Bete woke up to a banging on his door at the crack of dawn. His head hurt so much it felt like whoever was knocking completely bypassed his door and was hitting his head directly.
He groaned and covered his sensitive ears with the nearest pillow, digging his face into the sheets of his bed. The blinding hangover from last night clouded his ability to think straight.
The banging stopped after a short while, and Bete's ears picked up the small whoosh of a paper being slid under his doorframe.
Feeling indignant at being woken up rudely so early, he obstinately ignored the slip of paper.
Bete turned over in his sheets, pressed his cheek into his pillow, and immediately fell back asleep.
Thirty minutes later he was woken again by someone banging on his door, only this time they were louder.
"Bete! Get out here!"
"Alright, alright, just stop banging, dammit!" Raising his voice sent a spike of pain through his head, but it seemed Bete needed to tough it out.
That was Gareth's voice, and if Gareth was calling it must be important.
He nearly fell out of bed, wincing at the cold wooden floorboards underneath his feet. Throwing on a fresh set of acceptable clothes, Bete padded slowly towards the entrance of his private quarters.
He threw open the door and leaned heavily on its frame, eyes locking on the stocky dwarf in front of him.
"Hah, what do you want?" He was being a bit ruder than normal, but if asked he'd blame it on the hangover.
Gareth raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you read the note?" The dwarf's voice was laced with amusement.
Bete looked towards the ground to see a small handwritten note halfway under one of his feet. He bent down and picked it up, brushing it off as he came back up.
"Meet me in the discussion room in fifteen minutes," Bete muttered, reading the note out loud softly to himself. "If you're late, I'll have an appropriate punishment arranged for you."
He scratched one of his ears, confused. There was nothing to indicate who it was from and he didn't know anyone in the familia's handwriting well enough to tell just from the words.
He shifted his eyes back to Gareth.
"So, what's this about? There's no signature," Bete asked, slightly miffed at having been woken up for a note.
"Flip it over." This time it was clear Gareth was holding back laughter.
Bete turned the note over, all the color in his face draining once he did. He immediately took off running down the hallway, not even bothering to close his door behind him.
Gareth's loud laughter echoed down the corridor.
The note Bete had previously been holding fluttered slowly to the ground, a single word facing up on the back.
- Riveria.
Riveria sat in the room the Loki Familia used for discussions and planning, sifting through management paperwork irritatedly. She had called for someone to get Bete nearly forty-five minutes ago and was beginning to think he wasn't coming.
The elf's long ears twitched as quick, heavy footsteps approached the room at a fast pace. The footsteps stopped just outside, and there was a much quieter shuffling for a few seconds.
What ironic timing.
The door opened and Bete walked in slowly. He was trying to act collected, but Riveria's eyes were able to pick up spots of sweat on his clothes and the slight heaving of his shoulders. He'd been running, likely in a panic.
She smirked inwardly.
"Sit down, Bete. You look like you could use a seat. In a hurry?" Perhaps she was being a little petty, but Riveria felt it was a bit justified, given how poorly Bete had acted the night before.
He flinched minutely, shifted his eyes to the side, and shook his head. He was normally a very hard person to intimidate, rather fearless. But like everyone else in the Loki Familia, when Riveria got mad Bete was scared shitless.
"I called for you over half an hour ago. What took you so long to get here?" Riveria lifted a delicate eyebrow, her gaze piercing.
"Does it matter? I'm here now," Bete snarked. No matter his fear, he couldn't let his reputation down. His hangover wasn't helping his mood either.
Riveria ruffled the stack of paperwork on the table, then set it aside so she could focus on their conversation.
"It does. We were just going to have a brief talk, but now it seems I need to remind you that I'm your Vice-Captain. When I tell you to report for a meeting, I expect you to be on time."
Bete clicked his tongue in response, relaxing his posture and lounging into the couch. It looked like he wasn't going to be in any sort of serious trouble.
"So? What'd you wanna talk about?" Bete asked, feeling curious more than cautious now.
"You are aware of the image that the Loki Familia tries its hardest to present to the public, correct?" The elf grabbed a small teacup from off to the side and took a small sip of its contents.
"A bunch of goody two-shoes, a role model for the weak ass public, yeah." Bete nodded his head. He didn't like having to act respectful in public, but it was what was expected of him out in the city. Most of the time.
"And you are aware of how we punish those who compromise that image?"
A shiver made its way up Bete's spine, but he ignored it.
"Not really. I mean, the only ones who end up fucking up like that are the lower familia members anyways. Don't really pay attention to them." His blatant disregard for non-executives in the Loki Familia was not new.
Bete watched Riveria's lips twitch into a small half smile full of amusement, only for it to be covered by her teacup as she took yet another small drink.
"Well, I think you'll be quite familiar with the process soon." Her voice was laced with dry humor, but Bete didn't understand.
"Why would I have to learn about that shit?" Bete asked, uncrossing his legs and draping his arms across the back of the couch. "Oh, come on. You're not gonna make me supervise some idiot that can't keep his mouth shut, are you?"
"In a way, I suppose."
Bete groaned loudly and muttered under his breath, grumbling about babysitting not being worth his time. It was pointedly ignored.
"Do you recall what happened last night at The Hostess of Fertility, or were you so drunk it slipped from your memory?" Riveria questioned, resting her empty teacup in her lap, hands wrapped loosely around it. It was time to get down to business.
"I remember most of it, told the story about that minotaur kid. What about it?" Bete had his eyes closed, leaning his head back to rest against the sofa's cushions.
The teacup in Riveria's hands abruptly shattered, and Bete's eyes snapped open.
"Ah, pardon me. My hand slipped." If she hadn't closed them, Bete would've seen the murderous look in Riveria's eyes.
He waved it off. It was easy for adventurers, even the non-physical attack types, to accidentally break delicate houseware.
"Yes, you told 'the story about that minotaur kid.'" Riveria made air quotes with her hands. "What you and I both failed to realize, however, was that the adventurer in question was not only inside the establishment at the time, he was well within earshot."
Bete shrugged.
"He heard me, then? So, what? It's not like he can do anything about it."
Riveria's brow started to visibly twitch. It was overlooked by Bete.
"That's not the point, Bete. The point is that you were publicly insulting and slandering a fellow adventurer, to his face. Aside from the fact that you were heard by the young man, it was in very poor taste to ridicule a beginner adventurer simply because he was new."
Bete was starting to sweat under Riveria's intense gaze.
"Do you know what rumors have been circulating about us, now? 'The Loki Familia can't control the actions of their members', 'I can't believe such a respected group would so brazenly insult beginners'. Do you know what this means, Bete?"
Riveria's voice was icy and Bete was beginning to see the irony of his earlier words.
"I asked you a question."
"I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it out to be, there weren't that many people around-"
"There were," she cut him off, "and I assure you I am not playing up the situation. It may recede with time, but the fact of the matter remains that you nearly tanked the reputation of our Familia and Goddess by yourself in one night."
"You said it exactly, it'll recover with just a little bit of time-"
"Silence. You are not here for negotiation. I've heard enough of your blabbering. Here's what's going to happen now." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried all the weight of command that came with her position.
Bete snapped his mouth shut.
"You will keep an eye out for that adventurer any time you are out of the Manor, and if you see him you are to immediately and publicly apologize for your actions and words last night."
Bete shot up from his seat, indignant.
"Absolutely not! There's no way I'm gonna apologize to a punk like that kid! It's his own fault for-"
"I said silence."
Riveria's voice filled the room and Bete's senses went wild. She was pissed beyond anything he'd ever seen. His legs gave out and he collapsed back onto the couch.
"As I said, you will seek out that adventurer and you will apologize. I don't care if it hurts your pride, you will do it. That's just for how your words undoubtedly hurt him. It's possible it might've affected his career, and that would be irreparable. Now, for the next part of your punishment."
Riveria got up and walked to the room's door. She opened it and several hushed words were spoken to someone outside. She came back leading a staff member Bete hadn't cared to learn the name of.
"This is Lux, he'll be in charge of supervising your duties from now on."
Riveria remained standing, moving to the back of the couch she had previously sat on.
"Duties? But he's just a servant-" Bete's eyes widened, catching on.
"I see you are starting to understand. Yes, Bete, duties. As of right now, until our Familia's next expedition, you're demoted. You will spend your days assisting Lux with his tasks, and any free time that isn't spent training will be used running errands and doing chores around the Manor."
Horror was written all over Bete's face. While it might not have been the worst punishment by far issued by Riveria, it was tailored specifically to torment Bete personally. Menial work like this was so far below him it was insulting.
Lux stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"It's nice to meet you sir, I hope we'll get along."
He was ignored.
"But- you can't-'' Bete stuttered, appalled, looking directly at Riveria.
"I can and I will. That's all I have to say, we're done here." She turned to Lux. "Take him and show him the ropes for today, then let him have the rest of the day off to think."
Bete walked out behind Lux furiously, mind reeling in disbelief.
Less than a minute after he'd left, there was a soft knock on the door and Finn poked his head in.
"That was unusually harsh for you, Riveria. Are you sure this will work?" He questioned, making his way inside.
Riveria sighed lightly. The conversation had been mentally draining; she didn't particularly enjoy throwing her weight around, so to speak.
"This is the only way he'll learn not to act so rashly. I'm only surprised it took this long for him to cross the line."
Finn gave her a half smile, a knowing look in his eyes.
"That's not all, is it?" he prodded.
She averted her eyes. "I don't know what you mean."
"There's something more to this, I can feel it." His eyes flicked towards his thumb, the smile on his face growing larger.
"I suppose… something about the adventurer Bete and I have wronged piques my interest. Something about him seems special, I don't know how to explain it," Riveria admitted, lost in thought.
"Well if my intuition is correct, and it always is," Finn spoke, turning to a small window on the other side of the room, eyes locked on the dungeon clearly visible from their Manor, "then we'll be seeing more of him in the future." He met Riveria's curious gaze. "I suppose I'll have to keep an eye out for him."
She nodded absently, and a comfortable silence enveloped the two. Riveria plucked the stack of paperwork she had set aside back up and quietly started working again.
Finn left the room several minutes later, leaving Riveria alone. Her mind still on the topic from earlier, she idly wondered how that young adventurer was doing after the shock of last night.
It was still rather early in the day, perhaps he'd be on his way to the dungeon.
Bell sneezed, and his foot hovered aloft mid-step for a second before settling back down. He sniffled and took a moment to rub his nose with the back of his hand. He was making his way down East Main Street, intending to stop at the Hostess before going to the dungeon.
Hestia had capped Bell's exploration today to the fourth floor. He was technically still 'recovering' from his earlier injuries, despite splurging on a healing potion to speed up his recuperation.
He thought it was kind of misguided of his goddess to restrict the effectiveness of their main source of income, but the look Hestia had given him that morning was enough to get him to agree regardless of his personal reservations. She had his health in mind too, so it was easy to let it go.
The limitation to 'no further than the lower fourth' combined with the massive boost his stats had gotten from his update this morning would make his day of work pretty easy.
Hestia had stormed off somewhere, saying she was going out of town for a few days, and he'd been left with his status sheet.
The growth that had been displayed the past few days had only accelerated, with each of his stats jumping a letter grade. His magic growth was now not only puzzling, but astounding. It had jumped significantly and was now only second to his agility, which was a solid F, around 450 in its own right.
The fact that the rest of his stats weren't that far behind was stunning.
Bell was lifted from his musing with his arrival at the Hostess of Fertility. His stunt the night before had left a bad taste in his mouth, so he had resolved to visit again this morning to apologize and pay whatever he owed.
The tavern wasn't open yet, but Bell grabbed the attention of a cat girl sweeping the front steps.
"Excuse me," Bell called out softly, approaching the young lady.
"Hm? Ah, the bar's not open yet." She perked up, ears twitching along the way.
"No, that's not why I'm here," he said, stopping just a few feet away and shyly averting his eyes. He was embarrassed to talk about the reason for his visit. "Could I speak to Mama Mia please?"
The girl nodded and motioned for Bell to follow her inside the establishment. Once they were in the main dining area, she disappeared into the back for a moment, emerging a second later with Mia behind her.
"It's that kid Syr brought home!" Mia recognized him immediately.
Bell went slightly red at the phrasing, but before he could open his mouth to protest Mia continued.
"Bell Cranel, was it? It's not often I forget the name of someone who eats here and then leaves without paying."
He cringed and dropped into a deep bow.
"I'm very sorry for what happened last night! I have the money I owe you here-"
He was cut off by Mia's rough grunt and looked up to see her wave a hand flippantly.
"It's not a big deal," she began, "since it's already been taken care of. Nice of you to come by on your own, though. Really makes it easier for us to forgive you."
Bell's mind was spinning as he lifted from his bow. It had already been taken care of? By whom?
"I'm sorry, you said it was already taken care of? I don't know anyone who would do that," Bell bit out through his muddled thoughts.
Mia hummed an affirmation, then put a hand on his shoulder.
"Look kid, I don't know what you did to get the Nine Hells' interest, but whatever it was must've been damn impressive."
A shock ran through Bell's head at the mention of the source of his inspiration as of late.
"What do you mean, caught her interest?"
"She was the one who paid your tab," Mia responded casually, seemingly unaware of how Bell completely shut down at her words.
After a minute of hearing no response, she waved a hand in front of his face.
Snapping out of his shock, Bell's entire face down to the base of his neck and up to the tip of his ears erupted in an atomic blush.
"Wha- I don't... why-?" He stammered out, words utterly failing him.
'I wonder what's up with those two. Riveria said they didn't even know each other,' Mia thought, raising an eyebrow at his reaction.
"Alright, now that you've got that sorted out, just make sure not to pull what you did last night again, got it?" A threatening note seeped into her tone towards the end of her sentence.
Bell nodded firmly, face still bright red. He turned quickly on his heel, walking briskly towards the door, tossing a thanks and a parting as he went.
He waved to the cat girl who'd helped him earlier on his way out and took off at a brisk jog towards Babel.
Now he had another thing he owed to Miss Riveria. He hoped he'd be able to thank her sometime soon.
As soon as the Hostess had faded into the distance behind him, Bell came to a crashing stop when he ran headfirst into someone that had stepped out into his path.
Bell pushed himself off the cobblestone street into a sitting position, rubbing his head as he tried to regain his bearings. He looked up to see who he'd crashed into and all the color drained from his face.
Bete the werewolf stared down at Bell, not even having flinched at a full force collision. Bell saw annoyance flit across his face before he managed to school it into a mask of indifference.
Bell was expecting to be yelled at or ignored, so was thoroughly confused when Bete crouched down and extended an arm to help him up.
He grasped the offered hand and inhaled sharply at the strength of the werewolf's grip. It was likely going to leave a bruise. He was yanked to his feet and pulled uncomfortably close to the wolf.
"Listen, idiot. No matter what I say after this, you're on my shit list," Bete whispered into Bell's ear. "You're nothing, and you'll never be anything. I stand by what I said last night. Don't forget it."
To anyone observing, it looked like two friends greeting each other, but Bell was so nervous his legs had started to shake. Bete let go of him and backed off slightly.
"Hey, I've been looking for you," Bete announced, a tad bit louder than was necessary for such close quarters. "I said some pretty harsh things last night at the Hostess of Fertility, and didn't realize you were there to hear them. That's my bad, I'm sorry."
The last words that came out of Bete's mouth were nearly drowned out by the grinding of his teeth.
What was going on?
Done with his piece, Bete stalked off down the street where Bell came from. Bell took several shaky steps to get the feeling back into his shivering legs.
He rolled up the sleeve of the arm Bete had grabbed slightly. A dark bruise was forming in the shape of a hand print - just as he'd thought.
He clutched his aching wrist and kept tracing his original path, more determined than ever to prove himself in the dungeon.
What a weird morning.
'I was only in for just half a day, huh,' Bell mused, taking the offered valis in return for the magic stones he'd turned in. Normally he'd stay in the dungeon much longer, and now he had free time to do a little research on something that'd caught his curiosity.
He headed towards the only place he knew that dealt with information and research; a place he'd found through Eina. Apparently she frequented it for leisure reading.
Following directions written on a small slip of paper, Bell drank in the sights of a more unfamiliar part of town. It seemed this was the wealthier market district, a place he'd never even thought about visiting before. A side effect of his familia being dirt poor, he supposed.
He stopped in front of a rather quaint small shop, a glimpse through the front window revealing rows upon rows of packed bookshelves.
"The Lazy Library, huh?" Bell huffed in amusement. The name didn't fit with the theme set by the shops around it, but made it stand out in a good way.
He pushed open the small wooden door and the loud bustle of the crowd immediately muffled behind him. A spell?
"Good afternoon, are you here to pick up or browse?"
Bell's attention was grabbed by a petite sharply dressed woman behind a counter off to his right. She had an open book in front of her, one finger pressing a page down. Most likely the librarian here.
"To browse," Bell replied, drinking in more of the quiet bookstore. He was never one for much reading, but this place was quite nice.
"Then please enjoy. I'll be happy to assist if you require help searching for a specific topic."
She went back to her book, head downturned. It might be best to start looking by himself, no need to bother the woman if it wasn't necessary.
He wandered down the aisles, idly running a finger across the spines of books that looked particularly enticing.
"Not magic, not magic, not magic- aha!" Bell mumbled to himself, flitting his eyes across the shelves until he found a book that seemed helpful.
"The Principles of Magic," he hummed, gently prying the book from between two others and cradling it in his arms, "perfect."
He made his way back to the front of the shop, softly clearing his throat to get the attention of the librarian.
When she looked up, he stepped forward.
"Is there a spot I could take this to read?" He questioned, holding out the book for the woman to see.
"An adventurer, hmm. Yes, there should be a small seating area in the back. There's already someone else there, an elf if I remember correctly, so you'll need to figure out a proper seating arrangement. Do try to keep it down, please." She pushed a set of glasses up her nose, waving her hand towards the back.
He followed her instructions, passing through the aisles until a small set of chairs around a single table came into view. True to the woman's words, there were books spread out all around the table, taking up most of the space.
Not seeing anyone else in sight, Bell delicately sat down and gently placed the book on an empty section of the table, opening the book to its first page.
"Ah,"
Bell had barely gotten through half a page before a small noise of surprise caught his attention. He looked up and went stock still, a small shiver running down his spine.
"I must admit, this was not the way I expected we'd officially meet."
Bell's body was frozen, completely caught off guard.
Riveria Nine Hells slid easily into the chair opposite him, eyes firmly locked onto his own.
He swallowed dryly. She looked much different up close, exhibiting the grace and elegance commonly associated with elves.
"What..." he started, the dryness in his mouth forcefully cutting him off. He cleared his throat. "What do you mean, officially meet?"
Oh god, did his voice crack?! How morbidly embarrassing.
The elf across from Bell paid it no mind.
"I've been looking for you," she replied. Bell's brain shut down. "After the incident a few days ago and the situation at the Hostess of Fertility last night, I'd been meaning to seek you out and offer my apologies."
He made a small noise of confusion.
"Apologies… for what?"
She lightly inclined her head, causing her hair to shift and drape over her shoulders like a carpet of shimmering jade. His eyes flicked to watch, then darted back to meet her eyes as soon as he caught himself.
"I owe you an apology on behalf of my entire Familia. We were careless and let a minotaur escape, which put you in danger."
Bell's mind flashed to loud roaring and frantic panting. He flinched minutely. It didn't go unnoticed.
"I see it's had some lasting effects. The blame falls solely on my shoulders, so once again, I apologize."
Her eyes hadn't left Bell's this whole time, and he was starting to wonder where he'd gotten the courage to hold eye contact this long.
"Also, I must offer my apologies for the actions of a member of my Familia last night."
Here his head lowered, and Bell's hand shot to his wrist under the table, clutching the bruise that was still there. He said nothing.
"He was not aware of your presence, and neither was I until you'd run off, but that does not excuse the things he said. I have told him he needs to publicly apologize to you immediately, but I'm well aware that it won't be nearly enough to repay you."
Ah, so that's why Bete had acted so weirdly that morning.
His bruised arm throbbed. The werewolf's apologies certainly did not make anything better.
"That is why, if there's anything my Familia or I can do to assist you, please make it known and we will not hesitate to help."
Riveria took in the hunched form of the young man in front of her, eyes tracing his trembling arms and ducked head. Bete's words played through her head.
'You probably scared him more than that weak-ass minotaur did.'
Her eyes lowered. It must be true then, it certainly explained why he was so unresponsive to her words. She stood up, gathering the haphazard spread of books and papers laid across the table as she did.
"I see it seems you need some time to think about all of this. If you accept the Loki Familia's offer of help, you'll be welcome at the Twilight Manor. Just ask for me at the gate and you'll be well received."
Bell didn't respond. He was locked in shock; too many surprises in one day had sapped his ability to function.
"It seems you're no longer in a state to read, either. Once again, I apologize. Would you like me to put that book back for you?"
Bell nodded his head in response, still silent. He closed the book and held it out to the elf. His sleeve slipped just the tiniest bit, exposing the very ends of his newest bruise.
Riveria's eyes caught the hint of purple just before Bell's sleeve once again covered it, and she paused.
Bell hadn't seemed to notice that she'd seen it, but the glimpse Riveria had gotten was too oddly shaped to ignore.
"Mr. Cranel, by any chance, did you happen to get injured in the dungeon today?"
He started, not at the question, but at her form of addressing him. He wasn't aware she knew his name. The butterflies that sprouted in his stomach from that masked the confusion he felt at the question.
"Ah, no, I didn't get hurt in the dungeon."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Would you mind if I took a look at the bruise on your left arm, then? I may be able to heal it." If the bruise wasn't made from the dungeon there was an almost certainty of foul play. Even a newbie adventurer couldn't be hurt like that by chance.
Bell mindlessly held out his arm and pulled back his sleeve, still too overcome with the jitters of being called by his (last) name to process the request.
Miss Riveria's sharp intake of breath startled him out of his stupor, and he realized what he was doing. He yanked his arm back and pulled his sleeve up, holding the arm against his body.
"Mr. Cranel, what happened to your arm? That is unmistakably a bruise caused by a fellow adventurer." Her voice had gotten softer, gentler. A far cry from her clinical tone before.
"It's not important," he mumbled. He'd not wanted anyone to discover the bruise. It made him feel weak.
"It is important," Miss Riveria chided. "If someone intentionally hurt you, they should be reported to the Guild."
If Bete found out he'd let it slip how the bruise got there, he'd almost certainly cause more trouble. He needed to change the topic.
"No one hurt me, so there's no one to report to the guild. I was just hurt in the dungeon."
She hummed disbelievingly.
"Mr. Cranel, who did this to you?"
"No one did this to me."
"Was it Bete?"
He panicked.
"What? No! Of course not! I mean, Mr. Bete is so strong, what reason would he have to hurt me, who's not even level two? I don't even blame him for what he said, either. Should he even really need to apologize? He'd been drunk, hadn't he?"
Bell was rambling, trying desperately to deny any of Bete's involvement. It never crossed his mind that he might be trying too hard.
He heard Miss Riveria sigh, and he settled down.
"Alright. Thank you for your time, Mr. Cranel, and please seek me out if you feel comfortable taking my offer. Have a good afternoon."
With that, she turned and walked away, her cloak swishing with the movement. She'd even remembered his book.
Bell felt terrible.
Miss Riveria was only trying to help, again, but all he did was lock up and lie. He didn't deserve her help or her apologies.
He got up and left the shop, offering a small parting to the librarian as he walked out.
He needed to get home to rest. It had ended up being a long, weird day.
Riveria was fuming. She thought she'd been angry with Bete before, but now it was indescribable.
She knew he was upset at his punishment, that was the whole point of assigning it in the first place. But to actively assault and threaten a young man who'd done nothing?! That was crossing lines she didn't think possible.
Oh, and of course she'd figured out what happened. How could she not?
The poor adventurer flinched every time Bete's name came out of her mouth, he sung the praises of someone who'd very clearly emotionally hurt him, the hand shaped bruise.
It made her sick to think about. The depths of hubris and contempt Bete had descended to astounded her.
It was quite clear what needed to be done. Bete had grown arrogant and conceited through his advancement in the dungeon, so there was a very simple solution.
Riveria just needed to take the dungeon away from Bete.
She'd give him time to cool off, knock him down a peg or two. Or five. If he was capable of this behavior once, then Riveria couldn't risk it happening again to another adventurer.
Arriving at her Familia's residency, she brushed past the guards and through the front door impatiently. The gate guards took one look at her face and shied away.
As she flowed through the welcome hall, Riveria gathered a small bit of mana into her throat, preparing to amplify her voice.
"Bete Loga!" She thundered, and the windows on the walls softly rattled. There was a small crash down the hall and a staff member ran out, frantically heading towards Riveria.
"Miss Riveria! Is everything alright?" She panted, hunched over and holding her knees.
"Yes, everything is fine," Riveria replied curtly, straining her ears for any sort of response from the wolf she sought. "If you could, would you please bring Bete here?"
The maid coughed nervously.
"Uh, about that…" She trailed off, fiddling with the hem of her dress anxiously. "Sir Bete hasn't been here since this morning."
Riveria's head turned sharply and the maid flinched away.
So he'd not only assaulted Mr. Cranel, but was also ditching his punishment while he did so?
"When he comes back, please get me immediately. I don't care if it's the middle of the night, I need to speak with him as soon as possible."
She walked off towards her quarters, cloak billowing behind her.
The maid left behind let out a shaky breath she'd been holding. She was worried for Bete. Riveria had been scarier than anything she'd ever seen and there was no doubt it was Bete's fault.
Just as she was about to relax, the maid heard a small commotion behind her, in the direction of the front doors.
Surely not.
Her head swiveled slowly and she let out a yelp when she laid eyes on the very wolf Riveria was looking for not a minute earlier.
"U-um," she stuttered, reaching out to grab his jacket sleeve.
"Hah?" He turned irritated eyes in her direction.
The maid gulped.
"M-miss Riveria is looking for you." She was surprised she'd only stuttered once getting her sentence out.
"Tell the old hag I'm busy, I'll meet with her later."
Bete turned to leave and froze in his tracks.
"Old hag, Bete?"
Riveria had heard the commotion and made her way back, catching the end of their interaction.
"I could've sworn I told you not to call me that. Ever." The elf's face was blank, but Bete could sense the impending danger to his person acutely.
"Come with me. We need to have another talk."
Despite the spike of fear that shot through him, Bete wordlessly followed.
He was royally fucked.
Minutes later, Finn nearly dropped his cards as a scream echoed throughout the manor. He turned to Gareth, a bemused smile on his face.
"Think we should stop that?"
Gareth snorted.
"No way in hell I'm stopping that woman when she's like that. The only thing I'll do now is pray I haven't done anything to piss her off too."
Finn hummed in agreement and showed his cards.
"I win."
Gareth cursed and thumped a fist on the table.
Another scream echoed.
Bell yawned, stretching out his arms and popping his back. With his goddess gone, he was free to use the bed, and he'd slept much better than he'd expected.
He neglected to get up and lay still on his back, eyes blankly staring into the ceiling above him. It was rather boring there without Hestia.
He debated the idea of taking a day off but promptly discarded it; he wouldn't know what to do with all that free time.
The interaction he'd had with Miss Riveria flashed through his mind and Bell grimaced. He brought a stray pillow up to his mouth, bit down, and screamed. The sound came out muffled and dampened.
"Why?!"
He cursed his reaction to Miss Riveria's words the day before. He'd been so caught up in the recent past that he'd forgotten to thank her.
He took the pillow from his face and drew his eyes to his previously wounded forearm. The bruise was gone, typical of a blessed adventurer's vitality.
The hand he held up clenched into a fist. He wasn't going to let himself be weak anymore.
A soft chuckle crept past Bell's lips. He'd nearly lost count of how many times he'd promised himself that recently.
With a muted huff he swung himself into a sitting position. He was more motivated than usual to get to work in the dungeon.
He put on his armor and slipped out the door. Time for work.
"Please!"
Hephaestus heaved a heavy sigh and stilled, lifting her pen from the paper it had been scratching on. She turned irritated eyes on the goddess prostrating herself in front of her.
"I already told you, there's no way I'm going to make a weapon just as a favor." She crossed her arms and legs, staring down at Hestia.
"I know. But please! I need this. Bell needs this."
If possible, the goddess pressed her head further into the hard stone floor beneath her. Her voice was shaking with an inexplicable mix of exhaustion and conviction.
"Why are you so determined to have me do this, anyways? You're not usually this persistent."
It was true, Hestia had always been rather fickle. Even Hephaestus' nigh-limitless patience was wearing thin; she was beginning to cave.
"I can't do anything for Bell. He's always working so hard to provide for me, and I never do anything in return," Hestia began, hands tightening into fists. "He came home the other day covered in blood and injuries saying he wants to be strong, and I can tell his weapons are holding him back."
She was talking into the ground, but the weight in her words was enough to pierce through Hephaestus' irritated front.
"So please. He needs this."
Hephaestus stood up with a soft clink of thick heels on stone, walking over to a storage area that held various smithing tools.
"Alright."
Hestia's head shot up, an astonished look on her face.
"Alright?" She questioned, hope blossoming in her chest.
"I'll make your child a weapon." The blacksmith picked out a hammer from her wall and turned towards the other goddess.
"Really?!"
She nodded.
"You've managed to convince me. This won't be free, mind you. You'll pay every valis back even if it takes you centuries."
Hestia had a beaming smile on her face, seemingly unphased by the prospect of a debt hanging over her head.
"Thank you, Hephaestus! Thank you so much!" She chirped, practically glowing.
The goddess grunted and waved a hand, motioning for Hestia to follow her.
"So, what kind of weapon does your child use?"
Hestia took a moment to think.
"Well," She began hesitantly, "he mainly uses a knife. But recently, his magic stat has been increasing a lot and he even has a skill for magic, so I'm not sure anymore."
"I got it." Hephaestus cut her off before she could say any more. She had an eerie glint in her eye and a smirk on her face. "I know exactly what I'm going to make. Get over here, you're gonna help me."
She rolled up her sleeves and began heating the forge, preparing for a long job.
Five hours later, a sweaty and exhausted pair of goddesses sat at Hephaestus' desk.
"Hephaestus… is this-"
"Yes." Hestia was cut off. "This is very special. It'll grow along with your child, so it's guaranteed to be the best he could ask for as long as he's an adventurer."
Hestia had tears in her eyes as she smiled at Hephaestus.
"Thank you. This means a lot to me."
"Don't mention it. I'm very satisfied with how everything turned out. After all," Hephaestus said, turning her head to gaze out the window overlooking Orario.
"I think this is the best weapon I've ever made."
Bete Loga lumbered into his new room and collapsed on his bed.
"Rough day, huh?" One of his new roommates asked, a note of sympathy in his voice.
Bete simply grunted into his sheets. The bed was lumpy.
"Cheer up, man. It gets better, I swear." Another person spoke up, poking his head over the top bunk he was on, looking down at Bete. The wolf was on the bottom bunk.
Anger welled up in his chest at their sympathy. To Bete, it felt patronizing.
"Yeah, once you get used to it then it's actually pretty easy," the first man chimed in, oblivious to Bete's rising temper.
"Whatever. Just leave me alone," Bete bit out, wanting to sulk in peace and solitude.
"If you say so."
The two backed off, the first heading towards his own bunk. It was nearing time for lights out. Since multiple people slept in the same room, an established time for sleeping was necessary.
Bete thought it was bullshit.
"Lights out, my ass," he grumbled to himself. He would curse that elf, but was irrationally afraid of her somehow discovering and worsening his punishment.
That woman had already found out about his 'talk' with the rabbit brat and he was being unfairly punished for it. Something about injuring a fellow adventurer being unacceptable. He was too bitter and tired to remember clearly.
He was forbidden from entering the dungeon, too! That was ridiculous. He was one of the familia's best fighters, there was no reason he should be prevented from taking part in dungeon dives.
The lights in the sleeping quarters clicked off.
Riveria had stripped him of his personal room and delegated him to sleeping with the servants. It was demeaning. Humiliating.
He waited for the soft snores of the servants around him before he got up silently. He padded towards the exit, intent on escaping the stuffy, small room and going dungeon diving for a couple hours.
As he passed through the doors and into the hallway, he came face to face with the one who had issued his punishment.
Riveria stared Bete down, immoving.
Bete promptly turned back around and walked to his bed, tail between his legs.
The elf huffed in amusement and glided down the hall towards her own room. Her work there was done.
Bell passed through the doorway of the Lazy Library for the second time in as many days, once again noticing the bustle of the busy street behind him fading as he did. He nodded his head rather awkwardly as a greeting to the librarian that had helped him the day before and immediately set out to find the book he'd started.
He was somewhat taken by the atmosphere of the little shop despite only having been there twice. It was peaceful and quietly charming.
He found the book he'd claimed the day before rather easily. Miss Riveria had put it back exactly where it had been before. He had to wonder how she'd known where to stow it.
He thought it over as he walked to the small arrangement of tables and chairs not far from him. It was always possible the librarian had moved the book back to where it belonged.
He settled into a hard wooden chair, leaning his elbows on the table as he set the book down. His memory of what he'd previously read was overshadowed by the events that had taken place later, so he simply started again from the beginning.
His eyes roved over the page, taking in the details of an obscure art he'd perpetually coveted.
Magic consisted of two types, according to the book. Innate magic and acquired magic.
Innate magic was the ability to use spells based on one's inherent species, such as elves practicing magic rites passed down through families for centuries. Innate magic also came from a person's parents. If a child was born to a family that had a history of magic usage, innate or acquired, there was a miniscule chance they would be born with a similar ability to use magic.
Acquired magic, on the other hand, was magic an adventurer gained from the blessing of a deity. In other words, lucky adventurers would unlock magic abilities through their falna and feats in the dungeon.
Acquired magic, being fueled by the arcane power of a god's blessing, was much more powerful than innate magic, and more common. Innate magic was notoriously hard to use and noticeably limited in application, so it was frequently cast aside for its stronger counterpart.
All magic was activated through the use of chants. Casting a spell would take a certain amount of mana from the user, dependent on the length of the chant used. The longer the chant, the more powerful the spell, so it was a general rule of thumb that powerful spells ate up large amounts of mana.
Bell scratched the back of his neck. That was a lot of detail. It made his head spin.
He stretched out his arms briefly before continuing reading.
Apparently, the maximum amount of spells one person could use was three. The absurd utility and power behind most magic spells made the limitation seem inconsequential. There were certain exceptions behind the rule, all revolving around unique adventurer skills.
Bell had never known his parents or relatives other than his grandfather, so it seemed like innate magic was off the table for him. Similarly, he had yet to learn any spells even after his goddess blessed him, so it looked like acquired magic was unavailable as well.
He heaved a sigh, disappointed.
While it looked grim, he still had a small chance to learn to cast magic in the future so he'd hold out hope.
The rest of the book looked really complicated and technical, so Bell thought he'd had enough for one day. As it was still quite early in the afternoon, he decided to kill time in the shop for a little longer.
He got up and inspected the shelf nearest to him, shying away from books with wordy titles. They were most likely too sophisticated for his taste.
As he passed into another aisle, his eyes locked onto a rather nondescript book with a burgundy spine jutting out from the shelf.
"How to pick up fair maidens," Bell breathed, zeroing in like a hawk on the tome. He wasted no time picking out the book and going back to his table.
Magic was pushed out of his mind for the time being, a child-like sense of excitement overtaking him.
He eagerly opened the book to its first chapter, looking forward to discerning the secrets hidden inside. It seems he'd be there for a while.
Hestia huffed irritatedly, hands on her hips. Here she was, coming home for the first time in several days, and Bell wasn't even there to greet her.
She supposed he could still be in the dungeon, but it still irked her! She'd missed him in the short time she was gone.
Her eyes caught the glint of Bell's armor hanging on the rack he kept it on, and threw out all ideas she had of him being at work.
She turned towards the door with glee, deciding to look for him through the city.
As Hestia walked through the crowded streets towards the bar she knew Bell frequented ('Hostess of' something, she couldn't remember), she noticed a commotion near the colosseum. It looked like there was some sort of festival going on.
Maybe she could take Bell there once she'd found him.
"Goddess?"
She'd found him.
"Bell!"
Hestia locked Bell into a strong hug, reveling in the blush on his face. It was probably because of the rather dramatic show she was putting on, but who cares about the little details, right?
"I've missed you!" Hestia let him go and smiled a satisfied grin.
"It's been lonely without you," he agreed, nodding. He'd been getting rather bored without his goddess to keep him company.
He took note of the rather lengthy wrapped package strapped to her back, wondering what it was.
"Do you have anything going on right now?" Hestia questioned, an excited glint in her eyes.
He shook his head, putting aside his curiosity for the moment.
"Then let's go to the festival! I think it'd be nice to relax a bit."
"Sure, that sounds fun," Bell shrugged. He fell into step with his goddess who had begun to trek towards the raucous festival down the street.
"Why were you out in the city if you weren't at work?" Hestia asked, turning her head to face Bell. The package on her back shifted and she fixed it subconsciously.
Bell laughed awkwardly.
"I was visiting a library," he admitted. Hestia scoffed in disbelief.
"You, visiting a library? I doubt it."
He couldn't fault her for her suspicion, but it stung nonetheless. She dropped the topic.
The pair made slow but steady progress towards the large festival at the colosseum, trading idle chatter and banter back and forth.
For a second, Bell felt a small chill climb up his back - a foreboding feeling, but he brushed it off, answering a mundane question his goddess had asked.
They were just going to a festival, it wasn't like there was anything that could go wrong.
Right?
Alright, that's chapter two. Sorry about the wait, I suddenly got quite a bit busier recently. Also, sorry about the rather lengthy info-dump towards the end of the chapter. I hate doing it, but felt it was necessary to explain how magic works in this story.
Shoutout to Lenniecommy, who helped me quite a bit through my writing process, and Curse of Whimsy, who helped me out with editing. The story wouldn't be nearly as good without them. If you'd like to talk with them and get updates on their stories (mine too) as well as sneak peeks, join our discord! Link below. Remove the spaces and enter it into Google and you should be all set.
discord. gg/ CrkaGTN7
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know your thoughts in a review if you're so inclined.
Until next time, bye!