Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

Back at the Moonlight Tower.

Artemis had gone back up the tower after Ai took her down.

"So... you wish to give me your Familia?” Astraea said a bit taken.

“Lady Artemis, are you sure?” said Rethusa.

“I am.” Artemis nodded. “I wish to be with my love and..."

The look on Artemis’ face said it all. She didn’t wish to give everything up, but she wished to be with her love.

“I understand Artemis.” Astraea acknowledges the struggle she has inside. “He is your Orion. If the rest of the Familia is fine with it, then I will accept your offer.”

“Rethusa?” Artemis looked at her child, who had been with her for the longest time.

“I think… You should go.” Rethusa looked at her goddess. “I have known you since I could walk. I have seen you grow from when you were against love, and now you’re giving up all of your prestige to be with your love. I am not going to stop you.”

“Thank you so much, Rethusa.”

“Not at all. But there is... Callisto. What are you going to do about her? She is your daughter; I didn’t think you would leave her.”

“Yes, the gods have their eyes keenly on her,” Astraea said. "Thankfully, because of you, they are too afraid to come close. Well, you and Elysium.”

“I will speak with her about it. But given her love for her father, I’m sure she would want to come along as well. But regardless of whether I leave her, Cirrus has told me that all of our kids can go and see him; he could also come once a year for one of their birthdays—”

Suddenly, the door is slammed open.

“Art!!” Ai shouted, having returned from having Eupheme do maintenance on her sword and gear. “Update my status!" She said throwing off her top clothes immediately when they entered the room.

"Ai, I am talking with—”

Ai immediately lay on the bed and glanced at her.

“You said it was a race against time and that you wouldn’t skip out on updating my status.”

“Grr…” Artemis took off her glove and got two sheets of paper. “Dammit!!”

"Um, we could leave if—”

“No, it’s fine,” Artemis said, pricking her finger. “I see no point in you two leaving.”

Artemis reluctantly updated her status.

---

Shirakusa Ai

Lv. 8

Strength: SS1078→SSS1109      Endurance: A836→ S998

Dexterity: B709→ A814              Agility: A855→ S991

Magic: E431→ C647                    Hunter: E

Immunity: F                                  Swordsmen: B→ A

Initiative: F→ E                            Chain Attack: F→ E

Strong Body: H→ G                     Magic Resistance: I

---

Looking at her status, Ai looks at Artemis.

“You have to tell me I can level up!"

“Mmmm…. Fine! You can level up, okay! Beating the Leviathan was enough, okay! Wait a second!”

Artemis goes and updates her status again.

---

Shirakusa Ai

Lv. 9

Strength: I0             Endurance: I0

Dexterity: I0            Agility: I0

Magic:I0                   Hunter: E

Immunity: F            Swordsmen: A

Initiative: E             Chain Attack: E

Strong Body: G       Magic Resistance: I→ H

Luck: I

---

“Ooh!! I got Luck!!” Ai said amazed by the new development ability.

“Mmm…” Artemis was not pleased. “Good for you! But if you go after Cirrus with stats like these, you're going to fail.”

“Tsk… Fine then! A hunter will need their tools! For that, I will be gone for a while. Oh, but first we will need to talk with Haku and then Alise!”

Ai quickly put on her clothes and gear and went down.

“So where were we?” Artemis said getting back to business.

 

She quickly goes down and slams open Haku’s door.

“Haku!! I am back!"

“!” Haku jumped up in surprise.

He looked from his bed to see his mother by the door.

“Oh, mom!” He said closing his book. “Your back. How did it go with Father?”

“Good, good…” She said looking around his room. “Hm? Where is Mairu?”

“She is in her own room. Why did you think she would be in mine?”

“…” She ignored his question and continued. “So anyway, Haku!” She went and sat next to him. “I will be going away again.”

“For how long?”

“Not too long. I am preparing myself to take on your father’s trials.”

“So are you trying to become a god, like Dad? News of Dad's declaration has already spread around like wildfire.”

“Well yes, and I am fighting so I can be his first wife!”

Haku raised an eyebrow.

“…Aren’t you two already married?”

"Well, we are, but..." Ai tries to find the right set of words to explain it. “I guess you can; it’s a bit... separate. Your father, Cirrus, is not Elysium, and vice versa. His experience to become a god has… drastically changed him to levels I can’t fathom.”

"Oh, I… see." Haku found his heart a bit stained by heartbreak. But seeing his mother so energetic and confident relieved him of any negative feelings.

“But still.” She smiled warmly and earnestly. “Deep down, he is still Cirrus, my first love. Though the exterior and interior have changed, their foundations remain the same.”

Haku felt alleviated, happy that his father was still alive in some form. Happy that his mother still had that light in her eyes.

“Well, Mom, I want you to really lay into him!” Haku smiled brightly.

“Hm! I give it my all!" She stood up, pumping her fist. “I will see you again, Haku!” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I always love you, my little boy!”

“And I love you too, Mom.”

 

Her next stop was Alise’s room.

She would have gone to Auberon, but he had gone to buy some art supplies.

“Hecton!!” She said barging in.

She walked in to see Alise playing with Hecton.

“Hi, Mom!” Alise waved at her.

Both she and Hecton were having a little tea party.

“Allow sweetie! Hecton, can we talk for a bit?”

“Of course. I will be in a second.”

“Hm! Okay!”

Hecton gets up and leaves the room with Ai.

“So what is it that you require, Lady Ai?” Hecton said.

“Do you know where Cirrus’s Gram is?”

“Ah, Gram. Yes, it's broken.”

“What!?” Ai’s eyes widen in shock. “Really!? Those things held their own against a divine weapon!”

“I’m afraid so. After the battle, me and Fafnir recovered all the shards of ruby and emerald, and then them collected inside the sheath.” He reached into his shadow and took out Gram, tightly sealed with cloth.

“Can it be fixed?” Ai said as Hecton handed her the broken blade.

“There is a way, but that has been lost given that Gram has been fully broken. So neither Hephaestus nor Freya could fix it. Only one person can repair it.”

“And that is?”

“Odin, the god in the Frontier.”

“Uuuuuuuugh.” She groaned loudly. “Dammit… Alright, I’ll go there once I finish something here.”

“Hm. Very well. I shall draw up a map for you.”

“Thank you.” Ai hands Gram back over. “I will see you in a bit!”

 

The next location Ai went to was simple: Freya’s Familia home.

"So..." said Ottar. “You wish to do a Dungeon Rush?”

The Dungeon Rush was something made by accident by both Cirrus and Ai. It’s a game where two high-level adventurers would fight one another while racing down the dungeon. It caught on rather fast within first-class adventures as it further helped give them high-quality Excelia and even level up in a few rare cases.

It's also very dangerous and primarily lethal to all who aren’t first-class adventurers.

“Yup! So what do you say?”

“…I say I am excited to face a fellow level 9.”

He lightly raised his lips; he was happy.

“I will get ready.”

“Base of Babel in like two hours?”

“Hm.” He nods. “I will see you then.”

Ai then left to go get her gear.

 

18th floor.

Mutter!

Mutter!

Mutter!

Callisto returned from the Lower Floors, covered in dirt and blood. She was used to the adventure muttering about her, but now there was something else in their eyes.

'You can’t stay here. There were the same eyes of fear and greed your father got when he was around your age.’ Said Nox to her telepathically in the form of White Night.

‘But then were we going to sleep? I always slept in the most respectable inns here, but…’

The gazes were something she didn’t really like, as they put her on edge.

‘No worries. Your old man made several hideouts throughout several safe floors of the dungeon. You have the Invisibility Cloak, right?’

'Of course, you keep telling me to keep one.’

'Good, then head into the woods so you can lose them.’

           Callisto kicked off and went into the woods.

Many greedy or shady adventures went after her, but her speed easily outclassed their own.

‘Honestly, how fucking stupid are they!? The highest leveled adventure here is 3. Say, are your stats also absurdly broken?’ Nox said, having returned to her owl form once no more eyes were on them.

“Broken? How?” Calisto said as she walked to the hideout.

'Well, your old man’s stats were absurdly broken. He spent three years raising his stats as a level three to the furthest he could.’

“And what was it?”

‘What? his stats at your level? Or what he had when he was your age?’

“My level.”

‘Hmm…let’s see his strength was YY1647, Endurance ZZZ2009, Dexterity YY1640, Agility ZZZ2012, and Magic at ZZZ2000.’

“W-what!? that much!?!?”

'Yeah, he was a very diligent and hardworking kind of guy in his cute youth. I miss those days when he still had a baby face!’

"Nox, we agreed not to talk about this! Seriously, you go on these very unnecessary rants that I really didn’t need to know.”

'Aw~ I thought you were a big daddy’s girl!’

“You do know we are sisters, right?”

'I'll never acknowledge it.’

“… Say, can I ask you something?”

'Depends on the question.’

“Well… when dad was… walking off to his death. Did you know the language he was singing in?”

‘I do. When he and I first made our contract, I knew every language he did.’

“Okay, but I heard no one speak it? The closest one would be Fom, and even then it would be bursts of what Mom said as profanities."

‘Hmm… From the small time I was re-contracted to your old man, I could see that Ai had been Spirited Away. An odd phenomenon that happens unexpectedly. There in another world, she learned a new language and even brought back some new stuff.’

“Oh, so Fom taught Dad the new language?”

‘Um… sure. But do you know that even your mom knows how to speak it? Every god does.’

“They do? Why didn’t they spread it?”

‘Culture. They can’t just bring over an entire culture. It sort of overrides the potential of a new one to be made.’

“… I kinda get it. So can you teach me how to speak it?"

'Eh… one day.’

“Come on!”

They walked a bit more, and they reached the crystal hideout Cirrus had made.

 

Late at night, as they were sleeping, several loud clangs rang through the floor.

“Bwuh!?” Callisto wakes up from the commotion. “What's going on?”

“Hmm… Fuck off…” Nox said as she turned into her weapon form.

“Mmm… Whatever.” Callisto goes back to sleep, covering her ears.

A while later in the dead of night.

Creak~

“!!” Upon hearing the creak, Callisto’s eyes shot open. She instinctively went, grabbed White Night, and swung.

Ting~

“Ho~ good instincts!” Ai said, grabbing the sword with her fingers.

“Mom? Wat, are you doing here?” Callisto was a bit groggy.

Callisto could see Ai covered in sweat; her clothes and gear were littered with cuts.

“Hm… training! Scoot over, I’m tired!”

“Mmm…”

Callisto puts White Night down and scoots over.

The two would sleep together.

“Ugh! Mom, you smell!”

“Breath through your mouth then.”

 

The next day, in the early morning, they gathered at the center of Rivira.

“Oooh!!” Callisto looks up to see Ottar. "Mom, you were fighting with Ottar!"

“I was! But it ended in a draw.”

“Hm. If I wasn’t mistaken, Ai. I landed more hits.” Ottar responded.

“Tch! Well, that is why we have round two!”

Ai noticed some leers at Callisto. Ever since they went into town, more serious eyes have been on her and Callisto.

'They would even... grrr.’ It angered Ai, but she kept that well hidden.

“Can I watch?" Callisto said excitedly.

“Hmm… Sure thing.” Ai said it with a devious smile.

'If I can get Callisto to stay here as long as I can, I can burn Art’s time!’

“Then let us meet back here once we have eaten. I do not want a lack of hunger to lessen my victory.” Ottar said, walking off.

"Well, let's go and eat! Calli!!”

“Yeah!”

"Oh, and before we go.” Her anger erupted with killing intent. “YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT!" Her roar could be heard all through the floor.

“!?” Immediately, everyone who was glancing at Callisto turned away.

Callisto immediately felt all those eyes on her gone.

“YOU KEEP LOOKING AT MY GIRL, AND I’LL FUCKING CUT YOU DOWN! YOU HEAR ME!"

“Y-Yes!!!” Shouted several people.

Ai turned to Callisto, and she looked at Ai with awe.

“Calli, me and your father do not always endorse violence, but if they keep doing that, always remember the body has 206 bones, so make sure you break one person’s bones—about 103 of them to be the example.”

“Got it!”

“Hm. Are you sure Calli isn’t your daughter?” Nox said it in her weapon form.

"Ah Nox." A gentle smile paints Ai's face. "I missed your little jabs."

 

Back on the surface, Malion, Ryuu, and Virgo appear a bit away from the northern entrance.

“Ooh!! This is the outside! Ahh!! The morning sun! To bask in the sun again!" Virgo said delighted.

“Again?” Malion said.

“Don’t worry about that! Let us go to Orario!"

“Neigh!”

They look behind themselves to find three horses.

“Seems Cirrus gave us back our horses and even Ai’s,” said Ryuu.

“What are we still waiting for!!” Virgo quickly gets on a horse. “Come on! Come on!! I can hardly wait!"

After a bit of traveling, they made it to the gate.

“Umm…” The guard looks at Virgo.

“She is with us,” Malion said.

“Hello!!” Virgo waved at him.

“H-hello!” He blushed. “Y-you may come in!”

They enter the city, and much like a child from the countryside coming to the big city, she is starry-eyed.

“Wah!! To think humanity has developed this far! You even built an entire city over the Great Hole!”

“What did Cirrus teach you?” asked Ryuu.

"Well, he didn’t so much as teach me, but he sort of just gave me the knowledge!”

“I have been meaning to ask, but when did Cirrus make you?” Malion asked.

“Ah well, he made me in heaven! He then stored me and the rest of my fellow brothers and sisters inside his space! Or you know his shadow. We would come out now and again, but for the most part, we spent time reading and watching the stuff our Lord had. We would also spend time with him as we traveled world to world gaining various experiences."

“Ah okay.”

“Yup! So where are we going first?”

"First, we are returning home,” Ryuu said. “From there, we will show you around.”

“Fine by me! I get to see my king’s former home!”

“Do not remind us,” Ryuu said, disheartened. "I miss him already."

“Haa… I miss him already.” Malion said.

"Hm~, it seems my king left you wanting more, correct?”

“!!” They all quickly looked at her.

“What? Did you think I would sleep with my own creator? Hahaha!! What a good joke! Oh no, I simply made an observation! Well, that was it, and he was a hero after all. And we all know heroes always have an appetite for women."

“…Okay what did Cirrus give you?" They both said it at the same time.

 

They go back to the Moonlight Tower. They left their horses and went inside.

“Ooh! So this is the inside! How beautiful!” Virgo looked around in amazement.

Vrr~

Coming down the elevator were Artemis, Auberon, and Alise.

“Mom!!” The kids said running up to their respective moms.

“Auberon!”

“Alise!”

The two ran up and hugged one another.

“Aw! That is so lovely!”

“Um… mom?” said Auberon. “Who is the elf?”

“She is a spirit,” Artemis said, walking up to her. “And from the looks of it..." Artemis looks at her up and down. “You seem to be made in Ryuu’s image, right?”

All of four of them Ai, Artemis, Malion, and Ryuu have personal and intimate knowledge of one another during their nightly activities. For Artemis and her keen eyes she easily recognized that Virgo had Ryuu's shape and features in all but one area, her chest.

“!!” Ryuu’s eyes widen. “That is why you looked familiar!”

“Nothing gets by you, my lady!” Virgo removes her helmet to show her face to show she was identical to Ryuu’s.

“Wow! Two moms!” Alise said, excited that she has two moms. "Does that mean I can play more!"

“Fufu! Allow me to introduce myself! I am Virgo! Spirit King of Sung Tales!" She said giving a regal bow. “I am a spirit created by your father! King of Elysian Valley! Elysium!! So in a way, you two are my older brother and sister!”

“!!” Alise's eyes lit up, she would much rather be a older sister than have another mom.

‘Ooh!! Is… Is this the feeling of being an older sis—’

“But I prefer it if we keep that between us!” she said putting her helmet back on. “I mean, I don’t call him father or anything like that!” She chuckled a bit.

“Ahh…” Alise felt dejected a bit.

“Not to worry, little Alise!” Virgo said coming up to her. “You can call me little sister if you wish.”

“Really!” she said with that light reignited.

“Hm! Of course! But only when I am wearing this helmet got it!” she said tapping it.

“Got it!!”

“Great!" She puts her helmet back on. "Shall we go and explore the city? I wish to see with my own eyes how far humanity has gotten!"

“Um, Virgo?” said Auberon.

“Hm? Yes, that is my god-given name.”

“You can refer to me however you like!”

“What a kind older brother! Well, let’s get along! Oh, say is Fafnir around?”

From Auberon’s shadow, Fafnir emerged.

“Hm? I was sleeping. Who is—”

“Ah! The fabled Fafnir! The 6-eyed Spirit!”

“That is me. And you are…” Fafnir looked at Virgo with keen eyes. “A Spirit King?”

“That I am! I am the spirit your former master created."

“I see… not so bad if I do say so. Well, I’m going back to sleep.”

"Wait, I didn’t even say—”

“Auby here will tell me later.” She said returning to his shadow.

“Hey, come back up here! I was talking!”

“Sorry, she doesn’t take to listening to anyone but me or my father,” Auberon said, a bit apologetic about her actions.

 

While they were talking, Artemis was talking with Malion and Ryuu.

"Say, where is Haku?” asked Ryuu.

“He is with Lenoa; now can you explain to me why I can smell Cirrus on you both?" Artemis said it with a fierce look in her eyes.

“Ah yeah,” Malion said making a smug grin. “He offered us a rather nice gift for giving us a quest we wouldn’t be able to accomplish!”

“Yes, it was very..." Ryuu’s face began to blush. “Shall we say intense? That is the right word, Malion."

“Very adept, but I prefer the word very passionate.” She closed her eyes to reminisce of the last few hours ago. "His hands were firm enough to shape the sky."

“Hm! Hm! Yes, and his finger were delicate enough to paint the very stars. I never felt safer than when he was—”

“Grrr!!” Artemis glared at the two of them, she wished to embrace her love as they did. “I’ll remember this, you two!” she said, a bit envious, going back up the tower. “OI!!! WE ARE PICKING UP THE SPEED! AND WHERE IS CAL—" Artemis remembered Rethusa telling her she left for the Dungeon, and Ai also went in. "... KHAOS FU—"

Artemis started to regret picking more than one choice; now it had shot her in the foot.