Me and my party in Blake, Kali, Tina, and Tamamo watched as the large convoy of Hera's Familia was doing their thing as they camped outside of Rivira.
With the all female Familia having a large collection of seemingly endless tents that was housing the Familia and providing them probably far more comfort then the ratty 'houses' inside of the ramshackle town.
"Well either way, we have our other shit to do... Let's just avoid them I suppose." I said thoughtfully before shrugging and we made our way into the surrounding forest that made up the floor of Rivira.
We made deeper into the forest and I remembered how although monsters didn't 'naturally' spawn on the floor. That didn't mean that monsters from the lower floors didn't make their way up the grand stair case at times.
Soon enough we came across a large Bugbear that roared at upon seeing us. With it getting up from the tree it was leaning on and charging towards us violently.
"Capture time remember!" I called out especially to Kali and Blake who had only done the capture runs a couple of times back in Melen.
The Bugbear was like four meters tall, with thick fur and fat that I knew was good for blocking blunt weapons especially.
And at this point, after months of working together. Tina and I especially were a well oiled machine. With the short Pallum using her spear to launch herself over the swipe of the humanoid bear monster.
Which allowed me to come in from the side with a large axe that bit into the monster's leg which a crunching noise as the thick bone audibly broke.
Then Kali and Blake came around with them both working together to throw the heavy chain net over the monster to restrict it's movements.
And once the bugbear had a wounded leg that prevented it from properly standing. Along with a very fucking heavy and enchanted metal net that it coudn't break also restricting its movment.
It coudn't resist as I began beating it half to death with a reinforced club which was needed to establish my 'dominance' over the monster.
"Haaa! Well this Bugbear will be a good work horse especially if I fuse some minotaurs and such into it." I muttered as the Bugbear's size was perfect for the dungeon's lower and upper floors for the most part.
Well except for the earliest of floor's but once we got to like the seventh floor and deeper. The ceilings of the floors got to like a good eight to ten meters so this bugbear would be able to stand up properly.
And I was level three at this point. I had been trained to kill monsters like ten plus levels further in the dungeon... To say nothing of not needing to also be fighting on a rocking ship.
"Damn this thing has a hard head!" I grumbled as I stretched my hands a bit as after hitting the thick bastard with the club repeatedly it had started to hurt my hand.
But that was the thing with big monsters, although many times the smaller monsters could be far more dangerous.
These bigger monsters were far more difficult to tame due to their simple girth making it so we smaller 'humans' coudn't dominate their wills and cuck them away from the dungeon.
"Maybe use those super spices you fused Jake... Like with the Jack Bird you tamed." Tina helpfully reminded me.
And I binked before grinning with an evil light in my eye's as the Bugbear screamed as I sprayed it in the eye's with super pepper spray basically.
Then as it screamed, I also tossed in some fused stupidly spicy peppers into it's mouth. So as it closed it's mouth and it's monstrous nature made it close violently on the peppers in it's mouth.
We all watched as the Bugbear look like he was having a fucking stroke for a good couple of minutes and then as I felt the taming bond kick in, I quickly took the Bugbear into the fusion space so I could give it some elixers and... Antidotes for the spicy 'poison' I fed it.
"Alrighty, we got the Bugbear. So let's head deeper into the dungeon, I would like to be able to summon out Alduin when we get some free space." I spoke as I knew the jungle floors would be bit enough and empty enough for the big ass dragon to do his thing.
Without getting the attention of everyone.
Though Tamamo did add in. "We still need to be careful though. Hera's scouts could also be clearing a path for the Familia's expedition."
I frowned at the reminder before I wondered how far Hera's familia was going... Until a female voice spoke out and I froze at the oh so familiar voice. "I heard your noise."
A heavy pressure fell on my shoulder's and I slowly turned around to look upon 'The Silence.'
'Fuck!' I mentally screamed as Alfia's closed eye's lanced my form and I knew. That then and there...
Materia had fucking spilled the beans about us getting close before the whole Melen debacle and the Zeus Familia's fuck up.
"Alfia." I said solemnly as this was down in the dungeon, this wasn't me joking around with her back when I did that medical examination.
If she refused to allow me to be with her sister and decided to kill me... I was in a lot of trouble.
It seemed that she knew I was being cautious but she merely tilted her head to the side slightly and said coldly. "You have become stronger I see. Shenhe is looking forward to that fight as well."
And I just asked bluntly. "What are you going to do now Alfia... You aren't the type to just have small talk."
There was a pause before Alfia opened her mismatched green and grey eye's with those eye's coldly glaring at me before she said. "You messed with my sister. I won't accept a weakling with her."
I swirled around my sword as I took a deep breath as Alduin and Lannseax inside of the fusion space shifted in readiness as I mentally ordered them to be ready to attack with fire and lava breathes the moment they came out of the space.
"Afraid at level three I might not be too much a challenge for you Alfia... But I will make you bleed if you do something."
Alfia gave me a long look before she said thoughtfully. "You did, do alot of damage to that mutated Amphisbeana, even striking the killing blow according to Materia and Eris. So maybe you are right that you could hurt me. But I will not lose if we come to conflict."
My 'battle autist' radar was ringing in warning as Alfia clearly was weighing her odds in crushing us all beyond just her wanting to fuck with me for getting with her sister.
Then she hummed before she said slowly. "Fine, in reality you curing myself and Materia has made you worthy of her even if I wish you were stronger then myself."
My face twitched as Tina said rather blandly. "What's it with you sister's in having a man who is stronger then them? Material wants Jake to be stronger to be stronger then you to 'keep' you as well."
There was a heavy silence with Alfia's face pinching as she imagined her troublesome imp of a sister saying or pushing for such a thing.
"This... Is ridiculous." Alfia snorted and turned on her heel with her heel kicking up shattered stones with the force as she stomped off.
But, I could see on the pale flesh of her neck that she was blushing as she stomped away!