Hello my dearest readers and welcome back. Things are really kicking off, aren't they? The expedition has begun its descent into the Dungeon after Bell while the young captain suffers at the hands of the Evilus. What battles and horrors await them all in the realm of monsters? Well…it's time to find out.
I do not own Danmachi or Lord of the Rings.
The expedition made its way down the top floors quickly and with Achilles in the lead.
The others watched as the Father On High tore through all the low level monsters like he was brushing some dust off his cloak while also remaining utterly silent.
Riveria, who had been in a state of worry, fear, and desperation since he had sent her his contemptuous look two days prior, turned to her familia, hoping that they could bring her lover back to her.
Her familia all sympathized with her, Ais especially, given her thoughts had not left her own lover since he and Revis had disappeared into the Dungeon. It was not Ais, however, who stepped up to the silent request of the High Elf, but Finn, who nodded to her and strode forward.
"Achilles," he called as the ex-captain finished off a regular, non-exploding goblin.
The lightning clad adventurer turned his head just a bit towards the Loki captain, though he did not even pause his stride.
"You should let the lower-leveled adventurers take the lead on the first floors. It'll give them valuable experience."
Now Achilles did stop and turn towards the prum captain, his eyes filled with a scorn so terrible that even Finn found himself shaking a bit.
You think I care one ounce about 'experience' right now? Achilles silently roared.
Finn, after taking a deep breath to calm himself, held up a hand.
"I'm sorry, that was stupid of me to say. Still, you should let the others take up the front. They can take on the higher floors while the higher levels, yourself included, rest and save your strength for the real challenges ahead."
Achilles continued to glare at Finn, but after a moment, he sheathed his sword and moved towards the back, all while remaining as silent as a tomb.
Finn's shoulders dropped as he watched his old friend and rival storm off. He turned his gaze to Riveria, who sent him an appreciative glance and mouthed 'thank you' before following after her lover.
You're welcome Riveria, though I'm not sure how much help I've actually been, he thought before he ordered the expedition onward.
Riveria moved towards the back where she discovered the Hestia familia had surrounded their eldest member and were attempting to raise his spirits, but clearly with no success.
"Will get him back, Achilles. I promise," Haruhime tried, pointing her sympathetic eyes up to his helmed face.
No response came, just as none had come for the past two days.
The renard turned her sad, worried eyes back to her familia, who could only look back with their own sad, worried eyes.
They all turned as the High Elf approached, a twinkling of hope in their gazes as they slowly moved to give them some space.
"Achilles," she tried gently. No response. Her heart ached and she reached out to take his free hand, only for him to pull it away and place it on his sword.
That felt like a dagger to her heart and she had to swallow the lump in her throat.
"Do you hate me now?"
He stopped and after a terrible quiet moment, he turned his head to her.
"I wanted to chase after him too. To immediately rush into the Dungeon and save him, but…" she swallowed again, "we couldn't. Not without risking ourselves and him. Please…please believe me Achilles, I wanted to rescue him too and had we been able to without greatly risking ourselves I would have rushed in right after you."
He turned his head away and she heard his fists tightening around the strap of his shield before, to her immeasurable relief, he held out his hand to her.
Tears filled her eyes as she immediately took his hand and kissed it, first on the knuckles then on the palm.
"Thank you," she looked up, "we'll get him back. I promise."
He nodded.
The expedition reached the 17th floor and found, as expected, the citizens of Rivira amassed in preparation for the resurrecting Goliath.
"Finn? What's all this?" Bors asked as he approached the entourage.
"The Evilus attacked the surface two days ago. A lot of the city was destroyed and many people were killed. We're here to finally end them as a threat."
"Shit, really? Damn," the Rivira resident responded, "that explains why there hasn't been anyone coming down the Dungeon. Well, we'll be happy to give you some place to stay if you want. Half price."
Despite the situation, Finn smiled.
"Thanks, Bors."
Rumbling from the Dungeon wall stole their attention away and everyone turned towards where the Goliath was making its entrance.
"Alright you bums, we've got some help to tear this bastard a new one, so I don't want any of you whining to me or getting killed like an idiot today! Got it!" Bors shouted, receiving a cheer from the residents of the 18th floor.
The Goliath, now free of the Dungeon roared.
"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!"
"Alright everyone, let's quickly deal with the Goliath and-" Finn began, only to stop as Achilles strode forward.
Everyone watched as the ex-captain walked straight towards the floor boss, hand on his sword. Even the Goliath stopped roaring to focus on the single man striding towards him.
Then Achilles stopped about 40 paces from the Goliath and, without missing a beat, unsheathed Dragonsbane, gripped it with both hands, lifted it above his head, then sent a crescent wave of electric blue energy straight at the monster.
"RAAAAAAAAAAA?!" the Goliath cried out as the attack struck it, cutting through its flesh like a hot knife through butter. A moment later, the two halves of the Goliath crashed into the Dungeon floor with a great noise before bursting into black dust.
All eyes turned back to Achilles, with most of those staring having lost control of their jaws. However, the Father On High could not care less about the stares and simply continued on, walking past the Rivira adventurers like he didn't even see them.
"H-He one-shotted the Goliath. A floor boss," someone said.
"Level 8s are scary," said another.
"What's…what's up with him?" Bors asked Finn.
Finn sighed.
"The Evilus didn't just attack Orario, they also kidnapped Bell Cranel, his son," the Loki captain answered.
Bors's eyes widened and he turned back to the Father On High, before his eyes narrowed and he turned back to Finn.
"I'm done some stupid things in my life, Finn, but I'm not sure anyone's ever made a mistake that stupid before."
"I think I have to agree with you, Bors," the Braver replied.
The expedition entered floor 18 and immediately began setting up camp. The citizens of Rivira were kind enough to provide them some extra supplies in exchange for dealing with the Goliath and after a few words from Bors explaining the situation.
Achilles sat by himself at the edge of the camp, looking out on the Dungeon while his friends and family watched him, hoping desperately that he would come back to them, primary among them being Riveria.
"Achilles," she all-but whispered as she sat down next to him.
No response.
She didn't let that dissuade her. She knew he was still in there, especially after he had taken her hand.
He's just in pain and needs someone to help him through.
She shifted herself so that she was now kneeling before him.
"Achilles, you don't have to be alone. We can help you with your pain. I can help you with your pain. You just have to let me in."
Silence.
This isn't working. This blasted helmet is acting like a barrier between us.
Reaching up, she grabbed the clasp under his chin, only for him to suddenly grab her hand.
"Please Achilles. Let me take this off. I want to look into your eyes and take your pain away," she pleaded.
His hands began to shake while simultaneously tightening on hers before, finally, letting go and dropping away.
"Thank you," she said as she smiled and continued her work.
A few moments later she had undone the clasp and began to lift up his helm.
She gasped.
His eyes were horribly red. Redder than she had ever seen. Like…
"You've been crying for days," she realized.
His eyes closed and his head bowed.
"I failed him. I failed the one person I wasn't allowed to fail," he finally spoke.
"Oh Achilles," she pulled him into her arms, "you didn't fail him. You weren't there."
"I should have been," he cried within her bosom.
"You were injured and recovering."
"I was weak."
"No," she pulled back and cupped his face, "you were strong. So strong you confronted the pain and hatred of your own family and overcame it. And now, you will be strong enough to save your son from those who have taken him from you. Because you are strong. The strongest man I know."
His tears increased and streamed down his face.
"How can I possibly believe that when I hurt you? When I made you think I hated you."
"Achilles," she fell silent, not sure how to respond for a moment, "that was my own foolishness. My own paranoia. It says nothing about you."
"Yes it does. I turned on you. In an instance. That's all it took," his head fell into her chest again as he gripped her clothes tightly, "I-I'm so sorry."
"No no. No apologies. You did nothing wrong," she cooed gently, stroking his hair even as tears filled her own eyes.
He was silent again and her heart ached as her fear returned.
If he cannot move passed his pain he won't have the strength to complete this quest and I'll…he'll…d-
She didn't dare finish that thought as she pulled him more tightly against her, desperately trying to send her love and warmth into his broken heart.
"Achilles…please. Please believe me," she whispered.
Silence.
Words aren't enough. He needs something more. Something that can reach his heart and burn away the pain.
Her initial thought was to kiss him. To pour her heart and soul into him directly, but when she tried to pull away from him to do so, she found him unwilling to part from her no matter how hard she tried to pull away.
"Achilles. Please. Look at me."
He shook his head.
"Please," she asked again, her voice more desperate.
Again, he denied her.
Please. Please. Please let me take away your pain! she cried in her mind.
Unable to take it any more, she fell silent as well, silently crying as she hugged him.
He's…he's not going to make it back. After all this time, after all we've been through, I'm going to lose him.
"What has you so upset, child?"
Her eyes shot open as a familiar memory appeared.
"Nothing," she had said so long ago.
"Well that's not true," her mother had replied, "now come here," Nerdanel commanded as she patted her thighs.
Riveria had done just that and laid her head on her mother's lap.
"There we go. Now, seeing as you are clearly upset, why don't I sing you a song?"
"A song?" she had asked.
"Mhm. It's an old song that has been passed down from mother to daughter since the dark times before the Dungeon was closed and should be just the trick to make you feel better."
Modern Riveria's eyes widened.
That's it!
Taking a deep breath to steady her and clearing throat, she began to sing.
May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home
Achilles finally pulled away from her and looked up to meet her eyes. She smiled at him before continuing.
Mornie utúlië
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië
A promise lives within you now
Those around them stopped what they were doing and began to listen to her song.
May it be the shadows call
Will fly away
May it be you journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun
Slowly but surely, the hearts of the expedition rose and their worries dropped while their smiles returned.
Mornie utúlië
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië
A promise lives within you now
A promise lives within you now
Achilles, now free of his tears, stared up at his lover as she cupped his face before leaning down to kiss him.
"We'll get him back," she promised as she rested her head against him, "I promise."
She pulled back and to her immense relief, he smiled at her.
"Alright," he said, "thank you," he cupped her cheek and pulled her into another kiss. It was short, sweet, and filled with love and hope, and when they pulled apart both felt as if the whole world had been lifted from their hearts. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Allen watched the whole scene with utter disgust.
Pathetic.
He turned away and strode off, wanting desperately to cut something to pieces with his spear.
Why does my lady love such a pathetic man like that? What has that wretch done to earn her love? What?!
He growled.
"Allen?"
He turned and found Anya a few paces away.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
She jumped at his tone, but after a moment where he considered just leaving, she pressed forward.
"I wanted to know why you came on the expedition."
"What?" he asked after getting over his surprise.
"Why did you join the Expedition, I know you don't like Bell, you made that clear during the tournament," she pressed on, her voice growing firmer though it was clear she was still nervous.
"What does it matter to you?"
"Bell's my friend and your my brother, that's more than enough for me to want to know why."
He growled again, this time in annoyance.
"He's my lady's beloved and I want to ease the burden on her heart," he spat.
"That's bull," Anya quickly shot back, surprising him a little, "if Freya's feelings meant that much to you, you would have never tried to kill him during the tournament."
His raging eyes turned to her, warning her away from her current course, yet despite her shaking, she held firm as she silently demanded an answer.
"Fine. You want to know why? Because I don't want to be in debt to that fucking rabbit."
Now it was Anya who was surprised.
"In debt?"
His fists tightened.
"After the tournament, Freya-sama, to ensure I never raised a hand against her beloveds again, Charmed me." Anya gasped. "I do not blame her of course, she did what she thought was best, but still," he fell quiet as the anger inside him turned into fear, "it was horrible. I felt like I was living underwater. Watching my body move instead of moving it myself. I was alive, but I wasn't…there!" his fists tightened again, "I fully accept my punishment, but I am also…relieved that I am free from the Charm. Unfortunately," he hissed, "the reason I was freed was because Bell Cranel himself asked that I be released. So," he turned back to his sister, "I'll help rescue him. So that I can be rid of this fucking debt and go back to holding him in the lowest regard without guilt and hopefully, one day, convince my lady to let go of her affections to Bell Cranel, his pathetic father, and that stupid fox!"
Having said far more than he wished, Allen turned and strode off, growling and hissing all the way.
Anya watched him go until he was out of sight, then laughed.
"Big brother's a tsundere," she joked. However, she soon went quiet as her hands rose to cover her heart, "Bell rescued him. Even after everything he's done, Bell still saved him from Freya-sama's Charm."
A dusting of red filled her cheek and she smiled adoringly as her eyes softened.
"I guess I see why Syr and Ryuu are so fond of him now. That, and Chloe is right, he does have a nice butt!"
Achilles awoke next to Riveria.
It took him a few moments to clear the fog around his mind as this had been the first time he'd slept in days and even with Unending Endurance, he found himself groggy. However, after a few deep breaths and shakes of his head, he was awake enough to turn to his sleeping lover, smile down at her, and kiss her forehead.
"I'll be back soon," he whispered.
She hummed and quickly took his pillow, which eased some of the remaining burden on his heart, before he made his way out of their tent.
The Dungeon was dark now, the crystals above them softly glowing like stars as most of the expedition slept, with only the occasional watchmen moving around the camp.
Making his way to the edge of the camp, Achilles took out his pipe and began smoking as he looked out onto the 18th floor.
He took a deep breath of smoke, let it part his lips, then took another breath and removed his pipe as he let the smoke out with a sigh.
I fell into all the darkness again, he thought before a terrible feeling of disappointment and failure filled him from the tips of his toes to the root of his hair. His face fell into his available hand while the other tightened around his pipe, I fell into all the anguish and hopelessness again despite promising not to. What kind of pathetic man am I?
His hand tightened further around his pipe, which began to creak under the pressure.
I cannot keep falling like this. I have to be strong. For Bell. For the others, he turned to his tent, smiling as he imagined his sleeping lover, for Riveria. And for myself. I have to hold fast against everything the world throws at me so that we can all live the lives we deserve.
His grip around his pipe loosened, much to its appreciation, and he smiled out in the darkness.
I'm coming, Bell. Just hold on a little longer. I'm coming.
At that moment, Achilles was prepared to head back to his tent and get some more rest, maybe after kissing his beautiful elf again, only to stop when he heard an odd noise nearby.
He honed in on the noise. It was quiet, very quiet, and most would have never heard it, but he did, and he realized it was approaching him.
He waited for it to get closer and then quickly slammed his foot down, stopping the sound with a squish.
Bending down, he looked under his foot and found a pale white spider's remains.
"Shit!" he immediately began to chant, "Walls of Lightning!"
A palisade of blue light suddenly surrounded the camp, startling the guards and awakening everyone.
As everyone rushed out of their tents, the less experienced adventurers in a daze while the more experienced came out fully prepared for battle.
"Achilles! What is it?!" Finn asked as he rushed to the ex-captain's side, spear in hand.
"We have company," Achilles answered as his eyes gazed out on the approaching form.
"Well well, you're quick on the draw there, big guy," a smiling woman with pink hair complimented as she and a pale woman approached.
"Valletta," Finn growled.
"Long time no see, Finn," she replied with a tone both playful and full of contempt.
"Have you come to surrender?" Finn questioned.
Valletta burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, the only ones who should be surrendering are you and your little expedition, Finn Deimne. You're walking into the pits of Hell where even nightmares fear to go!"
"We're not afraid of you or your friends, Valletta," the Loki captain responded.
"Oh, but you should be," suddenly, from the darkness, hundreds of monsters, including two of the anthro creatures from the attack stepped forward, filling the expedition with fear, "you should be."
"Enough of your show, Valletta."
All eyes turned to the pale woman who approached and took her place next to the crazed Evilus member.
"Shiro?" Ais recognized, "I killed you."
"As long as my spiders live, you shall never kill me, Ais Wallenstein," Shiro replied coldly.
"Yeah, Shiro's a tough one to kill, as are our new little pets," Valletta said as she turned to stroke the cheek of one of the anthro monsters, "but you knew that already didn't you? How do you like them? We call them Reapers. It took a long time and a lot of dead adventurers to make them. "The Expedition growled in disgust or retreated in fear. "But they're worth the effort. These beauties are stronger than a level 6 adventurer and tough as nails. They're certainly tougher than all of you. Speaking of which," Valletta's smile turned absolutely malevolent as she turned around and bent over. The adventurers did not have to wait long to see what she was retrieving and all their hearts stopped when they saw what, or more accurately, who they had.
"Line!" Riveria cried.
"I'm s-so sorry every-!" Line tried to cry only for Valletta to squeeze her neck tighter.
"It appears not all those on watch tonight were as mindful as you, Achilles Caesar," the Evilus woman mocked, "caught this little girl completely unaware and she's been crying ever since."
"Unhand her now, Valletta!" Finn demanded.
"Oh I will," she responded, her smile somehow becoming even more horrid, "after all," she pulled out her sword, "you can't burn her body if she's with me!"
Valletta plunged her sword through Line's back and out her stomach.
"NO!" the Loki familia cried as they charged forward, forcing Achilles to drop the shield.
The poor girl didn't even scream, she merely looked down at the sword protruding from her stomach before it was pulled from her and she was tossed towards the Loki familia.
"ATTACK!" Valletta cried.
The horde of monsters charged, the two Reapers in the lead.
The Reapers headed straight for the ill-prepared Loki familia, intent on slaughtering them, only to find both their heads in the hands of the lightning clad Father On High who dragged them away from the Expedition and into the heart of the 18th floor where he threw them down with enough force to level two city blocks.
The Reapers, disorientated, but far from finished, got up and found Achilles standing before them, sword in hand.
"You freaks will be dealing with me."
The Reapers screamed in rage and bloodlust then charged.
It was Gareth who caught Line while the others immediately took up a defense around her.
"Line, talk to me," Riveria pleaded as she began to pour healing magic into the young woman.
"R…Riveria…sama," the girl said weakly.
"That's it. Just keep awake for me now. Stay strong," the High Elf told her as she continued to pour her magic into the girl, only to find that the wound wasn't healing.
"I…I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Finn immediately said after fending off a group of monsters.
"I-I was…weak…just like…always."
"Stop saying stupid things!"
Line turned her eyes to Bete who kicked another monster into dust.
"I was just talking shit when I said you were weak. You shouldn't take it to heart!" he told her as he destroyed another monster.
The girl, despite everything that was happening, smiled.
"Thank you…Bete-sama."
"Why isn't this working?!" Riveria cried as the wound continued to bleed.
"Valletta must have used a cursed weapon. We'll have to use regular means to heal her," Finn said, "Ais, get back to camp and find as many bandages as you can."
"Right!"
Ais jumped into the air, aiming for the camp, only to find one of her legs caught by webs.
"I have business with you, Ais Wallenstein," Shiro said before the giant spider holding Ais pulled, dragging her away from the camp and towards the pale spider queen.
"Damnit! Tiona! Tione! Head to camp and get the bandages, we can hold here!" Finn ordered.
"Got it!" they both cried as they began to carve their way through the monsters.
"Just hold on Line. They'll be back soon," Lefiya said, though tears were in her eyes.
"I'm…sorry Lefiya-san, but I…don't think it will matter," Line said.
A crack appeared in all their hearts.
"W-What? D-Don't say that, Line-san! You'll be fine! Tiona and Tione will be back soon!" Lefiya cried.
"It's…too late," Line said, smiling sadly at her friend.
"I told you to stop saying stupid things!" Bete roared, tearing through a series of monsters.
"I'm sorry…Bete…you're the last person…in the world…I want to upset."
He stopped and turned.
"I…wish I could have told sooner. I wish…I had been braver. But I was…so shy. I'm sorry."
"What…what are you saying, stupid?" he questioned, though he knew very well what she was saying.
She smiled at him, it was a pure, genuine thing, though tinged with a hint of regret.
"I'm saying I love you…dummy."
With that, her eyes closed and the warmth left her body.
"Line? Line?! LINE!" Lefiya cried, trying to wake her friend, but to no avail.
Riveria closed her eyes as she listened to her underling's cries.
"We found bandages!" Tiona cried as they returned.
Finn turned to them and shook his head.
"No," Tione said, turning to the crying Lefiya and the body beneath her.
"No way," Tiona stated as she too took in the sight before her, tears beginning to prick at her eyes, "no way."
"Stupid four-eyes."
They all turned to Bete, finding him with their back to them.
"Bete," Finn called, though even he was unsure what he was trying to do.
"I'm going to kill that bitch," was Bete's response before he took a deep breath, leaned back, and unleashed an unearthly howl.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"NO!"
"ATTACK!"
"Shit!" Tsubaki cursed as she watched the monsters rush towards them and the Loki familia, "charge!" she ordered.
The adventurers who had their wits after everything that had happened charged with her towards the horde of monsters with those behind following soon afterwards.
"RAAAA!" the Cyclops roared as she swung Benishigure, tearing through the monsters before her. However, there was immediately more and she had little time to even think before they were upon her again.
She was not alone in her predicament as the dozens of adventurers found themselves pressed by the horde even as they destroyed one monster after another.
"Just like old times, isn't it?!" Ajax roared as he destroyed several monsters before him.
"Just like old times!" Galadriel cried back, though any joy she might have felt at the thought was preemptively snuffed out by what had happened to the young woman with glasses.
"Less reminiscing, more fighting!" Dido ordered as she cut through her own monsters with her axes.
"There's so many of them!" Welf cried as he cut through a scorpion.
"There are, but we can't give up!" Mikoto cried back.
"And we won't!" Ryuu joined as she killed several goblins which proceeded to explode within the monsters' ranks.
Lili joined her in destroying the goblins, using her new crossbow to send bolt after bolt straight through the monsters' craniums, sometimes two at a time.
"We won't let this stop us from getting Bell-sama back!" she added.
That renewed the strength of the adventurers around her who quickly used their new strength to begin pushing the monsters back.
"For Bell!" Rei exclaimed.
"FOR BELL!"
They began to push even harder: cutting, smashing, and destroying the monsters every way imaginable as they gained the upper hand.
"That's it! Keep pushing!" Tsubaki cried as she used her naginata to dice up a viola.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The battle stopped as even the monsters froze from the might of the enraged and despairing howl.
"Shit," Tsubaki cursed as a shiver crept up her spine.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Ais stopped and turned back towards the camp.
Bete.
She did not have time to worry about her werewolf companion as she was immediately forced to turn back around due to the sound of a weapon whistling towards her.
The Sword Princess spun around and blocked the incoming scythe aiming to behead her.
"You are a fool to get distracted now," Shiro commented as she pressed harder on Desperate.
"I will defeat you just as I did before regardless
, and this time you're staying dead."
"I sincerely doubt that."
Wanting desperately to prove her wrong, Ais bashed away Shiro's scythe and cut her across the torso.
Hissing, Shiro jumped back as a pair of giant spiders rushed at Ais.
"I told you," the Sword Princess stated just before she obliterated the bugs, "I'm sick of your spiders."
"Then how about this?"
Shiro opened her maw and spat out a glob of purple poison towards Ais, who quickly dodged it, only to have Shiro before her again, her scythe raised in mid-swing. However, Ais was still more powerful and far faster than the pale woman and blocked the attack, but was not prepared for two spiny legs to appear from Shiro's back and launch themselves straight for her head.
Ais managed to dodge the first one, but the second managed to cut her cheek as she spun to dodge it. Now well beyond upset and with no patience for the spider-woman anymore, she continued her spin and kicked Shiro in the cheek with enough force to send her flying through the forest.
Shiro crashed through several trees before finally coming to a stop and groaning.
She's too powerful for me. I'll need to eat more stones before I can match her, the Evilus woman recognized.
She looked up to find Ais's sword pointing directly at her temple.
"You are going to tell me where Bell is and how to get him back," Ais stated.
To her shock and discomfort, Shiro laughed.
"You already know that, don't you, Sword Princess. He's deep in the Dungeon. Level 60, to be precise. And to get him back," Shiro smiled, "you'll have to get past all of us."
Ais frowned.
"We will."
"Don't be so sure, Ais Wallenstein, or whatever your name is, there's things far worse than me waiting for you on the 60th floor. You may find that even escaping with your life will be the hardest thing you've ever done."
Having had enough of the spider, Ais pulled back Desperate to cut Shiro down, only for the Evilus woman to suddenly burst into hundreds of spiders.
Jumping back, Ais could do nothing but watch as the spiders scattered into the darkness.
"I really hate spiders."
"Hahahaha, I do love a little carnage in the morning!" Valletta cheered as she watched the battle before her.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"The fuck was that?" she asked as she turned to the howl.
Her eyes immediately widened as the one who had made the howl, the Vengeful Wolf of the Loki familia, appeared before her and, before she could even think to defend herself, kicked her in the chest with such terrible force that a rush of wind burst forth from the blow and swept through the 18th floor.
The air was ripped from Valletta's body as blood shot from her mouth a split second before she went flying.
She crashed through trees and stone like the world's most powerful wrecking ball. It was not until she had crashed through over 100 feet of debris and foliage that she finally stopped.
"Gaah!" she gasped as pain rocked through her entire body, "what the…fuck…was that?!"
Her answer came when Bete appeared before her again, landing about ten paces away from her, his eyes glowing with terrible wrath.
"W-W-What are you?" she asked as she tried to drag herself away from him.
He did not answer, he only continued to stride towards her with the same fury shining in his contemptuous orbs.
"H-Hey…come on! Y-You wouldn't hurt a girl right?!" she pleaded.
He growled at that and prepared to attack, only to be prevented from finishing the evil woman off by a host of monsters appearing.
"That's it! Attack him! Kill him!" Valletta cried, thinking she was saved.
This was a mere delusion.
Bete quickly tore through the monsters before him. Ripping apart every beast sent before him no matter how great or small. Even when two giant armored caterpillars rose from the forest and spewed acid at him, he did not so much as flinch, he merely dodged their pathetic attacks, jumped into the air and with two powerful kicks, turned them both into dust.
With her last line of defense gone, Valletta found herself frozen before Bete.
"C-Come on, w-we don't have to fight, right?!" she pleaded. He took a step towards her. "I-Is this about the girl with glasses." He growled. "W-Was she your woman? If she was then I can take her place!" she quickly said as she began to undo her clothes, "I've got a nice figure! You can do whatever you-!"
He ended her words forever when he kicked her head right off her shoulders.
The wide-eyed severed head flew a good 20 feet then bounced a few more before it stopped while the now beheaded body slumped over.
Bete was not done though. Turning, he slowly made his way over to the severed head and stared down at the now empty eyes for a few moments before he growled again.
"RAAAAA!" he roared as he smashed her skull under foot, "RAAAA!" he stomped again, "RAAAAAA!" again, "DIE YOU BITCH!" again, "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! ROT IN HELL!"
Over and over he stomped on it, turning the once feared Evilus leader into pulp. It was only exhaustion that eventually stopped him and by then his legs were a mess of gore and the area was utterly destroyed.
"I'll see you in hell, bitch."
"I'm almost upset with how pathetic you two were," Achilles stated as he stared at the two Reapers.
Both were now devoid of their limbs and wiggling with all their remaining strength as they tried desperately to free their skulls from his hands.
"After everything everyone told me, I really expected more. But I suppose it doesn't really matter now. Let's end our little scuffle," he continued before he began to squeeze their skulls.
"REEEEEEE!" they both cried before their skulls could not hold any longer and they were crushed like walnuts in a nutcracker.
The headless torsos fell to the ground before proceeding to burst into black dust, leaving Achilles to dust off his hands and check himself.
"A few cuts and bruises, that's all you two were worth. I hope your master is prepared then, because I'm going to be sodomizing him with Dragonsbane soon if you're the best he can offer."
He turned to head back to the Expedition, only to be nearly blinded as a wave of light filled the 18th floor.
"It's nice to not be on the receiving end of that," he said before jumping into the air.
"Solaris!"
A beam of light burst from Galadriel's hands, incinerating the last of the monsters and ending the battle.
"We should probably open with that next time," Ajax suggested, still trying to lighten the mood, even as he failed to smile himself.
"Is everyone alright?" Galadriel asked, turning to the young adventurers.
"Yes," Haruhime answered.
"Tired, but alive," Welf replied.
"I've got a few scrapes here and there, but nothing major," Daphne added.
"You should get those checked out quickly, these Evilus have used poison before and even if they didn't here, we don't want your wounds to get infected," the Black Sun told her.
Daphne nodded and headed towards the medics with Cassandra.
At that moment, Achilles landed amongst them.
"Is everyone alright?" he quickly asked.
"We're alright, but Daphne-sama has a few minor injuries and is headed towards the healers with Cassandra," Haruhime informed him.
"Good good," he replied before looking over everyone. They were worn out, but in decent shape, for which he was immensely grateful for.
"Where's Imilce?" he asked, noticing the potion master's absence.
"She rushed over to the Loki familia once the battle finished," Dido stated.
Any relief Achilles or any of them felt instantly died as they turned towards the Loki familia.
"I'm going to go check on them. Hopefully that girl is alright," he said.
"We'll join you," Mikoto said.
The Hestia familia and company quietly made their way over and soon found the tense atmosphere and fallen faces of the Loki familia.
Oh no, Haruhime thought.
"Are you all alright?" Achilles asked, feeling like an imbecile even as he asked it, but feeling he needed to.
"No," Riveria answered, turning to him, "no we're not."
He placed a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly took in her own for comfort. Achilles squeezed her hand in reassurance before looking down on Line's body.
The young woman appeared remarkably peaceful lying there, the only indication that she was not simply asleep being her blood-soaked clothes.
"She wasn't the only one we lost," Finn said coldly, "Raul just informed me that we lost six more of our familia, some during the fight, some before, courtesy of Valletta and Shiro."
"I just got word that one of my smiths was killed too," Tsubaki added, "poisoned by those damn spiders in his tent."
"I'm so sorry. For all of you," Haruhime said as her eyes filled with tears. Yet, even through her tears, she could see Lefiya crying over Line's body and quickly rushed to the elf's side and began to comfort her alongside Tiona and Tione.
"It's not your fault," Riveria said as she watched the renard try to comfort her protégé.
"No, it's mine," Finn stated.
"No it's not!" Tione cried defiantly.
"But it is. I am in charge of this expedition, I should have done more to ensure its safety. Responsibility is solely mine."
"No, responsibility falls on those who did this. On the Evilus and their cruelty," Achilles countered.
"I wholeheartedly agree," Galadriel stated.
"As do I," Ajax added.
"As do all of us," Gareth affirmed.
Finn's head dropped, unable to accept the support of his friends.
"Captain," Tione called.
He didn't look up. He couldn't. He couldn't meet her eyes right now. He was too ashamed.
Suddenly, the prum captain felt himself embraced by the warmth of his beloved amazon.
"It's not your fault," she said softly, "it's not."
He still did not reply. However, he did wrap his arm around her and pull her tightly against him as she began stroking his hair.
Achilles watched the scene for a few moments, glad that there was someone who could be there for his old friend like Riveria was there for him. His attention was snatched away though when he heard something in the distance.
He looked up and sighed.
"Well, it looks like we won't have to worry about the pink haired woman anymore."
Everyone turned to where he was looking and a few, like Haruhime and Lefiya, gasped as what they saw.
Bete walked towards them, a deep scowl hiding all the pain in his heart, and gore covering his body, especially his feet and legs, which were soak crimson.
"The bitch is dead," he growled when he reached them, "I'm going to go wash off her filth."
The werewolf continued on and, despite how terrifying he now appeared, a few considered following him.
"Leave him be," Finn ordered, "he needs some time alone to process."
Those that had made to follow quickly stopped, agreeing with the captain that it was best to leave the young man alone for now.
There was one though, who did not agree, and he watched silently as Bete disappeared back into the trees.
Bete had finished washing off the gore, though no amount of scrubbing was going to get the red out of his clothes, not that he cared. If anything, it seemed right for the blood to be there.
It reminds me of who I am. What I am.
"I'm saying I love you…dummy."
He growled as tears threatened to break from the corners of his eyes.
"Fuck!" he roared, kicking a stone so hard it smashed through a tree and continued on for he didn't know how long.
"Fuck!" he roared again, smashing another tree with a kick, "shit!" he smashed a stone the size of a carriage, "DAMN IT ALL!"
He destroyed everything in sight, desperate to get the picture of the now dead girl out of his head.
"Bete."
His head shot around.
"What do you want, old man?" he demanded.
"To help you," Gareth answered as he stepped towards the young man.
"I don't need help!"
"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard."
Bete glared at him, but the dwarf remained utterly stalwart.
"And how are you going to help me, huh? You gonna tell me to share how I feel? Tell me I can cry on your shoulder? If so you can piss right the fuck off!"
"No," Gareth continued calmly, "I'm not going to say any of that. That's not what you need right now."
"And what do I need, old man?"
Gareth's response was to raise his ax.
"You need to get everything out. All the anger. All the pain. And there's no better way to do that than a brawl."
Bete actually looked surprised for a moment, but only a moment, before his eyes narrowed.
"You're gonna allow me to hit you?"
"'Allow' isn't the right word. I'm giving you the chance to 'try' and hit me, while 'trying' to make sure I don't hit you back," Gareth answered.
That seemed really stupid to Bete, but at the same time, his rage had well passed the point of boiling over and the idea of fighting someone suited him just fine.
"Alright. Fine. If you want to get hurt that badly, I'll take you up on your offer," he said as he got in a ready position.
"Do your worst," Gareth responded as he got into his battle stance.
Bete charged, heading straight for Gareth, no need for any tricks or maneuvers here, as Gareth had said, this was just a brawl, and brawls only needed two things: anger and the strength to throw a mean right hook.
He threw a bone-breaking kick straight for Gareth's head, but naturally the veteran adventurer was prepared and immediately brought his ax up to use as a shield.
"It's not your fault," the elder man said calmly.
"What?" Bete spat.
"It's not your fault," Gareth repeated.
Bete growled.
"I thought we weren't going the talking route," he said as he kicked off from the ax and began to run around the dwarf, looking for an opening.
Eventually seeing a potential soft spot, Bete charged again, but was shocked when Gareth met his attack with one of his own, stopping the werewolf's kick with the blunt side of his ax and sending a rush of air through the forest.
"It's not your fault," echoed the older man.
"Stop saying that!" Bete demanded as he shifted to bring his other leg around and hit Gareth's unprotected side. Once more though, Gareth's own strength and experience were shown as he caught Bete's leg and quickly spun around and tossed the wolf away.
Bete spun in the air and landed on his feet before glaring at the dwarf with ever more burning eyes.
"It's not your fault, Bete. None of it is."
"SHUT UP!"
Bete attacked again, then again, and again, desperately trying to vent and, more importantly, get the damn old man to stop saying that.
Yet, no matter how hard he came at Gareth, no matter how fast he was, he couldn't break through, and with each failure Gareth would repeat those damn words.
"It's not your fault."
"Stop…saying that," Bete demanded, unable to scream anymore due to exhaustion.
"I will when you believe it," Gareth replied.
"Then you can stop!" Bete roared, "I already believe it! I never didn't believe it! Of course it's not my fault. Line was too weak to defend herself so it's only natural that she-" he choked on his words. He tried to finish, but no matter how hard he tried to get the words out, they refused to come.
"I'm saying I love you…dummy."
"It's not your fault," Gareth said again, only this time, his tone was far softer for he did not fail to see that the anguish in Bete's heart was now surfacing.
Bete growled again, but this time it was a weak, trembling thing, courtesy of the tears now beginning to spill from his eyes.
"Shut up," he said quietly.
"It's not your fault Bete."
"Shut up," he covered his ears.
"You are not to blame for the deaths of those you love."
"Shut up!"
Bete ran at Gareth again, though he knew he only had the strength to throw one more kick.
The distance closed between the two Loki familia members and Bete raised his leg to send his final attack at his superior, only to have his other leg swept out from under him by Gareth and, not a second letter, find himself in the tightest hug imaginable.
"It's not your fault, son. None of their deaths are. None of those you've lost would want you to burden your heart like this," Gareth said softly.
That was it. The dam burst and Bete, unable to hold it back anymore, desperately clung to Gareth as he cried his heart out.
"That's it son. That's it."
The next day the Expedition burned the bodies of their dead, said their prayers, packed up their things, and continued on.
They continued on in silence, with pain in their hearts and fear clouding their minds.
How many more of them would die? Would they make it back to the surface? If they did, would they even be the same person? What if they lost more people they cared about? Would they even want to return if that happened?
These were the questions that filled their minds as they traveled down the Dungeon, only being interrupted by attacks from monsters, which they found themselves extremely grateful for.
Finally, right before they reached the Great Fall a familiar figure appeared before the entourage.
"Fels? What are you doing here?" Achilles asked as the cloaked figure stepped forward.
"Hello Achilles-san. Everyone," Fels greeted.
"I remember you," Gareth said, "you were the one controlling that golem."
"Indeed I was. And my apologizes for the misunderstanding back then."
"What the hell's the hold up? We got more monsters?"
Argana strode forward along with Bache and several others, including the Hestia familia.
"Who the shit are you?" Argana demanded.
"I am Fels. I work for Ouranos-sama," Fels answered only because they hoped that would be enough to silence the crass amazon. It wasn't.
"Yeah? Then what the fuck are you doing down here instead of giving your old geezer a bath or something?"
"That's enough, Argana," Finn said, stepping forward, "however I'm sure we'd all like to know what you're doing down here, Fels-san."
"I have something I wish to discuss," Fels turned to Argana, "with trusted parties."
The Kali captain scoffed.
"If it has something to do with the expedition then we all have a right to hear it, especially since several of us have already died for this little rescue op."
Instantly, the dark air was around them all again, and even Bache, who was used to her sister's cruelty, gave her a look.
"You better shut your fucking mouth!" Tione roared as she moved towards Argana, looking ready to start a fight, "you didn't lose anyone!"
"So? My point still stands. If what this…guy…wants to talk about is regarding the expedition, we all have a right to know," Argana shot back.
"In a sense you are right," Fels jumped in, hoping to prevent said expedition from tearing itself apart, "however there is some information that is only known by some present and which must remain as such."
"And why's that, jackass?"
"Because it breaks the rules of the known world."
Now understanding what or more accurately who Fels was talking about, Achilles stepped forward.
"Stay here," he ordered.
"Oh come on handsome, surely-"
"Stay," Achilles cut her off, "here."
There was no room for argument when he talked like that and even Argana knew it and so, begrudgingly, fell back.
Seeing the amazon was going to behave herself, at least for now, Achilles turned to Fels, who nodded and led him and Finn away.
They got some distance away from the expedition, and after Fels made sure no one followed them, they called out.
"You can come out now."
Lyd, Ray, and Gros appeared, each looking worried and anxious.
"Hi guys," Lyd greeted with a forced wave.
"Hello Lyd. Ray. Gros," Achilles greeted, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Well…you see," Lyd began, though his anxiousness was making it difficult for him to talk.
"We heard about what happened to Bell," Ray finished for him.
Achilles's fist tightened around his sword.
"Fels told you?"
"Yes," she continued, "and you see…after everything that Bell's done for us. After all he's sacrificed…and with him being our friend…we were hoping…" now she fell silent, knowing full well that what she wanted to request would not be easily granted, yet desperately wanting to ask it nonetheless.
"You want to join the Expedition," Finn finished.
All three showed their surprise at his guess, but soon after nodded.
Achilles and Finn turned to each other and then sighed.
"I want to say yes, I really do," Achilles said, "I'm sure having you all would be a great boon, but…"
"But you already know why we can't," Finn finished, "if it was just those of us that knew of your existence it would be a different story, but there are dozens of adventurers back there who have no idea that you exist and, even if they did, it is almost certain that they wouldn't treat you any different from other monsters."
"We…understand," Lyd said sadly.
"Lyd." The lizardman met Achilles's eyes. "Please believe me when I say I want you on this expedition and that knowing you all were willing to come to my son's aid means more to me than you can possibly imagine."
Lyd and Ray managed small smiles.
"Belluchi's my friend, of course I'd want to come to his aid."
"Anyone with a heart would," Ray added.
The three turned and prepared to leave, but just as they were about to, Gros stopped.
"I'm not the most trusting guy, and frankly, there are some things that really grind my stone about Bell," he said, "but I would have happily fought to the end to rescue him…had things been different."
Achilles and Finn nodded.
"If things had been different, I would have been honored to fight alongside you all," the Father On High stated.
"As would I," Finn joined.
That was all that could be said and the three Xenos left while the two veterans returned alongside Fels.
"Thank you, Fels," Achilles said.
"Of course, Achilles-san. I only wish I could have been of more help," they replied.
"Looks like whatever your secret meeting was didn't go as planned, handsome," Argana said.
Before anyone could make a reply, a young, and for some, all-too familiar voice, cried out from the distance.
"Wait!"
Haruhime's eyes widened and she rushed forward.
"Wiene wait!" Lyd's voice echoed.
"Shit! Lyd get back here! We can't have you both seen!"
"Who is that?" Mia asked.
Before anyone could answer that, a small figure in a cloak appeared from behind the rocks.
"Wait!" Wiene cried as she ran towards them.
"Wiene!" Haruhime cried as she ran to meet the girl.
"Shit!" Achilles cursed as he and the rest of the Hestia familia rushed forward, much to the confusion of the rest of the Expedition besides those in the know.
"Haruhime!" Wiene cried when she'd spotted the renard, instinctively holding out her arms to her mother figure.
"Wiene you can't be here!" Haruhime proclaimed desperately, even as she also instinctively raised her own arms.
"But I want to come with you! I want to rescue B-!"
The Xenos girl, in her rush to get to her family, failed to watch her footing and tripped, in doing so, revealing herself to the entire expedition.
"What the fuck?!" Argana roared as she got into a defensive stance.
"Hold!" Finn roared, "do not attack!"
"What the fuck do you mean, 'do not attack'?! That…thing is a monster!" Argana bellowed.
"No she's not!"
Everyone's eyes turned to Haruhime who was now beside her surrogate daughter.
"Her name is Wiene and she's the sweetest girl in the world!" the golden renard continued with unwavering courage.
Argana and many others looked at her like she was insane, while most of the remaining Expedition were confused beyond measure.
"Finn, what's going on? What is that girl?" Mia asked as the Hostess girls shifted their eyes between Wiene, Haruhime, Mia, and Finn.
"They're the Xenos," Galadriel said, stepping forward, "aren't they?"
Achilles sighed, then nodded.
"Yes. They are."
"The what?" Chloe asked, not unkindly, just with extreme confusion.
"Looks like we're having this conversation today," Achilles said before turning towards the rocks, "Lyd. Ray. Gros. Come out here, it looks like you get to meet new people today."
The Hestia familia and their allies all looked at him with greatly concerned eyes, but he just held up a hand to tell them that it would be alright.
"A-Are you sure, Achilles? Some of the people with you don't seem like they'd like us very much," Lyd called.
"It'll be alright, I promise. No one's going to hurt you. Not while I'm here."
A few moments of silence passed with only a few whispers rising up from the Expedition as they questioned what was happening. Finally, Lyd called back.
"Alright. We're coming out. To everyone over there, I promise we don't mean you any harm, we just want to help."
This only served to increase the confusion amongst the Expedition. Confusion that immediately turned to terror when Lyd, Ray, Gros, and the majority of the Xenos population suddenly appeared before them.
"Hold! Hold damn you!" Finn ordered as he held up his hand, "they are not enemies!"
"They're fucking monsters!" Argana screamed.
"They're Xenos," Achilles corrected as he stepped forward, "intelligent monsters, some of whom, as you just heard, can speak."
Many could simply not believe what they were hearing, but for now, Achilles paid them no mind and went over to Wiene and Haruhime.
"Are you alright?" he asked the vouivre.
"Uh huh, but…" her eyes filled with tears, "is it true about Bell? Someone took him?"
He nodded.
"Yes. But we're going to get him back."
That allowed her to smile again and she nodded.
"Yes we are," Lyd agreed as he reached them, "though we're going to need to explain everything to them first," he said, pointing to the fear and confusion-stricken expedition.
"Yeah," Achilles replied as he turned and made his way back to the adventurers.
"Alright, gather around everyone, we've got one hell of a story to tell all of you and you're all going to shut up and listen until the end," he stated.
With that, he and the others began to explain.
By the end, those not in the know had a thousand and one questions, yet they all found it difficult to muster even a single word.
"That's…a lot to take in," Mia finally managed.
"It is, and I don't expect you all to be comfortable with it from the start-" Achilles tried to start.
"Comfortable with it?!" Argana cut in, "you're all fucking traitors to every race, mortal and divine!"
A few people murmured their agreement from the expedition.
"No we are not, you bitch," Tione stated, stepping forward, "we still fight regular monsters the same as you, but these guys are different-"
"Different?! Different how?!" the Kali co-captain demanded.
"You'll notice they aren't attacking us right now," Riveria pointed out, gesturing to the Xenos calmly standing to the side.
"Now! They aren't attacking us now! But you already told us that they're intelligent, maybe they're just waiting for a better opportunity!"
The murmurs began to turn into shouts and cries and many of those who supported the Xenos worried that things were about to deteriorate into bloodshed.
And then, the most unlikely person stepped forward.
"You're all fucking stupid!" Bete shouted over everyone.
The exclamation silenced the whole Expedition. No one was really sure how or why. Maybe it was because it was so loud. Maybe because it just seemed to come out of nowhere. Whatever the case, they were all silent, allowing him to continue.
"They aren't fucking fighting us," he continued, "and they're offering to help us destroy those Evilus bastards! That's what we smart people call, a win-win! We've already lost people, meaning we need allies even more than we did before we entered the Dungeon. You don't have to fucking like it, but unless you're all fucking retarded or suicidal, you won't turn down help when it's offered to you on a fucking silver platter!"
Every single adventurer found their eyes either widened to the extreme or their jaws unhinged in the direction of the werewolf. Well, all except a certain dwarf.
That's it my boy.
"So," Bete continued, "with that firmly established, you all can shut yer fucking yaps and we can all keep fucking moving so that we can fucking tear those Evilus bastards a new asshole!"
Bete strode off, passing the Xenos without a care, except for Wiene, which he gave a passing glance to, receiving a bright smile from the young girl as he did so.
"Well," Gareth stepped forward, "looks like that's settled," he said before following after the werewolf.
After a few quick glances, the Xenos, Loki familia, Hestia familia and co. shrugged and followed, with the rest of the Expedition running after. Even Argana, for all her griping and disgust, followed, hating the idea of being called a coward for returning alone.
Thus the Expedition continued, with Haruhime chastising Bete at the front of the column for cursing so much in front of Wiene.
"That's enough," Enyo said.
A moment later, two more needles injected themselves in Bell's arms, ending his torment.
The Hestia captain, drained and in pain, slumped against the wall.
"My my, you are resilient as I expected. However, the fun has just begun, Bell Cranel. This is but a momentary interlude between acts," Enyo smiled before turning to leave.
With him gone, Revis took a knee next to Bell.
"Are you alright?"
His exhausted, agony filled eyes glared up at her.
"I'm sorry," she said, "this isn't what I wanted."
"What did you want?" he asked darkly.
"I told you, I want you to be my mate. To be mine and mine alone."
"You don't torture people to make them fall in love with you," he shot at her.
Her fists clenched, before an idea came to her mind.
"Then let me try this."
She stood up and he barely managed to lift his gaze before the first pieces of her clothing fell to the ground.
"What are you doing?" he asked, too tired and too in pain to be embarrassed.
"I'm going to pleasure you," she said as she finished undressing herself.
She got down on her knees again and cupped his cheeks.
"Stop," he said as he shook his head. She cupped his cheeks again and leaned in. "I said stop!"
He began to widely shake his head as he pulled on the wall.
"Let me pleasure you, Bell. Surely you want pleasure after what Enyo put you through," she said as gently as she could.
"What I want is to go home!" he roared, "what I want is to be with my friends and family again. To be with my actual lover, Ais!"
Instantly, the gentleness in her eyes was gone.
"You don't belong to her anymore," she said coldly, "you're mine."
"No I'm not, and I never will be!"
That stung her, more than she cared to admit. And it made her resentful.
"Then I'll make you mine."
Before he could stop her, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard, forcing her tongue into his mouth and ravaging it in an attempt to utterly claim possession over it and, by extension, him.
He tried to fight it, but she was so strong and he was so weak at the moment. However, when he found her fumbling with his belt, his eyes widened as he began to fight with all the strength he had left.
"Stop resisting me," she ordered.
"No! I will not let you force yourself on me!" he screamed.
"It'll be more enjoyable if you stop fighting it!"
"I'll never stop fighting! I'll never allow you to take what you want from me! I love Ais! Not you!"
She growled and ripped off his pants.
"I'll make you," she vowed.
He continued to resist her and, despite his captive position, Revis was finding it extremely difficult to get anywhere as, unlike his arms, his legs and hips were free, allowing him to wiggle and move all about, thus ensuring she could not claim him.
"STOP!" she roared as she grabbed his throat, "fighting me," she commanded darkly.
He bared his teeth at her as his eyes turned into slits.
"Never," he barely managed to growl.
She bared her teeth back.
"You will," she said as she finally managed to grab hold of her prize.
His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.
No! Nononononono! NOOOO!
Why do you allow them to play with you so?
The dark voice startled him and, after a moment, he noticed that it seemed as if time had stopped in the world around him.
These creatures are nothing compared to you. Nothing but insects to be squashed. So squash them. Call upon your power and show them what you are. Destroy them. Consume them. Conquer them and all that dare to raise a hand against you. Be what you were born to be. Be a dragon of Chaos.
Time returned and as it did, the wrath within him expanded out like a conquering horde, filling his body with terrible, unrestrained power.
Revis was mere millimeters away from claiming her mate.
He's mine now, Ais Waldstein. And there's nothing you can do-
Her head shot up as she heard the wall above her cracking. Not a second later, Bell's clawed right hand broke free and grabbed her face.
"I am not yours," his dark voice echoed through the halls.
Terror filled Revis as she stared into his dragonic eyes, which now pulsed with cruel, malevolent power that dwarfed her own malevolence like a mountain dwarfs and anthill. However, that fear soon turned to pain as Bell, with a roar that shook the very foundations of the Dungeon, threw her with his awesome strength across the room, causing her to smash into the wall and obliterate it.
Now free of his assailant, Bell used his newly found strength and power to pull himself free of the wall, fix himself, and stand tall.
Enyo, Ein, Thanatos, and his familia rushed in, shocked to find the room so damaged and their captor now free.
"Run Enyo-sama!" Ein cried as she rushed Bell.
She attempted to attack him, but found her arm immediately captured within his talons.
"You first then."
The White Dragon smashed his fist into her face, shattering her mask and sending shock waves through her skull. Normally, such a blow would have sent her flying, but the Dragon's grip did not permit that for he was not done with her.
Grabbing her now uncovered face, though not caring to find out who was underneath, he slammed her face into his knee, sending up a spray of blood before casually throwing her aside, sending her soaring into another wall.
"Now it's your turn, Enyo," the Dragon stated.
Enyo turned from his defeated servant to the White Dragon, but he was not afraid. At least...he was not only afraid.
"Magnificent" Enyo said as he watched the serpent approach.
The White Dragon raised his clawed hand, preparing to destroy the entity before him just as he had with Ares, when a new voice called out.
"Gospel."
The White Dragon was sent flying and crashed with a terrible noise.
Growling in pain and rage, the great pale serpent picked himself up from the rubble, preparing to tear apart the one who dared get in his way. However, when he saw who it was, all wrath and ruin left him as shock and tears filled his eyes.
"A-Auntie?"
Finished.
Well…did I give you guys a few surprises there? I hope so, just like I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. I know I say that a lot, but this one really shouldn't have taken me so long since I knew what I wanted to write, but I just couldn't find the words. Such are the woes of writing. It's not all epic battle scenes and grand beautiful romances.
Quick note, thank you for those who pointed out that it was Chloe, not Anya, who was obsessed with Bell's butt, I actually thought it was Anya. I'll be sure to go back and fix that. :P
All that said, as always, please share your thoughts. Love it, hate it, I'm all ears. With that though, it's time for me to wrap up and bid my goodbyes. So, until next time, stay safe, stay happy. :)