Danmachi Heart of Alfhiem
A slice of a life chapter.
Chapter 5 Building Support(edited)
(Night 6)
"Get me, Riveria!" Loki ordered staring at the status sheet.
Luckily the high elf wasn't too far away. She saw Loki take Eina and Alicia up the tower to her room. She heard the goddess's voice scream out her name from down the stairs and jogged up the tower.
Riveria opened the door to see Loki with a huge smile plastered across her face. Eina and Alicia were trying to peek at the status sheet in her hands. 'Whew, at least Alicia kept Loki off Eina.' The thought had crossed her mind.
"What is it Loki?"
"Riveria take a seat. I got some questions for Eina. I wanted you to be here. Glad you were close by." Loki turned towards the half-elf. "Eina, how many times have you been in the dungeon; since you been with the guild over the last three years?
"I haven't been in the dungeon at all. I have been scared of it ever since."
"You're not lying to me. I can sense that, Eina. Still, how is that not a lie?" The Loki looked utterly baffled as she placed the sheet in front of the three elves.
Eina Tulle
Level One Race: Half-Elf Age: 19
Strength: G288...F302 Endurance: G275...F316
Dexterity: E483…..D597 Agility: H187…..G243 Magic: C654…..B745
Magic ()
Dio Luna (Healing) - "Respond to the contract, light of the forest. Follow my order and heal the wounds of those that seek your Mercy."
Midgard's Twilight (Earth) - "Earth split asunder. Sheen of iron. Upheave the very rock and stone beneath my toe. Gnome, Incarnate of the land. Rain down your missiles and extinguish the light."
Skill ()
Peredhel's Cannon(1) - Enhances Magic Abilities. 1.5x the effect when using attack magic. Passively Gains Spirit healing after using magic.
The three elves were silent, each amazed by what they saw on the sheet. Loki spoke again. "Not only is there a huge jump to your basic abilities but you gained a skill."
"Peredhel's Cannon!" Riveria said aloud in shock.
"You know what it means Lady Riveria." Alicia questioned.
"Yes! Peredhel means half high elf."
"How?" Eina stares dumbfounded at the Riveria.
"Your mother is technically a High Elf. We share a common ancestor from over a thousand years ago, through Lady Rishena. It is because of my father King Larfal that she is not allowed to refer to herself as a High Elf. Your father's brown hair must have been more of a dominant trait."
"Why did your father do that to my mother?"
Loki interrupted. "Because King Larfal's an ass!"
Alicia was about to protest when she saw the pursed smile on Riveria's face trying her best to suppress the urge to laugh. "Enough, I can explain my and your mother's history another time. In my father's eyes, the blood relation is too minuscule to count. I despise his obsession with purity and wanting to mess with my life."
"Surely we shouldn't talk about King Larfal in this way." Pleaded Alicia.
"He hates and fears anything outside the Alf forest. Even elves like you and Lefiya would be looked down on because you're from the Wishe Forest." Alicia's ears lowered. "Eina is a perfect example of a half-elf and yet she would probably be executed like any other race that enters the Alf Forest without a royal invitation, so yes my father is an ass."
Loki smirked that her first daughter agreed with her. "Your skill looks similar to Lefiya's Fairy Cannon skill. Hers is a little stronger with attack magic but you can recover mind easier with the passive spirit healing ability."
"Conserving mind is very important to a mage. In my opinion, it is better than Lefiya's fairy cannon skill." Riveria's beaming smile embarrassed Eina.
Eina felt warm inside having the elf princess think so highly of her. "How did my abilities go up so much?"
"That's the thing that is confusing me the most. Maybe half this amount wouldn't be shocking over three years. Three hundred and twenty points and not training, fighting, or going into the dungeon whatsoever shouldn't be possible." Loki tilted her head to Riveria. "However, I have seen something similar lately with Riveria and Ais."
"What do you mean?" Riveria's brow furrowed in confusion.
"You and Ais had quite the boost after the last expedition."
"True but it wasn't this high."
"Need more information but rabbit boy is my number one suspect." Loki's announcement shocked the three elves.
"Bell? Why him?" Riveria questioned.
"He's been an adventurer for what three weeks and he's able to help slay an infant dragon and a silverback. That doesn't sound right to me." Loki's suspicion was mounting, even getting agitated that he could break her favorite's record. "Ais is the record holder leveling up in one year and this boy's progress could dwarf her feat."
Eina shook her head. The mention of Bell's growth scared her. "Before the silverback broke out, he asked me about going to floor seven."
"Huh."
Loki held her hand out in Alicia's direction. "See none of you can tell me that's normal."
"Sounds a bit farfetched Loki."
"Riveria you saw him try to apply to our familia before the expedition."
Riveria grimaced. "Still, that has to be a super rare skill."
"How did he survive against an infant dragon? Their basically upper-level floor bosses." Alicia was confused. "The hall was completely scorched. I don't see a skill surviving that alone."
"B-Bell hid under the silverback's corpse. I thought he was dead." Eina started to tear up. "It was about to burn me alive and somehow he hooked the chain from the silverback around its mouth and pull its head into the wall. The flame attack scorched its eye. You know everything else."
"Some throw." Alicia's brow raised.
"Plus, Itty-Bitty has been obsessing over him. She seems to be afraid of him going near elf women." Loki got an evil grin. "Let me check your statuses."
The elven women were anxious to have their statuses checked. One droplet of blood fell on each of Riveria and Alicia's backs. Loki updated their statuses and placed their papers before them.
Alicia Forestlight
Level: Four Race: Elf Age: 25
Strength: E442...E466 Endurance: G204…..G240
Dexterity: D520...D538 Agility: C607…..C635
Magic: E480…..E482 Mage: H Abnormal Resistance: H
Magic Resistance: I
Magic ()
Niflheim's Shackles (Ice) – "Freeze, binding chains of winters"
Ithildin's Blessing (Healing) - "Sacred light of Mani, cleanse the broken and wash away the corruption that afflicts them"
Skill ()
Ranger's Grace – Slighty raises Alicia's agility. If being chased, allows her to obtain the development ability Escape.
…
Riveria Ljos Alf
Level: Six Age: 99 Race: High Elf
Strength: G246...G251 Endurance: G280...F305
Dexterity: C656…..C668 Agility: C665…..C685
Magic: S989...S995 Mage: E Treatment: G
Abnormal Resistance: G Spirit Healing: G Magic Resistance: H
"Riveria has gone up sixty-eight points and Alicia has gone up one hundred and three points." Loki was smiling ear to ear staring at the elven trio. They were stunned that Loki's hunch was right.
"How I have barely done anything but fight that plant monster and punch Bete?" Riveria felt a warm tingle in her chest, as she studied her status sheet.
Alicia's mouth practically hung open. "Only time I have ever seen a triple-digit boost is if I don't get a status update for a couple of months. Not three weeks!"
"This can't be." Eina's lips were trembling and her eyes were fixed on their sheets. She shook her head. "No. No. Please tell me it's something else! He's already moving extremely fast. I don't want him to get himself killed.
"Unlikely Eina." Loki's eyes squinted seeing the terrified look on Eina's face. "Still need some more information to be certain, but this is too much for a coincidence."
"A skill like this could shake Orario." Alicia gazed sideways at Eina. "I can't understand how a skill affects other people. Still, I don't remember anything that would get us this much Excelia."
Loki was looking around for her wine body and started recalling the events of the last three weeks. "We can do another status update when you girls get back from the mini-expedition. Eina is around him a lot more as his advisor. She can provide a baseline to confirm if Bell has a rare unknown skill."
"No Loki! I don't want to use Bell. I will continue to be his advisor only and train him for floor seven extremely hard encase he gets bored again." Eina held her temple. "I don't even know how he has the energy after running twenty miles on the wall every morning."
"You don't have to. Just be your normal beautiful self Eina." Loki winked pouring herself a glass. "Now you have a huge decision to make. Do you want to level up?"
"WHAT!" Eina's eyes slowly blink in shock. Eina never thought that she would be eligible to level up.
"Your fight with the dragon has made you eligible for level 2. Seems like you accumulated the majority of the excelia from the dragon kill with your magic. It's up to you but I would like it if your magic was at least an A rank."
"I will think about it goddess." Eina replied.
"Hmpf." Loki shrugged. "Why not work on getting your agility up by running with Bell in the morning. Put that cute excelia battery to use."
"Uhhhh. I don't know." Eina cringed. She hated running because of people's stares.
"He might like that." Alicia beamed a huge pearly white smile toward Eina. Eina hid her red face away from Riveria.
Loki flashed an evil smirk and squinted her slanted eyes. "Itty-Bitty probably isn't smart enough to lock his status. If you get a chance maybe take a peek at his backside."
"No!" Riveria's brow flared in anger. "You will not force Eina to look at his status. That would not be proper and you know it."
"Just a suggestion. Calm down, mama. He-he." Loki chuckled. "Just saying it probably wouldn't be difficult for Eina to check her boyfriend's back."
Eina's face went red and looked like steam was about to explode from her ears. "B-Bell's not my b-boyfriend."
"You seem rather attached and Misha said you were."
"Dam it, Misha. I am his advisor. It's my job to worry about my adventurers." Eina gazed off in the direction of Riveria. "Besides he fancies somebody else."
Riveria scrunched her brow in confusion. 'Who is she talking about?' For some reason that information made her tense up. She felt a headache building. "I think we should call it a night. Alicia, can you walk Eina home?"
"My pleasure, Lady Riveria." Alicia tilted her head.
Loki held out a second glass of wine toward Eina. "We could always celebrate with a nightcap in my room."
"NO!" All three elven women shouted in defiance and left the room.
A little while later, Alicia walked Eina home through the dark streets. They reached the other side of the north road within a few minutes. "We definitely need to hang out more Eina. It's a crime that we live so close and barely see each other."
Eina fumbled for her keys at the bottom of her stairs. "I would like that a lot, Alicia. Maybe when you get back as long as it doesn't conflict with the guild."
"Not like I am gonna drag you down into the dungeon. Geez." Alicia snickered. "Surprised you didn't tell Lady Riveria."
"It's not my place too. I will respect Bell's resolve to get stronger so he can try Alicia."
Alicia cringed. "Look that's cute in all but I can't allow any non-elven man to get that close to our princess. That would be impossible with who she is Eina. It would be a waste of time or worse get him in trouble with the royal family." Alicia focused on Eina's worried eyes. "I can tell you like him a lot. Why not try to spend more time with him? Loki's suggestion about running with him isn't the worst thing to do."
"I don't like running because of…." Eina looks down embarrassed.
"Hah hah. Probably end up falling off the wall if you run next to him." Eina was red in the face. "I got to get back or the guards will run after us. Be safe."
"You to Alicia. Please don't get hurt in the dungeon." Eina smiled warmly. "Bell encouraged me to come to see you all again. I have missed everybody."
"Seems I owe Bell an even bigger debt of gratitude for saving us." Alicia closed hers and shook her smiling face in embarrassment.
"Bell is not like that Alicia."
"I hope so. Good night Eina."
"Good night Alicia."
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(Western Orario)
I spent all afternoon fitting my armor and practicing moving around with practice combat in front of the church. The light armor didn't encumber me that much and allowed for flexible movement. My body was still sore from monsterphilia. I fell back asleep on the uncomfortable couch until goddess shoved me awake in the evening.
"Bell!" Hestia shook him awake until his eyes opened. "Can we talk?"
Slowly I sat up and yawned. "Huyaaa. Sure goddess."
"I am sorry I freaked out, earlier. You were gone for almost two days without a word."
"My apologies." I bowed my head and ignored bringing up the two days she was gone. "I didn't expect the monsters to get out."
"I understand." Hestia patted his snow-white hair. "You just did what you thought was right. Please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt or leave me alone."
"Goddess, I owe you so much for getting me off the streets and I am grateful every day for your blessing. I just want to be allowed to have friends."
"You can Bell." Hestia sat down and put her hand over Bell's. "I don't want people to take advantage of you."
"Nobody is taking advantage of me. I will keep my eyes open and trust in the wisdom of my goddess."
"What about Loki's women that keep harassing you?" Hestia leaned her head to the side and pouted innocently.
"They have been helping me, goddess. I found that horn drop item from that escaped minotaur. Lady Riveria was grateful and helped me find a smith. Eina is my advisor and has been teaching me a lot about the dungeon. She was so worried that she took time out of her day to help me find some armor."
"You don't think they're trying to seduce you." She said with teary eyes.
'I wish.' My face went red. "No goddess I don't. Lady Riveria is a princess and Eina is my advisor. I don't see something like that happening. They're just helping to keep me alive."
"Whew."
My head turned sideways hearing her sigh in relief. "Please try to start recruiting goddess, with any luck our familia will grow as fast as I seem to be and we can be strong and stable enough to move into a bigger house."
'He realizes something is off.' Hestia maintained her smile as the thought rattled against her nerves. "You're too naïve Bell. Try trusting me for once. I believe in your strength. Let's see how much you grew."
Bell Cranel
Level One Age: 15 Race: Human
Strength: E425...D571 Endurance: D502…..C620
Dexterity: E460…..D585 Agility: D550…..C656
Magic: I-0 Luck: I
Magic ()
Skills ()
Bell's status made Hestia nauseous and dizzy. She fell off of Bell's back toward the mattress. "What did you fight!?"
"A silverback and an infant dragon. If it wasn't for Eina. I would have died."
"Why didn't you run away?" Hestia sat up with a look of horror on her face.
"I didn't want the silverback hurting people. I thought I could at least hold it off until help arrived. Then it tried to attack Eina so I lured it away under the arena. The dragon completely blindsided us."
"You're lucky to be alive, Bell. You need to stop acting like a hero." Hestia pleaded. "You're being reckless all to impress an elf."
"I did it because I didn't want people getting hurt. If I can help people, I will goddess."
Hestia hugged Bell firmly. Squeezing her bosom into his chest. "Please don't leave me."
"I w-won't goddess." My face was red in embarrassment. "Goddess I think it's getting late."
"I guess so. It was a long day. Good night, Bell." Hestia broke away and went to get cleaned up.
"Night Goddess."
*Thud*
I walked out of the Goddess's bedroom and collapsed back onto the couch for a while longer. I was tossing and turning until almost ten o'clock but wasn't able to fall back.
*Gurgle*
"….."
My stomach grumbled loudly. 'Maybe I should check in with Ryu and grab a bite to eat.'
I grabbed my coat and snuck out of the basement, trying to avoid waking goddess. The chilly spring night air blew against my face as I exited the church and headed to the western road.
A chill went down my spine as I felt like somebody was watching me from above. "Just paranoid Bell."
*Gurgle*
I didn't have time to dwell on the weird sensation. My stomach was demanding that I eat at least once today. "Hopefully their still serving."
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********** (LN17 Spoiler in this section) **********
Freya had been watching from the top of Babel all evening hoping her dear Odr would surface. She was already happy witnessing the argument early this morning. Any wedge Hestia could accidentally drive between her and Bell would be easier to exploit when Freya was ready to snatch Bell.
"Ottar what have you found for me?"
The giant Boaz was standing next to her as imposing as ever. "You're betrothed successfully trapped the silverback in the tunnel. It's hard to believe but there have been rumors from the townsfolk that he beat an infant dragon, with the help of a rookie mage."
"You're not getting jealous are you, my dear Ottar." Freya gazed upon her Boaz champion.
"No, my lady. Your love embraces us all like the wind. Some may get embraced harder but it is fair." Ottar placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head. "Just seems unlikely that a fresh level one could beat an infant dragon. Unfortunately, we had nobody positioned inside the arena."
"Loki and Ganesha confirmed it." Freya rotated her wine goblet in her hand. "I don't sense a lie but why do you look uneasy Ottar?"
"It is my fault you don't have him already." The Boaz knelt before his goddess. "I found his application to your familia in the junk pile. I did not think he looked like a capable fighter nor did I think he would appeal to your heart."
"It's fine Ottar. Our time in the desert has taught me to be patient with my dear Odr." Freya drank the rest of her wine and then it happened.
*Cough! Cough!*
Freya patter her chest over and over. She nearly choked on the liquid seeing Bell's soul emerge onto the western road. She held up her hand towards Ottar. "I am fine."
Freya smiled in delight seeing her dear Odr wonder the city. She could see the light pulse around his stomach. "Fetch Helun for me. I want to visit my Odr."
"Yes, my lady."
********** (End of section) **********
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I walked down the western road clutching my aching stomach all the way to the hostess of Fertility. The bar didn't seem to be as busy as the last time. A brown-haired catgirl was waiting outside. "Good mha evening adventurer. Oh, wait your white hair meow. "The catgirl held a finger to her lip.
"Evening my name is Bell. Miss Anya right."
"Me-awe you remember."
"Is R-Ryu working t-tonight?"
"Of course." Anya tailed started wagging. "I can place you in her section."
"Uh."
"Follow meow." Anya led the way inside to a booth on Ryu's section. She walked up to the beautiful elf waitress. "Ryu Meow."
"Yes, Anya."
"Sill white hair asked for you nya." Anya pointed backward with her thumb to where Bell was sitting.
"O-o-okay. Thank you." Ryu replied clearly flustered. Nobody asked for her personally before. She walked over toward Bell's table. "How can I help you Mr. Cranel?"
"umm, h-hello Ryu." My heart rate started to pick up seeing her. "I-I a-am hungry. I wasn't able to show up the other night."
"I was wondering if you were still gonna stop by. Starting to think you were ignoring me. It's not a problem to make your food for the dungeon. Hope my lunch wasn't that bad."
"N-n-no not at all. I loved y-your lunches. I wasn't able to physically show up. I have been kind of recovering." I stretched my sore back.
"What happened Mr. Cranel?" Ryu's normally expressionless face started to show concern.
"You might not believe me. It was a bit of a wild day. I can tell you later if you get a break. Have you had lunch yet?"
"Not yet. I would have to ask Momma Mia. What do you want to eat?" Ryu wrote down his order of fix and greens. Thirty minutes later, Ryu came back out of the kitchen with his order. Mia forced her to add a side of rice. Ryu left for another table before Bell could question it.
The food at the Hostess was always amazing as usual. I would have left right after eating but I got caught up in watching other adventurers having fun with their friends. The city was a melting pot for all races to come together. Their laughing and gossiping over card games, food, and drink made me feel less lonely.
After about an hour later, Ryu overheard a few drunks at the bar talking to Mia. "Did you see that kid take down that dragon?"
"Yeah, that was the best fight I have ever seen. If it wasn't in the arena, I thought it might have been a death match." The bearded dwarf chugged down his ale.
Mia's brow was furrowed in confusion. "Ganesha doesn't host deathmatches. Heard monsters broke out."
*Hic* "Then that white hair kid was pretty ballsy." *Hic* The tigerperson uttered above his drink.
Ryu approached the giant dwarfess. "Mamma Mia, can I take a break?"
"I guess it's slow, but you're taking another plate over to your little friend. This is a place for food." Mia ordered with a sarcastic glare.
"Uhh… okay." Ryu agreed.
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Ten minutes later Ryu carried another fish and rice plate along with her salad and drinks. "Momma Mia insists you keep eating."
"I g-guess I am still hungry." An embarrassed smirk arose on my face. As I grabbed the plate and sunk my fork into the fish. The fork paused at my lips seeing her take a seat across from me. "Are y-you joining me?"
"If you don't mind." Ryu shrugged.
"N-n-no." I shook my head trying to prevent my nervous smile from getting any bigger.
*Chomp*
Ryu didn't think anything of it as she dug into her salad. "I don't think I ever got to sit in these booths during a shift. I usually eat in the back.".
"I like having you around Ryu. Do you want anything else? I can pay."
*Cough! Cough!* Ryu choked on one of her leafy greens by accident.
"Are you okay?"
"I am fine. I wasn't expecting that."
"It's the least I can do for all the help you have given me. Your lessons saved my butt at the festival."
Ryu's blue eyes expanded in shock. Her lips were parted out of confusion.
Seeing her beautiful face made my chest feel warm. 'Gods she's as beautiful as Eina. Stop it Bell! Your heart is for Riveria."
"Bell!" A cheerful shout came from the entrance of the hostess.
"Huh. Syr."
Syr wasn't in her uniform. Her silver hair flowed over her white blouse with a blue skirt. She ran over to our table all smiles. "You like seeing me out of work clothes."
"Y-you look nice, Syr."
"You can do better than that." Syr pouted cutely.
Ryu interrupted. "Why are you here Syr? I thought you had the weekend off."
Syr squinted her eyes in annoyance. "I was wondering if you have my purse. I haven't been able to find it since yesterday."
"Yes, I have it." Ryu reached into her apron and pulled out the purple coin purse.
"Yeah." Syr held it in midair at arm's length, in happiness. She sat down next to Bell. "I couldn't buy anything at the festival yesterday."
"Sorry Syr, I was trying to find you."
"Awe we could have had a date." Syr pushed against his shoulder. She smiled feeling Bell jump.
"P-probably a good thing that I didn't take your purse to the festival or meet you." I raised my right arm against my head. "I got pretty roughed up by a couple of escaped monsters."
"Wait were you the white-haired kid fighting the dragon in the arena." Syr asked.
"That can't be possible Syr. That is a level 2 monster—" Ryu stared into his nervous face. "Bell?"
"I had help from my advisor Eina. She use to be an adventurer." A blush rose on my cheeks.
"Why were you facing it in the arena?" Ryu's brow hurt in surprise.
"I was kind of trapped by a silverback in the tunnel. Your training helped me beat that ape, then we got surprised by the dragon."
"That just raises more questions." Ryu's stared dumbfounded.
"The ape wasn't too bad of a fight. The only real difficulty was escaping the chains attached to it. However, the dragon kicked my butt. I just woke up this morning. My back still hurts but that might be from sleeping on the sofa all day."
"Why do you sleep on a sofa?" Syr asked concerned.
"Kind of all I have at the moment. I am the only member of Hestia familia. Though Ryu's floor might be more comfortable. He-he-he." I let out a nervous chuckle.
"Mr. Cranel." Ryu let out a cute little embarrassed shriek.
"Sorry, Ryu."
"You could sleep upstairs Bell. Momma Mia might let you rent out the extra bedroom." Ryu suggested.
"P-pretty sure goddess would burn the place to the ground. She has been a bit possessive of late."
"How about the three of us spend tomorrow morning getting a new sofa?" Syr teased.
"Syr, I can't." Ryu tried to protest.
"Ryu you spend too much time at work. You need to get out more. Will you please go with us?" Syr made a sad little pout to her friend.
"U-us!?"
"Yes, Bell. Sounds like you need something new unless you want to sleep at my place." Syr batted her eyes
"Uhhhh."
"I will go." Ryu's resistance shattered.
"I can't take advantage of you like that and I only have fifty thousand valis in savings."
"That should be enough to upgrade, Mr. Cranel. Plus, it will be cheaper if both of us use our blessings to carry it than have it delivered. Meet here at eleven in the morning."
"Surely you're not gonna refuse to spend the morning with the two of us." Ryu smiled flirtatiously twirling her hair.
My hopeless resistance was crushed. "H-How could I r-refuse my two beautiful friends?" I spent another hour explaining to them what I remembered from the festival. Both went pale in the face when I mentioned some of my injuries.
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(Day 7)
I woke up early to find goddess Hestia lying on top of me. I rolled out from under her and headed to the wall around six like usual. "Dumb Bell zzzzzzzzzzzzz."
I threw on my running shoes in a hurry and left for the wall. The morning felt different. I felt like a pair of eyes was watching me from the wall, but I dismissed it as I ran up the tower's spiraling staircase. Upon exiting the tower, I jumped seeing Eina waiting for me in a blue running outfit. "Eina!"
"Good morning Bell. Sorry if I scared you."
"I-its okay." My hand rested above my heart. "W-w-what are you doing here?"
"Enjoying the sight, it's beautiful up here." A beautiful smile curled up on her pursed lips. "I was wondering if I could spend a few mornings running with you Bell."
"How did you know I was running up here?" Nervous seeing the unexpected beauty before me.
"A few people from my familia noticed you run up here. I only knew you lived in the western district."
"I come up here because it's kind of embarrassing to run in the city."
"Sorry. I should have asked you yesterday."
"It's fine. What changed?"
"You did silly." Eina clasped her hands behind her back and slowly turned back in forth innocently. "I am kind of eligible to level up from the dragon fight, but my agility stat is really low. I was wondering if I could tag along some mornings."
"Wow! Congratulations Eina!"
"It's all because of you." Eina blushed.
"Are you sure you want to? Takes me a few hours. Still getting used to it."
"I would like to unless you don't want me to." Eina pouted.
"N-no. I would never refuse to have you around Eina."
Eina's smile grew brighter than the sunrise. "Let's just try today. See how it goes."
"Okay."
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The first couple of miles was difficult to maintain pace with Eina. Even with all my willpower I couldn't avoid the bouncing next to me and picked up my pace until I got to the main road.
"Bell please wait up." Eina pleaded. She was falling behind until he stopped randomly to do pushups. "Huh."
I was hiding my red face looking downwards. "Just trying to catch my strength up to my agility. So, I do a few of these."
Eina followed and started doing about seventy. "Bell how many you gonna do?"
"I upped it to two hundred each road."
"Each time!" Eina shouted realizing that was over sixteen hundred pushups the whole way around
"Yep." *Thud* I jumped back to my feet and started running alongside her again.
"B-Bell….." Her breathing was a little labored as we ran by the south road.
"Yes, Eina."
"Please don't *hu-hu* ever go near the pleasure quarter. *Hu-hu.* Many awful things happened there."
"I was wondering what that place was. The red lights really the city up over there over. I would never want you or Riveria to think poorly of me."
"I am glad." Eina felt relieved to hear him say that. She was starting to get jealous of Bell's physical constitution. She focused on the run with renewed purpose and temporarily outpaced Bell.
By the time we got to the north of the city, I was starting to feel a little winded. Eina was breathing heavily and zigzagging a lot more.
"Eina are you o-okay?"
"Y-yes. I am f-fine." She got back to her feet after the pushups.
"Let's call it a day."
"Okay." Eina agreed. She stumbled down a stair and Bell caught her. She was so exhausted that she didn't care.
"Eina, where do you live? I want to make sure you get back okay."
"Ummmm, I…. live… Uhhhh." *Thud* Eina's body gave out at the bottom of the tower.
"Eina! Eina! Wake up." I tried to shover her awake. Eina was unresponsive but still breathing, but her pulse was slow and the temperature of her skin was high. Sensing no choice I bent down and hoisted her into my arms and ran towards the twilight manor. I ignored the strange looks from people in the streets as I turned up the road to Loki's familia's residence.
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A lone brown-haired muscular guard was standing out front of the twilight manor. His friend had slipped inside to use the restroom. He noticed the white-haired kid holding on to the new girl that he was very interested in getting closer to. Hod's hand rested on this pommel. "Let her go immediately!"
"Eina needs medical assistance. Please let me in."
"I said get off of her or I will cut you down where you stand!" Hod pulled out his blade. "She is our familia. I will take her in."
"Just open the gate!"
"Hell no don't want some slippery little bastard touching her." Hod's eyes wandered to Eina's chest. A smug smile curled upon his lips. "She can thank me later. Drop her or die."
"I will give her to one of your captains or a female." I stepped back seeing the look in the guards' eyes. Not trusting what I was seeing.
"Fat chance." The Hod charged.
'The gate.' I bent down at the knees and used all my strength to jump over the spikey gate, narrowly dodging the guard's strike. If I had come up from a different angle I surely would have been cut down. My pant leg tore on one of the spikes. I stumbled for a second but ran toward the giant front doors.
"The hell you won't." Hod jumped over the gate with ease and gave chase. He raised his sword and was about to slam it down into the white-haired kid's back.
*Shing!*
"Stand down Hod!" Ais Wallenstein had come to Bell's rescue and parried the blow at the last second.
"But Ais he attacked he-."
"Liar, I saw what happened." *WOOSH! Thud!* Ais did a roundhouse kick into the guard's armor and sent him flying twenty feet. The guard passed out. Ais turned to the wide-eyed Bell. "Follow me."
"Yes." I shook my red face. I never expected someone of immeasurable beauty to come to my aid. I followed her into the manor and dropped Eina on the same couch I was resting on the day prior. "Sorry for the trouble Miss Wallenstein."
"Just call me Ais. Don't move." She ordered pointing her finger towards me. She left the room and came back in two minutes with Riveria, Alicia, and Loki. Riveria and Alicia went directly to Eina's side to check her condition.
"What did you do to Eina, boy?" Loki barked aggressively.
"We were running the wall. Eina was dizzy and short of breath, so I ended the run early and she collapsed. I didn't know where she lived and she passed out. I brought her here. Please help her." I bowed low to Loki.
Ais replied with an emotionless smile. "Hod attacked him for carrying her into the manor. I saw them at the gate."
Loki seemed to calm down a bit but was still bewildered by what happened. "Why would he do that Bell?"
"I am not sure. I care for Eina too much to just abandoned her on the ground and leave. Especially with his eyes on her. I didn't trust him."
"Eyes!?" Loki's brow raised. "We will look into it. Thank you for bringing her back. Would be nice if one of you two were not unconscious next time."
My face went red. I bowed again. "S-sorry."
"I will take her upstairs, Loki. Looks like heat exhaustion." Riveria reassured her goddess. Before bending down to pick up Eina and taking her to an empty room." Riveria flashed a warm smile as she passed with Alicia tailing her. "Thank you, Bell."
Loki rolled her eyes seeing Bell's face. "Let's walk you out." Loki escorted Bell outside. The two amazon twins were gathered around Hod on the ground. "Hey, Tione and Tiona."
"Yes, Loki." They replied in unison.
"Take him to Gareth. We need a talk about punishment. Then get ready for the expedition." Before the guard could recuperate on the ground. The oldest smacked him unconscious and carried him off.
"Try to use the gate next time."
"Yes, Goddess." I turned to the sword princess. "Thank you, Ais."
"No problem."
The beautiful warm smile of the sword princess made my heart skip a beat. I walked out of the gate and rushed back home. Get ready to meet Syr and Ryu.
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"Bell you're back later than usual from your run." Hestia's asked as soon as Bell entered the basement.
"Sorry Goddess."
Her gaze fell on my ripped pants "What happened Bell?"
"Just a little trouble with Eina."
"I knew she was trying to steal your chastity." Hestia shrieked
"No goddess. She just wanted to accompany me on my run. She passed out from exhaustion and I ran her to the Twilight manor. My leg just caught on something and it ripped." I tried to leave what happened with the guard out of it.
Hestia could tell he was telling the truth but felt like he was leaving something out. "I don't think you should be around that half-elf outside the guild. It's completely unprofessional. She has a whole familia to back her up. She doesn't need you."
"But Goddess-"
"No buts mister. I will call off work to keep you safe."
"Goddess you can't do that. You need to pay Lord Miach back."
"Eh." Hestia's looked distressed.
"You racked up a tab of six thousand valis the other night. I overheard Miss Naaza complaining about money problems."
Hestia looked mortified. "Ahhhhh …. right, I guess I should get to work to pay that back." She hugged me and ran away from the church.
"Whew." Relief filled me as I look at the clock. I hurried to change clothes into my dungeon outfit without the armor and rushed off to the Hostess of Fertility.
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Eina stirred a few hours later, opening her eyes to a room that wasn't hers. Her head was moist from a wet rag. She started to sit up in bed. "Not again."
"Slow down Eina." Riveria was sitting to the right of her with Alicia. Alicia got up to retrieve a glass of water next to the bed. "Drink."
Eina took a swig of the glass of water. "W-what happened?"
"You collapsed due to heat exhaustion. Would have been worse if Bell didn't carry you back here."
"Eh."
Alicia spoke. "Your body isn't used to intense exercise after all your time in the guild. You need to hydrate more too."
"I am sorry." Eina cringed.
Riveria stared her in the eye. "Apologize to Bell the next time you see him. He was in such a hurry to get you here that one of the guards almost attacked him."
"Is he okay?" Eina was worried.
"Yes, he's fine. Do me a favor and stay away from Hod?" Riveria warned.
"Is he the guy that kept bothering me at the dining hall? brown-haired human?" Eina tilted her head in confusion.
Alicia confirmed. "Yes"
"He was a little creepy." The memory made her skin crawl.
"Bell thought the same thing and didn't trust him. Ais had to intervene to prevent Hod from killing Bell.
"I will."
"Good! Hod's being punished right now, if he tries anything let me or Loki know right away." Riveria ordered. "We need to get going to the dungeon for our mini-expedition. I also need to take Lefiya to Lenoa's shop beforehand.
"Lady Riveria. I will stay here until the rest are ready to leave to monitor Eina a little more."
"Okay then. See you in a week Eina."
"Goodbye, Lady Riveria."
Eina winced in pain feeling Alicia's knuckled tap against her head. Alicia's squinted her eyes. "Don't scare us like that again Eina."
"S-sorry Alicia."
"So how was it like to be carried like a princess?" Alicia teased.
"I was unconscious. How was it for you?" Eina fired back making. Eina chuckled at her friend's embarrassment. "Oh my."
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The two waitresses Ryu and Syr came out of Hostess in their normal green uniforms without the headwear or the apron, to see Bell waiting against the wall.
"You're early Mr. Cranel." Ryu was surprised.
"G-good morning Syr. Ryu."
"Trying to impress us, are we Bell?" Syr teased.
"My grandpa always told me to never make any woman wait or make them angry."
"Sounds like quite the playboy." Syr chuckled. She instantly grabbed both of our hands and tried to pull us away north towards the guild. "Let's go. I think there's a furnishing store near the guild hall to the north."
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Riveria and Lefiya were hurrying up the northwest road to the witch's secret house.
"Keep up Lefiya."
"Why can't I go with Ais?" Lefiya was saddened she couldn't protect her friend.
"Because you would never get anything done. You couldn't even retrieve a book without going near her this morning. We're all going to be spending a week in the dungeon. I think a few minutes at Leona's won't hurt you."
"I am sorry."
"Miss Syr, you don't need to hold my hand the whole way." Out of the corner of Riveria's eye, she sees the white-haired adventurer being pulled along by a human and elf waitresses.
'Wonder if that's the girl he's dating?' She thought to herself as she stared at the trio going into a shop.
"Filthy human seducing every woman he meets. I don't know why you care about him so much." Lefiya fumed.
"His love life is none of our concern. He seems to be a genuinely nice person. Only natural women would be interested in him. He's saved Eina twice." Riveria stated.
"Can't even go a day without hearing about him." Lefiya gritted her teeth.
"Stop it Lefiya, he has not shown any disrespect and is a stand-up young man."
"Oh no, he's seducing you too. I will end him."
"You will do no such thing." Riveria smacks her on the top of the head. "Either learn respect or ask him out already."
"What!?" Lefiya had tears in her eyes from the pain.
"I know you're angry at him, but both of those incidents were accidents. I fully expect you to apologize to him in the future." Riveria rolled her eyes. "Enough we need to get to Babel by one. We're camping on floor eighteen tonight."
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I and Ryu were carrying a white sofa that I bought for forty-five thousand valis. It was not as nice as the one in the twilight manor but it was far above the broken brown one in the basement. For fun, Syr jumped onto the sofa.
"Carry me, my hero." The couch almost buckled under from Bell's side as she held on.
Ryu was used to Syr's teasing. "Did you have to jump on Syr? I am level four and the extra weight was not welcomed. I can imagine the strain being put on Mr. Cranel as a level one."
"They both looked up to me." My breathing labored and my back strained a little. "I am fine. Think of it as training."
"B-bell you're not calling me fat, are you?" Syr sat up and pounded on his back.
I was determined but slipping due to being nervous. "N-n-no. You both are very beautiful and slim." Ignoring the awkwardness of the two blushing young women behind me. "I-It's not that far up ahead. T-thank you both for coming along." I motioned to the alleyway.
"Your welcome Mr. Cranel. Why are we cutting through these ruins?" Ryu eyed the back of his head.
"uhhh, I kind of live in the basement of the church up ahead. S-sorry." Felt nervous sweat going down my back as I felt a menacing pair of eyes on me.
"It's fine. Just a little worried about you is all." Ryu stated.
Syr blew in my ear. "You can stay at my place. My bed's pretty big. Woah." Syr almost fell off when Bell stumbled back onto her back.
"Did you have to tease him?" Ryu looked down at her giddy friend, slightly annoyed. Syr just stuck her tongue out in a playful manner towards the elfess.
Around the corner, Hestia was staring at the three moving the couch into the church. She suspected something was up with Bell and took off from work. She knew he was hiding something. "Urggh."
She was slightly relieved when they came back up to move the old couch outside. However, she quickly felt alarmed seeing the three go back down. After twenty minutes there were no signs of them.
"I don't like this at all." She was angry seeing the silver-haired girl flirting with him earlier. Rage was building as she waited, imagining what might be happening with the two girls alone with Bell. Hestia had enough and charged towards the church at a blistering pace.
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Down inside the basement. Ryu was helping me move the couch into position and clean up the mess. Syr was snooping around the basement living quarters. Both of them seemed a bit uneasy seeing the condition of the basement.
"Are you sure you don't want to bunk in the extra room at the hostess Mr. Cranel? Mia would probably let you stay for a modest fee." It pained Ryu to see the living conditions and gently pleaded to reconsider.
I scratched the back of my head nervously. "Goddess would freak out. I don't want her to yell at you. I am fortunate to have met you both and I don't want her to scare you off. Besides, it's definitely better than sleeping in the street."
"Barely." Syr said sarcastically.
"It's fine for now. Hopefully, Goddess is recruiting and we can upgrade when it's not just me in the familia." I bowed before the two women. "Thank you both for helping me out."
"You're welcome Mr. Cranel. I do hope your back gets better."
Her smile made me blush. Until I saw Syr rummaging through my armor box. Syr pulled out his chest piece. "Oh, this is cute. Pyonkicki. Ha! You do look like a rabbit Ha-Ha-Ha."
Ryu let a small chuckle escape her lips. "Sorry, have you tried it on yet."
"Once yesterday. I just got it."
Syr picked up the box and carried it over to me. "Try it on. Please."
"I guess I was gonna go to the dungeon soon. I didn't want to take all your time up."
"It's fine Mr. Cranel. Rather not see you come back with a hundred cuts like last time." Ryu took out the chest piece and examined it. She stood still when she saw the name on the back. 'Crozzo'
"You alright Ryu."
"I am fine." Ryu started pulling out pieces as I fasten them on myself one after the other.
"Wow, it looks nice. Should hold up better." Ryu was surprised at the quality of the low-tier armor but kept her personal opinion about the smith to herself.
"I couldn't pass it up. It was cheap and the smith made my blades too. I would be dead to that dragon without them. Especially without your training." I smiled wide.
'Wow, he could sell that smile for a million valis.' Ryu was a little flustered but remembered how dishonorable of an elf she had been in the past and buried those feelings deep. "Maybe when I get some more time off. I can train you some more."
"That would be amazing. I can't wait." My smile widened.
Ryu's avoided his eyes and noticed something from his armor. "You got a loose strap on your back." Ryu got closer to tighten it.
Syr was getting a little jealous. "No fair. You get to train him and make him food." The door swung open with tremendous force scaring Syr who was closest to the door. She jumped right at Bell and tackled him and Ryu to the ground.
Hestia's mind was dizzy seeing Bell intertwined between two women on the ground. "Beeeelllllll." The 4'7" goddess was full of rage to the point her pigtails stood up.
"Goddess." I was angry that she followed us. My hand found something soft as I tried to get up. A slight whimpered rang out from underneath me.
"M-mr. Cranel p-p-please let go." Bell's hand seemed to have found its way to one of Ryu's soft thighs and the other her right hand.
Panicked I raised my hands immediately and she rolled me and Syr to the side with her level four strength. I gently unwrapped Syr's hands from my neck and rolled out her grasp and went into an immediate dogeza pose towards Ryu. "I am so-so sorry for touching you, Ryu."
Ryu's lips were trembling as her face reddened. "It's o-okay. It wasn't y-your fault."
"You should be doing that to me Bell." Hestia looked like a blood vessel was gonna burst in her head. "I thought something was off with you. Now I see you trying to sneak two women back into the basement."
"G-goddess this is Syr and Ryu. They are my friends from the Hostess. They helped me replace the couch and they have been there for me since I started adventuring."
Ryu was a little annoyed. "I do hope the couch helps you."
"It will thank you."
"You're welcome, Mr. Cranel."
"Miss Ryusomething, are you trying to seduce my Bell."
"Uhhhh." Ryu's mouth was agape. Ryu was dumbfounded not believing one elven woman would be so forward even to a spouse.
"Bull you were crawling all over him." Hestia's yelled.
"Goddess, nothing happened. They just wanted to see my armor before I go to the dungeon. You scared us."
"I still think they have other motives. How did you pay for all of this stuff?"
"Eina gave me fifty thousand valis from the dragon crystal."
"You could have taken me on a date." Hestia rubbed her eyes. "You only need one woman in your life and that's me. Stop trying to create a harem."
"Eh!" Ryu stared dumbfounded at Bell.
"Bell are you being a little pervert." Syr teased.
"I swear. I am not trying to create one." I pleaded with the two waitresses with my hands clasped in front of my face. "That's just something perverted my grandpa would not stop talking about."
"First it's the half-elf, then those Loki women, and now these two." Hestia palmed her forehead.
"I think we should go Syr." Ryu pushed Syr forward to the door.
"Please, Ryu." I shouted in vain as they shut the door. I was mortified thinking they would never want to see me again. "You should be at work goddess. I am leaving for the dungeon." I picked up my knives and ran away from the church.
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At 1 pm the Loki familia expedition party met at the quest board. Finn and Tione were searching for anything they could complete to earn money.
"Are you ready to get back in Miss Ais?" Lefiya tried to cheer up
"Mhmm. I need to raise forty million valis to replace that sword." She was still reeling from the amount Gobinu said her broken temporary sword had cost.
"At least it's not a hundred million for this blockhead's Urga." Tione ripped a paper off the quest board.
"HEH!" Tiona shouted at her sister Tione. "How was I supposed to know that the acid of that new species would melt adamantite?"
"Good thing me and the captain found a bunch of quests to help."
"Are we ready to go?" Finn nervously interrupted. "Good I want to try to get out in a week." They started walking down the spiral staircase to the dungeon when they noticed a few agitated greenhorn adventurers coming up from the depths.
"How are we supposed to make any valis or gain excelia when an upper-level adventurer is destroying the 6th floor?"
"I don't know he seems pissed. Why not go down further at least so we can get something?" The group of new adventurers steered clear of the first-tier adventurers of Loki familia. They thought it was weird but continued into the depths.
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Immediately after our argument, I raced down to the dungeon as fast as I could. The first five floors disappeared in a blur. I skewered the goblins and kobolds right to the stone without even caring and ran down the ramp to floor six.
The dungeon tried to bare its fangs against the solo adventurer. Nothing on these floors could stand in my way. Dozens of war shadows fell upon my minotaur blades. Their black void apparitions dissolved after I cut them down. The stones and drop items were scattered along the ground.
The light armor barely encumbered me and the minotaur blades cleaved straight through any beast in my path. A completely different situation from when I was in the dungeon almost a week ago.
"Why does she do this to me? Do I have to go through the rest of my life without family? Gods cannot have children." Again, I continued with my onslaught against the dungeon hordes as painful past images invaded my mind.
Never once met my parents. No extended family or siblings. I don't even remember their faces. The only person I had was my grandpa when he died. I became desperate to fill the void in my heart. A piece of me has been starving for family.
The heroic tales comforted me and gave me the drive to fight onward. I fell in love with the forest fairies of old and have been drawn to them ever since.
Dozens of war shadows disappeared instantly as I carved my way through them like a knife through butter. I saw a trio of frog shooters up ahead. The middle one's tongue lashed out. I severed it completely and used my strength to jump ten feet forward and bring both of my knives down on the frog's eye.
The two surrounding frogs lashed out in unison. Each of their tongues wrapped around an arm. Each frog shooter braced and tried to pull me apart. "NO! I am not gonna be done in by you two." I shouted out loud in anger. I pulled both of the frogs towards me by curling my arms inwards. They were both losing the tug of war match.
I spun my hands around and gripped the tongues. I pulled them with all my might until they smashed into each other in front of me. I pulled my knives out of the ground and brought them down to their chests simultaneously killing them. "Huuuu." I breathed a sigh of relief as I stared out towards the empty floor littered with war shadow crystals and claws.
"Looks like you should hire a supporter."
The voice of the prum captain startled me. "Sir Finn."
"What did I tell you last time Bell?"
"Sorry Finn."
"It's fine. Had to find out who was tearing up the floor. Was told it was somebody higher leveled."
"I guess I was just a bit angry." I scratched the back of my head nervously as I noticed a few heads pop out from around the corner. "What's a supporter?"
"Somebody that carries the bags, who collects the crystals and provides backup equipment and rations. While also helping to fight. Guess it's a bit difficult to find somebody when you're alone." Finn pondered the situation.
"Kind of. For some reason, my goddess hasn't recruited anybody yet."
"That's absurd." Riveria walked around the corner.
The elven princess approached in a more revealing outfit than I have ever seen. My face felt like the surface of the sun. I forced myself to stare directly into her eyes. "Riveria."
"You seem to be improving quickly. Surprised you're not deeper down."
"I promised Eina I would come to see her for training first. Is she okay?"
"She is fine. Thanks to you Bell. Just heat exhaustion. She will probably be away from the guild for today at least. She wasn't used to doing strenuous exercise being in the guild for the last three years."
"I am glad."
"Are you mad at us?" Riveria wondered.
"No. No never." I shook my head vigorously. "Well, I do hope the guard stays away from Eina." I shook my head. "Just goddess keeps scaring off people that help me."
"He will not go near her. Gareth will see to it."
"That's a relief. Sorry if I keep causing your familia problems."
"I saw nothing yet to be concerned over." Finn patted his shoulder. "We need to get going for our expedition. We will see you around Bell."
"Hope to see you again too. You probably don't need it but I hope everyone stays safe down there."
"You too." Finn chuckled. "You can't enjoy the fruits of your labor if you get yourself killed. Mama Elf would be very mad at us if you died."
"Finn knock it off." Riveria scowled.
"She's a bit young to be a mother for somebody my age."
"Hah!" Finn laughed out loud and walked around the corner holding his side.
"Thank you." Riveria blushed before walking after Finn. The rest of the women walked by smiling in my direction.
"Wow, he really improved." Tiona nudged Ais. "Only 3 weeks ago that we saw him killing his first goblin."
Ais just thought to herself. 'How is he doing that so quickly?'
I started picking up the stones and placed them in my pack thinking they had all left.
"Excuse me."
I looked up to see a young beautiful elf with gold hair, green eyes, and a pink outfit. "Um hi. I r-recognize you from the arena. Don't think I ever heard your name."
"I am Alicia Forestlight. I wanted to thank you for convincing Eina to come back to the familia. Even if it's for a little bit. Also, for saving me from that plant thing."
"She has helped me out a lot. Anything I can do for her. I will." Then I recalled my actions in the arena. "I am sorry for touching you in the arena."
A light blush appeared on Alicia's face. "I-it's fine. It was an emergency and you were very brave."
"I am just glad you're okay."
"You are the one that almost died." His response baffled Alicia. She decided to intervene against Eina's wish. "Please stop trying to pursue the princess."
I look up at her in shock. I felt my eyes tearing up and stared back down towards the ground.
She felt hurt at my response but had to put a stop to this now. "I don't want you to get hurt Bell. Keep doing your best. I am sure you will catch another woman's eye." She dumped a pile of crystals at my feet from another room and walked away after the rest of her familia.
What she said hurt me to my core? Of course, she's right. Riveria is royalty and amazingly strong. Still, I did not want to let the flame die out. "I have to try." I felt like her name was inscribed on my heart. I pondered my next goal as I picked up the remaining stones on the ground. The floor was surprisingly quiet as I walked out of the dungeon.
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(Summary of floor 18 events)(2)
Hashana a level 4 from the Ganesha familia was murdered by Revius. Bors uses status thief to find out who the faceless corpse is while Loki familia examines the town of Riviria. Ais and Lefiya track down Lulune who has the demi spirit seed. Revius used the face of Hashana, attacks Lefiya, and summons a horde of Viola's plant monsters to attack the city. The demi spirit seed hatches and infects a Violas plant. Revius defeats the level 5 Ais even with Ariel.
Riveria and the twins kill the demi spirit-infected viola plant. Finn and Riveria step in to save Ais. Revius retreats into the lake after being defeated by Finn.
(End of Summary)(2)
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(Day 8)
The next day, I approached the wall unenthusiastically. A bit demoralized, I slowly ascended the stairs to start my run.
"About time you got here Bell." The gentle voice of beautiful half-elf Eina was relaxing against the wall.
"Eina, you're okay." I was relieved to see her smiling face.
"Yep. My fault. Three years of shuffling paperwork did not do me any favors to prepare me. Here I thought my training regime was Spartan-like."
"Sorry if I cause you any problems Eina."
"No. None at all. I am more prepared for today. I could never be mad at my hero." Eina smiled at his embarrassed face. "Though for the second time, I thought you might stand me up again."
"S-s-sorry. I just wasn't feeling motivated this morning." I rested my back against the wall near her.
"Why is that?"
"I talked with Alicia."
"I am sorry Bell. She is very overprotective of Lady Riveria. I accidentally blabbed to her when you told me."
"It's fine. She is right. What chance do I have at elf wife? Let alone a princess."
Eina was shocked by his goal. "The first one is very doable if you keep being yourself. I can think of a few elves that might like you."
"Really"
"Yes, though your goddess might be a problem."
I nervously chuckled. "Right."
"As for the other, I cannot pretend to know Lady Riveria's mind, but she has shown a surprising interest in you of late. Usually, she only keeps to Loki familia and rejects every elven suitor that her father forces to chase after her."
"She should be allowed to find love on her own. I wish you both happiness."
"Both."
"Yes, though I hope that Hod guy doesn't hurt you. I didn't like how he looked at you."
"I have higher standards than some arrogant creep like him." Eina smiled wide. "Let's start our run shall we. Please don't kill me this time. He-he."
"I would never. I enjoy seeing your beautiful smile every day." I was confused when she turned her face away from me. "You ready to run."
*Smack* Eina tapped her red cheeks before turning around. "Y-y-yes."
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We both set off south down the wall. Today I kept pace with Eina and kept track of her condition because I was paranoid. We reached the north wall around 9 am. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yup just a bit w-winded. Mr. Spartan."
"Ha-ha-ha, can I walk you home at least?"
"Sure, if you're worried about me." We left the wall and started making our way down south. "I do need to get ready for work. Royman will already be mad at me for missing yesterday."
"Can't that be excused since it was an emergency?"
"No, he doesn't like me much." Eina grimaced in pain.
I stared at her in disbelief. "How is that possible? You're perfect for your job. I know your lessons helped me stay alive."
"He's not your typical elf. He looks down on everybody that isn't a god. He is a greedy pig of an elf. Also, he doesn't like half-elves at all." Eina explained.
"Why, does it matter that you're a half-elf?"
"Thing about elves is their very prideful. There is a lot of animosity between pure elves to halves and quarters. It's not as bad in Orario but in the homelands, I hear it's pretty awful."
"That's horrible."
"Surprising you're interested in elves though." Eina directed me down a western residential road that branched off the north.
"I might have read a lot of hero stories when I was younger. Never known any other race being from a small village. I haven't been disappointed yet coming to Orario. Would prefer if Lefiya didn't try to kill me again." A shiver rolled down my spine. "Scary."
"Lefiya seems to be overprotective of every girl in Loki familia at least. She seems a bit tightly wound." Eina made a mental note to talk with her in the future.
A few minutes later we arrive at the steps of her apartment. "Thank you for allowing me to come along Bell."
"No, you made my run a lot more entertaining. I am going down to floor six later today."
"Do you still want to go to floor 7?"
"Yes, I would like to. Can I stop by the guild tomorrow?"
"Sure, I will set aside a few hours to train you. Sorry I have to get going."
"See you later Eina."
"Bye."
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After going home and getting my armor, I was walking east towards Babel. I tried to avoid the Hostess thinking they wouldn't want to speak to me. I tucked my head down seeing Ryu pop out of the entrance across the street.
"Stop Mr. Cranel."
"R-Ryu."
"I thought you said you liked my lunches."
"I do very much. I didn't think you would want to speak to me ever again."
"I have no reason not to stop. You did warn us about your goddess being overprotective. Though the harem thing was interesting." Ryu smirked.
"I swear I am not trying to make one." My hands fanned back and forth "R-really just something that stuck in my head from my grandpa. If I ever found a woman to fall for me. I would be too worried about hurting her to pursue a perverted dream."
"Sounds like an odd man to be teaching someone so young stuff like that."
"Ah." I nervously laughed. "He was a great actually but yes he was rather odd."
"Sorry for your loss."
"It's okay. I am glad you don't hate me. I really enjoy talking with you, Ryu."
"Maybe next week I can train you some more. You definitely have potential."
"Thank you. I can't wait." I turned around and rushed off to floor 6 of the dungeon.
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I ended my trip early in the dungeon. The combined profit over the last two days was about forty thousand. "Maybe I should go check in with Lord Miach. I did promise."
I made it to the blue pharmacy as the sun was beginning to set. I entered to find the brown-haired clienthrope female wrapped in a blue cloak. "Good evening, Miss Naaza."
"Oh, Bell. It's been a while. Was starting to think you weren't gonna show up."
"I had a rough couple of days. I would like to stock up on a few health potions."
"Have you learned any magic yet Bell?" Her tail wags a little bit.
"No, not yet. It's frustrating to see that blank ability."
"Might want to try reading more. Could help you out. Would help me to if you learned magic. Oh well, do you just want normal health potions?"
"Normal?" I tilted my head confused.
"There are high-tier health potions used by first-tier adventurers. They cost twenty-five thousand each though. Though if you buy one. I can add five regular ones for thirty thousand." Naaza held up the different flasks in her hands.
'The best adventurers use high potions. I must be prepared for any kind of misfortune.' I thought to myself. "I will take them."
'All too easy.' Naaza thought.
I hand her the valis. She counted. "B-bell this is 36k valis."
"Oh, I was concerned that goddess didn't pay Lord Miach back yet."
Naaza looked shocked. "Lord Miach said that Goddess Hestia would pay him back."
"It's fine. I just want to pay our familia's debt."
"Thanks, Bell, I love you." She teased but still felt bad about stiffing him on the quality of the potions.
"I will see you around Miss Naaza. Tell Lord Miach I said hi." I walked out of the shop back to the church.
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I got back before the goddess and cleaned up and started to make dinner. A few minutes later goddess entered the room tired from her shift.
"Evening goddess, dinner is almost done."
"Oh, what are you making?"
"Chicken and rice. How was your day?"
"Long that blond girl from Loki familia ordered twenty different combinations of Jaga Maru for their trip.."
"He-he." I chuckled remembering that she love those potato snacks.
"Seriously how does she stay fit eating all that?" Hestia sat at the table.
"Dungeon and training. Miss Ais isn't a first-tier adventurer for nothing."
"Uh, how am I not surprised you know her?" Hestia said annoyed
"She is very nice."
"If you say so. Still part of flatty's familia."
"Goddess, please calm down, I want to stop this back and forth. I purchased a lot of potions from Lord Miach and while I was there I paid off the debt as well."
"Thank you, Bell." She rushed up to hug Bell
We ate our food and cleaned up. Goddess Hestia updated my status again.
"Am I still growing as fast Goddess?"
"Yep full speed ahead for my Bell."
"Why can't I learn magic? Seeing that empty slot and ability stat is depressing."
"The only books you read are hero stories. Humans generally aren't naturally gifted with magic like other species."
I thought to myself. 'Like elves.'
...
1)Peredhel means half-elf in LOTR Elvish language. Nordic for elf is Alf. Danmachi Alf is a sign of royal blood for high elves. So, I converted to Half High Elf.
2)Didn't feel like changing the floor 18 fight much from Sword Oratoria Light novel 2 and Manga 3 & 4. The only changes are Alicia and Aki being involved in killing viola plants.
3) Plot device status update