It's been a few days since his goddess left for some… party, was it? In fact, did she say where she was going? Regardless, Bell was starting to get concerned. It was at the end of the week and there hadn't been any word from her. He hoped she was doing well.
There wasn't much he could do about it. He'd wait another day before sounding the alarm and turning the city inside-out in search of her. For now, he should focus on the Dungeon.
He had finished healing the other day. His leg was in top shape with no more flashes of pain. Unfortunately, he still couldn't go to the lower regions of the Dungeon like how he wanted. The goddess still had his weapons and he didn't feel the starter's dagger from the Guild could support him.
…He could use the money Maria gave him to buy a new set of weapons. Maybe some armor too. No. It wasn't his money. He needed to return it the next time she showed up.
"Oi! Wait up nyah, white-head kid!"
He recognized the voice of the one who called him out as he was jogging down the street— he usually did in order to warm up for the Dungeon. He was just about to pass the Benevolent Mistress when one of the cat-people called out to him from the café. And beside her was the elf from the other day.
The way she looked at him… it made him feel like he was naked in front of her.
"Um… yes?" he approached the two. He wasn't sure what business he had with them. He remembered returning Syr's basket last night so they shouldn't be asking something regarding her.
"Good morning, nya!" the cat girl gave a wide grin with a salute. "Sorry to call nyou out like that, nya! Got a favor to as. Here, nya."
Without warning, she pressed a coin purse into his hand.
"Syr is nyour friend, white-head kid. So I want nyou to give this to her, nya!"
…He did his best to keep his smile up.
"Anya," the elf spoke up. "You're not being direct. Mister Cranell is confused."
"Lyu, nyou're stupid!" Anya raised her head as if what she was saying was too smart for anyone else to understand. "Syr forgot her wallet, so I'm asking him to take it to hr. Nyou knew that, right, white-head kid?"
"…That's how it is," the elf, Lyu, turned back to Bell with the practiced patience of one who had long learned to deal with Anya. "I apologize for the confusion."
"Ah, no, I got it now," Bell's smile was more at ease this time. "That's what's going on."
"Are you sure it is okay to accept our request?" she asked next. "Anya, the other employees, and I are too busy preparing for the day to go after Syr. I know we are interrupting your plans for today…"
"It's not that big of a deal," he waved it off, tucking the purse into his backpack. "But is it true Syr is skipping out on work?"
"Anya did not choose her words well," the elf looked over at the cat girl. There was something in her gaze that made the feline flinch. It was over and her stalwart gaze returned to Bell. "Syr is not playing hooky. Her situation is different because she doesn't reside at our establishment like we do."
"Today of all days…?" Bell thought about it for a moment. "Ah, could she have gone to see Monsterphilia?"
Monsterphilia. It was something relatively new to Bell who had been living in Orario for no more than a month and being an adventurer for two weeks— almost three. Once a year, the adventurers of the Ganesha Familia would capture monsters in the dungeon, bring them out into the colosseum on the surface, and put on a spectacle for people to watch. Supposedly, the monster tamers of the Ganesha Familia were the best and knew how to put on a good show.
Bell was curious himself. He'd have never been to any sort of festival… Nothing as big as this one anyways. There had been a few harvest celebrations back in his farming village. Nothing fancy and as… crowded.
He supposed he could take the day off to check things out. One day off wouldn't kill him. He had enough money saved for that much at least.
"Yes, she went to partake in the festivities," Lyu nodded once. "Mister Cranell, this may be out of the blue but… is your goddess not back yet? I've yet to see you properly armed for the Dungeon."
His smile became nervous. Even Lyu could tell he was a newbie. "N-No. She hasn't come back yet from… her friend's. I've been careful. I'm only staying in the upper levels until she gets back."
Lyu stared at him for a moment. It felt like he was being interrogated. "I see. Be sure to take good care of them once they are returned. The person who gave them to you will be distraught if they saw you without them."
"Yeah, I'd be pretty upset too if— wait, what?" He had sighed with understanding while scratching the back of his head before the depth of her words hit him. "M-Miss Lyu, do you know something about those blades?!"
Meanwhile, Anya was sobbing in the corner, having been forgotten from the conversation.
Lyu blinked once. Her expression didn't change. "I… happen to know the previous owner of those weapons. She and I are acquainted. I can't tell you who she is, only that she trusts you with them as a worthy successor. Now, please excuse me, Mister Cranell. We must get back to work before Mother Mia catches us being idle. May you find your worth in the Waking World."
"Eh… Y-You too…" he managed to say. He had gotten a clue on those twin daggers but Lyu didn't seem to be the type of person to freely release that kind of information. Plus, he doubted he could have made her budge. She seemed to be the type who took charge and would walk all over him if he tried.
Her departing courtesy was certainly interesting. Must have been an elf thing. But, he wished her the same so to not be rude. With a quick bow to both girls, Bell turned on his heels and resumed his jog. Instead of heading to the Dungeon, he headed towards the festival grounds.
"Waking World, nya?" asked Anya as soon as he left.
"You would have to be in the know, Anya," Lyu responded. She wiped her hands off her apron while she watched Bell slowly disappear from the street. "It is a greeting between Hunters."
Anya scratched her cheek while squinting her eyes. She didn't understand at all. Must be an elf thing. "Nyou're not liking white-haired kid, are nya? Syr will be pretty upset with nyou."
"Mister Cranell is someone I deeply respect," she admitted. She turned and went back into the shop with Anya in her tow. "I remember us meeting once before. He is someone who will carry your burdens… whether you want him to or not. He's that sort of person."
0-0-0
On Main East Street, there is a private pub on the second story of a restaurant. The building was tall enough and in the right location for the customers seated at the window tables to have a full view of the festival grounds. She watched as a myriad of mortals ran amok. Children playing games and tugging at their parents, lovers laughing together, friends eating delights— all sorts of merriments were shared.
Freya didn't bother watching any of them. She had no interest in the dull colors that their souls radiated. She was not just a mere goddess of beauty. She once ruled in the heavens as a judge of souls for the afterlife. Freya did not need to use her divine rights to activate this innate ability to peer into the soul and know their innermost secrets. It was perceived as a color— and from there she could decide whether the individual was innocent or guilty.
…Or if she wanted to toss them into the pit simply on a whim.
Her eyes traced over the crowds in her seat at the pub. She saw the rainbow of colors as an ocean… but not one the color she was anticipating in finding. Her heart was racing, desiring to seek the one who had captivated her heart and stolen her attention.
Never before had she seen a soul so… clear. There had been no color to him whatsoever. She was astonished by it. It was the rarest gem she had ever witnessed and she had to have it. She wanted to hold it close to her bosom, to love it for the remainder of eternity. She wanted to know if it would remain pure or if it would change into a new color— not one of any spectrum (both mortal and divine) but of something entirely new.
That white-haired boy. She wanted him for her collection. And he would be her crowing prize.
"Yo! Sorry to keep ya waitin'!"
Freya pulled off another masterfully immaculate smile as she turned to face a good friend of hers. She greeted Loki in a sing-song voice, "Not at all. I just got here myself."
Unlike Freya, who dressed in the most alluring of dresses (under a thick cloak that had to hide her beauty else be the center of attention), Loki was dressed in a plain tunic with faded rolled pants. She always favored the male attire. "Haven't had breaky yet. Mind if I grab a bite?"
"Do as you please."
While Loki took her seat and looked at the menu, Freya allowed herself the triviality of taking a glimpse at the woman escorting Loki. She stood away from their table at the goddess' back, liken to a watch dog. Golden hair and golden eyes with the beauty that would put certain gods to shame. The color of her soul was also something curious— not enough to get Freya fascinated but surely interesting.
If only she didn't have those bandages hiding her pretty face. Aiz Wallenstein was an adventurer who was as beautiful as she was skilled. Such a shame she was wounded like this. But… such is the burden of being an adventurer.
"Are you going to introduce us?" Freya asked.
"Eh, ya need introducin'?" Loki's tone was innocent, but it was the sharp look in her eyes that gave her away. She knew Freya was just making face.
"This is the first time for us to meet face-to-face."
Loki opened one of her thin eyes, letting loose the wave of chaos that came from her endless gaze. It didn't affect someone with the mind of Freya. "'Kay then, this is my Aiz. That 'nough for ya? Aiz, this is a goddess, ya should at least say 'ello."
"…Nice to meet you," the Sword Princess spoke softly with a cordial bow of respect.
Freya's smile flexed a tad bit. She readdressed Loki, "Can I ask why you brought the Sword Princess with you? Don't you trust me?"
"'Course I don't," Loki had no shame in admitting. "But that ain't why I brought her. It's the Fair, yah? What better time for a date than with my Aizu?"
She tried to (not very discreetly) reach for the slender thigh of her child… only for it to be slapped away. Aiz did not blink. Her expression did not change. She had reacted more out of instinct as if it was just as automatic as breathing.
Loki rubbed her reddened hand, "Well, that and she's finally back from an expedition. Turned really nasty. My poor Aizu came back to me beaten up like this. But she'll be back in the Dungeon before ya know it. Someone just had to tell her to relax, yah?"
"Hoh…?" Freya's smile shifted. It was no longer genuine but purely polite at this point. There was a fire that had sparked. "Don't tell me it was that doll that did this?"
Loki didn't say anything. The maddening glint in her eyes told everything.
"You won't tell me what happened?" Freya pressed for further information— gossip, really.
Loki's lips thinned as she tapped a few fingers on the table. "Three of 'em, from what I've heard. An old geezer with a scythe, a mage-knight with a glowin' green sword, and some kenki. Popped outta the air and fought the advance group on the fiftieth floor. Said tah turn back, or else. It was our loss."
She didn't just have a sour look on her face. She was positively fuming on the inside and some of the miasma was leaking out. Those dining alongside them sensed the calamity about to unfold and quickly exited the room. In a matter of seconds it was just the three of them.
"Wiped the floor of us, my best team says," Freya could hear the strain and grit of Loki forcing herself to admit.
"You should learn from this," Freya offered. "You're team is just as good as mine, Loki. Humility isn't a curse, but something to make you strive."
"Yah, yah," Loki sneered but had calmed down for the most part. "We're going back down there. Gonna make 'em pay for embarrasin' us like that. The team's pretty set on it. Haven' seen them this gung-ho 'bout somethin' since they were brats."
"Do tell me if there's anything I can do to help," she offered. "I'm not overly fond of something like that running around. It makes my skin crawl."
Loki clicked her tongue, "This is our problem. I'll let you know, yah. 'Nough about that. Why don't you tell me why I'm here?"
Freya offered another kind smile, "I only wanted to chat. I heard you passed out on some liquor after the Celebration. Hestia certainly gets under your skin, doesn't she?"
The goddess of mischief's eye twitched once. "I'll ask ya again. Why?"
Freya tilted her head, feigning ignorance. "I don't understand. What's the matter, Loki?"
"Come on, moron," Loki opened both eyes this time. "Ya been strange recently. Claim to not be interested in the Celebration but poke yer head at the last minute. What was this 'bout some new interest ya said to Itty Bitty?"
"You make it sound like I'm scheming something," Freya let loose a small chime of laughter.
But the goddess of mischief wasn't taking it as a joke. She was serious and the look on her face could kill even the vilest of beasts. Those chaotic eyes of hers bored into Freya, not so much searching for the answer within as Loki was threatening for it. She was growing upset over having to come all the way here over something so… trivial.
Freya didn't budge. She kept her smile up, unperturbed by her fellow goddess. The murderous glint didn't faze her in the slightest.
Eventually, it was that which made Loki sigh in resignation. "Oi, it's a man, ain't it?"
Freya's smile shifted ever so slightly. It had not been a physical change. Merely a change in perspective in her eyes. Not even Aiz, who had been staring at her the entire time, had noticed the change.
But Loki did. Mainly by intuition after having known Freya for a few centuries. "So… Ya got an eye for a child already in another familia, I take it? Jeez, woman. That all ya think about? Ya'll go after anyone, young or old?"
"How rude," Freya pretended the comment insulted her. "I do have standards."
Loki gave her a blunt stare. She didn't believe it. The conversation wouldn't press on so she made it, "…And?"
"And… yes?" Freya's smile flexed once more.
"Who's the guy? What child are ya after now? When'd ya find him?"
Even Loki was susceptible to the toxins fumed by gossip. She was a goddess and many like her craved entertainment. And there was no juicier steak out there than the scandal of romantic conflict. Loki was craving to know which familia Freya was destined to ruin.
The goddess of beauty didn't answer right away. She looked out the window with her silver eyes peering into a scape only she could perceive. Everything happening outside did not matter. Her mind was swept away to past events. "He's not that strong. Weak if you compare him to the children of our familia. Easily upset, he starts bawling at the simplest of problems. That kind of child."
She gave a very exuberant sigh. The kind a maiden would have over the thought of their first love. "He was beautiful, pure. I've never seen anything like him."
Her eyes blinked. A playful smile graced her lips like the sort found on an innocent teenage girl. This time she watched a pair of lovers across the street. "I found him by accident. He just happened to walk across my line of sight on a day just like this. The markets were crowded. Adventurers were going to taverns and brothels to spend their earnings. And in the sea of people, I spy the faintest glimpse of… white hair."
She pretended to not have noticed Aiz blink, the first reaction she had the entire time. Rather, it was more like Freya ignored it.
Because… there. In the crowd of people she caught a glimpse of it. White among the sea of colors.
He was moving through the crowds, trying to reach to the core of the festivities. He was heading towards… the center. The colosseum.
…Towards Monsterphilia.
Her smile shifted once more. No longer was it alluring. It became predatory.
"I apologize," she said, getting to her feet in a gracefully fluid motion none could replicate. "Something has come up. Let's do this again soon."
"…Eh?" was all Loki could say before Freya was out the door.
0-0-0
He's not as tact as he once was.
Maria kept her frown since the beginning of the week. Bell Cranell was certainly artful in the ways of the Hunt. She had thought by granting him the lost knowledge of Quickening something within him could stir and he'd remember her. It had worked but nowhere near as potent as she had desired. She had only been able to scratch the surface.
She had clashed against him, half to curb her frustrations and the other half to knock sense into him. Perhaps he could have remembered their death battle in the clock tower. Perhaps he could have remembered the secret he had reaped out of her.
Alas, he couldn't remember anything further.
Their battle had been tedious and consuming. He was nowhere near as graceful as he once was in the Nightmare. He made mistakes. She was able to carve into him with such ease there was no relief.
He was flatfooted. Because he could not remember the Dream, he could not remember the amount of skill he had acquired. He did not know the limits of his power acquired by the Doll. When they fought, he battled with the barbaric and sloppy style of an adventurer.
Not a very good one either. He seemed so young and inexperienced. He had been granted an impossibly powerful weapon but knew not how to wield it.
He relied only on instinct. While his mind could not remember the Dream of the Hunt, his body could. Muscle memory was something that even decades would have difficulty wiping clean. But it still hadn't been enough to match against her. To defend himself, surely, but nowhere near enough to push her.
Which was why come today she would make him remember. Her orders had been to harass Loki Familia until they learned their lesson but there was the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Monsterphilia was a good opportunity. It was easier than having to infiltrate the familia's lair and assassinating a few targets. Gehrman and Ludwig would not like the idea once they found out what she had done. Innocents would perish. But it's not like their hands were any less drenched in the blood of the innocent.
"Excuse me, are you lost—?!"
She approached the guard and pushed him back. The dagger slid between his ribs as she leaned against him as if whispering a secret into his ear. The guard tried to make a sound but a punctured lung only had him hack blood. Dazed from the lethal wound, his legs backtracked him by her gentle guidance around the corner. No one suspected a thing around the crowded boulevard.
She snuck through the gate after propping the guard against a bench with one arm over the back and the other covering the wound. His head was bowed, making it look like he had dazed off perhaps from overindulging on liquor the night before.
Orders were being barked within, but not in alarm. They were out of haste. Above their heads was the stadium with a roaring crowd demanding more entertainment. The workers below were husseling cages with monsters on levers and bringing them up for the stage performance. A captain was directing them around with a schedule in her hands.
People glanced at Maria, but no one stopped her. The guard had let her pass, armed even. With her attire she must be a person of importance. Perhaps a noble or an officer of some sort come to inspect their inventory.
…It almost saddened her how easy this was going to be. Almost.
0-0-0
Bell couldn't find Syr. There were too many people and he was pretty sure he had seen a few of them multiple times. There were so many people swamping the place he was getting lost. He'd been to the festival grounds before on numerous occasions. He knew his way around. But it was the amount of people that distorted his sense of direction.
He found some breathing room by the large fountain. He needed to take a seat to get some air. The Dungeon was nothing compared to this. It had only been an hour and already he was exhausted.
This was the significant different between the modest celebrations of his village compared to a massive city like Orario. He was getting dizzy from the people.
"Beeeeeeeeellllll!"
He recognized that voice. All of a sudden he found the strength to stand…
…Only to get knocked back down when a twin-tailed torpedo slammed into his chest. Followed by squeezing the life out of him by thin arms as strong as a python.
"Bell! I missed you so much!" his goddess cried heavily as she squeezed him harder.
"G-Goddess…!" he gasped. His face was turning an interesting combination of blue and red. Blue because he couldn't breathe. Red because he could feel her magnanimous boobs against him.
If he were to die like this… he could say he died a happy man. His grandfather might even be proud.
He could almost see the man smiling at him as nothing but white began to flood his vision.
Hestia, wanting to see the face of her ward, stepped off. She took note at how he was panting with some sweat. Seeing as how he was in his armor he was probably fresh out of the Dungeon. "Bell! It must be fate to have run into you here! What a coincidence we were reunited at the festival."
Another lie from hers truly. She had been stalking (she had no shame in admitting it) Bell for half an hour, waiting for the most opportune moment to surprise him. She had lost sight of him a few times. But she followed her gut until she stumbled across him at the fountain at the center of the boulevard.
"Goddess, where have you been?" Bell asked as soon as he had recovered. "I thought you were going to be away for a few days. It's been almost a week. Are you alright? Did something happen to you?"
"Your goddess has been working hard these past few days," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Bell, you're going to love this! I have a surprise for you!"
She reached for her purse… but stopped shortly. A gentle smile grew as she retracted her hand.
"But not yet," she said. "I'll wait to give it to you later. Right now we should enjoy the festival! Bell, we're going on a date!"
Without warning, she grabbed his hand and tugged him away from the fountain.
"Eh?!" he fumbled in his footsteps. "Goddess, wait! I'm not here for fun. I'm here looking for someone."
"Then you can do it while we enjoy ourselves," she said with a thin grin. It looked almost forced. "Two birds, one stone, all that. Take the day off, Bell. Today, you and I are going to celebrate!"
He couldn't argue with his goddess. Especially with that smile. It hurt him to see her like that. She seemed upset about something and wanted to have fun in order to cheer herself up. He felt obligated to partake with her not only as she was his patron, but because he cared for her. Instead of being tugged away by her, he chose to grasp her hand back and walk alongside her.
His goddess beamed a smile at him in appreciation. He supposed he could look for Syr this way. It was also likely by this point she returned to the Benevolent Mistress after realizing she forgot her purse.
…But then she'd hear from Lyu and Anya about him and return here. So the point was moot. He'd find her here eventually.
The next instant he found himself sitting at the hillside away from the crowds while he and his goddess were enjoying a pair of crepes. He knew girls liked this sort of stuff, and he did too, but all he was seeing was val coins instead of fruit pieces. They had jacked up the prices for the festivities and he wasn't sure if he could afford to binge like this.
"Ahhhhhhn~" his goddess raised her crepe up for him to take a bite out of.
He knew she said 'date', and this was something couples did. But he was an adventurer and she his goddess. There were certain respects he had to pay.
…Even when he really wanted to do something like this with her for real.
"G-Goddess, I can't take food from you!" he said. "It's not right! H-Here! Take some of mine!"
"…Well played," he heard her mutter but took his offer. She made the most adorable look as she chomped down on his strawberries and cream crepe.
When she pulled back, she had a little piece of cream on her cheek. She hadn't noticed. Almost out of instinct he went to wipe it off with his finger. But then he realized this was his goddess and not someone from the village. He pulled his hand back and went to pull out the napkin he kept in his pack for lunches… and to wipe off blood from his weapon.
"Go on," her eyes fluttered towards him. "I want you to do it."
She leaned forward with her eyes closed. She looked so tranquil as if she were expecting him to kiss her instead of wiping the cream off her face.
His face was so red he could see the steam burning out of his nostrils. But he did it. He brushed his finger across her cheek and removed the cream. His heart was beating so hard he didn't just hear it thundering through his eardrums. He could feel the pulse vibrate his entire being.
"Om~" Hestia made a noise.
He nearly passed out. Hestia had grabbed his hand and put the finger containing the cream into her mouth. She sucked on it, longer than what was necessary. The cream was already gone and she continued to play with it. He could feel her tongue twirl around his finger.
"Mmm…" a trail of saliva latched from his finger to her lips when she pulled it away. "Delicious. Thank you, Bell."
He couldn't talk. His brain had overheated and was forced to shut down. Did his goddess seriously just do this?! This was something that was supposed to happen among lovers! She was teasing him. She must be! They were adventurer and goddess. There was no way she could be flirting with him!
While he was having his mental breakdown, Hestia pulled out a small parchment of paper from her purse. It was a list of things titled [Thing To Do In Order To Steal Back Bell From Aiz Wallenzitface and Potentially Save Him From Freya and Any Other Hussy Out There]— with a note scribbled name subject to change. She checked one thing off and tucked it back to her purse before he could notice.
"So Bell, it was a girl you were looking for?" she started while munching on her crepe.
It took a while for him to return to normal. "A-Ah… yeah. It was that girl from the tavern I mentioned. She forgot her purse and they asked me to bring it to her. How did you know?"
"Intuition," she said with a huff. There she went again getting upset over nothing. He wished he could understand her sometimes. Maybe… it was her, uh, time of the month? "I guess since she's just a friend that's fine. For now. I'm sure she'll turn up eventually. Don't worry about her. You have a perfectly loving goddess right in front of— bleck!"
Something red was dosed on her head.
It was Maria. She had approached them while he was distracted and had emptied the contents of a glass bottle onto his goddess. Something too thick to be wine. And the smell…
"Heaven above!" Hestia put her hand over her nose. The liquid was all over her clothes and in her hair. "This stinks! Hey lady, what gives?! Do you have any idea how hard it will be to get this out of my dress?! This is my favorite outfit too! No other outfit gets Bell to stare at my chest all day! Hey! Say something!"
The much taller woman was ignoring the goddess of the hearth. Her eyes bored down onto Bell's. A sneer distorted her chiseled face. "Bell Cranell, you've gotten weak since the Dream. I've snuck up on you without any worry. You should do well to mind your surroundings while the Hunt has commenced. Always."
"What is this stuff?!" Hestia went on. "It's gonna stain! And it'll take a miracle to remove the smell! Waaaaaaaah— B-Bell?!"
She was about to lunge at the woman for what she had done. But Bell stopped her. He put a hand on her arm and pushed her behind him. His spare knife was out and ready to defend his goddess.
Maria looked at the knife with disdain deep in her eyes. She looked at it as if the petty thing insulted her beyond forgiveness. Instead of instigating anything further, she turned on her heels with her cape flapping against his face at the sharp spin. "A Hunter must always prepare their selves for the worst. Do not let your mistakes bring about your ruin… or hers."
"Don't you dare just walk away after dumping your drink on me!" Hestia tried to chase after her, but Bell held her back. She was kicking and swinging her fists around, ready to claw out Maria's eyes. He was afraid his goddess might provoke the blonde woman into retaliating.
Bell held her back until Maria had disappeared into the crowds. It took a moment later for Hestia to calm down. She sagged with her back leaning against his chest. He could still hear her grumbling dark curses.
He could only sigh in relief. There were too many people for Maria to start anything anyways. Some had looked their way, drawn by the shouting his goddess had caused.
Her words held merit, however. With someone like her around he couldn't have gotten careless…
"B-Bell…?"
He held his goddess a little tighter. He could have lost her in that moment. He wouldn't have been able to protect her because he hadn't been good enough to sense the danger. Maria had been right. That wolf-man at the tavern had been right.
He was weak. No wonder everyone laughed at his expense.
"I'm sorry, goddess," he whispered to her. The stench was bad… but it wasn't intolerable. It could have been worse. Maria had made her point to say so. "This happened because I had gotten careless. This was your favorite dress too… The one you wear almost every day…"
…She wore it every day because it was the cheapest thing she owned that could be washed on a regular basis. Everything else was for special occasion use only. But she couldn't tell him that.
She sent a death glare in the direction Maria slipped away towards… and then relented her anger. "Meh, there's nothing I can do about it at this point. It's not like it's the end of the world."
"I have some spare clothes," he flipped his backpack over from his shoulder and began to dig around. "Babel Tower isn't far from here. You can use the showers there and put this on. T-That is, if you don't mind wearing my clothes… I'm sorry I don't have anything better fitting for a goddess…"
She smiled at his ingenuity, "That's very thoughtful of you, Bell. Your stuff is more than good enough. Besides, I'd have to question you if you did have a spare change of women's clothing. This way I don't have to go all the way home to change. Let's go before the smell soaks into my skin."
Inwardly, he apologized to Syr for not being able to find her as quickly as he had liked and having to prolong his search further.
They walked along the grassy area, away from the crowds so to not bother anyone with the smell. Whatever it was had been putrid. Even Bell was starting to get nauseated at the stench. His poor goddess must be doing worse being at the center of it all. It was a pretty mean prank by Maria. But the point had settled in.
They were almost out of the festival grounds when something felt off to him. Nothing had triggered his danger senses to go off. But his body tensed with his muscles coiled, ready to react at the next instant. Something in the back of his mind told him what the problem was but his current consciousness drew up at a clueless blank. Here it was again; that sensation, where his body knew something before his mind could reflect on it.
Then came the sound that got him into motion. A scream. A chorus of screams. A howl of roaring. People turned at the origin of the commotion, drawn in confusion and curiosity. He saw the people create a ripple effect of panic that eventually reached him.
He saw people going flying, having been thrown around not unlike the puppets from the children's stand. A flash of disbelief coursed through him. He found doubt that this was really happening. That people having a good time were being beaten to a pulp, being split in half, being torn apart into bloody shreds.
People were running towards him. They were in a frenzy now, running away from the chorus of screams and howling of… monsters.
Monsters. Monsters had gotten loose and were going on a rampage on the festival grounds. They were attacking people indiscriminately. Harmless people who had no means to defend himself. He saw the flashes of adventurers branding weapons and charging without hesitation to retaliate, only to be knocked aside just as easily.
He recognized the creatures and beasts as things found in the middle to lower levels of the Dungeon. Ogres, trolls, a baby dragon, a zombie warrior, a shadow stalker, a siren, a silverback—
All monsters that were beyond his level. He could not go and fight them like the adventurers who had just tried. He would get killed in an instant.
But he didn't have a choice in the matter.
The silverback raised its head and began smelling the air. He saw some of the other creatures do the same after catching the scent of something. But it was the silverback who had his attention.
Because it was the silverback who looked his way. Behind a caged helmet, its red eyes narrowed. It stood on its hind legs and began to beat against its chest, letting loose a howl of ravenous glee.
…And then began to charge towards him. It slammed into those who tried to get out of its way and crushed those under its galloping limbs as it pressed forward too quickly for the fleeing masses to escape.
He did not stand there any longer. His mind had yet to accept this reality but he could not just wait there until it came to terms. The silverback gorilla was coming his way.
His goddess would get crushed.
It was the thought of her being in danger that made his feet move. He took a step toward his goddess and pressed both his hands against her. One against her hip and the other at her chest. The leverage was just right. Just as the silverback was about to leap at them both, he shoved his goddess away with everything he had in him.
He hadn't calculated his newfound strength. She had been sent flying away. But it didn't matter. He had managed to get her away from the monster.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to use his Quickening. Perhaps if he had moved a second before he could have. But his reaction time had cost him the first strike. The silverback swatted him aside with the back of its hand. He had taken the brunt of it without raising a guard.
The world shook and his body screamed at him with the impact. He heard the sound of screeching metal as his starter set armor from the Guild had come apart. It hadn't been built to withstand the pressure of such an attack and did nothing to protect him. It might as well have been made out of rice tissue.
The sense of vertigo was forcibly ripped out of him when he felt himself crash against one of the stands and a sharp pain to the back of his head upon being slammed into the adjacent wall in front of it. His vision was a swirling hue of whites, grays, and blacks. It only lasted an instant.
He forced his body to get up. It obeyed; screaming in agony from taking such a devastating blow but it obeyed the will of its master. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins, forcing him to get back up.
"Bell!" his goddess had ran for him. She was the reason why he forced himself to get back up. She was in danger. They needed to get out of here. The life of his goddess meant more than a few scrapes of pain.
The silverback howled as soon as it spotted her. It slammed its fists into the ground as it began to leap around in place at some sort of bewildered frenzy.
"Goddess!" he shouted back, brushing off the useless armor now that it was in ruins. While it was light, there had been a good amount of weight to it. As it was now, it would slow him down. Monsters at this level could pierce through it with ease.
He Quickened towards her, vanishing into ash and mist and reappearing before her in a single leap. He saw the surprise in her eyes at having seen his skill personally. It didn't matter. He took her arm and pulled her away from the monster. She fumbled in her steps but he pulled harder, jerking at her to stay upright.
They ran down an alley, away from the fleeing crowds. Hopefully the monster would lose sight of them.
"Gugooooo!" he heard it roar… right behind him.
He yanked on his goddess' arm, this time pulling her into his arms as he spun around to catch her. He took a glance over her shoulder and saw that, indeed, the silverback was squeezing its body between the buildings to come for him. Its large arm was extended and swinging down to snatch Hestia away from him.
He held her tight and Quickened backwards.
He slammed into a few garbage bins after making the mistake of not seeing where he was going. With her still in his arms, he rolled and used his knees to get back up. He didn't look back as he pumped his legs forward to sprint with everything he had to get away from the beast.
Hestia clung to him tightly. He could hear her say something into his chest but the words couldn't process through his mind. He was in overdrive right now. The blood was pumping too hard for him to focus on anything except to escape.
"Gooowaaaaaaaah!"
At the crossroads between the alleyways, he caught the glimpse of something coming at his flank. He only had an instant to see it was the zombie warrior— an adventurer who had perished in the lower levels of the Dungeon, had been absorbed, and reanimated to fight for it— sprinting at him with its sword raised to strike at him.
Once again, he Quickened away before the streak of silver could get to him.
They were out in one of the main streets, but away from the festival grounds.
"Kyuuuuuuu~"
"Are you kidding me?!" both he and his goddess shouted.
Above their heads, the siren was circling around them. Its eyes caught them in open territory and it took a dive for them. It flipped around at the last instant with its talon feet extended to carve into them.
He Quickened again, now starting to feel the strain of having to use it in rapid succession.
It didn't stop him. He continued to sprint with his goddess in his arms. His legs were burning and his lungs were sucking in as much air as was possible. But he charged on anyways, swerving back into another alley instead of the wide main streets.
"Clikikikikikiki…"
…Did he dare to look up over their heads?
Of course he did. Right above, easily maneuvering over the rooftops of the buildings acting as a safeguard (soon to become a prison against this creature) was an arachnid. Most of the spider monsters were half as big as Bell, which while was big wasn't as imposing as any of the monsters at Monsterphilia.
But this was Monsterphilia. No one wanted to see a shrimp. The Ganesha Familia had caught themselves a mother arachnid, the queen of her den and ten times the size of a normal arachnid.
"Why are they after us?!" he shouted as he Quickened again, narrowly missing the shots of spider silk that would have gotten him stuck for sure. "Goddess what did you do before you ran into me?!"
"I had nothing to do with this!" she shouted back. "I've never seen these creatures before in my life!"
He leapt over a stairwell that led into a tunnel, just as the mother arachnid managed to squeeze its body to reach for them. The tunnel was too narrow for its bulky body to enter.
He did get nicked, however, when it tried to reach for him with its legs. The needle-like limbs were more like points of a spear that cut into him. Better him than his goddess. He bit down the pain and pressed on.
He realized the mistake he made when the tunnel was dark. Darker than it should have.
The shadow stalker was in here with them.
It didn't stop him. He continued to run. Going back would mean having to face the arachnid in a tight area. He held his goddess tight, ducked his body as low as possible, and sprinted with everything he had, bursting ahead with more energy since this refuge began.
There it was. A glowing set of eyes within the shadows. The shadow stalker came out of its hiding spot and flexed its bladed limbs.
Bell leapt. No, more like dove, twisting his body around while cradling his goddess. The angle had been just tight enough for them to slip through the window the shadow stalker had opted in its strike. It hadn't been perfect; a deep gash ran across his arm.
His back slammed against the floor as they slid. The air was knocked out of his lungs. He had flipped over to get back up, and it was his goddess this time tugging at his arm to assist him. They had made it through the end of the tunnel in that leap and had escaped back into the outside. The shadow stalker would be reluctant to follow them out in the sunlight.
In total, they had run past four blocks all within the past few minutes. Bell was sweating bullets and gasping for air. But they still weren't safe. He could feel it in his bones danger was still upon them.
He had been right. The ground shook as soon as they broke free once more from winding alleyways and had entered a small park.
The silverback had caught up to them. Outraged with the chase, it brought its fist around to slam into both of them.
Bell had been better prepared this time. He shoved his goddess away from the blow and Quickened out of its reach.
The silverback sneered at him. It slammed its fists down onto the ground, reared its head back, and unleashed a threatening roar inches away from his face.
I'll kill you, it had told him.
Bell was left shaking. His eyes were wide. He couldn't move.
The silverback sniffed once…
…And turned towards Hestia.
The goddess fumbled onto her rear and backpedaled away. She was screaming his name, trying to get him out of his stupor. The silverback took a few steps forward and began to reach for her.
"BELL!" she shouted again with dread and desperation. She could move no better than he. She was frozen with fear. She couldn't command herself to get up and run away.
0-0-0
He wiped off the blood that had gotten all over his face before any of it could get into his eyes. What a strange place this was. A Hunter must Hunt the old man had said. But hunt what? The beasts, of course. Just about everything constituted as beasts in the night of the Hunt.
Bell had killed all of them and drank the echoes of their blood. Their dying wishes and failed clinging to life had soaked into his soul, soon to be returned to the Doll for him to grow stronger. It reminded him of exceli… only, he couldn't recall what exceli was for the life of him. It felt like he always returned to someone after going on an adventure and growing stronger for it.
There had been a variety of beasts. Rabid dogs that ran amok on the abandoned streets. Vicious crows as large as his head with wolfish fangs. Ogres dressed in rags with chunks of stone strapped to their fists. Even people. Yes, people. But none of them were sane. They had all succumbed to the madness and attacked anything that moved. He should have been hesitant in approaching them. But his mind had told them they weren't human— they were beasts.
He also saw wolf-men. That had been interesting.
But among all the beasts present, they had been small fry. Nothing but grunts. This wasn't some adventure. This was a Hunt. He had been tasked with cleaning up the streets and making sure those who hid away in their homes were safe— even if they hadn't been very welcoming towards him.
Small fry… until he came across the bridge leading to the Healing Church.
It was massive. Impossibly so. It was a monster unlike any other. Thick shag fur covered its hide with spiked antlers at its head. There was the faint humanoid skeleton upon its build— or at least it could stand on its hind legs if it so chose and its right arm was strikingly similar to his. Its left arm, however, was grotesquely large, being long enough to reach the floor even should it stand straight.
It towered over him. It was at least 500 celi tall!
He could have run away. That should have been the right thing to do. But the words of Gehrman resonated through his head. He was a Hunter. And a Hunter Hunts beasts. This creature was no different from the others he had faced.
He met it head on, digging his dagger straight into its thigh after his first dash.
It smacked him aside hard enough to send him flying. He crashed into a carriage— a relic that had been abandoned since the plague struck this town.
Someone had laughed. A chortle of noise that suggested this was actually humorous.
He struggled to climb out of the carriage after taking such a powerful blow.
A powerful hand gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him free.
"What're you think you're doing?" the stranger had asked. It was a man past his prime with aged hair and a wrinkling face. At least, as much of his face as he could see. Bandages had been wrapped around to cover his eyes. He was dressed in a wide-brim hat and black cloak.
He carried an axe in one hand. His attire and choice of weaponry… this man too was a Hunter.
The colossal beast at the bridge took cautious steps back. It hadn't treated Bell like a threat in the slightest but… this man made it weary.
When he spoke, Bell caught the sight of his teeth. His sharpened teeth with a pair of fangs! "The night has only just begun. You'll not last the Hunt that way. Come on, I'll show you how it's done."
There was a taste of dry humor in his tone. He laughed at Bell but not as an insult. More like as a teacher would at his student. He had expected Bell to make this mistake and was going to patiently show him the correct way.
It would explain why the man had come out of seemingly nowhere right when this monster showed up. He had probably been watching Bell all along.
The beast roared as the stranger swung his axe. The staff extended, allowing him to use both hands this time. With a ferocious noise at the back of his throat, the man charged forward with his axe raised.
The stranger fought very much like any beast Bell had come across. Almost exactly like them…
0-0-0
"Oh, a Hunter, are ya?" she asked, almost mockingly. She had every right to give him that tone.
Her twin daggers continued to drip the blood of the beasts he had failed to cut down. She had saved him when he had gotten himself cornered. Too many of those wolf-men had chased him. He tried to fight them off but they had smacked him around. If she hadn't been up on the rafters doing who-knows-what he would have been dead.
She was dressed oddly. At least to him. She donned a layered black cloak, a dark suit, and had a beaked mask to ward off the stench of the plague. He couldn't help but liken her to a crow.
"…And an outsider," she sighed after looking at him again. A flick of her hands wiped the blood off her blades. Another swipe, too fast for him to see, and the daggers combined into a sword and had been tucked away into a holster he couldn't see. Her cloak hid them well… along with any other tricks she might have hidden.
"I-I'm sorry," he bowed his head. He needed to show his savior his appreciation. "Thank you for saving me!"
"What a mess you've been caught up in," she muttered while looking at the trail of corpses she had made at his expense. "And tonight of all nights. Here, use it to return to the safe haven. You don't belong here… little rabbit."
He didn't see where she pulled them out from. She took a step forward and placed the odd instruments into his hands. Hunter Marks, his mind had told him as if he knew what they were already. If he consumed one, he could magically be transported back to the lantern the Little Ones kept lit. And he could use that to escape back into the Dream.
He thought about it. Honestly. He could have returned to the Doll to make his body stronger with all the blood echoes he had just gained. But not through his own merits. Through this stranger who saved him.
"Did he tell you nothing?" she continued to mutter, watching him. She clicked her tongue behind her mask. "You must prepare yourself for the worst. There are no humans left. They are all… flesh hungry beasts now. They can't be reasoned with. They will kill you if they spot you. Best to kill them before they do."
So… he was right. The things he had killed had been humans at some point. The more he lasted in this Hunt the more the fog started to clear up. It felt like a dream, honestly. But the more he fought, the more he killed, the less it seemed like a dream and more like reality.
They didn't tell him what would happen if he died. He didn't want to die. No one wanted to die, not even the beasts he had slain. They fought tooth and nail against him knowing if they didn't give it their all they would surely die. And he cut them down anyways without a second thought.
He was frightened something else would come along to do the same. He had almost perished against the beast at the bridge if Gascoigne hadn't shown up.
"What's wrong?" the woman asked when she didn't see him do anything. "A Hunter nerved by a few beasts?"
He heard her snicker. The same humorless noise as if he were a part of some joke she had heard a thousand times.
"…No matter," she went on. Her head lifted. He could feel her gaze behind her mask. "Without fear in our hearts, we're little different from the beasts ourselves. Enough trembling in your boots. A Hunter must Hunt."
She pointed towards the back of the church. There was a door that would lead him further into the city.
She said nothing more as she leaned against the support beam and stared out the window. But even with her back turned against him, he could feel her attention locked on him, judging him.
A Hunter must Hunt, he repeated the words in his mind.
He chose to embrace the fear when he walked out of the church to continue on with his mission.
0-0-0
The silverback sneered at him. It slammed its fists down onto the ground, reared its head back, and unleashed a threatening roar inches away from his face.
I'll kill you, it had told him.
Bell was left shaking. His eyes were wide. He couldn't move.
The silverback sniffed once…
…And turned towards Hestia.
The goddess fumbled onto her rear and backpedaled away. She was screaming his name, trying to get him out of his stupor. The silverback took a few steps forward and began to reach for her.
"BELL!" she shouted again with dread and desperation. She could move no better than he. She was frozen with fear. She couldn't command herself to get up and run away.
Bell couldn't move not because he was consumed with fear. Fear coursed through him, of course, just as it would through any creature who desired to live. He did not shake with fear. His eyes hadn't bored into the silverback out of something as weakly driven as fear.
It was outrage that had kept him in place. He was shaking because his blood was boiling.
Don't touch her!
He had wanted to shout those words. He opened his mouth to do just that.
The thing to come out of his mouth had been a beastly roar. It came from his own vocal cords that blasted through the air, shaking everything within the vicinity. A ripple of pressure ran through the silverback's fur.
The monster flinched and took a reflexive step away from Bell after sensing the presence of its predator. It bared its teeth but did not attack. It was only provoked to defend itself after sensing its life in peril.
Hestia was staring at him as if he had never seen him before.
Her expression hadn't fazed Bell. His heart was thundering. Branding his knife, he kicked off the ground. His newfound status had propelled him forward, launching off the ground like an arrow straight for the silverback. He reeled the knife back, ready to lunge it into the chest it had exposed in its attempt to step off.
He slammed into its chest with enough force to send it reeling. His shoulder slammed into its thick chest hard enough to see its muscles coil upon impact. But that's not what he wanted. He wanted to pierce through its skin and puncture its heart.
…His knife had shattered as soon as it touched its chest. Just like his armor, it was nowhere near strong enough to deal with a higher level monster.
Instinct drove him to Quicken away before the silverback could recover.
He couldn't hurt it. His bare fists did more damage to it than his equipment. And he knew he couldn't kill it with his hands only.
He needed better weapons. He needed his weapons. Those daggers his goddess had borrowed.
"…Bell, what did you—" she tried to ask him as soon as he was within range.
A large shadow loomed over her. The mother arachnid had caught up to them.
"Goddess!" he shouted, tackled her to the ground, and used the momentum to have them both rolling away. The arachnid's legs stabbed into the ground after them, trying to skewer them.
It took more effort for him to get up than last time. He was getting tired at having to constantly move like this. If he could only get a break to catch his breath…
Finally, Fate had answered him. The silverback had charged at the arachnid and challenged it. It bashed its fists against the spider's side, making it double over. The spider was quick to recover; it ignored them in favor of lashing back against the silverback.
Bell used this opportunity to get away. He pulled his goddess along as they entered a neighborhood. He didn't mean to drag more people into this. But he needed to use the buildings as cover to regain his stamina.
He picked up his goddess again and leapt over a wall. He pressed his back against it while keeping his eyes locked on the sky in case something else came along.
"Bell," Hestia panted along with him. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine, goddess," he assured her. "They're only a few scratches. I'm just glad you're safe."
They couldn't get anything else to say. A chill went down his spine as he heard a new set of howling.
He put his hand over his goddess' mouth and tried to make his body as quiet as possible. He even held his breath because he was breathing so hard. Now if only he could get his heart to stop beating so hard…
There was something on the other side of the wall and all he could see was its shadow looming over. It had a long neck with a horse-like head— it was the baby dragon. It had followed them this far out and had entered the neighborhood. He heard it sniff the air, linger in place for a moment— his heart skipped a beat and Hestia clutched onto him after seeing the same thing— and then carry on down the road.
They waited a few seconds for it to pass by.
"Goddess, they're after you," he stated.
"Bell, I promise you I didn't do anything when I got here!" she defended herself. "I read the sign! I didn't feed any of the monsters! I didn't! I didn't have anything to feed them with even when I wanted to!"
"No, it's not that," he shook his head. "It's what Maria drenched you with. Whatever it is… it's luring them towards you. They'll keep coming after you."
He watched her face turn as white as snow.
They'll keep coming after her. They'll keep chasing after her. There were too many of them and trying to flee for this long had been nothing but a miracle.
He couldn't run away. He would protect his goddess even if it meant his life.
"Goddess, I need my weapons. Do you have them?"
She fidgeted around with her hands clenched against her purse. A look of guilt crossed her face. "…I wanted to tell you. I wanted today to be special so I could tell you properly. I… I sold them."
His heart dropped to his stomach. He couldn't manage to ask the single word at the tip of his tongue.
"B-But!" Hestia spun around to look at him square in the eye. "I got you a better weapon than those daggers! Here!"
She pulled out of her purse a slender case… with the seal of the Hephaestus Blacksmiths. What she pulled out of the case was a dagger unlike any other he had ever seen. It was black, not from the metal used in its creation. It was black from the plethora of runes carved along its side. This was no mere magic weapon. This was something so intricate and beyond comprehension he couldn't even fathom what sort of magic lay hidden within.
She pricked her finger with it. Her blood ran down its edge. His breath was taken away as the runes across it lit up with her divine blessings, with her Falna— the same divine blessings she had given him to become an adventurer.
Gently, she placed the dagger in his hands. "This is my gift to you, Bell. This is the Hestia Knife. There is no other weapon like it anywhere. It is for an adventurer who is growing too fast for their own good, like you. So long as you believe in it— no, so long as you believe in us, in Hestia Familia, this blade will never betray you.
"It is as strong as you are, Bell. If you are weak, it will be weak. But if you become the strongest, it will be the strongest weapon."
He could feel it vibrate in his grip. He could feel his being resonate with it. It almost seemed alive. Almost as if it were starting to wake up from a long sleep.
There was more than deep magic woven into this blade. Yes, he could feel it. This had the blessings of his goddess within. The same blessings that had been granted to him. The same choice to accept a newbie right off the streets into her home.
"We should run," she said. "Bell, use it if you have the chance to cut a monster or two. We gotta run where we can find help."
"…You're right," he tucked the dagger back into its sheath and drew something out of his backpack. It was another miracle that had managed to survive.
"…Bell, why are you handing me your shirt?" she asked him.
His face was boiling red for what he was about to do… but it needed to be done. "G-Goddess, please forgive me for what I'm about to do. But it needs to be done!"
Without warning (and with his eyes closed) Bell reached for the cut of her dress…
…And tore it straight down the middle. He pried it off of her.
"BELL!" she almost screamed, covering her modesty with her arms. "I-If you want to do it that much then wait until we get home! NO WAIT! That's not what I meant! T-There's a proper method to doing things! You're going way too fast— what're you doing?"
He turned his back to her while he distracted himself with his hands. He tore her dress into strips and tied them around his wrists and around his neck.
"It's in your hair too so some might be able to track you still," he said while he worked. "I'm going to get their attention and draw them away. Use that chance to get away. Go find help."
"…What?" her voice sounded lost. "Bell… No! No, I can't do that! I won't do it! I'm not going to leave you!"
"I can't lose you!" he shouted. He lost control of himself. He couldn't hold his emotions back. The tears began to fall as his fears began to overwhelm him. He lasted this long being a man but in the end he was a scared little boy. "I can't lose you, goddess. Please. You're the only family I've had since Grandfather. I care about you too much goddess. That's why I'm doing this."
He couldn't look at her. If he did… he might regret his choice. He might lose what strength in his fortitude he had right now.
"Bell…" she whispered. She put a hand on his shoulder.
He almost lost himself to that touch. "G-Goddess… I was really happy you wanted to go on a date with me. Even if as just goddess and adventurer."
He didn't look her way— couldn't look her way as he abruptly stood and Quickened away from her before she could get another word.
0-0-0
He began to remember the Dream. Little pieces. Small images. Brief hints and noises without meaning. But he could combine all of them to form a picture. It was like a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces scattered. He always had the pieces. He just needed to put them together.
He stalked the streets. His heels clacking against the floor. Those living within each building had shut their windows and hidden themselves away, too afraid to come near the confrontation and gain the attention of the monsters.
So much like Yarnham. So much like the night of the Hunt.
The baby dragon lifted its head as the wind gifted it with the sweet scent of the Pungent Juice— a beast-luring concoction fasted by the blood of other beasts. It worked just as well to the monsters of the Dungeon, strangely. Or, perhaps, not so strangely. Perhaps the monsters of the Dungeon and the beasts of the Hunt were similar in some sort of way.
He would have dismissed it as coincidence. But something nagged at him in the back of his mind. Secrets are secrets for a reason, especially when the secrets are unseemly. He had uncovered some atrocious secret within the Dream. He couldn't remember what it was, and time would remind him, but it was the feeling of the nostalgia that told him— that assured him the monsters and beasts were connected somehow.
The baby dragon turned around after smelling him. He didn't run from it. He chose to face it instead. The Hestia Knife glowed like white fire as it continued to attune itself to his status. It would need experience, however, in order to fully awake. It was still half-asleep.
He chose the baby dragon because of how close it was to his goddess. This was the first immediate threat. He would kill this one and then move on to those battling in the park still. He would finish this creature off in a matter of seconds— before the two monsters realized their interest had escaped and they chased after the scent.
He raised the knife as he took a stance he hadn't taken in this world. It was the one he had earned through the efforts of the Hunt.
"A Hunter must Hunt, right, Miss Eileen?"
