After Ace left, Ax looked at the books he had gotten him. He said Ax asked for these, but Ax knows the real reason why.
He finally opened the bag, and all the books were on different mythologies across history; the big three were here. Greek, Norse, and even Egyptian, but there were some niches, like Japanese Shintoism and some others Ax was too lazy to read.
Ax was sitting on the floor, checking his boots, his thumb gliding over the scratch formed during the fight with the snake; it was clear that they were pretty scratched up. Ax''s eyes drifted to his bed, or rather, under it. His gaze locked on the silver gun lying there. It was 7 pm, and he had nothing else to do for the day.
"I guess... now''s a better time than ever," Ax muttered to himself.
He got ready, his gear equipped and boots worn. A red graphic tee this time and his jacket tied around his waist, all by 7:30pm. With a simple thought, the blue door appeared in front of his bed. He walked up to it, his arm reaching for the knob. With a deep breath, he twisted the knob.
"It''s open," Ax was relieved.
As the door was pushed open, the bright light welcomed him back to where he first arrived. Different races of people walking past him. The clicks and clacks of the metal boots, the harmonic tune of the lutes being played by passing musicians, the sweet scent of nearby florists and fruits rushing into his lungs with each breath.
"Why did I not appreciate this sooner?" he muttered to himself.
"Must''ve been pretty stupid," he said sarcastically, as he stretched his arms and shoulders.
"Now... I owe you a visit, don''t I?" Ax said as he had one person in mind who he wanted to meet.
***
Ax was now in front of the shop with his favorite dwarven blacksmith. As he opened the door, he saw an elven man and a woman with fuzzy ears on top of her head and a furry tail wrapped around her waist, both of them wearing a mix of leather and metal armor with swords stuck to their left sides.
"That''s everything; we''ll be back for our order in about four days then. Is that enough?" The woman asked the shopkeeper with a satisfied tone.
"Absolutely, upon my name as Vithr!" said the shopkeeper.
"We''ll come back in about a week then; take care," said the elf; the both of them seemed rather joyous.
As they walked out of the store together, "Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Vithr said as he dropped down from his stool to get closer to him.
"Well? Are you qualified yet?" Vithr asked, his voice cautious and questioning.
"For... what exactly? Oh, if you mean for a ''Summit Seeker'' or whatever, yeah, I am," Ax answered him, still confused as to whatever a Summit Seeker is.
Vithr deeply sighed in relief. "Good. You must have questions then; ask me or whoever you feel like. Restrictions are off." He said as he walked back to the counter.
"Well, first of all. What the hell are the restrictions for? Why could I not ask anything beforehand?" Ax asked Vithr as he walked up to the counter, eyeing the weapons in the store.
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"The purple doors lead to the final conflict in Floor-0; the more knowledge you have on the nature of the floors, the harder it gets. The difficulty of the purple door scales with the amount of knowledge you have figured out or have learned," Vithr explained, expecting more questions.
"Wait... what happens if you lose in the rooms?" Ax asked him again.
"If you die in combat, your memory gets wiped, and the void gets filled according to your life. If you merely lose consciousness and wake up where you were safe, but this is also the case for someone in Nexus if they aren''t a Seeker yet," Vithr continued.
"Die? Oh right, what about the oddities? Mine says"—Ax was about to reveal his oddity, but Vithr stopped him.
"HALT! Oddities are abilities not everyone has access to; I myself do not have one. The nature of oddities is unknown, but there are theories as to why they manifest," Vithr interrupted him with an explanation.
"The most accepted theory is the idea that this occurs due to so many different worlds and sources of power meeting in Nexus," Vithr finished his explanation.
Ax mentally noted every bit of information he just laid out. "Okay, that''s a lot to process... however, just one last question. For now at least."
"Ask," Vithr commanded.
"Why did you stop me from revealing my oddity?" Ax asked Vithr; he thought oddities were common among seekers.
"There are... Orders. Orders are groups summit seekers can join for benefits. Some with noble goals... Others... not so much. Some Orders and seekers make it their goal to hunt down and eliminate, or try and steal, the Oddities of powerful people. If you have a strong Oddity, I recommend you keep it hidden or attempt to do so," Vithr said, cautiously warning Ax, subtly hinting at the dangers of this world he''s not familiar with yet.
"I see, thank you for warning me, I guess..." Ax said as his eyes widened. His heart beating just over his normal rate, the idea of people finding out his oddity...
The implications sent shivers down his spine.
Vithr noticed his body language, his eyes curious as to what his power may be to warrant such reactions. It, however, was none of his business. "Now, your name, boy. What is it?" Vithr asked him, trying to change the topic to accommodate his emotions.
"It''s Axton; your name is Vithr, right?" He answered him with another question.
"Axton, were you the one who bested Medusa?" Vithr asked him, his eyes staring straight into Axton''s.
Ax''s eyes widened. "I—yes, but how did you know?" Ax asked him.
"Word travels fast. However, I assume the other human who was with you didn''t make it?" Vithr was asking about Ace.
"He... he''s back home, his memory wiped just as you described it," Ax answered him, his eyes lowered.
"I see. I assume you don''t want him to come back here?" Vithr asked him once more.
"No," Ax answered bluntly.
"Good, because death protection is only given the first time," Vithr answered bluntly.
"I see..." Ax answered; he was dejected.
Growl
Ax''s stomach growled.
"...didn''t eat much, did you?" Vithr asked him, directly referencing the noise.
"Nope... just had a light breakfast; I''m starving." Ax was embarrassed to admit it, but it was true; he barely had anything to eat.
"There''s a tavern... I recommend," Vithr continued.
***
Ax was standing in front of the tavern Vithr recommended.
''The Dragon''s Kiss'' was written on a massive signboard, music playing from inside. The signboard was that of a dragon breathing fire into the name.
"That''s... whimsical..." he muttered to himself, smirking in amusement.
As he pushed the doors open and walked in, straight ahead was a bar stand with tables scattered to the sides, filled with people who can only be described as fantastical, looking like adventurers from fantasy novels and stories.
As Ax walked closer and closer, ignoring the music and people. Walking straight to the bartender.
He was a rather skinny man, tall and slender. He was wearing formal pants and was looking behind him, probably wiping a glass. He was also wearing a white shirt and black vest; he stood out from everyone else, however... What truly stood out to Ax was...
As the man turned out, his head revealed to be a pressure gauge made from black metal, the needle showing that it was somewhat above atmospheric pressure.
"Welcome to The Dragon''s Kiss, how may I help you?" he asked.
"The name''s Valve," he finished.
"I uhh... was hoping to catch something to eat," Ax answered Val, distracted by his head.
"I see... the tables are full, however," Valve said as he looked around.
He spotted an empty seat. He pointed to it.
"Ask her if you can sit across from her, since that''s a pretty big table. If she says no, you might have to wait. If she''s okay with you sitting there, I''ll send someone over to take your order," Valve explained.
"Oh, alright then." Ax looked back at the table.
There sat a human girl, wearing a red and black graphic tee under a black leather jacket. Her right arm was covered in armor and-
"That''s... her," Ax muttered to himself.
She was looking in a different direction, but her eyes gravitated to Ax, squinting. As she stared at him, her eyes widened slightly. She recognized him.