Bell's Troll Mission

by PirateRaider

Bell finds out about Hestia's debt, and sets out to get the money he needs to pay it by tracking down a certain group of monsters. Instead he finds a cave of trolls. A one-shot story, just for fun. Feel free to read & review.

Bell's Troll Mission.

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Bell and company had just returned triumphantly from the dungeon. To say their trip had been an eventful one would be an understatement. On what should have been a somewhat routine trip into the dungeon, they had to deal with a pass parade of monsters. They ran and fought, but were driven to deeper floors. Realizing they had almost no hope of making it back to the surface, they instead opted to go even further down, all the way to the safe zone on floor 18. It was a decision that almost killed them many times over. During the last leg of the trip, Bell had to carry his comrades, and they narrowly escaped certain death at the hands of Goliath, the floor boss. But it all paid off when they made it to the safe zone alive.

Later Hestia and Hermes showed up leading a rescue mission. Things were going fairly smoothly after that, right up until some other adventurers, overcome with jealousy over Bell's fame and impossibly fast progress, decided to start causing trouble. They kidnapped Hestia, forced Bell into a high-stakes duel, and cheated to win. But things started going awry when Bell's allies caught wind of it and came charging in. And when Hestia summoned her divine powers to put a stop it all, all hell broke lose.

Gods and goddesses were not allowed in the dungeon, and when it detected Hestia, the safe zone turned into a war zone. A black version of Goliath came crashing through the ceiling, and the normally peaceful monsters turned bloodthirsty.

Every last adventurer there united to take down that monster, but it wasn't working. The Black Goliath was able to regenerate all injuries, rendering their efforts almost useless. Even blowing off its head couldn't stop it. Then Bell activated his Argonaut ability, and blasted off the entire top half of that monster rex with a firebolt, easily outdoing all the other adventurers combined. But that still wasn't enough, as it still stood and was already regenerating. So Bell attacked again. He charged in, drove his knife into the exposed magic stone, and attacked with firebolts until it was completely destroyed, leaving only the giant magic stone. Bell was gonna be famous after that one.

And if that wasn't enough, they had another adventure on the way back. Hestia found a secret area that had until then, gone completely unnoticed. It turned out to be a hot spring, so they all took a break. Because Hermes had swimsuits for everyone, and somehow knew their sizes. While having fun and exploring the place, they discovered it was a trap. A monster lived there and used the hot spring to lure unsuspecting adventurers to their doom. The monster was powerful, dangerous, rubbery, and embarrassing to deal with when it gave the water the power to dissolve clothes. Bell won, but then got so embarrassed he almost wished he had died.

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But now he was back home, safe and sound. As Hestia was off getting them some food, he decided to clean the place up a bit. As he did that, a piece of paper fell out of a box. His eyes went wide when he saw it. A 20 million valis loan contract to the Hephaistos Familia. For a split second he wondered how this was possible, then he realized it was his knife. The knife that saved him many times over, and had powers of its own, and bore the seal of the Hephaistos Familia. A knife that suddenly felt a whole lot heavier.

When Hestia returned, he confronted her about it. She said not to worry, as she was working the debt off at her part-time job, and Hephaistos didn't care if it took hundreds of years for her to pay it off. It didn't affect the familia, so they didn't need to worry about it, so she didn't feel the need to tell them.

"You idiot! If word gets out about this, rumours are going to spread, and everybody's going to think we're being crushed under a giant debt, and they'll never join. So even if it doesn't involve the familia directly, it'll still affect us."

"I'm sorry Bell."

"Just be glad I found out now instead of in the middle of a giant recruitment that could have guarantied smooth sailing if those who showed up, signed up."

Bell could have just let it go, but at the same time he couldn't just let it go. He refused to have his goddess stuck with a giant debt, while he did nothing to help. He had to do something. He tried long and hard to think up a solution, but all he could come up with was working harder in the dungeon.

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The next night, Bell, Hestia, and their friends met up at the Hostess of Fertility to celebrate their adventures in the dungeon. There they let them know everything. Including how Bell wanted to help her out.

"In my gut I'm sure I know of something that can help, but no matter how hard I try, I can't think of anything. Any ideas?"

"Nope."

"Sorry."

Then Mamma Mia stepped in, having overheard their conversation.

"I might be able to help you out. Bell, you haven't had any alcohol tonight, right?"

"No."

"Perfect. Then I got a drink that can help kickstart your brain and make you smarter."

"Really? I don't recall seeing a drink like that on the menu."

"That's because it's expensive, hard to come by, and deadly when combined with alcohol. You want some?"

"If it works, then sure."

A glass of that stuff later, and Bell's brain started to fell tingly. Then everything in his mind started to sort out. He didn't get any new information, but rather he figured things out using what he already knew.

"I have an idea."

Recently Bell had heard stories about a dangerous group of monsters that have been raiding and looting places and travellers, about a week away from Orario. If he could track them down and steal their loot, he could pay off the debt in full.

Nobody there was going to just let Bell run off and get killed, and they made that clear. Then Bell expanded on his plan. He would track them down without engaging them, then he would send word of where they were, and his familia, backed up by another familia would go there and wipe them out. They'd take at least 60 % of the loot, and all of that would go to pay off Hestia's loan. They just needed two things: A powerful familia who would fight with them, and someone to fill in for Bell while he was away. There weren't too many ideas on that. There was a fair chance that Hephaistos might be willing to step up, as it meant getting the money they were owed that much sooner. But apart from them, they drew a blank. And they weren't sure who they could talk into doing Bell's work supporting the familia.

"I can handle it," said Ryuu.

"I wouldn't mind helping Bell out," said Syr. "We can join his team in the dungeon whenever we have free time. Most of our share can go to support Hestia, but you'll owe us one, sir Bell."

Hestia had to struggle to keep her temper in check. These two were clearly making a play for Bell! But she knew she needed help and couldn't afford to turn them down.

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Later, when Bell and Hestia met with Hephaistos...

"Are you serious? Do you really expect me to send all my best members that far out of Orario, on a wild goose chase, for an unfair share?" demanded Hephaistos.

"No, I expect you to keep on doing what you're doing, and only sent your members there after receiving word that I've found them. If I fail to track them down, it won't affect your familia in the slightest. If I succeed, you get to collect on Hestia's loan that much sooner, and still get enough on top of that to make the trip worthwhile. It's win-win," said Bell. "What downsides could there be?"

"That many of my familia leaving Orario for that long can cause us serious problems."

"They can also stock up on rare supplies you can't get around here without paying a fortune."

Hephaistos thought on it.

"Ah, what the hell. Alright, but only contact me after you've found exactly where they're hiding, and make sure to include details on the whole lot of them. Their numbers, their races, their weapons, and everything else. I refuse to risk the lives of my familia, or send in an absurd amount of them, just because your information was sloppy."

"Deal."

"Thank you Hephaistos."

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Not long after, Bell was packed for the trip, he said goodbye to everyone, Hestia gave him a parting kiss, that she tried turning into a make-out session, and he was on his way.

The trip was mostly uneventful. He helped some people out along the way to earn some travelling funds, he dealt with a few wild monsters, and he learned that the rumours about him had already spread far beyond the borders of Orario. Stories were being told of an undersized rookie adventurer, who defeated a giant silverback monster that was on a rampage with only one solid hit, then took down a minotaur while he was only at level 1, and completely shattered the previous record for the fastest levelling up in history. Bell was filled with pride. Making it to the 18th floor while enduring a Pass Parade of monsters and defeating the nearly invincible Black Goliath were not yet among those stories, but he knew they would be before long.

Because a group of friendly merchants gave him a ride, he was able to reach his destination a few days ahead of schedule. Then he started asking around for information on the monsters that were doing the raids. Once he got enough to narrow down the likely locations a bit, he set off.

Almost a week of searching went by, and so far all he learned was where they weren't. The area was wide, and his best option seemed to be process of elimination. He investigated one spot after another, but came up empty each time. But he wasn't giving up. He pressed on, and then he spotted something. A trio of trolls carrying large sacks. They could possibly be members of the raiders, so they were definitely worth looking into.

He followed the trolls for a while, careful to stay out of sight. Then he found their secret cave, along with the rest of them. But their numbers were far too low to be the raiders. Unless, the raiders were only all together during the raids, and the rest of the time they were split up into small groups like these to avoid suspicion. If that was the case, he could face off again one group at a time, and gradually wipe out that entire army on his own. Not only would he be able to keep all that loot for his own familia, he'd become a legend for dealing with them all on his own.

On the other hand, that would only work if he could learn where the rest of them were from those trolls. And only if they didn't catch onto him before it was too late. In any case, he made up his mind and went in.

The cave was deeper than it looked, and to get in he had to take down the troll standing guard. He crept in, drew his blade, then jumped out and attacked with a slash. The troll guard was caught completely off guard, and he suffered through 3 deep slashes before he was able to counterattack. Bell dodged the strikes from his axe and kept on attacking. Then the troll fell and turned to dust, leaving only its weapon and its magic stone. Bell pocketed the stone and continued inward, hoping the rest didn't hear that fight.

He found a large cavern where the trolls were staying at. Most of them were relaxing and eating. There were less than 10 of them, but given their size, power and weaponry, there was a good chance he would get killed. Which meant a sneak attack would be his best option.

Bell pulled out his sword and knife, crept close to the strongest looking one, then jumped out and stabbed him in the head. This killed it, but it also alerted the rest of them to his presence. They grabbed their weapons, a mix of blades, axes, clubs and maces, and they launched a furious counterattack.

"Firebolt!"

Bell's magic attack hit the closest one, causing it to fall backwards and knock the others over. Seeing his opening, he dashed in and attacked the only on that was still standing. It blocked his first strike, but he followed through with more strikes and overwhelmed him. But then suddenly he was struck in the side with a club, hard enough to send him flying. He crashed into the wall, then fell to the ground.

Bell groaned and cursed himself as he fought through the pain and climbed to his feet. It was his own fault for leaving himself wide open. But he refused to let that one slip up decide this fight.

He turned to the side to dodge an axe strike, then he thrust his knife into the attacking troll.

"Firebolt!"

By sending his magical attack through his knife, which was inside his opponent, his attack became extremely lethal. The troll turned to dust, and without missing a beat, he went after the next nearest troll.

Because of the hit he took, he now had a harder time moving, resulting in slower speed and less manoeuvrability. That gave the trolls an easier times getting in hits. Bell was still taking them down one after another, but now they were getting in more hits.

Bell was sent crashing into another wall. There were only three of them left, but at this point he was practically dead. As they went in for the finishing blow, he recalled the people he'd be letting down if he died. That gave him the strength to rise to his feet. His Argonaut skill was activated, and with a shout of "FIREBOLT!" he wiped out the entire group in one explosive shot.

With the fight won, Bell collapsed and coughed up blood. Then he reached into his pouch and pulled out a couple of healing potions. He didn't have time to use them during the fight, but now they would save his life.

After some rest, Bell got back up, collected the magic stones, looted the room, and searched for any leads on the raiders. After looking everywhere and finding nothing, he ventured deeper into the cave. Soon he found a walled off part with a locked door. In front of that was another troll, this one fatter than the rest and sound asleep. Bell stole his keys, killed it, and went through the door.

Bell smiled when he saw the piles of treasure. Then he frowned when he saw what else was in there. Humans in a cage that were clearly being kept as slaves. There were about 12 girls and 3 boys, all of them were younger than he was, malnourished, filthy, clad in rags, terrified, and couldn't even speak properly.

He knew he had to help them, but he couldn't risk leaving the treasure either. Fortunately he saw a solution. There was a cart in there, big enough to carry all the treasure and even the slaves if they didn't mind being squished together. There were also some sacks. By filling them up with treasure, he could avoid anything spilling out while the cart was in motion. So he did that. He loaded the treasure into the sacks, loaded the sacks into the cart, unlocked the cage and let them out, then pushed the cart back the way he came, while leading the slaves to freedom.

Upon reaching the room where Bell fought the trolls, the slaves rushed over to where the food was, and devoured it all. The trolls had barely been feeding them enough to keep them alive, so they weren't going to leave a single crumb behind.

Having ate their fill, they were now tired. So Bell helped them all into the cart and took them away.

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He went straight to the nearest town, and tried to get some help for them and find their families. It was a local officer who came to his aid.

"What's going on?"

"Well, I was out trying to track down the raiders, and I found a few trolls. So I followed them thinking-"

"Wait a minute, the raiders have already been wiped out."

"What? When was this?"

"The battled ended several days ago. And it lasted about two weeks."

"I've been out there for almost a week trying to track them down and they've already been wiped out?"

"Afraid so."

"Anyway. I followed them thinking they were part of the raiders and could lead me to the rest of them. Instead I found a single cave with about a dozen trolls in it. After I wiped out, I found this lot. The trolls were keeping them as slaves."

"Wow. But I have some bad news for you. The trolls most likely stole them when they were just babies and raised them to be their slaves. You might be able to find their families if you go to Orario and get some divine help, but other than that, they've probably been away far too long for anyone to identify them. So that's gonna be an issue."

Bell sighed and hung his head.

"By the way. Did one of those trolls have a mohawk and half his face burned off?"

"Uh, yeah. That one was really ugly and nasty."

"There's a bounty on that group. 1.8 million valis."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come with me."

After working everything out and getting paid, Bell was on his way. He spent a small fortune on two horses and a large wagon, just to transport everything and everyone.

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Back in Orario...

Word got out about the Little Rookie's attempt at tracking down and leading an attack on the monster raiders outside Orario's borders. Many people thought his success went to his head and he was being foolish. But others thought it had to be easier than his other feats, like shattering the record for fastest levelling up ever, so it should be something he could pull off. Whether or not he could pull it off became a hot topic. But then word came while he was gone that the monster raiders were wiped out by the local army, and much of the stolen property was returned to its rightful owners.

Bell's reputation took a hit after that. The Little Rookie tried something big and failed miserably. Everybody who was jealous of him and pissed off that he was showing them up, now had something about him to mock. And they certainly didn't hold back while mocking him. They went out of their way to destroy the reputation he had earned and any hope he had of making a name for himself. His allies tried to defend him, saying he simply got there too late and all of them combined couldn't do even slightly better. A few said they should at least wait until he returned to pass that kind of judgment.

"Ha! I already know how that's gonna go. He's gonna return here all depressed, admit that the whole thing was foolhardy, and then he'll apologize to his familia. And then it's all downhill from there! Ha ha ha!"

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Bell reached the gates of Orario and passed through. He headed straight home to see Hestia.

"Hey! Goddess Hestia!" he called out.

She came running when she heard his voice.

"Bell!"

He climbed off the wagon and she lept into his arms, grateful to see him again. Seeing him show up with horses and a wagon was surprising. Even more surprising was seeing others in there.

"Uh, Bell who are they?"

"Former troll slaves, stolen as babies. I'm gonna need help with them."

She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Anything happen while I was gone?"

"We got a new familia member," she said proudly. "Mikoto Yamato."

Bell paused to recall that name.

"The girl with the katana and the hot spring obsession?"

"Yeah, she wanted to join us to set things right. And how did things go on your end?"

"Well, I was fed false information and went to the wrong place. Then I found a gang of trolls. I wiped them out, freed their slaves, and stole their treasure. The raiders were wiped out before I got there, but the trolls had more than enough loot to make it worthwhile."

"Really? How much?"

"Well, I didn't get any of it appraised, but I think it's maybe 60 million valis."

Hestia started drooling. He'd made far more than she'd dared to hope. With that she could pay off a quarter of her debt and still have enough to find them a decent place to live. No more of that filthy basement in an abandoned church that was ready to collapse.

While putting it in bank they learned it totalled roughly 58 million valis. (Not counting the one large, unidentified crystal. That one would take some time to identify and figure out the price of.) They wanted to celebrate, but knew they had to get going. They needed to find the relatives of their new guests, and both could only think of one who might be able to help them with that. Athena, goddess of wisdom. She sometimes used her powers for stuff like this. Just not for free.

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They arrived at Athena's home. A huge, beautiful mansion with a big gate and a couple familia members on guard duty. Seeing someone arrive by horse-drawn wagon was not a regular occurrence, so when they told the guards they had business with Lady Athena, they quickly left to fetch her. She came out looking beautiful and proud, wearing a form fitting dress that showed off her cleavage.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Hestia and the Little Rookie. What brings you here?"

'Why did I have to get stuck with a nickname like that?" thought Bell.

"Lady Athena," said Bell. "As I'm sure you've already heard, not long ago I set out to hunt down a group of monsters that have been raiding other lands. What you may not have heard yet, was that due to some faulty information, I instead ended up fighting a group of wanted trolls. They had a bunch of human slaves they took as babies, and now I need help finding their families."

They talked it over and she agreed to use her divine powers to help. She would find their relatives and even grant them the wisdom needed to function in normal society. But the amount she wanted to charge was absurd. 10 million valis for each one. No-one who ever lived would ever pay 150 million valis just to be a good samaritan. Bell and Hestia flat-out refused, saying that was nothing short of a ransom demand. A huge argument broke out between them. Then Athena's familia caught wind of it and joined in. But oddly enough, most of them sided with Bell and Hestia. Their goal to reunite those kids with their families was a noble one. Athena was forced to give in to save her reputation. Rather than losing current and future familia members, she instead gave them a generous discount. 10 million valis for the whole lot to find their relatives. And another 5 million to help them function in society.

Athena was not happy about having to do so much work for so little pay. But she still did her job properly. They learned that 4 of the girls had no living relatives, 1 was the daughter of wealthy aristocrats, and the rest of them had at least one relative that was either in Orario, or within a few days of it.

One of the girls had a relative who was in that very building. And when he found out that his long lost little sister, who he thought was long dead, had been brought to him, he nearly passed out. Then he said he'd personally foot the bill to grant them the wisdom needed to function in normal society, out of his own pocket.

Word was sent to all the relatives, and a new rumour arose about Bell abandoning his original mission of tracking down the raiders in order to fight a band of trolls to rescue the slaves they'd been keeping. Not only was that enough to restore his reputation, but it boosted it. Before he was a newcomer that was advancing far faster than what should be possible and pulling off impossible feats. But now he was also a saint and a saviour. He had become a hero straight out of a fairy tale. And it was nearly impossible not to respect him for it. Not everybody was happy about it, but they had to admit he deserved respect.

While delivering the former slaves to their relatives, they stopped at the Hephaistos Familia. Bell was prepared to pay off a huge chunk of Hestia's debt, but there was another reason for going there.

"Hephaistos! We got great news!" cried Hestia.

"Considering your plan was a failure, I find that hard to believe," Hephaistos replied.

"Oddly enough, when I was off hunting the raiders down, I instead found a band of trolls. After taking them down, I found they had a bunch of slaves they'd stolen as babies. And according to Athena, this one," he brought forth a young girl. "Is your daughter."

Hephaistos fainted.

Bell and Hestia carried her to a couch and waited for her to wake up. When she did, she read the official note that Athena wrote that verified that claim. There was no doubt, that girl really was Hephaistos's daughter.

"How'd you lose your own daughter anyway?" asked Bell.

"It was about a year after she was born. We were concerned that growing up the child of a goddess could lead to some bad things. If we were too strict, she could become cold, emotionless and cruel. If we weren't strict enough, she could get an ego and become a bitch. So her father came up with the idea to raise her as a normal girl in a village. I'd stop by every once in a while to visit and make sure things went smoothly. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but then they were attacked and killed en route. I did not take that news well."

"No kidding. I thought those scars would never heal," said Hestia.

"Hey! I already apologized, and I supported you for years."

"In any case, your husband's been avenged and your daughter's been returned. You're welcome," said Bell.

"Thank you," said Hephaistos as she hugged Bell. Then she held him at arms length. "What's your price?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want as a reward? I know you can't be doing this for free."

Bell took a deep breath.

"You may have charged 200 million valis for this knife, but all it probably cost you was maybe 500 valis of material and a few hours of hard work. I'm pretty sure virtually any parent would see that as a great deal for getting their kid back."

"So you just want to get Hestia out of debt?"

"Or at least a discount."

Hephaistos smiled and thought about that.

"You're absolutely right, and I think I'll do one better. If this girl really is my daughter, I'll not only cancel the debt, I'll also make new weapons and armour for your entire familia, free of charge. Deal?"

"Deal. Thank you."

They shook on it, then Hephaistos pulled Bell into a kiss. He was caught completely by surprise and she held onto him tightly to ensure he couldn't get away. Hestia was furious and it took every last bit of her willpower not to interrupt. Had that 200 million valis debt not been on the line, she would've grabbed an axe or something and attacked in blind fury. After over a minute of exploring each others mouths with their tongues, Hephaistos let him go.

"Okay, you two run along now, I have a lot of catching up to do with my little girl."

"Alright, we still have to get the rest to their relatives."

"Oh, and Hestia. I doubt I'll be the only one to show Bell that kind of gratitude, so try to keep your emotions in check."

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Hephaistos's words proved true. Not only was there no shortage of gratitude, nearly all of it got physical. Bell was hugged by everyone, kissed by all the girls, and a couple of them wanted to take things a lot further. The Hestia Familia, led by Bell, got on great terms with much of Orario. Then they send word to the relatives outside Orario, who wasted little time rushing over. When the one girl's aristocrat father arrived to pick her up, he repaid them by buying them the biggest place in Orario that was up for sale. An entire mansion. It was old and in need of a few minor repairs, but it was still a mansion that was worth a fortune. No longer were they stuck in the basement of a dilapidated, abandoned church. Now they had a place big enough for all of them to live comfortably, and still have room to expand their familia.

The only ones remaining were the four girls without any surviving relatives. But what to do about them? The familia came to a decision. They would join the Hestia Familia, working as maids. They would make sure the girls got proper food, exercise, education, and even combat training. Once they were strong enough, they would join Bell's team in the dungeon.

With a fancy new home, a bigger familia, almost 50 million valis in the bank, and a strong reputation, things were finally looking up for the Hestia Familia. But what Hestia didn't see coming, was that once cleaned and in better shape, the girls were beautiful, all of them had fallen in love with Bell, and none of them were opposed to sharing him. Bell's dream of getting a harem was about to come true.

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Author's Note: I thought up the basic plot of the story years ago, and I finally got around to writing it by turning it into a Danmachi story.