Grunts were heard on the top of the wall again. This time, this was far more intense. Royalty was mercilessly beating on a rabbit. The rabbit was stubborn, however. Every time they knocked him down and out, he was given a lap pillow by the Sword Princess. The Sword Prince did not do such a thing. What he did do was run a hand through Bell's hair and marveled at how soft it actually was.
"How does he keep it so soft?" Axton asked, his eyes looking to his sister. Up here, he doesn't have to worry about flinching from touch. He was going to explain that sometime today, once the whole Familia is together again.
Ais, meanwhile, had a good-natured smile on her face. Even though they have been sparring with the rabbit all morning, they haven't sweated a drop. The boy, however, was in a torrential downpour. It didn't matter to Ais, she still laid his head on her lap. "I don't know but I think it is softer than yours."
The younger Wallenstein nodded, "I'd disagree, but since I'm your precious little brother—who has a maturity level above you—I will not throw a tantrum." He winked at Ais to let her know he was teasing.
So far, it was Day Three of Seven for training, and Bell has improved by leaps and bounds. He's not going to transform into a hero overnight, but with time, patience, and a burning passion to succeed, he just might. He has learned to not make super flashy moves, dodging—mostly—and enduring the pain.
Both siblings did not let up on him. If anything, the boost to his status was probably monumental. They just didn't know by how much. "Mmm…"
"Wakey wakey, we got another round to go through," Axton said, standing and loosening his muscles. "You were out three minutes longer that time."
Bell mumbled something before easily rising off Ais's thighs. She clearly was upset but Axton stopped her, shaking his head. "I like it when he's there…" He now wanted to unhear that. Bell still had flushed cheeks, so he at least knew that was the position he was in.
"Alright, moving on," Axton swiftly changed the subject, "Let's try some hand-to-hand real quick. So, your knives are unnecessary." Bell nodded before putting his knives by Requiem. When they fight, they keep them in their sheaths. At this point, they are fighting Bell with strength equivalent to a fresh level two. It's more for his protection than theirs. If they fought him at their full strength, then there might be more splashs of red on this wall.
We don't want that, do we?
As for Axton, personally, he's been...better the past two days. He's at leas-
Actually, no, he's doing god-awful. He's having trouble sleeping, and if he does, it's restless. He hasn't seen Lefiya like he wanted to. It feels like she's avoiding him, and since she's often with Riveria for magic lessons and tutoring, interrupting was a bad idea. The only time he sleeps was when he was too mentally taxed to even wake up. He was at least eating. Nothing bad developed there, but he also became acutely aware of eyes on him. The stares he normally writes off are now feeling like they just know what's going on.
For now, he's keeping it to himself. It's better that way, he justified to himself, even if it sounded hollow. He was going to talk to the rest of his Familia later on about what was going on with him. If it helps, then he'll be somewhat at ease. What they don't know is of his trips to the Dungeon. He goes in, down to the fifteenth at the very minimum, and just tears into the monsters who dare accost him. He'd go lower if it wasn't for that woman. She could be lurking, just waiting for him.
He knew he wasn't going to be able to go on the expedition.
"Uhm, Axton?" Bell's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He could feel Ais's curious stare, "Are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine," he responded and he pointedly ignored the glare he was getting from his lovely elder sister. "Now, ready position, remember to keep your thumb outside of your fingers lest you want a dislocated thumb and weeks of after pain. Since I said hand-to-hand, why not allow kicks as well? It does compliment your developing fighting style. We'll go until I say, deal?"
"Deal."
Axton took a slightly more relaxed stance that he's trained himself in. He was counting on Ais to point out his own mistakes. Sure it seems like he had it all down, but he came to find out that he was not perfect. He never expected himself to be.
"Begin," Ais said, keeping a very close eye on her brother. He's not as sneaky as he thinks he is.
Axton launched himself at Bell coming in with a right cross, which Bell dodged but that was only a feint. A left hook came and crashed into Bell's torso. He lurched for a moment before sending a calf kick to Axton's left leg.
Once Bell missed, Axton lowered himself to the ground to sweep out the young boy's legs. Feeling his leg connect, he rotated and landed a kick to his armored chest and sent him tumbling across the wall. A few grunts later, Bell stood. "You still good?"
"Yeah."
"Then...come at me, bro," Axton taunted. He even did the little taunting hand wave. Bell didn't rise to it but approached regardless. Axton could see the analyzing eyes of the boy. It was something that was like a breath of fresh air. Bell came straight at Axton and did something that even he didn't expect, a flying jump kick.
The move itself isn't difficult to pull off, it's getting the momentum and the situation right. Both were good, with a straight line and plenty of space. However, the young boy didn't seem to realize that he was dealing with someone who has studied this form of combat for a lot longer.
Okay, it was almost a year but the point still stands. A year is nothing to people who have studied CQC for their whole lives. Letting the boy pass by him, he turned and aimed a right jab into Bell's armored back, aiming for the right side of his body. He could hit his chest wrong if he hit too hard. He could damage his kidneys if he aimed too low. So, Axton took to punching the armored sections of Bell.
He stumbled forward before turning and taking his time to analyze again. Then, he came after him again.
Ais watched as the two boys punched it out for the next hour. His stamina was impressive for a fresh adventurer. When Ais offered to take her brother's place, Bell flushed. Axton understood immediately, and something he picked up on, Bell would not punch a woman's chest. Dare Axton say Bell wouldn't touch a woman's chest even if he had permission. That wouldn't include the bedroom but come on the kid's fourteen...he's probably got an idea of a harem or something. It is not unheard of but rare in this day and age.
A rare breed, Bell is.
"We keep that up, we might get Fist Fighter on our status before long," Axton joked. He would literally have to give up Requiem if that was to ever come to pass. He's always had respect for Tione, Tiona, and even Bete for being that close when it came to fighting. Him learning hand-to-hand is something that was a fallback in case he ever lost his weapon. Never know when that might happen.
Hence why this was also training for him. He'd ask the Amazon twins for help, and they would be glad to help if they knew what to do. They had to learn on the fly. So it was their natural instinct to know where and when to block, strike, and counter.
Bell was hunched over and panting. He was most likely rethinking his life's choices. Axton shifted his pose to a relaxed one, as Bell waved it off. His knuckles were bruised, some of them splitting. "You might want to put a potion on that before you decide to enter the Dungeon."
"Thank you."
"For?" Axton inquired. Normally, thanks are for after they were done with training as a whole; not during.
"For training me, I still have someone, some people, to surpass," Bell said, scratching his cheek.
Axton snorted, "Don't thank me here, thank us for when it saves you in the Dungeon. I've already seen too many people descend, only to never ascend again."
Ais cuffed Axton over the head for that one, "Don't scare him."
Rubbing his head, "What? I'm not gonna lie to his face. He deserves the truth, and what's with that look?"
Bell chuckled at the sibling antics taking place in front of him. In doing so, he brought the attention back to him. It did make him miss his grandfather but he wanted to become stronger, to be a hero. He did know how to enjoy the little things. "If you're still laughing, you still have enough air to do one last sparring session. Ais will take my place. She gets a lap pillow when she knocks you out."
Bell gulped as he saw the glint in the Sword Princess's eyes. He learned what it meant when a girl desires something, she'll strive for as long as it takes. In this case, it took about ten seconds for what she wanted.
Lap pillows. And a lot of them.
Axton didn't bother to hide his chuckles. After their training, as they descended down the wall, with Bell in between them, both felt something was off.
They ignored it in case they wouldn't move on them when they swung by the Jagamrukun stand to pick up Bell's Goddess, Hestia. The loli Goddess then berated Royalty for 'stealing Bell-Kun's precious time' and Axton withheld a snicker and somewhat pitied the poor boy. A Goddess as possessive as her may not be the right fit. What does he know though? His goddess is a pervert in her own right.
To make it even better, Bell defended the siblings, thanking them for helping him, so he can survive in the Dungeon. Still, Royalty wasn't idling around, listening to the humorous banter between deity and child. They were focused on the presence they could feel lingering around. "Alright, where do you live, Bell?"
"Eh?" That's a random question, Bell thought. "Western side of Orario."
Axton and Ais shared a look, "We'll walk you home," he said. "Plus, it'll give me time to add in new ideas for our training." Bell just looked dubiously at Axton, again, questioning his sanity.
The walk started off peaceful, but with every passing moment, they continued to draw closer and closer to their weapons.
Just as Bell was about to ask what was wrong, Axton pulled him back and drew Requiem, slashing at an object. It was revealed to be a small throwing knife, real cheap and disposable. "Well, aren't you nice?"
"Stay away from the boy, this is the one warning," a group of people said. "She wants him pure, away from your vile influence, Royalty," the venom in their tone indicated that they thought they were chumps.
"Are you really that brazen to attack?" Axton questioned, eyeing down the road they were on. All he had to do was grab a Ganesha Familia member's attention, with evidence. However, that won't work because Axton had a feeling about who this was. "Or are you scared, Freya Familia?" he whispered.
"After your stint in the hospital, you're rusty," one of four little goblins said.
Well, shit, the Gulliver Brothers. They are not fun to mess with, Axton internally grimaced. A look at Ais showed she wasn't looking forward to fighting them either. Not only would it disturb the peace, but it would also cause problems later down the line.
"What business do you have with us?" Ais asked stoically. "If this was to scare us, you are mistaken."
The group of eight members, Axton counted, all left. "Know this, he will be with our Lady soon enough." Neither Bell nor Hestia heard this.
"That takes care of that, alright, moving on," Axton mumbled. Those guys are pricks. I'm just glad that we didn't have to take them on. It would have been quite the struggle for me.
We may not be for quite some time, he thought just as Ais placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He was okay with that. Then, he felt Ais use her wind for just a second. He smiled back at her, thankful.
Meanwhile, Bell and Hestia were still trying to cope with what just happened. Their fears would be explained away. "Thank you for walking us home, Miss Ais, Axton."
A small smile and a grin, "No problem, Bell…" Ais said.
"Watch it, Miss Wallenwhatsherface," Hestia growled. Axton didn't bother to correct her because he was sure she was doing it on purpose.
Later that very evening in the dining hall of Twilight Manor, Axton peeked inside and let out a small smile at seeing everyone interacting, laughing, and having a good time. He could pick out Raul and Cruz discussing the upcoming expedition, wondering how they can improve on the deeper floors. Then he caught Narvi, Elfy, and Liza discussing fashion and such.
Once Axton fully entered the room, it hurt a little that the conversations died down, but he rolled with it. Catching Finn's eye, he nodded. "Alright, can I have your attention?"
"Is this his announcement that he's leaving the Familia? Say it ain't so!" One member joked.
"You wish," Axton scoffed, "No, this is about my injury and what has happened since then," and just like that, he had all the attention. "When I was recovering, and I'm sure you noticed that I haven't extended a hand in your direction. There is a reason for that and it's called… Ha…haph…Riveria, a little help here?"
"Haphephobia," the High Elf replied easily. She was obviously concerned and everyone knew not to call her 'Mama' unless they wanted rigorous training on top of their already rigorous training.
Most just now recall that Axton is only sixteen and has suffered a lot, more than they'll ever know. He snapped his fingers, "Yeah, that. The fear of being touched. To the elves in the room, this makes you look like saints compared to me. I…apologize for being a little distant. I don't know if it will ever go away, and if it doesn't…well, we got plenty of time to adjust. I am okay with contact as long as I know it's coming. So I'm asking you all to stop walking on eggshells around me. I'm far more observant than you give me credit for. Just let me know if you plan on setting a hand on my shoulder, okay?"
"Isn't that making you weak?" Bete asked, and the tension rose in the room. If Axton wasn't mistaken, there was a teasing glint in his eyes. What a smooth man, but not smooth enough. This is your way of asking if I'm okay. I got your number, wolfy.
"Only if I let it. Would you like a stab wound through your chest and to be inflicted with agonizing pain for a blurred amount of time?" Axton shot back teasingly. "I offer free samples." His smile was present, but his eyes became cold, calculated. A chill overcame the room. Ais was about to stand up and berate him, but before she could, Bete seemed to grasp that provoking the Prince was a bad idea and backed down.
The chill was lifted and everyone slowly resumed eating.
Axton didn't miss the sighs of relief from his top executives. Then, he took a glance at Lefiya, who was watching him with trepidation. He felt his heart constrict at that look, and not in a good way. She's beating herself up…she doesn't need to feel that way.
He approached the table and sat down, far enough away where she was comfortable but close enough to be in respectable speaking distance. "Lefiya."
He chose not to notice the small shiver that racked her body, "A-Axton."
"I'm so-"
"I want to apolo-"
They paused, sharing a small chuckle, "Ladies first, I insist," he added with acute emphasis.
Lefiya blushed a tad, but kept a level voice as she spoke, "I wanted to apologize for being so distant. I didn't know…if you wanted anyone to bother you."
"If it was you, I wouldn't have minded," he retorted immediately. People who were listening in almost spit-took at the very brazen response. Saying that to an elf...was akin to a declaration of love.
Immediately whispers started going around, all ranging from complete bullshit to absolutely how the hell does that even make sense? In short, no one was accurate.
Lefiya did blush this time and it wasn't not noticeable. Axton refused to comment on it, even if his cheeks were slowly turning a bright red. "Bold of you to say that."
"It's the truth. I would have sought you out but I didn't know if you were avoiding me because of…what almost happened," Axton trailed off, scratching behind his head.
Tione, Tiona, and Ais all watched with fascination. Tiona looked ready to burst out of her seat in happiness. Tione just covered her mouth to hide the growing smile. Ais just nodded her head and then thought about her rabbit wondering what that was. They carried on like they weren't flirting in front of them. To the two of them, they weren't, at least it didn't seem like it.
Any outside observers definitely noticed that it could be taken as flirting, but they knew Axton was nothing but cordial with everyone. It should be obvious but Axton is still largely unknown of what his tastes are. Again, Loki Familia is a predominantly female Familia…so gossip is never in short supply. So when he mentioned that something almost happened in the clinic, they almost jumped over to the table and carried him off wanting to know all the juicy details. He'd be able to escape if that happened.
"You're acknowledging that?" Lefiya asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. It made her seem less threatening when she was blushing like that.
Axton, still naïve to most things women, at least knew something just changed, "I seem to have stepped into uncharted territory." Tiona could be heard giggling whilst Tione was snickering. No help from them, I guess. "But I'll answer honestly, yes it almost happened…" he lowered his voice, "and I was tempted to let it happen if Amid hadn't stepped in. From you, that would be a priceless thing."
Lefiya's face exploded into a massive blush, as did Axton's because what the fuck was that, man?! I was too nervous to even do anything at that time, so why the hell did I just say that? He was going to say something that wasn't that. Oh well, can't take it back now. He kept a calm visage when delivering that but his eyes most likely expressed something more.
"Y-You…you can't just say that!" Lefiya squealed, and thankfully, her voice was down. However, those words didn't escape the trio of girls at the table.
Axton shrugged, "Can't take them back and I do mean it." He tapped his knuckles against the table anxiously. "Once I can get over this and after the expedition, we can talk…if you want?"
He's giving me an opportunity to opt-out. It was considerate of him, something she expected. Lefiya didn't trust her words right now, so she nodded. That made Axton beam, Giddy Prince shone through momentarily.
"Okay, now, I need to go somewhere where I'm not about to get jumped because people don't mind their business…" he looked around and everyone unanimously went back to their meals.
Over at the executive table, Riveria watched with a knowing smile. Gareth and Finn both shared a look and then to Riveria who swirled her glass with nonchalance. "Can't believe it, you really are playing matchmaker."
"Oh? Who says I have, Gareth?" Riveria was acting far too coy to not have intervened. "Have you considered that it's just natural attraction? I guide others to things I myself cannot possess." Her being the High Elven Princess made her position all the more infuriating.
"It's like you're sending off your son to get married," Finn commented before the surrounding temperature dropped. The Pallum Captain looked especially sheepish.
Riveria looked at her Captain with a sweet smile that was anything but, "Are you implying something, dear Captain?" Gareth snickered before it fell on him, "Et tu, brute?"
They wisely shut up, while Loki, who was off to the side, laughed to herself. Mama Elf is out of the cage and ready to tango. Loki and Riveria shared a look before the deity left the room, not wanting to face Mama's wrath.
As to where Axton went, he found a balcony on a higher floor that allowed him to stargaze. He sighed, wondering what the hell he was going to say. He knew there were more steps to what he was truly thinking. Footsteps behind him made him shift his focus to whoever it was. "Not who I expected, but I am surprised you are without a pint in your hand."
"You wound me, Axton, figured I'd find you out here," Loki said. Of course, the patron deity was worried for one-half of Royalty. He is her precious Aizu's baby brother.
"Am I that easy to read?" He said instead.
Loki hummed, "I know when you're hiding it. Not from a lie, just withholding something that you can't exactly explain."
Axton couldn't resist, "And what does your godly intuition tell you this time?"
"You're still in pain, even if you don't know it."
"..." That was a sobering thought, "Care to elaborate?"
Loki turned to look at him, "Look me in the eyes, Axton." He did so, and her eyes were open. "I'm going to tell you a quick story about a friend of mine and her familia. I've been in the lower world for over six hundred years, and didn't make a familia until within the last few decades. In terms of Familia, we're still relatively new. I've seen more things than I ever care to describe." She pointed a finger at his chest, "So, listen to me when I say I empathize with you."
Of course, being a mortal, he doesn't fully understand but nods along anyway.
"Her name was Dia, and she is one of the sweetest goddesses I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her bright disposition was something that most people needed. Not saying Itty-Bitty can't but she is too impulsive...anyway. Dia was about as tall as you, maybe a few celches shorter, and she often hung around the old pervert, Zeus and his wife, Hera."
"Zeus Familia? Hera Familia? She was around them?" Axton was snared by the story because he was sure that Loki doesn't open up on them much except for when the situation calls for it.
"Mmhmm. She was their financial advisor of sorts. I often pulled pranks on her but she just cleaned them up without a fuss, even taking the blame yet they all knew it was me. She was that kind of Goddess," Loki looked away first. "Still, the incident happened almost a century ago, give or take like twenty years. Dia had just made a Familia, and her only two members were two level three quarter elves. These elves were descendants of a Mage from the Zeus Familia only known as...let's see if you know some history."
"Mage...fifty...hmmm…" he was really thinking. Recalling a time where he had to research the library to see what had changed from a thousand years ago. "No...her? The Great Mage?" His eyes widened. The details of her feats were extraordinary. No one could ever hope to top her, not even Riveria. People who aspire to be mages often try to flock to her and learn the ways of magic. If Axton wasn't mistaken, she was also a High Elf. "Her children?" A head shake. "Grandchildren?"
"Yep, descendants of that very person. No one even knew she had a kid, much less that kid having twins. The two of them had come to Orario to get answers and also enjoy life as adventurers. I knew they came to see if they could get closer to their Grandma," Loki said, continuing on. "They often were found reading a book of something that potentially had a lead, if not, they were in the Dungeon, knowing she had gone in. Obviously, they were limited on where they could go, but the point remains. The Dia Familia and Zeus/Hera Familias were often seen together but there was always the absence of the Great Mage. It was because she wanted her grandkids to be better than her, not to be stuck in her shadow."
Axton still had a few questions, "So why didn't she embrace them? They came looking for answers and to only be denied...why? Why would she hold back?"
"Maybe because she felt remorse for having to leave—a whole story that's been left untold to this day. The running theory is she held back most likely out of self-pity or self-guilt. What made things worse was that they had eyes on them from the very beginning."
"Fre-"
"Yep, the self-imposed Queen Bee—at the time—saw something that interested her. Apparently, their souls were like half of one another. Both were very nice, yet they saw most elves as prideful snobs…which isn't wrong..." confusion bloomed on the Sword Prince's face. "...they were discriminated against for 'soiling' their bloodline, mostly elves, which is why they held most people at arm's length unless you just interacted with them like any normal adventurer. Like them as people, not the Great Mage's family, you get me?" A nod. "It's not like they asked to be born, but what do I know?" She checked her nails, idly picking at one. "They lived in a Complex not too far from Amor Square. It's still there, as her payments were paid almost a century in advance. Dia literally made a Familia after almost seven hundred and sixty years...let that sink in."
That was definitely a long time to have something paid for, including interests, prices raising and dropping, etcetera. "So what does Lady Freya have to do with them?" Axton was absorbed into the story, unaware of Ais listening in the background.
"She wanted them, and what she wants, she gets. Most of you don't know how bad it was and I'm sorta thankful for that. She stooped so low for them and what she did to them was downright horrible. Not even I knew about it and I often was around Freya. She was always scheming."
"What did she do?" The stars were now the last thing on his mind. "Surely it couldn't have been th-" the glare he got from Loki made him pause.
"It was. She had Dia kidnapped from her own home. Then, she challenged them to come and save her, and then she killed her in front of them," Loki delivered the gut punch that coiled in Axton's stomach. Ais curled an arm around her abdomen, feeling it too. "They would have been absorbed into Freya's familia had it not been for the Mage's intervention. The Ganesha Familia was still getting off the ground, so there was nothing they could have done."
"Huh?! Why did no one stop her before it happened?"
"No one knew it was happening, and slipped under most people's radars. They were too busy relishing in the victory over conquering the fifty-eight floor." Loki turned away once more, "She had rushed home to save her family, her grandchildren. She finally gathered the courage to do what she needed to do and tell them. In her anger-fueled state, she could have leveled Orario worse than in the Dark Times. The only one to ever make it to level ten. Despite that, she let Freya live, when she all but had the right to decimate them. If she had, all of the Gods would have felt she was in the right and the rule of her killing a God would have been waived. Ouranos would have made sure."
Axton swallowed the lump in his throat, "So...what were their names?"
"Isaac and Irene Vlahos. The Vlahos name is stretched across time, even into the Age of Heroes, before the Age of the Gods." A pointed look at him, "Their ancient ancestors probably knew your parents too. The girl, Irene, had gained the very spell that made the Great Mage the Great Mage. The boy, Isaac, gained affinity in swordsmanship with a small flair in magic. The problem was that the loss of their Goddess basically broke them. A psychological effect on them. It happens with younger members, or orphans, they form an attachment to us Gods, seeing us as a parental or sibling figure. So, when they lose that figure…"
"...it destroys them from the inside. The self-loathing, the hate...the what-ifs."
"Bingo. So, after a trial that had only held her back for about a decade, she recovered. All I knew was that I lost a close friend and I often try not to associate with other Gods unless I have to. I won't have that close friendship like I did with Dia anymore. No one was her I guess. She often told me to not do something stupid. I rolled my eyes but still did the same things I always did. Sofia even told me not to come looking for them. I'm positive they're still alive but now they aren't themselves anymore. She left them alone before going on those Three Great Quests and from what I've heard, she hadn't come back. If anyone knows, it'd be Hermes or Ouranos. I can't lie and say I'm not curious, but the past should be left there."
"Sofia...Vlahos?" the name wasn't ringing any bells, not that it would.
"Correct. Now, you're probably wondering why I just told you this, yeah?" Loki flicked her fingers before leaning on the railing.
"It has to do with still being in…" Realization crossed his face as his first instinct was to hug Loki. "I...I didn't know."
A rare smile from Loki, who looked up and caught Ais's eyes, and hugged him back. "Dia was important to me, who didn't see me as a powerful ally or some Trickster. She often saw me as just Loki. I want you to know that you don't have to have those walls built so high. I think you would've gotten along with the twins had the opportunity arisen. Even Ais would have benefitted as well. They could have been like mentors or maybe as a much older big brother and sister. Well... that's how the story went anyway."
Axton pushed himself off of Loki and saw the look in her eyes, "You're serious, that was a story?"
Loki chuckled, "No, it's true, but the look on your face…" she devolved into laughter. "Y-Yeah, it happened. Dia never recruited, despite the numerous requests to join. She was a little selfish that way." Her smile disappeared, "Just for reference, every now and again, I'm reminded that I could have done something to help Dia, and I just know that it's self-destructive. Freya approached me afterward and told me that she was still smiling, not in malice, but in acceptance, wishing her children the best when she was killed. If you asked her now, you might see a tinge of regret on her face, provided she doesn't charm your pants off."
"How long have you been hiding this?"
"Dunno, how long are you going to hide behind your pain?" Loki countered immediately. Answering a question with a question.
"I don't even know my own pain," Axton said, stunned and slightly frustrated.
Loki reached forward slowly, showing her hand before she ruffled his hair. He tensed on instinct but let it happen. "You won't know it until it reminds you, now, I'll leave you to it."
She went to walk away but Axton gently grabbed her wrist, "Thank you, Loki."
"Have to keep my kiddies happy now, don't I? Despite how I act, I do care about all of you."
With that, she was gone. Axton turned back to the stars wondering why he knew he was in pain but not. It's all confusing...am I internally suppressing it without my knowledge? Or is Guardian taking a bigger role than I thought? Another push and he felt a feeling…which was more along the lines of a confirmation.
"Axton," a soft voice said from behind him.
He turned to see his sister looking concerned about him, which made him freeze. Maybe… he turned back around, "Ais."
The Sword Princess didn't like how he was acting like this. She stood by his side, "You're still focused on that woman." A statement, not a question.
"I think...she may be the new source of my pain…" he admitted. He glanced over to see Ais's arms up but paused. With a small smirk, "Go ahead."
Permission given, she threw her arms around him, "Whatever it is, I'll be there with you."
A fuzzy feeling welled up in his chest, one of reassurance, "Thank you, Ais."
"Anytime, Axton."
Even if they are level six, they chose not to notice the presence off behind them, three of them. Lefiya, Tione, and Tiona followed Ais but paused. "Look at them, having a moment."
"Wish I could get a moment with the Captain."
Lefiya ignored them, instead focusing on Axton, he's still in pain, despite what he says. Is there anything I can do to reach out? I know he wants to talk after the expedition and we will, but for now, I'll leave him alone. The young elven mage straightened up and walked away, leaving behind a pair of confused Amazons.
"Come on Bell, really put in the effort," Axton commented, watching him fight Ais all out. It was the last day of their training. Even if there was still another week before the expedition, they wanted to put as much effort into training Bell as they could.
To the boy's credit, he's been knocked out eight times since they started at dawn. The sun was now fully over the horizon, but not high in the sky. The fact that he was still going means that he really wanted to squeeze out as much as he could from this. "This has...been...really...helpful," he said when he could.
"Ais, ramp it up, if he can speak, it means we're slacking," Axton said and Ais picked up the pace. Axton then picked up Requiem's sheath and then slowly inched his way behind Bell. They were still fighting at about a mid-level two's pace. If they wanted to push him, like they did yesterday, they would fight him at the equivalent of a fresh level three.
Ais thrust her rapier's sheath forward and Bell directed the blow by him whilst simultaneously closing the distance. Axton took his chance and brought down the sheath to curb the knife. The resounding clank of the weapons—and sheaths—clashing was nothing short of surprising for two of the three parties involved. "I decided that we'll ramp it up once more to finish it off, fight both of us, with all your heart. Pretend that we're taking away what's most precious to you and fight."
That was the moment Bell's eyes narrowed and he gained a ferocity that wasn't present before. Even though Axton would exploit a strike to his torso, a reminder to keep conscious of what he was leaving open.
Ais took the liberty of aiming for a spot that has been open for a while, the back of his leg. Upon hitting that, Bell buckled and the two crossed swords before making Bell cross his knives to block. Once they were locked into place, Axton grinned, "Come on, all we have to do is take you down, and then what you hold dear is going to pay."
Bell's muscles were straining and with his own will, he pushed them off, rolled forward, and stood with his knives in a ready position, but he was really exhausted. Ais was the first to stop, Axton the next, and then Bell crashed to the floor, blinking. "You've done well," Ais said, praising the young rabbit. He's come a long way, teaching him what they could. Now, over the course of the next week, they wouldn't see much of him, but they did want to walk him home. Axton did, at least. Ais would most likely go home and rest for the next few hours before heading into the Dungeon to put in another payment of her debt.
"Thank...you…" Bell said before passing out. Ais gently lowered him into a lap pillow, Ais's preferred position for him. She's too much of an innocent maiden to know what her actual favorite position is…
Axton was at least somewhat knowledgeable on the subject of intimate acts. This was probably the most wholesome of them. Axton may have accidentally heard something when he was thirteen about men 'gettin' some of that' and how they 'rocked her world'. He never asked Riveria and he dared not ask his captain. The conversation devolved from there.
Thinking of this made him think of Lefiya and what she was doing...not like that! Just wondering what she was doing, who she was with, things like that.
The young mage was currently on the eighth floor of the Dungeon with Filvis Challia. The Banshee may have been her nickname, coined by other adventurers, but her actual alias was Maenads. She was teaching or continuing to teach Lefiya in the art of Concurrent Chanting. That resulted in close combat, so Lefiya would learn how to dodge while Filvis tried to attack her. "You may be level three, but you move at the speed of a mid-level two," Filvis said, bringing her weapon, Tear Pain, on a course to Lefiya's head. The younger elf dodged out of the way but lost her concentration on her spell. Thankfully, she wasn't actively trying to cast it, at least not yet. She dodged the weapon, so Filvis stopped. "You're improving."
"It doesn't feel like it," Lefiya said, clutching Forest Teardrop to her chest with both hands. "I appreciate you doing this, by the way." Lefiya looked at Filvis with thankful eyes, which almost looked like a child giving their parents a doe-doe-eyed look.
Filvis blushed, turning away, "I-It's not a problem. If it helps a fellow clean elf, then I will be satisfied."
Lefiya internally groaned, again with the cleanliness. "Miss Filvis, I don't see you as filthy. We've been over this. I want you to know that I will never see you that way."
"Your pity isn't necessary," Filvis said, her red eyes looking away.
"I am not pitying you! I'm expressing that you are not who you say you are!" Filvis's heart stopped for a moment before Lefiya continued on her triad, "I see a kind-hearted elf that was hurt by the world and is trying to get back on her feet! I don't see you as filthy because you never were filthy to begin with!"
You naïve little girl. You truly don't know...I cannot let anything happen to you. You won't be able to touch her.
[That's what you think. We're always going to be filthy, no matter what. Get used to it. Now, make an excuse, Enyo needs us.]
"I thank you for your kind words but you are wrong. Unfortunately, I have a matter to attend to. I do wish you luck on learning to Concurrent Chant," Filvis put away her weapon and walked by Lefiya. She hesitated for a moment before putting just barely brushing her hand on the young elf's shoulder. "Good luck."
Lefiya turned and watched her walk away, "T-Thank you!"
I should probably head home soon, but I think I would like to practice actually trying to concurrently chant on some Goblins on the third floor. It should give me good practice at altering the flow of my magic energy. With a goal set in mind, she whisked herself away.
...
Oh, Hi. Sorry for the gap again, as Delicate Balance held my attention and I'm busy with something else in the background.
Alright, so those that follow Delicate Balance know who those four other characters are. Dia is a Goddess from Orario Rhapsodia, Isaac, Irene, and Sofia are my OCs from the aforementioned fic.
I consider my DanMachi stories to be of different worlds. Parallel worlds to be precise. So the events of DB in ToR are altered for the sake of simplicity. With some exceptions, of course. I don't think I need to fully explain that.
The way Loki described Dia is similar to the way she was described in DB. It served as a lesson for Axton. He is still in pain—as is Loki—and he may not consciously acknowledge it, but it lingers...is what I hoping for the message to come across as.
Also, I don't think it was explicitly stated how long Loki and Freya were in Gekai, so I made up a number for Loki. Freya was Freya, she could have been there since the beginning for all I know.
For the Training Arc, I know it seems cut short, and I had tried to watch Sword Oratoria on VRV, but since I think it was under Hi-Dive and they left VRV, so it went away. Not even the sub remains which is unfortunate. I tried to watch DM to find the scene with Freya Familia but was unable and I wasn't about to scour Volume 4 to find it either. Bell will still be able to kick the Minotaur's ass, not to worry.
I will do my best to detail it. So, expect a time skip to the night before the expedition.
If this feels odd, it's most likely me not plugging away at a chapter like I normally would. So I apologize if you have to re-read a chapter or so back just to refresh your memory. To be perfectly honest, this felt like a filler chapter, hence the title.
Maybe a little too on the nose but it was mostly just acknowledging things before the Minotaur fight. Axton's fate for the expedition is something I am still debating, so no solid answer there. As for Filvis and Lefiya, their relationship at best can be described as—to my opinion—a loving sisterly relationship. Like a stretch would be those greeting kisses on the cheek, excessive hand-holding (how lewd), and spending lots of time together.
I apologize for the long note, but it is necessary because I hate leaving people hanging on this. I did have minor surgery on the fourth, so I was mostly out of it that day (exaggeration, like eight hours from beginning to end) and then I was busy with that other project. Also, apparently, I have over 1M words 'archived' on FF...
Pretty sure at least 30k of that is just author's notes.
Again, sorry, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
