Hello everyone I've been away for a while and I'm sorry to dissapoint you with a chapter from this story and not one from the dragonoid story, but it will becoming out after this one so fear not.
I'm happy to say that I've figured out a few ideas for the other stories so hopefully I'll be able to write them a bit faster. Also in this chapter we get the point where Ais begins training with Bell and Nuri. Now both bunnies will get knocked out and be getting lap pillows, but just in case PLEASE REMEMBER that the story will be BellxAis with Nuri being a brother figure to both. I believe lap pillows are a safe zone even for a brother, but don't worry Ais will get with Bell. I'll place the, for now chosen, relationships below:
Bell: Ais,Ryuu,Lefiya,Chloe,Kaguya, Eina, Tiona, Haruhime, Lyra, Lilli and Freya so far
Nuri: Ardee, Alise, Astraea, Artemis, Anya, Horn, Riveria, Airmid, Alfia, Alicia, Aki, Anna(Claes)
MikotoxTakemikazuchi
NaazaxMiach
WelfxHephaestus
FinnxTione
OukaxChigusa
OC(captain of Hestia Familia)xHestia
IMPORTANT SO READ!
Relationships listed above won't change so plz don't complain about them, particularly about the Artemis one, I know how you feel, but there are few stories out there and all my other stories that do feature Artemis I'll be pairing her with Bell. So bear with me, otherwise don't read the story or just skip the part.
Last thing I have to say is: I finally understood how to put lines! But its useless since I will probably only use them to separate author
Chapter 7 – The Birth Of The Magic Bunnies
"Ah, it seems I forgot to mention one crucial detail. How careless of me. You see, the cursed weapon apparently increases one's strength in exchange for vitality. That meaning the more you use it, the closer you step to death."
Everyone watching felt a chill down their spines as Nuri showed a cold smile, his eyes distant and glowing with an unsettling red colour. It made for a perfect picture of a villain, a complete opposite to what the usual Nuri appeared to be.
"Bell? Is that the same Nuri I met a couple of days ago?"
"Yes, Kami-sama. The one and only."
Meanwhile, the thug of the Soma Familia wheezed painfully, not being able to recover from making use of the cursed weapon. He raised his head, his eyes looking hatefully at the long white haired boy who still smiled at the man, almost mockingly.
"I'll … kill you!"
"Do your worst."
"You!"
He got up unsteadily, stumbling no differently from when he was drunk. With a burst of strength, he took a wide swing at Nuri who stepped to the side before kicking the man in the stomach. The blow sent the man flying back, while the crimson blade twirled in the air before landing in Nuri's open palm.
"Let's put this here for now."
The rabbit boy gently placed the dangerous weapon on the floor. His attention then returned to the bleeding man, who wasn't any less angry or willing to give up. That however, mattered little to the rabbit, he had his fun, now he was bored and it was time to bring a close to the show. With a movement that matched a level two, the boy struck the man in the face with his fist. Being drained of his strength the man flew a good meder before landing on the cold floor, passed out from the punch.
It went without saying that everyone was left shocked. The fellow members of the Soma Familia glared at the boy with clenched fists, but upon seeing their strongest member getting beaten, along with the terrifying glare coming from the first class adventurers, it dissuaded them from taking any further actions.
Mia was then quick to shoo them out of the pub, not without making them drop a hefty amount of valis before leaving of course. Wouldn't be Mia if she hadn't. The mood, however, was quickly restored as it wasn't too uncommon of a sight for the patrons of the pub. As the various adventurers turned to talk with their respective groups though, the topic of most conversations had now shifted to the white haired bunny.
"Eh?! That was so coool!"
Particularly vocal about her thoughts was a girl sat amongst the Loki Familia. Unlike some of the other patrons who were a little spooked after witnessing Nuri's previous behaviour, the short haired amazon seemed to be unfazed by it. Rather, she seemed to have completely ignored it having seen the ability that had powered him up.
"?"
Nuri turned to the flat chested girl, who wore a brown loincloth covered by a beige pareo. Other than that, the girl only wore a white band around her chest. A very revealing outfit, typical of the amazons. The young amazon had short black hair and a pair of green eyes that stared at him with twinkling stars.
The bunny quickly grabbed the bag with his weapons before making his way back to the table, taking his seat between Astraea and Bell. As soon as he sat back down, Alise was immediately all over him, grabbing his head under her shoulder and ruffling his hair.
"You put up quite the show for us didn't you?"
It seemed like even the ever cheery Alise was as unfazed as the amazon girl. Looking at the two green eyed women, Nuri noticed that the two were very similar in a way. They were both girls who seemed to be full of energy and joy. That and they were both loud and troublesome, besides being battle junkies. The only apparent difference so far, is that unlike Alise, the amazon girl didn't seem interested in showing off her beauty.
"Now that's what I'm talking about when I said that he was pretty good. Also the evil side … it suits you well."
Bete also looked happy with the outcome though his last comment was met with a whack from a jade haired high elf.
"How did you do that?"
A quiet and soft voice spoke, getting everyone's attention. As soon as he spotted her, Nuri recognized her immediately. Not because she was Ais Wallenstein, the level five Sword Princess of the Loki Familia. No, he knew her by another identity.
'Ais Waldstein, daughter of the Mercenary King Albert Waldstein and the Great Spirit of the wind Aria.'
Though he wouldn't say that out loud, after all it would only raise questions and no one is supposed to know after all.
"How did I do what?"
The blonde knight pointed at the bag and at that moment Nuri understood what she was asking about.
"Oh that. Well I can't say too much, but let's just say that the weapons I wield cannot be used by anyone other than me. Those who are not recognised to be worthy can neither wield nor cut with it. The moment someone other than me tries to use it, the blades will become unmovable and their edges will lose all sharpness until they return to me."
"Can I try?"
The jade haired elf looked curiously as Ais never took any interest in things that were unrelated to fighting and the dungeon. With a nod from Nuri Ais grabbed the sack and used all her strength to try and lift them up. Everyone cheered her on, particularly an orange haired elf, but was unsuccessful at even budging the brown bag.
It shocked everyone that even a level five could not so much as move the raven swords inside the bag. Seeing that, the amazon girl from before rushed forwards, stopping only as she came face to face with young bunny.
"What kind of weapons do you use?! I really want to see! Hey! Hey! How about sparring wit-ow!"
The excited girl was stopped immediately as someone smacked her in the back of the head.
"I am very sorry about my idiot sister. I'm Tione Hiryute by the way. The moron is Tiona."
"Hey!"
Nuri couldn't help but chuckle when faced with the pair of amusing sisters.
"So what kind of weapon is it?! Does it look cool? Is it like blazing red?!"
Tiona asked with the same degree of excitement, while her sister sighed.
"Sorry but I can't really show you."
"Eh?!"
The girl looked really bummed out as Nuri told her that.
"Our Goddess told me and onii-sama to keep them a secret, sorry about that Tiona-san."
Bell explained and only showed her an awkward smile as she pouted at the two bunnies.
"Stop prying into other people's businesses."
The high elf bonked the girl on the head before dragging her back.
"Eh? But I'm really curious?"
.
Hours later, the bunnies left with Welf, though not before Ardee pounced on Nuri once more and had him promise her that he would be more careful. Having said their goodbyes to the Loki, Ganesha and Astraea Familia, the two bunnies also parted ways with Welf right outside the pub. The two couldn't help but smile awkwardly as the red haired smith kept on grumbling about how it was unfair that they seemed to be so well acquainted with Alise, Ardee and the others.
As they arrived home the two deposited their weapons before turning their attentions to the books Astraea had given them. Back at the pub, right before the two bunnies left, Astraea snuck the books into Nuri's sack. When the older sibling looked at her with a raised eyebrow the Goddess only gave him a wink and promised him her full support no matter what.
"What do you think these are onii-sama?"
Nuri looked at them for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise.
"No way, these are grimoires."
"Really? Astraea-sama got these for us?!"
Nuri nodded with a bright smile, the idea of learning new magic excited both the bunnies. At the same time the two couldn't help but feel extremely grateful to the Goddess for her gifts. The two weren't estranged to the value and price of these two books, yet Astraea had went out of her way to get them for the two bunnies when there was no need to.
If the two siblings had to guess, Astraea acknowledged their heroic will and all the old heroes had magic. In response to their heroic desire the Goddess generously supported them in whatever way she could, just as she had promised them.
They sat onto the sofa, each with a grimoire in their hand, no matter how much the two grew, acquiring magichad always been a dream of theirs. 'The origin of magic.' Nuri and Bell read the awfully intriguing title with brimming curiosity and excitement. Entranced the two wasted no time to take into their mind each and every word and meaning in the book.
Magic is a force that originates from before the ancient times, before the age of heroes, before the spirits and Gods descended on Gekai. It is a mysterious force that can do anything. It is shaped by the user's will and can be a source that brings life or one that brings death. It was born from the land when Gekai was created.
Absorbed by the grimoires, the two didn't notice neither the rapidly passing time, nor the rapidly fading surroundings. They had read many books before, but there was so much they didn't know and so much more that the wished to discover. The grimoires explored the origin of magic, how it is acquired, how there are different types and much more.
Thankfully, their grampa was knowledgeable and had taught them many languages as well as making the study many different subjects. Their grampa had also went as far as teaching them the language of the Gods and many of the old, lost and forgotten languages. Due to that there was close to nothing the two couldn't understand.
There are two categories of magic, congenital and acquired. Congenital magic is magic which is based on the deepest roots of the user's qualities and race. The more ancient a race the more affinity it has towards magic. Acquired type is magic which depends on the blessing of a God. Acquired magic has endless paths, it can be any kind of magic and is greatly affected by excelia.
It was as the two kept on reading that they began noticing a subtle difference. The book had stopped being written in Koine, but it wasn't in the godly language nor was it in any language the two knew. Instead, the characters seemed to resemble more magic runes. How the two of them were reading them like they would a text, the two didn't know.
However, it was at this point that the two began noticing that they were losing their connection to reality. Even so, they didn't stop, they kept on reading as they gradually found themselves in an empty void. Only the book they read and their own body was present in the black abyss.
If you want magic, then ask for it. If you want magic, then shatter it. If you want magic, then brake it. The mirror does not allow deception, lies are not needed.
Both rabbits watched a reflection of themselves speak to them with a voice that was not theirs. They eyes seemed to peer into the depth of their soul, bringing out the truth out of them and carving magic into their own soul.
Let us begin.
The two silently watched and waited for whatever was to come.
What does magic mean to me?
'It is a flowing essence, the source of all power, a power beyond anything anyone has ever seen, the power of nature, able to shape the land and bend the laws of this world. Omnipotent. Destructive. Yet controllable.'
What does magic mean to me?
'The source of inspiration and hope. A power that let's one turn the tables of war. A weapon, but not the strong sword of a warrior, not the heavy shield of a guardian nor the healing hands of a loved one. It is the power of a hero, to give hope to the people and bend the will of this world to their desire.'
What is magic?
Here the two siblings diverged for the first time. Nuri imagined magic to be like ice and snow.
'Cold and frosty like snow. Engulfing anyone and everyone like an avalanche. It is pure like the desire of a hero. It cleanses evil and brings forth justice. It cannot be escaped, freezing the oceans, the earth, the heavens along time and space. None can avoid the inevitable.'
Bell on other hand, saw magic as the thunderous strike of a lightning bolt.
'Scattered in multiple strikes. Fast yet precise. White and bright like the hope at the end of a dark tunnel. The strength to wipe out evil and bring forth justice. None can stop it, not the oceans, not the earth, not the winds nor the fires.'
What else is magic?
Together the minds of the bunnies joined once again as the many heroic tales set fire as a key component of magic. Their voices a melodic tune, the rise of two heroes.
'Fire. A great blazing fire. Mystical, unknown, a multitude of colours. A force beyond comprehension which burns away all enemies. A fire which burns away corruption, burns away the evil. It cannot be stopped, not by heaven nor earth. It burns bright and strong, only the end of all evil stops the fire, when everything is burnt and nothing stands in the way.'
What do you seek in magic?
'To be stronger, to prove my worth, to stand up to any adversity. No wall is too strong to be broken, no mountain is too tall to be climbed.'
What else?
'I want to be a Hero, I will be a hero. Like a fool I long to become that of myths. A hero recognised and welcomed. No matter if its vanity or if it is a delusion. An existence that does not match this world. A hero to my family and loved ones, one who can protect the innocent, those I love, I care and cherish. To be able to protect anyone and everyone.'
Pitiful, but honest.
'Sorry but that's us our truest self.'
It is indeed.
The reflections smile contently, satisfied and accepting of the person he is. The poor bunnies black out, their minds and souls overtaken by the magic. The grimoire had now given them magic and it turned blank. Nuri was the first to wake up to a beautiful Goddess studying his reaction.
"You read it?"
"Astraea, I didn't expect you here."
The Goddess pouted and cutely poked at the bunny with her finger.
"Eh? You don't want to see me? Is that what you're saying Nuri?"
The bunny began panicking as soon as he heard that, waving his hands around.
"Wha- no, no, no that is not what I mean at all. I was ju-"
"Hehehe."
Astraea placed a hand on the panicking boy's head, shutting him up. Slowly she began ruffling his soft and fluffy hair.
"I know what you meant, Nuri. And it is indeed unusual, it is six in the morning after all."
Hearing that, Nuri looked out of the window to see the sun barely reaching the top of the walls. Nuri sat there for a while before turning to Astraea to ask why she was here, but the Goddess beat him to it and answered the question before he could even ask it.
"I have to meet a Goddess, whom I really don't like."
The Goddess then waved her hand as to signal him to forget about that, instead she gestured him to turn around and lay on his front.
"Off with the shirt little bunny. Let's update your status, I wonder what kind of magic you will have learnt."
As she updated the blessing, the Goddess noted that he was getting close to levelling up and informed Nuri to keep working hard. What really caught her attention, however, was the chant less spell that he had acquired from reading the grimoire.
Nuri Arcadaea Cranel
Age: 16
Familia: Astraea
Race: Human
Alias: None
Level: 1
Strength: E421 – D537
Endurance: F313 – C688
Dexterity: F388 – C624
Agility: F325 – C699
Magic: H144 – E389
Skill:
๔̶̨͈͎̋̀͝เเ̵̢̛̩̝̘̰͐ภ̵̠̭̘̻̈́є̴̵̢͖̺̪̄͑͑͗͂͘๔̵̝̹̖̪͕̓г̴̡̡̣̿̕ค̵̲̈͠ﻮ̴̫͐͑̌̓̏͝๏̷͇̞̀̐̒̂͝ภ̵̴͔̻͚̘̩̰̹̍́̾̿̈̀̽̕๒̷̼̿̿̈́͜ɭ̷͉̘͖̤̿͜๏๏̷̤̬̮̬̒๔เ̵̧̘̰̮͊͂̐̚ภ̵͎̻̹̗̠̀́̔̕є– -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Gloriosum Liaris Freese – Increased growth. Growth related to the user's feelings, stronger feelings, faster growth, renders immune to charm. Effects are exponentially increased based on how dangerous the situation is or the desire to protect someone arises. (active)
Argonaut – A heroic strike, an attack that charges up with time, white and blue sparkles appear when active, the longer it charges the stronger the power. Current charge time: 3 minutes. Concurrent Chanting: Not Achieved
Incarnate Arms – Ability to move weapons or objects by sheer will at the cost of mind.
Divine Star Blade – Passive skill that allows the user to be able to use light effects, breathing styles and infuse magic in the blade.
Grand Leviathan Breath – The power of the leviathan that has been received by the user condenses in a breath that surrounds and envelops the user. It will grant power and raise the level of the user by a level. It lasts five minutes and can only empower the user
Magic:
Ext-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Fireflake – No chant magic that fires a bolt of mystic fire that encases a core of ice. When the fireball explodes, both fire and ice attributes explode. If either element is cancelled out from an outside influence the balance between ice and fire in the bolt will fall apart causing a massive explosion of the opposing element.
Snowfire
Astraea smiled fondly as Nuri showed her a beaming smile, as he read the effects of his spell. Though no matter how responsible he seemed, getting a magic spell was a massive achievement even for him, so the Goddess of justice didn't spare him the lecture, where she explained that he shouldn't use it too much and the consequences if he were to be found passed out due to a mind down.
"I trust that you are well aware of the consequences of overusing magic, yes? Because it will get you killed if you were to go casting it without regard for your safety, but I know you are not like that."
Her eyes narrowed as she eyed him seriously.
"I won't be happy if I hear that something of bad happened to you as you used magic."
Nuri gulped at the stare the Goddess gave him but nodded understanding her worries. The Goddess sighed before pulling Nuri into a hug and ruffling his hair, it was just irresistible when his hair was so soft.
"Good work out there, Nuri."
.
Nuri was often careful and always assessed his situation and future actions, just like Astraea and his uncle said to do. He wouldn't do something of dangerous or things that will make others worry unless strictly necessary, but even for him, having learnt a magic spell he just had to try it out for the first time.
That is why Nuri headed for the dungeon, down to the first floor where he found a group of goblins. Seeing his targets, unaware of the looming danger, he pointed his stretched out hand towards them and shouted out the chant less spell.
"Fireflake!"
A blue and white flame shot out from his hand and flew towards the goblins. As it impacted in the centre of the group of monsters the flame turned bright azure before it detonated killing the three goblins instantly, leaving behind only scorch marks and frost.
'WOW! This is so awesome!'
Nuri couldn't help but feel excited before he regained his composure, the image of Astraea, Ardee and his aunt came to him.
'No, no, bad Nuri. I have to be careful, nothing of stupid.'
He told himself mentally as he kept on going deeper in the dungeon firing fireballs left and right, every monster in his path was incinerated or frozen to death. The foolish bunny only stopped as he felt an imminent mind down. Thus he decided that it was time to stop before he regretted it.
Besides, he had no intention of passing out alone, not in the dungeon at least, otherwise he'd surely die. If he didn't he certainly would at the hands of Astraea, Eina and Ardee, the moment they heard about it. Fate, however, was not going to allow it.
As the rabbit turned around a roar echoed through the room. It was a war cry that he was very familiar with, if only because it had nearly killed him once before. The rabbit slowly spun around to find himself looking at a very menacing half man, half bull monster.
'Again?!'
The white haired boy glanced down to take in his own appearance. His dented armour and a small knife. No swords, as he had left them behind in favour of taking a quick and short trip to the dungeon, which now turned into a rather extensive trip as he made use of his own magic, which is what landed him in this situation.
Nuri had two choices, run away, hoping it wouldn't catch him, but risk that the minotaurus went to higher floors and threatened other adventurers. Or face it here using magic as his only weapon but risk a mind down, but due to the continuous use, he was low in mind and thus it would be a gamble whether or not he survived.
It took him only a couple of seconds to come to a conclusion. He quickly discarded the idea to run and immediately engaged the monster by throwing the knife that was deflected by the minotaurus' horns. The distraction though was enough so that he could activate his level up skill, argonaut and gather his mind to focus it into a single powerful spell.
The bunny dashed forwards and slid under the arm of the bull that swung at him, before landing a kick in its gut with all of his strength. As the monster went to scream in pain, Nuri stuffed his hand into its mouth before unleashing his spell.
"Fireflake!"
The blast sent Nuri flying back onto his back, causing him to groan. As he looked back at the monster, he saw how the monster's neck was now missing a head and was instead coated in charred ice. Unfortunately, his head felt dizzy and his vision was going black as his consciousness began to fade.
Just as he passed out, two adventurers soon came running from the path the monster came from. From the way their weapons were at the ready, it seems like they came after the minotaurus. As soon as they spotted the body of the adventurer they rushed to his side, while also noticing the corpse of the headless monster.
"Riveria, is he okay?"
The blonde girl asked as she and the jade haired elf checked on the downed adventurer. As they got close enough to see his snow white hair, the two immediately recognized him from the night before. Riveria analysed his body, sighing in relief as he was alive, while Ais quietly observed Riveria take care of him.
"Just a case of mind down it seems."
Ais was as surprised as Riveria was when it was revealed that apparently he had magic.
'We nearly got him killed again. Haa, I can't believe how unlucky he must be. Though I'm glad it was him, if it was anyone else, they would definitely be dead.'
"Riveria, I want to make it up him."
The high elf turned to Ais, not expecting her to suddenly care about someone else. Even if it was guilt for chasing a minotaurus into him twice. Even so, the emotion of worrying for someone else and wishing to take care of them was an improvement that she hadn't seen in Ais. She was happy but there were a few thing she'd have to check with the rabbit boy, so unfortunately she'd have to disappoint the girl.
"Sorry Ais but no. You'll get another chance, for now head back. I'll stay here and check on him."
Ais pouted, showing her disappointment to the jade haired elf. Her frustration however was pretty understandable, everyone kept telling her she'd get another chance to talk to the two bunnies but was always stopped. But no protest was heard as a look from Riveria clearly signalled that the conversation was over. With a cute little pout the girl stomped away.
The elf looked at the boy before unconsciously extending her hand and ruffling his soft looking hair and his hair was indeed soft. Riveria blushed slightly as she questioned her own actions, too focused on patting the bunny's head. She looked around, carefully making sure no one was around before taking the head of the bunny and slowly placing it on her laps. She prayed that no one walked in on her, other wise news of this would spread, shocking everyone.
'Then again, Astraea seemed to have a close relationship with the two of them.'
Or so the elf told herself as an excuse to what she was doing. The elf no matter how mature was still a girl and couldn't help enjoy this small moment she had to herself. Silently she enjoyed the action of stroking his hair which soothed and cleansed her soul. The blush on her face didn't recede as it would invite many misunderstandings if anyone saw her.
.
It was only a few minutes later that Nuri's eyes fluttered open. His blurry vision made it hard for him to see what was in front of him. He could see the dungeon walls but at the centre of his attention was the silhouette of a person. Without realising the boy extended his hand up, cupping the tender cheek of the person looking over him. From the sudden flinch, the person must have been surprised but they neither protested nor pulled away.
"M-Mother?"
"I'm afraid I am not your mother."
"Kami-sama?"
Nuri heard a wonderful giggle come out before the woman answered.
"I'm not your Kami-sama either."
Her facial features became more apparent as the dizziness vanished and her green hair became clearly distinguishable in the boy's mind. The sleepy look turned into one of shock as he now realised who was currently looking over his unconscious body.
"R-Riveria?!"
The teen made to get up but as soon as he tried he was stopped by Riveria with a hand to his forehead.
"Slow down and calm down."
"But-"
"Yes, it is embarrassing for me too and no, I don't know why I'm doing this. But I guess you kind of reminded me of a vulnerable bunny. Your innocence, well mostly innocent personality, just has that power of pulling people in I guess. Both you and your brother."
With a bright red dusting, the boy watched Riveria in silence and rested his head on her laps. Only after being fully rested, the boy got up and turned to offer his hand to Riveria. He then remembered that elves were very particular about touching someone who they don't acknowledge. He was going to retract his hand when she grabbed it with her slender and dainty fingers to pull herself up.
"Have you forgotten how you touched my face?'
Her look suddenly changed to a curious and teasing one with a smirk making its way to her face.
"What's with you calling me mother, did I remind you of her?"
She asked but quickly noticed that she must have touched a sore memory as Nuri lowered his face dejectedly and his eyes seemingly losing their spark.
"Sorry, I didn't kn-"
Nuri shook his head. He didn't know why but Riveria just gave off the motherly feeling that made you feel safe. Normally Nuri was a very cautious person who would hardly trust someone, but he had heard much of Riveria from Astraea and Alise. That and her personality just made it easy for him to open up to her in ways that only Astraea had managed.
"It's fine, but you are right, you do remind me of our parents."
Hearing him call their parents 'our' made her feel a heavy weight tugging at her heart.
'It must have been difficult for him and Bell.'
"Well it's less because of your appearance and more because of your kindness and your caring side."
The bunny spoke with a dreadful look, gazing down at the ground. Riveria noticed his fists clenching, a tear in his eye ready to spill.
'What had he gone through?'
He really looked like a vulnerable bunny in her eyes. Without speaking, she felt a force pull her forwards and before either of them knew, she leaned close and pulled him in an embrace. She didn't know what kept going through her mind but she didn't mind this time and tightened her grip around him/
"It's ok. I don't know anything about your relationship with Astraea or your Familia but she trusts you so I will as well. Though I understand you just barely met me, if you chose to trust me, know what I will help you however, I can. Don't be afraid and let it out."
Nuri let his tears spill out, returning her embrace. Riveria didn't want to ask about his past, clearly dark and full of despair and pain, but she didn't have to, she could tell a fraction of what he went through. Eventually he would open up on his own to her.
"You can call me mother or mother Riveria whenever you want."
She spoke gently as Nuri looked up at her.
"But… I heard from Alise that you don't like it."
"I'll make an exception for you and Bell."
She smiled and radiated a warmth that made Nuri felt safe and loved. Something he forgot about since last seeing his grampa. Riveria didn't expect her to act like this but as she said before, she knew Astraea very well and decided to trust her, thus trusting that Nuri was a good person.
Nuri hugged her tightly again, grateful to her. How long had it been that Riveria smiled like this, how long had it been since she was so happy? After spending a few more minutes in the embrace the two decided that they should head back. On the way back however, Riveria remembered his mind down incident and scolded him for that. No matter what happened, the boy would never outrun the high elf's scolding.
"To think we'd chase yet another minotaurus into you. I'm really sorry about that. Even so, you really are a magnet for irregularities, aren't you?"
Nuri could only laugh while scratching the back of his head. As they arrived back on the surface Nuri turned to Riveria to thank her for her actions.
"Thank you, for everything … umm … o-oka-san."
Riveria smiled happily without holding back her joy. She then handed him the magic stone that from the minotaurus that he killed before parting ways. Riveria waved at the boy and disappeared in the crowd, leaving the little bunny alone.
After exchanging the magic stones Nuri headed back home. Looking at the sky, it didn't seem to be noon quite yet meaning that Bell was probably somewhere else in the dungeon while Astraea must have returned to the Stardust Garden.
As he arrived home he noticed that one of the windows was open, allowing a gale of wind to knock over a stack of paper that the Goddess of justice used to update their status. He closed the window and with a sigh he began gathering the scattered sheets of paper when he noticed something of peculiar. One of the sheets had fallen over one of his raven blades and the spot where the two objects met seemed to glow a little.
"Huh?"
Nuri sat down on the sofa before grabbing the status sheet and the blade. He spent several minutes studying the reaction when he suddenly got an idea. Why not try to infuse his mind through it? He had no idea where that idea came from but as he tried that his eye widened in shock.
Divine Dragon Blade (Astral Kairos) Abilities:
Stigma – Prevents wounds from healing with auto regeneration, skills and magic.
Itto Shura – User sharpens senses and brings out full power by focusing its strength, increasing status by 50%, puts a lot of stress on body and consumes stamina.
He had named the blades Astral Kairos after returning from the dungeon one day, thinking it sounded cool. He then analysed the paper with the blades' abilities on it and was shocked how the swords had abilities, not only that, but they worked exactly the status of an adventurer. He looked curiously at the description of Itto Shura. He then focused on Stigma, the ability was passive and would be very useful, particularly against self-regenerating monsters.
It would also be very useful against adventurers that have healing abilities or healers in their party, but he immediately shook that idea away, there really shouldn't be any way he would engage in a fight against other adventurers, right?
'Tomorrow me and Bell will go down with Naaza and Welf, hopefully it all goes smoothly.'
Nuri looked at the clock, it was still just barely noon, he'd rest for a bit and head back to the dungeon in order to meet up with Bell. That is when he realised one crucial mistake he made. He had forgotten to set up a meeting with Bell meaning that he would have to chance upon Bell. That was difficult when the dungeon was as big as it was.
'Yabe.'
.
Just a little after Nuri had left that morning to test his magic out, Bell began waking up as well.
"Astraea-sama, good morning!"
Bell happily greeted her and like Nuri he asked why she was here.
"Just wanted to see if you had read the grimoires that I gave you yesterday. I updated your brother's status a little while ago and I have to say he gained an interesting magic spell. He just left by the way in case you were searching for him."
The word magic sparked excitement in his eyes, while Astraea stifled a giggle as she saw Bell. Signalling to come over, Bell sat down next to her. Astraea curiously looked at Bell removing his shirt and was excited to see what kind of magic he would get. As soon as he removed his shirt he turned so that his back was to her and she proceeded to update his status.
Bell Cranel
Age: 14
Familia: Astraea
Race: Human
Alias: None
Level: 1
Strength: G283 – F375
Endurance: F329 – E412
Dexterity: G275 – F364
Agility: F367 – E459
Magic: I0 – I0
Skill:
๔̶̨͈͎̋̀͝เเ̵̢̛̩̝̘̰͐ภ̵̠̭̘̻̈́є̴̵̢͖̺̪̄͑͑͗͂͘๔̵̝̹̖̪͕̓г̴̡̡̣̿̕ค̵̲̈͠ﻮ̴̫͐͑̌̓̏͝๏̷͇̞̀̐̒̂͝ภ̵̴͔̻͚̘̩̰̹̍́̾̿̈̀̽̕๒̷̼̿̿̈́͜ɭ̷͉̘͖̤̿͜๏๏̷̤̬̮̬̒๔เ̵̧̘̰̮͊͂̐̚ภ̵͎̻̹̗̠̀́̔̕є– -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Gloriosum Liaris Freese – Increased growth. Growth related to the user's feelings, stronger feelings, faster growth, renders immune to charm. Effects are exponentially increased based on how dangerous the situation is or the desire to protect someone arises. (active)
Codex Of The Guardian – Increases stats of the user when protecting someone. The more the user is injured while protecting someone and the more people he is protecting, the higher the increase.
Magic:
Cha_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Firebolt – No chant magic that fires a fire ball surrounded by lightning. Strikes the enemy with fire and lightning on impact.
She looked at his status, the stats hadn't gone up a lot, but that was to be expected as he hadn't gone to the dungeon since the minotaurus incident. His magic was pretty similar to that of his brother, normally the length of the chant dictated the power of the spell, to the exception of chant less spells, those were rather unique and their power unknown.
Just who were these two brothers? Both had unique and rare abilities. Never had she seen this before, she was overwhelmed by the two, her question repeating in her head again and again.
Before leaving she left a note to not use the spell as it would take time to be able to use it, and unless both Nuri and she herself stated so, he was not to use the spell more than once. She knew Nuri had the ability to judge Bell better than anyone, so she'd leave it up to him mostly to decide when to allow the usage.
.
Astraea soon arrived at a bar, the meeting place with her fellow Goddess. She frowned at the thought, she didn't like it, not one bit, she knew Freya was watching her… no she was watching her two white haired rabbits. She had no doubt that the two were involved, that somehow, they caught her eyes. She entered the building with the same elegance that she always carried with her. She watched as the door opened before her and a boaz stood towering over her.
"Ottar."
The boaz gave a short nod and moved to the side to let her pass, before leaving and heading to the dungeon. She was rather surprised that he wasn't going to stay, usually he'd stay, never leaving Freya's side undefended. The Goddess of justice also noticed that the place was devoid of life. It was unusual to see her set a meeting like this.
Taking a seat at the opposite end of Freya, Astraea curiously wondered as to why she called her, though deep inside she already knew, she just didn't want to believe it. Freya lifted her gaze from her cup to look at her, a gaze that would melt away the mind of a mortal, but virginal Goddess was well aware of her charm abilities, her ability to get anything she wanted with just a smile.
"What troubles you Freya? We could have met in a few days at Ganesha's banquet."
"I heard that even my little old friend Hestia is going, she just recently descended from heaven, I'm honestly surprised she managed to find herself a Familia with her attitude."
Freya stayed quiet for a while, the silence only serving to fuel the tension and make the Goddess of justice suspicious.
"Astraea dear, you already know why you are here, don't pretend that you don't have something that belongs to me."
The woman replied coldly breaking the silence, Astraea's eyes narrowed dangerously as her eyes went from the city outside to her fellow Goddess.
"Fear not, I won't be taking them with me, just yet. I'll allow you to raise them for a while longer."
Astraea had always been calm and collected, but the way she laid claim to her bunnies filled her with a wrath she didn't know she had. Acting like she owned them and like she could take them whenever she wanted to it was too preposterous.
"You must have mistaken something Freya."
Luckily her rational side won and allowed her to maintain a calm figure before the Goddess she'd wish nothing more than to teach her a lesson.
"They were free to join whichever Familia they wished yet I was lucky enough to be chosen by them as their Goddess. They are my children and if you think of them as just objects that you can get your hands on then, you are sorely mistaken."
Freya leaned on the table as her patience also seemed to be running thin.
"They'll stay with you for now, but I will come for what's mine."
Freya concluded aggressively as she rose and headed down the stairs covering herself with her hood.
"I do hope it will be a peaceful exchange Astraea, I'd hate to see your children without a Goddess."
The Goddess of justice turned to Freya with a look that she had never wore before on her face.
"Are you threatening me? Doing so is the equivalent to attacking Orario. We are here because incapable Familias like yours cannot maintain order and justice in this city of adventurers." The divine woman glared ferociously at Freya.
"I can assure you that even if I go back to Tenkai, I will make sure to drag you along with me."
Freya simply smirked at her remark as she looked back at her.
"My, my, Astraea, overprotective, are we? Will you risk everything for them?"
Astraea scoffed but didn't hesitate to answer.
"I will."
.
Bell was in the dungeon going about his usual day of monster hunting. As he was randomly wandering the fourth floor he had been lucky enough to chance on Nuri, who after a break had went back into the dungeon. The two them moved onto the fourth floor.
"Hyaa!"
Bell swung his knives easily slicing through the goblins and kobolds that they met on the floor. Its sharpness was truly otherworldly, but from what they remembered Hephaestus saying, this was hardly their limit. Just like Nuri's swords, the knives were living weapons and would grow along the user, meaning that they could become even more powerful. It just needed time for Bell to grow to the point where these abilities could be unlocked without overwhelming Bell's body and mind.
Though the continuous appearances of irregular monsters had nearly killed them at every turn, it definitely helped them gain a lot of experience and right now they had more experience than an average level one. That and they knew that their growth rate was abnormal due to their skill.
However, what was even more exciting to them was what awaited them tomorrow. For the following day it would finally be more than just the two of them. They would finally be able to venture the dungeon with a genuine party. Their excitement, however, didn't push them any lower as they decided that going any lower than the fifth floor would only gain them a lecture from Naaza and Eina.
As Bell grabbed the stone of the kobold he had just killed, Nuri's ears twitched, hearing the sound of paws fluttering on the ground, he quickly spun around slashing the weapon as a figure jumped out of the shadows. The monster turned to ash as soon as the blade tore through the body of the kobold.
"You've gotten stronger."
A large boaz stepped out of the shadows causing Bell to yelp in surprise. Nuri turned to look at Ottar and couldn't help but admire at mountain like warrior.
"Hi! It's been a while!"
Bell happily spoke and waved at the massive man.
"New armour, well crafted."
Ottar observed their new gear while Nuri wondered why he was on the fifth floor. They certainly were not expecting to see him so soon since last time it looked like he was heading for the lower floors, somewhere the two have yet to explore.
"Thank you, your advice came in useful and it saved us."
"Hm."
The boaz nodded approvingly.
"Come."
The two had bowed to the warrior to show their appreciation but as they looked up they realized he was already walking away so the two ran after him. Soon realising they were being taken down to the sixth floor, maybe lower.
.
There was a thick tension in the office of the captain of the Familia. Astraea had gathered Alise, Kaguya and Lyra since they knew about the rabbits. She then went ahead and told them what transpired with Freya. Alise sat at her desk holding her throbbing head in her hands. It was too much for the captain of the Astraea Familia to suddenly be presented with such a situation.
Astraea meanwhile stood by the captain as she gazed outside, looking at her children beneath her going on about with their business. The two other members were pacing around the room trying to come up with an idea but all three children ended up with the same conclusion. The situation was quite troubling for sure.
"Can't we just bring them into the Familia officially? I don't think we can do anything else and I will never accept my cute little bunnies ending up in the arms of Freya."
Like usual Alise got straight to the point and expressed her wish to bring them into the safety of the Familia.
"Bell and Nuri are fine as they are for now. She was very clear that she is not about to make a move on them."
"Still, you are risking a lot by keeping them secluded like that, they are being exposed to dangers. If Freya found out, isn't there a chance that someone else will catch on? Particularly with their recent interaction with you and Alise?"
Lyra knew something was bound to happen, after all, their Goddess had often and openly interacted with the two bunnies and she had not failed to notice how Loki and Ganesha along with their high ranking executives seemed to be suspicious.
"If not, let's move them somewhere closer to our current location, rumours are that Ishtar is starting something, mobilizing and planning for something big, if she were to discover that the two are Freya's objective …"
Kaguya trailed off now wanting to imagine what could happen.
"What happens between Freya and Ishtar is none of our business."
The Goddess of justice let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding in.
"Besides, the two are much too innocent to get involved with her."
Alise couldn't stand this, the idea of leaving her adorable 'little brothers' at the mercy of the 'slut' that was Freya.
.
Bell was terrified, at least he would be if he had the chance. They were currently far below the fifth floor or the sixth floor. They were located on the tenth floor, a floor that they didn't expect to explore for at least another week or two. Bell had his knives at the ready surrounded by laughing imps and with heavy armoured armadillos rolling into the fray of monsters.
Nuri together with the boaz were standing far at the side, watching as Bell thought against the monsters. The boaz stated that Bell needed more intensive training and experience compared to him and as such he shouldn't join in. The laughing imps were the first to act with their superior agility and charged at the rabbit from all sides.
Bell quickly swatted the first two imps aside with a backhand, before cutting down an imp straight in front of him. The first two imps came back at him. He kicked one down to the ground before slicing at its chest, killing the monster.
Bell dodged the first two swipes from the monster's claws, then raised one of the knives blocking the sharp nails of the imp's last attack, making the metal screech as it made contact. He backed up after pushing the monster back and slashed in a wide arc, cutting off the head of the imp.
The dungeon, however, was a cruel and petty being, spawning two new imps behind him as it did not yield. The two monsters jumped towards Bell. Too distracted from the other monsters, Bell did not see them coming, but before they could reach him a blue firebolt collided with one of the imps exploding, while the other one was met with a rock that splattered its head.
The siblings were surprised by the boaz's sheer force, to be able to kill a monster with a rock. Then again, the two remembered that they were being trained by the sole level seven of Orario. Bell soon returned his focus on the two armoured armadillos that began rolling towards him.
The armadillos had a very thick armoured skin, and with his strength Bell his knives wouldn't pierce the hard skin of the monster. He had to create an opening and strike the underbelly of the armadillo. The armadillo charged, rolling down towards him. Seeing it come Bell raised his two knives to block the impending attack, which sent him skidding back. He rooted his feet into the ground to stop the skidding before pushing back with all his strength.
Losing its balance the beast fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the momentary pause by the monster, Bell ran to the side and sparta kicked the armadillo on its side, allowing him to sink his two blades into the belly.
He gasped as air resumed entering his lungs, having unknowingly held his breath during his fight against the armadillo. He retrieved his knives from the corpse of the monster, his eyes focused on the monster that so far proved the hardest to kill.
"Focus."
The deep voice of the boaz reached the ears of the boy, snapping him out of his thoughts. Just in time for him to hear the thundering roll of another armoured armadillo drawing closer. Knowing he could continuously counter the armadillos in the same way he did before, Bell rashly tried to attack the armoured wheel that rapidly approached him. As expected, the knife bounced off the hard shell, causing Bell to be hit. The body of the rabbit went flying back and landing on the hard stone floor.
Wanting to finally test his own magic, Bell aimed at the monster that had now turned around and was now rolling towards him. Shouting out the name of his spell, Bell unleashed an electric bolt of fire that launched towards the monster. The bolt slammed into the rolling armadillo killing it by burning its outer body and electrocuting his inner body.
Bell smiled happily, as his spell is just like he imagined in all of the tales he saw. He would now be able to cast fireballs like the great wizards he always admired. He turned to the boaz and Nuri who stood to the side, as he went to return to their side, Nuri who was standing by the boaz, used one of the fingers and poked the air in a gesture to look behind him.
Bell followed his gesture and his face turned somewhat pale as he did so. Two bulking figures emerged out of the fog, their heavy bodies stomping loudly as they drew closer. They crossed the field of white grass, attention solely focused on Bell.
Meanwhile Ottar, seeing that Nuri hadn't done much, sent the other brother to face a challenge. With his more advanced training and status, he deemed him ready for a fight with a stronger monster, an infant dragon. Infant dragons were powerful monsters, that were considered the floor boss of the upper floor.
"You won't get stronger if you don't strain your limits."
Albeit a little hesitant, Nuri nodded and disappeared after spotting an infant dragon nearby. Seeing it up close the older rabbit couldn't help but feel a little sceptical but he dared not question the boaz and he also knew that he would get a good amount of excelia if he succeeded in slaying it.
Back to Bell, he observed as the two pig headed orcs easily towered over him, being at least three to four times bigger than Bell. While approaching, one of the orcs grabbed a nearby landform and pulled out a club out of it. The only cloth that the orcs wore was a large old hide which they wore like skirt.
"Focus on taking one down then move onto the other one."
Bell nodded as he heard the boaz speak. Looking at the two he targeted the one with a weapon as it had more reach and thus more dangerous.
"The magic stone is in the centre of their chest."
Bell charged the orcs, which with club raised it aimed for the small rabbit. Bell barrel rolled forward under the legs of the other orc. The orc followed Bell with its eyes and swung as it got within range, but missed, slamming the club into the other orc instead, knocking the monster over.
While the orc was falling, Bell spun around and slashed the back of the armed orc with his long knives. However, its thick muscles caused the blades to get stuck. Bell let his grip on the hilts go so he could jump back and avoid the large hand that tried to swat him away.
Bell immediately ran around and jumped straight forwards, kicking the knives that were lodged into the back of the monster into the thick body. The knives went all the way through the orc and pierced the magic stone in the monster's chest causing it to vanish in a cloud of black ash.
With each fight Bell imagined himself getting stronger. He wished to get closer to his brother, to the heroes of old, to the heroes that were his aunt and uncle. To become a beacon of hope and a heroic spirit. A hero that would overcome any challenge. He screamed out his desires with every monster he killed, like his grampa had told him, so that he would become the coolest hero.
The boy though, barely had any time to catch his breath or collect his thougohts as the other orc approached him. Hearing the thumping stomps of the monster Bell turned to face the orc. As the orc got it's fist ready to attack, Bell felt a force compelling him to fire off his magic. What he did not realize was the white light that clad his right hand.
The swirl of white and blue lights swarmed his hand, growing brighter by the second. Bell thrusted his hand out with his palm open and unleashed his spell. The firebolt, enhanced to break all limits, burst forth in a beam of white fire and lightning. Brimming with power, the beam burnt through the orc and completely incinerated all monster that found themselves in its path. Only the scorched earth and the purple magic stones laid in the path of the enhanced magic spell.
Bell fell down to his knees, his vision growing darker each passing moment. He saw the orc breaking up and turning into ash and a boaz towering over him. All he could hear before he passed out was the voice of the boaz.
"Mind down?"
.
"Bell?"
The soft voice broke through to Bell. Opening his red eyes, the boy was treated to the sight of a beautiful half elf.
"Thank god you're alright."
She smiled at him, while the boy tried to make sense of his situation.
"Eina?"
Still dazed the boy looked around before he suddenly shot up and looked around. To his confusion what he saw was that he was in a Guild room and not the dungeon where he last remembers being.
"WHAT?! HOW?!"
Eina couldn't help but giggle at the cute response by Bell as he still tried to remember what had happened.
"Bell."
The happy and carefree attitude was gone, instead scary spartan Eina returned.
"Care to explain why you were unconscious in front of the main Guild hall?"
Bell didn't know how to explain it and was sweating in fear at what Eina might do. Before she could kill him, the door opened and Nuri entered just in time to save the poor bunny.
"Sorry Eina, I brought him up after he collapsed in the dungeon."
Bell nodded, now remembering bits and pieces of what happened.
"Guess I over did it a little?"
Eina sighed at him, just as he made the mistake of blurting the last words of the boaz that he could recall.
"A mind down maybe?"
"A mind down? Did you use a spell or something?"
Eina's eyes narrowed as soon as the words came out of Bell's mouth.
"Well … maybe?"
"You already have a spell?! And you just use it so irresponsibly?!"
Once it began, there was no stopping it, so the two simply resigned themselves to their fate. The bunnies, however, couldn't help but smile a little through Eina's lecture. They knew she was overprotective, but she did it because she cared. After spending time and learning from Eina they started seeing her kind of like an older sister, something they never had before.
She didn't want them to die that much was obvious to anyone, which is why she lectured them whenever they'd get into trouble. Afterall, an adventurer's life is one full of perils and you don't know when one would suddenly perish and never come back. The two knew very well that he very next time they go into the dungeon it could be their last. To not mention that with the sheer amount of irregularities recently, the possibility was certainly there. Luckily for them Eina was then interrupted by a few loud knocks.
"Excuse me a moment."
The two nodded as she rose from her place and went to the door.
"Misha? I'm with my adventurers."
They couldn't hear what Misha said but the fact that Eina's posture went completely rigid told them it was something of important.
"Please do excuse me for a few moments Nuri, Bell."
The two were left alone momentarily, but just as fast as she disappeared Eina had returned.
"Eina, is there something else? We have to go …"
Nuri trailed off as he saw that there was someone behind her and that someone was the person was Riveria.
"I apologise for interrupting, but I was looking to speak to the two of you."
Eina motioned for Riveria to take a seat and much to her shock the high elf sat next to Nuri. Given that Riveria was a high elf she didn't expect that of her, but decided not to poke her nose in someone else's business.
"I'm glad to see the two of you are both fine. Just a little while ago, Astraea-sama has asked me to do her a favour."
"A favour?"
"Yes, she asked me if I could spare some time and teach you how to use magic."
"Astraea did?"
"Yes, though I don't know what your connection to Astraea-sama is, I can tell that she greatly cares for the two of you, so I will do my best. Besides, I have met Nuri earlier this morning and having spoken to you personally I am more than happy to accommodate Astraea-sama's request."
Eina was surprised to hear this. To have such a friendly relationship with Riveria and Astraea made Eina suspicious. At the same time she glad to hear that Riveria herself would teach the two, particularly after having heard of Bell suffering a mind down.
"Thank you for taking your time to teach us."
"I'll contact you in a few days to set up a meeting."
The three left the room and were about part ways as they reached the entrance of the Guild when Ais arrived. Riveria was surprised to see the blonde girl, while Ais was surprised to see Nuri and Bell with Riveria. Before anyone could react, the girl was standing right before the two bunnies.
"It seems like Ais wants to talk to you."
To confirm what Riveria said Ais nodded.
"I never really got to talk to you."
Now that both Nuri and Bell were here Ais immediately apologised for her actions, for both the minotaurus and when she accidentally attacked the older bunny. Nuri and Bell consequently apologised for running off and not properly talking to her. Seeing they were both bowing and apologising the three stifled a laugh, though Ais' was more of a giggle.
Riveria had taken a step back and watched with surprise from the side, as she never saw stoic girl giggle. Seeing things were going smoothly she decided to leave the three to their own business and left. Just then Ais noticed that they were gathering quite a bit of attention, so she proposed to move to a more secluded area, to which both Cranel brothers happily agreed.
Being with the Sword Princess, Nuri and Bell also got quite a few glares that promised death. This was born out of the fact that Ais was known to be the Doll Princess due to her stoic behaviour. She never went out of her way to interact with anyone.
The knight was only focused on the dungeon, and seeing her hanging out with two boys while talking to them … well, it was quite a shock to the adventurers just as much as it was fishy. She was also beautiful, beautiful enough to rival the beauty of the Goddesses and was known to have rejected a thousand love requests. So it was understandable where her popularity came from. On other hand, whilst talking to her Bell and Nuri also discovered that she was quite the airhead.
"I have seen you fight the monsters, and I am quite intrigued by your sword style, I have never seen it before."
Ais' interest in fighting came to light as soon as the conversation turned to Nuri's sword style.
"Oh, that, it's a good style but it's a little rusty."
What he did not reveal, and Bell knew, was that the reason why he couldn't properly use it wasn't because he hadn't practiced in a while but the fact that it brought up some bad memories.
"Then you need only practice. Isn't there someone in your Familia who can help you?"
Nuri and Bell nodded before explaining that there was no one to teach them about fighting in their Familia.
"Then, do you want me to train you?"
The question took them by surprise, Nuri probably didn't need it but it would have been useful to learn a new style and incorporate it to his own and it should also help gain excelia, mostly in the endurance section, he knew he'd get thrown around like a rag doll from the experience he had with Ardee. For Bell though, this would be incredibly beneficial.
"Is it really ok?"
Seeing her nod, the two were not about to let go of such an opportunity.
"Then yes, thank you."
They gladly accepted and for an instant they could have sworn that Ais smiled, but just as quickly as it appeared the smile was gone. Wanting to start as soon as possible Ais then had the bunnies follow her to the city walls.
"This will be our training area."
The next few minutes they discussed on how to train but ultimately it ended with a sparring session, showing would have been quicker than having to explain it after all. In an instant the difference in level was noticeable and after a few strikes, both Bell and Nuri were getting overpowered.
In an attempt to dodge, Bell slightly slipped, which earned him a kick straight to the face. This illuminated Nuri on the fact that that Ais was not so great at holding back when fighting. Meanwhile, Ais surprised by her sudden force wanted to apologise but before she could Bell just collapsed putting a stop to the training session.
Ais wanted to make it up to him, for the minotaurus, for the kick to the face and being a terrible teacher, even she could tell from the look she got from Nuri. She then remembered what her mother and Riveria used to do for her, deciding to do the same, she sat next to the boy and gently raised his head, placing it on her laps.
Nuri watched as Ais started patting Bell's hair before sitting down, leaning his back against the wall. Silently he thanked Bell for getting knocked out as it gave him a chance to have a break from Ais' first class beating. Meanwhile Ais felt like her soul was being cleansed by the boy, for the feeling was inexplicable. She kept patting the boy who rested on her laps for a minute before he started to open his eyes. As expected the moment Bell saw her he rolled a few meders away, his face beet red.
Ais pouted, wondering why the two kept running away whenever she got too close, back at the bar too a few days ago, she had tried to approach him but he had ran away. At least that is how she saw it in her mind.
"Did you not like it? Is it because I'm scary?"
Bell was surprised by the question, not expecting one of Ais' insecurities to be how others saw her, that and he was a little ashamed that the impression she gave her was that he was scared of her.
"No, it's not that, I like it, and you are not scary at all, you're beautiful."
Bell was panicking and started blurting out stuff without thinking. Ais' cheeks showed a slight red hue for a second before disappearing.
"Then why is it that you run?"
"It's because … it's too embarrassing to be like that when awake."
Ais suddenly seemed to be cheered up.
"So it's because you're awake, so its fine if you are unconscious right?"
Bell nodded at the weird question, what he hadn't noticed that Nuri did was the glint in her eyes when he nodded.
'Aya, he just messed up.'
As they resumed their sparring match, it took only a couple of minutes before Bell was knocked out again. And it was soon later that Nuri realized his own mistake. The glint in Ais' eyes wasn't only directed to Bell but to him as well.
"Well, let's wait for Bell to get back up."
"What are you saying? You're still ready to go."
"Eh? What? Ais wait, st-oof!"
And to the ground fell the other rabbit. Ais then gingerly grabbed the two rabbits and placed their heads on her lap, using one hand for each head to run her fingers through their heavenly soft hair. The airheaded girl happily hummed enjoying the feeling of patting her bunnies until the cycle repeated itself.
And so it went for the next two hours. They got knocked out countless times, and countless times they received lap pillows, though they felt like Ais was trying less and less to hold back her power. The sun was dipping below the walls by the time they reached the end of the training session, more like lap pillow session. From there they agreed to meet in the morning every day from now on for training and to keep it going until her next expedition which wouldn't happen for the next month or two. Happy with the outcome Bell and Nuri waved goodbye to Ais and headed home, the same thought floating in the heads of the two bunnies.
'Let's hope nothing bad happens tomorrow.'
~To Be Continued
As usual I hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter.
I know that Riveria is like a mother figure and it will remain so for Bell, but that doesn't mean it can't change and considering I intend to pair Alfia with Nuri I decided to pair the high elf with the older bunny as well. As mentioned before people might not agree with it, but you are not compelled to read it, you can just skip the part where the RiveriaxNuri happens besides it won't happen for a long while anyways so don't worry about that. I will put a reminder and a big big disclaimer when it will happen, with Artemis as well.
So allow me to say now: YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD AND WARNED.
Please look forwards to another chapter of the dragonoid one, which will be coming next, with a few revelations of Bell's past. Goes without saying that there will be a lot of Genshin elements and my fav character which I simp for will be introduced as well.
With that said see you next time, have a great and safe weekend :)