"Not bad at all."
Welf turned to Lili as she and Haruhime finished digging magic stones from the carefully arranged row of monster corpses. Lili smiled back as the last stone was safely stored in her bag.
"With Master Bell as a Level 4 and Miss Haruhime's development as a sorcerer, the twenty fourth floor is much easier than before. Not to mention Lady Mikoto sharing martial arts training and Lili's growing skills as a tactician."
Welf narrowed his eyes. "Well, good for you. What about me, huh?"
"Meh. You're still a bad influence on Master Bell, but Lili does enjoy a supply of high-quality crossbow bolts."
The smith groaned loudly, but the others saw the small smile on his face. "Hey, Bell!" Welf noticed the captain's tense posture as the white-haired boy stared intently down a passageway. "What's up? Bell?"
Eyes locked ahead, Bell didn't move until Mikoto readied her sword. "No," he gestured for her to stand down. "Whatever is coming...it's not going to hurt us. She feels...hurt."
Wondering at the heightened senses of the adventurer two levels above her, Mikoto paused when she realized what Bell said. She..? Mikoto was about to ask more when Bell's eyes snapped wide. An instant later her hair whipped back in a strong wind. Its intensity rose into a tempest making her stumble backwards. Quickly bracing herself, she was about to shout a warning to the rest of the party when the pressure subsided. Heaving a sigh of relief, she turned to Bell. "Captain, what was...Bell-dono!"
The wind had surrounded him, though it seemed a gentle churning rather than the harsh thing she experienced. This close she almost felt the hurt Bell sensed...and something else. Lightly caressing her captain, this strange wind felt...sorry? Sad? She...was this a living entity of some sort? Suddenly, the wind began to pull away. She watched Bell reach after it, tears streaming down his cheek.
"Captain...what..?"
"Get to the surface!"
The party started as Bell began chasing the wind.
"Master Bell, we have to stick together!"
"What're you doing, Bell?"
"Bell-dono, why..?"
"But, doesn't that lead deeper into the dungeon?"
Lili, Welf, Mikoto and Haruhime rapidly voiced their objections as they moved to follow their leader.
"No!" Bell's uncharacteristic roar stopped them cold. "Lili! Get them to the surface, now!" He was already out of sight down the passage. "I'm sorry! Go!"
Bell quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. He would need all his focus for the journey ahead and every point of speed and agility. He had to catch the wind no matter the cost. Bell regretted leaving the others in that situation, but when faced with the choice his feet moved of their own accord.
It was Ais' wind.
Bell could sense her coming, her pain and sadness. It had scared him more than anything, a feeling surpassed moments later when the wind carried her voice to him.
"I wanted...to spend more time with you."
The most terrifying thing about the message was the resignation in her voice. She had already given in. But she was alive. He couldn't tell how he knew, or maybe he only hoped. Having delivered its message the wind retreated the way it came, Bell pouring everything into pursuit. He had to believe it would lead back to her, that she could be saved. The wind rushed ahead and Bell thought he saw a flash of blonde hair as Ais got further and further away. The vow to get stronger, to stand by her side, burned in his heart. Redoubling his efforts, the wind got a little closer.
Through the dungeon it blew, leading Bell along unfamiliar pathways. Nearby monsters were unable to react, too slow for his current speed. Bell had never truly used the full potential of Level 4 leg speed, instead focusing on technique and weapon play. Now he unleashed it all, steadily gaining on Ais' wind. Down it led through holes, ramps, and even narrow fissures no adventurer would dare brave in the Lower or Deep Floors, nor would suspect led to a lower floor. Ais led and Bell followed down, down, down.
As the landscape of the dungeon changed so did the monsters. Bell glimpsed hulking brutes of terrible power and ran by hordes of creatures Eina never covered in any dungeoneering lesson. The oppressive fear or wonder he might have had normally was not present—nothing scared him more than Ais' message. Resolve powered his feet as he chased the vision of his princess. Having lost all sense of how deep he had gone or the level of the monsters around him, Bell failed to notice their heightened reactions as time and again he unknowingly avoided death by a hairsbreadth, tooth and claw gnashing and grinding behind him as the crowd of pursuing monsters increased.
Then he reached Ais.
As his foot caught the outer edge Bell leaped forward, enveloping himself in the wind. Her words sounded in his ears again, but the her tone was now laced with confusion. "Please!" Bell roared. He not fully aware of what he was saying. Head focused solely on running, his heart spoke. "I have to find you! I will find you!"
The wind swirled around him, warm, gently running through his hair before rapidly spinning down around his feet. Surrounded by Ais' Tempest, Bell ran with unmatched speed through the deepest levels of the dungeon.
The fifty-first floor was a labyrinth maze reminiscent of the upper levels of the dungeon with slightly wider hallways and higher ceilings. Marching from the safe zone above, Loki Familia was prepared for heavy resistance before the mad dash through the Dragon's Vase. Even so a torn jester banner lay trampled not far from the entrance ramp, blood and dust slicking the ground with red mud. Distant roars were barely audible from deeper in the maze, a sickening red marking the way.
The sounds of battle got louder as Bell ran down an empty passage, the rising cacophony bouncing off every corner of the maze. Navigation would have been extremely difficult but for Ais. She led him true and soon he was in a new world. A strange green substance coated the walls and floor of the dungeon, plantlike and pulsing. The maze had opened into a large crater-like depression from where he stood. He was not well-versed on the Deep Floors, but he knew that sudden changes in topography on a floor was highly irregular and this green growth was unnatural.
Nothing here belonged.
Loki Familia was in the crater. Bell recognized many faces belonging to lower class adventurers as those who sneered at him on the eighteenth floor. They had formed a half-circle around a pile of wounded familia members, holding off a horde of monsters. They were doing well, but Bell noticed that only the warriors were on their feet. The party's entire support element was out of commission, lying in the center. Without help they would collapse eventually, but they would hold for a short while. He was more interested in the other half of the circle.
Ais stood at the fore of the elites, striking down monster after monster. Her beautiful golden hair was dyed red, and though her sword arm still had strength her legs seemed barely able to support her weight. She and the other elites were split between defending their wounded and attacking...
...what was that thing?
It was a gigantic creature. The upper half was a beautiful woman smiling down at her prey, but the lower...where there should have been a right leg there was something that looked like it might once have been a Valgang Dragon. Bell had read about them. After Hermes told the story of the Three Great Quests, he had wanted to know everything about dragons. In place of a left leg was...was that a Juggernaut?
It was far larger and more grotesque than the one Bell had faced, mutated to obscene proportions. He considered the green substance and the crater. Juggernauts spawned when the dungeon suffered extensive amounts of damage and their strength was determined by the floor it spawned on. If that Juggernaut spawned here..? Bell wracked his brain trying to remember everything about enhanced species. Their intelligence, their growth through cannibalism...was it possible for a species of monster to parasitize another monster, to grow stronger by subsuming their being into its own? And if it could do it to one, what was stopping it from doing it to another? He thought of the Hyrute sisters. If people could have twins, why not monsters? A creature that could incorporate a Juggernaut from the fifty-first floor and a dragon from the fifty eighth floor concurrently, absorbing the strength of each..?
It was a level of power he had never considered.
And then the creature began chanting.
In the center of Loki Familia's defenders an elf stood amongst her familia's wounded and dying. Riveria Ljos Alf slammed her staff into the ground and a green shell of magic covered their small circle. Another elf was at her side. A second later, Lefiya Viridis cast the same protection spell...twice. Just as her spells combined with her mentor's, the creature finished chanting.
Fire rained on Loki Familia. Battle sounds ceased while the inferno raged. The defensive spells directed the fire away from the party, causing a rolling wall of flames to spread across the battlefield...and straight towards Bell, still running forwards.
Ais' wind rushed forward in a wedge to force the fire away from the boy. Using the flames as cover he ran down the crater, shoulder to shoulder with the monsters charging the defenders. The fire killed some, but these monsters were Level 5; maybe higher. Though many were injured they pressed on. Bell knew a single Level 4 adventurer wouldn't tip the scales. His combat skills may have freed up an elite to take the offensive, but a single elite against that creature was suicide. He didn't have the weapons or items to help their party; he wasn't even properly provisioned for himself—he didn't care. The moment he heard Ais' message, he had stopped being an adventurer. He wanted to be a hero. Her hero.
Chimes sounded as brilliant white light shone around his hand. Hieroglyphs burning on his back, he could feel Mind drain away at an alarming rate as he willed Argonaut to fill his body. The charging monsters near him shrieked in surprise—the fire spell had run its course. Bell pushed and leaped, aiming for the center of the defender's circle. From above he saw Riveria and Lefiya on their knees. The warriors had gotten a brief rest but the elves would not be able to protect against another magical attack, and without supporters or items..?
"Everybody, down!"
Finn Deimne had seen Bell's approach and, seeing the white light, knew his intent. He and Bell yelled at the same time. Shock at the appearance of another adventurer from a small familia who should not have known where they were or even been able to reach them stunned the party for half a moment before their captain's order and the sight of Bell glowing pristinely white, arms outstretched, made them obey. Focusing his Mind as hard as he could, Bell separated the dual charged Argonaut between his hands and aimed out to either side.
"Firebolt!"
Bell willed the magic to not stop, Mind draining to point of passing out as he spun on the spot. Argonaut-enhanced flames shot out in white-hot beams as he washed the floor in magic. Around the room monsters turned to ash in the ferocious heat he unleashed. Bell stopped after completing a whole circle, Mind on the verge of shutdown though he refused to give in. He fought with his body, urging it to continue moving when a terrible scream rent the air and broke his deadlocked state.
The Juggernaut and dragon of the creature's lower half were marked by a deep, cauterized wound. The creature reeled backwards, hurt for the first time.
"Bell..."
Ais had risen from where she'd dropped when Bell unleashed Argonaut. Locking eyes, she graced the boy with a small smile. She stood with more strength than before, though Bell could see the wounds covering her body; particularly the head wound. It did not look too bad, but he knew had badly head wounds could bleed and it looked like she had already lost too much. Before either could say anything, Finn took command.
"Raul, your group is to take the wounded back to camp on the fiftieth floor and secure the area. Bete, Tiona, Tione, go ahead of them and clear out the remaining monsters leading to the ramp. Everyone else..!"
"Ah!"
Bell could not be entranced by that voice. It sounded angelic, otherworldly—but it was carried on harsh, pained undertones. Corrupted. The creature had moved back into position. Completely regenerated, she was smiling again. Though the lower class adventurers were evacuating the wounded as ordered, the others were frozen as the creature continued speaking.
"A new thing for me to play with! Delightful. Is this your toy, Aria? I see your mark on him."
Mark? Everyone staring at him, Bell realized Ais' Tempest still circled around his feet, puffs of dust swirling in little eddies.
"So kind of you to share, Aria. I just have to have him!" And the creature began chanting again.
Bell was amazed when layers of green light shielded the party again. Riveria and Lefiya were still on their knees, sacrificing pride to power the spells that would keep their family safe. Bell felt safe for a moment...until a sick feeling gnawed at his belly. "This feels wrong," he thought. "This spell she's casting, it's different...Ais!" He shouted her name aloud as he jumped in front of her. Whipping off the Goliath Muffler he stood on one end and raised his arm like a bar to secure the other, making the best shield possible as fast as he could. He braced himself just as the chant finished.
Instead of a large area of attack the creature fired a targeted spell. If not for the layers of protection from Riveria and Lefiya, Bell and most likely Ais would both have died. Even blunted, the attack tore at the Goliath Muffler, shoving Bell back several inches. Numbed with adrenaline and his desire to protect Ais, Bell felt only a dull ache as his right arm fell useless to his side, Muffler dropping heavily to the ground. He calmly noted that it had been broken in multiple places and he probably had a few torn muscles. Considerate of the injury, Ais gently touched his left shoulder as she stepped beside him. Quickly assessing his condition and thinking of the battles she had been through earlier in the day, she looked back at her captain.
Finn was doing some dirty math with the remnants of Loki Familia. The lower class adventurers had been put through the mill and were gone along with all their support and items. Bete, Tiona and Tione were on their way back, but aside from Urga they had broken or heavily damaged their weapons in the earlier fighting. They were still armed with backups but their fighting power was heavily diminished. For himself, his weapon was in good condition and was only moderately exhausted since his superior technique kept as much in reserve as possible. Gareth had used all his strength to hold a portion of the defense perimeter by himself; his gear was in excellent condition but the dwarf was on his last leg. Lefiya had collapsed from Mind Down after the last attack and Riveria wasn't much better, attempting to bring back the unconscious elf while fighting off extreme exhaustion herself. Ais was looking stronger since Bell had arrived but she had lost a lot of blood and was relying on her status to keep her up. It wasn't enough.
Finn saw Ais staring at him. He nodded. "We retreat!" he announced. It was a sign of their fatigue that nobody argued or displayed youthful bravado. "Gareth, carry Lefiya and assist Riveria if needed. Ais, you and Bell run to the others. Tell them to get back to camp. Return to the surface as soon as everyone can move. We'll finish this thing off later."
"Finn," Gareth rebuked. "What do you think you are doing?"
Of course, Gareth would see through it. "I'm distracting this thing while you get away. Move. Now." He would take no argument.
The creature spread her arms. "Ah, so many toys want to stop playing? I understand longing for the sky...I am generous. I only want one toy...I want Aria."
As Ais' face hardened, Bell looked at her. "Aria..?"
Ais grunted as she raised her sword. Bell knew her speed and strength all too well—the way she moved was sluggish and off-form; a far cry from the precise, graceful swordswoman he knew. She was a knight who would fight no matter the odds if it meant saving her friends and family...even if her death was guaranteed.
Finn could see the look on the boy's face—he had also done the math and knew someone had to stay behind. Thumb spasming madly, Finn gripped it as he motioned the others and ordered them to retreat to the fiftieth floor. He winked at Gareth and Riveria as the dwarf picked the two elves up. They knew he was thinking something; their trust would see the rest of their party to the safety point.
"Ais..." Bell began. Her look stopped him cold. She was not angry, but he knew she was ready to die. The resignation he had heard on the twenty fourth floor was written on her usually stoic face. She was ready to die to save everyone. This was his deepest fear. He could not allow it to happen. He put a hand over hers, the one holding Desperate, and gently squeezed as he whispered in her ear "I want to spend more time with you, too."
Her eyes snapped wide before he wrapped his arm around her waist and threw her directly at Finn. "Run!" he screamed. The two men exchanged a look. Finn did everything he could to wordlessly convey thanks.
Ais screamed as Finn ran, his arms wrapped tightly to keep her from breaking free. Exertion made her wounds run with fresh blood; she would pass out before too long and very likely die if she did not receive medical attention. Finn ran faster as her screams rose, her eyes freely shedding tears as she watched the back of the boy getting further and further away.
With Ais being carried off the field Bell finally felt relaxed, the fear that had been with him since the twenty fourth floor vanishing. The creature seemed amused as Finn ran; Bell thought that it believed it could bring them down as it wished. It might be able to...but not so long as he was there. "Hey, creature!"
The thing turned, smile still in place. "Ah, the toy. Aria did not want me to have you, but you stayed willingly! Delightful. Shall we play a game before I bring Aria back to join us?"
Bell checked his leg holster. The run through the fire hadn't harmed him or his gear, but the potions on his leg were not very well protected from the heat. He didn't know that potions could curdle. If he made it out of this, he'd have to talk to Welf about that. He was exhausted and had no illusions about being able to fight an extended battle, nor to make the long trek back to the edge of the crater. He would never escape if the creature fired off another spell. He grimaced. She wouldn't even need a spell. Pure speed and strength would be enough, especially in this state. All he needed to do was give Loki Familia time to regroup so they could escape—so that Ais could escape. If Finn carried her past the crater, they could enter the maze and make it to the safety point and be clear of this creature. This thing seemed chatty enough; maybe he could talk for a few minutes?
"I'm not really one for games; maybe we could share some stories?"
The creature frowned for the first time. "Stories...perchance, of the surface world under the sky? I know those stories and all the fools in them. I am the reason for some of them!" She shook with rage. "And you would remind me of those times I long for and the pathetic mortals responsible for abandoning me here?" Her hair flared out as the Juggernaut's eyes gleamed with menace and the Valgang Dragon dripped tendrils of flame that burned holes in the floor. "No! You still bear a piece of Aria, and I will consume it before I take her! Come, morsel," she raged. "Feed me!"
Bell barely dodged as a heavy fist slammed into the ground where he had been. A new crater formed, his feet slipping on the edge as he scrambled away. The raging creature had dragon scales and Juggernaut armor up to her navel, but was smooth flesh after that. Bell knew it was probably extremely difficult to cut through, but it had to be easier than dragon scales. Drawing his knife, he cast firebolt on his blade and began dual charging Argo Vesta.
Bell realized his mistake about the nature of this creature. Whatever it was, it was not a monster, though he didn't have time to speculate about that right now. The woman turned away from Bell, a secondary prey, to focus on Ais and Finn, nearly to the edge of the crater. Bell gaped for a moment as the creature opened her mouth wide. The flame of a Valgang Dragon shot forth, directly in the path of the last two Loki Familia members in the room. "Finn!" Bell shouted for all his worth. "Incoming!"
The Prum dodged, a lance of fire tearing through the floor...and, if Bell's ears heard correctly, many other floors below that. Finn held a limp Ais close as he jumped over the pit and finally entered the maze.
"No!" the creature roared, turning to Bell in a vengeance. "I will have the surface yet!"
The attack had taken roughly twenty seconds. It was not long, but Bell put the little he had left into charging his skill. Leaping at the enraged creature, he slashed at its belly. Bright crimson light shone throughout the floor as the creature screamed. Heat and power burned through its flesh as a long line ripped open along the middle of the creature, exposing its innards. Ais' Tempest was still with him, pushing away the recoil of his own attack...with the unintended consequence of Bell continuing forward instead of being blown backwards. A powerful blow, it was not enough to kill such a powerful creature. Already it was regenerating, the damage to its body healing shut. Bell took a deep breath before landing in something soft and sickeningly moist, the impact shaking the grip on his weapon. The creature finished healing as Bell fumbled for his blade. The boy blankly registered that the world was in total darkness before being claimed by Mind Down.
Bell was trapped inside the creature.
The wind was still with him, spinning around his body as fast as possible. The noxious, flammable liquid the Valgang Dragon spat was trying to eat the boy though the wind kept his unconscious body safe...for the time being. Slowly the wind began to lose strength, itself eaten away, mitigated by the confined space. Frenzied, the wind could only offer the words it had been given. "I wanted...to spend more time with you."
Somewhere deep inside himself Bell lay with Ais. His head was in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. He was weak; she kept him safe. Blood ran down her face, wounds leaking down her shredded battlecloth, yet she smiled at him. "It's okay," she whispered. He had never seen her so sad. He knew how to read her moods, but now it was as if her heart was completely exposed. "I'll be with you. Until the end."
"...end?" Bell felt pain in his feet. Glancing down, he thought he saw his shoes smoking as the leather curled and slowly began to be eaten away by an invisible force.
Ais nodded as she combed his hair again. "The end." She had stopped bleeding, but Bell could feel her sagging against him, every bit as weak as he felt. She held him close as the pain spread up his legs.
Bell remember Ais escaping with Finn. This couldn't be real. He remembered the light vanishing as the creature healed around him. Shock flooded him as he realized what had happened—Ais was with him, and he had just let that creature consume her just as it wanted. When he went inside, her wind was still wrapped around him. As the vision of Ais above him cradled him close, he knew it still was. "No...no!" He pushed himself off her lap. The pain in his legs immediately got worse and began to spread rapidly upwards. "You have to go, now!"
Ais looked hurt. "I want to stay with you...I want to protect you."
Bell shook his head. "And I want to protect you. I want to see you again. Really," he stood up. "In the real world. You can't sacrifice a part of yourself like this in an effort to save me." Braving what he never could have before, he cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. "I will never be the reason you lose yourself." The pain got worse as he stepped away. "We can't let this creature have you. Go, Ais. Please." He flashed a smile. "I'll see you soon."
Tears stained her cheeks as she stared at the young man in front of her. "Turn around," she said. Bell did, and felt something being pressed into his left hand—she had returned the Hestia Knife. "You have..." Ais stopped and he felt her forehead rest against his back.
"What?" he asked.
Ais shook her head between his shoulder blades. "I recognize this back."
Bell didn't know what she meant, but the pain in his body was building at an impressive rate. "Go, Ais."
The pressure on his back lifted and Bell was plunged into a world of pain.
Ais woke with a splitting headache. Camp was a madhouse around her, rows of injured familia members lay about either receiving or waiting to receive treatment.
"She's up!" Tiona's happy voice was darker than Ais had ever heard it. "Captain! Ais is awake!"
Ais lifted her shoulders to see Finn move from his camp table. He and Gareth had been going over logistics to see when the safest time to return with their injured was. Turning her head to the right she saw Riveria and several others tending the wounded; whoever was well enough to walk was pressed into service. Ais made to stand as Tiona pushed her down.
"Easy," the Amazon said. "You pushed yourself harder than anyone...except maybe Lefiya. You need to rest."
"Indeed," Finn had joined them. "Lay back, Ais. I just need you to think—what happened out there?"
Ais cocked her head. "What happened..?"
Finn nodded. "Do you remember, Bell Cranel arrived on the battlefield. Your Tempest was around him."
Bell? Ais was confused. How could Bell have..? Memory of their last battle flooded her brain. Bell had arrived, Bell was there...where was Bell?
Ais shot to her feet. "Where?!" Tiona tried to calm Ais down, but Ais moved away, frantically scanning the camp. "Where is he?"
Tiona and Finn exchanged a look. Finn stood squarely in front of the distraught knight. "He stayed behind," he said. "He saved all of us."
No...her heart couldn't take it. She knew. Somehow she knew he was still alive. "No," she declared. Finn looked sad as Tiona perked up. "No. He's alive. I feel it. He wouldn't leave like this."
Tiona jumped onboard. "Hey, Captain! If anyone could pull it off it would be Argonaut, yeah!"
Finn grimaced inside. It had been several minutes since they reached camp. On their way up to the fiftieth floor he had seen a bright red flash, heard the creature scream. There had been nothing after that. He wanted to believe he boy was alive, but the odds..? Finn considered his new philosophy about heroes. His new outlook based on Bell Cranel. Challenging fate, the unknown, saving others without thought to personal harm...Finn smiled as he looked at the girls. "If anyone could pull it off, it would be Bell." Suddenly his thumb itched harder than ever before. "You've got to be kidding me..." he muttered.
Loki Familia froze as a new sound filled the air. Ais snapped her head to the descending ramp and began to run. Finn looked back to Gareth and Riveria and nodded before pursuing. Riveria quickly gave orders for the others to continue holding their camp before tearing after the other elites. The Grand Bell had tolled.
Ais was the first to reach the edge of the crater. The demi-spirit was thrashing about, clawing at her belly, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the appearance of the Loki Familia elites. Ais was very confused...and she was not the only one.
"Where the Hell is he?" demanded Bete. "And what is that damned thing doing?"
Everyone was scanning the field but nobody saw him.
"Inside."
The others turned to Ais.
She was glaring at the demi-spirit. "He's inside that thing."
The others were aghast at the statement, not knowing what to do. In that instant the creature threw her head straight back, screaming at the ceiling. Her voice choked off as a white light shone forth, cracking the ceiling in a large spiderweb pattern. The light increased with such intensity the creature's skin began to pale from the inside, like holding a magic stone lamp to your finger, before darkening as the demi-spirit cooked from the inside out. Its skin cracked and peeled, light shooting out of each new wound as the creature finally stopped thrashing its arms. With a final burst of radiance the demi-spirit crumbled into ash and was no more. The Grand Bell fell silent.
The others were shocked still for a few moments while Ais ran down the crater. The boy was there, white hair grey with ash and partially eaten by acid. His face and skin was lightly marked by acid; Ais realized he probably had the Abnormal Resistance skill, and that it was very high. His armor was also intact, though the leather straps holding it together had disintegrated. She peeled off his breastplate and put an ear to his heart. She felt it beating, but slowly and getting slower. Fighting off panic, she checked his entire body for wounds. The acid had done some damage, but there were no major exterior wounds. Which meant...
Ais checked his breathing and felt nothing. She knelt, lifting him to rest against her, begging him to breath. She thought of everything she knew about medical care. She vaguely remembered something about pushing a muscle at the base of the chest and pushing air into their lungs. She didn't know how to do it, but...she put her hand over his heart and felt a weaker pulse. There was no time.
She pushed into his chest as hard as she could without breaking any ribs a few times before clamping her mouth to his and blowing in air. No matter how many times she tried, his condition worsened.
"Ais." Riveria was kneeling beside her. "When you press, lay him down flat. Place your hands like this, and press down here...good." Ais did as she was told. "And when you breath, make sure to tilt the head so the throat is open." Ais followed instructions perfectly, but the boy did not stir.
"Riveria," Ais cried. "Please. Please, save him."
The high elf nodded. She would have done her best anyway even had Ais not asked; while Ais was working with the breathing technique, Riveria had been gathering Mind and preparing her chant. Soft blue light fell on the young adventurer; the acid burns on his skin closed and the swelling on his right arm went down but he still refused to breathe.
"Magic can't fix this," Riveria said. "Whatever is preventing him from breathing is still inside him. It must be the demi-spirit's acid. My magic will not reach it. We need..."
Riveria broke off as Ais clenched her fist. The wind began to pick up, swirling around them with tremendous force before centering on the boy. Holding his mouth open, Ais willed Tempest to carry away every foul bit of that creature it could. Riveria was about to protest when she felt the difference in Ais' magic. She had seen it as a vehicle for speed, a shield and an offensive weapon of tremendous power; she had even used the wind as a tracking device in Knossos. All these uses required broad, vicious power that could rip monster or man apart...but now from the maelstrom of Ais' emotions swirling around them a delicate tendril reached towards the boy, gently slipping between his lips.
The boy gagged.
Eyes wide open he flung himself on his belly as he vomited acid. Tempest cleared the area, carrying it several feet away before dropping harmlessly on the dungeon floor. Breathing raggedly, Bell lay flat on the ground. A hand gripped his shoulder and he felt himself getting turned onto his back.
"Bell?"
A gentle voice. Ais..? Her face swam into view. "Hey," he smiled. "Told you I'd see you in the real world." And he passed out.
Ais blushed. In the battle against the demi-spirit she had come perilously close to dying many times. Seeing her party crumble she knew the end was inevitable. Her one desire at the moment was to apologize to Bell, to tell him she wanted more time. When he arrived she was the only one not truly surprised; it was like a part of her already knew he was coming. And when she saw her wind wrapped around him, she knew a part of her did know. Had her desire been so strong her magic had dispatched a portion of itself to him? And when it stayed with him had he been able to feel her? The fact that her magic had helped him descend this deep into the dungeon deepened her blush. It seemed a part of her was more willing to act on feelings than she was accustomed. Staring down at Bell she felt that while she was unconscious they had connected somehow. It left a feeling...she didn't know. But she was never going to lose it.
Riveria raised an eyebrow. "Ais." The girl had lifted him up again and was holding him tightly to her chest. She didn't pay attention to the elf. "Ais," she repeated. She continued when the girl finally looked at her. "He needs more medical attention and we can't be away from camp for too long. Besides," she cleared her throat. "He would probably appreciate it if you protected his decency."
What little blood Ais had left rushed to her face when she realized what Riveria was talking about. The dir-adamantine plates had survived, but his battlecloth and underclothes had been completely dissolved in acid. She was hugging a naked boy. She frantically thought of how to cover him when a Prum battlecloth dropped onto Bell's lap.
"If it can cover Tione it ought to cover him," her captain said. Ais bowed her head in thanks as she wrapped it around Bell's waist. "Alright. Let's get back to camp."
Loki Familia had worked quickly. Raul had organized the defenses while Lefiya took charge of the medical team. The wounded had been tended, the few surviving tents set up for their use. Crews had been dispatched to collect whatever resources they coul find. Food was more difficult to come by here than in the Under Resort, but it was still a forested region. Food could be found and water and firewood would be plentiful. Not enough for a large party and certainly not for a long time, but they could make do for a night if they were lucky. Raul had already catalogued their supplies and set up a ration plan in case the worse happened. He tore himself away from Finn's camp table where he had been going over plans when the sentries cried out a warning. The elites had come back...with Rabbit Foot hanging from the Kenki's back. His jaw dropped as they carried him to the medical tent. He turned back to the table in a daze. Looked like the ration plan needed some adjustment.
Bell slept for several days. Ais helped care for the other wounded and went foraging as needed but spent the rest of her time at Bell's side. When it came time for the party to continue moving towards the surface Ais hauled Bell's litter. When they reached the rest point on the thirty ninth floor, Riveria came to her.
"Almost everyone is back on their feet," she began. Ais nodded. "No change?" Ais shook her head. Riveria bowed hers. "I am confident he will make a full recovery. His arm may take some effort by more practiced healers on the surface, but I have examined him thoroughly and am convinced this is just a Mind Down. That it has lasted this long..." She caught Ais' eye. "He is a Level 4, correct? Did you know he could wield an attack like that?"
Ais shook her head."No. We all saw him use a similar attack during the War Game and Raul and the others reported what happened in the Nidhogg room in Knossos—and we all heard the Grand Bell like they described. I never imagined it was that powerful. To see it up close, twice in a row..?"
Riveria closed her eyes in thought before speaking. "To wipe out that many monsters on a floor that size and to take the demi-spirit apart from the inside with a similar attack just minutes later...it would take an unprecedented amount of Mind. It's not surprising he's out cold." She cracked open an eye to stare at Ais. "He must have had powerful motivation to fight."
When Riveria closed her eyes Ais had turned back to the comatose Bell, cleaning the sweat around where the straps had secured him to the litter and making sure fresh clothes and water were prepared. She blushed at the elf's last words and fumbled the pot of water. Riveria deftly caught the handle before it could all spill. She smiled at Ais' sheepish look. It was everything she had to know.
She had seen the skill on Bell's back.
Hestia had never gotten around to asking Hephaestus how to lock statuses and the boy had been on his belly naked as a baby. Ais had been solely focused on his welfare. Riveria was concerned as well, but since he had begun to breath and her magic was already working to heal his acid-burned lungs, she took a moment for a fascinating read. She hadn't told the captain or anybody else; though she succumbed to temptation, she was not going to spread the knowledge around. She giggled as she left the tent.
That young man really was something else.
They reached the eighteenth floor the next day. They could have pressed on to the surface, but with all party members mostly recovered Finn felt it important to return looking as sharp as possible rather than coming back ragged and licking wounds. Unwilling to paint unnecessary targets on his familia, they camped on the safety zone and splurged for food in Rivira. Riveria volunteered to help pick things up, making a short personal stop along the way.
After rest and a much needed meal, the familia split into groups for bathing. Ais had no intention of leaving Bell's side no matter how many times female party members asked her to join them. Even Tiona had no success. It took Riveria bluntly saying "You stink" to make the girl bathe—harsh, but not untrue given their battles and a nearly week-long retreat through the dungeon, stopping only to rest before rushing towards the surface once more. Once she left the tent, Riveria pulled the small bottle she bought from the dungeon town from her robes. Gently pressing Bell's cheeks, she parted his mouth and poured the blue liquid in. Tucking the vial safely away, she sat quietly until the adventurer lying before her stirred.
"Good day, Mr. Cranel."
The boy blinked a few times staring up at her. Slowly, he lifted himself into a seated position and took in his surroundings before turning to her. "Miss Riveria. I guess I'm in Loki Familia's debt once again."
The high elf waved a hand. "No. Indeed, it is you who saved us. I do not wish to talk about that right now." She leaned in. "Tell me, what do you think of Ais?"
Bell started. "Uh...think? About...Miss Ais?" His body felt fine; other than his arm, he had finally gotten through an adventure that didn't leave him a broken mess. His head, however, was clouded. The potion Riveria had used was a basic mind potion. It had brought him back to the realm of consciousness, but he was still incredibly exhausted. "Well...she's...I admire her."
"Admire?" Riveria smiled. "Yes, that's good. But that's not all." She saw the worry on his face and sighed on the inside. Children. "Calm, Bell. Did you know Ais was seven years old when she came into our famila?" Bell nodded. "I have known her the majority of her life, now. Nine years. In that time she has come a long way, more than you could ever know. Loki, Finn, Gareth—we all had a hand in raising her, teaching her, guiding her. But the path she walks has always been her own and she was..." Riveria's eyes twinkled "...difficult, to say the least. I love her like she was my own daughter."
Bell froze, unsure how to respond. Riveria continued.
"Bell, the changes she has made over the past nine years, all of the hard work and effort both from her guardians and from her...and you make it seem easy."
Bell was dumbfounded. "What..?" He breathed.
Riveria smiled again. "It is a wonderful thing. Even before she had a falna she possessed a resolute will, a singular purpose—to destroy monsters. Ever since meeting you, she now thinks about things other than the dungeon. She has grown more as a person these past few months than the past decade." She leaned in close. "And so have you. I have to ask—what do you think of Ais? Do you want to be the Sword Princess' lover?"
Choking, Bell spluttered for a moment before wilting under Riveria's disapproving gaze. He knew there was no getting out of this. He was an honest person to the core and the mother figure before him seemed genuinely concerned for her daughter. Calming down, he decided to tell Riveria the whole truth.
"Being the Sword Princess' lover...that's an interesting question. I wouldn't put it that way." Riveria's face didn't change. "Let me explain. Ais has a dark flame burning inside her. We've talked about it. I've seen it. I saw it the first time we met when she slew the minotaur. I saw it when you departed on your expedition, as she descended into the dungeon. And when we trained together, when we were attacked in the city and she fought off the masked adventurers." His voice got quiet. "I saw it in Edas village when we came across scales from the One-Eyed Black Dragon. I saw it again when I asked her about intelligent monsters, and the last time I saw it was when we dueled as I defended a Xenos, as she threatened to cut me down."
Riveria was stunned. She knew they had probably met a few times in the city and suspected the training after witnessing his fighting style...but why had Ais never told her about being attacked by another familia? And had she really threatened to cut Bell down that night? No wonder the poor girl had been feeling so out of sorts. Bell continued.
"But I have never been afraid of her." Riveria raised an eyebrow. Bell laughed. "No, it's true. I'm cowardly in a lot of ways, but I have never been afraid of the darkness in Ais. Rather...it's more like I'm afraid for her." He lowered his eyes. "In the dungeon, she came to me. Her wind. Tempest, she calls it? I don't know how, but she spoke to me. She sounded...tired. Sad. Like she'd given in. That scared me more than anything. And on the fifty-first floor she was ready to sacrifice herself for everyone. That was my greatest fear. That she would use that hatred, that drive, that singular desire to get stronger, whatever—that she would burn out of control and pay the ultimate price."
Riveria discretely wiped away a tear. In only a few months, this young man shared her fear.
"That black flame is the real Sword Princess," Bell continued, "and I don't think there's room for anything else beside that flame." He looked at the high elf. "I don't want to be the Sword Princess' lover. I want to be Ais Wallenstein's hero!"
Riveria stopped breathing for a moment. This boy seemed to know Ais awfully well...did he know her deepest desire? To have a hero? Or was he simply a kind-hearted lad who liked Ais? She waited for him to keep speaking.
"That black flame, it's inside of her but it's not everything. It's not her core. She has so much happiness and light and love and wonder waiting to be free. I feel...I feel like she's the wind. She feels warm and gentle, her touch wiping away every bad feeling. I've seen that part of her, too. I saw it after she slew the minotaur and saved my life, when she offered me her hand. I saw it when I woke up from Mind Down on her lap—and every lap pillow during training when she kept knocking me out!" Bell laughed and blushed. Riveria's brow rose so high it was hidden by her hair. Bell kept going. "I saw it on the eighteenth floor when my party was injured. We walked together to the ridge overlooking the floor and talked. And when we shared our first dance at Apollo's banquet before the War Game, and when she accepted me as a student again when she said it felt wrong to abandon me..." Bell's eyes moistened. "I saw it in Edas village when she danced with my goddess and laughed and worked with the villagers; she looked so natural and happy. The last time I saw it before our encounter on the fifty-first floor was on our favorite spot on the wall. We reconciled the Xenos affair. She said I had the same eyes as her...only more beautiful." Bell frowned. "I worry sometimes Ais thinks of herself as dirty or unclean. I know there is something weighing on her heart, but I have no idea what it is." His frown deepened. "Whatever it is, I want to be able to stand beside her, to protect her. She asked me once how I was able to get so strong so quickly. I don't really know why, but I believe it's because there's a goal I have to reach, no matter what. That's what I told her. What I didn't tell her was she was the person I wanted to catch up to." Bell looked into Riveria's eyes and she read the resolve in them. "That person, the woman behind the black flame. That is the true Ais Wallenstein. I don't just want to be her lover—I want to be Ais' hero!"
Feeling rather blown away, Riveria took a moment. There was a lot of dancing and training going on...did Ais tell her nothing anymore? Far more importantly, Bell had hit it on the head when he worried about Ais not seeing herself as attractive. She knew the black flame—most adventurers had it to a certain degree; she was not exempt from that. And she knew Ais was particularly sensitive about hers. It helped her kill monsters, helped her grow strong enough to reach her goal. But for anything outside of that goal, Ais never felt worthy enough. It was one of her great failings. That was the main reason why Riveria had been so happy at seeing the changes Bell brought about in her—she had begun to care about other things. Riveria wanted the best for her daughter—she wanted Ais to be happy, not necessarily with a man but with herself, to see herself as beautiful.
She looked down at the injured boy. Or tried to. At some point he had stood up. Rising, Riveria gently took his hand and guided him back to bed. "Thank you," she said. "It makes me very happy that Ais knows someone like you." She handed him a cup of water, took it when he was done and pulled his blankets up. "You still need to rest. Ais should be done bathing soon; I'm sure the next time you wake she'll be here."
The young adventurer—hero—drifted to sleep with a smile.
Wiping her eyes again, Riveria stepped out of the tent.
"Well...that was enlightening."
Were she not so elegant and refined Riveria would have shrieked. Finn and Gareth both stood outside the tent. "What in Gekai are you two doing here?"
Gareth laughed. "We wanted to talk about the best way to present ourselves tomorrow, coming back with almost no supplies and some of our people looking undeniably awful. This rest day did a lot for most, but we still want to hide as much weakness as possible from watching eyes."
Riveria rubbed her forehead. "Not a word to either of them, do you understand? Bell told me those things in confidence and he will tell Ais when he feels the moment is right. It's the kind of thing that should be handled between them personally."
Finn and Gareth grinned, looking over Riveria's shoulder. Spinning around she saw Ais—freshly bathed and bright red—slipping inside the tent flap. "Don't worry, Riveria," she said. "It will be." She went inside the tent, but a moment later burst out again to engulf the elf in a giant hug. Riveria was stunned. "I love you, too," she whispered before ducking back into the tent.
Riveria stood dazed for a moment before slowly turning to the two grinning faces of her best friends. "Silence," she ordered, stiffly walking away. As they laughed behind her, her face glowed as red as Ais' had and her heart felt light. She knew her girl would be okay.