Welp, looks like I'm back in the game with a new story. Not sure why this idea of a story popped into my head, but I a king at schematics. No for real, I don't know why I'm doing this, but homie never runs from a challenge…unless it doesn't make any logical sense.
Not sure if this will be a harem, but for now Bell Cranel is not paired with anyone, though I am throwing him into the Loki Familia for this story. It's kind of funny how this is going to work out in my mind, but we'll see.
Anyway, does anyone else read their stories with the black background and white text, because I started like a few months ago, and now I can't go back…. odd.
The Dungeon. A place where adventures of all races and gender go to make a name for themselves. To prove their worth for the gods and goddesses that give their blessings to conduct such daring and challenging ordeals of monster slaying. Yes, these adventures come to the city of Orario, also known as the Labyrinth City, to enter the Dungeon all for the sake of their familia.
The process was simple in retrospect. The adventure would transverse through the city looking for a Deity to gain their own Falna, or grace, allowing the adventures to gain excellia and show their true worth.
Yes, this was a common theme to happen in the city of Orario. Very rare could an adventure come into the greatest city known to race, and then not be accepted into someone's family. It's completely unheard of for adventures to not have a family by the first site of the moon upon entering Orario.
However, that's what made this one adventure so interesting. Seeing as how one Bell Cranel, a young lad from a village deep into the mountains, was going on day three of not having a family of his own. Odd site indeed, granted it was probably his own fault.
See the thing about Bell was that he was an enigma. The boy was dressed in hunter garbs, consisting of black pants with a brown sweater of sorts, black high-end boots with black straps to keep them in place, and to top it off, a silver hooded cape on his shoulders and black, silver, and brown sashes wrapped around his waist.
The young man also didn't hide his weapons of choice either, what with a black stringed bow hanging on his left shoulder, and a matching arrow case hanging on his lower back. One would also see the simple dagger on his right side, and what looked like the case for a kukri knife on his left.
Indeed, Bell Cranel should not have had trouble with being recruited. So, what exactly was the problem with him? Well that answer was rather simple.
Experience and Youth.
Not one single family believed that Bell had any skill or experience at all with being so young. Most families telling him to come back after gaining some experience, while others flat out denied him before he could even turn in his application.
Not even the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, wanted him. Saying he would be more trouble than worth, and upon seeing his bow and arrows, deemed him unfit to even wild such weapons followed by telling him to quit before he got himself killed.
Bell had merely glanced at the goddess, before shaking his head and walking away. He'd never put down his bow and arrow. The weapons he'd carried had been a part of his life ever since he could wield them.
The knives were presented to him by his grandfather, a man who showed up to give guidance to young Bell upon learning that his parents would never be able to upon dying in Orario. It was with great determination that Bell would learn under him to make his late parents proud of him.
The bow and arrow were a gift from his village. Given to him upon his aid to the village in the nightly hunts for food and supplies. It also helped that Bell could hit any target no matter how far away they were. It was like he was blessed to wield an arrow, notch it, and then fire with speed and grace any mortal would be jealous of.
Which brings us back to our young hero who was currently talking to his guild adviser on his travels in the dungeon with no blessing.
"Bell, can you please explain to me why you thought it was such a swell idea to head to the fifth floor as a solo adventure again? Are you trying to die? Do really like making me worry about you?" The Guild member Eina questioned pinching the bridge of her nose under her glasses.
Bell couldn't help but chuckle at the guild woman for her worry, it did always make him smile. "But Ms. Eina, what kind of adventure would I be if I let something as small as that keep me from going down in the dungeon and showing off my skills?"
"That's not the point Bell! Where's your sense of danger? The dungeons are not a place to take lightly. Adventures go missing and lose their lives down there!" Eina couldn't help but shout at her young charge.
"Listen Petra, I was born for this kind of stuff. Not monster down there can escape my sight or the arrow that follows. Plus, I get to bring back a ton of loot for the both of us." Scratching his head, a little, Bell couldn't help the "well mostly for me" to slip out quietly, granted Eina heard him anyway.
"Once again Bell that is not the point! Yes, us guild members do get a small fee for helping adventures, but it does us no good if those adventures die due to not taking our guidance." Eina stated again, a vein popping on her head pulsing. Not even drawing the attention of the other adventures in the building. After all, this was the common occurrence within the guild.
Bell would do something crazy and report it like it was the right thing to do. Eina would then begin to give a lecture, to which Bell would completely ignore with a nickname towards the half elf with a bright smile.
"Look I'm sorry Ms. Eina, but this is what I was meant to do. I've always dreamt of being an adventure, and I've done the training. I can't help it if the familias around here don't want the greatest archer in the world to join them, but I made a promise to my grandfather that I plan to see to the end.
Besides, what could possibly go wrong? I been doing this for three days straight, and it's not like I'm going to make money any other way. Most jobs around here aren't going to hire a young kid such as myself, so adventuring and dungeon crawling is the best solution. Plus, it keeps me from having to sleep on the streets. Would you want that to happen Petra?" Bell stated with wide eyes and a slight pout, that made Eina blush and glance away. Looks like that could stop hearts, and she still needed hers.
"I understand Bell, truly I do. I just don't want anything to happen to you. So, promise me that you'll be extra careful, okay?" Seeing Bell quickly nod his head in rapid session, Eina couldn't help the giggle that escaped at his antics. "Very well then, and could you stop with the Petra nickname? I don't even know what it means."
"Thank you so much Ms. Eina, I'll work on the nickname thing for sure!" Bell yelled out running towards the guild exit to head to the dungeon to start working. Making Eina laugh as she watched.
"STAY SAFE BELL CRANEL!"
"Love you too Ms. Eina!"
Eina could only blush and utter the most logical thing to come to mind.
"EH!?"
Bell couldn't help but smile in excitement as he continued his way through the fourth floor of the dungeon, bow in hand and two arrows at the ready. There was just some odd feeling of satisfaction upon firing his arrows knowing he wouldn't miss.
It had started with the first three floors filled with Kobolds and Goblins trying to take his life in quick session. The goblins would charge forward, while the kobolds circled him waiting for the perfect time.
Bell had given no concern as simply firing one arrow would pierce a goblin, striking the one right behind it. With a quick draw never seen, Bell had released several arrows taking out any goblin before it could get in range.
However, the Kobolds were a slightly different story. What with trying to side dash out of the boy's line of sight to reach him. A plan that would have worked, had Bell not charged forward to meet them. Taking the Kobolds by surprise, Bell continued to charge forward towards them, before taking to the air as the teeth of the first kobold snapped at his heels.
Flipping himself in mid-air, Bell quickly let several more arrows fly in rapid session piercing each kobold mid-section, but not destroying the magic stones within. Those sold for a pretty penny after all.
Coming down to the ground, Bell smiled at his quick work lowering his bow to his side, before pulling out his Kukri, spinning to the side, and slashing down upon a kobold that was in hiding beheading it, and then following up with launching said knife across the dungeon floor to strike a dungeon lizard in the head that had just started to form from the floor.
Bell couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. "Heh, a knife thrown just right, can accomplish great things."
So, when Bell had entered the fourth floor, and noticed that nothing was coming to take a stab at him, well he had begun to feel a little uneasy. Upon seeing several other adventures run past him towards the exit should have probably been a fare warning that something wasn't right either, but Bell was a betting man, and all the cards were always in his favor.
"Well there's nothing like a hot streak, what's one more kill anyway?" Bell quickly ran forward into the fifth level of the dungeon not seeing any form of monster, but just more adventures running out.
Coming upon two other adventures that looked like Level 1's, Bell quickly stopped them. He needed to know what was going on, before he continued to what was probably going to be a troublesome situation.
Out in another universe far away, a young pineapple haired kid sneezed.
"Hey why is everyone running away towards the exit? The loots in the other direction." Bell stated while getting a good look at the three he stopped.
One of the members of the duo was a young girl with tannish brown skin. Her dark long hair was braided on one side, while the rest went down her back. Her outfit consisted of what looked like a red vest with gold trimmings holding in her rather nice bust but stopping right about her stomach to show off more smooth skin, and red dress going down to her ankles with red spartan based sandals for footwear. Though Bell found it odd that she carried no weapon, but rather a book that seemed chained to her right wrist.
The other man was a simple mystery to Bell, because he was dressed in full garbs consisting of a long-sleeved orange and black vest in black pants and black boots with a fur coat hanging on his shoulders. It also didn't help that the man, well hopefully a man, had a full-face masked helmet on with horns on the side. The large battle hammer in his hand gripped tightly. Bell also took notice that his left arm hung limply by his side.
"We need to move right now!" Bell peeked up to hearing the masked adventure speak, confirming his gender as male.
However, before Bell could question why, a loud splash resonated next to the trio making them look to the side. There before them lay what looked to be the remains of a bloodied mangled corpse.
"RRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"
Bell slowly craned his head towards the beast roar to see what looked to be a Minotaur slowly standing from around a corner on the floor glaring at the trio with appending rage.
Bell merely glanced back to the other two adventures in front of him, before slowly lowering his head. "Ms. Eina is so going to kill me." Bell mumbled, before slowly notching four arrows on his bow and slowly walking towards the Minotaur as it did the same.
"He big guy! I know you probably don't hear this a lot, but I'd really appreciate it if you turned around and got off this floor!" Bell's response to the request was a fierce roar, followed by the beast charging and Bell letting his arrows fly.
The duo quickly glanced at each other before the masked one looked back to the young boy that was putting his life on the line for god knows what reason. Was it to cover for their escape? To try and complete an impossible task by besting a beast above his level? Who knew, but for some odd reason, it didn't sit well with the man, not one fucking bit.
Which was why it was shocking the female adventure when her only teammate decided to charge forward hammer at his side, as she witnessed the boy dodging and firing at the beast. A slow tear began to slide down her face as she too charged to aid her friend. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to her friend and the boy due to her cowardness. Granted today was probably going to be the end of their tale.
"Okay big guy, why don't you just…WOAH!" Bell was cut off as the Minotaur almost took his head off with a mighty swing. Bell had quickly ducked under the blow before jumping to the side dodging a curve stomp. "WHY ARE YOU SO FAST!?"
The beast merely let out another roar, before turning around and smacking the masked one away who was commencing a mid-air attack. Quickly bringing its hands up to block the multiple fire balls aimed at its chest.
Bell glanced over to see the girl mumbling with her hand outstretched and chained book open and glowing. Bell could only smile as he quickly ran to the side firing arrows from the side watching them bounce of the monster on the floor.
"Hey if I make it out of this one, it's going to be one hell of a story for later."
"Is now the time to be talking of telling tales when we might just die?" The masked man questioned, after getting up and charging forward and delivering an uppercut with his hammer and jumping back seeing as how it did no damage what so ever.
"Hey, a hunter returning from something like this is kind of unheard of okay. I got to enjoy the little things." Bell quickly tackled the girl out the way as the Minotaur charged forward after getting tired of being pelted with fire. Taking a knee, Bell looked up in time to see the Minotaur turn around before engaging the masked guy again and delivering a fierce chest kick sending the guy flying back towards them.
"Gavyn!" The girl shouted, getting up to him and chanting another spell as her hand hovered over his chest.
Bell glanced back to see the Minotaur was slowly getting ready for another charge. Bell cursed under his breath. He'd distract it long enough for the other two to move. Eina was really going to mad if he died down here. He'd never hear the end of it, granted he'd be dead, so not too sure how that would work.
Reaching down to grab another arrow and feeling none, Bell once again cursed, but only a little louder. Glancing over to check on the other two, Bell did the only thing that made sense.
"Hey, you ugly sad excuse of a beast!"
Seeing as how he had the Minotaur's attention Bell continued. "Of all the ugly sorry pieces of crap I've seen in the world, you are by far the worst!" The girl healing her friend could only stare shocked at the young archer at his words for aggravating the Minotaur that shouldn't have even been on this floor. "God hurry up Gavyn, you have to get up and help us! This kid's about to be killed!"
Grunting Gavyn slowly set up. "Then heal me faster damnit!"
"I'M TRYING!"
Meanwhile, while those two were arguing, Bell merely held up his bow taking aim, and grabbing the string with his right hand, drawing back. Nothing but fierce concentration on Bell's face, his whole body began to show signs of glowing bright as the sun.
"Let the light guide my arrow and find it's mark."
Bell's chant was low and the Minotaur grew tired and charged forward with speed not seen earlier upon engagement. It planned on killing the trio in one charge.
"Hey?" Bell called out to the two behind him as he continued to charge his attack. His temporally teammates looking at him in awe upon seeing and feeling such power up close.
"My bow might not kill with the first shot, but considering on what follows, it doesn't have too." Bell stated before letting the string go.
What followed was what looked like a golden arrow flying out towards the Minotaur. Gavyn and the healer watched as the arrow flew as fast as the speed of light, and before they could blink, watched it pierce the Minotaur's side, before continuing and blowing its side to complete nothing.
The Minotaur yelled in pain falling down upon taking the hit and sliding on the ground all the way up to the boy's foot that was raised to stop it as if he was showing he was strong enough to stop the monster's motion.
Turning around, Bell through his hands out spinning around to face the duo. "Now that's how a hunter claims his mark and makes a buck. Wonder if it'll dro…" Before Bell could finish his question, a fist slammed into his side sending him flying to the cave wall and impacting hard.
Groaning from the pain, Bell slowly lifted his head to see the monster that should have very well been dead, slowly stand up taking giant breathes as it slowly made its way to him. The left side of its chest was gone, but the rage at possibly dying kept the Minotaur alive long enough to take the one that did the damage with it.
Bell slowly set his back up against the dungeon wall as the Minotaur continued to make it's way towards him. Bell shook his head trying to get rid of the dizzy spell he was under, using the wall to stand, before realizing that he couldn't feel his right arm. Looking at it dangle by his side, was a clear sign that it was completely broken, which meant that firing anything was no longer an option.
Dropping his bow to the ground, Bell pulled out his Kukri knife once again for the day, holding it in front of him in a defensive stance. He wasn't raised to be a coward after all.
The Minotaur looked upon Bell's Defensive stance before making his way faster to him in a slight charge releasing one last roar.
Bell braced himself for the beast as it drew near, before being splattered with the blood of the monster as half its remaining body fell to the side. Wiping the gunk from his face, Bell could only glance at another young woman with blonde hair and silver armor sheath her sword and look towards him.
Gold eyes blankly stared at red eyes that showed tiredness, before Bell completely fainted from the pain. As his world grew dark, Bell could hear multiple voices, one being of laughter with something towards him passing out, and another in concern for his injuries along with his teammates.
All Bell could tell at that moment, was that the blonde was beautiful, and the one person laughing, well he didn't like that person at all.
Well there we go. We now have a hunter Bell who kind of has characteristics of one of my favorite video game heroes. Now with that being said, Bell Cranel will be forming a team with the two OC's introduced. He will also be starting some form of his own family within the Loki Familia.
After all, the others have never worked with Bell, considering he is a level 1 upon entry, and an archer at that. Granted, Bell is strong, not too OP, but strong enough to be leveled up immediately upon joining the Loki Familia. He's been doing his hunter thing for a long time.
Now with that said, stats for the characters that have been introduced, and are actually important.
Name: Bell Cranel
Age: 14
Alias: None
Familia: None
Race: Human
Level: None
Strength – A – 891
Endurance – S – 931
Dexterity – SSS – 2169
Agility – SS - 1457
Magic – C – 708
Skills:
[Guardian's Light]
[When focused, a Guardian's Light will overcharge the attack with the Power truly Divine]
Curse: [Stasius]
[Until acceptance of a Familia, one's true strength is Restricted to that of Level 1]
Name: Gavyn Strauss
Age: 19
Alias: None
Familia: None
Level: None
Strength – H – 142
Endurance – H – 138
Dexterity – I – 65
Agility – I – 42
Magic – I – 0