In an inn on the eighteenth floor of the Dungeon, Bors was staring at the adventurer across from him. This adventurer came down here with a bag just as big as him. The request was a strange one, "You want me to just hold onto this?"
"That's correct. Hold on to it for the next few days, and if I can convince them, I'll be down to retrieve it," the adventurer said.
Bors grunted, "How do you know I won't take anything?"
"Cause you damn well know I can put plenty of harm to you and this entire town should you cross me," the adventurer said flippantly. Their eyes said as much. "Plus, if I get a decent drop, I may just coincidentally leave it here…on a floor with you all." Bors could feel his one remaining eye flash with a valis symbol. "So, do we have a deal?"
Their hand was outstretched. Bors cleared his throat and looked at the boy before him. "You really think you'll get his approval in the next few days?" They shook, and to the boy's credit, he was calm about contact.
"I have something personal to face. They won't get the jump on me again," he declared, their hand tightened on the sword pommel at their waist.
"You were helpful in that, weren't you?"
The adventurer, identified as a male, nodded. "I was. Then I spent an extra few days getting new scars."
The head of Rivira shook his head, "I hope you got past them."
"Work in progress, I assure you," the boy chimed. "Keep that safe."
"Sure sure, Sw-" Bors was cut off by a look. "I mean, Axton."
Axton smiled, putting a hand through his blond hair, "Good. The name Sword Prince is only for when I'm in here on expedition business. Axton for everything else."
"Sometimes I forget how young you really are," Bors sighed, putting the bag under the counter.
Axton had to prepare for the expedition. As it stands, he is not going, which may be a mistake. He needs to convince Finn in order to go. He knows his trauma is holding him back. During Bell's training, Axton would go into the Dungeon at night and just go off in the unexplored areas of known floors.
Citizens and even adventurers of Orario underestimate how infinitely huge the Dungeon really is. Some people believe it goes to a different dimension entirely, which sometimes feels like it. The forty-ninth floor is as big as Orario itself and they only get bigger from there onward.
His trauma is a slow going process. Axton knows that he can't just get over it easily. His talk with Loki was going through his head, and what happened with the Vlahos family. Would she really go that far for him? Even though he knows Bell can handle himself, the fact that she hasn't made her move made it more difficult in a myriad of ways.
Axton continued his trek past the fourteenth floor. He was idly paying attention avoiding other adventurers because he still needed to think. This may not be the best place but it was somewhere that no one could bother him. As he walked along, he slashed the walls, preventing monsters from spawning. So as he walked he felt someone behind him down the hall. "Are you going to hide forever or are you going to show yourself?"
He didn't even need to turn to know who it was. "So this is what you've been doing."
Not even turning to look over his shoulder, "There are not a lot of things I can do right now. I can't help prepare for the expedition, I can't assist anyone. So excuse me for trying to make myself useful." Okay, maybe Axton's still a little peeved that he's being shadowbanned from helping like he normally would. All of it annoyed him.
Footsteps echoed off the walls as the person stood shoulder to shoulder with Axton. Much to his surprise, not having really focused on the voice, it was Tiona. Not Ais, and not Riveria like he thought. "Tiona…"
A giggle from the Amazon, "Well, Princey, don't think your absence hasn't been noticed. If anything, poor little Lefiya has wondered where you've been, especially after flirting with her."
"T-That wasn't flirting!" He denied.
Tiona, of course, heard the stutter and capitalized on it, "Oh? That was a quick denial. Sounds like someone is smitten with the elven maiden."
Axton fought the blush coming over his face, marginally succeeding. "It's not like that, Tiona."
The Amazon hummed but dropped the subject, "So, you want to go with us?"
"It's not going to be easy. I only want to be able to help. I can't just...sit back and let everyone else handle it. I have to face that woman if anything. I don't want to feel like how I was eight years ago," Axton clenched his fist, watching it tremble slightly. Gritting his teeth, his aura exuded to the walls, further proving that the Dungeon knows not to mess with him right now. After all, it was still repairing the walls.
"What was that like?" Tiona asked innocently. Axton turned to her seeing the underlying curiosity and concern in her eyes. Her chocolate irises burned into him, waiting for his answer.
The answer wasn't one he wanted to give but Tiona is like the bubbly person of the Loki Familia. She often will always want to hug...and fight...whenever someone else needs or wants to. "Hell. Everything was in chaos, buildings were burning, people dying in the streets. It was a lot to take in...and I myself almost was killed." He gave a wry smile, "If that happened, Ais might as well have been Lone Royal. I...don't want to think what she would be like if she lost me too…" The imagery was too dark for even him to describe in words. Images would suffice.
Tiona didn't wait and gently wrapped him in a hug. One he reciprocated. There was a look in her eyes that said she was going to hug him whether he likes it or not. He knew that there was going to be no way out of it. Hugs are nice. The skinship is a bonus. "You know we're all behind you on this."
"I know."
"No, I mean literally," Tiona said, pointing to the upper echelon of the Loki Familia. Axton frowned for a moment before he shook his head with a smile.
"Figured you'd already know what I'd be doing," he said, still not having looked at them.
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all were standing there; alongside them were Tione and Ais. Bete was off somewhere else, apparently, he had something better to do. Go figure. "Yeah…" Tione said, drawing it out, "We had your lovely sister follow you."
"I didn't expect anyone else," Axton replied. "So...I assume your decision hasn't changed?"
"You bring up valid points. I can respect the fact you wish to face that woman head-on but we don't know if what she said is true. It could be a ploy to get you both down there," Finn said.
Axton calmly regarded his Captain, "I'm sick of being useless. Me sitting in the Manor would do nothing to benefit you. You know as well as I that having Ais and me in the vanguard of the expedition from the eighteenth on is efficient. No one else can keep up with her besides me. Bete is a close second but he would eventually miss. I don't want to say you need me. I want to help, to hell with my trauma, to hell with that woman, and to hell with feeling useless."
Riveria gently approached him, looking him in the eyes, "What would you do if we instructed you to stay at the Manor? Or the Eighteenth or the Fiftieth floor?"
His answer was immediate, "I would have followed you. Even if it would cost me being expelled from the familia. I won't let you hold me down."
Grins grew on Finn's, Gareth's, Tione's, and Tiona's faces. Ais just nodded, fully expecting that answer. Riveria hid her reaction but she was proud of her pseudo-son. No one can tell her any differently. "Well, Finn? Gareth?"
Gareth chuckled, "Let the lad come along. If he's serious about fighting against his affliction, let him prove that he's stronger than ever." Finn agreed with the dwarf.
"Looks like you're coming along after all, Axton," Riveria said. "Now, you can help finish preparations. You'll be in charge of a small group down to the eighteenth."
Leadership? To him? This is new. Part of a test? Deep down, he knew it was, and he could be happier.
"Very well, I accept. Now...what hasn't been done yet?" the Sword Prince said, a glint in his eyes. One that expressed his determination and drive to succeed in the eyes of his superiors.
So, Axton learned a few things over the past few days leading up to the expedition date. One was his leadership skills were above average. If anything, Raul was better at it…wait. Is that why Finn has his eye on him? I totally misjudged that. Then again, Finn is almost a middle-aged man. I don't exactly know what he's aiming for. Two, he was getting a group of five, not including himself, making six.
He must have caught some eyes because of the way he was looking. Both of his hands were under his chin, his eyes giving a faraway look. "Are you alright?" A voice called. Raul had waved a hand in front of Axton's face.
"Sorry Raul, just thinking," Axton waved off. Clearly, the look on Raul's face indicated that he did not believe him. "Seriously, just wondering why he didn't put you in charge…"
The High Novice chuckled, "I know but you did kind of barge in and demand to be a part of the expedition at the last minute."
Axton stood and dropped a hand on his shoulder, "If I wasn't injured, I would've helped sooner. When we get down there, I got something ready. It's small but it should be helpful. The eighteenth floor will be the stopping point. I appreciate you, Raul...just so you know."
Raul almost dropped what he was holding, "Are you alright?"
The boy laughed, "S-Sorry, I just realize that I haven't said that enough to each member of the Familia. I sometimes think you all think I don't care." Even Raul could see there was a lingering pain and regret in his eyes.
The level four put down the items he was holding, "Axton, you know you can talk to any of us and we'll listen. We're not Bete." Somewhere in Orario, the wolf sneezed. "We care for you like any other member of the Familia. At least the guys do," he leaned down and whispered, "plus I think I've heard enough fantasies about you from the girls."
Axton turned to Raul's face incredulously, "Do I even want to-"
The elder man flushed red, "No. No, you do not. It was very vivid imagery." For some reason, Axton felt like his chastity was in grave danger. Looking around, the few women around were eyeing him.
"Understood, let's continue preparing, shall we?" The boys made sure to stick by one another. Riveria, who was close by, laughed to herself. Oh, what a wild rumor would do.
In one night, most if not, all of the preparations were completed. Axton found himself relaxing with the other males in the Familia. Raul, Cruz, Arcs, and Orba were some of the males there. Other males included Jericho, a raccoon demi-human, and Dino—pronounced Deano—a dark elf. These kinds of elves were rare, so to see one in the Loki Familia alongside Nine Hell no less is a rare sight. They decided to do a little pow-wow away from the women. Something they usually do before each expedition.
Jericho and Dino had known each other for a while now. They joined when they could tie in a fight with a level four when they themselves are level three. Dino, much to everyone's surprise, leans towards a more active style of fighting. When asked why "Magic didn't come to me as easily as my elven brethren." Jericho did have some magic affinity but they were mid-tier spells, meant for single targets. He only has two slots filled so he's hoping to get one upon leveling up to level four.
They were a couple years older than Axton, being eighteen and nineteen respectfully. Jericho had dark tanned skin, and his hair was lightly stripped. Only in the right light could one see it. His eyes were some of the darkest brown Axton has ever seen. His raccoon tail was fluffy though and when he was a kid, he definitely wanted to floof the tail because the fur was supposedly very soft…it was something that Jericho likes to bring up every now and again.
Dino was such a wildcard with his appearance sometimes. His dusty auburn-like hair was discombobulated and just went wherever. His eyes were a shocking deep slate color. They weren't a red like Bell's eyes but like a darker shade. Mix red with a smidge of brown and that's about what he looked like. Their gear was pretty standard, aside from the differences in magical attire and battle attire.
Axton has slowly gotten better with touch but he still looked wary anytime someone was reaching out to him. It was hard to suppress it when it came around so he put on a brave face. If they knew it was a fake, they said nothing, not wanting to ruin the night.
"So, how many monsters do you think the Prince here will slay this time?" Orba said.
Jericho laughed, "You took out like two hundred last time, yeah?"
Axton snorted, "One hundred eighty-seven," he rattled off the number from the last expedition. "What's with those looks? I keep track."
Cruz rolled his eyes, "Of course you would. Was it a competition?"
The Prince leaned his head back and recalled something. He smiled, "Yeah, if you haven't noticed, Ais is actually quite competitive. I think she won the last time. One hundred ninety-one."
Dead silence around the table.
"You two are scary," Dino said.
"Come with the first-class territory but that comment actually hurts more than it compliments," Axton pointed out. "Except if you're Bete…"
The group of second-class adventurers were surprised at this. Raul seemed to be the only one not affected by the statement. "So…if I may, what was the source of your level up? Normally details are provided but this time, yours didn't have anything like that."
The blond swordsman chuckled, "Well when I came up I was basically being buddy-buddy with death. But fine, the only thing you'll get out of me was that it was an Irregular Goliath."
The six men regarded the seventh with shock and awe. Dino was tipping his chair back and when he heard that he fell backward. "Excuse me?!" He shouted. "You what?!"
"Not repeating it, your hearing is good. Cruz's is better so I know you heard me."
Arcs calmly sipped his drink knowing that was something he's never heard before. "So, all in favor of not pissing him off, say aye."
A resounding 'Aye' was shared between the six men. Axton just put his head in his hand, his other hand covering the growing smile. I feel much better talking to them. The rest of the night was passed in casual conversation, stories, or other various things.
"So how's Aki, Raul?" Axton inquired, keeping his face neutral.
"W-Why are you bringing her up?" The Novice stuttered. "What about you and Lefiya?"
Axton smirked, having known that it was going to be turned around on him, "Answer me first, and then I'll answer you. I asked first."
Knowing that he had a point, Raul spoke, "I think she's it. It's been growing. I've noticed the way she does things much further. I don't think I have the courage to talk to her about that."
"How about after the expedition?" Axton offered.
Dino chimed in, "Yeah, I mean, you won't have to go through a courting procedure unlike Axton over here."
Jericho hopped on the train, "So what about the little elven mage? She's only a year your junior."
The blond turned to Dino, "Are there any differences between light and dark elf courting?"
Dino looked pensive, "Not in anything I've ever read. You best prepare if you plan on asking her. You better mean it." It felt like Dino was scolding Axton on proper etiquette. "She and I may have different tones of skin but she is still a sister elf to me. Don't waste it. Plus, I've seen the looks she's given you when you're not paying attention."
Does she look at me? Axton thought with a small flush. The six men then thoroughly teased him about blushing, making the other groups of females eye them. Once they saw Axton blushing they understood what they were doing. So, the ignorant—this was debatable these days—Lefiya was a bit confused why they were giggling.
Then she saw Axton smile. It made her smile. She also noticed that his fingers were incessantly tapping the table, most likely to distract himself from the onslaught of teasing. She felt eyes on her and turned to see the dark elf, Dino, looking at her with a wink and a thumbs up. In elvish, low enough to hear, "You've picked a good one, Lefiya."
The girl blushed before turning around and leaving their sight. She had a smile that expressed dimples. There may have been a small skip in her step as she walked away to sleep in her bed. Her roommate, Elfy, was already asleep as the lower leveled members always get up and triple-checked everything in the morning.
The expedition was finally upon them and she couldn't wait. There were secondary reasons for doing this but Lefiya just wanted a chance to prove herself. She didn't want to be weak either. Thanks to Filvis, she had a grasp on her magical prowess.
As such, the Loki Familia and various members of the Hephaestus Familia were all standing in front of Babel. Axton and Ais were next to one another, the Hiryute twins were next to one another, Bete was off just beside Royalty. Gareth, Riveria, and Finn were standing beside Tsubaki, the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia. The four of them were the ones giving a speech. Other adventurers have already entered the Dungeon.
"Today, we are descending to territory that no one has gone to before. The fifty-ninth floor!" A few cheers rang out but most remained silent. "We will descend to the eighteenth floor in smaller groups. Then we will all group up to head down to the fiftieth floor. The lower leveled members will lead on with one first-class adventurer being the rear guard. This is a chance for everyone to take part in this as the lower we go, the more dangerous it is."
"Do not wander off on your own. Stick together," Riveria reminded.
"Let's go, all groups were assigned last night," Gareth's voice bellowed. The crowd's excitement rose as the Loki Familia went for the Dungeon. These were always a show for the citizens.
Axton got his group together, which Jericho and Dino were a part of, along with a few other various members. The other executives took their first steps into the Dungeon. "Form up, everyone." The group did so. He pointed to a weretiger and another human, "You two lead. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to say so. I'd rather you curb your pride than embrace it."
"You'd know something about that, wouldn't you?" the weretiger said.
Axton stared her down, his eyes becoming solid, "I would. Watch your tongue." She shivered from the raw difference in power. She was only level two compared to his level six. "Do you want a free sample?" A reference to what he had said in the mess hall earlier in the week.
"Caterina," Dino said, the weretiger responding by looking at him, "Don't push him because he is leading us right now." The dark elf spoke in a bored tone but that was because he was the sensible one. "Not to mention that he is looking out for us. If you've forgotten, he always has." She made no comments from then on.
Jericho ended up by Axton, "You good?"
Jericho just seemed to have known that Axton was uneasy. The Sword Prince remembered that he can somewhat sense magic energy. To clarify, it's more of a change in the air. Jericho's people always had a knack for these things. "For now. That might change if we run into her…"
"Her?"
"Forget I said that. That is an order," Axton said, cursing his stupidity. "Go assist them," he pointed to the group fighting a group of Goblins, Kobolds, and Dungeon Lizards. These are nothing to him but to the others, they are the key to getting excelia.
That was how it went through the first eight floors. They fought together and Axton was pleased. Then they hit the ninth floor. As soon as he stepped onto the floor, he felt something was off. Requiem was in hand as he strode forward, "Stay behind me…" They looked like they were about to protest, at least until they heard the roar and the screams. "Dino, Jericho, you're in charge. If you see any other executive, send them down path C-5. I think we have a problem."
The Sword Prince ran ahead, down the tunnel he pointed. The two other males just stared before they started moving forward slowly. "Eyes up."
Axton heard more screams and cries of pain and that was when he rounded the corner to see most of the executives. "Oh, you're already here."
Finn and Riveria turned to see him, "Status of your group?"
"Beginning of the floor just off C-5. I felt something was wrong as soon as we got here," Axton said, sheathing Requiem. Ais was at his side in a second. He smiled, relieved. "So that roar…"
"A Minotaur…" one of the adventurers, injured, leaning against the wall.
"Is it one of the survivors?" Tiona asked, finger on her chin looking at the ceiling.
Riveria interjected, "No, we confirmed that they aren't. Royalty killed the last one."
Axton nodded at the statement, "Were there any other adventurers in the area?"
They looked at Axton, a bandage covering their left eye, "Yeah…just some white-haired kid. Told us to run while it chased him."
That description set Axton's muscles into a tense stance. A look was shared between the Wallenstein siblings. ""Bell…""
The rest of the group didn't notice they were gone until they felt the wind.
"Wait Ais! Axton! This is still an expedition!" Tione said.
"Wait for me!"
"Damn it, these two are going to drive me crazy," the ashen werewolf muttered, following along.
The siblings could already kind of tell that Bell was afraid of Minotaurs. It was never mentioned aloud but certain things could be said or implied that made him tense. Having mentioned the middle floors about where Minotaurs spawn was the obvious clue.
Ais took the lead, going faster than ever, and Axton was nipping at her heels. They spared nothing as they ran. They had to stop at another group of unaware adventurers.
"Woah, Royalty!"
Axton didn't have time for this, "You see a white-haired boy, looked like a rabbit? About the same height as me?" They continued to be awestruck. "Answer me, damn it!"
That got them to snap out of it. "He ran down the tunnel, turned right then the second left."
Ais was already moving before Axton gave thanks. He followed her and hearing the roar made him push harder. That was until they both stopped in the hallway. Staring them down was none other than Ottar, the King, the Warlord. "Ottar."
"Sword Prince. Sword Princess." Ottar felt the title of Royalty was cheapening out on both of them. In that regard, Ottar does know that these two are no slacks.
Axton had his hand on his sword, and Ais had her hand on her rapier. "We need to get by."
"Why would I let you? Now that I have two worthy challengers, I see no reason to let you go."
Both siblings drew their respective weapons and were about to charge before a spear came flying from behind them, making Ottar slap it out of the way.
"You two go on ahead! We'll handle this!" Finn's voice carried through as Tiona and Tione followed up with matching grins. Bete showed up a second later, his features tense and ready to spring into action.
The twins activated Ariel and ran by the King, using him as a springboard to catapult themselves away from him. "That was close."
"Agreed. We are not ready to fight him," Ais said as they kept running. Especially in Axton's semi-recovered state, it was indeed not a good idea.
RRAAAUUUUGGGHH!
Another roar reverberated across the ninth floor. Royalty pushed their agility to its current max, using Ariel's wind to make their steps lighter. They did not like this nor what they were potentially going to find.
A blob came into view and Axton scooped it up on reflex to avoid slowing down. He paused in his steps and Ais did too. "Wait aren't you-"
"Please save Master Bell!" The girl shouted.
"You're his supporter…" Axton realized. "The one who left him for dead on the tenth floor…"
His line of questioning—accusing more accurately—was interrupted by Ais, "Where is Bell?"
The supporter pointed back to the tunnel, "J-Just down there. Please save him! I'll do anything!" She pleaded. Axton sighed, before running with the girl in his arms, not caring for the blood that she was currently getting on him.
The sounds of weapons clashing got louder and louder as Royalty approached. What they saw was nothing short of the markings of a slaughter.
Some poor soul was literally ripped in half. Bell—having been easy to spot in the blue hue of the ninth floor's cave structure—thankfully, was face down. Unfortunately, he probably heard the screams and the sounds of guts and gore splattering on the floor. "Stay down, I'll handle this," Ais said, her golden eyes already killing the Minotaur.
Axton focused half his attention on Bell, the other half on the Minotaur. This was not the normal color of Minotaurs. This one was red. An irregular? The weapon it was holding was not one it normally would carry. Axton thought back to a few minutes ago having known what Ottar uses for his weapons…
"Did he seriously train that Minotaur?" Axton asked in disbelief. Ais's eyes shot over to him, her mouth slightly parted. That was the way he knew she was in as much disbelief as he was. Or maybe she thought he was crazy.
It only escalated from there as Bell, who should be on the ground, grabbed Ais's forearm. "No…I won't let you…"
Axton kept the supporter close but her own head turned to see him getting up.
"…what?" Ais trailed off.
"I won't let either of you save me again! I won't be weak! I don't need Ais or Axton Wallenstein to save me again!" Bell shouted before limping around her and taking up a stance, scooping up his second knife.
All the while, the Minotaur was observing the entire ordeal. A worthy opponent, is what it thought. Its simple mind could only focus on the white-haired boy that was before it. The others behind and next to him were unworthy of fighting.
"Let him do this…" Axton said after a moment of silence. The tension was growing in the room and Ais did not like that.
"But-"
"I think he needs to do this. After we saved him from the first Minotaur, there's no doubt that he was scared of his next encounter. Time to see if our investment was worth it," Axton said, cutting his sister off. He hated how he had to put it but there was no other way to put it. She puffed her cheeks in a pout before crossing her arms.
What they failed to notice was Bete and Tiona entering the area, "Well…"
"If he's about to fall, he can be upset later," Ais murmured. Axton knew she would intervene. She couldn't admit it to herself—not for a lack of trying—she has taken a liking to him. Axton can't exactly say he's any different from his current predicament with Lefiya.
The two combatants lined themselves up and launched at each other. Bell with his dual knives, no armor on his upper chest, the green vambrace on his left forearm, and the will to survive.
The Minotaur with a plethora of scars littered across its massive chest—proving its training true—a large broadsword in hand, missing a horn, and its own body as a weapon squared up to the rabbit before it. There was no countdown but both knew it was a battle to the death. There would be only one standing.
Just as the fight started, the rest of the executives of the Loki Familia entered the area. Axton quickly went over to Riveria, "Please heal her."
Riveria looked at the bleeding Pallum in the boy's arms before gesturing to lay her down. His eyes never strayed from the fight, and for some reason, the boy found himself hypnotized by it. The way Bell would dodge under the blade, getting a slash in. Bete was uncaring, "It's against the rules to steal another person's kill," he peered in further, "wait, isn't that the tomato kid?"
"Bete…" Tiona said.
"What? Minotaurs apparently love the guy and the fact that he was about to be saved by the same two people must make him feel pathetic right about now," Bete defended himself, chuckling all the while.
Tiona leaned forward to Ais, "He's only level one. You sure he'll be alright?" The Sword Princess did not answer; too focused on the fight, watching his moves, watching for mistakes to eventually fix.
Riveria was in the midst of healing the Pallum when she spoke again, "Please, adventurers…please save him! His life is worth more than his pride, I'll do anything!"
Bete grit his teeth before scoffing, Riveria inquired, "You're going?"
"Listen, I may pick on people and I don't like saving chumps but I'm not going to be known as the guy who likes picking on them while their life's in danger. Outta the way, you two, I'll handle it," Bete said, hands in his pockets, aiming to walk by the pair but he stopped.
It was all for the same reason.
Bell was holding his own against the Minotaur. Doing a backflip to reposition, Bell slid, dragging both of his blades across the monster's torso. The problem was he didn't leave a scratch. The hide of the Minotaur is too thick for the small daggers to pierce. The young boy turned and aimed for a pressure point on the beast's leg. The hit struck true but did little to nothing. Axton now had his eyes on that spot. He will be counting.
Finn spoke up now, "Only a month ago, Bete, you said he was inexperienced?" He eyed both members of Royalty, having a feeling about them. They were completely transfixed into the fight. The two of them watched, unblinking at the sight of their shared pupil. They both wanted him to succeed.
Bell parried the blade from the Minotaur, slashing again at its torso. The beast brought up a leg and kicked him away. The young adventurer used that momentum to recover, his feet sliding back on the Dungeon floor. His thoughts were all focused, This is my chance. My adventure. This is what I need. I…
He tensed his hands momentarily on his knives, slightly glancing to his now bleeding left forearm—the vambrace now shattered—and steeled his resolve.
I want to be a hero!
He launched himself again at the Minotaur. The determination, the drive to achieve was there. Bell knew he had the will, the perseverance, and the fire within him to complete his task. He knew that he wanted to be something that the world hasn't seen in almost a thousand years. He wanted to make his grandfather proud, to be that hero.
Tiona easily found something to compare this whole situation to, "The Argonaut. It was my favorite tale when I was a little girl!"
The Pallum Captain knew of this tale, "The story of a boy who desired to be a hero, yes."
Axton vaguely noted the conversation about Bell's knife and was pleased to see the skills that he's learned and adapted to his own style. That knife was definitely well-made. Only a master blacksmith could forge a blade built to withstand a broadsword backed by an irregular Minotaur's strength. In between that, he hit the same spot, harder this time. Two.
Tione idly commented, "He's got the skills."
"But not the strength to back it up," Tiona added on.
Riveria added in her observation too, "To cut a Minotaur's skin at his level is nigh impossible." She'll be proven wrong very soon.
Bell continued to weave his body around the Minotaur, putting himself slightly off the ground. When he landed, he stumbled a bit and the monster took its opportunity.
The blade was nearing Bell and through a split-second adrenaline-fueled movement, he backed away and yelled something that shocked everyone in the room except one Pallum.
*Firebolt!*
An explosion of fire blasted from Bell's hands, creating a temporary smokescreen to which he seized the opportunity.
"No chant?" Tiona asked, shocked.
Bete grimaced, "It's not strong enough for his purposes."
The High Elf added, "It's not as effective against them."
"But I know he can do it," Axton mumbled. After all, he had my sister and I. I know he'll find a way around this.
The rabbit, the underdog really, charged forward at the opportunity, bringing up his secondary knife to intercept the behemoth of a blade. Unfortunately, the knife was on its last legs and shattered. That was part of my plan. Bell jumped up, spun around and brought down his knife—named the Hestia Knife—down into the Minotaur's right arm.
Blood gushed out of the wound and the beast roared in pain, actual pain, for the first time since the fight began. It's been almost ten minutes at this point but it felt so much longer.
Perhaps it's because everyone is focused on the fight that they want to absorb every detail they can. Or perhaps that everyone wants to see the outcome and potentially prevent an aspiring adventurer's early demise.
With the force Bell applied to the knife, he used both hands to violently twist the knife into the wound. The Minotaur's bones snapped inside, the beast feeling every last bit of pain. Inside its mind, it was thrilled for the fight, despite the pain. It was craving for more. It desired more. Fighting this boy felt like it was finally breathing like there was purpose in its life.
The beast's right arm was now unusable and dropped the sword it was holding. Bell took this chance to back up, swap the Hestia Knife into his left hand and move back in to challenge the beast, no, his adventure. Three...four.
Bell maneuvered around the beast, picking up the sword and holding it with one hand. It definitely was not made for him so when he swung they were wide arcs. Arcs that the Minotaur was unprepared for. The blade cut its chest twice, making blood splash out of its wound.
A wayward strand of it hit Bell's face, the color surrounding his ruby eyes. Right now though, those eyes were not of a kind country farm boy. No.
Those were the eyes of a true adventurer.
Some of the blood coated his snow-white hair a bit but did nothing to stop the shine it had. The light reflected off his hair, providing a beacon throughout the room. None of the Loki Familia wanted this to end.
Ais was still watching, just barely aware that her brother was standing next to her. Her hand automatically reached for his like when they were kids. They grasped one another, their eyes flicking to every bit of the action. The other members noticed this, subsequently confirming for Finn that they had a hand in it.
The Pallum has been analyzing the fight since he entered. He's noticed things in this boy's fighting style that coincide with Royalty's fighting styles. A mixture of the two with the split being 65-35 with Ais's favor, at Finn's first glance. Five.
Bell got a few more large, and much needed, strikes on the beast. Eventually, the two entered a stare down. The Minotaur dropped to his one good hand and knees. The veteran adventurers knew what this meant. Bell did not.
The Minotaur was going to charge and use its horn to pierce the young rabbit to the wall.
Both fighters locked eyes and that was it. They launched one final time at each other. Neither Axton nor Ais heard their comments. They didn't hear the young Pallum shout out in hysterics. They only heard the sounds of the fight.
"It's all right," Ais cooed aloud.
Bell's temporary sword clashed with the Minotaur's horn, which could no longer take the strain and the sword shattered into pieces. The beast tried to use that horn to stab Bell but he ducked underneath the crouching Minotaur. Using all of his strength, he drove the knife into its gut, sending a smaller splash of blood out. He brought his hand back and punched the beast's stomach then punched the spot he's been aiming at the entire time. The leg of the Minotaur buckled as he said with what felt like a booming voice…
*Firebolt.*
Flames channeled through the blade into the Minotaur's insides. The deep cuts that Bell creates lit up in an inferno of crimson light. It mixed with the crimson essence of the beast. It contrasted the color of the entire cave. A bloody beacon, and only these eight people—nine if you count Bell—witnessed this. Axton smiled gleefully at Bell's handiwork. Crude but effective.
Blood leaked from the beast's snout like a dripping sink. It flowed down its body, missing the boy entirely. The beast raised its arm to bring it down to shatter the rabbit's spine but it never made it.
*Firebolt.*
Bell steeled himself once more. He was so determined. The looks on everyone else's faces were ones of anticipation. Tiona was bouncing on her heels, fists under her chin, eyes wide. She was the most active of the bunch. Finn and Riveria only watched with calculating wide eyes. Bete grit his teeth and internally admitted that the kid's got spunk.
…But Ais and Axton…
They were in front of it all. They witnessed it all. There were pleased smiles on their faces. Axton's golden-onyx eyes were twinkling in the light. He was the Giddy Prince just for this moment. Ais's golden eyes were shining at their brightest than they've ever been before. The smile proved it. Doll Princess who now?
No one else saw it but there was an energy in the air. Then, another voice pierced the air.
*Fire…bollllttt!*
Bell's voice echoed across the room and even across the floor where other adventurers were wondering what the hell was happening. The pure relief and power put into that no chant spell was enough to make the Minotaur disappear from existence. Its last thoughts were of the boy and the desire to fight him again. It was officially gone.
But it will return in another form. One day.
All that remained was Bell, a pile of ash, and one Minotaur horn. The boy still clutched the knife in his hand. Axton and Ais were the first to approach.
"He did it."
"Yes…he did."
The former spoke first, the latter confirmed it. The boy just fought a Minotaur at level one and survived. This was a day for the record books.
Tione commented, only in a whisper, "Did he…pass out?"
Upon further inspection, the boy's head was tilted back, and his eyes were closed. His shirt was shredded and all the armor that he had was reduced to just the left knee pad. "Correction, Tione, he passed out, standing. A testament to the fight."
"Mind Zero," Riveria said. Mind Zero means that he's used up all of his allocated Mind—or mana if one prefers—and was thrown into an unconscious state. The difference between Mind Down and Mind Zero is how fast one can recover. The latter takes longer in this case, two days minimum instead of a few hours.
Bete grunted, "Check his back, his stats are exposed. Riveria, can you read it?"
"You're asking me to break a rule?"
He put an arm behind his head, "Listen if the dumbass didn't have his deity cover it and we happen to see it, what's the harm in it? If anything, it's not our fault."
Riveria looked like she was about to fight it but realized that he was right. Riveria moved to inspect his back and her jade-colored eyes widened for the umpteenth time today. "Well…"
Royalty crowded around Riveria to look and while they have a basic understanding of the God's Language, they do not fully understand it. Riveria attempted to teach it to them when they were young. She didn't know if the lessons stuck
"I can't believe it but these don't lie," she turned to the group, "His stats are all level S."
A collective 'WHAT?!' was shared between them, making Axton take a second look. "Uhm…Riveria? Correct me if I'm wrong but are those two and three S's next to each other?" He pointed to all of his stats and one where there were indeed three S's.
Riveria took a second look and found he was correct. "Oh my…"
Finn almost dropped his spear, "Gareth is never going to believe this. Ais, Axton, what is this young fellow's name?"
The Pallum supporter went up to Bell and started hugging him and crying. She was thankful he was alive. The girl was currently cursing him out for being so stupid yet so damn brave. It was a little entertaining to watch.
Royalty answered in sync, ""Bell. His name is Bell Cranel.""
"…"
"Don't you find it creepy that they do that?" Tiona asked innocently.
Bete snarled, "You Amazonian bimbos do that too!"
""No we don't! You wanna go?!""
Finn and Riveria sighed, sharing a look. It's the same shit, different day. However, this did make them smile. "Come on, Royalty, escort Mister Cranel and…"
"Lili's name is Lili," the now identified Pallum said.
"…Miss Lili to the surface. After this expedition, we need to talk."
""Yes, Captain,"" they responded.
"Okay, now you're screwing with us," Tione said, calming down first, like usual.
They responded by snickering under their breath. "Come on sis, I'll let you carry him, and I will carry Lili…if she wants," Axton said, eyeing her.
"Lili has no qualms as long as Master Bell is safe."
The Sword Prince smiled, "Good, because this is a story that will get out whether we like it or not. Come on, Lili, faster we get you to the surface, faster we can get back on track, no doubt Gareth ran into all of our groups."
Ais had out Bell's unconscious form on her back, his soft white hair brushing her face, the blood missing her face. As a result, she hid a smile in his hair but it did not hide her blush.
Axton saw it and shot her a look that said, you're welcome.
Ais merely shot him a look that said thank you, in return.
The pair headed for the surface soon after.
Elsewhere in Orario.
Freya saw it all. She saw every last detail. She saw him fight, she saw him be knocked down, she saw him get back up, and she saw him win. The Goddess had no shame to admit that she had orgasmed during the fight upon its completion
Someone else had some shame elsewhere.
"My beautiful Odr. You please me so…" Freya mumbled, coming off her high. She was inexplicably overjoyed at the fact that her Odr has finally shown themselves.
She wants him to shine to be the best he can be. To stand tall and be hers and hers alone.
While she was viewing, she noticed that Royalty was watching and their souls had shifted slightly. There was more white color mixed in. "Ufufu, my lovely Odr is already making an impact."
Having gotten reports from her Familia about Royalty, she had at least noticed some similar moves between them and her Odr. I'm not a Goddess of War for nothing...I notice these things.
The Goddess sighed, her smile still present, "I believe I should at the very least thank them for preparing my Odr for his trial. Fufu…"
When she went to sleep that night, she replayed the scene over and over in her mind. She had to change the sheets the next morning and her thirst was still not satisfied.
"I need more…" Freya moaned, her fingers trailing down her body, which was ready for another round.
...
The shame I mentioned? Yeah, that's me, thinking I really just wrote that last 250 ish words. Yup, I have no doubt that Freya did indeed do the things I described. She is totally the type.
New OCs...merely filler, for now, just because there is at least 80% female population—by my guess—in the Loki Familia. So the raccoon and dark elf will make more appearances later, like next chapter.
I most likely will be reading Volume four of SO again just to get the full details of the expedition. I'm still a little salty about HiDive moving away from VRV (A Crunchyroll app) and taking away the SO Anime. It's a visual reference for me.
To agopessimist: I did try to incorporate your suggestion in the fight. Honestly, don't know if I achieved that. My reason why it wasn't as prevalent is that I think for a level one to punch a Minotaur as hard as he could break his hand, making it useless, even if it was proper form. The thing I did is hopefully enough.
Still probably going to get called out on something lmao.
So my horrible attempt to knock on the fourth wall aside...Minotaur fight...I don't have a lot to say besides...I tried. I blitzed the latter half of the chapter last night. I was in the zone. 4k words in like six hours which is like...damn.
There will be a reflection on the fight with Royalty as they come down again from the surface. NiebieskiLis, you mentioned this in your last review. That part will be the first half.
Anyway, in the meantime, I've got more writing to do. Oh, and two updates within a month like whhhhhaaatttt?
