A/N
Hello once more everyone! I'm excited to upload Chapter 6 today!
I am sorry about the last chapter, I know it's bad, But fear not, as this chapter is normal! Yes, normal I say!
Anyways. This one is kinda dialog heavy, so I hope you all enjoy it!
5,193 words in total.
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It was a warm evening in Orario as Bell Cranel approached the Guild Hall.
As unsuspecting as normal, he had gone to the dungeon by himself, Lili having prior obligations. So Bell was a little slower to arrive than usual, carrying his own bag.
.
He had entered the Guild in his regular fashion, that being through the front door, like everyone else.
Bell scanned the counter, not seeing Eina. He found this odd, but figured she must be in one of the back rooms, so he simply headed towards the exchange counter to cash in.
Until he heard Eina, who was calling to him from the right.
Bell stopped in his tracks, slightly confused, until he looked over, finding her in the guest seating area.
This in itself was fine, however, she currently sat across from the one person he was trying hardest to avoid, Riveria Ljos Alf.
Bell froze, Riveria noticing.
He thought of his options. First, he could run. Second, he could sit down and introduce himself. Riveria locked eyes with him. Third, he could run… Bell chose to run.
Riveria in the meantime had been watching with a victorious grin, happy to have finally caught her prey. Though, inwardly she felt some... discomfort in calling him prey, considering that she was 99, and according to Eina, he was only 18.
She noticed his features suddenly fill with panic, his eyes quickly darted to the door, then back to her.
Before Eina could blink, Riveria was up and moving.
Bell turned quick, lowering himself to get a better kick off. As his forefinger touched the handle, a panicked smile set in. The door, opening outwards, was moving, until an ironclad grip locked itself onto the now frozen Bell's arm.
Bell dared not turn. "Bell Cranel I take it." Riveria spoke.
He tried again to push forward, trying to open the door. The effort was in vain, however.
Bell was forced to bring his now nervous, shaking smile upward to meet his captors.
Riveria's eyes were closed shut, trying her best to not let the irrational anger out after watching him try and run yet again. But still, she smiled.
Riveria addressed him again. "Bell Cranel, I take it."
Bell nodded, feeling his fear build at the angry yet polite High Elf standing over him.
'Tall.' Bell thought nervously looking up to meet her closed eyes.
"I would like to talk, do you have a moment?" She spoke, calm yet menacingly, telling him that there in fact was only one answer to her question.
Bell nodded, fearing for his own safety.
"Good." Her smile became slightly more genuine… Slightly…
.
Bell sat opposite of RIveria, Eina leaving to give them space.
"Alright." Riveria sat calmly, directly across from him. "Bell Cranel, unless I am wrong, you were caught up in an incident with a minotaur, is that correct?"
Riveria was staring holes through him, almost as though he would disappear if she blinked.
Bell spoke softly. "Yes, mam."
Riveria continued, her gaze softening. She sighed, "I'm scary, aren't I..." She looked to her lap.
"I-I'm sorry." Riveria started, much weaker willed than before.
Bell looked on in shock. "I just want to apologize, but every time I see you, you just run away. I'm not t-trying to be scary, I promise."
He sat in silence, not really knowing what to say. "I-It's okay…" Bell tried his hand at comforting her, though he didn't sound very confident.
She still looked downwards. "...Why then?" She looked up, seeing Bell's confusion. "Why do you keep running?"
Bell was lost again for words.
He couldn't just come out and say it's because he's a Snow Elf and she's a High Elf, if there were anyone in Orario who could notice the aura around him, it would be her. So as a precaution, he did everything in his power to avoid interacting with her, though that sounds a bit rude.
It isn't just her though, it's all High Elves, but she's the only one here, so…
Bell threw some words together. "Well, you're a High Elf, and not to sound rude, but I wouldn't think you'd want to be around someone like me..."
Riviera looked up. "Eh? Well, I get that a lot, being a High Elf, but I don't hold the other races in such contempt like others would."
"I know." Bell spoke. "Eina told me, after I asked about you... the day of the incident…"
Riveria was surprised to hear this. "You asked about me?"
Bell was a bit embarrassed. "Y-Yes, I saw your hair before I ran, so I asked Eina about Mage Elves with Green hair in the city."
Riveria was slightly impressed by his ability to take in his surroundings, even in a situation like that. "Even so, why were you so afraid?"
Bell continued on in his embarrassment. "Well, I wasn't all that confident in my ability to escape from the minotaur. So, when it suddenly froze like that, I guess I just... panicked." Bell shrugged his shoulders.
After a brief silence, Bell started again. "I did want to thank you afterwards, but when I learned what Familia you were from. I became concerned you wouldn't want to speak to me because of that too."
Riveria though for a moment. "The Hestia Familia, right?" Bell nodded.
Riveria sighed. "Well, at the very least. I feel that as long as she didn't need to directly interact with Hestia, Loki wouldn't try to stop us children from getting along." She spoke with confidence.
Bell mulled it over, finding it reasonable at the least.
"Anything else?" Riveria asked, as it seemed Bell just kept finding things to put in between them.
He thought for a moment. "I-I'm not very good at interacting with Elves…"
Riveria's gaze became slightly amused at the last ditch effort.
"Okay then. Forgetting Eina for a second, explain your relationship with Ryuu then." Riveria grinned a touch.
Bell was taken aback by that. "How do you-?"
Riveria cut him off. "She ran after you that day at the Hostess, when you took off after seeing me." She grinned, trapping him.
Bell's eyes widened. 'She thinks it was because of her? Well I suppose that's a good enough cover, best to let her keep thinking that.'
Bell started. "W-Well, me and her got to know each other through Sry, another of the waitresses there, and it helped that I worked at the Hostess for a good portion of my recovery after Monsterphilia."
Riveria's interest was piqued. "Oh, I see, so you're able to get along well with Elves as long as you've gotten to know them first, correct?" She noticed, but didn't bring up how Monsterphilia was after that day.
"Uh, yes, I suppose." Bell scratched his cheek, a shiver running up his back.
Riveria smiled to herself, eyes closed. "Bell, you wouldn't happen to have any magic would you?" Her eyes now open.
"Y-Yes." Bell felt his heart sink as her smile only grew.
"Excellent! Then I shall begin giving you lessons on the matter, starting tomorrow. Provided your goddess agrees."
Bell did his best to not show his worry. "G-Great."
As Riveria reveled in her victory, Bell sat in defeat.
Until Riveria caught on to something he said a moment ago.
"Wait." She spoke out suddenly, gaining his attention once more. "What happened to you at Monsterphilia?"
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It was now past sunset, as Bell lay across the bed for Hestia to update his status.
"So let me get this straight." Hestia began. "One of Loki's children, the one that saved you from the Minotaur-" Bell grunted his confirmation. "-Asked you to come to their home, and take lessons about magic?"
Bell confirmed her summary, it had been the subject of the night, brought up the moment he saw her walk in holding Trje.
The cat lay the same as Bell, but on the couch some distance away.
"So I shouldn't go right, it's the Loki Familia headquarters after all." Bell was trying his best to get out of it.
Hestia thought for a moment. "Well…"
"WHAT?!" Bell shouted, practically knocking her off his back.
"Ahh! Don't do that!" Hestia shouted back.
"Ah, sorry." Bell responded.
She sighed, now back on top of him. "As much as it pains me to get help from that washboard, you yourself were just talking about how rusty your magic is. Why not go, you might learn something important."
Bell thought over the proposal again, now thinking of all the potential benefits he could get.
A few moments later, Hestia moved off of him, handing him the paper as he sat up.
.
Bell Cranel
LV 1
STR : 701 - 810
END : 522 - 599
DEX : 710 - 815
AGI : 759 - 811
MAG : 764 - 828
MAGIC :
Cure Wound Enhanced - Utility - Short Chanting Magic
Pure Spring - Utility - Short Chanting Magic
Candle Light - Utility - Short Chanting Magic
Cinder - Long Chant Magic
Firebolt - Variation - Instant chant
Dark Matter - Long Chant Magic
SKILLS :
Sixth Sense - passive
Liaris Freese - passive
.
Bell looked over his stats, further impressed by the progress brought on by his most recent skill.
Not only that, but he was also excited by his 'Utility' magic, also being able to upgrade with use like his combat spells.
Now with the 'Enhanced' version of 'Cure Wound', he could choose to have the magic heal its target similar to a potion, or the same as before with less Mind.
This was something that, to Bell, was unexpected, but greatly welcomed.
"Boy, am I glad I got you that Knife." Hestia off handedly commented from her seat on the couch, while waving a loose spring around for Trje to swat at.
Bell glanced to the wall, seeing the black sheath resting on his belt. "Me too, goddess."
He stood up off the bed, moving to start preparing dinner, before hestia jumped in to help.
.
As they ate, Hestia listened in on some of his concerns.
"Ah, wait, say that last part again, I uh, didn't catch it…" Hestia rambled after having been lost in her food.
"Which part?" Bell asked.
Hestia responded nervously. "...All of it…"
Bell sighed. "Okay, again. I've been avoiding Lady Riveria because High Elves, her, are especially sensitive to Snow Elf auras, me."
Bell breathed. "What our aura is, I don't know, but from the moment I could control it, I was taught to conceal it, if I didn't conceal it, then any Elf in proximity would start feeling a slight dizzy sensation, and then an unexplainable urge to keep me at arms length."
"So-" Hestia started. "-you don't know why it happens?"
Bell shook his head. "No, I might have learned had… Well, you know, not happened."
Hestia didn't poke further, instead switching to the next topic. "Well, why are you so concerned if you know how to conceal it?"
Bell rubbed his neck, taking a moment to find the words.
"Well, I DID know how to, but there's the tiny issue of the gods. When you guys showed up here on Genkai, magic became a more broad concept, so I never know what I'm coming up against out there."
Hestia squirmed a bit. "Sorry."
"No-no." Bell responded. "It's not your fault, it's just that all this excess magic floating around caused a type of 'Magical Renaissance' so every once in a while, something changes and I'm forced to keep up."
It was quiet for a moment. "Okay, so do you think this Riviera knows you're a Snow Elf already?" Hestia asked.
"Riveria." Bell corrected, she mouthed the name again. "I doubt it though, the only time I can't contain it is when I'm unconscious, like say I'm knocked out, or maybe in a mind dow-n…" Bell froze up.
Hestia got curious. "Bell? What's up."
His face started turning red.
"Bell?!" Hestia was clamoring to know what was happening.
Bell tried his best not to make eye contact, as she leaned more and more over.
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There Bell stood, looking up at the tall castle-like building that was the Twilight Manner, simply being in awe that a lone Familia could use the entire building.
It wasn't long until the guards noticed him loitering near the front gate.
"Who might you be?" The guard asked.
"Oh, Bell Cranel, Lady Riveria invited me for lessons on magic last evening at the guild." Bell spoke nervously.
The two at the gate shared a look, before turning back to Bell. "Alright, we were notified last night that Lady Riveria had a guest arriving this morning. Please go ahead, but wait at the door for your guide to arrive."
Bell nodded, walking cautiously through the now opened gate.
Bell approached the door as a sudden ringing was heard, then once more. When he looked back, he saw a guard had rung a small, but loud bell, notifying the occupants of a visitor. Bell thought it was odd, but who was he to judge?
.
After standing at the door for some time, it finally opened, and on the other side, Bell found a young Elf around his height.
"Uh, good morning." Bell said with slight surprise.
"Good morning." She responded.
"Bell Cranel." Bell nodded.
"Lefiya Viridis." She nodded back. "Please follow me, Lady Riveria is waiting for us in the Library."
Bell did as told, following a comfortable distance behind.
.
Lefiya was the first to break the ice. "You're quite lucky, getting magic lessons from a High Elf as esteemed as Lady Riveria."
"Yes." Bell responded. "She's very kind, though I feel it's lost on me."
She stopped and turned. "Nonsense! If Lady Riveria sees value in teaching you, then she obviously believes that you're worth the effort."
Bell stopped feeling a bit awkward. "Well, I'm half convinced she's only doing this for Eina though."
Lefiya was taken aback by that. "Do not question her motives! She wants to teach you, I was there when she told the executives last night, she is very happy to have you for these lessons."
Bell's eyes dropped, feeling bad for questioning her. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that."
Lefiya turned forward, leading again. "It's fine, though I wouldn't say that to Lady Riveria if I were you."
Bell nodded, following along, not that she could have seen.
Internally, Lefiya was trying to wrap her head around him.
'How in the world could a human like him cause such interest from Lady Riveria. Sigh, I'll probably never know why she was so excited for today.'
They reached the top of probably their eighth staircase.
"So -" She started.
"Bell is fine." He interrupted her, though she didn't seem to mind.
"Bell." She fixed. "What type of magic do you have anyways?"
.
"It's an instant chant spell, called 'Firebolt' He said.
Riveria nodded, though was curious the same as Lefiya who stood to the side, forming a small triangle between them all.
"Instant? How so?" Riveria asked.
Bell lifted his arm off to the side. "Well, I point my hand out like this, then say the spell's name." he lowered his arm.
Riveria and Lefiya both went bug eyed, Lefiya having not quite understood after their conversation earlier.
"How… How exactly did you obtain such magic?" Lefiya asked, unknowingly stealing the question off Riveria's lips.
Bell did his best thinking face. "It just showed up after the fight during Monsterphilia."
"I-It just showed up?! Out of the blue?!" Lefiya asked again, feeling a touch of jealousy that magic had randomly appeared for him.
Bell nodded, knowing that if he said anything more, they'd notice his half-truth.
They both stared for what was to Bell, uncomfortably long.
"Can… We start the lesson now?" His words breaking them from their stupor.
Riveria spoke up. "Ah yes, let's!"
Riveria moved quickly, getting her notes from one of the library tables. "Okay! So, in order to be most effective, Bell, I would like you to explain everything you already know about magic." Riveria motioned for him to take a seat as they both had, now each looking to him.
He suddenly felt the pressure to not embarrass himself, or his goddess.
He sat down. "Okay." Bell readied himself. "Starting with the basics. There's two ways to get magic, the first is through your race, the second through the Falna." Riveria nodded.
"There are magic enhancers." He continued. "Typically tools which are used to better focus magic when casting. Along with that, I believe I have heard of books which can grant a person magic, though I believe it only works on people with Falna."
Riveria was happy with his present knowledge, it was basic, but it was something. She was about to speak when he suddenly started again.
"Similar to mind down, which is if you run out of mind after casting, other status-affecting conditions can do a variety of things, like overheat the caster, or even freeze them."
Riveria and Lefiya listened on with confusion. "When it comes to magics themselves, there are two types, utility and attack. Utility being things like healing and light producing magics. Attack being anything that can harm another being or object."
Bell finally stopped, now seeing the confusion on both their faces.
'So he does know about mind down.' Riveria thought.
"Well… You do know a great deal already…" Lefiya started.
"Though you seem to have a good deal of miss information on the subject." Riveria finished.
Bell was slightly confused, only to realize a moment later that in his rush to show his knowledge, he accidentally told them information that only applies to pre-'Age of the Gods' magic.
"That stuff you said about magic harming the user, it sounds like 'Ignus Fatuus' to me." Riveria spoke, looking to Lefiya who nodded in agreement.
"Ignus Fatuus?" Bell asked.
Riveria turned back to him. "Yes, it's when a person loses control of their magic, usually resulting in harm for the caster. Though, I would like to know where you heard of such practices."
Bell nodded. "Well, I haven't seen many other people use magic, but I had heard of many magics having that as a result in books I've read."
Both girls hummed, seemingly affirming a shared thought he had no way of knowing.
Lefiya spoke. "I'm guessing your knowledge of magic comes from story books, probably dating to before the gods descended to Genkai, right?" Bell nodded.
Riveria took over. "Yes, what you said in that context is valid, however, since the gods came down, magic has become more stable in general. So you need not worry about hurting yourself as, sadly, almost all of the ancient magics have been lost to time." Riviera seemed somewhat disappointed.
She quickly picked her spirits back up. "Once again going back, the names for the types of magic acquisition are 'Congenital' for if you are from a magical race, and 'Acquired' for those who get it through Falna."
Lefiya spoke up. "Can we assume that the 'Utility' magics are also from those stories."
Bell once again nodded.
"Oh, wait, I think I've heard about that." Riveria drew their attention back. "They showed up on some of the first adventurers, it had something to do with pre-Falna magic interacting with the divine energy, though it hasn't been seen since, I believe."
Lefiya nodded, followed shortly by Bell.
"Well then." Riveria started. "I think it would be best to get started properly now."
Riveria pulled a set of three books over from her far side towards Bell and Lefiya, taking one for herself along the way.
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It was noon at this point, Bell was mentally exhausted, having learned where Eina got her teaching style from. But now, he was on his way out, finding his way with the help of Lefiya yet again.
The session itself lasted four hours, quite honestly, Bell was wondering how long Lefiya had been taking Riveria's lessons to be still none the worse for wear afterwards.
They had been chatting all the way down one of the many staircases, before encountering yet another person on Bell's 'avoid until further notice' list.
"Miss Ais!" Lefiya called, Bell Freezing instantly.
He didn't want to look up, but a sick curiosity gnawed at the back of his mind, telling him to do just that. When he lifted his head, he saw who he, for a short moment, believed to be Aria in the flesh, his knees nearly buckling. She looked exactly like her mother.
It was only then that he had a sickening realization.
Ais, the 'Sword Princess' of the Loki Familia was a Level Six, at only Sixteen years old. Bell's stomach felt like it was filled with bricks.
'Seven, she was Seven when the dragon attacked… In the Nine years she'd been in Orario, she's at Level Six... How long did they wait…? Did they even wait…?'
.
It was now that Ais and Lefiya noticed him staring, still a half dozen stairs above them.
Lefiya spoke up first. "Are you alright Bell?"
Bell was brought out of his thoughts. "Ah, yes sorry." He walked the final few steps down, now noticing how tall Ais had become, he slipped back and forth from his thoughts.
"So, are you a new member?" Ais asked, tilting her head a bit.
Lefiya answered for him. "No-no, he was here for the lessons with Lady Riveria, this is Bell."
Ais's eyes widened, before speaking bluntly. "Oh, you're him, the one Riveria's been obsessing over."
Bell froze up in shock. "Ah-."
Lefiya was also taken aback. "What are you saying Miss Ais?!"
She turned to the Elf. "Well, she's been talking about him non-stop, and has been trying to find him again ever since the Minotaur escaped to the Fifth Floor."
Lefiya was having a hard time believing this, though she couldn't refute it either. Bell, meanwhile, was just having a meltdown from the various things coming and going through his mind.
Seeing the two simply stopped in shock, Ais took it upon herself to 'fix' the situation.
"Are you on your way out, Bell?" She asked.
Bell wasn't capable of speech at this time, still shocked, so he simply nodded his head after a moment.
Ais took his arm, leading him past the still stunned Lefiya.
.
Ais kept a hold of his arm while leading him to the entranceway. Various thoughts crossed both of their minds, though nothing seemed right to start a conversation.
Until Bell finally just started saying the first thing on his mind.
"Ais, are you doing alright?" Bell spoke in a near monotone, only letting a microscopic amount of his worry through.
Ais stopped, looking back in slight shock at the words from Bell. "What do you mean?"
Bell stood there, finding the words. "I just… The worlds never fair, so I just wanted to know if you're managing well enough..."
Ais took a moment before answering.
"I… I think I am…"
They stood for a moment, Bell taking her words in, feeling in her words that she really wasn't.
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It had been a week since Bell's first lesson on magic with Riveria.
He now stood on the top of Orario's outer wall, directly across from Ais.
After his second Magic lesson two days later, Ais offered to train Bell in the early morning, justifying it as her being partially responsible for the Minotaur's escape.
In reality, it was an attempt to find the answer for why she recognized him. It never ceased, the constant nagging at her mind, like a word that she knew, but couldn't quite remember.
Bell didn't know what to say, both unsure of if it was okay to be around her, and wanting to spend every moment he could with her.
There was definitely one thing he was thrilled about though. That being that she fought just like her father, elegantly, yet brutal.
Bell loved every second of their fights.
.
It wasn't until their third day did Lefiya, and Riveria surprisingly, join them on the wall for morning training. Bell had to admit, it was nice not being the one getting kicked in the head, and to think Lefiya was jealous that he got to train with Ais.
Riveria and Bell sat on some boxes which happened to be there, while Ais knocked out Lefiya for her third time today. Ais now sat an arms reach away from Riveria and Bell, Lefiya unconscious and on her lap.
Bell tried to get the conversation started while they waited for their entertainment to wake up.
"So the Loki expedition leaves in three days, right?" Bell asked.
Riveria turned to him. "Yes, we're trying to once again reach Floor Fifty-Nine. That is if we don't run into anything problematic again."
Bell was curious. "Problematic?"
Riveria nodded. "We encountered a new monster down there, that is to say, we just hadn't seen it before."
"What was it?" Bell asked.
Riveria continued. "Oh, well, we aren't really supposed to talk about it, but it was like a large caterpillar.-"
Lefiya woke up with a shriek from being on Ais's lap, Bell and Riveria ignored her.
"-It also had some sort of acidic fluid, which destroyed all the weapons in our vanguard, hence the early return." Riveria finished.
"Ah! I haven't had a caterpillar in awhile, sounds good." Bell spoke not realizing the oddity in his words.
Everyone stopped to look at him, expecting to see signs of him lying.
"You mean 'Seen' right, Bell?" Ais spoke up.
Bell realized he'd said his thoughts out loud. "Ah, um… no…?"
Lefiya, freshly calmed down, shouted. "Why do YOU sound surprised?!"
Bell recoiled, shrinking a bit.
"Bell." Riveria spoke softly. "Have you eaten caterpillars before?" Bell nodded. "Pray tell why?" She finished.
"Well… I was in a village some time ago that didn't have much in the way of farmland, so they mainly hunted for their food, and one of the things they hunted for were caterpillars." Bell finished, though he sensed the urging to continue from the others.
"I was a guest there, and their traditions made it so there was a feast for me, since visitors were exceedingly rare, and one of the food choices was caterpillar." He shrugged his shoulders. "I tried some, and actually, it wasn't half bad."
The girls all looked at him in morbid curiosity. "Oh, well, I'd have to say the legs did bother me a bit though."
All three cringed not simultaneously, Riveria looking away in disgust, Lefiya openly gagging from the mental texture she experienced, unwillingly imagining it.
Bell quickly noticed. "What happened?!"
Riveria quickly turned back to him, her hand lightly across her mouth. "N-Not another… Word." It would seem that she too was gagging at the thought, though in a more dignified manner.
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At that same moment.
Deep in the dungeon, a certain Boaz hunted for a suitable candidate for his goddesses trial.
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The three days before Loki Familia would leave flew by in what felt like a blink.
Though for someone like Bell, it mine as well have been.
.
Bell and Lili were moving carefully through Level Eight.
They had been through the ringer already, fighting more than their fair share of kobalts, goblins and ants.
Though, because of Bell and his skill, they seemed no match.
"Master Bell?" She called.
"Yes Lili?" He responded.
"Lili isn't sure why, but aren't these monsters acting strange, not only do they seem stronger, but there seem to be more of them too."
Bell hadn't noticed till she spoke up. "You're." Bell paused, rolling his shoulder. "Right, I think. They have been a bit tougher than normal, and the ants are especially active too."
It was at this point Bell made one of his biggest mistakes as of recent, that being, not turning back then and there.
.
.
.
They had now made it to Level Nine, that's when everything really started to feel off.
They walked the dim cave-like hallways, the light coming from a large amount of green crystals embedded above. Bell couldn't help but bask in the concept of the dungeon once more, a place where a seemingly infinite amount of magical energy was stored.
Bell and Lili patrolled like normal, doing their rounds through the area, before making the decision to go down one more, or stay up here and farm stones.
But in the hour they'd been here, one goblin had shown, and only because they caught it emerging from the wall.
They came closer to a split in the path.
"Master Bell, Lili is getting a bad feeling."
Bell was about to make a comment back, before stopping mid stride.
He quickly shot his hand out, holding Lili back from being able to see what he did.
His eyes were wide, staring at what lay beyond.
'What could have…' Bell's thoughts quickly adjusted. 'She doesn't need to see this. She doesn't need to remember this.'
"Master Bell...?" Lili asked with a shake in her voice, seeing his eyes widened to their limit.
"Lili…" Bell racked his brain to find words. "Drop your bag, we need to leave."
Lili's heart rate picked up. "Why?!"
"Drop it now." Bell shouted quietly, grabbing at the closest strap and pulling to release her from it.
What he didn't want Lili to see was a massacre. Several adventurers had been brutalized by an unknown foe, left to be found by unsuspecting adventurers walking the same path.
Lili quickly complied, now in full panic.
Just as soon as it hit the ground, a heavy and fast running was heard from the other side of the path, Bell picked Lili up, allowing him to sprint at full pace away from the sound.
Bell ran, it followed, shouting a massive roar which echoed up several floors.
Just enough to be caught by a descending Werewolf.
.
Bell did his best, eventually putting distance between them and it, but this wasn't something he could maintain for long.
He came to a stop, out of breath, letting Lili out of his arms.
"Lili." He panted. "Lili, listen to me." He held onto her shoulders.
She stood in silence as he gained the necessary breath.
"You need to run." Lili's eyes widened, about to retort. "NO." He shut her down.
"Run, run until you find the Loki Familia, don't stop, no matter what, okay."
She was on the verge of tears, but he left no room for arguing, so she nodded. She backed up a few steps, not wanting to leave just yet.
"GO." he shouted.
She turned, running with all her power, so that she might get to them before it was too late.
.
Bell stood in wait, regaining his breath as he did.
Until it arrived from the dark. He wasn't surprised to see the minotaur, though the massive sword was unexpected.
Bell and the beast stood at odds, facing each other down with all the malice they could muster.
Him, the last of his species, a person who has only just gained something he felt worth fighting for.
His opponent, a beast which simply sought to bathe in the blood of all those who would come before it.
They readied themselves, Bell with his guild and Hestia knives, and it with its jet black sword.
They dashed forwards.
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A/N
Welp, that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed it!
I leaned a bit heavy on Riveria this chapter since she hadn't really been in much of this story and is supposed to be one of the main love interests, so, there you go.
Also, I will not be adding Lefiya to the harem.
If you guys hadn't caught on yet, I made Bell a human equivalent of 18 years old, because I'm not a minor, and it feels kinda wrong thinking about sub 18 year old characters like that.
Bell - 18, Eina - 19, Ryuu - 21, and Riveria - 99
I'll be seeing you all in a few days with Chapter 7!
Take care, have a great day!