A few days later, after Tim got his coat, Hestia and Take Familia set off on a joint expedition to the 25th floor. Hestia had encouraged Tim to stop going off on his own so often, and the addition of Emi to their Familia had prompted him to agree to more joint exercises with the rest of his Familia and their allies. Chigusa and Asuka had also grown to Level 2 after the Battle of Rivira, meaning that their little gang now made for a formidable force even without Adama.

  However, the minimum Level for the 25th floor was broadly considered to be 3, so on paper their squad seemed lacking even with the swordsman. But between his skills and his Universal stat sheet, Adama was worth a Level 4 at least. Emi’s buff magic could help the weaker members of the squad make up quite a bit of the difference as well, especially since the basic monsters of the 25th were technically only a high Level 2.

  While the gang went off to challenge the monsters of the Water Capitol, Hestia went out shopping. She needed groceries, and Tim had asked her to stop by the market to buy him some potion ingredients. As she was examining the potion merchant’s wares, an old friend appeared from the crowd. In a smooth, amiable voice with a faint Irish brogue, he hailed her:

  “Hello, Hestia! Strange to see you here.”

  She turned with a slight smile to see her blue haired, potion brewing friend. Miach was dressed in the same shabby brown robe he always wore, a muted contrast to his sparkling good looks and eyes. Those eyes that now looked at Hestia with an intrigued confusion, so Hestia explained:

  “Oh, Tim asked me to buy things for him to keep up his studies. Ever diligent, that one. But potions ingredients are far out of my expertise, I’m afraid.”

  “I’d be happy to help you find whatever you need!”

  In typical Miach fashion, the kindly potion seller jumped at the chance to help Hestia complete her shopping. They walked around for a bit, Miach fellow pointing out each ingredient on the list Tim had given her while explaining their appearance and their properties. He gave Hestia more info than she needed, but the amber eyed goddess enjoyed spending the extra time with her old friend anyways.

  An unobtrusive, brown robed figure stepped out of an alleyway and began making its way through the crowd. While he gave a pretense of ambling steadily, the man never left eyesight of the shopping duo. Carefully, he tailed both divinities from the closest safe distance he could, tracking them sneakily through the busy marketplace and waiting for his chance. He got it when they stopped moving by a new stall, peering over simultaneously to examine the set of goods. The woman started to say something:

  “Which one of these is a-“

  She was cut off when, with the flick of the wrist, the figure sent a small smoke bomb rolling towards her and the man. She heard it, and slowly looked down, but it was too late. The bomb rolled right between Hestia and Miach and detonated into a cloud of thick, purple smoke. Both immediately started coughing as the brown figure steadily retreated from the duo, job complete. The deities staggered out of the smoke, lungs seeking to replace bad air with good, but it was too late. Both had inhaled a good dose of the serum already, and they collapsed on the hard cobblestone street. They would make fine test subjects.

  All would fear Sekhmet.

  …

  Tim gulped down a light blue potion and dove into the water. He swam at a rapid speed into the depths of the pool, on a collision course with a large, orange figure in the deep. The fiend’s eight tentacles sprawled around it in a threatening pose, carrying a lavender clad figure within one of them. Tim had no time for this nonsense, however, and a few flashes of his Rippling Sword turned this menace into sushi. He scooped up Mikoto’s figure from the clutches of the Drag Octopus’s severed arm and swam for the surface. She gasped for air when they finally came up, before breaking out into a fit of coughing as Tim brought them to shore. He tossed her onto dry land and leapt back into the fight.

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  They had been ambushed by a couple Blue Crabs and Crystaroth Urchins while walking through a decent sized room on the 25th floor. Adama and Ouka had challenged the creatures while Emi cast her defensive magic. Once the backline was protected, Mikoto had jumped into the fray. She’d strayed too close to the water’s edge, however, and a long orange tentacle had reached out and wrapped around her waist, dragging her into the depths of the nearby pool. Adama had chugged a Diving potion and gone after her, but the others were in danger.

  The spiky, blue, ball shaped bodies of the three Urchins already lay dead, as did one of the giant, well armored crab monsters. That still left three more crabs alive, which was too much for Ouka and Asuka to handle. The brown-haired girl was distracting one of them, leaping around while glowing with the grey power of Emi’s buffs. Ouka himself was holding the attention of two, though one of the crabs had fashioned a comically large pincer around his torso. The man was staying alive thanks to the combined power of Emi’s buff and his own skill, but his roars of pain indicated that he wouldn’t last long. He wouldn’t have to.

  Adama arrived on the scene and soon afterward the crab clamping down on the big man was scattered in several pieces. At the same time, Emi finished a third spell:

  “Cornerstone”

  It was definitely overkill, but the flying boulder caught the second crab targeting Ouka point blank, crushing it totally. Tim looked over at the third opponent, but he needn’t have bothered. Mikoto had rejoined the fight, and her and Asuka together were more than a match for a single crustacean. Mikoto landed the killing blow just as Tim looked over, and both girls extracted the crab’s magic stone before trotting over. Mikoto was the first to speak, bowing to Adama in gratitude:

  “You have my thanks, Adama-dono.”

  He waved it away casually, before looking around at the team. That had been a rather close call, and everyone seemed worn out. Even though they were used to hard fighting, the Underwater Capitol was an unforgiving mistress, and also new territory for everyone. Navigating its labyrinthian halls while dealing with ever lurking threats in the water had proven taxing, even for Adama, and Take Familia had been pushed to their limit despite his help. They had been down here for hours, and he suspected it was time to call it quits. He gave an exaggerated yawn and said as much:

  “Alright, let’s go home.”

  …

  Adama knew something was wrong the moment he saw his house. He couldn’t say exactly why, but as the Familia home came into sight while they walked down the street, there was something in the air that he just didn’t quite like. It took them walking up to the door to confirm his suspicions. There was a note taped over the Familia logo carved into the door. Tim brusquely plucked it off and read it aloud:

  “To: Hestia Familia

  Please visit the Dian Cecht Familia clinic at your earliest convenience. It concerns your patron goddess.

  Signed,

  Airmid Teasanare, Head Doctor of Dain Cecht Familia”

  Tim turned to Emi, who’d gone pale as a sheet as he read:

  “What’s your sister doing with our boss?”

  She could only shrug in confusion. Just in case Lilli opened the door and called out inside:

  “Lady Hestia! Are you there?”

  No answer. They had no choice but to do as the note said.

  …

  Airmid Teasanare was a beauty that rivaled even her sister. With long silver hair and a perfectly symmetrical face, she almost looked like a doll as she gazed compassionately at Hestia Familia from across her desk. What differentiated the two girls physically was that Airmid had gemlike purple eyes, while her sister sported sapphire blue. Airmid was also two years older than Emi, and she carried herself with greater reservation and maturity. They had busted into the Familia’s offices and demanded to be taken to see the good doctor. Well, Tim had demanded while the others followed his lead. Airmid had been wise enough to meet with them immediately and Adama began calling for answers:

  “What have you done with Hestia?”

  He said it in a cold, measured tone, one that was reasonable yet still pregnant with a hint of danger. Airmid looked very understanding however, as she responded:

  “I haven’t done anything with her besides treat her. The fact of the matter is, she has been poisoned.”

  That prompted surprised reactions from all three of them, even Adama. Deities weren’t supposed to be susceptible to poison or age, even while on Gekai. To have such a thing happen…

  “How is that possible!”

  Lilli blurted out, face a mask of confusion and distress. It was a great question, one that caused a grave look to cross Airmid’s lovely face:

  “I’m afraid I don’t know. The poison has proven particularly resistant to healing magic and potions. Furthermore, it only seems to affect divinities, as there were others exposed to the blast as well.”

  Blast? What was she talking about? Adama’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward slightly, a grim pallor darkening his countenance:

  “Tell us everything. Start from the beginning.”