Last time Leo and Bell entered the strange corridor that opened within the Dungeon. The duo encountered strange monsters that they had never seen before. However the strangest thing they encountered was a girl sealed within a glass container of sorts that seemed to power a weapon she bestowed upon Leo.

Leo, Bell, and Pyra after an hour and a half of traveling finally exited the Dungeon. The sun was starting to set in Orario as it would soon be night time. "Oh the goddess is not going to be happy with me getting home late again." Bell groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Leo as usual was relatively calm, he knew Loki probably wouldn't even notice his absence so he had nothing to fear. Pyra watched her Driver closely, watching him scribble away on the pages of his journal, wondering what exactly he was doing. "Leo, what exactly are you writing in that journal?" Pyra asked as she gave her Driver a curious look. Leo looked over his shoulder at Pyra, a small smirk spreading across his face.

"I am finishing my sketch of a map for that lab you were sealed in. Of course we didn't go to the floor above, so a return trip will be required to complete it." Leo explained as Pyra nodded her head in understanding. Bell however looked over at Leo like he had suddenly grown two extra heads. "You wanna go back there? We don't even know how the Guild will react to an entire hidden section of the Dungeon?!" Bell said in a nervous tone as he could already tell this whole mess would cause an uproar. Leo however seemed unfazed by the whole notion of potential panic running throughout the Guild and potentially the Gods when they made their report. "Bell, Adventurers have been braving the Dungeon for hundreds of years and we still don't know if we've reached the bottom. The truth is, discoveries like these are bound to happen." Leo said in a calm tone as he knew that the Guild would just have to accept it.

Pyra remained silent as she listened to her Driver and his friend speak. Part of her wanted to chime in and share what little information she had, but part of her also thought it was best she bided her time until they met with the officials. Pyra then noticed that Leo and Bell had stopped walking, Pyra followed their gaze and saw a rather large building that had multiple Adventurers walking in and out of it.

"It appears we have arrived." Leo said calmly as he looked over at Bell who simply let out a nervous sigh. "Eina is going to lay into us." Bell groaned, referring to their advisor in the Guild. Leo closed his journal before putting it back in his bag before facing the Guild building once again. "Look on the bright side Bell, Eina will at least make it quick with you." Leo said in a monotone voice as he seemed to never be on their advisor's good side. With that the trio entered the Guild to report in for the day.

Guild
It had maybe been twenty minutes since they had entered the Guild, Bell had already left after getting chewed out and claiming his rewards for his work. Leo and Pyra were sat in one of the private meeting rooms within the Guild that allowed Adventurers and their Advisors to speak in private. "Should we be worried?" Pyra asked nervously from her seat next to Leo. Leo looked over at the red haired girl, seeing her nervously fidget around. "You? Probably not, but me? Eina is probably ready to burn me to a crisp after talking to Bell." Leo said in an oddly calm tone as if he was used to being on the receiving end of the advisor's wrath. As if on cue the door to the room opened as a half-elf woman stormed in. She had short brown hair and emerald green eyes framed by a pair of glasses. She was dressed in the standard Guild attire.

         "Good evening Eina, how are you today?" Leo asked in a friendly tone as he didn't let the murderous glare he was currently receiving from the half-elf faze him. Eina pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before she took a breath, her glare only intensifying. "You discover an unexplored section of the Dungeon, open it up with a skill you have, drag a younger Adventurer into exploring it with you, and of course. DON'T THINK TO INFORM US FIRST!" Eina shouted the last part of her statement as she got right up in Leo's face. Pyra recoiled in fear at the half-elf's rage, while Leo sat there calmly, letting the Guild worker vent her anger. "Now Eina, I told Bell to return to Orario and inform all of you while I scouted ahead." Leo said calmly, countering the half-elf's accusations of him intentionally endangering his friend.

               Eina growled in frustration as her glare only further intensified towards the Adventurer she was responsible for. "Yes, because going in alone to uncharted territory where everything is a mystery to the Guild is a much better course of action! Honestly Leo, don't you know exploring as an Adventurer is the easiest way to get yourself killed?!" Eina growled in frustration as her glare never once left her face. Leo leaned back in his seat, his calm aura never faltering while Pyra looked down at her lap nervously. "Eina, you have been my Advisor for two years now. Tell me, what part of anything that transpired today is out of character? While Bell joining me was an unforeseen outcome, why are you surprised I went to investigate?" Leo asked in a disturbingly casual tone as Eina's glare faltered.

Eina let out a defeated sigh as she pushed her glasses up so she could rub her eyes. "That's the part that infuriates me, Leo. Where most Adventurers would turn back and inform the Guild of an unexplored section of the Dungeon. You opt to explore to satisfy your curiosity, even if it means going in alone! There's a reason we're supposed to fear the unknown!" Eina ranted as her tone became less angry and more frustrated and concerned for the Adventurer sitting before her. Leo remained silent for a moment, contemplating Eina's words before giving her a response. "Why do we fear the unknown? Because we don't understand it. That's why I choose to face it with curiosity rather than fear. We can only improve and grow as people by learning to understand what we don't." Leo said in a matter of fact tone a thoughtful smirk spreading across his face.

Eina let out a defeated sigh as she slumped in her seat. "Don't get philosophical with me! For all that intelligence, you lack basic survival instinct." Eina groaned as she once again rubbed her temples, the feeling of a headache growing. Leo let out a small chuckle at Eina before turning to Pyra. "Regardless, a new section of the Dungeon has opened up, that means we need someone to map it out for the Guild. I already have a map sketched up, however I will need to make a return trip to complete it." Leo said excitement evident in his tone at the thought of getting to investigate the lab again. Eina let out a defeated sigh as she knew she wasn't winning this argument anytime soon. The half-elf then turned to look at Pyra, the glare once again returning to her face causing the red haired girl to tense up in fear.

"More importantly Leo, who in the world is she?!" Eina screeched as she slammed her fist on the table between them, the half-elf directing her anger once again at Leo. Leo rolled his eyes, he was starting to get tired of Eina freaking out. "Considering how often you tease me over having no hope either women, shouldn't you be impressed?" Leo said in a teasing tone as he let a mischievous smirk spread across his face. A light blush spread across Eina's face at the statement, her frustration only growing further. "You could at least try and find someone in town! Seriously there is nothing romantic about the Dungeon!" Eina hissed, her blush going from a pink to a red as she refused to break eye contact with Leo, who just shot her an amused smirk. The duo were interrupted by Pyra gently clearing her throat to grab their attention.

"If I could interrupt. My name is Pyra, I am a Blade, a sentient weapon that bonded with Leo when he freed me from stasis. He is my Driver, and I will do everything to protect him." Pyra explained, letting confidence leak into her tone of voice. Eina blinked twice in surprise before looking at the weapon sheathed on the back of Leo's waist, realizing it bore a striking resemblance to Pyra's clothes. "So you're connected to that sword Leo is carrying?" Eina asked in a gentle, yet stern tone as she locked eyes with Pyra. The red haired girl nodded her head in confirmation as Leo removed the Aegis from the back of his waist. Leo stood up as Pyra raised her hands toward him, a stream of blue Ether flowing out of her and into Leo.

         Eina's eyes widened in both shock and awe as the Aegis opened up before fire burst out of it, forming a blade out of the element. "What in the world is that? I don't believe even Lady Hephaestus has crafted a weapon of such a caliber." Eina said in a mystified tone of complete disbelief. Pyra stopped the Ether flow, causing the Aegis to fold back up as Leo once again sheathed it onto the back of his waist. "Okay, so you have found a sentient weapon sealed within a hidden section of the Dungeon that opened up for you after reading an ancient language? I'm already dreading having to write the report for all of this." Eina groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration knowing that this was going to be a nightmare to report once she was done speaking with Leo and Pyra.

         "Regardless, you two should be heading home for the night. I imagine Lady Loki is worried sick about you Leo." Eina said in a gentle tone as she shot Leo a teasing smirk. Leo simply rolled his eyes as he stood up from his seat and began walking towards the door. "Lady Loki has plenty of children to worry about. I'm sure my absence won't be noticed." Leo stated calmly as he was about to open the door and take his leave. Leo however was stopped by Eina grabbing his arm, the blonde looked over his shoulder at the half-elf, a look of confusion spreading across his face. "Next time, don't nearly get yourself or someone else killed." Eina said gently, a small blush plastered across her face. Leo simply nodded his head in understanding before he and Pyra took their leave from the room, Eina watching them go.

Twilight Manor
Night now hung over Orario as Leo and Pyra stood in front of a large building that looked almost like a castle. It had multiple large towers that making its already large frame even larger.

"This is where you live?" Pyra asked looking at the Twilight Manor in surprise. Leo let a small smirk spread across his face as he gently patted Pyra on the shoulder. "The Twilight Manor, it's the home of the Loki Familia." Leo explained as he began leading Pyra inside the large structure. Pyra however shot her Driver a confused look as she had never heard of a Familia before. "What exactly is a Familia?" Pyra asked, the confused look never leaving her face as Leo stopped dead in his tracks at the question. Leo turned to face Pyra, a look of shock spreading across his face. Leo's mind immediately went into overdrive as the fact Pyra didn't know what a Familia was indicated just how long she had been sealed away in the lab.

"If a Familia is a foreign concept to her, that means Pyra very well was alive before the Gods descended upon the earth to grant their blessing to humanity!" Leo thought to himself as this information just added a whole new layer to this mystery. Leo's mind began to race, now taking into consideration that the hidden section of the Dungeon he and Bell stumbled upon predates the gods descending to live amongst them. "Leo? Did I say something wrong?" Leo was snapped from his thoughts as he locked eyes with Pyra. The red haired girl had a worried look on her face. Leo let an embarrassed smile spread across his face as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry about that Pyra, my curiosity gets the better of me sometimes. Whenever I'm presented with a problem I suppose I can't help but try and figure out how to solve it." Leo admitted in an embarrassed tone as he broke eye contact with the Blade.

"I think that's a wonderful trait to have." Leo's eyes immediately snapped to look at Pyra, the girl giving him a gentle smile. A blush spread across Leo's face as no one had ever said his curiosity was wonderful, most people thought it would just get him killed. "W-Well regardless we should explain this all to Lady Loki. She might be able to help figure out what we should do moving forward." Leo said as Pyra nodded before offering her hand to Leo, who shyly took it. Leo and Pyra entered the Twilight Manor. The halls were dimly lit, only a few candles still burning as Leo led Pyra through the manor. "It appears everyone has gone to bed. I suppose we will inform Lady Loki of what happened tomorrow." Leo said gently as Pyra nodded her head in understanding. Leo was about to lead Pyra to his bed room when he heard a creak from behind him.

"Leo Barclay, you best have a good explanation for getting home this late." A somewhat stern female voice said from behind the duo as they quickly whipped around. Standing there was a woman with red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a blue top with black sleeves, black short shorts, black stockings that were tucked into blue shoes.

This was Loki the Trickster God, the head of the Loki Familia. "Good evening Lady Loki, apologies for my late return. I ran into unforeseen circumstances in the Dungeon." Leo said calmly as he stood at attention slightly in the present of his goddess. A mischievous smirk spread across Loki's face as she locked eyes with Pyra, looking the Blade over, making the girl uncomfortable. "My, so my little Leo found himself a girl? Quite a beautiful one at that! I didn't think you had it in you!" Loki teased as she walked up to Pyra before groping the red haired girl's breasts, causing her to let out a surprised squeak.

        Leo let out a frustrated sigh as he grabbed Loki's arms before removing them from Pyra's body. "Lady Loki, this is serious. I found Pyra within a hidden section of floor two of the Dungeon." Leo explained as Loki's expression immediately switched to a more serious one. Loki composed herself before looking Leo dead in the eyes, her red eyes boring into his green ones. "A hidden section? Leo, what exactly did you find and why did you go in without returning for backup?!" Loki snarled, a disappointed glare spreading across her features. A nervous sigh left Leo's mouth as he led Loki and Pyra into the living room. Leo and Pyra sat down next to one another while Loki sat across from them, the serious expression never leaving her face. "Explain everything to me." Loki said in a slightly stern tone as Leo and Pyra both nodded.

Two Hours Later
Leo and Pyra spent the next two hours explaining the trip into the Dungeon, Leo's skill finally activating upon finding the strange symbols, the corridor opening, the lab they discovered, the strange monsters that neither he or Bell had ever seen before. Then conversation turned to finding Pyra locked away, Leo awakening her, and their battle against the King Lysaat. Loki leaned back in her seat as she processed all the information she just received. "Leo, I should really strangle you for pulling a stunt like this." Loki said in a stern tone as she shot a concerned glare at the teen, causing him to look down in shame. Loki let out a sigh before she let a mischievous smirk spread across her face. "You said you started sketching a map of this lab right?" Loki asked as Leo looked up, locking eyes with the goddess of his Familia, a small smile spreading across his face.

"It's incomplete as I had to get myself and Belk out of there safely. However I was able to get a rough sketch of the layout. Why do you ask?" Leo asked as he gave his Familia's goddess a curious look. Loki's mischievous smirk only grew larger as Leo knew that expression all too well, that was Loki's scheming face. "Well with this new development, I think I found our Familia's next expedition! I know he's your friend Leo, but I don't know if I like you tackling this with that Hestia Brat. So I'll organize a party to accompany you and Pyra in exploring that Lab." Loki explained as Leo's eyes widened in surprise. In his two years with the Loki Familia, he was never once invited to join a party. Now Loki was making him the leader of one. "Lady Loki, I'm afraid it's too soon to be planning something like this. My weapon broke and Pyra can only supply me with Ether for a limited time." Leo tried to reason as he was currently ill equipped to go back into the Dungeon.

           Loki's mischievous smirk only grew larger as Leo grew uncomfortable under the goddess's gaze. "That's why you and I are going shopping tomorrow. It's high time you got some proper armor if you're going to be leading an expedition into uncharted and dangerous territory. That cleaver of yours was one its last leg to begin with, you are long overdue for an upgrade." Loki said in a slightly teasing tone as she winked at Leo who merely let out a frustrated sigh. Leo knew that arguing with Loki of all people was a losing battle, but he had to at least try. "My funds are light at the moment, it will take me a few weeks to earn enough to purchase a new weapon and set of cheap armor." Leo said calmly, believing logic would help reason with the trickster goddess.

        The smirk never left Loki's face however which caused Leo's dread to return in full force. "You insist on supporting yourself constantly, this is a gift from me. So saying no isn't an option Leo." Loki sang as Leo hung his head in defeat, he knew he had thoroughly lost this battle. Pyra watched her Driver and the goddess speak, the Blade nervously fidgeted in her seat. "Lady Loki, may I make a request?" Pyra said gently, almost in a whisper due to her nerves. Leo and Loki turned to look at Pyra, a mischievous smirk once again growing across Loki's face. "Oh? And what is it you ask of me Pyra?" Loki said in a wicked tone the mischief sparkling in the goddess's eyes as the Blade became slightly uncomfortable under the Goddess's gaze. Pyra fidgeted around nervously before letting out a gentle sigh.

"My fellow Blades are most likely sealed away in that lab. I ask that during the expedition we search for them." Pyra pleaded as she bowed her head to the goddess. Loki's smirk only grew wider at this piece of information. "So you are saying there are more of your kind? Well that would certainly bolster the Loki Familia's power!" Loki said in a smug tone as Leo shot his goddess a stern glare at her for her insensitive comment. A look of concern spread across Pyra's face as she quickly shot up from her seat. "You can't! If someone is unworthy of becoming a Driver, the power of the Core Crystal will kill them!" Pyra shouted in a panic stunning both Leo and Loki into silence. A blush of embarrassment spread across Pyra's face as she quickly sat back down.

           "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to shout." Pyra apologized as she once again bowed her head. Loki let out a sigh, a concerned frown now adorning her face. "Sorry for scaring you like that, I'll make sure to inform whoever goes with you two to not mess with those Core Crystals. Now both of you should get to bed, we have a long day tomorrow." Loki ordered as both Leo and Pyra got up from their seats, bidding the trickster goddess good night before exiting the living room. Loki slummed in her seat as she let out a tired sigh. "Leo, what have you gotten yourself tangled up in?" Loki mumbled to herself as she couldn't help but worry for her curious child. "The best I can do is make sure he's well equipped." Loki mumbled to herself before she got up from her seat and began making her way back to her bedroom for the night.

So Leo and Pyra updated the Guild on what they had discovered within the Dungeon. Now however Loki is planning a full scale expedition to uncover all the secrets of the lab to discover what secrets it holds. Please tell me who from the Loki Familia you would like to see on the expedition team. As always leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments! What shenanigans will Leo and Pyra find themselves caught up in while shopping with the trickster goddess? What else will Leo learn about the strange corridor and the Blades? What dangers could be lurking in the shadows? Find out in the next Quest of Danmachi: Master of the Aegis!