Chapter 3: Familia Part 1

AN: Sorry for the wait. Enjoy.

"Sorry kid, you have to be at least this high to be allowed in the Hermes Familia."

"Get lost shrimp, there's no way you're experienced enough for the Ikelos Familia to take notice of you."

"I apologize, but the Ganesha Familia is not looking for new members at this time. We are too preoccupied with preparations for Monsterpaloza."

You're definitely not strong enough for the Tyr Familia."

"I'm sorry young man, but the Miach Familia has its hands full at the moment."

"You? In the Loki Familia? Ha! Good joke, now get lost."

"Please!" Bell pounded on the wooden double-doors of the Thor Familia Headquarters, a large mead house carved from the finest timber, his face wreaked by desperation and despair. "Let me speak to Lord Thor, please! I'm perfect for his Familia, I even know a spell that lets me summon lightning!"

"Ya right, like a scrawny kid like you knows magic like that." A deep voice, colored by annoyance and age, barked from the other side of the wooden door. "Just take your made-up stories and get lost!"

"Damn it!" Bell cried out as he hit the door one last time, after which he stomped away from the Thor Familia HQ towards the Guild building. "Stupid, arrogant Familia. I'll show them, I'll show them all! They'll regret not letting me join!"

"Um, Master?"

"Just you wait Mr. Baal, once they see me use the power you gave me, they'll beg for me to join their ranks!"

"Hello, Master?"

"I bet none of the Loki Familia Adventurers could use a spell as powerful as Bararaq when they were Level 0!"

"Master!?"

"And I bet Bararaq is more powerful than any of the Thor Familia's lightning spells!"

"Bell! Pay attention to your surroundings!"

"What?" Bell's gaze snapped from the paved road beneath his feet to take in his surroundings. His crimson eyes widening when he beheld a stream of Rukh disappearing through a small alley headed north. "Wait, didn't you tell me to follow the Rukh, Mr. Baal?"

"It will always lead you towards your Fate, my young master. Whether you accept that Fate or reject it will be up solely to you."

Without another word, Bell took off in a sprint to follow the flow of spiritual white birds through the alleyway then up and down the various streets of Orario until the flock ended in the middle of a street that Bell was unfamiliar with but was much closer to Babel Tower. The Street was lined with small specialty shops ranging from designer clothing to baked goods to an exotic bookstore. More importantly to Bell, however, the street was nearly bare, with only a few souls hurrying about the area and not even one of them looked like a god or goddess to the young man.

"The Rukh lead me here, but what am I supposed to find?" Bell glared at the emptying street again, tears of frustration beginning to form beneath his crimson eyes and his left-hand tightening around the hilt of his sword, unknowingly filling it with magoi. "Damn it, I just want to be and Adventurer! A Hero! To be a part of a Familia that cares about me, and fight for a god that will be proud of my efforts! Is that too much to ask?! Am I cursed to never find a deity that will accept me?! Is that my cursed Fate?!"

Within his Metal Vessel, Baal's draconic face frowned slightly as he felt the Rukh within his King Vessel get kicked into a flurry of activity and as a small number of the white birds were stained black. As more and more white birds turned black, the Djinn prepared himself to intervene on his master's behalf, to save Bell from allowing himself to Fall before he could even understand the consequences of doing so, when suddenly a new voice cut through Bell's growing depravity and did Baal's job for him. With his frown flipped into a small grin, the Djinn sat back to enjoy the show.

"Young man, I may not be a god, but would you accept a goddess as your patron deity?" The voice of the goddess speaking was a dainty thing, sounding young and light as if spoken by a young girl just entering the cusp of puberty but also held the depths of age and weight of wisdom. "I am the goddess Hestia and, if you desire it, I will grant you the grace of my Falna so that you may become a part of my Familia."

Wiping his wet cheeks, Bell turned around to gaze upon the person who claimed to be a deus willing to accept him into her Familia. Upon doing so, Bell's still dripping red eyes widened as he gazed upon the beautiful visage of someone who could only have hailed from the heavens. Despite being shorter than Bell, goddess Hestia had the physique of a woman in the prime of her life. Shapely hips, a bountiful bosom, an hourglass figure, beautiful black hair, and unblemished skin, goddess Hestia had all of these characteristics and more.

As for clothing, the goddess wore a white one-piece dress with a low-cut neckline that showed off her impressive bust and cleavage, and on her dainty hands she wore a pair of gloves that matched the color of her dress. Around her neck, Hestia, instead of a necklace, wore a bow of blue ribbon that was the twin to the string of blue ribbon that traveled from her back, around her arms, and under her breasts. The goddess' black hair was done up in two twin-tails and secured by a pair of blue and white hair clips, the blue of which perfectly matched her wide blue eyes.

For Bell, who was just moments away from cursing his Fate and the World, the appearance of the goddess was something akin to a miracle.

"You'll accept me into your Familia, Lady goddess?" Bell fell to his knees before the heavenly being, a teary smile on his face.

"Of course, young man." Hestia gave Bell a wide smile that quickly turned sheepish. "However, there is only one small problem I should tell you before you accept my Falna… If you join my Familia, you will be the very first member of my Familia, no one I've asked before you has ever agreed to be the first of the Hestia Familia. You will have no one to help you learn how to be an Adventurer or to explore the Great Dungeon with. Knowing this, do you still wish to accept this goddess as your patron deity?"

"Yes, goddess Hestia!" Bell didn't hesitate to consider the offer. "Please let me join your Familia! I'll do everything I can to prove myself worthy to you!"

"Oh, young man, you don't need to prove yourself to me." Hestia reached down to clasp Bell's left hand with her right. "In fact, I feel that I will have to prove myself a proper goddess to you. As a part of my Familia, I'm afraid we'll have to work twice as hard just to get by."

"I'll accept the responsibility, Lady Hestia. Please let me join your Familia."

"Thank you very much, young man." To Bell, Hestia's smile was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. "Then follow me, I know of a place where I can bestow my blessing on you without interruption. Also, would you please tell me your name?"

"My name is Bell Cranel, my goddess." Bell answered the short deity as he followed behind her.

Hestia lead the two of them to a small bookstore, the owner of which, once he saw who had entered, just nodded for the diminutive goddess to continue. At the back of the shop, Bell found himself alone with his soon-to-be goddess in the small building's study.

"Bell, please take off your shirt and lie down here." Hestia instructed the boy after she had laid out a large sheet on the study floor. "To bestow my blessing on you, I need to be able to access your back."

Without thinking, Bell slipped his sweaty stained shirt off, revealing to the goddess his body of wiry muscles and that his chest was covered in small scars. However, as the boy laid down on the sheet, chest down so his back was easy to reach, the goddess of the hearth stored the knowledge of the scars away for later.

"Long ago, we the gods descended into the world of our children; the Mortals, like you Humans. In hopes of finding excitement and inspiration." Bell was listening intently to Hestia's impromptu lesson when he felt a drop of something small and very hot-but-cold fall onto his back. The boy then gasped as a sudden warmth seemed to seep into his being, a feeling similar but different to manipulating his own magoi, and that made the Rukh within him flutter in a joyous manner. "And so we decided, we would reside here in the lower world for the rest of eternity, sealing away our divine powers and live a modest life surrounded by the discomforts of mortal inconvenience. The only thing we can offer in our earthly state is the Blessing of our Falna, the power to fight and defeat monsters. The children who receive this gift become Familia or a direct relation to the gods. Which means you are now my family, the only member of the Hestia Familia! Welcome, my first child!"

…

…

…

"Wait," Hestia, seated upon Bell's back, looked down at her first child's stats baffled. "What the heck is wrong with your stats?!"

Bell Cranel Level: 1

Power: 575 D

Endurance: 358 F

Dexterity: 499 E

Agility: 625 C

Magic: 267 G

Spells: Bararaq

Developmental Abilities: -

Skills: Dungeon Capturer, King Vessel, Transparent Rukh

After reading his stats, a huge smile grew on Bell's face as childish excitement shone through his crimson orbs.

"Yes! I knew that my time in Baal's Dungeon would give me higher stats after I got a deus' blessing! Take that Familia who were too dumb to accept me, Bell Cranel will show All of you up!"

"Bell!" Goddess Hestia had her hands on her hips as she stared intently at her first child. "How do you have such high stats? Were you in a Familia before mine? Am I your second?!"

"No goddess, that's not it, I promise!" Bell waved his hands in front of his face frantically in response to the accusation. "Please let me explain!"

"Fine Bell, explain." Hestia took a seat on the on the study's only chair crossing her arms under her bust and one leg over the other, and stared intently at the first member of her Familia.

"I've been in a Dungeon before, not the Great Dungeon, but one of the Aberrant Dungeons that travel the world. I spent three months in the place and during that time I killed a lot of monsters. I think all that extra excelia is the reason my stats are so high."

"Wait, wait, wait." Hestia looked completely taken back, her blue eyes wide in surprise while she rubbed her temples as she tried to take in what she was hearing. "Let's ignore the fact that mortals can't retain excelia without a deus' Falna, so any monsters you fight before being blessed shouldn't help with your stats. Are you saying that you entered a Traveling Dungeon at Level 0 and came out alive?"

"No." Bell's young face turned serious as he palmed his Metal Vessel. "I entered a Traveling Dungeon and conquered it. My reward for doing so was being granted the allegiance of a super strong and awesome Djinn who lets me use his power."

"A Djinn?! But those are myths! They don't exist!" Hestia looked genuinely freaked out. "Do they? They would be even older than the deus' decent if they did."

Bell was about to respond to his goddess when Baal's voice spoke over their connection.

"Bell, with your permission I would like to try something to convince your goddess of your story. For a brief moment would you allow me to take control of your body?"

You Djinn can do that?! Bell's eyes went, worrying a waiting Hestia.

"Only with our King Vessel's permission and only temporarily. Doing so is the only way we can interact with the outside world without a Magi present."

What's a Magi?

"Concentrate Master." Baal chastised the boy lightly. "I'll teach you about them later, until then one thing at a time. Do I have your permission?"

…ok. Bell relented after a short hesitation. The thought of losing control of his body, even for a moment, terrifying him more then he was willing to admit.

To the goddess Hestia's eyes, her child had stopped speaking to her after she questioned him only for his eyes to widen in surprise and then his whole body began to shake uncontrollably while she panicked on how to help him. Then, after he stopped shaking, the consciousness that beheld her through Bell's eyes were no longer the child that had accepted being the first member of her Familia. The boy's red eyes, that had been shimmering with youthful energy and innocence, now gleamed with age and ancient wisdom. Bell's mouth and face, which had been extremely expressive before, now was set in a passive façade that gave nothing away, and the boy's body, which had been coiled like a spring since Hestia had met him, was now completely relaxed.

"Greetings goddess Hestia." This new person wearing the skin of her precious first child spoke in a deep baritone that sounded utterly wrong to hear coming from such a young man. "I am Baal, the Djinn of Wrath and Heroes, and the Djinn who accepted your first Familia member as my King Vessel. I have, with my master's permission, temporarily possessed his body to corroborate his story to you. Almost three and a half months ago Bell Cranel entered, my Dungeon, slew countless monsters, and succeeded in reaching my treasure room. By doing so he conquered my Dungeon and earned my allegiance. As my Bell's Djinn, I have granted him the potential to wield great power that will assist him in his endeavors as an Adventurer and as a King."

"Wait! What do you mean by King and King Vessel?!" Hestia questioned the Djinn controlling the body of her child. "Is Bell the son of some sort of foreign King, or the descendant of some ancient bloodline?"

"No, Lady goddess." Baal answered quickly. "One needs not to be a descendant of an ancient bloodline or be related to any form of royalty to be a King Vessel. A King Vessel is just that, a vessel chosen by a Djinn who believes that the person in question has the necessary requirements to be a great King. When Bell challenged my Dungeon, I witnessed in him the capacity to be a King, especially through his tenacity and unwillingness to give up. While my last King Vessel may have had more natural talent than Bell, I believe that my current master has even more determination than even him."

"So, Bell impressed you and now you grant him power?"

"That is indeed so. My time is up goddess Hestia, I have little doubt that we will speak again, but for now we must part ways."

Then once again before Hestia's eyes, Bell changed again. Ancient red eyes closed and reopened as blood red orbs sparkling with youth, his lax body filled with tense energy, and emotions could once again be easily read on Bell's young face. The emotion the goddess primarily saw as Bell retook control of his body; confusion.

"Oh, dear goddess. That felt weird."

"Bell!" Hestia gently used her gloved right hand to lift the boy in question's head to look him in the eyes. "Are you feeling ok after letting… Baal… take control of your body?"

After a short period of silence, Bell answered the goddess by nodding his head, his crimson eyes never looking away from her azure orbs.

"Ok then. Let us head to where I've been staying. It's no Familia Headquarters, but it is my home here in the lower world, and now it will be your home as well. Once we are there, I would like you to tell me all about yourself and your time in Baal's Dungeon. But first please tell me, why do you want to be an Adventurer so much?"

A shy smile formed on Bell's lips as his cheeks reddened.

"Well, I want to be a Hero, like the ones Grandpa told me stories about as a kid."

-Half a Month Later-

-Great Dungeon: Floor 5-

Oh, come on! Why is there a minotaur on the 5th Floor?! What idiot chased it down here but didn't kill it?!

Let it be known that Bell Cranel was not happy to be meeting a mid-floor enemy on the upper floors. While the white-haired Adventurer may have scouted the beginning of the 13th Floor, he was in no way, shape, or form prepared to tackle the Middle Floors without using some abilities he would rather keep in reserve. He especially did not want to fight one of the 'newbie-killers' of the Middle Floors so soon, but if he ran from the monster it would either just follow him or attack other, less powerful and prepared Level 1 Adventurers.

And Bell refused to inadvertently be the reason someone else died. That's not the sort of thing a Hero would do.

After ducking out of the way of a swipe from the horned monster's meaty right hand, Bell tossed his Guild provided knife to his left hand while his right fell to his hip and drew his heirloom sword, and Baal's Metal Vessel, from its scabbard.

Well, Mr. Baal, I think it is time to try out that attack for real. Bell's message moved at the speed of thought to the powerful entity that had bestowed his power upon the boy.

"While that does seem prudent, my master." Baal's voice, ever calm even in the circumstance of watching his King Vessel face a minotaur, was as calm and stoic as ever. "Just remember that you will not be able to use it again until you return to the surface."

None of my attacks are getting through its muscles and hide, so I'm going to have to take that chance.

Slowly retreating from the bull-like monster while dodging the beast's meaty hand and jabs from its horns, Bell bided his time for the opportunity to finish the beast in one strike.

That chance came when the minotaur tried to impale Bell with its horns only to stab the earthen wall of the Dungeon behind the boy when her ducked underneath the monsters attack.

Now!

Quick as a snake, Bell's right hand, wielding his Metal Vessel, stabbed towards the minotaur's muscled neck as the white-haired boy cried out the words of his new spell.

"Bararaq Idrab!"

At that moment three things happened. First; the minotaur split nearly in half from the meat of its shoulder to its hip. Second; Bell's sword just missed the monster's neck, as the blow that split the beast had held enough momentum to force the two halves to separate violently, and released a blinding surge of electricity that shot between the two halves of the minotaur and impacted with the Great Dungeon's roof. And third; nearly a litter of the monster's blood violently splashed and soaked the front of Bell, including his snow-white hair.

Now covered in the stinking blood and gore of a 300-pound minotaur, Bell looked through the cut in the dying monster and gawked as his gaze fell upon one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had long and straight blonde hair, eyes a shade of yellow that could easily be mistaken as gold, and porcelain skin devoid of any blemishes. The beauty wore formfitting armor over a pure white tunic with blue trimmings, both of which nicely accented her lithe frame, moderate bust size, and hourglass figure.

"Are you ok?" And the girl's voice held an ensured sense of purpose and innate power, very similar to the voice of the entity that had sworn its allegiance to Bell.

"Y-Yes." Bell managed to choke some words out of his rebellious mouth. Internally Bell was glad that he was covered in minotaur blood, it did a good job at hiding his rapidly reddening face. He had already been helped by this beauty; he didn't want to embarrass himself more by letting her see his blushing face. "Thank you for the help but was just about to kill the minotaur myself."

"I believe you." The blonde beauty quickly looked between Bell and the scorched impact crater his magic had done to the roof. "I apologize for allowing the minotaur to reach you and for stealing your kill at the last minute. You may keep the magic stone if you wish?"

"No! Ah, I mean that is not necessary." Bell waved off the girl's offer after sheathing his sword with one hand while the other rubbed the back of his head, smearing more of the monster blood on the part of his hair that was still white. "I'm just returning from the 13th Floor and I have more than enough magic stones to trade for a good day's take. Please take it, it was your prey, to begin with after all."

"If you insist." The swordswoman sheathed her thin blade and pocketed the stone with a small smile. "I am Ais Wallenstein of the Loki Familia. It's nice to meet you."

Ais held out her right and was not bothered in the slightest when Bell's blood-drenched hand shook hers.

"I'm Bell Cranel of the Hestia Familia. It is nice to meet you Ms. Wallenstein."

"It's Ais, not Ms. Wallenstein." The swordswomen corrected Bell immediately as she turned on her heel and began to make her way back the way she had come. "I'm sorry, but I have to return to the rest of my party. I hope we meet again Bell."

"Me too Ms. Ais!" Bell called back towards the blonde. "Let's meet again one day!"

When the Loki Familia member made to turn a corner and glanced back the blood-covered boy was already beginning his jog towards the surface.

"Hmmm… Bell Cranel."

Unfortunately for the only member of the Hestia Familia, Ais Wallenstein was not the only member of the Loki Familia to see his retreat from the Great Dungeon. Within a pair of wolfish orange eyes mirth and condescension bore into the back of the Level 1 Adventurer.

Down the length of Guild Street, a large causeway that stretched from Orario's northwestern wall to Babel Tower, the residents of the Dungeon City went about their daily lives as normal. Stall vendors peddled their goods to any passersby that drew close, said passersby investigated or ignored the vendors based on their needs, Adventurers returning from the Dungeon either celebrated a profitable day in the hostile environment or grumbled about a day of meager earnings, and, at a wide intersection, the building the street was named for sat stoically, waiting for Adventurers to come and feed its voracious appetite for magic stones.

Yes, all was normal on Guild Street… until a boy wearing basic adventuring armor and who's front, head to toe and hair included, was covered in blood came jogging down the street towards the Guild Building with a wide smile on his face. All around the street men and women double-took at the sight of a boy covered in blood, some reacting with revulsion when they realized what covered the boy while the rest just shook their heads and rubbed their eyes in amazement.

"Miss Eina!" Bell waved as he called out towards a dark brown-haired woman with sharp-tipped ears just about to enter the Guild Building with an armful of documents. "Miss Eina!"

Eina Tulle smiled softly at the sound of her favorite energetic Adventurer. Her green eyes brightened noticeably underneath her frameless glasses and out of the corner of her eye she saw her pink-haired friend and co-worker Misha Flott mimic rabbit ears with her index fingers, causing the dark-haired guildswoman to roll her eyes. With one hand the Guild worker smothered the wrinkles of her suit and straightened her tie and then turned around to look at the Adventurer she was the advisor of… and promptly dropped her documents and screamed when she saw Bell Cranel red as a tomato because he was covered in blood.

"Bell?!"

"Miss Eina!" Bell waved at his advisor. "Can you please tell me about Miss Ais Wallenstein please?"

One quick shower in the Guild's facilities later, Bell and Eina were sitting across from each other with a low couch table separating them. The woman was frowning with a furious look in her eyes and the boy looking sheepish as he swung his legs that dangled from the Guild building's couch.

"You did WHAT?!" Bell's advisor slammed her palms onto the table that separated them, leaning until she was inches away from her Adventurer. "The 13th Floor?! Bell how could you be so reckless? I understand that you have very impressive stats for a Level 1 but going down to the 13th Floor by yourself was incredibly foolish! Just going into the Dungeon by yourself without a party is dangerous! I keep telling you that Adventures don't go looking for adventures!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Bell muttered while looking at the floor. "But none of the monsters I've faced at the Top Floors are as the ones I've faced before coming to Orario. Also, the stones they drop don't trade for much, and my goddess and I are saving up to look for a new place to live without using too much of the money I brought from home."

"Hump…" Eina leaned back in her seat and finally relented, smiling at the white-haired boy for the first time since he had returned to the surface. "Bell, don't you understand how lucky you are? You're a Level 1 Adventurer, with admittedly impressive stats, who less than a month ago hadn't even set foot in the Dungeon yet you escaped a run in with a minotaur!"

Eyes closed, Bell solemnly accepted his advisor's scolding until, without him noticing, Eina leaned towards him again and lightly flicked his nose with her right hand. Startled, Bell's red orbs flew open to see a genuine smile on his attractive advisor's heart-shaped face, a sight that made a light blush dust the boy's cheeks.

"Anyway… I'm happy that you're safe but please be more comfortable in the future, and no more running through town covered in blood."

"Right!" Bell chirped with a wide smile that was followed by him rubbing his legs together and him squirming in his seat. "Listen, do you know anything about Miss Ais, or what?"

Momentary took back by the question, the guildswoman almost cupped her chin in thought before a wide, amused smile formed on her lips.

"Miss Ais… you mean Lady Wallenstein? The woman who had to swoop in and rescue you?"

"No!... Well, ya, but she didn't need to!" Bell stumbled over his words as Eina's smile grew.

"Oh! So, you've fallen for her?!" Eina questioned with a jackal-like smile.

"Maybe…" Bell muttered, his red face again looking towards the floor.

"Ais Wallenstein…" Eina raised her right hand to her chin as she concentrated. "A Level 5 member of the Loki Familia. Probably the best or second-best sword user in town, the gods have awarded her the title of Sword Princess of Orario. Not bad."

"Even I know that much." Bell murmured. "I'd rather hear about the personal stuff; like what she likes to eat? Or is she has a…"

"Aww, you're asking if she has a partner, aren't you?" Eina easily guessed what her advisee trailed off at.

"Ya, does she?!" Bell nearly lurched out of his seat in anticipation.

"I don't think I've ever heard anything like that…"

"Thank the gods." For a moment the only member of the Hestia Familia's eyes glowed in relief and hope…

"But, coming from a realistic standpoint, your chances are slim-to-none." Only for that relief and hope to go down in smoke at the follow-up words of his advisor.

"Remember that you're a member of the Hestia Familia." Eina lectured Bell as they walked towards the Guild exchange area after the Adventurer had reequipped his Guild procured armor. "So, there would be all sorts of problems with you trying to approach such a high-level member of the Loki Familia. Understand?"

The guildswoman smiled gently when Bell looked at her glumly.

"Oh, don't look so upset. Why don't you cash in your magic stones? That will help you feel a little better."

"Ok…" Bell sighed as he dropped a brown bag overflowing with dark, multi-colored stones into an open drawer that promptly closed. When it opened again a bag of golden coins had replaced the bag of stones.

"120,000 valis." A bored voice accompanied the bag of gold. "Have a nice day."

"Thank you." Bell smiled dryly at his advisor as he made his way towards the Guild's entrance.

"Bell." Eina's tone was supporting and comforting. "You know, it is a well-known fact that women are attracted to the type of men that are strong and dependable. Maybe, if you work really hard and don't give up, a stronger version of you might impress Lady Wallenstein one day."

"Ya!" Bell's white teeth flashed a wide smile. "Thanks, Miss Eina! I love you!"

With that said, the white-haired Adventurer jogged out of the Guild's Headquarters unaware of the chaos his statement stirred up in the building's workers.

"Aww, that's sweet." A dwarf that Eina worked with, who had a rather large beard, commented after Bell left, his voice and comment contrasting the high-pitched whistle from Eina's friend Misha let loose. The young man also missed the wild blush that overtook his elven advisor's face because of his words.

"Goddess! Oh, goddess Hestia! I'm Home!" Bell called out into a dark, downwards spiraling secret passageway that be accessed from a hidden door camouflaged in one of the support pillars of an old, rundown church. "Goddess, you'll never guess wha-!"

Bell's sentence was interrupted by a short, dark-haired, and white-clad missile known as the goddess Hestia. The petite deus had launcher herself at her only child with a gleaming smile and shining blue eyes, from her lips came a joyous cry.

"Bell!" Wrapping her arms around her only Familia member, Hestia dragged her child into a deep hug, a hug that brought a flush to the pale teen's face when he felt his deity's luscious mounds press up against him. "Welcome back my sweet Bell."

"Goddess Hestia! St-stop! This is indecent!" Stuck between trying to escape the indecent contact (in Bell's mind) with his deus without hurting her and, in the 'darker' half of Bell's mind that the boy liked to forget existed, enjoy the close contact with his beautiful goddess, Bell froze and waited for the goddess hugging him to stop.

"Poo, Bell you're no fun." Hestia pouted at the boy she had blessed before relenting and releasing the frozen boy. "So, how was your time in the Dungeon today?"

"Well…" Bell looked away from his deus' blue gaze and scratched his cheek, a reaction that filled the petite goddess with dread.

"WHAT!" Goddess Hestia's blue eyes had gone completely wide as she stared at her child in shock. "Bell, you survived an encounter with a minotaur!"

"I didn't just survive goddess." Bell pouted at his deus this time. "I would have killed it with Baal's help is Miss Ais hadn't killed it so fast."

…

"Miss Ais?" Hestia questioned after taking a moment to collect herself. The deus didn't doubt the validity of Bell's claim, she had known that she had given her blessing to an incredibly strong mortal, but for him to already have scouted the 13th Floor and being so close to slaying the most feared monster of the Middle Floors, Hestia felt bad that such a promising mortal Adventurer had to put up with such a useless goddess like herself. Silently she resolved herself to go through with the plan she had been concocting to somehow help her child in his endeavors.

"Ah, Miss Ais Wallenstein. She's a Level 5 Adventurer of the Loki Familia." Bell answered with a shy smile and reddening cheeks.

"And she is the woman who killed the minotaur?" Hestia frowned at Bell's blush, already deciding that she didn't like this woman. Her dislike only grew when, instead of answering, Bell just nodded his head while blushing harder.

"Whatever." Hestia grumbled in response. "Just come lay on the bed, we're going to update your stats. Did you go practice your magic after leaving the Dungeon again today?"

With a grin and a nod, Bell did as his goddess commanded. He removed his leather coat and iron breastplate and then peeled his black iron-treaded undershirt from his sweaty body. Once his upper body, toned from months of battling dangerous monsters and lean from having to scavenge food from said monsters, was bare to the world, the white-haired teen clambered onto Hestia's queen-sized bed, the one she continued to offer to share with him but he always refused with a deep blush and stammering sentences. Afterward, the boy felt the mattress shift as the goddess followed him onto the ratty brown furniture, and the boy only let out a soft exhale as Hestia sat down onto the small of his back, her legs spread so that they were braced on the mattress on both sides of his person. Without looking up from the pillow he had buried his face into, Bell knew that his goddess was going through the process of picking her pointer finger with a small needle. Then the boy grit his teeth to avoid gasping in shock when a single drop of Hestia's blood splashed on his bare, tattooed back.

The first time Bell had experienced this ritual, when Hestia had first given him her blessing and made him into the first of her Familia, he had been unable to hold in the gasp that the drop of her hot-cold blood drew from his lips, and every time he had done it during the rituals that followed after the first Hestia had been merciless in her teasing about how cute she thought it was. Now, however, after more than a dozen of status updates, Bell was somewhat used to the feeling and, with proper mental preparation, he could avoid letting out the sound that his deus enjoyed teasing him about, much to her annoyance.

Following the hot-cold of the deus blood, Bell continued to bury his head into the mud-brown pillow to avoid giggling the entire time his goddess traced over this back and over his floating, glowing, and updating stats (oddly enough both sensations felt the same to the boy). Like always, the updating process took around an hour, during which the young Adventurer's eyelids shut over time and he nearly drifted off to sleep.

"There you go Bell." Hestia broke the silence of the room with her soft voice, at the same time Bell felt the deus' soft hands gently pat his back. "I think you'll be very happy with your growth; I know you have impressed me."

As she spoke, Bell felt the goddess softly place a sheet of rough paper onto his back, over what he knew was his Blessing Tattoo that showed his stats, and gently trace a circle on the brown parchment. Only after the petite woman had peeled the paper from his back, did she get off him and allowed the snowy-haired King Vessel to shift into a sitting position on the bed, where he accepted the sheet of brown parchment from his goddess that showed his updated stats.

Bell Cranel Level: 1

Power: 608 C à 620 C

Endurance: 433 G à 450 G

Dexterity: 561 D à 580 D

Agility: 678 C à 690 C

Magic: 500 D à 535 D

Spells: Bararaq

Developmental Abilities: -

Skills: Dungeon Capturer, King Vessel, Transparent Rukh, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Um, goddess?" Bell looked at the dark-haired beauty that had changed his life. "That weird space underneath my skills, what is it?"

"Huh?" Hestia barely lifter her lifted her gaze from her nails to glace at the sheet. "My hand must have slipped at the end of the ritual, don't worry about it. Why don't you go and get us something to eat while I prepare the table."

Hestia's quick suggestion had succeeded in distracting her Familia from her not-a-lie-but-not-quite-truthful answer to his question and focused his thoughts away from the momentary bout of sadness he felt at his hopes for a new skill being dashed. With bright red eyes and a quickly flashed smile, Hestia's beloved child threw on his black chain-thread shirt and rushed back up the secret passageway to the surface, eager to buy something filling for the duo with his hard-earned valis.

After the short deus was sure that her blessed mortal had left she let out a big sigh that she had been holding back. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Hestia reached for the sheet of parchment Bell had left on the sole bed in the underground room and ran her fingers over the part of the report Bell had been questioning about. With a flash of divine energy, the scribbles that had covered the section rearranged themselves into words. There underneath the skill area of the stat report, the three never before seen skills were joined by one more that she had made show itself.

Dungeon Capturer: Gain extra excelia in any structure considered a Dungeon.

King Vessel: Better chance of finding drop loot, learning new spells, gaining new skills, and finding larger than normal magic stones. Close confidants to the user of this skill also have a chance of obtaining great powers in relative to the possessor's Djinn.

Transparent Rukh: Has Rukh (a soul) that does not conform to any single element, because of this the user can gain skills from unexpected sources.

Liaris Freese: Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings.

"congratulations Bell." Hestia smiled sadly at the new text. "You've gained yet another never before seen skill. Another one that, if the other deus learned about, would see you taken from me."

The goddess' melancholy only lasted a few moments, however, before she grit her teeth and a tick mark formed on her forehead.

"But what the hell Bell! You already have the attention of your beautiful goddess, why'd you have to get such a skill for this Wallen-whatever person!"

Half an hour later, when Bell returned to his goddess' and his abode, he could only puzzle at what he could have done to anger the petite deity, for she barely spoke a word to him while they ate. What she did say to him and that he could understand, something about a cheater and philanderer, only confused Bell more than her glower. His confusion reached an apex when Hestia's mood turned forlorn and she addressed him.

"Bell… Before I met you, I was alone, and I thought I would be alone for the rest of my time in the Lower World. I never want to feel like that again Bell, please don't die in the Dungeon or while adventuring. Please don't ever leave me alone again."

While Bell was still confused about where this worry of Hestia's had come from, he was sure of one thing: the woman who had believed in him and changed his life was scared and hurting on the inside. Absently, the boy's mind wandered to something his grandfather had once said to him.

"Bell, when a woman is hurting on the inside, it is your job as a man to make her feel better. So, give her a tight hug, feel her against you and let her feel the beating of your heart!"

Quickly the white-haired Adventurer moved from his spot at the end of their home's only couch (which was also doubled his bed) so that he was seated right next to Hestia on her side of the couch. Swiftly, so his courage wouldn't fail him, Bell wrapped his arms around goddess Hestia and brought her into a tight hug, trying with all his might to not think of the two fleshy mounds he felt pressing against his chest nor of the rest of his grandfather's advise that he would not be following.

"Then give her a deep kiss with lots of tongue, before using your hands to cop a feel of-"

No! Bell did his best to not let his deus see his tomato-red face as they separated, but by the look of her closed eyes, he had little to worry about. Get ahold of yourself Bell! You're a Dungeon Capturer and King Vessel, act like it! Just act as Mr. Baal would!

"Goddess." Bell let out a small exhale that brought his blush under control. "I swear that I'll never leave you alone again."

"Thank you, Bell." Hestia smiled brightly at the boy even as tears of happiness fell from her azure eyes. "Now we should get ready for bed."

Bell just smiled in agreement, and half an hour later both of them were lying in their respective beds. Hestia snuggled in her queen-sized bed underneath her mud-brown cotton sheets while Bell was situated comfortably on the couch with a thick blanket covering him for warmth. On the room's wall, the only magic stone lamp in the room slowly dimmed, causing the shadows in the room to grow deeper and deeper until the room was consumed by darkness.

"Bell?" Hestia called out into the dark.

"Yes, goddess?" The sole member of the Hestia Familia answered.

"The Feast of the Gods starts in a few days, so I won't see you after you return from the Dungeon for the next few days. I'm sorry." In the dark Hestia's usually upbeat sounded incredibly somber.

"Don't worry goddess." Bell's voice echoed off the stone walls, comforting and positive. "I'll be here waiting for your return, so go have fun with the other deus."

…

"Good night, Bell." Hestia responded after a short bout of silence.

"Sleep well, my goddess.: Bell responded, his tone already showing that he was drifting off into unconsciousness.

An hour and a half later, after Hestia was sure that Bell was deep into Hypnos' realm of dreams, the goddess quietly removed her covers from her person and got out of her bed. Without hesitation, she snuck through the small pitch-black room, lifted Bell's sole blanket from his body and gently laid herself on him in its place before letting allowing it to fall on top of both of them. There; snuggled between her Familia and his blanket, and hidden in the dark, Hestia allowed a content smile to form on her lips as she drifted to sleep.