Reviews:
Kylevalheru: Because those are not equivalent abilities. That would be more equivalent to Khorne granting his familia a resistance to magic as he normally does in Warhammer 40k, which he can't do in this story. So since Khorne can't grant any sort of resistances, neither can Nurgle or any of the other four. Plus the ability is mainly for fluff since they never actually use the skulls they claim from monsters for anything other than trophies and giving them to Khorne for his skull throne instead of using them as materials like any other monster parts they earn from killing monsters in the dungeon. Nurgle giving his familia a resistance to the effects of disease would have a bit more relevant implications for the story than that.
Grocamol: Even if Khorne learned of him, I'm honestly not sure if he would have that much interest in him. He doesn't really seem like the type to try to steal adventurers from other Familias to me. As for Slaanesh... Well... Keep reading. You'll see.
Alan F LORD TRON: If I was going to add Malal I would have had him arrive with the others at the beginning of the story. I don't know enough about him to do him justice. Also from what little I do know I'm pretty sure he would have just immediately tried to attack the other four and would have ended up getting himself killed by Khorne as a result. As for Khaine, we already have Khorne. Plus I don't plan on adding any of the Aeldari gods in general. A few people seem to be asking for the Emperor though, so I am starting to consider adding him.
IAmTheGuardsman: I'm starting to consider it since so many people seem interested in the idea. So there is a good chance that I might include the Emperor.
SomePervyGuy: I see your point about character development. I guess I just got a bit too impatient. Sorry about that. Anyways, I'm starting to consider adding the Emperor himself since so many people seem interested in the idea. I don't know about the other gods though. The Ctan and Aeldari gods are mostly contained and aren't really as much of a threat as the Chaos Gods were. So I don't think they would really require his direct intervention, meaning it is unlikely they would end up here. Though I suppose Gork and Mork would be a possibility considering how much of a threat the Orks are. Though if that happens we will have a fully fledged planetary Ork Waaaagh on our hands in a matter of months.
Guest: A break. I tend to take breaks from time to time. But I fully plan on finishing this story so don't worry about that.
"Goddess, what were you talking about with Eina?"
"Ah, this and that."
Bell and Hestia had already done one lap around the stadium in their search for Syr. Now they were back on East Main. The streets were emptier now. Everyone was probably inside watching the tamers at work.
"Hey, Bell. This person you're looking for is a girl, isn't she?"
"Eh? Ah, yes, with hair and eyes the color of ashes. She looks grown up and is a little taller than me…"
She hadn't been asking about how Syr looked. Her eyes were only half open, staring at him. She wasn't blinking…
Why was she looking at him like that…? He had a bad feeling about this.
"Um… Goddess?"
"…Just like that adviser, you really have no clue."
"Eh…? What do you mean?"
"Who knows?"
At least she wasn't staring at him, but now she was pouting…
Bell could swear her ponytails were alive, and they were flexing. Like they wanted to strangle him…
What did he do? Why was she like this…?
They walked in silence for what felt like a small eternity.
"—?"
"…What is it, Bell?"
He felt something in the air and stopped walking. The goddess still looked just as angry as before when she looked over her shoulder at him.
Just now, something…
Something reached his ears.
It was not the din of the festival; it was sharper, tenser.
"…A scream?"
Just as the words left his mouth a tidal wave of sound overtook them.
"MONSTERRRRRRRRR!"
The peaceful street erupted into an explosion of panic at that word.
There it was.
A monster was at the end of the street, coming from the stadium.
It was charging down the stone road, all of its white fur standing on end.
"—"
It took a step forward.
"…B-Bell."
He grabbed the goddess's hand and took one, two steps back.
Every hair on his body was standing up. He hadn't felt like this since his encounter with the Minotaurs in the dungeon.
A white body, silver hair running down its back. Its presence was overwhelming.
It had the eyes of a beast, no rhythm or reason. And it was looking at him and the goddess.
He couldn't breath.
Why was there a monster here? What was happening? He had asked those questions before…
He was facing something that shouldn't be there. It was the Minotaurs all over again. He was sweating, shaking just as hard as last time… At least the Skulltaker wasn't here this time.
One of them was going to get overrun!
"—Do your best."
Where had that voice come from…?
An eerie chuckle seemed to echo inside his head. This voice was very different from the first. "Yes, boy. Listen to her and do your best. Many eyes are upon you, so try to put on a good show!"
[Elsewhere]
Tzeentch had a large grin on his face as he watched the entire spectacle. Everything was happening just as he had foreseen which meant his plans for the boy were already in motion. He almost felt the urge to speed things up a bit, but no. If he did as he planned too early then the boy would most certainly die. He didn't want the boy dead. At least not yet. Did he? Hm… Maybe…? No, no, definitely not. Perhaps in the future, but not right now. So he just had to be patient for the moment.
Still Tzeentch wanted to do something now other than just watching everything unfold as he planned since already knew everything that was going to happen today… What to do, what to do…? Hm… Ah! He knew exactly what to do! This would most certainly ramp things up a bit but it wouldn't make it completely impossible.
Unfortunately he couldn't turn anyone into true Chaos Spawn since magic didn't exactly work the same here, however he knew a set of spells he could use to create something very similar. He was still working on perfecting the pseudo-chaos spawn as such they wouldn't be quite as dangerous as real chaos spawn were but that was actually a good thing in this case since he didn't want the boy dead just yet.
Thus with a chuckle he began casting the spells to transform the mortals into chaos spawn. Once transformed their only reason to exist would be to kill Bell Cranel and Hestia. Thus they would hunt the two all throughout the city until either Bell and the other adventurers killed them all or they killed Bell and Hestia. When he finished with the spells he began subtly tugging at the threads of fate to ensure other adventurers wouldn't interfere with his pseudo-chaos spawn. Well, no other adventurers save for the ones that Alice would be manipulating into joining their party.
Then with a smile he proceeded to watch the chaos ensue.
[Meanwhile]
Bell's ears were ringing from all the commotion.
"Ruguguu…!"
The sun was shining through all the flags on East Main. They looked so out of place in the chaos.
He felt like an island in this torrent of panicked screams.
Now that he got a better look at the howling monster, it didn't have a tail. It was just a thick stripe or long silver hair on its back. Chains were still shackled to its wrists, but they looked like they were torn apart. Metal being dragged across stone, he hated that sound.
Silver back…
Eina had told him about many types of monsters. This was one of them for sure.
She also told him it was born far below the lower fifth — way out of his league.
It really was the Minotaur all over again. He wouldn't be able to lay a finger on this thing!
Warning bells were going off in his head. It was time to go.
Or, at least, it would have been. However, at that very moment before he could turn and run something awful began happening all around him. Dozens of people all around him fell to the ground screaming and writhing in agony as their bodies began to deform, warp, and twist in ways that were all at once absolutely horrifying, disgusting, and completely unnatural. The sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing before they reformed into absolutely grotesque forms. Slowly their tortured screams began sounding less and less human until they sounded like nothing but shrieking and gurgling monstrosities.
When it was finally over and they finished transforming they no longer even remotely resembled the people they once were, no, now they were twisted abominations that appeared even more monstrous and terrifying than anything in the dungeon and seemed to exude a terrifying sense of wrongness. All the blood drained from Belle's face as he was shaken to his very core. Hestia was very clearly shocked and terrified by whatever these things had become. Even the Silverback seemed unsettled by the horrific abominations and at a loss as to how to react to their presences.
Finally the abominations all turned to face him and Hestia before shrieking and charging at them. The way they moved was as horrifying as everything else about them.
One of the closest abominations struck at him, forcing him to dodge to the side. Then he saw it try to strike at Hestia forcing him to dive, grab her, and launch himself away.
He got her, but there was no time to make sure she was safely tucked in his arms. He felt her screams against his chest. Bam! His shoulder slammed into the stone road. He looked just in time to see another of the abominations about to strike them. He had to roll, now!
Two, three rolls and stop! That should be enough. Well. even if it wasn't he was just going to have to make do. He had to get up and protect the goddess, now!
Okay, she was behind him. The monster and abominations would have to go through him if they wanted her.
The silverback finally recovered from its shock and confusion and smacked the abominations out of its way as it charged towards them.
It's eyes were fixed on him! Here it comes!
Why?!
It didn't even hesitate! It just saw him and charged! The goddess would get trampled! He yanked her hard to the right and out of the beast's path.
Unfortunately this proved to be a mistake as one of the abominations Took this as an opportunity to strike at him. Its twisted claws raked through his flesh leaving a horrific wound across his stomach. Fortunately he managed to react barely in time to stop himself from being completely disemboweled but not enough to prevent himself from getting hurt.
Huh? The Silverback changed direction?! In mid-charge?! So it wasn't locked on to him, unlike many of the abominations…
Oh shit…
It was after the goddess! And now it was airborne!
His legs moved on their own. He had to get in its way, since the goddess was helpless. Before he knew it, he was in between the two of them, but the monster didn't even glance his way.
It did, however, send an arm.
"—Gwahhhh?!"
He succeeded in getting the goddess out of the way of the wrecking ball of a fist. Unfortunately he took that wrecking ball square in the ribs.
It hit his armor but it wasn't enough to stop the crushing blow from coursing through his body. He… He couldn't breath!
Oh, the punch sent him flying… That's why everything was upside down and blurry…
...Ah!
He flew through a food stall! Shattering a hole in it on impact, by the looks of things, splinters of wood were all over the place.
Oh wow… Here comes the pain… He struggled with his body for a moment. Okay, his legs were still outside of the stall, he tried to get on his elbow… Dah! Ribs… Slow and steady. That's got it…
"Ekkkkkkkk!"
East Main had fallen into pandemonium.
He heard people screaming. He saw blurs of them running away.
It kind of looked like that time all those spiders hatched at once, all scurrying away. The fairgoers were all disappearing into buildings and down side roads.
Why was no one helping the goddess?!
"…!"
"Fhaa… Haaa…!"
There she was, standing frozen in front of the monster. Meanwhile most of the abominations were charging towards him while a few were focused on Hestia and were rapidly closing in on her. She was cornered! Even worse, he was clearly going to have to fight his way through the abominations to get to her.
"Gh…! NOOOOO!"
Ignoring the pain pulsing through his body, he drew his knife and charged straight for the Silverback with tears pouring out of his eyes.
Slashing and stabbing the nightmarish abominations, he moved as fast as he possibly could in order to get to her.
The chains! If he could just grab onto the chains!
"Gahh!"
The metal pulled taught as he grabbed the end, stopping the beast in its tracks.
The monster looked back with its sharp eyes and pulled its arm forward.
He couldn't hold on long! His arms were numb and his fingers were on fire!
"Ugh…!"
This wasn't even a contest. He may as well not even have been pulling: it was just too strong.
But he had to try! Every ounce of strength—! Lost it!
"Gyaaahhh!"
It's arm shot backward and the chain flew over its head! Now was his chance!
Its back was turned to the goddess! Run! Bell Got her hand!
"This way!"
—We were sitting ducks on main street!
He pulled the goddess behind him and made a break for the back roads.
Both the monster and the nightmares that had once been human were coming after them; he could hear their roars and terrifying otherworldly shrieks and gurgles.
Here comes another long chase… When would this end?!
"Why are they after you!?"
"You think I know?! I've never seen that monster or anything even remotely like those freaks, ever! I haven't done anything!"
He had a strong grip on her thin little hand. They were yelling and running through narrow streets as fast as they could. She wanted to know the answer to Bell's question even more than he did, by the sound of her voice. She was grabbing onto his hand too.
He could still feel the presence of the monster and the mutated horrors behind them. They weren't going away.
They had set their sights on him and the goddess, and they weren't giving up.
Before he could think any further on the matter, he saw a few of the mutated abominations crawling down from the walls of nearby buildings like demented insects while others that had sprouted wings swooped down from the sky and landed infront of them. Even more ran up behind them rapidly gaining on them. They were completely surrounded.
Bell's eyes widened in horror. Gripping his knife he decided they had no choice but to try to break through the formation. "Goddess, I'm going to try to make an opening. As soon as I do, you need to run. I'll try to catch up as soon as I can."
"Wait, Bell!"
But it was too late for her to try to stop him. He had already rushed forwards towards the group of abominations that were blocking their path. Jumping he launched himself at the one closest to him with his dagger raised and proceeded to stab it in the eye of one of its multiple heads. It shrieked in agony and retaliated by grabbing one of his legs with a large serrated crab-like claw and throwing him into a wall. The stone cracked from the force of the impact and a metallic taste filled his mouth from his own blood.
Coughing he pushed himself back up off the ground and forced himself to continue his assault. Seeing one of the abominations about to attack Hestia Bell charged towards it and intercepted the attack by slashing through the abomination's deformed wrist, actually managing to cut off its warped clawed hand. In response it hissed at him and struck him in the side of the face with a deformed club-like fist. He was knocked to the ground and ended up dropping his dagger.
He struggled to regain his bearings and forced himself to reach for his weapon. However, before he could grab it the same abomination stepped on the blade, shattering it.
Before anything else could happen the abomination was knocked backwards and burst into flames with an unholy squeal of agony. Forcing himself up to his hands and knees, Bell struggled to see through the tears filling his eyes from the agony his body was in. He was surprised to see Alice standing next to a pile of charred corpses where the abominations that had been blocking their path had once been.
"You two get out of here! I'll deal with these creatures!" She shouted.
Bell stood up on shaky legs and opened his mouth to thank her but found himself unable to say anything. Instead Hestia grabbed Bell by the hand and began running, dragging him along with her.
"Thank you!" She shouted as they passed Alice.
Once Bell had recovered a bit and regained his bearings, he once again took the lead and led the goddess on a sprint through the back roads.
These narrow, dark backstreets were doing nothing to calm his nerves. He could see the sky among the tall buildings around them, but there was no light down there.
They ran south from East Main when the silverback and mutants attacked. They were running circles through the side streets between East and South-east Main.
He had no idea where they were. There was no time to remember the route.
He took a glance at the goddess. She didn't look good. She was definitely in a good deal of pain. He couldn't see the monster or the mutant abominations behind her in the maze of dark streets.
But he knew they were there.
They were following them, he could feel it.
Speed up! That was the only way to lose them!
Eyes front! Left, right, right again! They needed to get away!
He hoped Alice would be okay…
"…! Bell, no! Not this way…!"
"Eh?!"
The goddess' voice brought him back into the moment.
They had just rounded a big corner. Now he knew what she meant…
"—"
The narrow roads had ended, but a total mess stood before them.
The roads twist, overlapping and intersecting who knows how many times. Pieces of buildings randomly stick out into the street, stairwells snaked through the entire block. It looked like a mass of rooms got mixed together and dumped onto this spot.
It was a dungeon, built by human hands above ground. A labyrinth town.
"Daedalus street…!"
It was a dirt-poor residential part of town where nothing made sense. Nurgle had apparently improved the quality of life in this part of the city quite a bit from what it once was since his familia had their mansion built there, but that didn't solve the problem of it being a complete labyrinth.
He had heard the streets were so complicated that once you got lost in there, you'll never find your way out. Unless, of course, you were part of Nurgle's familia as they seemed to have an innate knowledge of the paths of Daedalus Street, likely due to the fact they lived there and had to traverse through it so frequently. Daedalus street was named after the architect who designed this jungle. In terms of losing your way, it is very much a dungeon.
The artificial labyrinth spread out below him, all the way to the city wall. He and the goddess stopped at the top of the road that led down to the entrance.
This was insane! If they went in there, they would be fighting a dungeon, a monster, and a horde of mutated horrors at the same time!
The goddess was out of breath, her hands on her knees, shoulders heaving. They locked eyes for a moment. They were in tough shape. She knew it and he knew it. Her eyes were shaking…
"GAAAAHHHHHH!"
"!"
The monster was behind them and along with it were the twisted abominations.
They had no choice now. Bell grabbed the goddess's hand and ran down hill, straight into Daedalus street.
The street became a wide stairwell. A dark brick jungle loomed ahead.
They rushed in. The thick, humid air weighed them down almost immediately. Several shabby stone shacks littered the main entrance of the residential… no, labyrinth town. Many magic stone lamps dotted the sides of the houses, weakly spitting light onto the street. There were people out walking around these impossible pathways.
That woman saw them! Maybe she would help… or not. As soon as she saw the silverback and mutated nightmares, her eyes tripled in size before she ran away. Others were doing the same. Why was no one helping them?! Why were there no adventurers from Nurgle's familia here right now?!
"…!"
It was catching up. How long could the goddess keep this up? She didn't have a Falna, like him.
Actually, she had kept up very well. But they had to keep moving and she was trailing behind. Even now the monster and a couple of the abominations were reaching for her!
"Goddess, this way!"
"O-Okay…!"
We take a quick turn off the main road, in a completely different direction, this one goes up at a steep angle, but it also has branches. He pulled the goddess into the closest turn. They've changed directions again! Change again and again, how many times now?
Had they lost them?
They kept changing direction. Maybe they took a wrong turn and got lost?
Bell took a look over his shoulder, past Hestia. He saw multiple abominations scuttling or leaping across the ground, along the walls, and over roofs. Though while they hadn't lost the mutants, he didn't see the silverback anywhere.
"—"
Something didn't feel right.
Small vibrations were traveling through the walls. He heard bricks cracking…
They are still a long way off… a shadow?
Son of a bitch!
He could see a blotch of white on top of a building in front of the sliver of blue sky. That wasn't a cloud… It climbed to the top! It must have ignored the roads altogether and jumped from rooftop to rooftop like a wild animal swinging through trees! It was coming after them from above!
It dived straight down like a bullet.
"Gyaaaaahhhhh!"
"!"
"Ah!"
A sneak attack from above! It was going to land right on top of them! He had to let go of the goddess or it would crush them both!
It hit the ground with a bang, debris flying in its wake. He and the goddess got out of the way, but now the beast was between them!
It was facing him and the goddess was standing still, trapped between it and the mutated horrors! Quick, before he turns around, Bell had to do something!
"Uhhhaaaooooooooorrrrrrrr!"
He took that blast of air and monster spit to the face. Nice teeth…
"—Hyaiiiii!"
It wasn't attacking… Was that a warning? Trying to scare him?!
Well, it worked. He couldn't move a muscle. Everything was clamped down. The beast's roar did what it was supposed to.
Scared the absolute shit out of him.
"Ragyaaa!"
This thing wasn't fooling around. This felt like…
The lower fifth, below another group of beasts chasing after him and trying to kill him. The Minotaurs…
He could hear those mad cows' howls… He just wanted to curl up, make it all go away.
The monster smashed and killed a couple of the abominations that tried to attack Hestia, apparently not liking the fact that they were trying to steal his prey. The others seemed to get the hint and began to spread out to circle around it and Hestia to get to Bell instead.
"—Uuhmm… aaahhh!"
He was standing at a fork in the road.
A veritable army of enemies in front of him. Enemies he wasn't strong enough to truly harm. In the shadow of despair, the Minotaurs. He wanted to get away.
There was a person over there. A very special person only he could protect. He could feel her soft hand in his, but it was gone. He had to save her.
I'm scared—
Fear and duty. Cowardice and purpose. Instincts and emotion in opposition, unite.
I'm scared—
An undeniable impulse reaches out to a sense of responsibility.
I'm scared, but—
Even in the face of all of this…
—I'm a man, aren't I?!
… Even the smallest part of a man's resolve will not allow him to retreat.
Go!
Go!
GO NOW!
DO NOT LEAVE "HER" BEHIND!
"YAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
He wasn't going anywhere! Silverback and nightmarish mutants be damned!
He had no fear. He felt only courage in his veins. Or at least that's what he told himself. Forward!
"Gyaahhhhh!"
It was moving to counter.
Its tree trunk size arm whipped forward, the chain still latched to its wrist like a whip. Bell's body twisted on instinct, dodging the blow. He thrust his head down. Its sweeping right fist went just over his neck.
Since he no longer had his knife and the knife Tzeentch had given him was still at home, he grabbed a nearby magic stone lamp and yanked it out of the wall with one hand. He knew the brightness control was on the back. So he twisted the dial and turned it all the way up. Suddenly the palm of his hand became as bright as the sun. He couldn't even keep his own eyes open. He then shoved the blazing lamp into the beast's eye.
"GYIIGAAAAAAA!"
The Silverback roared in pain, clutching at its eyes. The monster staggered a few steps backward.
Taking this opportunity the goddess ran up to Bell with tears in her eyes. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her hand and took off running again.
"Bell…?"
"…?"
A pain he couldn't describe surged through him.
He couldn't protect the goddess no matter how much courage he mustered.
He was too weak to protect her…
He could hear the voice of the Skulltaker insulting and ridiculing him in his head for being weak and a coward.
It was exactly the same.
He had been too weak then; he was too weak now. This was too painful to take.
"Uwwwwaaaaarrrrr!"
"!"
The beast howled in the distance.
The very walls of daedalus street were shaking. The beast was angry.
It was still coming. So were the mutated abominations.
At this rate…
It would find them for a third time. There would be no escape.
What should he do…? What the hell could he do?!
How could he help the goddess? How could he protect her? How…?
"—"
Then, the answer came to him. So simple.
A simple thought showed him the way. Something evan a weakling like him could do.
Just as long as the goddess gets away, that's all that mattered.
"Hey, Bell, what's with that look…?"
The goddess manages to ask him a question through her ragged breaths. He had a plan: he would see this through. The look on his face must have made her nervous. He heard it in her voice.
But he didn't answer her, just turn right at the next intersection.
This road had a gentle slope. A new path framed in black stones opened next to it, a long tunnel that leads underground. It must be a drain. He could see a light at the other end, which meant that this tunnel opened at the other end of the block. It was an escape route.
He silently pulled the goddess ahead of him and pushed her into the tunnel. She looked over her shoulders, surprised to be ahead of him. He gave her one last push before stepping back to the tunnel entrance and sliding the iron gate shut.
"BELL?!"
"Goddess… I'm sorry."
The bars created a cold world between them.
His face looked grave. It took every fiber of his being to squeeze out his next apologetic words.
"Goddess, please go on without me."
"I… Wait, what are you going to do?!"
"… I'll draw the monster and creatures away, buy you some time."
There was only one way for someone as weak as him to protect her.
He would be a decoy.
He would lure them away from here, giving the goddess enough time to escape to safety.
He didn't think she understood his plan… She was just standing there with a startled look on her face.
"What are you saying, you idiot?"
"Please, Goddess. This may be the last time I see you, so please listen to me."
"No! Absolutely not! I forbid you! Open this gate now, Bell!"
"Goddess…"
She furiously shakes her head from side to side. She won't go willingly…
She was trying to squeeze her small body between the bars and frantically called his name.
He was so happy she cared about him this much… And sad at the same time.
There was no time. He got down on his knees and looked her in the eyes. He had to make her understand.
"Goddess… I… can't lose my family again."
"!"
He bared her heart to her, everything.
It was before he came to Orario, before he met the goddess.
He lost his grandfather, his only family.
He was killed by a monster. He was attacked when he left the village on an errand.
He wasn't there, he couldn't do anything. One of his neighbors told him what happened.
Bell still felt the void left by his death. Even now he had a painful hole in his heart that he used to fill.
His heart had been craving family ever since then.
"I'm scared of losing my family… Not being able to protect anyone."
"So please, Goddess. Let me protect you, my family!"
He couldn't protect her, but he said that anyway. No, he said it because he couldn't.
The goddess stood there and listened with a look of pure agony on her face.
"… Please, get out of here quickly. Find help."
"B… Bell!"
Having said his piece, he stood up.
The goddess' eyes were filled with tears, her face twisted. She looked at him, about to break down.
"… It will be okay. You know how good my Agility is. I'm an expert at running away."
It took all he had to force a reassuring smile to his lips.
He took one step back, spun, and sprinted back up the street.
He yelled, "I'm sorry!" back to her. He was sorry for being a useless weakling…
"...!"
He rubbed the tears out of his eyes with his arm as he ran back up the sloping road.
He was back to the intersection. Neither the monster nor the mutants were here, but he backed off into the shadow of a wall. Keeping an eye on the rooftops, he reached into his leg holster and pulled out a tube of one of Miach Familia's marlin blue potions and downed it in one gulp.
The pain melted away. Strength once again filled his body.
He was calm, focused, ready.
"Ruaaaa!"
Here they come from the other side of the block.
He jumped into the middle of the intersection, making sure they saw him run to the other side.
"Uuhh…?"
"Hey! Over here!"
The monster looked in all directions. The goddess was nowhere in sight. The mutants had no such issues and immediately began rushing towards him. He yelled even louder to get the silverback's attention.
The silverback stopped in the intersection for a moment, looking down the roads. It paused, looking down the path towards the goddess. Bell held his breath.
"… Gyaaaaaaa!"
It worked!
It was coming after him. Time to get out of here!
Daedalus street really is a maze. Everything looked the same: roads go in every direction, sudden structures. It was enough to make him wonder if he'd already come through there. He couldn't even tell which way was north.
While running that way, he noticed a few red arrows painted on the walls. They're ariadne — street signposts, probably painted by the locals. They must lead to the entrance of the labyrinth city. They must lead to the entrance of the labyrinth block. The goddess should have been able to get out of here easily if she could find one.
On the other hand, they might lead to the core of the maze. Either one was safer than being around him. He decided to follow the ariadne for a while. It was better than running around not knowing where he was going.
"..."
He was being watched.
There were people hiding in the shadows, watching from the windows of their homes. All of their eyes were following the monster, mutants, and him as they tore through the streets. They were scared.
Just who the hell is that…?
Two sets of eyes in particular were boring into him. He couldn't ignore it. They were completely different from the rest; these people weren't afraid.
They had been watching him since the beginning of the chase. It was making his skin crawl. He couldn't shake it.
It's almost like they had been observing him…
He couldn't describe the cold feeling flooding into his throat. He covered his mouth and coughed.
The silverback and abominations caught up to him before he could make it to the next intersection. He couldn't dodge the ambush from above or from the sides and went rolling down the street. Rolling, rolling, rolling. He emerged from the road into a large open space when he finally came to a stop.
The silverback and mutants burst through the road he rolled out of. It was apparently enraged by losing the goddess and seemed intent on taking it out on him. The mutants didn't really seem to care. They all just wanted to kill him regardless.
He ducked and dodged the silverback's attacks while trying his damnedest to avoid getting ripped to shreds by the mutants. His success varied. He continued to accumulate more and more wounds.
Eventually he got knocked to the ground and was struggling to get up. His strength was gone and his will was almost broken. His neck felt like it could snap.
He wondered if the goddess got away… That was the only thing on his mind right now.
It was like this then too…
Just like this.
When that person came.
When Aiz Wallenstein saved his life.
But she wasn't going to save him this time. He would have liked seeing her face one last time. On the other hand, he was glad she wasn't here.
She wouldn't see him in this pitiful position again.
Thinking about that moment just made him more depressed. He dropped his head back onto the street in shame.
"Bell!"
"—"
Time froze.
A voice pierced the fog in his head and grabbed hold of his heart.
He raised his head. He could see clearly again. What he sees makes his blood run cold.
Someone had come to help him. It wasn't "her," but it was someone very important to him.
Hestia looked down at him, struggling to catch her breath.
Why? Why did she come back?
The question resonated over and over again in his head. He couldn't express the feelings that swelled up in his chest.
"Ugyaruuu…"
"—"
Then, things went from bad to worse.
The silverback had found what it was looking for. Its eyes shifted from Bell to its new target: Hestia.
And then those wide eyes focused on her.
The goddess hunched over, trying to catch her breath. She was an easy target for the silverback, not to mention the mutants. It sprung into action a heartbeat later.
"Goddess!"
He ran.
Breaking all of his limits, he ran.
He forced his beaten and battered body up, closing the distance to the goddess in less than a second.
He plucked her thin frame from the clutches of the beast and held her tight.
Its meaty hand and the claws and teeth of several of the mutants grazed through his field of vision as he half carried the goddess into the closest road leading away from the park.
At least, he thought it was a road. They dived into a sharp stairwell at full speed and tumbled down the stone steps.
The world spun again and again, screams stuck in his throat.
"G-Goddess?! Are you okay?"
"Yes… I'm fine."
They had landed on a particularly wide step with a thud. Fighting back the pain in his own body, he made sure Hestia wasn't hurt. She looked dizzy, her head was flopping around, but her voice was clear.
He was relieved for an instant, then he let her have it.
"Why are you here?! I told you to run away, far away! Now luring them all away was meaningless…!"
The goddess' clothes were soaked with sweat. She must have run all around daedalus street looking for him.
Either she predicted that he would follow the ariadne, or she followed the eyes of the onlookers and the howls of the silverback to find him.
Why had she come back?! All his emotions were mixed, turning his voice inside out as he spoke.
"…You really have no clue, do you?"
That's what she said to him.
She wiped her dirty face with her arm and gave him a nice smile.
"I can't just run away and leave you behind, now can I?"
"...!"
"You want to protect me? Right back at you."
She didn't stop there. She silently mouthed the words: "You made a promise, right?"
"—Ah."
He remembered.
A promise that he should never have forgotten.
He made her a promise on that day. He swore to her.
—"Please don't leave me alone."—
He broke that promise when he gave up.
He was about to leave her on her own.
"…But, like this, both of us will…"
His face may have relaxed but those words nearly tore him apart.
Sensing that he couldn't finish that sentence, the goddess put on a strong face and said in an equally strong voice, "It's too early to give up, Bell."
"Eh?"
"I have an idea."
She reached into the back of her robe and pulled out a small case.
She beamed a triumphant smile when he looked at the case. She started to open it.
"Ah!"
"Huh?"
She froze and looked up behind him, her mouth half open. A wild silhouette was diving right for them.
They locked eyes for a moment, their faces instantly pale.
"GYAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
He grabbed what he could of her and jumped.
The silverback landed hard, turning the spot they had just inhabited into a crater. He and the goddess ran as fast as they could down the last part of the stairwell. Finally the mutants came flooding down behind the silverback.
She overtook him? When had the goddess gotten this fast?
Had she just said she wanted to protect him?!
"Kyaaaa!"
"G-GODDESS!"
The goddess yelled as she tripped over a stone in the road.
Time slowed. Her hands were straight up, falling forward. He burst forward to catch her before she could crash to the ground. The silverback and mutants were right behind them.
"Wahh!"
He held her in his arms, completely violating all manners. His arms were wrapped under her shoulders and knees as he picked up speed.
He was carrying her like the heroes carried princesses in those stories. Her face was bright red against his chest.
"Sorry, Bell. I know this is hardly the time, but I'm soooooo happy right now!
"What the heck are you saying, Goddess?!"
They were inches from death and she was happy?! He didn't understand at all.
He kept running. He had to ignore his confusion to survive this incident. The goddess swung her arms around his neck, and he tightened his grip on her. He summoned every ounce of his energy to keep running. It helped that the goddess' body was unbelievably light. He made his way through the labyrinth at full sprint and somehow managed to pull away from the monster and the abominations.
But.
Luck abandoned them at that moment.
"A… dead end…"
Three tall houses surrounded them. The long road having ended in a cul-de-sac. There was only one road in here, and there was no point in turning back. The monster and twisted nightmarish creatures had them cornered.
He set the goddess down before taking a quick look around. Several of the residents are looking down at us. They quickly hid when they noticed he could see them.
Monsters are scary. He knew that they weren't helping them because they would get dragged into this situation and possibly eaten. He didn't blame them for hiding.
After all that running, they couldn't get away.
The goddess scratched her chin, like she was thinking of something. He dropped his head in despair.
"…No, this is good."
"EH?!"
She only whispered those words, but Bell did a double take when they reached his ears.
"Bell, you will slay those monsters."
"…uh?!"
"I will update your status right now. You will use up that power to take them all down."
Sure she could update his status, and he would strand a better chance in a fight then he did before.
However, it wouldn't be enough.
The silverback was a lower eleventh monster and the mutants were all equivalent to lower seventh to eighth monsters at least. That was four floors' difference. An adventurers' strength could be measured by the number of floors they've conquered. By the same token, a monster's strength could be measured by the floor on which they were born. The difference in floor is the difference in power. Even if he got a little stronger from a status update, he obviously still had a long way to go to be on par with a silverback. And with the mutants backing it up, any miniscule chance he may have had was essentially non-existent.
"…I can't, Goddess. Not only did I lose my dagger but even if I had it I wouldn't even be able to scratch that monster. Even if I had it and I got a little stronger, I wouldn't be able to land a killing blow. That's to say nothing of the creatures backing it up! I… can't slay them."
His head fell as he muttered those words. He was so pathetic.
"What if your attacks get stronger?"
"—Eh?"
"Could you slay them if you could do damage?"
She asked before opening the case in her hands. She removed the contents and held it out for him.
A black knife encased in a black sheath rested in her palm.
He slowly reached out to take the weapon from her. He stood there almost in shock as he took the blade from its protective cover. The handle and sheath were black. The blade was no exception.
The black knife didn't curve like a claw. It was straight as an arrow. Plus, a series of complicated markings decorated the edges.
It started glowing a deep purple in his hand, almost as if the "god knife" was responding to his touch.
He stood there, admiring the weapon and its beauty. It felt sacred, as if it were created by the gods themselves.
He looked back up at the goddess. Her crystal clear eyes met his.
"Bell, what happened to the boy I know? Didn't you go deep into the dungeon to pick up girls a few days ago? What happened to the Bell who swore to get stronger, to never give up on his dreams? Where did he go?"
The goddess pulled her shoulders back and kept talking like they were back home.
"I believe in you. I realize I'm not part of that 'adventure.' I know that. If adventurer Bell Cranell is really after a monster of a woman, Wallensometheing or other, then a few monsters like these shouldn't be a problem."
Her face was dead serious.
"I'll help you win. I'll make you win."
"..."
"You might not believe in yourself right now. How about believing in me? And I believe you can do this."
Bell felt like he was about to burst into tears. The tip of his nose was numb. Waterfalls may have been building up in his eyes.
She was smiling back at him, He wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve and nodded a "Yes" in reply.
[Later]
The sun was shining brightly overhead.
The large ring of light in the sky cast many deep shadows over the roads of Daedalus Street and the many races of inhabitants living there.
The sun's rays were particularly strong on a long, dead-end road.
Faster, faster, faster! Hurry!
Hestia's fingers were a blur as she muttered under her breath. She sat behind a kneeling Bell, working furiously to update his status.
Bell had removed his badly damaged light armor, leaving behind only a black undershirt. Hestia placed a drop of her blood onto the back of his shirt; one layer of fabric was not thick enough to keep her from writing hieroglyphs into his skin. Her hands did not slow down.
It was unnecessary to follow them with her eyes. All she had to do was find the excelia within him and draw it out to change his status. As long as she could locate his excelia, one inner shirt wasn't going to get in the way.
"Goddess! They're here!"
"!"
The monster and unholy creatures rounded the corner of the long road, spotting them immediately. Hestia's heartbeat shot through the roof.
At the same time, she finished the last stroke. Bell's status update was complete.
Bell Cranell
Level One
Strength: H-196—B-742 Defense: H-101—F-394 Utility: G-225—B-765 Agility: F-331—S-955 Magic: I-0
…?!
Bell's status had gone up by 2,004 points?! Did Tzeentch's knife really increase his desire by that much?!
Either way his growth knew no bounds. And he was still getting stronger. This was anything but normal growth speed.
The flames of jealousy towards Aiz burned in Hestia's heart, but she also felt reassured.
With this much…
The weapon had become very potent.
The black blade was pulsing dark purple light in his hand. It was alive and well.
It's all up to Bell now!
She put her hand on his back and put all of her strength into a big push to give a boost.
"Now, go!"
[Meanwhile]
Tzeentch grinned to himself. It seemed that Hestia had finished updating Bell's status. That meant it was time for the real show to begin!
He looked at the rampaging silverback and chuckled as he grabbed his staff with both hands and raised it in front of him. This would be quite an interesting display, he was sure of it.
[Bell]
"Now, go!"
With those words, Bell's perception of time and space narrowed to a very thin line.
His heart beat in his ears. His feet were enveloped in heat. But his head was clearer than it had ever been.
He had crouched down while Hestia updated his status. His body was ready to take off at full speed.
Power filled his legs, right knee up and ready to blast off.
Then suddenly all the mutants seemed to slow to a stop. An eerie oppressive atmosphere began to fill the cul-de-sac to the point it was almost suffocating. Then the silverback also slowed to a stop alongside the mutants. It looked confused for a moment before it suddenly began coughing and wheezing. Clutching at it's chest it began coughing so violently that it ended up puking up blood. That's when it fell to the ground roaring and thrashing in hellish agony.
Just like the people when they had mutated into these horrific abominations, the Silverback's body began to twist, contort, writhe, break, bend, bubble, tear, and reform itself in grotesque fashion. It was being transformed into something very similar to what the people had turned into, except much larger and much stronger.
Bell could do nothing but look on in a mixture of horror, disgust, and terror as he watched the silverback being transformed into an unspeakable abomination… No. Abomination was too light of a word for what the silverback was becoming. It was transforming into an absolute atrocity on the face of existence. It was a horrific crime against all things good, natural, or holy.
Razor sharp spike cover tentacles erupted from its body in random locations. Its bones twisted, broke, and reformed themselves until many pierced through the silverback's skin and formed absolutely vicious spikes and horns. Its flesh tore open forming mouths full of razor sharp teeth and horrific bloody red eyes. Multiple limbs erupted from its body in locations that were equally as random as the spiked tentacles. Some of the limbs had too many joints and ended in hands with long razor sharp claws while others ended in crab-like pincers. It's head twisted a full 180 degrees until the back of its skull was pressed up against its chest. Its lower jaw split open and turned into a horrific bloody maw full of razor sharp teeth which resembled the mandibles of an insect. Finally the bulging eyes in its actual skull exploded leaving nothing but empty gaping eye sockets leaking some horrific inky black fluid in their place. Now the only eyes it had were the dozens of new ones that had formed all over its body. It looked like something straight out of the nightmare of a madman. Even the dungeon didn't spawn anything even remotely as monstrous as this thing.
Bell had to restrain himself from vomiting as he watched the entire process take place. Hestia was not faring much better.
When the transformation was finally over, it shrieked at him through all of its many mouths and began charging towards him. The other lesser abominations were following close behind it.
At this point Bell was legitimately panicking. Just looking at this thing terrified him to his core. His fight or flight instincts immediately kicked in and he charged towards the creatures, all while hyperventilating from the sheer mind numbing terror that was gripping his heart.
"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!" Came a blood thirsty roar from behind the monstrosities.
This drew their attention as well as Bell's. Looking past the hellish creatures, Bell saw three people approaching from behind them at a solid run. Though one of them was at a dead sprint and had their weapon raised and ready for combat.
One of them was very clearly a Khornate adventurer. Just from all the spikes, the blackened brass armor, and the battle axe it was very easy to tell. Plus she had just shouted the Khorne familia's infamous battle-cry. The only things that really stood out about her was the distinct lack of skulls adorning her armor and the fact one of the heads of her battle axe was viciously serrated while the other side was smooth as battle axes normally were.
Another appeared to be what he could only assume was a dark elf based on her dark skin and pointed ears. However she appeared to be wearing fairly skimpy clothing leading him to think that maybe she was some sort of amazonian. She was wielding twin falchions that appeared to be meticulously crafted and highly ornate. She also appeared quite pleased at the enemies before her.
The final one Bell recognized as Alice. She appeared a little worse for wear, likely from holding off the mutants earlier so he and Hestia could escape but otherwise she seemed mostly unscathed. Bell could only assume she had gathered the other two as back up… But… How had she known where to find him? Whatever, that didn't matter right now.
Shaking his head to make himself focus he began charging towards the abominations again, this time much more confident in his odds of winning.
Launching himself at one of the smaller horrors that were the closest to him, he actually managed to slice its head off. However it seemed that had not been enough to put it down. Thus he was forced to dodge backwards as it lashed out at him with its many limbs, in an attempt to eviscerate him.
Not knowing where else to target if it could even survive without its head, Bell ducked and dodged past its attacks until he got close enough to stab it through the chest, piercing its heart. He then forcibly dragged the knife downwards, cutting through flesh, bone, and organs until he reached the bottom of its stomach and its warped and twisted organs spilled out of the massive wound. It shrieked in agony and fell to the ground writhing in pain as it slowly began to die, despite the fact that its wounds were serious enough that they should have killed it instantly.
Bell immediately had to jump out of the way as the former silverback tried to strike at him with its spiked tentacles. In response he slashed one of the tentacles off, causing it to let out an unnatural sounding roar in a mixture of rage and pain. Though it was mostly rage.
It immediately ramped it's assault all the way up to eleven slashing, snapping, stabbing, grasping, and biting at him with its many appendages and mouths.
Bell barely even had any time to retaliate as he was too focused on trying to duck, dodge, and jump out of the way of the hellish creature's attacks.
Eventually the Khornate had managed to chop her way through the horde of smaller abominations and reached the former silverback. Immediately she swung the serrated half of her axe at it and ripped a huge bloody wound in its back.
It responded by trying to swat her away like a fly. However, the attempt resulted in it losing the appendage it used to do this. Thus it was now forced to divide its attention between Bell and the Khornate while Alice and the dark elf(?) dealt with the smaller ones.
With the atrocity no longer completely focused on him, Bell finally had enough time to try to come up with a strategy for how to kill this thing.
2,004 status points had given Bell truly immense speed like nothing before. Even with his newfound speed, however, he was only slightly faster than the mutated monster. He would have to use every ounce of that speed and get fairly lucky to be able to land a killing blow.
Are you listening, Bell? Remember what I'm about to say. Don't do anything reckless, though. Understood?
Eina's voice ran through Bell's mind as he cut through the air towards his target, dodging attacks as he went.
No matter how strong, no matter how thick their defense, monsters all have a common weak spot.
Bell still remembered Eina vigorously explaining the basics to him, pointing at him.
If you hit it, even a dragon will fall. It's their one true vulnerable spot.
He remembered, very clearly, Eina's voice telling him what to do next.
One strike. If you can pierce their skin with just one strike, any monster can be slain by an adventurer's blade.
The place that made a monster a monster, their one and only "core."
I don't need to say any more, right? Yes, the one thing all monsters have hidden in their chest—
Their magic stone. Cutting it was the most effective way to slay any monster.
The only problem was, he had no idea if the magic stone was still located in the same place or not. For all he knew it could have moved when the monster mutated. Still he had to try.
If he could just kill this atrocity then the lesser abominations would be easy to deal with, by comparison.
Bell saw what he could only hope was his target, a point on the monster's chest.
The horror lashed out at him, trying to kill him all while trying to fend off the Khornate that was assaulting it. Bell used what time was left to line up the strike, his eyes focused on that one spot.
The "Hestia Knife" blazed purple in his grip. Its newfound strength gathered into the tip of the blade and sent a beam of light into the heavens.
All the power gathered in the blade, all of the strength in his body. Every last drop of energy went into this thrust.
Muscles tore and bones cracked as Bell's dagger pierced the monster's chest, his body sticking out like a spear.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Penetration.
The atrocity screeched in agony.
The black blade struck the terrifying creature's chest head-on.
Bell felt the dagger hit something harder than flesh or bone. It sent a wave up his arm.
The atrocity's many eyes went wide as it started to fall backward.
"—?!"
Bell's momentum carried him up and over the atrocity. He let go of the knife and went flying.
He couldn't slow down. Bell didn't have time to prepare for a hard landing. He had focused everything he had into one attack to finish it off. However, his body reacted on its own. He flew in a perfect arch, curling up into a human bullet.
He was on the ground before he had time to take another breath.
"Guhheee?"
He hit the ground rolling, finally coming to a stop after seven somersaults.
Getting up, starry eyed and dizzy, Bell took a few deep breaths before turning around.
The atrocity that used to be a silverback was on its back, arms and legs sprawled out in the middle of the road. A piece of the monster's body started to collapse, the black blade standing straight up out of its chest. Time was standing still.
The magic stone at the unholy atrocity's core was shattered. More and more of its horrifically mutated and deformed body collapsed in on itself before turning into ash. It flickered for a moment before being carried off by the breeze, leaving no trace behind.
Click click. The "Hestia Knife" hit the stone road as the last of the unholy beast disappeared. The weapon lay in the middle of the street, glowing purple.
Before he could get up and go grab it, another of the abominations was already upon him. However before it could do anything, it was cut to pieces by two ornate falchions. "Hm… Cute and strong… I guess it was a good idea to listen to that sorcerer after all! Get up, cutie, it would be a shame for you to die now after that performance."
Bell couldn't help but blush at the dark elf's words. Still he forced himself to get up before rushing over and grabbing his knife. Just in time too as another abomination launched itself at him. He dodged to the side and stabbed the abomination in the back.
This fight continued on for a few more minutes as Bell and the others finished killing the rest of the lesser abominations. They proved much weaker but much harder to kill than the former silverback had since they used to be people and thus had no magic stones to exploit. Even cutting off their heads or piercing vital organs wasn't enough to truly put them down. The four of them had to do enough damage to them to make it so their bodies could no longer function whatsoever or to force them to bleed out. The Khornate seemed to enjoy the challenge while the dark elf seemed to be taking some sadistic pleasure in making the abominations suffer as they died.
When Bell finally killed the last of the abominations, cheers erupted all around them.
Bell's battle with the former silverback and the lesser abominations had moved the residents of Daedalus Street who had watched it from a safe distance. People who had hidden in the shadows and behind windows now came out of the woodwork in droves, clapping and cheering at the top of their lungs. Even the stadium hadn't been as alive with glee as this corner of the labyrinth town.
A smile appeared on Bell's face in the middle of all the applause.
He looked back to the end of the road to grin at the goddess, to say, "I did it!" That was when he saw her body collapsed on the ground.
"Goddess?!"
Bell sheathed the "Hestia Knife" before running to her aid, his face pale and breaking out in a cold sweat.
Her light body was limp in his arm, her eyes closed. Bell's face turned yet another shade of white. Bell gently picked her up and ran out of the alleyway to a glorious send-off of cheers. Though he didn't realize he had three different people chasing after him.
[Tzeentch]
Tzeentch sighed. This wasn't quite as entertaining as he hoped it would be. The boy's fight with the silverback pseudo-chaos spawn ended far too quickly for his liking. Regardless his plans were working out so he was satisfied with the result. And he was certain Freya was probably frothing at the mouth from rage at the moment. That thought alone put a smile on his face.
[Freya]
"Tzeentch…" Freya hissed in barely restrained fury. She knew that Tzeentch had to have been responsible for twisting those mortals into those abominations and transforming the silverback into that atrocity.
She blamed him for things not going as she had planned. And for the fact that slut Slaanesh had just learned of Bell's existence.
She and Slaanesh had quite a bit of bad blood between them. Freya was a goddess of beauty while Slaanesh was a goddess of perfection. So their appearances were often compared and most of the other gods agreed that Slaanesh's appearance was superior to hers. After all, how could mere beauty compare to perfection? That alone was frustrating. However, Slaanesh had stolen multiple adventurers she had been interested in before she ever had a chance to get her hands on them.
Freya's Familia was stronger than Slaanesh's Familia so normally she would have just crushed the whore and been done with it, however she wasn't able to do so. Not with the Tzeentch Familia backing up the Slaanesh Familia. Fighting two of the Ruinous Four at once would only end in disaster for her. So she had no choice but to tolerate Slaanesh's continued existence within the mortal realm. Still, she wasn't going to let that slut touch so much as a hair on Bell's head. She would gladly go to war first.
Her idea about contacting Khorne and making a deal with him was starting to look more and more appealing. Still, she would hold off for the moment. Unless the situation truly called for it, she would prefer not to have to resort to that.
She took a deep breath and her silver eyes locked onto Bell as he held Hestia tightly against his chest. She then smiled up at the blue sky.
"Congratulations. You have a long way to go, but… Hee-hee, yes. You were very heroic."
Freya watched Bell's white head as the boy ran down the road, making a beeline for the exit. She squinted her eyes.
Freya turned to leave, her silver hair sparkling in the sunlight.
"Let's play again, Bell. Without Tzeentch's interference, next time."
[Slaanesh]
Slaanesh watched as the white haired boy who killed that massive chaos spawn ran straight past her carrying Hestia, who she could only assume was the leader of his Familia. She also saw her dark elf child run after him, along with the Khornate warrior and the Tzeentchian sorcerer.
"Hmm… He's cute, like a little rabbit… I think I want him…" She muttered, staring at him intensely as he ran off. She could just imagine him in bed. He didn't seem like he would have any experience, but he was cute enough that it didn't matter. Plus she could have the opportunity to train and mould him however she saw fit. The thought was almost intoxicating.
She smiled to herself. She didn't care if the boy did belong to another Familia, she could steal him from Hestia. And if she couldn't? She could just have her children kill Hestia and could take him by force.
Of course, Hestia was cute too and her Familia wasn't large enough to put up any significant resistance. So perhaps she could just capture Hestia too. That would be quite fun.
Well, for now she was content with just watching him for the moment so she could learn a bit more about him first. And since one of her children seemed to have taken an interest in him, perhaps she could have her keep an eye on him for her. At least until she decided she was tired of waiting. Then she could have her child lure him into a trap where she would be able to capture him and possibly Hestia as well. This would be quite fun indeed!
End Notes: So, that was a hectic chapter, eh? But is anyone really surprised? Of course Tzeentch would still find a way to make Chaos Spawn, even without the warp.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as if not more than I enjoyed writing it! Constructive criticism is always welcome! I can't improve if I don't know what I'm doing wrong after all.
Stay safe out there everyone!