad news I tell you. Besides, I doubt your money pouch had anything inside."

""GAHAHAHAAH!!""

The reason for their caution was due to a rumor, a large syndicate single handedly destroyed by the same white-cloaked lady and that rumor circulated throughout the city.

While some were skeptical at the start, their suspicion dispersed when a caravan filled with people who were identified to be members of the destroyed syndicate, were personally led by the mysterious hooded lady garbed in white cloak. The town's crime rate decreased as the lady continued to do subjugation quests against evildoers. Her one week stay in

Veleia already earned her a good yet scary reputation. Also considering the atmosphere around her that screams 'Mind your own business!'.

The person in question was currently sipping orange juice and eating a fruit tart, contrary to her intimidating atmosphere.

"Why was I sent here by my teacher??", she murmured, looking dejected under the hood.

SLAM!!!!!

The tavern doors were forced open. A lone man entered the tavern,carrying an air of authority. He walked brazenly to the center of the tavern.

Seeing his blue and black uniform, the people around immediately knew his purpose. It was a a'Guild Announcement'. They became interested, as nowadays a public notice from the Adventurers Guild means something important. Clearing his throat, he announced using a basic amplification magic.

"The Guild had discovered an anomaly that happened near the Town!!! A new dungeon had been discovered!"

The man's words caused a few ears to twitch. They were the information brokers. Special information should only be kept to them, and such announcements would always hinder their trade.

"The Guild had already assessed the danger level inside the dungeon!!!"

A group of expert mages of the Adventurer's Guild can know the danger level of a place using magic, a highly advanced spell used exclusively by the Guild. The difficulty was influenced by the level of threats present in the whole dungeon combined with the level of treasures that could be obtained. The levels would normally vary from for trivial item gathering, to , where beings and things normally found in legends were said to reside in.

"This is the 1st time I heard of this! Even I can't believe it!"

The guild member started talking unprofessionally, but the people, especially the adventurers did not mind as their curiosity wanted to know the held information immediately. It was then that he dropped the bombshell.

"It was labeled as a 'Mythical' dungeon!!"

The entire Tavern became dead silent for a few moment. Even the waiters stopped what they were doing and stared incredulously at the man. It was the white cloaked lady who broke the tension.

"Mythical, you say?"

The tavern became chaotic, with an uproar among the Adventurers.

"Mythical,what is that???!!!!"

"Could it be, something higher than that of 'Legendary'??!!"

"I've only heard of 'Legendary' dungeons in books, but 'Mythical'??!!"

"Legendary Swords? Priceless gems? Who could tell what riches are stored in there!!!!!"

The tavern was crowded with ecstatic people wanting to have an opportunity to explore such rare dungeon. Only a few of them though, ever thought it was great. The veteran adventurers had their bodies flowing with cold sweat.

"Oi oi!! Isn't that bad news?

"I lost half my companions in a rank dungeon. What horrors await in that one, I could not imagine."

"What is the Adventurer's Guild doing?!! The Senate should know of this immediately!!.

Fear could be seen among the veteran adventurers, as they admonished those who wanted to jump blindly at the given opportunity. The man continued his announcement.

"Unfortunately the Scouting Expedition to be held by the Guild has a level limit."

The rowdy atmosphere and noise lessened, and the people closely listened.

"Only Gold-ranked adventurers would be allowed to enter. The rest would only be allowed if threats were minimized in a dungeon level."

Boos and moans could be heard from those who wanted to go but did not meet the requirement. Only less than 10% of all adventurers in the Imperium were Gold ranked and above. The man continued.

"Since this is just a scouting expedition, an 8-man party will be formed. The expedition should start two days from now. Its main goal is to assess the real 'threats' that lie within, along with the dungeon's topography. The meeting place for those qualified will be at front of the Adventurer's Guild."

The man left, and the crowd dispersed. The tension broke and the people returned to their own business. But the announcement clearly rattled their thoughts. Lots of abnormalities had been happening recently around the world.

The hooded young lady rose from her seat. She was vexed at the fact that she was sent here by her teacher, and expected that she would find what she was looking for. The only interesting thing she ever heard was that Mythical level dungeon, but it had nothing to do with her goals.

"Better to go sleep early", she told herself. No more subjugation quests were there, so she planned to take a little break tomorrow. She suddenly halted as a sharp and sinister presence drew near to her.

"Hey miss Mysterious."

A man where the aura originated, whispered to her. The movement of the man who drew so near could not be followed by her senses. He was wearing flashy merchant clothing, and a seemingly expensive feathered hat. Some ladies would swoon over a rich and handsome guy, but the white-cloaked lady did not even notice his flashy appearance. It was his presence she was wary of.

"Can we talk for a bit?"

The man asked. His unnerving presence that only the lady had felt, made her very uncomfortable. More if she could see his creepy smile.

"Don't talk to me", she said without remorse. It was better not to associate with such sinister and shady characters.

The man's smile broke, and his mouth made a shape like an "O" figure, before breaking into laughter and showing a very amused face.

"Ahahah! So blunt to strangers are we! I like you kid!!"

"I don't like you", she immediately replied,and turned her back to leave.

"W-wait!! Wait!!! I'm here for a business proposal! Hear me out first!"

The man who sounded flustered blocked the young lady's way. His movement were indeed very quick. He still had the creepy smile plastered to his face.

"No. Don't involve me in anything funny. Your presence is suspicious, and your reek of trickery."

The man became amused at the lady's words.

"Oho?? So you can feel 'presences', huh? What's my aura look like."

"........I have no obligation to tell. Now lea-"

"Interesting... for someone blind"

"!!!"

This man is irritating, the young woman thought. How could he know such fact, since her eyes were completely covered by the hood. She wished she had left earlier.

"Please leave me alone. I'm warning you"

"Now.. now.. This should benefit you too. Don't you want to find out who were the ones responsible of your family's demise?"

"........What are you trying to say, stranger?!"

Bloodlust came from the lady, making the nearest adventurers nervous.

"I could help you find your mother's killers, Princess Tishia."

The atmosphere on the whole tavern became tense. The inexperienced adventurers cowered, and could sweat flowed from the faces of the hardened veterans, barely resisting the malice that made them felt that they were about to be judged. Contrarily,the man picked his nose, not shaken at all.

"Hoho. Such powerful will at such a young age. As expected from a goddess."

"Speak. Are you from the royal family?"

In a commanding tone, Tishia forced the man to speak. She knew that the man in front of her was trouble. But knowing her secrets, this man turned out to be more dangerous than she thought.

"Relax girl. I swear to you I am not your enemy. Feel free to judge me."

".......I still don't trust you stranger."

She did not let her guard down, but the intense atmosphere vanished, allowing the people around to breath in relief.

"Well, now that you're listening, lets go down to business shall we?"

"...........Its better be worthwhile."

Both of them sat down,facing each other. A passing waiter nervously asked for any orders.

"Aquilean Brandy, and crab meat."

".................."

"Please order. I'll pay."

"Orange Juice and fruit tart. Apple flavor."

".......pfffttt!!!"

"You have any problems?

".....No..."

After a brief exchange, the waiter left. The mood between the two became serious.

"So what do you want?"

"Its about the Mythical Dungeon. I'll cut to the chase."

Tishia was taken aback by the man who said the following words so casually.

"I need you to kill the god residing in it."

"......can you repeat that?"

"I need you to kill the god inside that mythical dungeon."

"Are you crazy? And how do you even know there's a god in there?"

"My sources told me. If you agree to the job, I will tell you more."

"And who said I would agree?"

"Because I have this."

The man opened his bag and took out a gold coin. But unlike a normal one, this had a strange motif of the Sun, and with the radiant aura she felt from the coin, she immediately knew the coin's significance.

"Oracle...... is that the token for the ?"

"Of course~"

The Oracle of Delphi. It was a sacred shrine, housed by talented oracles that were second to none, the best around the world. Located in the borders of the Hellenic League, it was sought by many people but they all lack the coin needed to pass through its magical protection. And in front of her was the token that everyone sought.

"How did you got your hands on that?"

"Agree first to the job. I'll tell you now, the Oracle may give you the answers you seek."

Those two and a half years of preparation in order to find those responsible, this must be the starting point, Tishia thought. If she accepts, there would be no turning back. But this was the perfect time to move.

"I agree."

"Thanks. Now I should tell you what I know"

"Wait, wait!! There's no magical or at least a written contract for this? What if I betray you?"

"And what if I betray you too? Of course that's not gonna happen. This is a verbal agreement between us gods."

"I should have known."

Feathered hat. Quick movements. Merchant. There's only two gods that fit that description, according to history. And if he is associated with the Hellenic League, then it narrows down to one.

". An honor for me to be visited."

"Haha. I'm flattered, goddess of Justice. Isn't your true name..."

", but don't call me that. My name is still Tishia."

It was courtesy to gods to know the other's name if they were presented theirs, even if they were enemies, even if their powers were worlds apart.

"So I'll tell you the reason for this unreasonable request. Listen carefully."

Hermes told her that the Emperor of the Hellenic League had a premonition from one of the oracles. That the god that was residing in a dungeon rated as 'Mythical' would cause the downfall of numerous empires around the world. The same premonition came upon the Demon King XI, king of Judais, a very mighty city state, and the Empress of the faraway . It was Hermes' job to collect such information for the benefit of world stability, or so he claimed.

"So..... are you telling me to go suicide against that which the gods did not dare to touch?"

"No.. no... if it were me, I'd use my to impale whatever looney was sleeping there but, unfortunately, we are all bounded by a territorial treaty that prevents us from taking action."

"Huh? Then why no ask the gods of the Imperium?"

"........ Its too dangerous. It seems that the gods here started to be affected by corruption."

"......... corruption you say?"

"Its hard to explain, but there's something wrong with most of them. Remember two years ago?"

"........."

"Most of the gods had concluded that it was the fault of an Imperial god, though we don't know who it is."

Tishia could only remain silent, her hunt for the true culprit was being narrowed.

"It's only you that we trust for now. That god is sleeping, defenseless, but if released from its prison, it would cause chaos around the world. You must definitely kill it."

"And if I fail?" Tishia inquired.

"Then the deal is off. Thank you for bringing ruin to the world", Hermes said sarcastically

"That'd be troubling. I'll accept. But if I judged him to be harmless, I 'll do what I want."

".....Remember the consequences of your every actions, child. You need to start tomorrow, earlier than the expedition."

"Of course"

After eating their orders, the two parted. Tishia headed for her room upstairs to prepare for tomorrow. And so the hunt for the god of the Mythical Dungeon had commenced.

-Chapter End-