Hello everyone. I needed a little break from school and writing my other stories and wrote this out. This is actually a scrapped story idea I had and it was like an itch that needed scratching so I decided to write it out. Basically, this is my scrapped "Alfia What if" story where they stay in Orario and Bell grows without Liaris Freese. It would still be a BellxAis story just without Liaris Freese. No, it's not because he doesn't love her as much. He still would. It's just, he wouldn't need it with the Zeus and Hera familia teaching him. That would've been way to overpowered. It would've been a long story with me trying to rewrite the story as Bell basically grows up Ais and tries to become her hero and as Evilus would be basically useless with these two familias here. If anyone wants to attempt to pick this up then go for it. Just let me know. :)
"So, we've confirmed the Behemoth's and Leviathon's locations, correct?" Maxim, the Zeus familia captain, asked his peers.
"That's correct." Empress, the Hera familia captain, responded.
They were the 2 strongest familias in orario and currently the elites from both familias were having a meeting to plan out how they'd take on the 3 great quests. However…
"We still do not know the location of the One-Eyed Black Dragon." She added.
"We can always look for the damn beast later." Another Zeus elite member said.
They could not locate the Black dragon, the last monster of the 3 great quests. It was anyone's guess as to where it was hiding.
"Too much noise." Alfia said annoyed.
"When can I feast?" Zard asked no one in particular.
"We'll discuss more about the dragon later, for now let's focus on the other monsters. First, we need to send an advance party to assess their strengths and find any weaknesses if we can and plan accordingly." Maxim said getting the meeting back in order. "In the meantime, we must gather supplies. We will have to the Hephaistos and Goibnu smiths for weapons and armor, as well as Demeter, Dian Chet and Miach familias for food and potions. This will take time and money so we'll have to focus on gathering more valis in the dungeon. We'll have to explore the dungeon again." He continued.
"So how long will that take?" A hera executive asked.
"A couple months at the very least, more if we want to be prepared." He told her.
"Ughh. This is gonna take foreeeevor." A zeus member whined.
"Well, at least now we have a set schedule. Now we won't have any unexpected events happening." A hera executive comforted him.
All of a sudden, loud footsteps were heard running through the halls and the door opened with a loud BANG!
"I HAVE HUGE NEWS!" A young female member shouted.
"Too. Noisy." Alfia glared at her.
"Eek!" The poor girl whimpered and hid behind the door.
"Will you ever give that up? You're scaring off the new recruits." Empress said to her.
"Everyone is too noisy. Especially you." She responded.
"Why you!" Empress shouted and stood up.
"Please do not destroy our home again. We just got it fixed." Maxim pleaded.
"What news do you bring?" Zard asked, seemingly the only one to acknowledge the young hera member's appearance.
"Huh? Oh right!" The scared member said and came out from hiding. "Meteria's water broke!" She shouted
CRACK!
It was as if time had stopped and everyone's minds collectively broke upon hearing the news, so much so that it sounded like the sound of glass breaking could be heard around the room.
Alfia jumping through the window may be the source of that, but we will never know.
"Move it!"
"Out of the way!"
"Let me through!"
"I've got to see this!"
Various voices were mixed together as the executives rushed through the door and made way to Hera's manor to see the birth of their new member.
If you didn't know, Meteria was a Hera familia member who had gotten pregnant from a member from the Zeus familia. Alfia, being Meteria's twin sister, did not take the news lightly and attempted to murder him if it weren't for his captain stopping her and ultimately, she finally stopped when Meteria begged her to not kill her child's father. It was not an easy day for everyone involved.
"I'm guessing this puts a halt in our plans, huh?" Empress asked out loud.
"If this is how our executives react upon the news, how do you think the rest of the familias will take it?" Maxim responded with a sigh. "We'll see how things go from here." He said and made his way out.
….
"Move it!" Alfia yelled and made her way through the manor and eventually found her way to Meteria's room.
"Meteria!" Alfia called as she got to the door.
"Hey, Alfia." Meteria said softly.
"How are you doing?" Alfia asked and sat by her side.
"Alright. I'm more nervous than anything." She said timidly.
"You'll be fine." Alfia said softly.
"Hellooo." A voice was heard at the doorway. A man peeked his head into the room to see if it was clear. One glare from Alfia meant it was not and he ran away.
"Coward. I can't understand what you would ever see in him." Alfia complained.
"You promised you were going to be nice, Alfia." Meteria pouted through the pain.
"I said I'd try." She responded and sat back.
"Now now girls, now's not the time to be fighting." One of the housemaids said.
"No promises." Meteria winced.
….
"How long will this take?" Maxim sighed in the living room.
"Depends, how long will you keep asking?" The Empress responded.
"It's been hours!" Another Zeus member asked.
"That's how these things go! It's not like you're in and out in 20 minutes." A Hera member responded.
"I'm surrounded by morons." Zard pointed out.
"We're here! Where's the kid?!" A voice shouted as the door opened. It belonged to the god Zeus and close behind was the goddess Hera.
"Still hasn't popped out yet." The Empress said.
"Still?" Hera asked exhausted. "Move. I need to be there." She said and made her way to her favorite child's room.
"Me too!" Zeus said happily and skipped along after her.
"No you don't!" Hera yelled and punched him back to the living room and shut the doors.
"Seriously old man? Now's not the time for your pervertedness." One of his members told him.
"Who's being perverted? I genuinely want to see the kid. Ah, the miracle of childbirth. It's not something we gods experience and it's always a treat seeing a new soul fresh from reincarnation!" Zeus said.
"Wow. Didn't think you had it in you to be a reasonable person." The Empress said.
"Of course I do! Besides, if it's a boy I have to teach him how to get all the girls!" Zeus stated passionately.
"And there it is." Maxim said.
….
The next day.
"Everyone!" A Hera member shouted bursting through the door. This woke up everyone in the living room and the others waiting in the hallway.
"Meteria is all right! She had a healthy baby boy!" She yelled happily.
"WOOOOOOO!" Everyone shouted and rose to their feet and made a beeline to Meteria's room.
As the loud crowd got near the room, Alfia stepped out and uttered one word: "Silence."
That word shut everyone up and made them freeze lest they get blasted to the next city ever.
After a few seconds of giving them the death glare, Alfia just sighed and told them that only a couple of people at a time
"Goddess first!" Hera yelled and ran into the room. A few others followed shortly behind.
…..
"He's so cuuute!" Hera whispered as she watched the boy sleeping peacefully in Meteria's arms.
"Can I hold him?" She asked with stars in her eyes.
"No. Stay away from him." Alfia denied.
"I wasn't talking to you." Hera said coldly.
"Be nice." Meteria warned. "And yes, just be careful please." She told her goddess.
"I will! I will!" She whispered eagerly and carefully took the sleeping boy into her arms. The boy shifted in her arms and got into a comfortable position in Hera's arms and kept sleeping.
"Awwww, he's adorable." Hera said. "What's his name?" She asked her child.
"Bell. His name is Bell Cranel." Meteria told her proudly.
"Tch." Alfia tsked in annoyance to her nephew being named as a sound, which she hates. Her sister laughed it off.
"To make it worse, he has his father's eyes. I want to rip them out." She said angrily.
"Don't." Meteria warned and sat up. This made Alfia back down.
"Yes! It's a boy!" Zeus yelled as he entered the room.
"Shhhh!" Everyone shushed as Bell moved slightly from the noise.
"Sorry!" Zeus whispered and walked away.
….
"Come on Bellll. Say Ahhhh." Meteria said as she tried feeding Bell.
"Meteria! You can't give a baby candy to eat!" One of the Hera members yelled as she ran and tried to save Bell.
"Why noooot? It worked for meee." She pouted as she tried to feed Bell her favorite candy, just for him to keep resisting.
"Waaaah. I see why Alfia wanted a break." The poor maid cried as Meteria would not give up.
"Fine." She said and ate the candy in front of him. "No candy for you." She told him. Little Bell just giggled as if taunting her.
After a moment passed, Bell got comfy and took another nap in Meteria's arms.
"He's getting bigger, isn't he?" her fellow member asked.
"Yes. Before I know it, he'll be running around causing trouble for everyone." Meteria said as Bell snored softly.
"How long do you think Alfia and the others will be gone?" She asked.
"I don't know. Everyone is helping out to get progress on the great quests done." The maid replied.
"Well, wherever they are I hope everything's alright." Meteria said and looked out the window.
Elsewhere…
"That?! Was the dragon?!" Maxim shouted as he tried calming his nerves.
"There is no way, NO WAY we can take that thing on as we are now!" The Empress yelled while shaking in her boots.
"That is one beast that WILL devour us." Zard said adding his two valis.
"Babies." Alfia said. Although, she was not intending to fight that thing head on either.
The four of them along with other members of their respective familias were scouting the three legendary monsters when they stumbled upon the dragon which made them freeze in fear even though they could barely see it. It was slowly making its way through the Dragon Valley when it effortlessly slayed countless dragons with a single roar. The true devastation came from when it actually decided to attack and took out half the landscape because it could. Then it just flew away as if nothing happened. It didn't notice them but they were still terrified of it.
"We have a major change of plans starting now. Let's regroup back at Orario and talk this out." Maxim said and ordered everyone to retreat.
….
A couple years later…
"Weee!" Little Bell yelled as he soared high up in the air. "Higher! Higher!" He kept laughing.
"How have I been reduced to this?" Zard asked sadly as he held Bell up as if he was flying.
"Hehehe." Meteria giggled. "Aw, let him have his fun." She asked him.
"This is supposed to be that coward's job." Zard whined and kept Bell entertained.
"Don't mention him at all." Alfia warned.
They were in the garden of the Hera familia mansion taking a small break to watch Bell play with Zard.
"Guess 'Uncle Zard' is quickly becoming his favorite." Maxim teased as he joined them and sat down.
"Awww, that's cute." Empress laughed and joined him.
Somehow, Bell got Zard's helmet off and started running away with it as Zard chased after him. Amazingly, he was dodging him quite well.
"Looks like he did learn something from that father of his." Empress noted.
"I will end you." Alfia warned.
"Try me!" She replied and cracked her knuckles.
"Cut it out you two." Maxim ordered.
As the adults were busy trying to stop Silence and Empress from trying to kill each other, Zard had finally caught Bell and got his helmet back. Strangely, it was Zard that was out of breath. Although, having to actively hold back 99.99% of your strength may have something to do with that.
"You're definitely Alfia's nephew kid, that much is true." Zard told him. Bell however, was just looking at the ground deep in thought. "Something the matter?" Zard asked.
"Hey uncle Zard, do you think I can become strong one day?" Bell asked and looked up at him.
"Strong?" Zard asked a bit confused.
"Yeah! Like you or aun-er,stepmother Alfia? Or Maxy? Or miss Empress?" Bell asked with stars in his eyes. The other adults heard this and stopped their fighting and tuned in.
"Hmmm. Before I answer, tell me this: Why do you wish to be strong?" Zard asked him.
"Uhhh…" Bell started getting embarrassed feeling the others eyes on him.
"Yes, why do you want to get strong my little Bell?" Meteria asked on Alfia's back as they approached.
"We need to get you a wheelchair." Alfia told her. A quiet 'Bonk' shut her up.
"Well, I just want to be strong like all of you. Grandpa said it was the best way to make you all happy." Bell said timidly.
"Of course that old man would say something like that." Zard pointed out.
"Was that old the old geezer said?" Alfia questioned.
"Well, he said by doing that I could be a hero! Isn't that so cool?!" Bell told her.
"You really do adore heroes huh Bell?" Maxim teased him.
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Bell said embarrassed.
"That's my Bell." Metria cooed and played with his hair.
"Did that old man say anything else?" Alfia asked feeling something was off.
"Uhhh, I don't really get it be he said something about a 'Haarem'. What's that?" Bell asked confused.
Just then, Meteria was safely put down and a strong breeze was felt and a loud "ZEUS!" was heard followed by a subsequent explosion.
"Huh, you think he's dead?" Maxim asked.
"We still have our status, so I'd say no." Zard responded.
…..
"Ahhhh!" Bell yelled as he was sent flying.
"You have to put more effort than that Bell." Alfia commanded.
"Do your best Bell!" Meteria cheered from the sideline.
After Alfia went on a slight rampage, they convinced Hera to give Bell her blessing so that he could start becoming an adventurer. It took Alfia lot of convincing to not only let Bell become an adventurer but to also teach him, and it took way less to convince Hera as she won the bet her and zeus had.
"Agh… huh… again please." Bell asked as he got up.
"Let's go." Alfia said while growing the smallest of smiles.
….
"Ahh, my Odr, please do your best." A seductive voice said gazing down from atop her tower.
"Pardon me, my goddess?" One of her servants asked.
"Ah, pay that no attention my love." She commanded.
"Y-y-yes, your highness!" He stuttered from her words.
"What brings you here?" She asked politely.
"Ah, sorry, uhm, I thought you'd like to know that Ottar has returned." He informed her.
"Thank you. You may go." She responded.
"Yes!" He shouted and made his way out.
"Ah, so lovely." She noted as she looked out her window and watched as a small translucent soul start to burn brighter and brighter. Across from that soul stood another two, one pure white and another pure grey. As if it was nothing, the one with the grey soul shot a dirty look straight at the one admiring them.
"Fufu. She will be a problem in the meantime. But soon…" She started to say and turned as her favorite child walked in for a status update looking beaten to hell and back, "… she won't be." She finished and wore an unsightly sinister grin.
….
A few years later
'Okay, if I hide here a little while longer, I might live.' Bell thought to himself as he hid in a corner ally as a raging storm in the form of a silver-haired heterochromatic-eyed beauty flew by while shouting "BELLLL!"
Just then, a golden-haired and golden-eyed child, no older than him, hid in that same corner as another raging storm in the form of a Jade-haired high elf flew by in the opposite direction while shouting "AIIISSS!"
The two looked straight into the eyes of the other in silence before Bell broke the silence.
"You too?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Yes." She responded.
The two just sat in silence while constantly checking to see if the coast was clear.
"So, uh, my name is Bell. W-what's your name?" Bell asked.
"Oh. My name is Ais. Ais Wal-wallenstein." Ais responded. She cursed herself internally after almost revealing her true name out of reflex.
"So, why are you hiding?" Bell asked trying to make small talk.
Ais took a minute to think whether or not to respond and decided that it wouldn't hurt.
"I, uh. I accidentally called Riveria old." She said timidly.
In response, Bell just stared at her with Ais squirming under his gaze.
'I knew he'd think it was weird!' Ais cursed internally. Suddenly, Bell letting out a deep breath calmed her down.
"I get it." He said sadly. He knew all to well what happened when someone called his aunt-er-stepmother old. He was surprised any of them lived to tell the tale.
"Y-you do?" Ais asked happy that someone knew her pain.
"Yeah. Last time I accidentally called my mom old I was out for a day." He told her while laughing at the memory.
"Ah. Last time I did it, well, it was scary." She told him while shivering in fear.
"I get it." Bell repeated. The two grew a bond over their shared trauma.
"Is that why you're hiding too?" She asked.
"Actually, no not this time." He told her.
'This time?' Ais asked scared for the poor boy in front of her.
"This time, uh, I went to my grandpa to find any way to get stronger." He told her embarrassedly. This time it was Ais's turn to stare at him in disbelief.
"I get it." Ais said sadly. The two found another thing to bond over with.
"I just, well, my parents are both really strong people and my familia is very strong just like them. I want to become strong just like them. But they all keep telling me that it comes with time. I just don't want to wait that long." Bell told her honestly. "Sorry, that's kind of weird, isn't it? Thinking that I can become stronger faster than they did?" He said with a sad laugh.
"No. I understand." Ais said while looking down and clenching her fist. "I need to get strong too." She told him.
"Nice to see you know your place Bell." A cold voice said behind them which sent shivers up both their spines.
"H-heeeeey mom. Looks like you found me." Bell said with his soul leaving him.
"So, you can make friends Ais. Wonderful." Another cold voice spoke which again sent shivers up their spines.
"R-r-riveria." Ais stuttered.
"Come now, Bell. We have things to do." Alfia told Bell and grabbed Bell's hand.
"You too Ais. You have more studying to do." Riveria said and dragged Ais along with Ais frozen in fear.
"Hey, hag. Keep your child under control." Alfia said.
"What?!" Riveria shouted and turned around.
"You heard me." Alfia said.
"That's no way to talk to your elder. Besides, you aren't so young yourself anymore." Riveria responded.
"Hah?!" Alfia shouted and turned away.
Just as the two were about to paint the city red, Bell sneaked out of Alfia's grasp and got Ais out of Riveria's grip and pulled her away.
"Uhm, Bell? Where are we going?" Ais asked a bit embarrassed as he led her away hand in hand.
"Well, I don't think we should be in the crosshairs while mom gets like that. Let's go somewhere else in the meantime." He told her.
Bell led Ais away from the chaos that was Alfia and they quickly found themselves in central park.
"So, uh. What do you want to do now?" Bell asked Ais.
"I, uh. I don't know." Ais replied.
"Do uh, do you want to go to the dungeon?" She asked him knowing that's all she knew what to do.
"Sure!" Bell replied with a smile.
"Really?!" She asked excited.
"Mhm! Uh, let me go back and get my armor. Meet back here in half an hour?" Bell asked her.
"Hm!" Ais said with a nod. The two quickly went their separate ways to collect their things.
"Hm? Need something Bell?" Meteria asked her son.
"Yeah, have you seen my knives? I don't know where auntie left them." Bell told her.
"Over there by the shelf." She pointed.
"Thanks!" Bell said and put his knives in their respective spot.
"Going somewhere?" She asked.
"Yes! I made a friend and we're going into the dungeon right now. I'll be back!" Bell said.
"Wait!" Meteria called but it was too late. "Ah. That boy is too trusting." She whined. "Can you keep an eye on them?" She asked her sister who Bell never even noticed.
'Sigh' "When will he learn?" She asked and took off.
Back at the park…
"Over here!" Ais called.
"Hey, sorry I'm a bit late. Let's go!" He told her.
"Hm." Ais nodded.
…
After 2 hours of dungeon crawling, the pair made their way to the entrance of floor 7. It was quite easier than normal as Ais didn't have to overexert herself as much with Bell taking care of monsters she couldn't finish off fast enough and Bell never got overwhelmed with Ais watching his back.
"Hey Ais, can I ask you something?" Bell asked as he made her take a break.
"Hm? What is it?" She asked.
"Who taught you how to fight? They did an awesome job." He said.
"Oh, uh. I, I mostly taught myself how to." Ais said a tad embarrassed from his praise. Not that she minded.
"Wow, that's great!" Bell said.
"Mhmm. Finn and Gareth helped me out too." She added.
"Finn and Gareth? Wait, Ais what familia are you from?" He asked.
"Hm? I'm from Loki familia." She told him.
"Oh, I heard mom talk about them a little." He said trying to remember what Alfia said about them.
"Bell, what familia are you from?" Ais asked.
"Huh? Oh right, don't laugh but I'm from Hera familia." He laughed a bit.
"Huh? Isn't that the strongest familia with Zeus?" She asked.
"Yup!" Bell said proudly.
"Wow. Wait isn't that familia only made of girls? Waaaaait a minute." Ais said and crawled closer to Bell to get a better look.
"Ais!? Too close! Too close!" Bell screamed as he backed into a wall.
"Hmmmm." Ais questioned as she took a close look at Bell's facial features.
"I'm a boy! I promise! It's just my mom is a Hera member so she was fine with giving me her falna!" She explained.
"Okay." Ais said and backed off.
'Is she okay?' Bell thought to himself.
"Uhm, should we head back? It's probably getting late now." He told her.
Ais was reluctant to leave as Bell was the first person to keep up with her in the dungeon, but she realized that by now Riveria and the others were probably worried about her so she agreed. As they made their way up to the surface, she decided to ask him a question.
"Hey Bell, why did you become an adventurer? Why do you want to become strong?" She asked.
"Hmm. Well, I want to become strong so I can be just like the executives in the Zeus and Hera familia. I know that I don't need to become strong since they are here, but I also want to help them out however I can." He told her happily.
"I see." She said.
"And also, well, please don't laugh but, I also want to become a hero." He added. Ais froze when he told her that as she remembered her father's words.
"A hero?" She asked in shock. Bell was too embarrassed to pick this up.
"Yeah. See, my grandpa always read me stories when I was smaller and he told me that I too could be a hero just like them. I know I have a lot of work to get as strong as our executives and a ton more to be a hero stronger than them, but I still want to be someone they can be proud of. That's kind of silly, isn't it?" He asked.
"Mm-mm! No. That's great. I'm sure you'll be a great hero." Ais assured him.
"Hehe. Thank you! When I do become I hero, I promise I'll come save you!" He told her with a bright smile.
Ais however, stood there in awe wondering if what her father promised her may come true. And just as she started to come to a conclusion…
"Keeee!" A monster shrieked interrupting their moment.
"Come on Ais, we're not out of the dungeon yet!" Bell told her as he got his knives out ready to face the monster.
"Ah, uhm, yes." Ais responded and drew her sword. She couldn't wait to see if Bell had what it took to be a hero.
….
"That will be 10,000 valis." The guild teller told the pair and handed them their valis.
"Wow. That's more than I usually make." Bell noted as he handed Ais her half.
"Well, looks like this is where we head off." Bell told her as he started to head towards the Hera manor. "See you later Ais!" He added and started making his way home.
"Uhm, Bell!" Ais called before he took off.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Let's do this again sometime, okay?" She asked.
"Mhmm! Of course! See you later Ais!" He replied and made his way home.
Ais went on her way and for what was possibly the first time, she was happy to be here after meeting Bell and how he made her remember her father's promise and how he might be right. Bell found today to be fun despite his earlier encounter with Alfia. Speaking off…
"I will kill that woman." Alfia said coldly and made her way to loki's manor. She spent the entire afternoon restraining herself despite the Many instances where Ais did wrong by her book. But now was the final straw and she slowly made her way over there while the Empress, who saw the two earlier and decided to follow them, ran behind her to stop her.
….
"I hate you!" Ais shouted and ran away from her caretakers.
"Ais!" Finn called after her, but it was useless.
"Hmm." Gareth hummed after thinking of what just happened.
"Finn. Why would you do that?" Riveria asked.
"I'm not to keen on letting Ais open up to someone outside the familia. Even if it is someone from Hera familia." He explained.
"Have a heart! She's finally talking to someone and you want to keep her from seeing him?!" She argued.
"And what if she does something that will make them take action?! What if she gets him killed in her pursuit of revenge and they come after us?! What then!?" He reasoned.
"Finn!" Riveria shouted.
"I stand by what I said Riveria. I don't make this decision lightly, but I will do as I must as the captain of this familia." Finn told her.
"Gareth! Help me out!" Riveria pleaded.
"Aghh, I get what you mean Finn, but is that truly the best way to handle this? The lass will hate you." Gareth asked.
"It'll be fine. She's just a kid, she'll forget about this next time she needs something." Finn said and went back to his work.
"Finn." Riveria said disappointedly.
"It's fine. Go look after her Riveria." He ordered.
"I'm going." She said and took off.
…..
"Is this truly wise old man? Alfia won't like this." Maxim asked.
"Of course I am! If Bell isn't getting any magic by now he probably won't develop one. A hero needs something to win, a sort of Ace up their sleeve. With this grimoire he'll definitely become something great. Don't worry, this came out from my own savings so no complaining. And besides, you'll protect your patron god from danger, won't you?" He asked with a gleeful smile.
"Not from Alfia I won't." His captain answered.
"Bah. You're no fun. Now, let me sneak my way into Bell's room and have him read this. Oooo Hera's gonna be so mad!" He chuckled and set off.
At said room…
"Uggh. I'm pooped." Bell whined and plopped onto his bed. For some reason, Alfia was very harsh in training today. Something about bolstering his defenses against women.
"Psst. Belllll." A voice whispered.
"Not right now grandpa." Bell said tiredly as he stared at Zeus grappling into his window.
"It's alright Bell! I wasn't spotted!" Zeus whispered as he closed the window. "Now Bell, what reason would I have to sneak into your room?" He asked.
"Mom said that you'll probably try to take me and peep into the girl's bath. My mom and aunt are in there, why would I want to see my family naked? That's just weird." Bell told him.
"Ah I would never do that Bell! I'd check to be sure they aren't there!" He laughed.
"Whatever. What's up grandpa?!" He asked excitedly. Despite how much of a pervert he was, Zeus was always nice to Bell and he had a lot of fun spending time with him.
"Hehe! This Bell!" He said and pulled out a beautiful looking book. "It's a new hero story by me!" He told him.
"Wooow! By you?" Bell asked.
"Mhmm! As you know, us deities have observed the lower realm for forever! I just remembered an amazing story I had to write down and show you!" He told him excitedly.
"Wooooow! A new story?!" Bell asked excitedly.
"Mhmm! Take a look, Bell. You know how to read now right?" He asked.
"Yup! Mom taught me how!" Bell said proudly, ready to flex his new reading skills. Bell opened the cover and started reading the first paragraph, aaaaaand promptly knocked out as the grimoire took effect. Zeus quietly picked Bell up and tucked him into bed and wished him goodnight. After that, he picked up the now empty book and escaped through the window.
Back at the Zeus manor, he made his way to his room and set the empty book on a table and brought out his writing tools.
"Yes Bell, this book will contain an amazing story. Your story." He said softly and started writing away.
….
"Eeeeeeh?!" Hera shouted after Bell's next status update.
"Grandma?!" Bell asked in fear as she stared at him dead in the eye.
"What did you do Bell?" She asked him coldy.
"I don't know what you mean! You're scaring me grandma!" Bell said with a few tears coming from his eyes.
"This! Look at this!" She yelled and showed him a copy of his status.
"Huh? Everything seems normal. Wait. Haaaah?!" He yelled as he saw he had a magic slot.
Flaming Spirit.
Chant: Oh holy flame, grant me your protection and may your flames lay waste to my enemies. Heat storm!
Coats user in hot flames greatly boosting strength and speed.
Can be channeled into smaller attacks or large attacks.
Heat determined by the users feelings.
(No correlation to spirits.)
"I have magic?!" Bell asked in disbelief.
"Uhuh! How?! Did Alfia already start teaching you the basics of magic already?! I told her it was too early!" She shouted and was about to make her way to Alfia's room and give her a piece of her mind when Bell ran in front of the door and asked her to wait.
"Grandma! Please! Auntie hasn't taught me anything about magic yet! We've only been sparring and teaching me everything about the dungeon!" He told her.
Hera took a moment to catch her breath as Bell was not lying. But that left her wondering, how did he seemingly learn magic out of nowhere? She hated to be honest, but learning magic took a lot of studying and hard work, but her sweet Bell wasn't really the scholarly type. Which was perfectly fine! He was still a tiny ball of pure cuteness! He didn't have to worry about anything yet! Still…
"Hmm. I'll get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, how about you go and test out your magic in the dungeon Bell? Oh, make sure not to use too much magic or else you'll fall asleep. That's a big no no in the dungeon right?" She asked him.
"Right! Bye grandma, I'll see you later!" Bell yelled and ran straight to his room.
"So cuuuute!" Hera squealed. 'But calm yourself Hera! You have a mystery to solve!' She thought to herself.
…
"Hah… hah… hah…" Ais panted. She got really mad at Finn and the others earlier and threw herself straight into the dungeon. She was currently on the 6th floor taking on groups of war shadows that the dungeon had oh so nicely prepared for her. She hadn't had time to properly arm herself and her sword was on its last legs and her armor was whitling away as she kept throwing herself into battle after battle.
"HAAAAAAA!" She shouted as she took out the remaining war shadows with one swing of her sword and watched as they all turned into excelia.
"More. I can… still… fight more." She panted as she made her way onto the next route looking for monsters. Just then.
"Yosh. This looks like a perfect spot!" An energetic voice echoed down the hallway.
"Bell?" Ais asked in disbelief and ran to look for her friend. Just as she found him, she remembered Finn's orders to stay away from him. Her face churned in sadness as she tried to turn away from her friend when suddenly…
"Oh holy flame, grant me your protection and may your flames lay waste to my enemies. Heat storm!" He chanted and she watched as a beautiful orange-red flame surround her friend. She was about to run at him and save him and stopped when he started laughing.
"Hey! Hahaha! This tickles!" He giggled as his flames swirled around him. He took a second to calm down with the flame cooling down with him. Just then, the oh so familiar sound of the dungeon spawning in a monster alerted the two to the wall directly to their right. Luckily, the dungeon was feeling merciful and only spawned in 6 war shadows. Great! Ais was scared at first for her friend as even she could barely take on two at a time, sometimes 3. And last she saw, Bell had around or close to the same status she had and she was about to step in when Bell laughed a bit.
"Okay! Let's see what this magic can do!" He smiled and drew his two knives. As he got into a readying stance, his knives were coated with his flames and you could almost literally see Bell's soul get fired up as he charged at the group.
The first war shadow had the unfortunate luck to be the first one to fall to Bell's attack as his knives sliced through its' chest and his flames lit up its crystal and the two watched as it was engulfed by Bell's flame and exploded into excelia. Bell took a moment to be amazed by his magic before he dawned a giddy smile and did the same to the other five as they were helpless as Bell took full advantage of his added speed and strength. The group didn't even last 30 seconds from birth.
"Woooooah." Bell gasped as he released his magic and saw the few crystals on the ground, proof that he had taken down a group of war shadows like it was nothing.
"Waaaahoooooo!" He cheered as he imagined an older version of himself using his magic to save those in need.
"What did you think Ais?!" Bell asked as he turned to her.
"Ah!" Ais yelled in surprise and fell to the floor. She had not expected him to notice her.
"How did you know I was here?" She asked as she walked out behind the hallway.
"I don't know. I can sort of tell when someone is looking at me now." He said with a small laugh. "Actually, forget that. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" He yelled as he ran to her and poured every potion he had on her. It only took a moment before her wounds started to heal and she was good as new. Well, at least her body was. There was no salvaging her equipment.
"I, I was fighting war shadows." She answered him a little embarrassed.
"For how long? And how many?!" Bell asked.
"Mmm, all day I guess?" She asked. With no way to tell the time in the dungeon it was anyone's guess. And Bell could pretty much tell how many based on all her injuries.
"You should have been with someone in your familia if you were going to be here that long. Come on! Let's head to the surface." He said and led her to the main path. He needed to make sure she got home safe. Hey, now that he thinks about it, this could be his first save as a hero! What better way than leading a helpless girl to safety? Granted, Ais was not helpless in the slightest. He's seen her fight, but nevertheless!
"Uhm, Bell?" Ais asked as the entered the 5th floor.
"Yes Ais?" He responded.
"When did you learn magic? I don't remember you using that last time." She asked confused.
"Oh, I didn't tell you did I? I actually learned it today!" He said happily.
"Today?" She asked.
"Mhmm! I came down here to test it out and ran into you!" He told her.
"That's, good." Ais said sadly.
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"Ah, no! It's nothing!" She answered.
"You sure?" Bell asked uneasy. "If somethings wrong please tell me." He told her.
"Well, I, it's, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit jealous." She answered, not wanting to lie to her friend.
"Jealous? Of me?" He asked.
"Mhmm." Ais said and turned away ashamed.
"Why?" Bell asked a little hurt.
"It's just, your magic! It's so cool! It makes me wish I could learn some magic too." She explained.
"Ohhh. That's what you meant." Bell said.
"Yeah." Ais answered and spared a look at Bell.
"Well, I don't know this for sure but I think mom once said that if you study hard enough and apply yourself you can learn magic too. And I'm sure Ais can learn some awesome magic too!" He said excitedly.
"You think so?!" Ais asked eagerly.
"Why not? I see how hard you fight; I know you'll become strong one day! Heck, maybe your magic will be even better than mine!" He told her.
"You won't be mad if it is?" She asked a bit worried.
"Of course not! Hey, maybe we can become heroes together when you do!" Bell said happily.
Ais stopped when he said that which confused him and he turned to look at his friend.
"Ais?" He asked wondering what was wrong.
Ais took a second to think over what Bell had said, and she came back to the same conclusion she had earlier.
"It's nothing, Bell." She told him. "I don't think I have what it takes to be a hero." She answered half-truthfully.
"Well, I think you do. But, you don't have to if you don't want to." He said as he punched a kobold into the wall.
"Come on! I think we may have a goblin party ahead." He said as he readied his knives.
"Hmm." She nodded and readied her worn out sword.
'I'm sorry, Bell. But, a hero should not be tempted by revenge' She thought to herself. 'As long as I am filled with this anger, I don't think I deserve to be called a hero. Not when I'd do anything to get mom back.' She thought sadly.
'But, you have what it takes.' She thought as she watched him effortlessly make short work of the stupid goblins that thought they had a chance against her hero.
'Please, Bell. Please have what it takes to save me from my hatred.' She thought as she looked down at her heart. 'Please, save me.'
"So this is where you ran off to." A voice boomed.
"Geh!" Ais winced as she haphazardly turned around.
"H-hi Riveria!" She said timidly. In all her excitement, she forgot that she was forbidden from seeing Bell, which made her upset remembering all that happened.
"What did we discuss earlier?" Riveria asked as she saw Ais hide behind Bell.
"Uhm, I don't think we've met Ms. Riveria. My name is Bell Cranel, nice to meet you!" Bell said timidly as looking at Riveria reminded him of a certain Aunt.
'Don't choose now to get scared!' Ais thought with a pout.
Riveria upon seeing this, and pretending to ignore it, quickly decided what to do.
"Hello Mr. Cranel. It is a pleasure to meet you." She said with a slight bow.
'Huh?' Both thought. This confused the two.
"Ais, what have I told you about going into the dungeon without informing us?" Riveria lectured.
"Oh. Sorry." Ais said and shrunk under her gaze.
"You know better than that. Mr. Cranel, I would like to thank you for looking after her. But now, we have matters to attend to. If you'll excuse us." She told him and bowed.
"Come along Ais." She said and turned to leave.
Ais had no choice but to follow her orders. Riveria was the vice-captain after all. She did not want to suffer through more lessons with her despite how much she felt she had done nothing wrong.
"Coming." Ais said sadly. "Bye, Bell." She said and started walking away.
Bell couldn't stand this anymore and had to say something.
"Riveria!" Bell shouted and caught up to them.
"Yes?" She asked and faced him.
"Uhm, if it's alright, do you think I can keep dungeon diving with Ais?!" He asked her.
Riveria took a moment to ponder his question.
"I-I-I know we're from different familias, but it's been done before! Dungeon diving with members of other familias! Can I do this with Ais?" He asked earnestly.
Riveria remained silent as she studied him.
"I-I promise! Nothing bad will happen to Ais! To be honest, she's the first friend I've made my age and I want to keep having fun with her! Please Riveria!" He pleaded.
"Bell." Ais gasped.
"Very well." She said.
"Really?!" Bell asked excited.
"Really?" Ais asked in disbelief.
"Yes. As vice-captain I'll allow it. But only on one condition." She spoke
"Anything!" Bell yelled.
"Watch each other's backs." She said.
"Pardon?" Bell asked.
"What I said. The dungeon is a difficult place. It may seem fun right now, but it actively hopes for your demise. It has taken the lives of many careless adventurers. So I ask, watch over each other. That's the safest way to ensure you return. I'm sure your family would like that." She explained with a small smile.
"Yes! I promise!" Bell said with a smile.
"Riveria! Thank you!" Ais said and hugged the elf around her waist.
"Don't thank me. Thank yourself for finding a good friend in Mr. Cranel. Same goes to you Ais. Watch over his back as he watches yours." She told her.
"I will!" Ais said and smiled another genuine smile.
"Now, I do beg your pardon Mr. Cranel but we do have a matter to attend to. You two may start tomorrow." She explained and bowed.
"Yes! I'm going to stay here for a while. See you later Ais!" Bell said and ran back to the 6th floor.
"Are you sure? Riveria?" Ais asked again in disbelief.
"Yes, Ais. I'm sure. Don't worry about a thing. I'll settle this matter with Finn later. But first, to find you some new equipment." She said and they both watched as the last bits of Ais's armor crumble apart, along with her sword.
"Oh." Ais said embarrassed.
"Yeah, 'oh'." Riveria repeated with a small smile and led the small girl away.
…..
6 months later
"Why won't you tell me how to level up?" Ais once again asked annoyed.
"You aren't ready for it." Finn said.
"Come on! I haven't gotten any better at all! Gareth you agree with me, right? Riveria?!" Ais asked looking for some help.
"I'm sorry Ais." Riveria said and turned away is despair.
"Sorry lass. I gotta side with Finn on this one." Gareth told her.
"Agh!" Ais shouted and walked out of the office.
"I don't like this." Riveria said breaking the silence.
"Me neither. She's getting too anxious about leveling up. She should know that this stuff takes time." Gareth said.
"Mmm. I really don't like this." Finn said and looked outside his widow to see Ais storming outside the manor.
"Heheh. Maybe we should get the lad to calm her down." Gareth laughed and stroked his beard.
"Hmm. He'd probably tell her how to level up and help her with it." Riveria noted thinking about Bell.
"I still don't like you disobeying my orders." Finn said.
"I'm allowed to go against orders I don't like." Riveria said and stared back at Finn.
"Now, now. This isn't the time nor place to fight. Take it outside!" Gareth laughed. "But in all seriousness, the lad has certainly helped the lass out. Who knows if she'd even still be alive if it weren't for him to calm 'er down." He added.
"Certainly. Though I hate to admit it, he's probably helped her out more than we could." Riveria said.
"Hmmm. Yeah, you're probably right." Finn said thinking back to how much Ais had changed from meeting Bell.
'I wonder what he's up to now.' Riveria thought while looking out the window.
….
"Mom! Please! I'm tired!" Bell whined as he laid sprawled across the ground trying to recover some mind.
"You said you'd do what it took to become a hero didn't you? Get back up. What kind of hero still can't fully control their magic?" Alfia lectured while standing there unphased.
"You're making me use my magic full blast to try to hurt you while you have your anti-magic magic on! How am I supposed to beat that?!" Bell asked while trying to catch his breath.
"Just do it." Alfia said calmly.
"Easy for you to say." Bell said as he got back up.
"Do your best Bellll!" Meteria cheered from the sideline.
"I'm trying mom!" Bell responded and quickly chanted his magic.
"Good. You're getting faster." Alfia said finally praising Bell with the slightest smile.
"Ah! Ais! Over here!" Meteria yelled calling the blonde-haired woman over. Alfia's smile immediately fell.
"Not again." She groaned as she turned to see the girl who she saw trying to take her nephew away. She wouldn't let anything happen to Bell so long as she had anything to say about it.
"Hello Meteria. Alfia. Bell." Ais said greeting the trio.
"What brings you over? Is it Bell?!" Meteria asked eagerly. (Ais had become her favorite candidate for Bell.)
"Better not." Alfia warned and got closer. The two sisters were now in an intense staring contest, both fighting for what they thought was right.
"Uhm, yes?" Ais said confused.
"YAYY! I'll plan the wedding!" Meteria yelled. Bell started stuttering while Alfia yelled at her sister saying something along the line of "Are you crazy?! They're 9!"
"What's up Ais?" Bell asked looking for some way out of his family's shenanigans.
"I was hoping we could go to the dungeon again today, but if you're too busy it's fine." Ais said.
"No it's alright! He's just finished!" Meteria answered for him.
"I'm not done yet." Alfia said.
"But I'm done watching my son be your punching bag." Meteria fired back.
"Are they gonna be alright?" Ais asked wondering if she should run for the hills.
"Yeah, this is pretty normal." Bell answered with a smile, again reminding Ais of how crazy his family is. "Mom's the only one to keep auntie under control." He whispered.
"Keep who under control?" Alfia asked while gathering mind.
"Nothing!" Bell said and ran off to get his equipment.
"So, kid. What do you really want?" Alfia asked as Bell got out of earshot.
"Hm?" She asked.
"That look on your face says it all. Ask what you want to ask." She added.
"Ah, uhm, well, how do you level up?" She asked immediately. She desperately needed answers and got straight to the point.
Alfia took a moment to think and finally found her words.
"By accomplishing a great feat." She said.
"A great feat?" Ais asked.
"Hm." She nodded. "You have to do something noteworthy enough to impress the gods, and only then will you 'level up'." Alfia explained.
"Now that you mention it, isn't it time for Bell's level up?" Meteria asked.
"Bell's ready to level up?" Ais asked.
"Yes. I won't tell you his status, but he is practically ready for a level up. We're focusing on training up his magic to go as high as possible before we have him go on an adventure. Of course, we'll be there in case he falls." Alfia told her.
"Wow." Ais said in amazement, and a bit of sadness. Here Bell was getting ready for a level up while Ais was barely learning what a level up was.
"I'm back!" Bell yelled as he came back in full armor and weapons by his side. He had his small backpack tightly secured with potions and the like.
"4 hours Bell. I want you back in 4 hours." Alfia told him.
"I will! Let's go Ais!" Bell said and led her outside the manor.
"Awww, they're so cute together!" Meteria cooed.
"Hm. She's trying to use him. I wouldn't call it cute." Alfia responded.
"And how so? If anything, it's Bell who's using her to better himself. He's getting stronger and stronger for her by the day!" Meteria said proud of her son.
"Hm." Alfia huffed.
"Do you really think he can get his magic stat up to S too?" Meteria asked.
"Yes. He's your son and my nephew. There's nothing he can't do." Alfia said with a bit of pride. "Except learn to stay away from the old geezer and that traveler." She groaned. Meteria just giggled at her sister.
"Did we miss something?" A stern voice asked.
"Nope." Alfia said turning to see Maxim and Empress walking their way. "What do you two need?" She asked.
"We have new intel on that 'Evilus' group." Maxim said with a serious expression.
"Pah. Damn cowards never learn, do they?" Alfia asked no one in particular.
"Come on, we have work to do." He added and turned away.
…
"Hyaaaaah!" Bell yelled as he sliced a group of imps to dust.
"Whew. I don't even need to use my magic for this." He laughed to himself.
"HAAAA!" Ais yelled as she ducked underneath an orcs swing and sliced the thing in half.
"Awesome Ais!" Bell cheered. Ais did not waste a second and took off to find another group of monsters.
"Ais?! Wait up!" Bell yelled as he picked up the monster crystals and chased after.
"Slow down a bit!" He yelled as she tore through the 9th monster party. She had barely finished off the last orc and was about to head off again before Bell stopped her.
"Ais! What's wrong with you?! You need to rest in between fights!" He yelled as he stood in front of her.
"Move Bell! I need to keep fighting!" She yelled and tried getting past him.
"Ais! Calm down! Take a look at yourself! You're bleeding!" He yelled and pulled out a potion poured it on as many wounds as he could.
"At least take a break! You'll tire yourself out fast." He lectured.
"Stop talking like Riveria!" She yelled.
"Well she's right!" He responded.
"Fine!" Ais yelled and plopped herself down by the wall. Bell haphazardly sat next to her and pulled out a bottle from his bag.
"Water?" He asked and handed it to her.
"Thank you." Ais said and took it.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Ais decided to speak out.
"… I'm, sorry Bell." She apologized and looked down.
"What for?" He asked.
"I, I was mad and started taking it out on you. I'm sorry." She explained and apologized.
"Ah don't worry about that." He said waving off her concern. "But really, what's wrong Ais? You know you can talk to me, right?" He asked concerned for her.
"It's just, I can't seem to get stronger no matter how much I fight. I think I've hit a wall." She said sadly.
"Ah. I know how that feels." He told her.
"It's annoying isn't it?" She asked.
"Mhmm. I haven't gotten my status higher for a while, except my magic. But even that's slowing down now." He told her.
"We should level up!" She yelled and stood up. "If we've hit a wall, we just need to level up and we can keep getting stronger!" She told him.
"I agree, but I want to get my magic as high as I can before I try leveling up; mom said that it's the best way to become the strongest. It's what she did." He explained.
"Mmm. Riveria did say something like that." Ais said and sat back down in thought.
"Don't worry Ais, we'll be ready to level up when the time comes." Bell said and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be a-okay!" He said giving her the thumbs up.
"Huh?" She asked confused.
"I don't know. Grandpa does that sometimes." Bell said and put his hand down. Ais started laughing at Bell and he just turned red screaming "Don't laugh at me!"
…
The two finally made it back to the surface and it was time to part ways.
"Bye Bell." Ais said and waved him off.
"Remember Ais, don't go off into the dungeon without me! You'll end up fighting monsters while asleep." He joked.
"I will not!" Ais whined with a pout.
"Hahaha! See you later Ais!" He smiled and ran back home.
Ais however, stopped smiling and watched him until he was out of her eyesight.
"I'm sorry, Bell. But I need to keep getting stronger. For mom." She said and turned back to the dungeon and ran straight in.
Above them, watching the scene unfold…
"Woooo! She sure is lovely! The scent of death from her is so captivating!" A cloaked figure spoke.
"Thanatos! We've got work to do!" A woman's voice spoke. "Those damned 'Heroes' are onto us!" She added. However, he did not move from his spot.
"Ya coming or not?!" The woman asked impatiently.
"Valleta, there is a small change of plans today." The god said.
"Hah? I've got better things to do than to entertain your sorry ass." She hissed back.
"You misunderstand, see, I think I've found our new recruit! The oh so beautiful War Princess! So while I go, recruit her, cause a little trouble up here? Maybe, go see your little 'Braver' in the meantime?" He asked her.
"You sly dog. I always knew you were a pervert." Valetta said and turned to her subordinates and gave them their new orders.
"I am no pervert, Valetta-chan. I simply see a troubled soul. And isn't it a deity's job to guide a child's soul to enlightenment?" He asked with a sinister grin.
….
"Thank you Miach!" Bell said as he was leaving the Miach famillia shop. He stopped by there to purchase some health and stamina potions.
"Stop by anytime soon Bell." Miach said with a smile.
[Okay sidenote, were Dian Chect and Miach familias already established during this time? I remember Miach familia collapsed when Naaza got hurt but I remember they were almost equal to Dian Chect's at some point right? Anyone know?]
As he was leaving, he heard a loud explosion from far the far west and soon screams followed.
"What's happening?!" Bell asked confused.
"I don't know. Bell, go and find your familia and send them over. I'll start preparing for the injured!" Miach told him and ran inside to get his familia into action.
Bell took off towards the Zeus and Hera mansions to look for Alfia or Zard or anyone that he could find. As he was running, he saw the Loki familia heading over to where the explosions were and he called Riveria over.
"Riveria! Do you know what's happening?!" He yelled and ran up to her.
"Bell?" She asked in surprise. "You all head over without me. I'll catch up." She ordered.
"Bell! What are you doing out here? It's not safe" She asked and walked up to him.
"I was at Miach's getting potions when the explosions went off. He told me to go to my familia for help." He explained. "Do you know what's happening?" He asked.
She took a moment to think whether or not to tell him, what with him being too young to truly grasp these situations, and just decided to tell him the partial truth.
"What we do know is part of the city is under attack and our job is to protect the citizens. Zeus and Hera familia have already been notified and they are probably if not already over there to restore order." She told him.
"Okay. Miach said that he'd start preparing for the injured so you may want to take people there." Bell told her.
"Ah, we are truly lucky to have him here. Thank you Bell, we will." She said.
"Uhm, how is Ais?" Bell asked as he looked back at the Loki familia group missing a single blond-haired swordswoman.
"Ais? We haven't seen her yet." She said worringly.
"What? But, she returned home just earlier." Bell said confused.
"I'm sorry Bell, but we haven't seen her since this morning." She admitted growing even more concerned.
"Did she go back to the dungeon? Ah, Aiiiiis." Bell whined.
"She's in the dungeon?" Riveria asked concerned.
"We were there earlier but we got back a while ago." Bell said.
"Riveria! We need to go!" One of the members shouted.
"Agh. What should I do?" She asked herself.
"Go take care of the people Riveria! I'll go after Ais!" Bell told her.
"Bell?" She asked.
"I still have my equipment and just got more potions, I'll be fine!" He said and took off for Babel tower. "I'll make sure she gets home safe!" He yelled and turned a corner.
"I don't like this." She said as she grew uneasy.
"Riveria! People need help now!" One of her subordinates called.
"Agh. I'm on my way!" She answered and took off.
….
"Hah… hah… another one gone." Ais panted as she finished off another infant dragon on floor 12 of the dungeon. She had been hunting them down since parting ways with Bell. She was still feeling down after lying to him.
"Wow, that was incredible! Are you hurt, little one?" A voice spoke.
Confused, Ais turned around to see a black-robed person. She was confused as she could've sworn she was the only person on this floor.
"Are you lost? Do you feel alone? I can help you with that." The seductive voice spoke.
"Who are you?" Ais asked and drew her sword. As if spawning from the walls themselves, several robed members jump from out of her view and behind the suspicious individual ready to defend them. A simple wave of his hand set his followers at ease.
"That is not important right now." He spoke again and pulled his cloak down to reveal his handsome face. His beautiful features were cancelled out by the sinister grin he just dawned.
'A god? In the dungeon?' She thought.
"Why are you here?" She asked while still keeping her sword at the ready.
"I am here because I can sense your pain dear child. I can see how much you're suffering and it wouldn't be right to just leave you as you are." He spoke trying to sound trustworthy.
"I'm doing fine!" She spoke.
"Just, 'fine'? Is there nothing I can do to help?" He asked.
"No." She said.
"Tell me child, what is it you seek? Wealth? Fame? Trying to make daddy proud? Or, do you seek power?" He asked, emphasizing his last words.
For once, Ais's mask slipped up and she lowered her sword the slightest bit.
"I can help you child. I can make you as strong as you wish. Picture this, endless trainers at the ready and as much equipment and potions as you need. Fighting as much as you'd like every day. Why, you may even surpass those trying to keep you at arm's length. The ones that want to keep you leashed up, never letting you truly be free to slaughter as much as you'd love to. Doesn't that sound lovely?" The god asked, his words sweet as honey.
Ais had lowered her sword as she listened to him.
"All I ask, is that you follow me from now on. There's no need to hold back anymore. You will be free to slay as much as you'd like. These pesky monsters will never stand a chance against you!" He said and looked to the heavens as if his prayers were answered. "Join me! Leave those stupid members behind that try to control you so! Leave those that just can't see your way! What do you say child?" He asked and held out his hand.
Ais was taken aback by this strange god. He had nailed all of Ais's worries, all her aspirations. He was right, she did seek power. The small black flame inside her roared at this opportunity. It wanted to be free! It wanted to let loose! It wanted nothing more than to slay! Slay all these disgusting monsters, slay anything that tried getting in her, but most importantly, it wanted to slay the one damn thing that caused its existence: the stupid Black Dragon. It took everything from her; so she wanted to take it away from living.
Her black flame had overwhelmed her and before she knew it, she was raising her hand to take the gods. She wanted to see her mother again. Every memory of her parents flowed through her mind, every loving memory she had of her family. Every memory of her father driving the damn monster away and permanently injuring it at the cost of his life, and the memory of her mother being taken alive as she was cast away. Her father died a valiant death, her mother was captured, and she woke up 1000 years later. She needed to slay the monster. It was all she could do.
Just as she moved to take a step, an image of a certain rabbit popped up in her mind. Followed up by the memory of her father's promise. She remembered how scared she was when she awoke, and by how caring her new family was to her. No matter how much she whined, how rude she was, how terrible she was to them; they kept supporting her. She remembered the few times she was 'happy', and how much they smiled for it. She remembered how stern Riveria was when she did something wrong, how Gareth was always up for something fun to do, how Finn had taught her everything about battling. How could she just turn on them after everything they've done for her?
She quickly withdrew her hand.
"I want strength." She said as her black flame tried to roar.
"I want nothing more than revenge." She said as her flame started to dim.
"I want to slay that stupid beast." She said as it dimmed a little more.
"But that." She spoke as she readied her sword.
"Turning on them!" The flame dimmed even more.
"It's wrong!" She yelled.
"After everything they've done for me! It's wrong! Going with you is wrong!" She yelled as her flame started to die out.
"And him!" She shouted as all her memories with Bell since they first met till now flashed in her mind.
"He promised! He will save me! My dad promised!" She finished as her flame went down.
"He'll save me!" She said as her flame died out.
"Aww. Boo hoo. This would've worked out so well. Ah well, can't win them all. I did make a promise to Valletta so, boys?" He asked politely and his followers readied their various weapons and got ready for battle.
"Actually, wait. There's something I want to try." He said ordering them to stop. They did, albeit a little surprised.
"Little one, where is your 'hero' now?" He chuckled and then he released his divine aura. The floor shook and it seemed like the dungeon itself roared at the god angrily and the floor seemed to darken and they heard the floor exits collapse. The walls creaked and groaned and the ceiling started to fall apart.
As bits of the ceiling started collapsing, a loud roar shook everyone to their core. Well, everyone but the god who found the entire thing amusing.
"Wooow, scary!" He yelled with stars in his eyes. "I hate to talk and dash, but I must be going, little one! See you lateerrrr! If you survive, that is." He said while giggling to himself.
Ais did not pay attention to the retreating god or his followers, she only stood in shock as the roaring monster finally descended. With its large reptilian like body, and obsidian like scales, plus its large jet-black wings, she was able to immediately identify the terrifying creature:
"Dragon." She said with a wide-eyed stare.
The black dragon, a wyvern to be specific, had descended from the floor and immediately scorched the floor in random directions. It was almost like it was yawning and stretching after a long nap, only replace the yawns with a fire breathing ability. The walls and floor burnt when hit with its' breath.
Ais could only back away in fear. The memory of the Black dragon attacking her father came back and she stood there frozen. She found it harder and harder to breath and her vision slowly started warping as the flames crept closer and closer.
The wyvern, unable to find its original prey, spotted the terrified girl and inched closer and closer, ready to unleash its flames and burn the poor girl.
"Mom. Dad." She whispered hoping by some miracle they would run out and save her.
"Aisss!" A voice yelled out as she saw the flames spew out from the wyvern.
…
Earlier…
"Ais! Where are you?!" Bell yelled as cleared out the last orc on floor 11. He called for her again before running to the staircase leading to the 12th floor. He called out to her one last time and when he heard nothing in response, he bolted down the staircase drinking water to help his throat.
"Ais, where are you?" He asked himself while running down the stairs. After a minute, he finally arrived at the 12th floor entrance and walked in. It took him a few seconds but he adjusted to the dim light and heavy fog the floor was famously known for.
"Ais! Are you here?!" He yelled and waited for a response. It never came.
"Nothing." He said dejectedly. 'Maybe deeper in?' He thought to himself.
As he started to move, he felt the ground shake and heard the dungeon roar. All of a sudden, the entrance collapsed right behind him and he found himself trapped.
"What's going on?!" Bell asked confused. He turned back around pulled out his knives and looked for any sign of danger. The problem was, he felt danger coming from everywhere. Suddenly, he heard a deafening roar coming from deep withing the floor. He didn't recognize the roar, but his limited experience told him that that monster wasn't supposed to be here.
His survival instincts kicked in and he immediately ducked behind a near wall, just in time to see a wall of fire scorch the floor and wall where he stood.
"What the?!" Bell yelled in shock. The foul beast roared again and unleashed more flame walls throughout the floor scorching the walls and left bits of magma throughout the floor making some parts untraversable. On the upside, the heat seemed to blow most of the fog away making the floor truly visible for once.
Despite his instincts telling him not to, Bell ran towards the center of the floor where the noise was heard the most. Bell drew his knives out when he felt a pair of eyes on him. When he pinpointed where it came from, he ran to see who it was. He found himself at a dead end, but he could've sworn he saw the wall move. Or was it just because he was moving? Who knows.
He had no time to think about it and turned around to where he heard the commotion. The closer he got the hotter it seemed to get. The monster roared once again in the shadows. After wiping his sweat away he ran in to help whoever was in there.
"A dragon?!" He yelled in surprise upon seeing the beast. 'A baby dragon? No, that's not a baby dragon! They aren't black!' He thought to himself. He saw the black dragon searching around the room for something, 'what' he didn't know.
Then, he saw something terrifying. The dragon eventually found something to lock on to, that 'something' happened to be the very person he was looking all over for. He kicked the ground as hard as he could and bolted straight towards her as the dragon opened its mouth ready to burn the scared girl.
"AIIISSS!" He yelled out and tackled her out of the way as the flames just missed the pair.
"Bell?" Ais asked in disbelief.
"Are you alright Ais?" Bell asked and looked her once over.
"I, think so?" She said unsure and checked her arms.
"Get ready!" Bell yelled and faced the dragon as it turned their way and opened its mouth again. The two were ready this time and jumped out of the way just as they saw its flames.
Disappointed, the dragon started flapping its wings and took to the skies. It hovered around the ceiling above the two waiting for a chance to strike.
"What do we do?" Ais asked as she stood next to Bell with her sword at the ready.
"We've got to kill it, Ais. I wish we could run, but the exit collapsed behind me." He told her as he tightened his grip on his knives and kept an eye on the dragon waiting for it to make a move.
After losing its patience, the dragon swooped down at the two claws at the ready.
"Dodge!" Bell yelled and the two jumped away from each other as the dragon missed them. They took a chance to try and damage it, but failed miserably.
"Agh!" Bell yelled as his knives bounced off its scales.
"Ngh!" Ais followed as she couldn't get her sword to cut into the skin and only slightly cracked a scale.
True to its irregular nature, its scales were way tougher than a normal wyvern. Though, they had no way of knowing that.
The wyvern, satisfied at proving itself as the superior being, snorted at the two's attempt of an attack and flew down again to try again.
The two jumped out of the way again, but it anticipated this and cut left and clawed through Bell's armor cutting deep into his shoulder.
"AAGGH!" He yelled in pain and dropped to the floor holding his shoulder.
"Bell!" Ais yelled and ran to him looking for a potion.
"Watch out!" He yelled and the two jumped out of the way as the wyvern charged at them again.
This time however, it stopped and turned to where they landed and spewed out its fire breath at where they had landed forcing them to split up to avoid getting burnt. Bell landed off balance and that gave the dragon the chance to swat him with its tail and sent Bell flying.
"Bell!" Ais yelled as she saw him crash into the wall.
The dragon cared not for her worries and gave her the same treatment and sent her flying too. At least it was nice and threw her near Bell.
She took a moment to stop the world from shaking in her vision and had to put more effort into breathing as she held her chest.
"Agh!" Bell winced as he stood up from his crater sized hole in the wall.
'This is bad!' He thought to himself. 'If this keeps up, we're goners.'
As if reading his mind, the wyvern roared at the two, almost challenging them to try something else.
Bell pulled out a potion and drank a little bit and poured the rest on his injured shoulder. He gave one to Ais and told her to drink it all considering the fact that she probably had broken a rib or a few.
The wyvern seemed to grow impatient and just decided to try and eat its prey and be done with this. After all, isn't this the circle of life? It decided to try and play with them and just crawled their way at a very fast pace while opening its jaw to reveal its sick teeth that could destroy any adventurer unlucky enough to find themselves there.
"Oh holy flame, grant me your protection and may your flames lay waste to my enemies. Heat storm!" Bell chanted and raced to meet the wyvern head on. He coated his knives and himself in his flames and tried to cut the wyvern down to bits.
This time, though, he actually cut through the scales like butter and actually hurt the dragon. It howled in pain and anger as it found itself to actually feel vulnerable.
Sadly, Bell's knives were only so long and he only got flesh wounds. Nothing anywhere near enough to finish it off.
"Damn." Bell said to himself as he couldn't get any solid hits in. As he remembered his Alfia's teachings, he looked at the wyverns wings as they started flapping and knew he had to take those out before they repeated the same process again.
"Ais! Get his wings!" He yelled to her and tried anything to keep it grounded so that Ais could damage it with her sword.
Ais followed his orders and ran up to higher ground and poured every bit of her status into her legs and speed like a bullet to the wyverns wings and used her unknown skill to deal the damage she needed and cut through one of its wings, sending it flying through the air.
The wyvern howled in agony while the two regrouped to figure the next step out.
"What now?" Ais asked hoping Bell had a plan.
"I don't know. It can't fly anymore so it might use its fire attack more. And now its mad." He said as the wyvern looked at the two with newfound anger. It decided that it had enough fun for one day, and that it was time to dispose of the two.
"Ais, see if you cut deeper into the places where I've attacked. Your sword will work better than my knives. I'll chip away at its armor." He said and gripped his knives ready for the next attack.
"Okay. Be careful." She warned and got her sword at the ready.
The wyvern first spew more fire at the duo which they dodged as usual. But, something was different.
"Is it, getting hotter?" Ais panted. She could've sworn that its flames were getting hotter and hotter. Pretty soon, the wyverns flames started changing colors indicating that it was getting hotter.
"Never mind that, Ais! Keep going!" Bell yelled as he attacked the wyvern again and again leaving it no room to react. With his enhanced speed and strength, he was able to cut through more and more scales leaving more skin exposed. Ais followed him and was able to drive her sword deep into the gashed Bell left behind and slowly but surely the wyvern started to slow down.
Ais, thinking they were winning, rushed for the neck hoping she could kill it in one go. This was all according to plan, the wyverns plan that is.
"Ais get back!" Bell yelled and rushed to her.
But it was too late. The wyvern had moved to the left and brought up its claws and swiped through Ais's armor and sent her flying. Pools of blood spilled out from her torso and she screamed in pain.
The wyvern took this chance to also swat Bell away with its remaining wing. While it didn't hurt as much as its tail, it still hurt. Especially since he was missing bits of armor from that attack.
"Ais! Are you okay?!" Bell yelled not caring about how injured he was. By now, his magic wore off as he lost focus.
"AGH!" Ais yelled as she coughed up blood. Bell ran to her and tried to give her another potion, only to look up and see the wyvern in front of them and he could only watch as it opened its jaw to swallow them whole.
…..
"We need some water over here!"
"Someone get me some gauze!"
"Where are the healers?"
Back in the surface, the Evilus group was quickly rounded up by the Zeus and Hera familias and the injured citizens were being treated by the mages that came with and by the Loki familia's high elf.
"That should do it." Riveria said as she finished healing the last citizen in their tent. "How are things at the other block?" Riveria asked one of the Loki familias newest recruits.
"Uhm, Yes! Everything seems to be fine. Dian Cecht and Miach Familia have arrived and have taken over caring for the injured." The young man replied.
"Got it. Thank you, Raul. Where is Finn?" She asked as she stood up and dusted herself off.
"He's over there with Maxim. He said he's waiting for you." Raul replied and pointed her towards their captain.
"Thank you." She said and promptly made her way. She quickly found Finn and Gareth talking with the Zeus and Hera captains.
"Do you think this was a diversion tactic?" Finn asked the two.
"Possibly. They were to sporatic. It almost seems like they were meant to keep us here." Maxim responded. "But why?" He asked and brought his fingers up and held his chin in thought.
"What does it matter? We've captured most of them alive right? Someone's bound to talk. Besides, we can literally handle anything they throw at us." Empress responded.
"I don't think we should be overconfident. That's how they get us." Maxim warned her.
"Whatever." She said, losing interest in whatever the Evilus could be plotting.
"Can we leave now?" Alfia asked as she and Zard walked up and joined the two.
"This was hardly a warm up." Zard said disappointed.
"Anything outside the dungeon is a warm up to you, you big oaf." Maxim said unenthusiastically.
"Finn, All the citizens have been taken care of. I'm heading off." Riveria reported and turned away.
"Woah, where are you heading to?" Gareth asked.
"Yeah, where are you going Riveria? There could be another attack." Finn asked her.
"Don't kid me, Finn. They won't try anything with the 'heroes' here. I'm heading off to the dungeon. Ais ran in there again." She finished.
"Again?" Finn asked in disbelief.
"They should be back now. Bell would never be late." Alfia said.
"They were. Ais ran back to the dungeon and Bell ran right after her. I'm going to check on them." Riveria told her.
"Hah?! Leaving your babysitting to another child? Didn't know you elfs were so careless." Alfia spat.
"I had to deal with this too you know? I'm heading off. Follow me if you wish." Riveria finished and ran off to the dungeon.
"Hey, get back here!" Alfia yelled and ran off to make sure Bell was okay.
"Well, this should be interesting." Maxim said. "You coming?" He asked everyone.
"I'm staying up here. Something seems fishy." Finn said as his thumb started tingling. 'Why won't it stop twitching? The fight's over. Unless?'
"Suit yourself." He said and took off behind Alfia while the rest of the executives followed closely behind.
…..
"Why would you let Bell run into the dungeon again?" Alfia questioned the high elf as they walked past the 2nd floor.
"Like I already said, we were busy helping the citizens. Bell took off before I could send someone else. If anything, blame yourself for raising such a kind child." Riveria said.
"I'll pretend that made any sense." Alfia said as they raced past another group of goblins. Actually, they were to afraid of those monsters that the goblins took cover when the party got closer. Sadly, Zard would kill them all because he was bored.
Suddenly, the whole dungeon moaned and the floor beneath them shook violently.
"What the hell was that?" Maxim asked outloud.
"Dunno." Zard responded as the dungeon quieted down.
"Hurry! I don't like this." Alfia yelled as they party quit playing around and took off in a full sprint. It took everything Riveria had just to keep the execs in her sight. Eventually, they arrived at the 12th floor entrance, or what remained of it.
"The hell happened here?" Empress asked.
"I don't know." Maxim responded as he examined the damage.
At that moment, they heard the roar of a familiar monster.
"A baby dragon? No, is that a wyvern roar?" Maxim asked the group.
"Zard!" Alfia yelled.
"HAAAH!" He yelled and punched through the rubble making a way.
"It's hot." He noted as they saw the scorched earth and bits of magma scattered throughout the floor.
"I swear, if Bell is somehow connected to this I will kill you." Alfia warned the eld.
The group heard the faint sound of fighting and headed that direction.
…
Right as the dragon launched its devastating flame, Bell channeled his inner mage and chanted the fastest he's ever done. He picked Ais up and jumped away from the flame's destruction just before they hit and rolled both him and Ais away from the dragon.
They had survived the wyverns attack, but a new problem arose. Bell hadn't meant to, and he would apologize profusely later, but his magic inadvertently burnt Ais and moving her around so suddenly hurt her more and a couple tears started flowing through her eyes from the pain.
"I'm so sorry Ais! Please forgive me!" Bell kept repeating like a mantra as he used up all his potions to stop the bleeding and to help with the burns.
Ais had finally settled down, but she was in no condition to fight. Bell could not even have a moment to relax as he instinctively picked Ais back up, careful to not burn her again, and rolled away from the wyvern's charge. It was relentless in its pursuit of its prey and would not stop so easily.
All hope was lost, when suddenly Bell heard a wall collapse near where he came from.
'Someone's here now? Perfect! Ais, bear with me a little longer.' Bell thought and prayed to Hera that whoever just arrived would help the two with their current predicament. Knowing there was a way out and that someone was here gave Bell the renewed spirit to fight again. He needed to do everything he could to stall the dragon before Ais could be saved. He prayed that Ais could hang on just a little longer.
Sadly, no amount of prayers were going to stop the Wyvern from catching his prey.
Bell decided now was the time to go all out. He drank his last mind potion and lit his flames back up and got ready for battle. In the midst of all the dodging he lost his knives. But, Ais's sword was still ready to go. He picked it up and stood in front of the girl.
Ais, now back in the realm of the conscious, saw Bell pick up her sword and stood in front of her.
"Stay there Ais. I'll take care of this." Bell said as he turned from her to look at the wyvern.
"Stay there, Ais." She had heard those same words before. She hated hearing those words again.
Bell readied Ais's sword and charged at the wyvern hoping to buy her enough time for her to run or for help to arrive.
The wyvern charged at Bell hoping to end the threat, only for Bell to slide underneath the dragon and sliced along the underside of the beast dealing massive damage compared to the chip shots they could only do before. The beast jumped back and opened its mouth to attack Bell, but he didn't falter and ran towards the beast. He kicked off the ground to avoid its fire and sliced though the scales on top of it and cut through part of its head before it headbutted Bell out of there.
Ais could only sit back and watch as Bell got back up and charged the wyvern again. Shades of her fathers' fight were popping back in her head as she watched as Bell held of the dragon similar to how her father had done so long ago.
Her back began to heat up. Her black flame had sparked to life as she watched Bell fight that dragon head on while she could only sit back in fear. She wanted to help. She needed to fight. Her flame started to roar at the thought of her friend being torn to shreds. She had to do something, otherwise, Bell would die.
Troubled at being unable to pull ahead of his enemy, the dragon tried to claw Bell in half and jumped back as he did to gain some breathing room. As it did that, it saw the ball of gold sitting in the corner of its eyes and it turned its attention to the defenseless Ais.
"Ais move!" Bell yelled as he ran to her. The wyvern had a similar plan, only difference was that the wyvern was closer to Ais than Bell was and slightly faster than him. Ais tried to get up and dodge but her injuries were not yet healed and she stumbled back down and watched in fear as the wyvern inched closer and closer to her ready to feast.
"NOOOOO!" Bell yelled as he used every ounce of his status to kick the ground harder and sprint as fast as he could to stop the wyverns' advances. He knew he only had one shot at this and ran the fastest he could and was fortunate enough to catch up to it and ran around its legs and readied Ais's sword and made his move.
Almost poetically, and as if the gods were taunting her, Ais watched as Bell plunged his sword straight through the wyverns eye and they both flew to her right missing her as they both skid across the floor. It was eerily familiar to how her father had drove back at the cost of his life.
She turned around the two and saw them both down in pain. When Bell ran around the wyvern, it took advantage of the opportunity and clawed through his armor and Ais saw three huge marks left on his back as blood leaked out. She paid no more mind to her injuries and ran to Bell and pulled him away from the wyvern. She couldn't finish it off in her state no matter how much she tried.
"Bell! Bell! Wake up!" Ais yelled as she tried to stir the boy awake. Bell woke up but he was in a daze as he took a hard hit to the head when they landed.
"Where am I?" He asked as he looked around.
"Focus Bell!" Ais yelled and froze for a second when she heard the wyvern slowly get back up. She hesitantly looked up to see the wyvern fully standing up and glared at them with its one good eye.
Angrily, it mustered up all its firepower and prepared to launch one last fireball at the two.
"Ais!" A voice yelled out to her. The duo turned around to see Riveria and the Zeus and Hera execs stare at them in worry and rushed at them to save them.
"Call it Ais! Say these words: Awaken Tempest!" Riveria shouted as she watched in horror as the fireball left the mouth of the dragon.
"Riveria?" Ais asked in disbelief. She turned around and followed her pseudo-mothers' words. "Awaken Tempest!" She got it off just in time as the fireball neared them. Zard and Alfia had reached the two and were about to deflect the attack when they felt a sudden burst of wind eviscerate the fireball and forced them both to take a step back from it's furiosity.
"This is? Wind? … Mom." Ais said piecing everything together and cried a little as she felt her mothers' comforting wind wrap around her and Bell.
"Thank you, mom." Ais said and rose to her feet with the help of her mother's wind.
"Heat storm!" Bell yelled as he surrounded himself with his flames again. He did not waste a single moment and ran to pick up Ais's sword and rushed at the dragon. Ais was surprised to see Bell back up again and watched him pick up her sword ready to fight again. Of course he would, that's just who Bell is. At the corner of her eye, she found his trusty knives sprawled across the floor.
"BELL!" Alfia yelled as she watched her bruised and battered nephew charge recklessly in.
"WAIT FOR ME!" Ais yelled even louder and picked up Bell's knives and followed him.
"HAAA!" The two yelled as they attacked the wyvern with new vigor and were ready for their final fight.
"Wait kids get back here!" Empress yelled and started chanting to finish the battle.
"NO! You may hit them!" Maxim scolded her.
"Agh! Come on! I'm not letting them die! Alfia!" She yelled summoning her member to follow her.
"Right!" Alfia responded and gathered mind for one serious gospel spell.
"No." Zard said and got in front of the two.
"Out of the way oaf! I'll kill you too." Alfia warned.
"Move you fool." Maxim warned and grabbed his sword.
"You'll have to fight me." Zard warned and pulled out his sword.
"You idiot! Move before my nephew gets killed!" Alfia yelled and released her antarxia to show she was serious.
"I don't care what level you are, if Ais dies because of your negligence, you will have the entire Loki familia after you." Riveria warned and joined Alfia.
"No. Look." Zard said calmly and turned to show them what was happening.
"What the?" Maxim said in disbelief.
"They are?" Alfia asked and put her hand down.
"You've got to be kidding me." Empress chuckled. That turned into a giggle fit and laughter at the absurdity of what she saw. "Give 'em Hell Bell!" She yelled and uncharacteristically cheered for her youngest member.
"Ais?" Riveria said quietly as she saw the duo move faster than she had ever seen as they dodged every wyverns attempt of an attack and sliced through its armor.
Bell had led the charge and cut through multiple scales each pass leaving an opening for Ais to slice chucks of flesh out as she followed him. The wyvern tried jumping away but all was futile as the shot up like a bullet and delivered a huge stike to the underside of the dragon. The dragon tried to swat Ais away as she tried to get an extra attack in at its neck, only to feel an intense heat where its tail was and watched in horror as Bell had stepped in front of Ais and used all his power to cut most of the tail off.
"You will not hurt her any more you demon!" Bell yelled and took out his anger out by kicking the dragon in a crucial part of its hind leg breaking it. As Bell started losing control of his feelings, his flames started burning brighter and hotter.
The wyvern howled in pain as it was now vulnerable and the duo kept punishing the dragon. With Bell's flames getting stronger, and Ais's wind and skill powered her up, they switched jobs and Ais sliced chunks of scales off and Bell used her sword to cut deep into the dragon and dealt more damage with each pass through.
Ais started slowing down as she got light headed from the massive drain her magic caused and the dragon took this chance to attack her with its remaining wind. Ais had blocked it with Bell's knives, but her hands gave out and she lost her grip on the knives and watched in horror as they flew away from her.
Bell did not like that and ran up the back of the wyvern and sliced the wing off and the two watched it disintegrate.
"Don't let up!" Bell called out and started focusing on the wyverns remaining legs hoping to keep it in place for a charged attack.
Ais followed him and without a weapon to use she resorted to magic and skill enhanced punched and kicks which surprisingly worked on its opposite hind leg. Bell followed sweet by knocking its front legs out of commission.
"This is it!" Bell yelled to keep her going.
'Just a little longer, Ais. Just hang on.' He thought to himself as he wondered to land the final strike. 'I want to be a hero. I will be your Hero!' He thought as he smiled for the first time this fight. He felt a nice tingling sensation on his back as he focused back on the fight.
"With me!" He yelled as he ran to a patch of ground above the dragon. The two reached the top and Ais looked at Bell waiting for his order.
"On three." He said as he put up her sword. He turned down to look at the dragon struggle to turn its neck to look at them and ready a last ditch fireball.
"One!" He yelled as he shook his hand.
"Two!" Ais yelled excited for some reason and held his hand around her sword. By some miracle, they still had not suffered a mind down. Actually, her wind seemed to power up his flames as their magic combined and they turned into a ball of Blue flames.
"Three!" They yelled and kicked off even faster than before and sped at the dragons' core. The wyvern fired off its fire ball and watched in horror as it did nothing to slow the two down.
"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" The two yelled at the top of their lungs as the cut through the wyverns flesh and cut all the way to its monster crystal and shattered it.
The wyvern cried out one last time before exploding into excelia and left two claws behind as proof of its defeat.
"Did they just?" Alfia asked in literal disbelief despite seeing everything.
"Yup." Zard answered and smiled seeing Bell take his first step to becoming a true adventurer. You could say that he was proud of what he was becoming.
The two turned off their magic and collapsed on top of each other in exhaustion. After taking a moment to catch their breath, Bell started giggling.
"Why… hah… are you… hah… laughing?" Ais asked as she stood up.
"It's just… hah… you think… hah… we'll level up after this?" He asked and sat up.
"Why is that the first thing you ask?" Ais asked disappointed. "You're sounding like me." She added.
"Ais. I need to tell you something." Bell said and sat up right in front of her.
"What is it?" She asked uneasy at his sad expression.
"I'm sorry I didn't notice how you were feeling. And I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you much." He said and looked down ashamed.
"No! That's on me Bell! I'm sorry! I didn't want to worry you." Ais said and teared up.
"No. It's my fault too." Bell said.
"Ais." He said and looked up.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I'm sorry I couldn't be your hero. I can't be your hero as I am now. I'm barely able to protect myself now." Bell said as he looked down at his injuries.
Ais's heart shattered as she felt that she had driven away her hero who her father promised would come. She started to blame herself heavily and tried to say something to fix it.
"That's why." Bell said and grabbed her hands.
"Huh?" She gasped in confusion and slightly embarrassed.
"Until I get strong enough, until I'm able to protect you, will you help me out? Will you help your hero get his strength?" Bell asked as he teared up and smiled as bright as he could.
"Bell!" Ais yelled and hugged him tightly and cried into his shoulder. Her flame was just blown away by Bell's overpowering hug and warmth. She was happy despite being in so much pain from the battle. She was happier than ever to know that her father kept his promise.
"Wow. Even Zeus would be impressed by how smooth that was." Maxim noted as they all watched what just unfolded.
"Meteria may actually walk again after hearing this." Alfia said and already imagined how her sister would turn this situation into something worse (Better?).
…..
The party had started making their way up after Riveria healed the two kids. In hers and Alfia's arms were the two victors resting up after their hard-earned victory.
"The others will lose it when I explain what happened." Riveria said already getting a headache from imagining what her comrades and Loki would say.
"And the old pervert will never let us forget what happened." Alfia said as she imagined Zeus writing and publishing a book about Bell's heroics.
The others giggled at that thought and they made their way back up the stairs.
"We're definitely looking into what happened here right?" Riveria asked them.
""""Absolutely"""" The others agreed and made their way out.
….
"Heheh." Hera chuckled as she finished up her work.
"Congratulations Bell!" She said.
…
"Congratulations Aisy-poo!" Loki yelled and downed another bottle.
…
""On reaching level two!""
…..
Fin
Wheew! I never expected this to be so long!
To everyone who read this far, thank you so much!
I am sorry that this is really sporadic, as this was basically the summary of the summary of the first couple of chapters. Trust me, I cut out a lot of content which would have definitely made this easily over 20k words, maybe even 30k XD.
Do not worry everyone, as I post this I am finished with finals and the semester so I will spend this summer continuing my other stories and get straight to work on getting the newest chapters out as soon as possibe.
Anyways, it's night time rn so Ima head out y'all. Peace!
