(Month 1 Day 1)
Ever since Zeus sent that letter, stating that Bell should be arriving at Orario in the near future, Hermes was excited to meet the potential hero that the world of Genkai desperately needed.
The meeting was not going as he expected.
When he received that letter, he made various predictions as to what type of person Bell would be. Zeus never mentioned Bell had any training in the way of fighting at all so he assumed Bell was a complete novice.
He was proven completely wrong. When they exited the forest and started to make their way to Orario, they began to encounter some surface monsters such as goblins and Bell dispatched everyone of them. Now, Hermes didn't consider himself an expert in the way of fighting like some other gods such as Takemikazuchi who was a god of war, but even he could tell Bell's skill with that blade was that of an expert. He made taking out those monsters look effortless which astonished Hermes. He recalled that moment when two goblins were in front of the cart. The young albino jumped out of the cart and gracefully landed in front of them. He then plunged his sword between the eyes of one goblin and grabbed the other goblin's head and slammed it to the ground, causing the goblin's head to explode into a million pieces. Hermes's jaw dropped at this. Surface level enemies were not easy for someone without a falna to kill but Bell made it look easy. He recalled Zeus never gave him his falna and Bell even confirmed it himself, so how was he this strong?
There were also many other aspects that debunked Herme's prediction. There was the weapon he used, which appeared to be a sword-knife hybrid, truly one of a kind. The weapon also looked beautifully crafted and expensive, most likely rivaling first class weapons wielded by first class adventurers. There was his outfit, which was quite a unique outfit, one that he had never seen before. He also called himself a "hunter." All of this made Hermes's curiosity skyrocket.
Another prediction was that because he lived in a small remote village in the countryside where everyone knew one another, he expected Bell to be shy towards strangers.
He was once again proven wrong. He was by no means a social butterfly, but Bell engaged in Hermes's conversation with little hesitation. He spoke with a formal tone that slightly reminded Hermes of nobility, something that a sheltered country kid should not be capable of.
After Hermes's countless questions, Bell started asking questions of his own.
"Lord Hermes, would you mind if I asked you some questions?"
"No, of course not. Ask away," Hermes said with an excited tone, intrigued at what Bell was going to ask him.
Bell's first question left Hermes completely surprised.
"Lord Hermes, I have been wondering about this for quite a while. May I ask what is that aura that emanates from you?"
The question was so unexpected and preposterous that even Mark turned his head to give Bell a confused look. Hermes was perplexed by this. Every mortal knows that a god or goddess emanates an aura, so why didn't Bell know?
Hermes smiled and gestured to himself. "Well that's because I am a god."
The atmosphere became tense. Bell's demeanor immediately changed when those words left Hermes's lips. He straightened himself, his fist's tightened, his eyes became cold and his gaze turned razor sharp.
"Is that so…"
The change in demeanor caught Hermes completely off guard, though he did hide it quite well. As a cunning and intelligent trickster god, Hermes was a master at acting and was able to hide his discomfort, unlike Mark who visibly shuddered at the tension in the air.
However just as quickly as the atmosphere became tense, it dissipated when Bell's demeanor changed into a relaxed but guarded one. He leaned back in his seat but still kept his eyes firmly locked onto Hermes.
"I have some more questions if you don't mind me asking."
Hermes responded with a nod. The albino then proceeded to ask many questions about a variety of things. The two questions that bewildered were what the gods and goddesses were doing in Orario and what was falna. Hermes was confused by this question because the reason as to why the gods and goddesses descended from the Heavens was common knowledge. As for the second question, Bell should have already known the answer if he was traveling to Orario. A major reason why people travel to Orario is to gain a god's falna and become an adventurer. Even if that weren't the case, Orario is well known throughout the world because of the dungeon and the various adventurers that enter it. Despite that, Hermes answered all of his questions and Bell barraged him with more questions such as what types of families there were, which ones were the most powerful, and many other things. Once Bell seemed satisfied, Hermes decided to shoot his shot.
"You know the Hermes familia is always looking for new members, if you want to join my familia just say the word and I'll give you my falna," Hermes said with a cheerful voice as he leaned forward.
"I'm flattered by your offer but I'm afraid I'm going to have to reject it," Bell responded in an instant. Hermes felt a little sad at how fast he rejected his offer but he didn't think much of it.
"Oh well, it was worth a shot." Hermes leaned back and just shrugged. "Well if you ever change your mind, feel free to come back to me."
Bell only responded with a nod before turning his head to observe the landscape, effectively closing any attempt at conversation. Hermes didn't think much of this and the rest of the trip was spent in relative silence.
It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at Orario.
Although the architecture wasn't as impressive as Yharnam, it was still quite the sight. The massive wall that surrounded the entire city gave off the impression that it was a prison which it kind of was for the adventurers. From what Hermes told him, it was super easy to enter the city but it was incredibly difficult to leave, especially if you were a high level adventurer. There was also the massive tower that pierced the sky. Hermes said that it was called the 'Tower of Babel' which was responsible for preventing the monsters in the dungeon from reaching the surface.
Speaking of Hermes…
Bell looked at Hermes from his peripheral vision and noticed that said god was staring at him as if he was the most interesting thing in the world.
When he noticed the man had an aura emanating from him, he suspected that he was a god but Bell didn't want to jump to conclusions. Ever since Hermes confirmed Bell's suspicions, he had kept his guard up around Hermes. He could tell that Hermes was vastly different from the Great Ones that he killed in the past but he just couldn't help it.
After getting through the gate and saying farewell to Mark, Bell's stomach growled loudly. He was confused by this but then the realization hit him with the force of a speeding boulder.
'I'm hungry. I'm actually hungry.'
Back in the dream he never needed to sit down and consume food so it's safe to say it's been a long time since he had a meal. Hermes looked at Bell with a smirk on his face.
"Sounds like you're hungry. Oh I know just the right place! We should go and get some food."
"We?" Bell said with narrowed eyes.
"Yep." Hermes nodded enthusiastically. "It's called the Hostess of Fertility. It's a really good place to-"
"Hermes-sama."
"Oh no," Hermes muttered under his breath before he turned around with his trademark smile to address the woman standing behind him. The woman had cyan-colored eyes and aqua blue hair.
"Asfi-chan! My new friend and I were about to get some food, wanna join us?"
Asfi shook her head and let out a tired sigh before addressing Hermes. "We don't have time for that Hermes-sama, do you know how much work you left me to do before going on your little trip?"
"C-Come on how Asfi-chan it wasn't that much," Hermes refuted with a nervous tone.
"Hermes-sama. The pile of paperwork has literally reached the ceiling of your office. We're going now." Asfi grabbed the collar of Hermes's shirt and proceeded to drag him away.
"No please dont!" Hermes started to scream before he turned to Bell with pleading eyes. "Bell please help me!"
Bell looked at Hermes with a smirk before looking at Asfi.
"Miss Asfi." Asfi stopped and looked at Bell with a raised eyebrow.
"Before you and Hermes do your paperwork, could you tell me how to get to this Hostess of Fertility?"
"Just follow this road." Asfi pointed to a road littered with buildings and vendors. "Just keep walking straight and you will eventually find it on your right."
"You have my thanks Miss Asfi." She nodded her head before looking down at Hermes.
"We're leaving."
"You traitor!"
Bell watched in amusement as Asfi dragged a distraught Hermes down the road. He was thankful for Asfi's intervention. Although his conversation with Hermes gave him some valuable information, talking to him was exhausting. Once they were out of sight, Bell's smile disappeared and he started walking down the road Asfi mentioned.
As he walked down the road, the hunter analyzed every single detail, ranging from the people he walked past to the architecture of the buildings. He was taken aback by how diverse Orario was. There were multiple races. There were of course the humans, little people, humans with pointy ears, dark-skinned females wearing provocative clothing and… beastfolk. Bell tensed up when he encountered his first beastfolk. He almost reflexively pulled his Rakuyo out of its sheath and cut them down where they stood but he was able to stop himself at the last moment. They appeared to be passive and were not attacking other people. He also had to keep reminding himself that he was no longer in Yharnam, he was in Orario. If he killed them right now, it wouldn't end well for him. He also noticed that this place wasn't as advanced as Yharnam. There were no guns in sight, only swords and other weaponry.
The young hunter stopped walking when he came across a cozy pub. It was a two-story building made of stone and judging from the commotion coming from inside, it must have been a popular place. His suspicions were confirmed when he looked through the window and noticed nearly every table was filled with customers. He read the name 'Hostess of Fertility' on an overlapping sign that had a crossed fork and knife.
Bell took a deep breath and walked through the main entrance. He was immediately greeted with an amazing smell and a lively atmosphere that he was not used to. The tavern was full of loud patrons having lunch and generally having a good time. This was completely new for Bell because the last time he was in a tavern, it was full of blood crazed fiends and-
"Hello! Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility! How may I help… you?"
Bell focused his attention on the beautiful woman that stood before him. She had bluish gray hair that was kept in a ponytail. Her eyes were the same color as her hair and had beautiful porcelain skin. She wore a green above the knee dress with a white collar and long puffed sleeves. The outfit was the same as the other waitresses so Bell assumed she was a waitress. Though the woman appeared to be more interested in staring into Bell's eyes which made him uncomfortable. He audibly coughed which snapped the girl out of her trance.
"Ah hehe sorry about that. Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility! Table for one?" The gray haired woman asked with a smile.
"Yes please," Bell said.
"Sounds great. Unfortunately all of our tables are filled up so you'll have to sit at the counter. Is that fine?"
Bell responded with just a nod and made his way toward the counter. He was more than okay with it. The conversation he had with Hermes was exhausting and he needed to have some time by himself.
As soon as he sat at the counter, a massive imposing figure made her way towards him and set out a menu in front of him. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and had a commanding presence that made it easy to recognize that she was the owner of this establishment.
"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility, do ya know what you want to order or do you need a minute?"
"One minute please."
"Gotcha I'll be right back." The large woman walked to the other side of the bar to help another customer. Bell looked at the menu and realized he had no idea what these items on the menu were. He heard footsteps approaching from behind the counter.
Bell looked up to see the imposing woman waiting for his order.
"Have you decided on what you want to order?"
"Umm I apologize, I… don't really know what to order," Bell said with a slightly shy tone.
"Hmmm…" The lady held up a hand to her chin before pointing to a particular item on the menu.
"I recommend you try the spaghetti and meatballs, they are delicious."
"Then I'll go with that."
"Excellent, just sit tight and the food will be out in a little! May! One order of spaghetti and meatballs!"
"One order of spaghetti and meatballs coming right up, nya."
Bell bowed his head in thanks and the lady walked to the other side of the counter. He was thankful for this because it gave him some time to think.
Or more specifically that's what he wanted to do but he couldn't concentrate because he felt someone staring at his back. Back in the hunt, Bell always had to be on his toes and aware of his surroundings because if he didn't, he would be ambushed by a beast or hunter and have his throat ripped out. Because of this, Bell developed a sort of sixth sense that alerted him if someone was watching him.
Bell tried to ignore it but the piercing gaze was starting to feel overwhelming so he turned around and locked eyes with the perpetrator. It was the girl that greeted him at the entrance. Upon realizing she was caught, the girl jumped back in surprise and Bell let out a sigh.
"Is there something you need?" He asked in a tired voice.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm just curious because I have never seen you before. Are you new to Orario?" The gray-haired woman asked.
"Yes, I just arrived about an hour ago. What gave it away?"
"Well I have never seen you around before so there's that. This pub is quite popular among citizens and adventurers so I have met a lot of people. If you lived in Orario I would have met you sooner or later. Oh! You also have a unique accent that I have never heard before."
"I have an accent?" Bell asked with a raised eyebrow. The girl nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! It's subtle but quite unique." (1)
Now that Bell thought about it, she was kinda right. Throughout his journey in Yharnam, he talked to various people (though it wasn't that much) and was exposed to various accents. They influenced the way he talked but no one influenced him as much as Eve, the person he interacted with the most.
"Hmm, you're a sharp one, being able to discern that quickly."
"Hehe, you gotta be when you're interacting with patrons and adventurers these days." The girl said with a satisfied smile.
"Oh I never introduced myself! My name is Syr Flova. Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you, Miss Flova. My name is Bell Cranel. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Syr let out an audible pfft.
"Please drop the formal speech, it makes me feel like royalty. Oh and please just call me Syr," she said with a pleading tone.
"... Very well, it is nice to meet you Syr." Syr smiled but before she could speak Bell cut her off.
"Syr as… nice as it is to talk to you, do you mind if I have some time to myself? Plus you have customers you have to serve and don't have time to talk to someone like me."
When Bell said this, Syr looked embarrassed and let out a forced laugh.
"Oh aha your right, gotta get back to work. I'll see you around!" Bell watched as she walked to another waitress who had pointy ears. Bell turned his head back to the counter and rested his head on his left hand and let out a sigh of relief.
He finally had some time to himself. His conversation with Syr was alright but there was something about her that just set Bell on edge. Perhaps it was because of the paranoia he experienced in Yharnam but he just couldn't help it. He decided to stop focusing on Syr and he shifted his focus.
Bell started to drum the fingers of his gloved right hand against the wooden counter as he started to contemplate his next course of action. The first major problem was his lack of knowledge. Because he was in the hunt for such a long time, he had forgotten essentially everything there was about Genkai, resulting in him experiencing what was essentially severe amnesia. He will need to visit a library and refresh his memory on the history of Genkai, the culture of the other races, and many other things. Once he is done with that, he will need to find a temporary place to stay since he is technically homeless. Perhaps this cozy tavern offers vacant rooms to paying customers. He made a mental note to ask the owner of this pub about this. And after that…what should he do? What would Eve say?
Bell was interrupted when a plate of spaghetti, utensils and a glass of water were placed in front of him by the large imposing woman.
"There you go eat up!" Bell nodded and grabbed a fork and stared at the meal before him. 'So this is spaghetti.' He hesitantly twirled the fork in the pasta, grabbed some spaghetti and slowly put it in his mouth. The pub owner raised an eyebrow at this as she slowly watched the young boy chew his food. Once the boy swallowed the mouthful of food, he just stared at the food with glazed eyes.
"Hey kid are you alright?"
Her question didn't register in Bell's mind, all he could think about was the plate of food in front of him.
'This… this is DELICIOUS!'
Bell hastily jammed the fork into the spaghetti and brought it to his mouth with a sense of urgency that was borderline insanity. He ate the food so fast that sometimes he coughed a couple times, having put too much in his mouth at once. Once Bell was done eating the last forkful, he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied look.
"Damn kid, I've never seen someone eat spaghetti that fast before. Must have been your first meal in a long time." The woman was joking but her statement was completely accurate.
"Something like that."
"Do you want seconds?" The boy immediately nodded his head vigorously, causing the woman to let out a chuckle before yelling to the chef in the kitchen. After that, she decided to make small talk.
"I've never seen you before. I'm assuming you're new around here," Mia said with a questioning gaze.
"Correct, I just arrived about an hour ago," Bell replied, confirming her statement.
"As I suspected. Well the names Mia Grand but everyone just calls me Mia or Mamma Mia."
"My name is Bell Cranel. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Grand," Bell said while tipping his hat towards her. The albino experienced a sense of deja vu when Mia let out an annoyed pffft.
"You can call me Miss Grand if you want but all I ask is to cut that formal talk of yours."
Bell raised his eyebrow at this but agreed nonetheless. Perhaps it would be best to tone down on his formal speech patterns.
"Very well Miss Grand, I'm assuming you are the owner of this pub?"
"Yep you got that right."
"Hmm." Bell gave the entire floor a glance before turning back to Mamma Mia. "It's a very nice pub."
"Thanks, it took a while to set up but I've been the proud owner of this bar for over fifteen years," Mia said with a look of pride. She then looked at Bell, her eyes wandering to his sword's sheath that rested on the left side of his hip before locking eyes with Bell.
"Did you come to Orario to become an adventurer? You look like you have some experience," she stated.
"You are correct I've partaken in… a few hunts. As for being an adventurer." Bell shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure yet."
"Really?" Mia said at Bell's unexpected statement. Having been the owner of the pub for a number of years, she encountered countless young adults that were enthusiastic about becoming an adventurer. In addition to that, although the young adults had the enthusiasm, they usually didn't have the skill to back that up.
But not this boy. Being an experienced ex adventurer and former captain of Orario's strongest familia, Mia excelled at estimating a person's skill set just by looking at them. Mia's intuition told her the boy who had an appearance that reminded her of a rabbit exuded skill and experience that trumped first-class adventurers.
Mia shrugged her shoulders. "Well no need to rush. What do you plan on doing?"
Bell's hand rested under his chin, as if contemplating his answer. He decided to tell half of the truth. Telling her he was heading to a library to refresh his memory on essentially everything there was about Genkai would be suspicious.
"I plan on heading to a library to just relax and read. I also need to find a place to stay. Oh by the way, where is the nearest library?" Bell asked.
"There's a public library in the main streets near the guild's building." Mia then gave Bell directions on how to get there.
"Oh by the way, we offer vacant rooms to paying customers and give them free breakfast. Interested?" Mia smoothly said, suggesting that she has said this to many customers.
"Yes I did want to ask you that…how much would this get me?" Bell asked, showing a good portion of the valis he had on hand.
"That should get you about nine days, still interested?"
Bell contemplated the offer. Although it was expensive, the pub gave off a comforting feeling, it was located in a good spot in Orario, and the food was really good.
"Alright you got a deal."
"Great!"
Mia grabbed the offered valis and handed him a key. Using an actual currency instead of blood echoes gave Bell a strange feeling. When was the last time he actually used money?
"Your room is upstairs at the far end of the hall. Oh I almost forgot to mention but we also have a washroom that customers can use. However, if I or any of the girls catch you peeking there will be hell to pay. Understand?" Mia said with a threatening voice and grim expression. Mia's overwhelming presence would have sent chills down an adventurer's spine but Bell just looked at her with a perfect poker face.
"Understood."
Then a cute voice with a cat people accent rang out, stating the order was ready. Mia then put the plate of food in front of Bell.
"Well it was nice talking to you but I gotta help other customers, enjoy."
"Thank you," Bell said as he grabbed his fork. He then started to eat the food but albeit at a much slower pace, savoring the exquisite taste of the pasta.
After finishing the meal, Bell let out a content sigh and put the money on the counter.
"That was delicious, my compliments to the chef. I'll be back by… the evening."
"Gotcha. See you soon."
Bell nodded his head and walked out of the pub and started to make his way towards the public library Mia had mentioned. Once he arrived and walked inside of the library, he grabbed many books that covered the various races of Genkai. He decided to focus on the races first because he was intrigued by them, considering there were so many and the beastfolk appeared friendly. He learned a variety of things, the most prominent thing being that the people that didn't appear to be humans were called demi-humans and there were various subtypes. The little people were called pallums, the people with pointy ears were called elves, the dark-skinned women wearing provocative clothing were referred to as 'Amazons,' the people that were taller than the pallums but not as tall as humans were dwarves, and the beastfolk had various subtypes such as catpeople, boaz, and even bunny people.
The young hunter was so engrossed in reading that he didn't realize how much time had passed until a librarian told him they were closing. He looked out the window and realized night had fallen upon them. He thanked the librarian, put the books back where he found them, and made his way back to the Hostess of Fertility. The place was crowded as ever but he could tell the pub attracted a different type of crowd at night, considering a majority of the people had weapons and looked like they could handle themselves in a fight.
Bell didn't feel hungry so he weaved his way through the various drunk patrons and walked up the steps to the second floor. Once he reached the end of the hall, he inserted the key Mia gave him into the lock and opened the door. It was a fairly modest room. There was a bed at the end of the room with a night stand that had a crystal-powered lantern, a desk and chair on the left side of the room and a small dresser on the right side.
Bell locked the door behind him and placed his backpack next to the door then walked to the right side of the bed. He laid his Rakuyo against the nightstand and then looked down at his clothes, which caused him to grimace.
I should buy some clothes tomorrow.'
He took off his boots and draped his trench coat on the desk chair. He took off his hat, gloves, and bandana, placed them on his nightstand, climbed into bed, and hesitantly closed his eyes to fall asleep.
Authors note
One of my courses in college is linguistics and I learned that people usually develop the accent that they are exposed to so I thought it would make sense for Bell to develop a different accent. I did some research on the various accents in Bloodborne and I learned that Gascoigne's accent is Irish, Eileen's Yorkshire, Gilbert's Scottish, and the doll's accent is slightly central or Eastern European. I honestly didn't know how to explain the accent I had in mind so I decided to just include this note. Not really important for the story but just wanted to put this.
Just wanted to say thanks again for the follows and favorites. This story has been out for a little over a month and it already has 350+ follows and 260+ favorites which is insane! Also thanks for the reviews. I love the descriptive ones that are lengthy and try to predict the story.