An adventurer who saves Lili from another scumbag adventurer ... strange. He stands up, covering her, even though he doesn't look too strong himself. He's very young - maybe even her age – short and very thin. Lili even thinks for a moment that he's a support like her, but the way he holds himself makes her reject the idea. Supports always lower their heads, shrink, and retreat when they realize they can't win. The stranger stands firm, one hand clutching a bundle to his chest, the other touching his side. He looks unarmed, but Lili, experienced and taught by bitter experience, sees the outline of a weapon under his thin cloak.
Lili knows that luck does not love her, and there are no gods who would take pity on her bitter fate, so she does not lose this chance and runs. Surely that strange, strange adventurer with hair the color of bone and ash had saved her only to ask for payment later. Adventurers don't change – they only crave something. The weak want what the strong have, and the strong want revenge for the time when they were weak. Lili hates them all equally, she only wants to live , so she runs, changing shape as she goes. And she doesn't care if someone saved her. Absolutely not.
Lili is looking for a new adventurer at the entrance to the Dungeon – she is still a little tired and exhausted, so she has no desire to deal with her Flock. Maybe today she can work with a girl or an elf – the former like to pretend to be compassionate, and the latter are too proud to swear at her for being slow. Both prefer to keep the money, but still…
A snow-white flash catches her eye – among the crowd, he, that yesterday's boy-Savior, stands out so clearly, as if he himself shines with a warm light. He has a backpack on his shoulders, and a small bag over his shoulder. This is not the way adventurers go – the loot must be carried by supports or Junior members of the Congregation - but Lili sees no one near him. The guy looks around and looks around the square, as if looking for something he doesn't know.
It seems that this is quite a novice, and even from a small Familia – Lili decides to try her luck. If everything works out, she will earn some money and teach the adventurer the main lesson of this rotten city – you can only trust yourself in Orario. If she calculated everything correctly, then she will not have any pursuers or those who want to take revenge on her.
Under the hood, her fake ears are uncomfortable and cramped – Lili changes shape for real, she feels like trying to wag her tail and how sensitive animal ears ache from being pressed against the fabric. Lili is a great liar and pretender, everything will go smoothly for her. If not, she can always assume a different appearance and say that it is not her at all. So she calls out to the boy and smiles, carefully stretching her lips.
"Hey, brother, do you need a support?"
The guy turns at her voice and Lili finally sees his eyes. They are scarlet, the color of blood, wine, and fire. They remind Lili a little of the monsters of the Dungeon, so the hobbit is a little shy for a couple of moments, but soon manages to cope with himself. Besides, the stranger leans toward her and smiles. Not like Lili, but really warm.
"I wouldn't mind. But we've never met? "
Lili's heart almost jump out of skin , but she quickly shakes her head.
"Lili has never seen brother! So, do you need a support? "
The boy nods – the white strands of his hair fluttering like the feathers of a fluffed bird. He beckons Lili to follow with a wave of his hand, and she goes, smiling to herself. Another adventurer, just like everyone else.
"Nice to meet you, Mistress Lili. I'm Bell."
Only his voice is too soft.
They descend low – at least Lili has never seen a lone novice adventurer below the first three floors-but Bell looks confident about what he's doing, and Lili doesn't mind. She knows the escape routes, so if something happens, she can escape quickly and without problems – and if she collects something, her small fortune will increase slightly.
"Stay back, Mistress Lili." Bell takes off his bag and backpack, leaves them against the wall, and pulls the floor of his long coat aside. Lili... had never actually seen a weapon like this. The blade looks old and does not stand out at all, even the scabbard is homemade, made of scraps of leather. Patterns run along the blade that Lili has never noticed on the weapons of other adventurers. The handle is made of wood, and the pommel completes a complex pattern - Lili tries, but can't figure out what it really is. This blade looks like it belongs among statuettes, paintings, and other decorations, and not on the battlefield.
And suddenly the adventurer takes off and the same decorative strange blade passes into the chitin of the killer ant like a knife in butter. Lili may be wrong, but it seems to her that the aura around the blade trembles when it is struck, as if with pleasure.
Jackpot, a top-class weapon. That's what Lili needs. For the money that she can get for these weapon, she can leave this cursed city forever, start a new life and forget about hunger and fear forever. Her hands are literally shaking – yes, the scabbard is fastened around his hip under coat, but she has not lived a life of theft for nothing, the touch of her fingers is more gentle than the flutter of a moth's wings. She honestly fulfills her role, dragging dead monsters out of the way and getting magic stones – the fact that she sometimes puts them in her pocket does not count. Bell dances – Lili can't think of any other word for his movements - among the monsters, being dangerously close to them, but at the same time increasing the distance with a single jump. This is how archers usually behave - Lili sighs and chuckles under her breath. What a strange, strange adventurer.
Suddenly, the monsters stop appearing – there is a peculiar period of calm. Lili collects the last stones, and the adventurer next to her kneels and carefully cuts the leaves of some Dungeon plant. The skirts of his long cloak are pulled up, and the belt with the elegant blade looms in front of Lili's eyes.
"Thank You, Mistress Lili. You've been very helpful." - Lili doesn't know if he's playing with her or being honest, but for now, she doesn't care. All her attention is drawn to the hilt of the dagger. Only a little bit left. Bell is distracted by something and Lili touches the blade.
Her palm explodes with pain, it burns. Lili screams, unable to contain herself, and falls backwards. The weapon had bitten her – no, it couldn't be, it must be some sort of protective spell. She hates adventurers. Now he would understand and leave Lili, and maybe hurt her even more. It's not fair.
But suddenly gentle hands are holding Lili, not letting her beat in agony, and the same soft voice whispers something soothing. The glove is pulled off from the burning hand, and something cool is poured on the palm - the pain is calmed. Her vision returns as Bell wraps her still-trembling hand in bandages.
"That's better, isn't it, Mistress Lili?"
"Just Lili," - She presses her hand to her chest and searches for a hint of displeasure on the other person's face. But the adventurer looks simply and freely, slightly apologetically. It was as if she hadn't tried to steal his precious weapon, but rather that he had done something wrong.
"Sorry for that. This blade has a really bad temper", - Bell hands Lili a flask of water, and then she realizes that her throat is drier than the desert. She grabs the canteen and drinks until the water doesn't fit in it anymore. Bell, that strange adventurer, is still sitting next to her, as if looking out for her. The twisted glove is a pathetic rag on the ground, - "He is very cruel, sometimes even I find it difficult to cope with him."
"Lili was very scared. Lili tried to correct it, it was falling ", - and she was lying smoothly - almost lying. The fear was real. For a moment, just as her fingers closed around the hilt, she thought the weapon would consume her completely.
They don't stay long – Lili recovers while Bell cuts off bluish flowers and glowing mushrooms. Then, on the surface, they divide the loot - to Lili's surprise, equally - and disperse.
Liliruka Arde did not want to go down to the dungeon with him again, but the next day she finds herself almost running towards him, noticing the hair the color of bone and ash.
Bell is a strange adventurer, which is probably why Lili is still following him. He is kind, fair, and gentle – in general, he is everything that she has never seen in other adventurers. She soon finds out about his Familia and why he always stops to collect some plants – Lili and Belle talk to each other a lot in the Dungeon. Lili constantly tells herself that she is just waiting for the right moment to leave him for good – but even she realizes that this is becoming more and more like a lie. She still has to give everything she doesn't have time to hide to the cursed members of her own Familia, but then a new day comes and she can feel needed and equal again as she follows Bell.
A couple of times, she visited the small store house where Bell and his Familia lived. Naaza has a calm, thoughtful look and Lili tries to imitate chienthrope as best as possible, somehow feeling the way the young woman evaluates her every moment. Bell's God, Miach, makes Lili dream that all the gods are like him. He is kind and at the same time majestic – even in a cheap shabby robe, he looked really divine. At least now Lili understands from whom Bell learned to behave... so naturally. And Lili is also envious - in the morning, when she passes by, she sees Miach hugging Bell goodbye. It looks like they're family.
Bell is even too kind – one day they run into a battered group of adventurers, they can barely move their legs, injured and tired. Lili would have passed them by - every man for himself – but Bell stops them and doesn't let them go until he has bandaged the most dangerous wounds. Lili grumbles a little – more out of fear for Bell's own safety than out of her own displeasure –and watches the half-elf boy gaze admiringly at Bell as he bandages his leg. Then, when she visits him at the store on the weekend, this same adventurer buys potions – in fact, as it seems to Lili, he just stands and listens to Bell's voice, not really delving into the words.
The tipping point comes when Bell shares his lunch with her. He takes something wrapped in a white cloth out of his bag, and the smell of it almost makes Lili dizzy, it's so delicious. Her mouth is watering as Bell unwraps the package. One large, neat, fresh loaf of bread lay in front of her – it was a very simple meal, but it was still warm, slightly smeared with flour, and sprinkled with brown sugar crystals. Bell smiled and broke the bread in two – crunching the crust and bread is smelling even better.
"Lord Miach healed our neighbor, the bakery owner. She paid us with fresh bread – try it, it's delicious. Just baked this morning."
Lili practically grabs a piece of bread, trembling with impatience. It's just bread, but Bell's gesture seems almost sacred to her – they "broke bread" together. He trusts her.
"Why… Why does Bell trust an ordinary support so much? " - Lili hides her eyes under the hood. This question tormented her constantly – how, what, why?
"What's doing supporters worse than an adventurer?" - Bell smiles and looks at Lili – his gaze reminds her of Naaza and Miach at the same time - "You're taking me, Lili, to places I don't know. You make sure that we don't go too far, keep in mind all the things that we should take with you to the dungeon. Without you, Lili, I'm almost without my hands "- he tilts his head and his white hair shines silver in the dim light of the dungeon - "Like it should be. Adventurers go nowhere without their supports. "
These are the warmest words Lili has ever heard in her life – and Bell's scarlet eyes no longer remind her of wine, blood, and monsters. They look like precious stones, but not dead, but full of life and light - Lili, to distract herself, bites a crusty crust of bread and almost cries.
Bread tastes like home.
The peace must end sometime - Lili's past "companions" corner them in the dungeon and grin. Bell covers her, looks straight at them, doesn't hide his eyes – Lili, however, is not going to run away now, as she did that time.
"We've got business with this little thing. Get away, pretty boy, " - the big guy approaches, about to pull Lili out from behind Bell's secure back, but the adventurer raises his hand with the "bad temper" dagger, and Lili's former tormentor recoils with a cry. Blade is still in a bad mood and still bites.
Lili understands that Bell is not going to back down, but there are too many of them. She feels that they can't just leave and makes a decision – she throws the key to her hiding place and shouts to them that this is all she has. The "comrades" of her Familia are happy – and leave them both among dozens of killer ants.
"Good luck to you both!"
But they live and get out of the Dungeon, working as a team. Lili now understands what a true friend is – in just a couple of weeks, he becomes much closer to her than anyone who has ever been in her life. She laughs and cries and feels liberated – and it seemed to her that only death would free her.
Bell is doing everything for her today – exchanging stones, taking weapons to be repaired, and checking what's left of their supplies. She only wakes up when Naaza taps her fake ear – and how did they suddenly end up in the Miach Familia's home?
"You're not as bad as you looked. Well done. "
"Don't frighten her, Naaza. There was a lot to do today, " - Miach smiles from his side, where he treats Bell's wounds. And Lili smiles at the first God she's really happy to see.
(Celtic daggers are actually works of art. However, we need a name for it)