As agonizing as it was, Bell was thankful for the Valkyries as he rested in the library, writing in his diary as Kojiro dozed off next to him. They pushed him to his utter limit before practically dozing him with mind potions. Brunhilde was always around as they experimented and raised his limit of casting Dragon Fang. Sometimes Hrist was there. Sometimes others were around too. They were just as excited once they heard the news. Bell blushed at the memory.
Hlökk seemingly flirted with him. The motherly individual with the long hair and a simple dress called Randgriz feeding him like he was her own child. The mountain of a woman with bulging muscles Thrud almost breaking his back with her encouraging slaps. His blinked at the last one, his blush vanishing. For some reason Kojiro choked on his food when hearing her name. It took a while for the giant woman to leave her room after escaping to it with crying tears. Even Hrist was chiding the swordsman for his tactless reaction, even as he tried to make it clear that he knew that name and associated someone else with it and was not in fact laughing at her.
Anyway, they supported him a lot. Bell figured out a lot of how Dragon Fang worked as a spell. Technically he didn't need to shout the name of it, which Brunhilde found 'even more bullshit' in her own words. All it required was a mental trigger. However, given how short the name was, it helped shouting it out loud to activate the spell. Not to mention it was safer. He wouldn't want to activate by accident after all once he has the Falna. As of right now, he required a strong image before shouting the name to get the magic fang out in a more visible way. Usually the image of a dragon head biting down on something worked well enough. The other thing they realized was that Bell always needed to do an arm motion, to act like part of the jaw. If he tried to not move at all, even with a clear image in his head, it wouldn't appear.
With all that information, they managed to figure out a routine to push his Mind reserves even without a Falna. By now he could do it about five times until he needs to take a potion. It was not a lot, but Brunhilde was cackling as she shouted something about "cracking the jackpot". Quite frankly, a part of Bell was afraid he might be stuck here forever if he keeps up with his process. He lowered his head with a sigh. Not that his process was a lot at the moment. To his disappointment... all the Valkyries agreed that Dragon Fang was not usable at all for combat. It was too frail, too immaterial to actually hurt anyone. To put it in other words, it was like a thin piece of cloth being slapped at someone. It put quite a damper on his mood in terms of magic. But it also made his desire to reach Orario and gain a Falna grow even more.
His quill stopped when the doors opened, revealing the guests from the Empire. Kojiro immediately opened his eye, smirking as Artoria entered and pulled out a chair. Lusserina immediately flopped down with a groan, kicking her legs up before resting them on the table. The knight politely took the seat next to her and let out a sigh, brushing her hair back a bit as she put her sword down on the table. Ignoring how attractive she looked, Bell bit his lip with worry. They haven't been seeing each other often during these times. Most of the days they were wandering through the city, causing the occasional flash of light and explosion that Bell and Kojiro could feel even from the mansion that was located at the Northern edge of the city. The latter leaned forward, smiling at the girls.
"Long day?"
In response, Artoria shook her head with a sigh. Meanwhile the elf groaned even louder, letting her head hang backwards while throwing her arms up in the air.
"I know I shouldn't say this, but damn it, why aren't they terrorizing more?! It'd be easier to find them that way!"
"Peace, Lusserina." Artoria shook her head with a click of her tongue as she leaned back. "Still, I do admit it's a bit vexing."
"Aren't you doing a good job already?" Bell asked, tilting his head. He heard in passing from the conversations the Valkyries shared that they caught at least a dozen of the terrorists that entered the city and found plenty of hidden bases and pathways. Yet the two women didn't look pleased at all.
"We're catching stragglers, kiddo, but no real nest!" The elf shouted in annoyance, twirling her hands at him before pointing with both of her index fingers.
"So far, I do not feel the enemy is really trying." Artoria rubbed her chin in thought. "Hm. If the source isn't cut off, I fear Altena might suffer serious damage."
Bell pressed his lips together. He didn't know things weren't going so good. But maybe that was the point? The populace would most likely panic if they knew that progress wasn't really made in the large scheme of things. He didn't think much about hiding the truth from others but he could only shudder at the thought if people started to panic during this deadly hide and seek game. He was shaken out of his thoughts when the doors opened once more, revealing Brunhilde stepping inside with a small smirk.
"If nothing else, having you damn monsters around is a hell of a deterrent."
While Bell raised his eyebrow at the term 'monsters' he did agree that having such powerful individuals around, even if he wasn't sure how powerful, at least made people feel a lot safer. Not to mention, from what he heard, every time someone tried to start something, it was like Artoria could hear it from a mile away and stop it in its tracks. Rumors said there were plenty of adoring fans of the knight. Most of them being female weirdly enough.
Anyway, Lusserina scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.
"I'd wish we were more than that!" She wiped a fake tear from her eyes before pouting while crossing her arms. "I wanna go back home and annoy Stefan or Gregor! Teasing you guys is getting stale!"
"Then quit doing that, bitch!"
Artoria shook her head and looked out the window. For some reason her smile fell and she frowned with narrowed eyes. Bell wondered what was wrong but he decided to turn back to the back and forth the two mages had between then. It was certainly not pretty. Ranging from sarcastic remarks to open insults, they threw barbs at each other at any opportunity. Bell had to lean back from that. Was that what having allies were like? Despite the harsh words, they seemed to enjoy their verbal sparring. Bell wouldn't understand why anyone would do that. Why be mean if you wanted to have fun with others? Still, he recognized that some people were different. It was just confusing though.
"Keep acting like that and you will ne-"
"Move the Valkyries to the center of the city."
Lusserina stopped her words. Everyone in the room turned to Artoria who abruptly stood up with narrowed eyes. Brunhilde tilted her head, crossing her arms.
"Why?"
The knight put the chair back into position, holding her chin thoughtfully. She glanced at the Valkyrie before looking back at the ground.
"Call it a gut instinct," she muttered to herself. While Brunhilde and Bell raised an eyebrow at that weak argument, for some reason, Kojiro straightened up his back, humming thoughtfully. Lusserina on the other hand immediately jumped off her chair, eyes wide.
"Ho boy." Without hesitation she began to run out of the library, cupping her mouth. "Oi, Valkyries, to me! Double time, people!"
Brunhilde could only gape at that sight before hastily rushing after the Witch.
"Hey, I'm their boss, you slut!"
As the two women vanished into the distance, Bell shuddered. All of this was happening too fast. One moment they were relaxing and the next Artoria gave out orders in haste. And the reason just didn't jive with the young man. Turning to her, as she concentrated on whatever thoughts she was having, he raised his hand with a frown.
"Should they really move based on an instinct?"
She didn't reply. Instead it was Kojiro who put his hand on her shoulder. With a smile, he glanced at the knight.
"Artoria's instinct is practically a sixth sense by itself." He licked his lips, a grin on his face, anticipation clear. "I would even call it the ability of precognition. If she says they should go there, they should most likely go there."
A sixth sense? The sort that helped heroes arrive in dangerous situations at the nick of time? The kind that allowed one to see through traps and fight someone new as if they were an old known enemy? He turned to Artoria with sparkling eyes. That was so cool! The excitement faded when it truly clicked. If she wanted most of Yggdrasil's forces to move to the center, didn't that mean the greatest danger would be there? But why wasn't she moving then?
As if reading his thoughts, Artoria walked back to the table and grabbed her sword by its sheathe. Turning to the swordsman, she began to attach her weapon back to her belt.
"Kojiro, what company did you two arrive with in this city?"
Bell's eyes widened. The implication was clear. But she couldn't possibly mean... Kojiro seemed to think the same, as he hesitated for a moment. However, he shook his head and then stood up as well with a nod.
"The Night Company."
"South then... " Artoria nodded to herself as she adjusted her gauntlets. With a motion of her head towards the two men, she began to walk towards the door. "Let's give them a visit."
Kojiro followed suit right after. Bell could only stand there, numbly. His thoughts went to Nyx, the awkward goddess who seemed to radiate an aura of terror to those around her. And he remembered her smile. Immediately he ran after them. Catching up, he was breathing heavily as they descended the stairs.
"Wait, are you implying-"
Artoria shook her head, interrupting his words with a deep frown.
"If nothing else, they are involved one way or the other."
/
The first sign of things going on were the mass of people becoming denser and denser the closer they go to their territory. The air itself was tense. Worried. Paranoid. Whispers passed between the citizens as they fearfully watched on. Bell was concerned how they were supposed to get through. Yet as they approached, the masses parted with ease, as if they were mere water in front of a galleon. He gaped at the sight, but shook his head and focused. Whatever aura Artoria exuded, he was thankful for it as they easily passed with the Radiance in the lead. Soon enough, they arrived at the warehouse the Night Company rented out. The sight caused Bell to choke up.
It was ruined. That was the only word he could think of that could describe the sorry state of the building and the people sitting defeated in front of it. Many of the suited workers groaned as they received first aid, their wounds and broken limbs being taken care of. He could even spot Eros, fussing over one of the female workers, his face tear stained and with utter regret, the total opposite to the casual and cheerful face he was used to. The worst was, as Bell paled… that he couldn't see Nyx anywhere. He increased his pace, but the guards moved to intercept. Before they could stop him however, they spotted Artoria, their eyes going wide. Immediately, they bowed respectfully as the Radiance came to a stop, crossing her arms with a frown.
"What is going on here?"
"Well, you see-"
"Please, you have to help us!"
They all turned to the panicking voice. The woman that was being patched up by Eros forced herself up. Suppressing a scream as she put weight on her leg, she hobbled forward, her short red hair messy and getting into her face. She almost stumbled over when the present god caught her quickly.
"They-They kidnapped our goddess!"
If Kojiro didn't put his hand on Bell's shoulder, he would have bolted from that area. His hands were already on his Daisho set, as he was about to pull them out and ready to fight off anyone that was going to hurt her. Only the stern look he received forced Bell to take a deep breath and remain where he was. Eros bit his lip, averting Artoria's impassive eyes.
"They... they came out of nowhere... F-for some reason, they went after some of the crates. Not all of them... " He clenched his eyes shut with a shivering breath. "I tried to use my Charm to make those maniacs stop... but the moment I tried, they killed themselves." He glanced at the covered up bodies before tears dropped from his eyes before lowering his head in shame. "I am so sorry... "
Bell bit his lip. At the sight of the dead bodies. But also at how the other workers of the Night Company forced themselves up, no matter how injured they were.
"P-please, raise your head, Lord Eros!"
"Yes, it isn't your fault!"
"We were just too weak!"
"Enough!" Artoria shouted, causing immediate silence. Bell wanted to glare at her for being so rude, but he realized that they really had no time to lose. The Radiance gave a pointed look at the god, her eyes narrowed. "Where did they leave?"
"West. But that's all we know." Eros shook his head before lowering his head once more. "Please... save her!"
For a moment, Artoria just stared at him before glancing at the other workers. Bell blinked at the sight. For some reason the air felt... strained. Slowly, Artoria smiled just a bit and patted the god on the shoulder.
"We will handle this. Until then, rest and heal up."
With those words said, she turned around and began to walk away. As the workers and the god seemed to sag down in relief, Bell and Kojiro followed Artoria. Yet the albino saw how the knight turned her head for a moment, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly for some reason. But as quickly as the strange expression came, it disappeared, leaving behind a resolute face. Seeing that her focus was back, Bell couldn't hold it in anymore. This was the second time a friend of his was kidnapped. With a shout, he threw his arms up in the air.
"We need more help for this!"
They only had one direction. West. They could be anywhere at this point. Maybe even managed to leave the city via a single entrance the Empire might've missed. The thought that they might fail... he thought back to Artoria's weird order and he felt angry. Why did she do that?! Now they were all gathered in one place, unable to spread out in time! Still, he respected the knight if only Kojiro was close to her so he didn't go off on her. Nevertheless, he decided to voice his objection as he shook his head.
"M-maybe you shouldn't have sent the-"
Artoria threw her hand up, causing Bell to stop in his tracks with Kojiro. She glanced at the latter.
"Do you feel that?"
Kojiro narrowed his eyes before looking down. It was then that Bell felt it too. The rumbling. It started off subtle. Initially he thought it was just his own footsteps or the marching of the citizens. But then it grew louder and louder, far beyond what humans could produce.
Then the air exploded and the ground roared. Debris shot up from the center of the city, accompanied by the screaming of the people. It was then that he saw the... the creature.
It was a monster. A gigantic, green colored monster for it could not be a natural being. The flower like structure opened up, revealing a weird humanoid thing in between the petals. Its mouth opened as if ripping apart a wet, gluelike substance. Its eyes were merely two yellow crosses over what he could only assume were green irises. It stretched its head upwards before unleashing a furious scream. In that moment, as if that thing wasn't bad enough on its own, vines grew all over the city, before the 'heads' bloomed to reveal flowers with sharp mouths in them. Bell was rooted at the sight, unable to move. How... how could this happen? Where did they come from? He thought the only entrance to the dungeon was in Orario!
"Look at that, you were right on the money," Kojiro commented dryly. Artoria clicked her tongue, unsheathing her blade just like he did.
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't."
Bell could only throw up his hands in the air at the events unfolding.
"What the heck is that?!"
