Author's note: This story starts a few weeks after the movie The arrow of Orion.
I don't really understand the power system in Danmachi, so here's what I'm going to do, whenever someone receives a god's blessing, they will be level 1 with their stats at I-rank with a numerical value from 1 to 1000 varying from person to person, this means that I-rank is the average for a normal person, once they pass the 1000 threshold they will get a rank-up on that stat, that way we can know for example that an adventurer with [Strength: S-1] is 10 times stronger than someone with [Strength: I-1000] and so on.
The limit for every level is S-rank, to further increase their abilities they must level-up, and to do that they will need to have at least one B-rank stat and have done something that would make even the gods impressed. Another way to keep increasing their abilities without leveling-up is to have a skill that allows you to bypass the S-rank limit, like Bell with Liaris Freese. For each rank-up after S-rank an extra S will be added, so for example, suppose Bell is level 2 with [Strength: SS-1], then that means his strength is equal to that of a level 3 with [Strength: H-1].
Bell will start at level 3 with the following stats.
•Strength: F-988
•Endurance G-929
•Dexterity: C-994
•Agility: C-902
•Magic: H-883
•Luck: G
•Abnormal resistance: G
Anyway, enjoy
"That's why… The next time we see each other, let's share 10,000 years of love, Bell!"
Years ago the gods from heaven decided to seal off their divine power and go and live with their children on Earth. They claimed specific individuals who proved their worth and gifted them with the Falna, a blessing from the gods that allow their familia members to grow stronger than normally possible for their species. Then they erected a huge tower over the Dungeon, and they called it Babel, and the city that formed in it Orario, then they sent their children to explore the dungeon, these children began to call themselves adventurers.
Anyway many years later our story starts in Orario. Orario is a haven for people from all over the world that want to make a name for themselves, or earn some money. Many legends started here and many more certainly will.
This is one such legend, the legend of Bell Cranel, or as he will be called later in history, Orion "The Hunter".
And here we are, in an abandoned church, the current base of operations of the Hestia familia. Currently the only member is Bell, excluding Hestia, who is the goddess of the familia. Bell is just waking up after yet another nightmare
"Ah, it's been almost a week, huh? A week since I failed, I couldn't keep my promise, how pathetic, making everyone worried. I'm not the only one mourning, Kami-sama just lost her best friend, truly pathetic."
"That makes it a bit more than two weeks since I met her, less than a month and she had such an impact, I guess it truly was fate, huh? Ahhh, I have to clear my mind, I'll head to the dungeon, I think I'll go solo for a few days."
After that Bell went to the bathroom to wash his face and then to the kitchen.
"She forgot to buy the groceries again, what's Kami-sama doing? That's supposed to be her job, *sigh* I guess I'll go buy them myself, better leave a note though" Bell proceeded to write a short note in case Hestia woke up, informing her that he left to buy food for breakfast.
As Bell walked through the streets of Orario he began to ponder. "What should I get, maybe chicken, we also need eggs and milk, vegetables… I guess that's it" After a while he arrived at the market area, greeting some familiar faces along the way. The lively environment of Orario makes Bell a little better.
"Ah, I know I'll get something to eat on the way home and leave straight for the dungeon, it might help clear my mind more" And Bell continued looking for something for his goddess and him to eat.
On his way home Bell made a quick stop at a café and bought two sandwiches, and then continued with his walk home. Once he arrived he noticed Hestia was still sleeping so he left her breakfast on the table and left for the dungeon.
Once he was near the entrance of the dungeon Bell stopped for a minute to see if Eina was around.
"Better tell her I plan on going solo for a while, in case my party comes looking for me"
He couldn't find her so he gave upon looking, but instead he saw the familiar faces of the Loki Familia, he didn't have any real reason to go greet them so he turned around, but by now the Loki Familia had taken notice of his presence, especially Aiz and Tiona who are the ones more interested in Bell, and decided to approach him.
Tiona being the most straightforward of the two was the one to call out to him "Argonaut-kun! Over here!"
"Tiona-san, Ais-san good morning"
"Good morning Bell"
"So, did you need anything in particular from me?"
Tiona made her usual thinking face with a finger on her cheek, and Ais just shook her head and stayed silent with a thin smile on her face. Tiona voiced her answer.
"Well not really, I just wanted to talk with Argonaut-kun, is that wrong?"
Bell gave an awkward laugh at her carefree attitude and answered.
"Haha no, not at all, what did you want to talk about?"
"Well you've been out of the city for a while, right? I heard from Lefiya that you won a cool weapon in a contest, and that you were going on a trip with the goddess Artemis. So I wanted to know if your trip went well."
Bell hesitated to answer because he couldn't tell them what happened, and he didn't want to cause unnecessary worry to people he considers he is on friendly terms with. So he just settled for putting on a smile and answering.
"Yeah, it was ok"
"Oh, just ok? You know Artemis is considered one of the most beautiful goddesses, many people would kill to go on a trip with her"
"Haha yeah, Very beautiful and also an amazing person, she was really strong too" Bell answered with the same nervousness as before.
"Hmm I see, say Argonaut-kun do you wanna come with us to the dungeon? It'll be fun like that time we defeated the black Goliath"
"Ah thank you, but I was thinking of going solo for a while, I just reached level three so I wanted to raise my stats faster, I can't go with you because my xcelcia growth would be slower in a party." The truth is that Bell wanted some time alone to think about what's been going on recently. But it was also true that Bell wanted to level-up faster, Hermes told him that the quest he completed for Artemis was impressive enough that he should be able to level up only with his abilities until level 5, and he wanted to do so as soon as possible.
"But if you come with us you'll be able to reach deeper levels"
"It'll be fun Bell" Ais added
"Well they're right, I would be able to get stronger faster in the deeper levels."
"Ok ok, I'll go with you guys, but shouldn't you ask your party if it's fine with them first?"
"Don't worry about that Argonaut-kun, everybody knows you, and you're strong too, I'm sure they'll be happy p if you come with us" Tiona reassured him and started dragging him towards their party, Ais just gave him a nod.
"Ok, you got me, I'll take you up on your offer"
And they went to meet with the Loki Familia, who greeted him. Finn gave a small smile after seeing Tiona and Aiz dragging Bell towards him.
"Finn is it ok if we bring Argonaut-kun with us, he says he wants to level-up faster"
"Bell Cranel, I don't mind if you come with us, you have proven to be strong enough to go to the deeper levels, but you should know that getting stronger alone will not make you level-up, I say this from experience"
"I know, but I think I have the other part covered for now" Bell answered with a bitter smile.
"Mmm, I see, your quest outside orario, huh? Very well come with us Bell Cranel. We plan on reaching the safe zone on the 18th floor today, we rest for a day and then we continue exploring, the goal is to reach floor 40th by the third day. Does your goddess now you're coming with us?"
"Not yet, I'll leave a message with Eina-san"
"Excellent, we leave in 30 minutes, see you at the entrance"
After they left for the entrance of the dungeon, Bell went to the advisers hall, looking for Eina, who was just getting finished with one of her adventurers. Bell approached
"Good morning, Eina-san"
"Bell-kun good morning, are you here for information? Any advice?"
Bell gave a sheepish smile while he scratched the back of his head.
"Haha actually nom, I'm here for another reason entirely, I need a favor. If you see Lily or Welf-san could you tell them to tell Kami-sama that I'm going on an expedition with the Loki Familia? I should be back in a week."
"One week!? That's a lot of time, is it a deep-level exploration? Even if you just reached level 3 the deep-levels are too dangerous, why do you want to go!? Don't tell me you're trying to break another record"
"Yeah , kind of… they plan on just going as deep as possible, I will be on a group with Tiona-san and Aiz-san, so if it turns out to be difficult they can help me get to safety"
Hearing this, Eina tilted her head forward, in a thinking pose. And muttered to herself.
"If he's with the kenki then I guess it's fine, but still… Please be careful Bell-kun and don't worry I'll personally deliver your message to the goddess Hestia"
Bell gave a wide smile and then bowed.
"Thank you very much! Eina-san!"
"It's fine it's fine, just be careful in the dungeon, the deep levels are… unpredictable"
"I'll be careful. Again, thank you Eina-san!"
Bell still had some time left, so instead of heading directly to the group he decided to walk around for a bit, a few minutes later he went to the entrance of the dungeon, where the Loki Familia was. Bell approached Aiz,Tiona and Finn, and they took notice of him.
"Are you ready Bell Cranel?" Finn asked, and Bell just gave a nod. Finn smiles and turned to address his fellow Familia members.
"Ok everyone! We will depart now, I'm sure you must have noticed already but Bell Cranel will be joining us, please treat him well" Bell bowed.
"Please take care of me!"
"Alright let's not waste any time, we reach the 18 floor today, let's go"
The expedition began and the familia was broken down into squads of 4, Bell's squad had Aiz, Tione, Bete and himself. The way to the 18 floor was uneventful, even though the Goliath was there, it was taken care of easily by Bell and the Loki Familia. It had been a couple of hours since the start of the expedition, and they were sitting up camp in the forest outside the city. The squads had one tent each. Bell and Tiona decided to look around the town making small chat on the way, and generally just having fun. Bete was off to train, and Aiz had gone to take a bath.
Eventually the squad was back, and they sat at a fireplace with the other core members of the Familia, Bell and Tiona had brought food from town so they began cooking, well mostly Bell with Tiona stealing bits of food every now and then.
After they finished dinner they kept talking for a while, and then decided to call it a day and went to sleep. Everything was fine until a familiar high pitched roar woke Bell up.
Bell quickly put on his equipment and saw that everyone else was doing the same, the squad got out of the tent and started looking around, eventually finding Finn issuing commands to the other squads. They started running towards him, when again the same roar brought their attention, and then Bell's suspicions were confirmed, it was the same monster he defeated the last time he was here.
"The black Goliath" Bell muttered.
"You know what that is Argonaut-kun?" Tiona asked surprised.
"Yeah last the last time I was here after your Familia left, but wait, this isn't the same, it's not black it's… purple."
Bete who was growing tired of doing nothing clicks his tongue.
"What if it's purple, if it's on the 18th floor it can't be that strong, I'll make quick work of it" And charged towards it.
Finn noticed that and immediately shouted.
"Wait Bete that is not normal! It could be strong"
But Bete didn't listen and got swatted like a fly, of course being a level 5 adventurer makes him really sturdy so he didn't take a lot of damage, but even so this proved that the opponent was troublesome.
Seeing that Bete was ok, Finn turned to Bell.
"Bell Cranel, you've faced something similar before, right? How did you defeat it last time?"
"Yes, but this one seems to be a lot faster than the black one, the last time I used a powerful magic item, but it wasn't able to destroy the core it only exposed it, I had to destroy it with my knife."
"I see, your knife is a high class weapon, Bell Cranel, this could be a good opportunity for you to get stronger, do you think your squad can take care of it?"
"I think so, yes"
"Very well then go"
Bell explained the situation to the others and came up with a plan, Bete would attract the Goliath's attacks because he was the fastest of the four, while Aiz and Tiona deal damage to gain time for Bell to charge up the Argonaut skill, then he would use fire bolt to expose the core and then destroy it.
The plan was set in motion and it was working, against the superior numbers of high class adventurers, the Goliath could do little to protect itself. The three minutes required to activate the skill had passed, and Bell casted firebolt at point blank, just like the last time the core was exposed, everyone saw the opening and went for the kill, but something unexpected happened, The crystal began glowing red, blinding the four adventurers, the glow lasted only a few seconds, but when it died down and the squad saw what happened it was too late, before them stood a fully regenerated Goliath ready to swat them away, and their shock prevented them from reacting.
They took a blow from the Goliath head on, Bell probably due to his luck skill managed to jump back just in time, but the others didn't. Bete lost consciousness and Tiona and Aiz we're struggling to keep theirs. At this point Bell didn't know what to do, the rest of the Familia was busy keeping the monsters from ravaging the town. And in the state the rest of his squad was there want much they could do, and just when Bell was ready to give up, he heard it.
"Orion"
It was faint but Bell knew he heard it, the warm and soft voice of Artemis.
"Artemis-sama, is that you!?" Bell asked shocked.
"Orion, do not give up hope, yet there's still much you have to see, adventures to live, and when the time comes, I want you to tell them all to me, and until that day comes, please hold unto this"
The voice didn't answer the question, but Bell was sure of it, this was definitely Artemis.
"Artemis-Sama!"
A bright golden pillar of light emerged in front of Bell, people in the distance could see it. The pillar faded and in front of Bell stood a familiar spear, made from a golden metal, the weapon was about as long as Bell's height, and had runes engraved in its pole, with a blue gem on the tip.
Bell took the weapon and knew what he had to do, with one leg forward, he gripped the spear with the palm facing upwards, he threw back his arm and then brought it forward, letting go of the spear. Watching it fly he saw the familiar magic circle/ring at the base of the tip of the weapon, and once it reached its target the magic circle expanded to match the height of the enemy.
The strong body of the Goliath opposed little resistance to The Arrow of Orion, it was after all a weapon made by a god, capable of killing a god, and it had actually.
Once the Goliath disappeared in a poof of smoke, the spear flew back to Bell's hands. Bell sat down and just admired the weapon he held in a tender grip.
"Thank you, Artemis-sama"
Bell got up, strapped the spear to his back and went to check up on his teammates. By now Bete had recovered consciousness, and Aiz and Tiona were just lying on the ground. But they got up, they probably wanted to ask just what the hell happened, but Aiz noticed something interesting.
"Bell, that spear…"
"Huh? Ah, haha yeah it's the same one from Artemis-sama's quest"
"It looks different"
"Ah yes, it changed colors during the trip with Artemis-sama"
"That's so cool Argonaut-kun! Was that what you used to defeat the Goliath, where was it the whole time though, I'm pretty sure you didn't have it before" Tiona excitedly asked Bell, hugging his arm to her chest, and getting uncomfortably close to his face, which didn't seem to amuse Aiz who just slightly pouted.
"Ah I'm not really sure, one moment I was about to give up, when it appeared in front of me"
"Wow" Tiona was about to say another thing but this time Aiz said it first.
"We should go find Finn" She asked and started dragging them both. Everyone seemed to be ignoring Bete.
Once they reached Finn and the rest of the Familia which were relatively unharmed, compared to them anyway. Finn saw them and smiled at them.
"Well done, I can see it gave you a hard time, how did you defeat it this time"
Bell was about to answer but Tiona beat him to it.
"Finn! You should have seen it, Argonaut-kun was awesome, we were about to finish the goliath but out of nowhere he just regenerated in a second, it slapped us away, but then there was this golden light and Argonaut-kun used his spear and BOOM, the spear pierced him all the way to the core, it was like stabbing a piece of paper with a toothpick.
"I see, Bell Cranel, that spear-"
"Actually Finn-san, this is not a spear, it's an arrow, it's called The Arrow of Orion"
"An arrow? In the sense that it's supposed to be thrown? That's not the only thing you can use a spear for, is it ok if I take a good look at it?"
"Ah yes, I don't mind" Bell unstrapped the Arrow and handed it to Finn.
"Hmm, it's really well made, like your knife, no, it's even better than that, it's probably the best weapon I've seen in my life. Where did you get this, was it also made by Hephaestus?" Finn analyzed the weapon.
"You knew about my knife? Haha " He asked scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "But no, this was actually a gift from Artemis-sama."
"I see, the goddess Artemis, I heard you went on a quest with her Familia. Anyway if you want, I can help you or give you some pointers on spearmanship I can help you."
"I'll be in your care then, Finn-san"
"Very well, we will stay a day more in the 18 floor, we can start tomorrow, for now, why don't you and your squad get some sleep"
"Thank you"
Bell's squad was already at the tent, and back to sleep. The next morning, the squad woke up and had breakfast, Aiz and Tiona went to take a bath, and Bete went back to sleep, Bell was called by Finn so they could start on the spear lessons.
"Alright Bell, first let's work on your posture, hold your spear with your dominant hand, next your feet, spread your legs, flex your knees a little bit and tip your body forward, yes like that" He said showing Bell the posture.
"Yes this way you can run easily without it getting in the way, also your spear doesn't have a handle you should probably see about getting one, it will feel more comfortable and will give you a better wrip"
"You can use your other hand to hold your knife, that is actually a good thing since spears are no good if they get too close... yes" Finn mused with a hand on his chin.
"Now, before we spar I'll show you a few tricks, since you will be using your knife, when fighting someone with a weapon focus on parrin with the knife and as soon as you see an opening thrust with your spear. Now the best way to learn is to practice so let's get to it" Finn said redying himself.
"Come at me whenever you are ready"
And they spared for a while, until Bell couldn't continue anymore, just like in his training with Aiz.
"That's enough for today Bell, we can have another spar tomorrow in the morning before we resume the expedition."
"Ah thank you, that would be great but…"
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, it's just that, I was planning on going back to the surface"
"I see… Well there's nothing wrong with that, you're already level three so you should be fine on your own right? Ah but be sure to tell Aiz and Tiona that you're leaving, they were the most excited to have you here after all."
"I will, thank you very much Finn-san"
Bell spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the town, he met with Tiona and Riveria, they went on separate ways after exchanging a few words. It was starting to get dark so Bell headed to camp, once there he met with his squad who were making dinner at the fireplace. They talked about what they did today, they also asked Bell how his training with Finn went, and small talk like that, eventually they decided it was time to sleep and got inside the tent. But Bell just couldn't sleep, so he went outside to take a walk and get his thoughts in order.
"That voice was Artemis-sama I'm sure of it, but The Arrow looks different the gem is now red, is it really the one I killed Antares with?"
It's true, when he took The Arrow from the stone it was silverish blue, with a blue gem on the tip. When it was imbued with the remains of Artemis's power the metal turned golden, but the gem was still blue now it is crimson red.
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it, for now I'll just sleep tomorrow I will spar with Finn-san again"
Bell fell asleep after a while.
Next morning
Bell woke up to the sound of lots of people talking, he put on his gear and went out to see the expedition having breakfast, he looked around and locked eyes with Asi who was sitting next to the rest of his squad. Time to tell them.
"Good morning everyone"
""""Morning"""" The rest of his squad answered
"So... yesterday I talked to Finn and I decided to go back to the surface after we spar today" He said looking at his food, but he looked up when he finished to see their reactions. Tiona and Ais looked surprised and sad, Bete had a neutral face but it soon changed to a small smile then to a mirthful laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHA so you give up Bell Cranel, well it's fine, low levels like you should stick to the upper floors" He sounded patronizing but Bell knew this was Bete's way of being supportive.
""Bete"" However Fiona and Ains didn't get that so they reprimanded him, Bell just gave a chuckle.
"Well this was really fun but my goddess is probably worried and I still have to go to my party, anyway thank you for breakfast I should go look for Finn-san"
They didn't say anything else and Bell arrived with Finn who seemed to be just finishing breakfast as well.
"Finn-san, good morning"
Finn looked up "Ah, Bell Cranel good morning, are you ready for training, did you talk to your squad"
"Yes they didn't seem to mind too much so I will be leaving after training and taking a short break" Bell explained.
"Very well then, meet me at the same place in 15 minutes"
Bell nodded and walked away, he used the 15 minutes he got to refresh himself and get ready for Finn's brutal training. On his way to meet Finn Bell made small talk with the members of the Loki familia, they got used to seeing him around and many of them look up to him as a reliable adventurer.
"Finn-san I'm ready"
"All right attack when you're ready, be creative. Your party is small and you're the one who faces the strongest opponents so you have to be resourceful"
Bell charged. They spared for what felt like hours for Bell until he couldn't anymore.
"That was good Bell you're a fast learner, you shou-" Finn stopped when he felt something sliding on his face, he reached up to touch it and to his surprise it was blood, at some point of the spar most likely close to the end Bell's spear had managed to reach Finn.
"Impressive Bell Cranel, truly impressive" Finn said with a smile.
"Thank you Finn-san for the spar, but I really need to take a break if I want to leave today"
"That's fine although I suggest that you stay for the rest of the expedition, at least until we reach the 25th floor, that's when the lower level adventurers will come back to the 18th floor to get supplies. I think I can teach you much more in that time, and it would be a valuable experience. If it is about your party them I'm sure they will understand, as for your goddess we can send a messenger to ease her worries"
"Ugh I don't know, let me think about it over my break"
"Very well, see you later then"
Bell laid down on the grass under a tree and started contemplating whether to stay or go.
"I certainly feel stronger than before, maybe even leveled up and Finn-san has been teaching me a lot, he's right this is a great opportunity, and being with Tiona and Ais is really fun. On the other hand kami-sama is probably going to kill me when I go back, but then again she is also going to kill me if I go back now. What would Artemis-sama do?"
"Very well I will stay"
Author's note: So that's it for the prologue I hope you enjoy it and please give me your feedback.