Walking back from Freya's mansion, Bell could feel all of the prying eyes digging into him. He wondered what he did wrong today or if something happened to his Familia while he wasn't with any of them.
'Even though I'm still upset, I get what they did and they are the closest thing I've had to a family since my grandfather. I don't want to just leave them' Bell thought. 'I'll set things right with them, I just need Hestia and Lili to give me a little space and ask them what they were doing following me when I was with Freya. Even when I'm with Aiz they are always like this. Hestia almost didn't let me train with her back when I was level one just because she knew I'm in love with her.'
Making his way quickly back to Hearth Mansion, he decided to run on top of the roofs in order to keep away from the eyes that followed him every step he took. Eventually after running for a few minutes, he arrived at the doors of his home. Readying himself for what is to come, he opened them.
"I'm back!" Bell shouted upon entering. Almost the second the words left his mouth he could hear two steps of footsteps running to him, assuming it was Lili and Hestia he prepared himself.
'I'll set things right, I just need to make them listen to me.' He thought. However, before he got the chance, the second those two saw him they started to jump down his throat.
"BELL WHY THE HELL WERE YOU WITH THAT SLUT OF A GODDESS EARLIER TODAY!" Hestia barked at him as she jumped on him.
"Hestia, we were just-" Bell tried to say while pulling Hestia off before he got interrupted by Lili
"FIRST IT WAS THAT AMAZON AND THEN FREYA? YOU ARE A WOMANIZER BELL! FROM HERE ON OUT YOU MUST BE WITH ONE OF US!"
"AS THE GODDESS OF THIS HOUSEHOLD I FULLY AGREE. BELL YOU MUST TAKE ME ON A DATE JUST LIKE YOU DID WITH FREYA!" Hestia said, drawing attention from all of the other Familia members as they wondered what was going on. "ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LEAVE ALL OF US OVER A SKILL? AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAVE BUILT TOGETHER?"
"I'm not leaving anyone if you'd let me explain." Bell squeaked out.
"THERE IS NOTHING TO EXPLAIN! LOOK AT HIM HESTIA, HE IS CLEARLY STILL UNDER THE CHARM OF FREYA!" Lili yelled.
"YOU ARE RIGHT! BELL I ORDER YOU TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS ME TONIGHT SO I CAN WIPE THAT CHARM OFF OF YOU!" Hestia shouted.
"LILI WILL BE THERE AS WELL! WE MUST MAKE SURE HE ISN'T UNDER HER CONTROL!"
Welf having enough of this finally decided to step in as Mikoto and Haruhime watched in shock. "What's going on here?"
"WHY DON'T YOU ASK BELL? HE WAS OUT WITH TIONA AND FREYA TODAY! HE MIGHT'VE ALREADY LEFT US FOR ALL WE KNOW"
'Bell was with Freya and Tiona today? Kudos to Bell.' Welf thought before asking "Alright and Bell what actually happened?"
"YOU DON'T NEED TO HEAR THE WORDS OF THIS WOMANIZER WELF!" Hestia shouted. "WE MUST PUNISH HIM FOR THIS!"
"Haruhime, Mikoto? Can you two take these two away to calm down while I figure out what is going on?"
"Yes of course." the pair replied in unison as they dragged the two who were in a shouting mess away from the two boys.
"Thanks Welf." Bell sighed as he finally got a chance to breathe. "I was coming back here to ask if we could move on and stop keeping secrets from each other but before I could say anything they started to jump down my throat."
"Really? I'm glad you aren't angry about your skill."
"No I get why you guys did that. I would have told everyone and then Orario would be a mess over people trying to fight over me. I wish you told me earlier or for a different reason though."
"I do too. I don't think we should've kept your own skill a secret but we just followed what Hestia said in the end."
"Well not much we can do about it now." Bell sighed.
"So mind telling me what you were doing with those two today?" Welf asked with a smirk coming across his face.
"It's not what you think, I went to the dungeon to clear my head and Tiona asked if I wanted to go down with her when I ran into her this morning. Then I met Freya in the guild and she asked if I could tell her what happened on our expedition so her Familia is safe."
"If only you weren't so dead set on Aiz. And what did you tell her?"
"Just about the 27th floor boss, how it spawned early then the moss monster. I left everything else out."
"That was probably a good idea."
"Welf." Bell said in a defeated voice. "I can't keep dealing with them trying to control me. They even tried to interrupt me with Freya. I was scared that if I said no to her she'd destroy us just like she did Ishitar. I tried so hard not to set her off and they came and interrupted our conversation. Thankfully she wasn't mad, she found it pretty entertaining but if they did that a different day who knows what could have happen."
"I get what you mean. Even though you are almost a level 5 you still have to appease Freya. You did the right thing not saying no to her." Welf replied. "I can't believe they still don't support you going after Aiz though."
"Speaking of her, I am going to tell her how I feel soon."
"WAIT REALLY?"
"Yeah, I'm almost level 5. I want to be her hero but I can't if she doesn't know how I feel. Tiona also is kind of forcing me to."
"I'm rooting for you. Before you do that, you should probably blow off some steam. Talking to her after dealing with this isn't a good idea."
"Can you talk to them tonight and try to calm them down?"
"I will but what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I might go walk around, I'm going to bring my armor and stuff just in case something happens tonight or if I decide to go to the dungeon."
"Yeah that makes sense, once you leave I'll talk to them, you owe me one for this." Welf sighed. Deciding that he didn't have enough information about Aiz, he decided to press that subject as the two made their way up to Bell's room. "So why'd you decided to ask out the sword princess?"
"I just thought if I miss my chance now I won't get another one. She won't wait forever and I don't want to lose her." Bell replied as he was putting on his armor.
"Wow you really have grown up."
"Hey Welf? Whatever happens, let's not let it get between us okay?"
"Of course. Don't worry about Mikoto or Haruhime either. They understand and we all trust you Bell. Besides I won't let my customer get away that easily and I doubt anything will happen to make you leave this Familia." Welf told him while rustling Bell's hair.
"Thanks Welf. I owe you one." Bell replied, leaving Hearth Mansion and heading down the street.
Regretting what he just promised, Welf realized this was going to be a very difficult talk with those two.
X
'Now where should I go?' Bell wondered as he walked around Orario. 'I haven't really taken the time to walk around someplace since he returned from my expedition with Ryuu, she has been acting really strange since then but why?'
'I wonder what I did? Should I go rent an inn someplace or go to the dungeon?' Bell thought. Before he could make that decision, the person he was thinking about called his name.
"Bell?" Ryuu asked, she sounded surprised to see him here.
"Oh hi Ryuu!" Bell replied, walking up to her. He noticed how she seemed to get nervous as he got closer.
"Why are you dressed for the dungeon while walking around the city?"
"Oh, I got into a little argument with my Goddess and supporter, Welf said it might be best to give each other some space for the time being so we can both cool our heads. I decided to just wear my equipment in case I wanted to go to the dungeon later."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"I'd like that. I don't want to take away from your work though." Bell sighed.
"D-don't worry, I am off today."
"Oh in that case do you want to talk as I head to the dungeon?"
"I'll join you!" Ryuu said instantly.
"Huh? Really?"
'Ah what do I say now Alise?' Ryuu wondered. "I don't want you to get hurt just because you're not thinking clearly. Let me get my gear and then we can go."
"If you want to that'd be great." Bell replied, noting how flustered she was getting. As she quickly ran off Bell started to think. 'What could he do to set things right with Hestia? Am I just going to have to rely on Welf to sort this out and then apologize like I always do? What do I even have to apologize for? And then what am I going to do with Aiz? What happens if she says no? Will I continue to keep getting stronger or just give up on my feelings?'
Taking in his surroundings, Bell realized this was close to the place where he saved Hestia from the silverback. 'She always does seem to get me into a lot of trouble doesn't she? If it didn't workout for the best back then, we'd both be dead. But if she didn't come back to me that time then I wouldn't have lived so in a way she saved me then so I can't fault that. But then there was the 18th floor. I thought Gods weren't supposed to enter the dungeon but she did for what? We would've been fine if Ryuu, Asfi, and the others just went instead. She ended up getting kidnapped and then she used her Arcanum and made that Black Goliath spawn, nearly killing all of us. Back when Mikoto, Welf and I went to find Haruhime she didn't give me a chance to explain myself either did she? She just chewed me out and ignored the rest of the Familia. And now there is this Freya situation, she always seems to just follow me and never think about the consequences of her actions and what they could do. I mean not all of it has been bad. She is the one who got me the Hestia knife, she was the one who let me follow what I wanted to do with the Xenos, and she was the one who offered me a helping hand when no one else did. Even if she is very over protective she always supports what I want as long as there isn't a girl in the decision. I don't know what to do anymore.'
Making her way back from changing Ryuu, was a nervous wreck. 'I can't betray Syr, she'd be upset if Bell were to die right? This is for the best, I can make sure he is safe while being with him. If Kaguya and Alise saw me now I'd never hear the end of it!' All sorts of thoughts similar to these wandered through her mind before she stopped before Bell. Seeing him she realized he kept changing, his resolve for what he wanted kept growing even stronger than before. 'Even though we went on an adventure a little while ago he already changed this much? I guess being a hero is tiring.'
"What are you planning to do in the dungeon?"
"The Goliath respawned. The first time I saw it I had to run away and hide, I want to see how much stronger I have become since then." Bell replied without a second thought.
"Okay, let's fight it together."
"Um Ryuu? I was actually thinking about trying to fight it alone."
'WHAT? I mean he is probably close to being a level 5 and he wants to see if he can do it now but that is too reckless!' Ryuu thought as she stared at Bell with wide eyes. "Why?"
"I want to clear my head and I'd like to gain a lot of excelia quickly. I also need to see how much I have grown. I could barely look at it when I was a level 2, I'm almost a level 5 now. I want to see if I've improved significantly from then. I need to see how much further I have to go for my goal. And Ottar, he said something earlier today about how he wishes me to become a level 7 so he can make me his rival."
"The king said that?!" Ryuu asked in a stunned voice. Ottar only recognizes those that he respects and he doesn't say careless things. If he said that then he truly believed Bell could accomplish that task. Realizing Bell needed to do this to prove to himself that he is worthy of his dreams, she gave up. "Fine, at least allow me to heal you afterwards."
"I'd appreciate that."
"So what happened with your Familia?"
So I guess it all started today when…" Bell explained as the two of them made their way to the 17th floor of the dungeon. He explained how she acted over the past week, how she keeps trying to control him, and eventually told her some other things she had done. How she nearly killed everyone because she went in the dungeon, how she ran away and forced him to feel bad after she got kidnapped by Ares, and how she tries to control him and who he is around.
"I see, it seems she does want to keep you in a cage when you describe it like that."
"I can't blame her for trying to keep me safe but she seems to try to control me a little too much."
"Mr. Cronzo was right, neither of the parties are in a good place to talk tonight. I suggest you try in the morning."
"Yeah, honestly I still don't want to leave them. Welf is like my brother and Mikoto and Haruhime are always there for me too like older sisters. I couldn't leave any of them behind, but Lili and Hestia keep trying to make themselves the center of my life every waking moment."
"I can understand that. Remember that Familia is important, I hope you can make up with them." Ryuu replied as she and Bell entered the dungeon. Ryuu informed Bell that she will take the lead so he isn't tired for his fight and led the way, approaching the 17th floor at terrifying speed.
X
"WELF YOU TRAITOR!" Hestia shouted after being dragged away by Mikoto. "THE REST OF YOU ARE JUST LETTING BELL GET TAKEN AWAY! DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT HIM?"
"Hestia that's-" Mikoto tried to say before being interrupted.
"YOU TWO PROBABLY JUST WANT BELL ALL TO YOURSELF SO YOU ARE TRYING TO GET ON GOOD SIDE BY ALLOWING HIM TO DO WHATEVER HE WANTS!" Lili spat out after pointing at Mikoto and Haruhime. One of them flushed and nearly passed out while the other stuttered but adamantly denying it.
"YOU ARE RIGHT SUPPORTER! THESE TWO DON'T CARE AT ALL ABOUT BELL OR THIS FAMILIA!"
"Hestia." Haruhime croaked as Welf entered the room again.
"Are you two still yelling?" Welf said, sounding mildly annoyed.
"WELF HOW COULD YOU?" Hestia and Lili shouted.
"LILI CAN'T BELIEVE YOU INFLUENCED BELL TO BECOME A WOMANIZER."
"YOU ARE JUST AS BAD AS HERMES!"
"YOU HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT A POOR INFLUENCE ON BELL SINCE YOU MET HIM!"
"YOU JUST WANT TO GET BACK TO HEPHESTOS DON'T YOU?"
"Can you two listen for once?" Welf asked. 'You know going back to Hephestos right about now doesn't sound too bad.'
"THERE IS NOTHING TO LISTEN TOO!" Hestia shouted. "YOU LET BELL LEAVE BEFORE WE COULD GET RID OF THE CHARM FREYA PUT ON HIM!"
"If he was charmed do you really think he would come back to us instead of just going to Freya?"
"THAT- THAT DOESN'T MATTER! HE WAS OBVIOUSLY UNDER HER INFLUENCE! WHY ELSE WOULD HE GO OUT ON A DATE WITH HER!"
"You remember how she crushed Ishitar right? What chance would we have if we angered her? Bell was just trying to keep her happy so we could avoid her wrath."
"KEEP HER HAPPY? SHE DESTROYED BELL'S PURITY!" Lili shouted.
"Why does that even matter?" Welf asked, dumbfounded by that response.
"BELL WITHOUT HIS PURITY ISN'T BELL"
"Okay then. Did you two even give him a chance to explain?"
"THAT DOESN'T MATTER NOW WELF! HE WOULD'VE JUST LIED."
"Hestia, you are a God. You would've known if he was lying." Mikoto pointed out. "So Welf what did Bell say?"
"Well he told me he wanted to put this whole thing with the skill behind him because he understands why we kept this a secret. He would've told everyone."
"SEE? I KNEW WE DID NOTHING WRONG!" Hestia shouted.
"Now he does wish we trusted him instead of only telling him because of Aiz. He thinks we would have never told him if she didn't."
"W-well that isn't exactly wrong." Haruhime said.
"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON HERE? OURS OR THAT WOMANIZERS?"
"Bell's." The three said immediately.
"You didn't even give him a chance to tell why he was with either of them and acting like this is just going to drive him away in the future." Welf told the two girls. "Now listen, he met Tiona this morning in front of the dungeon after deciding to go clear his head. When he came back up, he met Freya at the guild and she asked Bell to tell her about our expedition so her children can be as prepared as possible."
"B-but he went on a date with her!" Hestia said a lot quieter after the sudden realization of what she did that day hit her.
"As Welf said before, Freya destroyed Ishitar on a whim. If Bell or any of us were to make her angry she could destroy us in a second. Bell was just trying to keep us safe and not get on her bad side." Mikoto said. "You two don't think clearly when it comes to Bell."
The three stood there in front of the two shorter women and watched as their faces changed from anger to horror.
"Wait! When we were following Bell today we interrupted him when he was with Freya." Lili said in a nervous voice.
"Relax, he told me about that." Welf replied calmly. "He said she found it entertaining and didn't get upset. We are very lucky about that, if it was a different day you two did that she could've had a different reaction."
"See! It all worked out for the best! Now bring Bell in here so he can apologize to us and put this entire thing behind us."
"No."
"Wh-What did you say Welf?"
"No, you two need to realize what you did. You stalked him, interrupted him when he was having a private conversation, when he got back you two assumed the worst and started making demands of him, now you don't even realize it is your fault, and that was just today. Bell did nothing wrong and if he apologizes now it will just create a worse situation later on."
"What do you mean?" Haruhime asked curiously.
"Bell didn't leave this Familia and unless something major happens he won't. But you two need to imagine how he feels constantly having to deal with you two interrupting him all of the time. You both know he has feelings for the sword princess anyways. Trying to force your own feelings onto him in the way you two are doing is going to drive him away."
"Besides, we are a Familia, we should have complete trust in each other!" Mikoto said.
"I trust Bell would never leave us without a good reason!" Haruhime said definitively. "He has always been there for us so the least we can do is be there for him."
Standing over the two girls who looked like they were about ready to pass out due to their nervousness, the three who had been on Bell's side smiled triumphantly.
"Where is Bell now? I guess we can go apologize to him." Hestia said reluctantly.
"He isn't going to be here tonight. I thought it would be best if you three got some space from each other so you can think and not say something you end up regretting." Welf informed them. "Since it is around 6 I bet he is in the dungeon and then he will rent a room somewhere tonight. He will be back by tomorrow to talk to you two."
"Why can't we talk now?" Lili asked.
"Do you really think it is a good idea to talk to each other right after you just called him a womanizer?"
"W-well, I guess you are right."
"Okay now, you two should think about what to say to Bell tomorrow, if he apologizes at all then this will all be for nothing." Welf informed the two. 'Ah Bell you owe me for this one. Tonight and tomorrow are certainly going to change a lot around here.'
X
"Why was Bell with Freya?" Aiz asked the room in a scared voice.
"I don't know." Raul replied nervously. "Maybe he has Familia problems or she needs something from him?"
"It would have to be the second one, I talked to Argonaut earlier today. He said he put all of his Familia problems behind him." Tiona replied.
'Bell. No. Don't leave me.' Aiz thought as mini Aiz started to tear up looking at the pictures she had painted of her and Bell.
"Well, speculating won't do us any good. If he does have the same skill as Aiz letting Freya have him wouldn't be good." Finn said.
"What should I do?" Aiz asked in a defeated voice.
"Talk to him?" Finn suggested. "Going to his Familia might be the only way we can get answers."
'I'll get him to tell me what he was doing with her.' Aiz decided. "Okay I'm going."
"Wait Aiz." Riveria said as she reached out to grab the blonde girl.
"What?"
"I'm going with you."
"Me too! I need to talk to him about something now." Tiona said. 'Argonaut! I said I'd destroy you if you hurt Aiz and that's what you're doing! Are you an idiot?'
Watching the three of them leave the room, Finn's thumb started to twitch.
"My, my Bell Cranel. I do not envy you right now."
As the three of them stormed out of the Twilight Manor, Tione heard them and thought something happened.
"Where are you guys racing off to?" Tiona asked.
"Bell." Aiz said coldly.
"What did he do?"
"Oh Argonaut was with Freya today." Tiona said.
"WHAT?" Tiona shouted. "Are we storming her Familia?"
"No we are going to Hearth Mansion." Riveria stated.
Tiona leaned over to her twin to inform her of some information as Riveria caught up to Aiz to try to calm her down.
"I told Argonaut to ask out Aiz earlier today." Tiona whispered. "But I also told him if he hurts her we'll destroy him so if he doesn't have a good excuse you know what to do."
"Right." Tione nodded as her eyes formed slits. Tiona feared for anyone who were to anger her in this state right now.
Eventually after sprinting through the city, the four made their way to Hearth Mansion, Aiz walked up and knocked on the door, failing to hide her nerves from the other three.
"Is that you Bell?" She heard a shout, presumably from Hestia. As the door was opened she was met with the faces of Lili, Welf, and of course, Hestia.
"Oh it's just you Wallenwhatsit. Why are you all here?" Hestia asked.
"Bell."
"W-WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH MY BELL?"
'Her Bell?' Aiz thought as she tilted her head to the side.
"Hestia." Welf said in a rather annoyed voice.
"Right, right. He isn't here right now."
"Where is he?" Tiona asked, getting impatient and wanting answers.
"If I were you I'd check the dungeon." Welf stated. 'Bell, I think you are going to get the answer you want.' He thought as he looked at Aiz noting her attitude.
"Oh, okay." The sword princess said, turning around and leaving just as quickly as she arrived.
"I truly am sorry about her. She is kind of in a rush and we have a few questions for him." Riveria sighed.
"Don't worry about it." Welf replied laughing. "I understand, you should probably go chase those three to make sure they don't get into any trouble."
"You are right about that, sorry for bothering you." Riveria said quickly following after the girls who left after hearing Bell went to the dungeon. On their way there, the group ran into Bete and Lefiya. Telling the two the situation, they decided to tag along. Bete wanted to see the rabbit get grilled by Aiz and the two amazons who were ready for blood and Lefiya would always take part in some torture if it involved Bell. As they made their way to the entrance of the dungeon, they overheard some conversations of adventurers who were leaving that piqued their interest.
"Did you see Rabbits foot?"
"Yeah, he looked pissed. He stormed his way through every floor with that elf girl."
"What do you think set him off?"
"Couldn't tell you, he was with Freya earlier. Maybe something happened between them?"
'Elf girl? How many girls are there?' Aiz thought before remembering a very important piece of information that made her race off.
"What is it Aiz?" Tiona asked as they caught up to her, surprised how she kept suddenly taking off.
"The goliath."
"It spawns today doesn't it?" Lefiya asked.
"Yes. He is going to fight it." Aiz informed the group which caused quite the shock. Well for all of them except Bete as he gave an approving snort and mini Aiz who was preparing for battle.
"Are you sure Mr. Cranel would be that stupid to fight it without a group?" Riveria asked curiously.
"Yes."
"Let him do it." Bete replied, shocking the group. "He's trying to get stronger isn't he? Why stop him? Besides he's level 4, if he can't beat a level 2 boss he is a disappointment."
"Yes but it's still too risky without a group!" Tione snapped. Quickly, the five level 6s and one level 4 rushed to the 17th floor where the fight was already happening.
X
"Are you sure you do not want my help?" Ryuu asked as she and Bell approached the final room of the 17th floor.
"Yes, I have to do this myself." Bell replied determinedly.
"Very well, knives may not be the best weapon, if you get close to death I am going to help."
"Thank you Ryuu." Bell said before approaching the wall. 'She is right, I don't have enough reach to do enough damage to kill it. I want to try to finish this without using Argovestia but I might not have a choice. It's a skill I made but I don't want to rely on it too heavily.'
He is walking calmly as he hears the ice begin to crack. Bell readying himself took a deep breath.
'I fought the Black Goliath and killed it. This much should be doable. Hell this is nothing compared to the Juggernaut. I'm ready, it won't end like last time.' Bell thought before getting into his fighting stance. A few months ago when he was level two he was too terrified to even look at it. Granted he was on the verge of a mind down and he had to carry both Lili and Welf but he wanted to fight this monster. He wanted to see how much he had changed from that innocent farm boy to an adventurer and hopefully one day a hero.
'The king acknowledged me earlier, I have to prove to everyone I am worthy to become his rival. I need to defeat this enemy to get closer to being a hero.' Bell gave his final thought as the ice fully cracked, revealing the Goliath. Although it was shorter than the Black Goliath, Bell still felt a chill running down his spine as he knew he needed to beat the monster in front of him with just two knives.
It was tall, its brown skin was cracking, its greasy black hair looked like it had been dipped in oil, and finally the eyes. Its red eyes devoid of any warmth stared at the figure approaching. In contrast to Bell, his pale skin from spending his days in the dungeon, his pure white hair, and his own eyes. While they were red as well, staring at them you could see a fire being lit. The warmth was encaptivating.
Letting out a roar, the Goliath signaled the start of the fight. Warning others not to get involved or to say that Bell wasn't worthy was something the challenger would never know. All Bell heard was the roar signaling that this battle had started. Replying with his own battle cry as sparks of white began to gather in his right palm. Swiftly moving his Hestia knife to his other hand he extended his arm, opening his palm and roaring.
"FIREBOLT."
As a mass of white flames hit the Goliath's left shoulder, it jerked its neck to see that the figure he looked upon was indeed a challenger.
X
A short ways away on the 15th floor the group approaching heard the roar of the Goliath and an explosion signaling the start of the fight. Knowing they were close, they hoped for the best. Aiz was especially nervous as she remembered her fight with Udaeus and was worried Bell would die. She knew being a level 4 he should be able to beat it but floor bosses are a different kind of monster and he only has knives. Attacking it alone would be suicide even for most level 4s.
'Bell, this isn't like you. You aren't this reckless. What happened?' She wondered as the group made their way to the 16th floor.
X
The Goliath looked back at the boy and began to charge his own magic, the howl, that gave Bell nightmares when the Black Goliath was the one controlling it, but he strangely felt calm in the face of his opponent. Switching his knife back to his right hand and pulling out Hakugen for his left, he charged.
Bell quickly made his way to the Goliath's right leg and began to attack its ankle. After performing rabbits rush, he thrust his hand forwards and released 5 firebolts causing it to stumble and fall down onto its left knee.
Sensing his opportunity, Bell rushed to the monster's left knee and jumped on top of it racing for his opponent's face. Climbing up the body of the Goliath leaving multiple wounds across its while dodging every attack from the Goliath, he ended up on its shoulder staring directly after its face. He unleashed a flurry of attacks from his two knives. Ripping apart the Goliath's dry skin.
'Shit! I don't have enough reach to finish it.' Bell thought, barely regaining his focus in time as he saw the left arm of the Goliath try to grab him. Jumping off the neck he was falling through the air in front of the Goliath who had barely moved from its starting point. Pushing his arm forwards again he released another firebolt that hit the monster's face getting rid of its vision.
Unfortunately, while being in the air Bell lost his greatest ability. His Agility. Not being able to move around was detrimental to the rabbit as he couldn't dodge the right hand of the goliath, smacking him into the wall opposite Ryuu and the Loki Familia who arrived just in time to see the heavily injured Goliath smack Bell.
Watching the battle Ryuu couldn't believe her eyes. She always knew Bell had the potential for great things, even when they first met each other. Even if he was green she respected the boy for going into the dungeon everyday trying to make his dream come true like she once did. Of course she wished, much like everyone else, that he wouldn't. He was an innocent pure boy who deserved to be surrounded by a loving family and away from fighting. Watching him grow, both in status and in character, had been the greatest gift Ryuu had ever gotten. Eventually when they had their adventure together she knew he was her Hero. So imagine her surprise realizing that Bell had surpassed her. While she still has more experience, even on their expedition she realized Bell was close to equal to her in terms of status. Now looking at this fight she realized he had surpassed her. Although disappointed, she knew he would soon become a hero, causing her to fall even more in love.
Watching him fight this monster for the past 10 minutes made her heart race. Every time he landed a hit internally she gave cheers of encouragement. Every time he barely dodged or got hit, her heart raced, fearing he wouldn't get up. She had wanted to rush to his aid like he did for her with the Juggernaut but she couldn't bring herself too. He needed to do this. However, when she heard the footsteps behind her and saw who was coming she sighed, realizing she might have bit off more than she could chew.
"Bell!" Aiz called out trying to rush to his side after seeing him get hit by the Goliath only to be stopped by Ryuu.
"Loki Familia, please do not interfere, he needs to do this himself." Ryuu said standing in front of the group going into a bow.
"Why?" Bete asked coldly.
"He wants to see how far he has come since the last time he saw it. Back then he had to run away, he wants to beat it now. The king also riled him up."
'Ottar did? What is their goal?' Riveria thought. "And what did the King say?"
"Bell told me that Ottar wishes that Bell will make it to level 7 or 8 to become his rival." Ryuu stated, taking everyone back. As their eyes widened by this statement they began to hear a bell getting louder and louder. Their necks quickly snapped to the location of Bell slowly getting up from the rubble with white particles accumulating around his hand.
'Is he just impatient trying to reach that strength?' Aiz thought 'Why is he pushing himself so hard in the first place?' To a surprise from everyone, Bete walked up to the elf and turned around.
"Let the kid do it." He said bluntly.
"He doesn't have anywhere near the proper equipment for this Bete!" Tiona snapped.
"Besides we should help it is too risky!" Lefiya shouted wishing to torture her rival a little for pulling ahead of her this much.
"If he almost dies that's when you can step in. Let him be a man." Bete said, turning back to watch the fight. "He is trying to overcome his weak self isn't he? Are you going to get in his way?"
Even though mini Aiz beside her was thirsting for blood at the sight of her rabbit getting hurt, Aiz knew he had some reason for doing this.
"Fine. If he messes up again I'm stepping in." She stated, walking up and standing next to Bete, shocking the rest of the group. Realizing she must have her reasons they followed suit and watched this battle, reminiscing on when they watched him fight the minotaur.
Bell stood up eying the giant monster in front him. After he fell he started to charge Argonaut, thinking that Argovestia will be the only way for him to defeat this challenge. In the corner of his eye he saw the Loki Famila and Ryuu.
'She is standing in front of them for me? What are they doing here? Are they going to stop me?' thoughts such as these raced through his head. Not allowing himself to feel distractions, he felt his emotions surge. He wanted to show the Loki Familia, his idols, he was worthy of standing next to them using them as his inspiration.
The Goliath let out a howl in Bell's direction forcing the latter to dodge out of the way. Bell realized he couldn't win without risk, having all his skill go directly to the knife.
"It seems he is going to use that, I was wondering when he would." Ryuu murmured.
"That?" Riveria asked in a curious tone.
"A skill he developed. It is very powerful but it drains a lot of mind energy."
'Bell has a new skill? Why hasn't he shown me?' Aiz thought before watching Bell go on the defensive.
The Goliath Swung his left fist into the ground, forcing Bell to roll to the right.
Not giving him anytime to rest, the Goliath swung his other fist. This exchange went on with Bell dodging for what seemed like forever.
"Tsk." Bete clicked his tongue. "Is he ever going to attack?"
"He can't while charging this skill." Ryuu explained.
"It better be powerful." Tiona yawned. "It's getting boring just watching him dodge."
"I agree, he should've attacked it with a better weapon if he was going to fight it." Lefiya said bluntly.
All of them were watching with rather bored expressions as Bell held out his left hand. Feeling a little excitement in the air they all started to watch more intently only to have it replaced by confusion as he shot his magic into his knife.
At first they were all confused until they saw his knife gain an extra 15 inches in length as his skill and his magic worked in unison to create a white flaming sword they all recognized to be powerful. Since this was their first time seeing this skill none of them knew how to react to what was coming.
Bell put his knife to his left hip and charged at the monster, dodging out of the way of its foot. Using this as an opportunity, Bell launched himself off of the very foot that tried to crush him and rose towards the Goliath's main body. All of the watcher's eyes widened with shock as he swung his knife upwards, cutting the monster in two as the force of the attack carved a cut in some of the walls in the room. They watched as he fell back down to Earth, followed by a tooth and a magic stone. The watchers besides Ryuu were speechless as he had just sliced through the Goliath like butter.
Quickly getting over their awe at such a skill they all raced over with Aiz taking the lead.
"Are you okay?" She asked as she started to scan his body for any injuries.
"Yes, I'm just tired." Bell replied looking half asleep. They could tell he hasn't been resting well and on top of that this skill did seem to use a lot of energy. However Aiz had a different idea. She quickly sat next to Bell and picked his head up and gave him a lap pillow, making everyone's face drop in awe.
"Aiz. And. Bell." Tione whispered she didn't trust her sister completely when she told him they liked each other but seeing this made her jaw drop.
Riveria let out a chuckle. Tiona was asking about the skill he just used. Bete called him an idiot even though he looked proud. Lefiya was upset that they weren't grilling him and she was clearly jealous that Bell was receiving a lap pillow but couldn't deny his achievement. Lastly Ryuu just quietly went over and started healing him.
"So Argonaut." Tiona said. "Mind telling us why you were with Freya earlier? I believe you remember my warning."
As all the heads turned to him Bell with expressions that made him fearful, he tried to get up from his new pillow only to be stopped by Aiz and Tiona placing a hand on his shoulders and forcing him back down.
"Yes Bell what were you going with her?" Tione asked, tightening her grip.
"Her Familia is going on an expedition soon. She wanted to ask me a few questions about the one I went on." Bell explained quickly.
"And what did you tell her?"
"Just about the moss monster and how the floor boss spawned early."
"Noting else?"
"Yes I promise nothing else. Tione your grip is starting to get really tight!" He squeaked out as she finally removed her hand. Aiz seemed content with this answer as she sprouted a small smile and began to pat his head.
"Very well we understand the situation now. However, Mr. Cranel, that was extremely reckless and stupid. Not only could you have died it looked like you were holding back and not going all out, you should have charged that skill and attacked with it front the beginning. Also who in their right mind would fight the Goliath with just a knife? And not only that you had a comrade and refused to let her help you." Riveria said, taking everyone back by how motherly she was acting. 'If he dies then Aiz is going to be devastated and then all her progress will have been for nothing.' she thought.
"I'm sorry." Bell replied timidly. "I needed to fight it. I didn't want to rely on that skill but it seems like I had too."
"Why?"
"Remember back when I first went to the 18th floor? I had to run away from it and then there was the whole Ottar thing today." Bell muttered.
"What did Ottar do this time?."
"He just asked me what drives me and what I want to accomplish. After I told him he walked away and told me to reach his level of strength so he can push himself more."
'He is pushing himself too hard.' Aiz thought as she stroked his hair. She, along with mini Aiz, had already forgiven him and was happy that he was back in her possession.
"Um Ryuu?" Bell asked.
"Yes?"
"You can stop healing me now."
"Ah. Y-you're right." Ryuu said with a bright blush coming across her face after realizing she had been healing him this entire time. "Well I have to take my leave. Good job Bell."
The group watched as Ryuu left without another word. Quickly racing away from her embarrassment, one thought entered Ryuu's mind.
'The sword princess huh? She will be a difficult opponent but he is my Hero. I won't let him get away from me.'
Back with the group Bell was still getting lectured by Riveria and explaining his skill he used to defeat it, saying it was the only thing that had let him live through his expedition.
"It drains a lot of mind energy so I can't use it too often but it's definitely useful." Bell said.
"How about Aiz and Argonaut go somewhere else? It looks like she has a lot to talk about with him." Tiona said seeing an opportunity to push these two closer. Aiz replied with a nod and stood up.
"Come with me Bell." Aiz said, setting Bell off to the side and standing up to which he followed suit.
"Where are we going?" Bell asked.
"Just follow me." Turning to Riveria she asked. "Can you take the tooth and the stone up to the surface?"
"Yes! Go have fun!" Tiona said pushing the two away with her sister before Riveria could get a sound out.
"Yeah don't worry about it we'll turn it into the guild." Tione replied, silencing any responses. With the two twins pushing them out of the room the rest just sighed at their antics.
"That damn human." Lefiya muttered. She realized Bell was already taking the next step and she would soon be left behind. Bete was a similar case as he said he is going to go down a few more floors and quickly left. Riveria sighed as she realized that the old trio would have to go on adventure soon to keep up. After getting the dropped items the group quickly followed suit and left.
X
'Where is she taking me?' Bell thought. After racing through the dungeon, the pair attracted many heads as Bell chased Aiz through the city. Even though people stared Bell continued to chase after her, leaving the watchers to wonder what he got himself into this time, eventually arriving at their destination. The spot where they train together. Turning around and staring at Aiz in the sunset Bell realized once again that the girl in front of him rivaled anyone in terms of beauty as her golden hair shined even brighter as the sunset hit it. Thinking that he preferred this view to the one he got earlier today with Freya. She turned around she spoke one word. Bell could tell that it had a lot of emotion behind it. Coming from the sword princess he was a little taken back. Sure she had started to express more emotions recently but he could feel them for the first time. He was at a loss when she turned to him and spoke a word with worry, care, kindness, anger, and sadness behind it.
"Bell..."
X
Authors Note:
Well happy New years to all of you, hopefully this year is better than 2020. Anyways I just wanted to say thank you for all of the reviews, advice, and stuff you guys would like to see in this story.
Honestly I am not sure what to do with this story at this point, I kind of wish I didn't have Aiz develop Liaris Freese based on where I want to take this story and what I want to do with it but oh well. I'm not going to go back and get rid of it because I don't think Orario can beat the OEBD if everyone doesn't level up and she is going to play a very specific part in the story so having her get stronger is probably for the best. I think I'm just going to have her grow quickly but not at Bell's pace. The reason why I regret that and want to make her not as powerful as Bell will be revealed later in the story but what do you guys think about that?
I did see a few reviews asking for me to go easy on Ryuu and the rest of Hestia Familia. Don't worry I have a plan in mind for them and what I'm going to do but it'll take a little bit to have it all come together. While writing the first few chapters of this story I really didn't know how I wanted to end it but now that I kind of have an idea that group will start to play a bigger roll.
This was my first time trying to write an action scene so I hope it was up to par for all of you.
The next chapter should be out within a week depending on how long it is. If you did notice I dropped the -kun,sama,dono suffix mainly because it got annoying to type and it felt a little out of place.
That's all for this one.