Disclaimer: Listen to SKÁLD's version of My Mother Told Me. It's absolutely amazing!

There is something different about the morning dew of Orario. Something unexplainably weird-but-also-right about seeing the eternally bustling city just on the edge of dawn break. It is still surprising that the eternally buzzing city is not as restless as it is thought outside of the walls. Instead of at nighttime like every other city, Orario rests just before dawn. When the air has that morning mist taste.

Bell always like mornings like this. Even back in the village, he had a tendency to wake up early and just… walk. Or reread Dungeon Oratoria again. Sometimes he even visited the village's blacksmith.

He made it a point to get up early and go to the dungeon until nightfall. He can't waste the chance he was given.

Nodding at the two drowsy guards at the entrance of the dungeon he walked in. Rushing down the stairs he quickly found the cave leading to the Beginning Road. Only taking a few steps, he quickly turned down one of the many paths branching off of the road. He calmed his heart and silence his footsteps as much as he could.

Fortunately, he did.

Arriving at an intersection he noticed a shuffling sound just behind the corner.

'Okay Bell, think!' With that glorious motivation, he took in his options.

First, he could just rush at whatever was there and put his faith in the power of surprise. It definitely isn't human –or just a race that isn't monster- so that helps a bit.

Second, he could just wait until the thing moved. If it came his way then ambush could work. If it went away then that's that.

…yeah, he is definitely not doing option two. Just not his style.

But there is a slight problem. Loki-sama forbade him from being stupid. Rushing at something weird in the Dungeon is just suicide with more steps.

Okay, what is he missing?

'Information.'

How can he get info?

'…stick my head around the corner?' He didn't even finish before vetoing the idea.

Then… he needs something reflective.

Crouching down at the corner he debated that thought. It could work, he'd get information without overly risking being discovered.

But what does he have that could be used as a makeshift mirror?

A thought occurred to him. Unsheathing his knife as silently as he could he held it up to his face. After looking at his reflected face a bit he slowly poked it around the corner.

A Kobold. Nice, since he actually has experience fighting those. Only one though? He remembers them mostly moving in a pack of two or three.

Oh well, should be easy. Especially since it isn't looking at him.

Sending a mental thanks to his trusty knife he slowly stood up and turned the corner. Silencing his beating heart along with his steps he slowly approached the kobold.

He can already see it. One heavy trust to the neck and it's done for.

Three more steps.

Two more.

O-

Barking sounded from behind them, startling not only himself but the kobold as well. It didn't even turn around fully before lashing out with razor-sharp claws to his neck.

Bell is nothing if not proud of his speed though.

Instead of getting his throat clawed out only his knife arm got hit.

Sucking in a breath with gritted teeth he backed away until his back hit the wall and looked around.

Besides the already accounted for kobold, there was another from the other way of the three-way path causing him to widen his eyes.

'Did they bait me?! Aren't monsters on this floor supposed to be dumb?' At least that's what he got from Eina-san's explanation. Before he could panic more he noticed something behind the second Kobold, 'cracks? Wait… it just spawned at the worst moment?' Typical of his luck.

Before he could curse his luck out anymore both of them rushed at him. Though because of the distance between them his failed assassination victim reached his in the time it took him to blink.

Fun fact! Kobolds are fast. Unlike the Goblins –who are mostly generalists with a slight focus on strength- Kobolds put their faith in out speeding their opponents.

Fun fact –this time from Eina-san! Fast does not mean agile! Or dexterous for that matter. Outmaneuvering them is easy.

'Easier said than done!' Bell screamed at his distracted mind. Just because the second Kobold was farther away doesn't mean any less of a threat. Especially since both of the misshapen dogs are clawing at just the space. This is the problem with Kobolds. They might not be smart but they have instincts. And one of them is the instinct to cooperate with another Kobold. It's nothing to write songs about but it is very annoying to someone like Bell who has a small reach.

As a result, neither side can touch the other.

'I need to disrupt them.' He dodged another attack, 'but how?' Another thought jolted him and almost made him take an attack stomach first. Without thinking his knife switched hands and lashed out while his right side dodged another attack, letting the second Kobold fly past him. The first Kobold, slightly taken aback, couldn't dodge the knife stabbing into its skull. Not wasting another moment, Bell whirled around and used to momentum to sink his blade into the second's chest. It, just like its brethren a moment ago, turned into dust. Only leaving behind a nail-sized core.

Wait…

'Is that- it is!' It seems like a core wasn't the only thing left behind, 'A Kobold Nail!' Seems like his first drop item was as well. Putting both into his trusty bag he turned back to loot the other as well.

The same magic stone and the same Kobold Nai-

Wait a minute.

He opened his bag again. There is one in the bag. One in his hand.

One in the bag.

One in his hand.

'YES!' A scream almost tore free from his throat as he happily put away his second drop item. Maybe his luck isn't so bad. Those two should go away for some nice money.

Maybe he could buy another knife? It kind of feels weird not having one in both hands after yesterday's dive.

But first, he needs to stop his bleeding arm. Taking out some bandages –which he is now praising his morning self for- from the bag he quickly checked out the wound and hissed slightly. A bit too deep for his liking but nothing threatening. Probably. It just bleeds a lot, he doesn't even really feel the cut anymore. Quickly wrapping it up in bandages he quickly got back up and returned to walking once more.

This day he will venture deeper.

Yesterday he spent almost his entire day in the dungeon. Gaining experience –and excelia- while fighting monsters. Though he spent most of his time on the 4th floor that only means that he can now fight against around four Goblins at the same time without much trouble. Their stats might not differ but they only repeat the same moves and don't even work together like the Kobolds. Huh, now that he thinks about it everything is better than his nonexistent stat point. That means that the Goblins were actually stronger in that regard.

…Thinking for the win!

Still, unlike yesterday when he was mostly just getting a feel for the dungeon, today he won't dally around. He will fight any monster he stumbles upon but he won't go out of his way to find them. No, he has a goal today –besides getting stronger.

The 5th floor.

He has decent knowledge of the place already. Eina-san spent a lot of her time explaining that specific region starting from the 5th floor and ending on the 7th. She called these the floors like the 5th, 8th, and the 10th floors chokepoints, where the difficulty of the dungeon rises higher exponentially and the dungeon layout changes. New monsters appear and the previous ones either won't spawn anymore or get stronger.

But that's exactly why he wants to go there. The stronger his opponent is the more excelia he gains. The faster he'll grow, the less chance of Loki-sama discarding him.

And it's not like he goes there unprepared. Eina-san's lecture is basically burned into his mind, plus he read some books about the new monsters down there. The only things to worry about are the Frog Shooters and the War Shadows. Respectively their range and agility. Fortunately, Killer Ants only spawn on the 7th to 9th floor so he doesn't need to worry about them. Plus he'll stay close to the staircase. All in all, he has a pretty solid plan.

Now if only these darned Dungeon Lizards stopped dropping on his head!

This is like the fifth in an hour! Don't they have something better to do? Like… uhh- nevermind. Oh well, they are at least easy to kill. Make it drop, dodge, kick, and stab the stomach. He could just stab its back but those scales are pretty strong. He already lost a perfectly good knife in their back, he won't lose another!

…

Well, it might have been slightly chipped… and a bit rusty… and its handle loose…. Okay, it wasn't perfectly good but he still liked it!

Crouching down where the lizard was not even a second ago Bell reached for the dropped core-

-and the green scale beside it?

What?

It took him a second of rebooting to understand what just happened.

'Another?' Is it bad if he is just kinda weirded out? 'Not even two hours in and another drop item? Hm, Eina-san said Dungeon Lizard Scales are mostly used for armor didn't she? Yesterday no drop item in seven hours and now three in less than two.' As he pocketed his rewards he smiled to himself, 'maybe my luck is looking up.' Drop items are good things. Bell gets money, the Guild gets materials to sell, and the smiths get materials to work with. Everyone's happy!

But how should he spend that money? Save it up? … Probably not everything, can't use the money if he is dead due to being cheap with equipment. There is that knife he'd been eyeing…. Or maybe some armor?

Or a hammer for the forge!

Ugh, he really wants to try it out! Spending so much time watching tools created but never making one himself –the resident blacksmith never let Bell- he is understandably curious. There is enough coal, the furnace looked good for use, and he is pretty sure he can find some scrap to reforge. He only needs some tools, and even that is because he doesn't trust the ones in the basement.

No, nuh-uh, nope, nein! He promised himself he would only try out forging when he got stronger.

Lightly slapping his cheeks he refreshed his mind. There is no time to waste on thoughts like that, he needs to grow stronger first. Only after that can he think about doing something else.

Now then, where is he again?

'Whoa,' that was his first thought upon leaving the stairs, 'it's a different color.'

Unlike the greenish-blue tint that the 1st through 4th floors had, the 5th floor has brown walls with green crystals illuminating the hallways. It still has a distinctly cave feeling but of a different kind. Also, unlike the 1st floor's layout –one big path with a lot of branches- the 5th has three identical entrances leading to different parts of the floor.

The floor also has kind of a dusty taste in the air.

'Okay,' he took a deep breath to calm his excitement, 'right is always right. Let's start there.'

He turned to the right door and walked down its path. Hm, just like the previous floor there aren't really any landmarks. Though, he notes with interest, the height and width of the path sometimes change slightly.

As he walked his ears picked up the familiar sound of cracking walls just ahead of him and around the corner.

Lightly smiling to himself he calmed his heartbeat.

'Let's see what this floor can do.'

'Ugh, they are way too fast!' Okay, he might have underestimated how stronger Kobolds get down here. Fortunately, only one of them spawned so he didn't have to deal with their teamwork. But still, it's lucky he didn't get clawed again.

Regardless, he confirmed that he can fight against the monsters on this floor. Even better, without injury to boot.

Standing up and looking around for more monsters he nodded to himself when he didn't find any.

He narrowed his eyes at the path he came from, 'I should get closer to the stairs.' Nodding to himself, he walked back while analyzing his fight.

All in all, the only problem was his surprise. Knowing and experiencing the stat boost of monsters on the chokepoints are two different things. The Kobold had sharp enough instincts to take advantage of his surprise and pressed it heavily. It took half a minute for it to slip up enough for Bell to retake the advantage and finally kill it a few seconds later.

'I really should get another knife. It would have helped a lot.' Yesterday, after the dungeon, he even asked Eina-san if he could buy another Guild knife but apparently not due to some rules. Dual wielding knives is not horribly difficult –unlike what he expected-, he just has to do it smart. One to confuse, one to stab.

"Four," Bell panted slightly.

Surprisingly, or not, Goblins are not much stronger. The only real difference is their increased stats and how many spawn in one place.

It was also surprising that earlier only one Kobold spawned. He didn't really think much of it at the time but it was weird that only one of them spawned. On higher floors, they tended to do so in packs of two or three –depending on the floor- so he expected that only to increase the deeper he went. Well, increase until the floor where they didn't spawn anymore.

But Goblins? They are exactly the same here as they are on the second floor. Besides stat and quantity.

Speaking of stats, he can feel how stronger these green little gremlins are.

Perhaps blocking a club with his knife wasn't a bright idea. Doubly so with his injured arm…

Anyway! Now he has an excuse to buy himself some potions at least? Potions are staple parts of an adventurer's life after all. Better to test them at home than for them to fail in the Dungeon.

Now he just needs to ignore the throbbing in his right arm.

Frogs. Are. Annoying.

Meeting a Frog Shooter was every bit as bad as he thought it would be. Though for entirely different reasons.

Frog Shooters have something of a fame due to being one of the few ranged monsters of the Upper Floors. He thought that evading its tongue would be the worst part.

But noooo. Why would it be that easy?

Instead, it was its incessant need to be as far away from Bell as possible. Evading the tongue was difficult –don't get him wrong- but the fact that the overgrown toad jumped everywhere it could the moment Bell came closer was even worse.

And the ribbiting.

Is it wrong to eat in a dungeon?

Perhaps.

Is he still doing it?

Maybe.

Are the sandwiches he made good?

Yeah.

Sitting in the corner of a dead end a strange feeling descended on Bell. He is only now realizing how weird this situation would be to the villagers back home, sitting in a cave infested by monsters and munching on some homemade sandwiches is not quite normal. For them at least.

It almost startles him how easily he got used to this life, granted this is only the second day of dungeon diving. Maybe it's because he saw people leaving the dungeon with food stuffed in their mouth like it's a completely normal thing.

And it is.

The gap between adventurers and civilians are not only in power or prestige or anything like that. It's also something… cultural? That's how he can best explain it. It reminds him of his journey to Orario and the many villages he visited. There was always some kind of difference between each of them. Words, traditions, people, something was always different.

It's the same between adventurers and the simple people of Orario.

Different traditions, lives, important life events, or even just food. Heck, there are also some different rules! Eina-san only touched on it briefly but she did caution him of their existence.

Maybe he could ask her about them?

Putting away the remaining food and water he cleaned his hands and stood back up. He has only been here for four hours or so, so he still has another four left before he even thinks of leaving. He looks around the room before walking to the only entrance-

-only to stop and look back.

Everything looks the same. The crystals are still slowly blinking. The walls are still brown. And there are no surprise cracks on the wall.

He took a deep gulp of air.

Yep, still the same dus..t..y? No no no, there is something else as well. Something that is setting off alarm bells in his head.

And what's up with that weird shadow?

Loki-sama's words rang in his empty and frozen head.

"If you see something weird in the Dungeon then it will probably kill you."

'DODGE!'

It was that split-second reaction that had his head move away that saved him.

He didn't register the three cuts framing his right eye.

Something in the air shifted, like spilled water the bloodlust burst forward. He would have frozen in place if not for his instincts screaming at him to jump away.

Three wicked sharp blades passed through where his head was until now.

Finally taking a good look at his opponent he sucked in a sharp breath.

'War Shadow.'

The very thing he wanted to avoid down here.

Still, Bell is no newbie –indeed, this is his second time in the dungeon- so he doesn't panic.

Much.

Instead, he goes through whatever he knows about these living shadows.

Fast, agile, and has some semblance of intelligence. The three blades that make his fingers are something he cannot get hit by.

All of this went through Bell's mind in the time he touched down.

He couldn't think anymore as the shadow rushed at him again. Well, rushing doesn't exactly describe it. It's more like one moment it was there and the next it was here.

Instincts that he had no idea he had urged him to back away as fast as possible. Thus those three blades of purple-black shadow only lightly scratched the bridge of his nose.

'Wait, purple?'

As he tried gaining distance from his enemy he took in its appearance once more. A crude depiction of a humanoid shape, arms that hung until where its knees would have been ending in three fingers blades, and the one-eyed head boring into his every move. But the strange part is its misty skin of it. Instead of the edged fading into an ominous red, it shifts into a deep purple.

His thoughts were once again cut off as the six blades descended on him again, making him dodge by the skin of his teeth. This time the shadow followed up with another swing and lightly cut into Bell's back.

Sucking in a deep breath he rolled away only to find the bastard on him again. Still sitting, he scurried back thus dodging the six blades that cut deep into the group.

It's entirely a coincidence that the blades are just inches away from his jewels.

Not dismissing such an opportunity, he kicked the shadow in the face with as much force as he could and sent it tumbling backward. Quickly standing up he tried to follow through but his back injuries prevented him.

As the shadow rose up with a shake of its head he realized something.

The War Shadow is blocking the entrance. The one and only entrance into the room.

'Fuck.' This time it's justified, okay?

As if adding insult to his many injuries a strange sound, one that chilled his back, played in the room. A strange gurgling sound that is so high-pitched it almost hurt his ears. Strangely reverberating off the cave walls, Bell could still pinpoint the source, the War Shadow.

It was at that moment that he understood what exactly is in front of him.

Really, the ambush should have been his first clue. Not unheard of, but War Shadows don't ambush people. Their behavior is more like Goblins in that regard.

The second was its coloring. War Shadow have bodies that seem to suck in light, and misty skin that as it fades away turns into a deep red. Instead this one's fade into a mystifying purple.

The third is the sound. Its chuckling.

The answer came to him not a blink later even as he tried to deny it.

A variant. Monsters that eat their brethren for more power. Sometimes they gain heightened intelligence. Or better described as better instincts to kill its opponents.

Like cutting off the only entrance.

An intelligent and strengthened Newbie Killer in front of one that barely gained his status yet.

Even as panic clouded his mind he remained steadfast.

He won't die here. His time is not yet here.

The War Shadow seemed to take that as an invitation. This time Bell could see it move, if barely, and thus could dodge. The wicked blade cut slightly into the wall behind him but he cared not. Instead of using both hands, he thrust his dagger at the shadow's side. Just as his knife made contact with what would have been a killing blow something like a sledge hammer hit his guts. Even as his mind blacked out for a second he tried to find some way or another out of the situation.

His already injure back impacting the harsh wall was sufficient to bring him to enough awareness that he could dodge the three blades coming at his head. The hand impacted the wall with a metallic 'schling' and a dull 'thud'. Bell didn't think.

He only reacted.

Before he even knew what he was doing a hand impacted the War Shadow's face causing it to stumble back.

His eyes widened even as his knuckles bled.

Variants, monsters that gained strength unnaturally. Sometimes they don't only increase their status but even sacrifice some stats for that purpose. It is rare, very rare, but it has been documented before.

His punch, or even the kick, shouldn't have been able to disrupt it so much.

'I have to buy something nice for Eina-san for that lesson.'

Okay, he has a plan. A dumb play, he admits, but a plan nonetheless.

This time Bell didn't wait for it to regain its bearings. Bulldozing through the pain that erupted from his back he descended on the hunched shadow.

A split second before he could make contact the shadow crossed his hand. But didn't react fast enough when Bell took a page out of its book and kicked it away.

The shadow impacted the wall hard, enough that Bell almost believed that that could break through its fragile endurance.

No such luck.

Bell tried to follow through but his back decided to scream at him at that moment.

Neither could move for a few moments, and instead glared at each other. One filled with loathing for an unruly prey. The other brimming with the same determination that filled him when he promised Loki-sama to be stronger filled with a growing haze.

As if a bubble burst, the War Shadow sprinted at him, brandishing its fingers like claws.

Palpable sick glee filled the room as the shadow thrust its blade forward. The blade-fingers whistling through air to cut his neck.

Just a moment more.

Just a bit.

Almo-

'NOW!'

So close that he could feel the wind on his neck he move away in the nick of time. Instead of taking his head off, the blades instead cut into the blade arm that the shadow saw. But more importantly, the blades cut into the wall once again.

Bulldozing through the pain screaming from his right shoulder, he raised his knife before realizing that he couldn't move it beyond a certain height. Before he realized what happened his knife switched hands and thrust forward. One hand on the handle and the other supporting it from behind and the blade still barely cut into its inky black skin.

There was a moment of silence where everything faded away.

Fine dust marked his victory.

To be fair he doesn't quite remember what had happened.

He remembers the joy of victory, the sheer exhilaration of a survival bled for. He remembers some tired satisfaction and exhaustion so great that he barely made it through the motions. Some surprise and a note to self to check his bag.

Then he remembers something that felt like Eina-san –though how he can tell is a good question- fussing over him. So apparently he made it to the guild. Then he felt something pushed down his throat that felt rather fruity and a nice numbness spreading through his body.

But then what happened?

"…-and I can't believe you were stupid enough to go that deep! I specifically said that you should wait until you were stronger! It was bad enough that you got to the 4th floor on your first day! I swear that you adventurers-"

Ah, he is still in the guild then. He looked up –when did he look down?- to see Eina-san pacing back and forth looking every bit of an enraged Elf that Grandpa warned him about. She is really pretty like this.

…Did he really just think that?

…Maybe it would be good to sleep early today.

Either way, she looks a step away from bursting a blood vessel. And that's a no no.

And he is still alive, isn't he?

'Wait,' he could feel his eyes slowly blink, 'am I?' With that horrifying thought, he regained some energy and patted himself to check if he is a ghost. The relief of feeling corporeal was overshadowed by the realization that he really not only thought about that but also had to check.

'I really need some sleep.' But first, he needs to calm down Eina-san.

When she paced in front of him again he caught her hand, thus drawing her attention. He tiredly noted that had he been fully awake he would've flinched.

"Eina-san," he focused on not slurring any words, " 's alright. I'm okay."

Her face visibly softened before hardening into a different kind of emotion than the earlier anger-concern. Sitting down –only now does he notice that they are in a familiar room- she regarded him with a serious look.

"What happened?" She started off in a calm voice though he could notice some hidden urgency.

He squinted at nothing, in particular, trying to remember what exactly happened, "Uh," he started off uncertainly, "I was eating some sandwiches. They were pretty good-"

"Cranel-san please only say what is relevant. Also, why were you eating in the dungeon? Did you not have any breakfast?"

"Please call me Bell." The words tumbled out of his mouth. Before she could react he answered her, "I had breakfast but I was getting hungry again so I stopped."

"…When did you go into the dungeon, Bell-san?"

"Uh, early. The sun wasn't up yet."

For some reason she looks bewildered before schooling her face again, "I see. Please continue."

"Uh, so I stopped at a dead end. After I finished eating I wanted to leave but felt something weird so I looked back. The War Shadow attacked me but I dodged. After that we fought and I won." He let out a tired, victorious, smile. Why shouldn't he be proud after all? He won.

"For clarification, did the War Shadow ambush you?" She sounded a bit shaken. He gets it, it's not every day someone gets attacked after eating.

"Yes, oh- wait- I forgot!" He straightened up so abruptly that Eina-san recoiled slightly, "that's why I came here! It was a variant!"

Eina-san confusion was replaced with disbelief and so much concern that he almost blushes.

"Are you sure?" She looks a second away from fussing over him, "are you absolutely sure it was a variant War Shadow, Bell-san?"

"Well," He is not actually sure but she can be the judge of that, "it was weird that it ambushed me. It also had purple color and not red. Plus it blocked the entrance and," he blinks at remembering how creepy its chuckle was, " I think it laughed at me?"

"I- I see. Anything else?" There is a definite air of someone that equally dreads his answer and yet has an unquenchable curiosity for it.

"Nope!" He smiled to assuage her worries, before scratching his neck, "Um, could you tell me what was that numb thing that I drank?"

"It was a mid-level potion."

"Though so… how much?"

"Pardon?"

"How much do I need to pay for it?"

"Well," her voice composed itself into her familiar business tone, "normally the Guild wouldn't sell potions, instead storing it for emergencies. I have deemed your situation an emergency and requested one of the mid-level potions. Normally we would charge money for it but as you not only reported a variant so close to the surface but also defeated it I shall make an appeal for you not to be charged." Her voice grew firmer by the end of her sentence, to assuage him from any worries. And, perhaps not-so-surprisingly, he actually feels calmer. Even knowing her only since yesterday and already someone he trusts to a certain level.

No use dwelling on such thoughts, he is still longing for his bed.

Standing up –more like tumbling out of his seat- he bowed deeply. Missing her adorable blush again, "You really are the best, Eina-san!"

Coughing made him look up.

"No need to worry Bell-san. I am your advisor after all, I would be a poor one if I couldn't at least do this much. But I believe you should go," she chuckled slightly, "you look like you will fall asleep any moment."

He matched her chuckles and raised the stakes by scratching the back of his head, "You are right Eina-san." With that said he walked out of the door before pausing and looking back. Eina-san tilted her head before he bowed again, though this time shallower but no less grateful, "thank you Eina-san. For everything you'd done for me. Bye!"

He didn't look back, too preoccupied with his burning face to notice anything else.

'Sofa! My one true love!'

He should take a bath

'But it's comfy!'

He really should take a bath, then sleep.

'But-'

No buts!

'Heh, butts. Hehehe'

He blinks heavily, trying to process that not only did he have a conversation with himself but that very same conversation about baths somehow turned his mind into a gutter. Man, he is so tired he can't even blush anymore.

'Wait, I'm going to fall.' Indeed, it seems like the soft and, warm, and comfy, and fluffy sofa didn't catch him quite right.

'Ouch.' Despite the lackluster tone it did hurt okay? Especially since his back is still tender. It's perfectly fine if he lays on the floor to pull through the great pain he is in.

Though he perks up slightly when he catches something carved into the back of one of the sofa's legs.

'I can't see it from here.' Now the only question is, should he move or pretend that he is still in pain?

Is it even a question that he would give in to his curiosity?

Slowly halfway crawling under the sofa he realized something.

'I can't see it.'

The light fell just at the perfect angle to shadow the carving. He was not deterred, however, crawling until his head poke out on the other side of the sofa he finally glimpse at whatever is there.

N+B encircled by a heart.

'Who is N+B? Someone from the Familia? Must be.'

With his curiosity satisfied he finally notice another, rather important, fact. The underneath of a sofa is not exactly the most hygienic thing in the world.

'Yeah, some bathing sounds rather nice right now. Then sleep.'

'So then why am I here?'

He really should be in bed. It isn't exactly late yet, the sun is still barely reaching the horizon, but he is still tired after today.

So then why is he in the forge once again?

There is something that draws him here, something that calls out to him.

Sitting down at one of the wood tables next to the wall he looked around, perhaps searching for whatever is drawing him in so much. Though before long a yawn almost split his skull.

'Oh well, no use dwelling on it. Maybe if I just lie down for a bit it'll make sense. Yeah… just a bit…'

His head lay down on the table, using his arms as pillows, before finally falling asleep.

And that's a wrap, folks! Did you like it? Hate it? Found it boring as hell? Drop a review and tell me!

People, this story –as of writing this note- has 12 reviews, 42 favs, 58 follows and 812 views (Also 2 communities) …. What the fuck? It has only been like three day since I posted! My gods, I can't tell ya'll how much warmth and fuzziness is in me! I love you all!

Regarding my questions last chapter I not only got a lot of answers, but all of them were positive! Thanks so much my guys!

A lot of people said Loki x Bell with a few Bell x Riveria and even a threesome between them. So I guess great minds think alike huh? (Riveria was actually my second choice for pairing BTW) While I won't say it is set in stone, yet, but if no one else gets this much love then it'll be Loki x Bell. It also helps that –as many pointed out- that there is a severe lack of Loki x Bell fanfics so I aim to change that!

As for the plot I'm glad people don't mind me changing it up. I actually have a very good idea for what I want to do and how I want to do that, I only need to write the inbetween. I dropped some heavy hints as to the How so I hope people will notice it!

Like I expected a lot of people noticed the resemblance to the "Trickster's secret Rabbit" and I'm not surprised. I had some measure of this story in my head ever since I read it but never had the confidence to write it. For those that worry about this being a rewrite, don't worry! I'll be taking this in a different direction. The more the story plays out, the bigger the change.

And I stop being an impulsive little shit and stop changing my plot every second then it will be very apparent soon!

Also, question! The pacing of the story is a big thing for me. If ya'll have any problem with the fic going too fast or alternatively too slow then don't be afraid to yell at me!

Also, if you have any skill ideas for Bell then please tell me! Even if only a name or a description or even a random story from Norse myths I can use it!

Love ya'll!