I followed the Wolf through the crowded streets of the Market, sticking close to make sure that I didn't get lost, because he wasn't slowing down for me.

We entered the Tower, and took an elevator up to the 6th story, stepping out into a building that smelled like metal.

"Don't touch anything." Bete said to the side, and entered the first room he saw.

I followed, and hummed in appreciation at the selection of swords and bladed weapons.

Bete conversed with a dwarf behind the counter, and then nodded to me. "Find a weapon, Brat Dorian."

I hummed and looked around, finding the spear rack. I picked up a simple one with no extra embellishments, and spun it easily on my knuckles, keeping an eye on the balance. I nodded, looking at Bete. "Good balance."

He looked at the Dwarf. "2,500 Val."

The dwarf grunted. "4,000."

"." Bete narrowed his eyes. "That weapon was built by an amateur."

The dwarf grumbled. "Fine."

Bete nodded and looked back at me. "A Sword, as well... and grab those clawed gauntlets."

I nodded and looked at the swords. I picked up a thick one-handed sword, and hefted it, finding it too heavy, so I set it down. Another, slimmer blade was my next target, and I swung it experimentally. It moved easily, like a reed in my hand, whistling gently.

I hummed softly, and looked at Bete. "Feels good, but would it last against monsters? I've never fought them, so I don't know how tough they are."

He eyed it, and nodded. "Solid core. It'll hold, for now."

I nodded and sheathed it, placing it on the small of my back, then pulled on the gauntlets. "Hmm... claws?"

He nodded again. "You said you liked cats. And claws are more useful than you'd think." He flexed his own, and then turned to the Dwarf. "7,500 for the lot." He said simply, leaning into the man's space.

The man paled, and then nodded. "Ahem... then that'll be 10,000 Val, Mr. Loga."

Bete put ten thick silver coins on the counter, and then nodded to me. "Let's go."

I gathered my new Spear, sword, and gauntlets, and followed him quickly.

He entered a different room, and looked around at the armors. "We have 20,000 to get you some armor that won't get you killed. I'm sure you're a speed-fighter, so heavy armor is out. Leather Armor, then."

"Where's your armor?" I asked.

"I stopped wearing it after I reached Lvl 3. I'm LVl 5 now, and it's even less necessary." He shrugged.

I nodded, and looked around. "Okay... leather, huh? Why not Kevlar, or Microfiber?" His blank look and raised eyebrow answered my question easily. "Never mind. I'll see about making myself some later... let's just see what's here for cheap. I see some pretty scary prices."

He snorted, and led me to the back of the store, where smaller stands stood, with armor that was much less advanced, and cheaper.

I hummed, and found a set of leathers that stuck next to the skin, and were laced with a red and blue fibrous material.

"Hmm... Salamander and Undine Fabric. Good find. It's not much, but it'll be a good match for the upper floors." He mumbled.

I nodded and picked it up, just as a small woman I vaguely recognized came towards us. "Have you made a choice, Customer?" She asked simply.

Bete looked at her. "Thank you, but We're still shopping." He said respectfully. I blinked at the deference he showed, and bowed my head.

She nodded. "Then come find me when you're ready for a sale, Bete."

She walked off, and I hummed. "Who was that?"

"Hestia, one of the Goddesses in the City. Her Familia members are... not weak." He said simply, and walked away.

I followed, and he picked up a pair of large boots with a blade on each knee, toe, and heel. "That's what you were talking about, right?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes... but too expensive." He pointed at the price tag, which read 22,000~€, or 22,000 Val.

I hummed. "Okay, but now I know about them. So are we good?" I asked, holding up the leather armor.

He tsk'ed. "I wanted to get it all done at once... but I guess this will do. Come." He walked up to the small goddess from before, and waited patiently for her to notice him.

"Ready?" She asked, and he nodded.

I handed her the armor at her bequest, and she took the burden with a small 'oof'. She carried it to the counter, and then nodded. "Okay! 10,000 is your price, yes?"

He twitched. "7,500."

"9,500." She said flatly, staring at him.

"8,000."

"9...5...0...0..." She spelled out carefully, staring him down.

"9,000?" He caved a bit.

She smiled happily. "Deal!"

He grumbled, but payed her, and then handed me the armor. "Go put that on, leave your spear with me." He snapped, and took the spear off my shoulder.

I nodded and followed his pointed finger to a set of changing rooms, quickly dressing in the full-body leather armor. I hummed, stretching, and realized it did flow with my movements, though it creaked a bit, as new leather always did.

I pulled up the hood, and realized it had a second part, which encased the face as a half-mask, leaving only the eyes visible. A slightly thinner fabric covered the mouth and nose, allowing for easy breath.

I placed my sword in the same spot, and nodded. "Interesting..."

"Quite admiring yourself and come out!" Bete snapped. I opened the curtain, holding my clothes, (though my boots fit over the armor, so I was wearing them,) and he hummed. "Didn't know the hood closed... even better. Now I don't have to see your face, Punk!" He grinned.

I chuckled and pulled back the hood, stretching. "It fits perfectly."

"The Cape has got to go, though." Bete grumbled, flicking it.

I laughed softly. "Yeah, it's kinda extra... though I can think of some uses for it. And it's laced with more of those red and blue fibers, which you said are useful."

He nodded, grumbling a bit more. "Fine. Let's go."

I folded my clothes, and then stored them in a bag that the small goddess handed me, after thanking her.

We walked out, and he tossed me the spear, before entering the elevator.

We went down to the first level, and he showed me a set of lockers, which he shoved my clothes into, as well as the pouch of money. "Why are we- oh we're going into the dungeon, aren't we?" I nodded.

He hummed. "At least you're not as stupid as you look in that cape."

I sighed and removed the cape, setting it with my clothes, then closing the locker. "You happy now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Humph." He started down the ramp into the Dungeon, and I quickly followed.

The Dungeon itself was not like I imagined it. It was like the Tunnel, but with more light, and many more critters, though most ran away from us as we walked.

I saw another of those 'Goblins' as it ran at us, and kicked it in the throat solidly. It's neck snapped audibly, and it dissolved, leaving behind a small crystal, half the size of my pinkie.

I picked it up, and he nodded. "Keep that." He handed me a small bag, like the one on his own waist, and I placed the crystal into it, tying the bag onto my belt.

More monsters started approaching, and he looked at me. "Well?"

I nodded and charged them, effectively sniping them with my spear, keeping out of range of their small weapons, mostly axes, tomahawks, and short sword/buckler combos.

I stood over them as they dissolved one by one, and collected the stones. "So what do we do with the stones?" I asked.

He hummed. "We take them to the guild, and they pay us for them. Keep going. You're trying to make 20,000 Val, to even the debt with Loki for your Armor. Those little ones are worth maybe 200 apiece."

I nodded, and turned towards the tunnels, walking forward easily into the darker areas.

---

I looked around, finding everything unfamiliar, and hummed. "I wonder how I get back..."

"Don't ever wander around the Dungeon." Bete spoke suddenly, and I nearly jumped.

I controlled my heartbeat, and chuckled. "That was a test, huh? I got all 200 stones you asked for."

"200? I asked for 100."

"What? No, you specifically said... oooh... 20,000/200=100. Whoops. I was thinking 200 of them. Either way, more is better, huh?" I grinned.

He nodded. "True. Let's get out of here. Lead the way."

I hummed, and smelled the air, looking for my scent. I found the Scent of Dotty, which was heavy on me, and then the Grease under my nails, and started following it.

He hummed loudly after a few minutes. "You're following your own scent."

"I'm trying, yes." I responded, and kept going, absently swatting a goblin with the butt of my spear.

The stench of the Dungeon was hard to smell around, but I managed, and eventually, (around an hour later, after much wandering, following my meandering scent,) we arrived at the steps to the Tower, and started climbing.

"Hey, you're an Elf, right?" Bete asked suddenly.

"So I'm told?" I looked at him.

"Can you use magic?" He asked.

I blinked. "Hmm. I didn't believe in magic until recently, so I don't know... I'll try, later today. Can't hurt, right?"

He nodded. "Ask Riviera to help you. She's our resident Mage. If she's busy, ask Lefiya. They're both Master Mages."

I hummed. "Okay. Sure."

"And if you find that you can use magic... you'll need a Staff. It can be attached to a Spear, so that won't be much of a problem, it'll just be a little weight on the back of the spear." He continued.

I nodded. "Sounds good. Were do we change out our crystals?"

"Crystals? Oh, Magic Stones. Yeah, right over here." He led me to a long line, and then huffed, annoyed. After about five minutes of waiting, he howled at the top of his lungs, and most everyone in the line ducked, moving out of his way.

I covered my sensitive ears, and grunted. "I suppose that works. Impatient, much?" We moved up the line, and then set our pouches of stones, (I'd discovered that he had been hunting as well, while he shadowed me,) on the counter.

The woman behind it eyed him. "Don't do that again, Mr. Loga. The line is not a , do you understand?" She said easily, unafraid.

He shrugged. "It's a member of my Familia's first day in the Dungeon. I was impatient. Won't happen again."

She nodded and set a large bag of coins next to his hand. "Good. Your change, sir, being 230,000 Val, minus the guild Tax of 10%. And you? Your name?" She looked at me.

"Xavier Dorian, I registered only today, Miss Isabelle said it might be a while until I'm in the system-"

She set my file down, (someone had sprinted past and handed it to her,) interrupting me politely, and smiled. "Not at all. The Loki Familia, then? You'll need to register, but that's a simple process. I'm confused as to why Bete took you in the Dungeon without registering you..." she cut her eyes at him.

He scratched his head, and I cleared my throat. "That's my fault, I was really excited to work with him, so I forgot about it, and dragged us down there."

He hummed, and shrugged at her imperious gaze. "He doesn't need you to protect him, Mr. Dorian... but I understand. And I simply need your signature on this form, saying the Guild is not responsible for your death in the dungeon if you enter of your own free will, and that you will submit to random questioning by your Liaison about your Dungeon Adventuring and Actions around the City of Orario." She said simply.

I grinned and signed swiftly, then leaned back. "Sure Thing, boss." I chuckled.

She smiled, and put it on the table behind her. "Then I'll tally your work for the day..." she counted the crystals, and sorted them according to the deepness of the purple, it seemed.

Then, she wrote down a number, and handed it to a runner, who was gone and back in the blink of an eye. She finally set a significantly smaller pouch next to my hand. "Then your earnings would be 35,200 Val, Mr. Dorian... very well done for your first day."

I smiled and tucked it in my armor. "Thank you, ma'am."

We walked away, towards the lockers, and retrieved our belongings. I handed Bete 20 of the larger coins, and he nodded, placing them in the bag.

As we walked, he muttered a compliment, or what sounded like one. "Not bad, Brat."