(Day 6)
"...This is strange, Bell-kun is usually up by now nya."
"Yes you are correct," Ryuu muttered to May as she checked her pocket watch which said it was five in the morning. For the past five days Mister Cranel would always be downstairs ordering breakfast at precisely five in the morning so it is odd to not see the young rabbit at this time of day.
"Maybe he decided to sleep in," May said absentmindedly as she cleaned leftover dirty cups and plates from yesterday's evening.
"Perhaps…" Ryuu said as she swept the floor with her broom. Truth be told, she suspected Bell actually wasn't in his room at all. Being a level 4 has granted her enhanced senses and her hearing was so strong to the point that she could faintly hear the breathing of her fellow waitresses who were still asleep in their rooms on the second floor. The only thing she could hear in Bell's room was the subtle breeze coming from what she assumed was an open window.
After sweeping the floor for a couple of minutes, Ryuu walked upstairs to her room to grab Alf's Lumina, her wooden sword that was crafted from a branch of the holy tree from her home forest of Ryumilua.
"I'll be outside training." Ryuu didn't wait for May's response as she was already out the door. Once she stood in the center of the garden, she looked up to Mister Cranel's window and her suspicions were correct, his window was open.
Although she was curious as to where Mister Cranel was, she put that thought aside and focused on her training. Both hands wrapped tightly around the grip of her wooden blade and she got into her stance but just as she was about to commence her training, the smell of cooper entered her nostrils.
Fresh blood.
Ryuu started to scan her surroundings, eyes inspecting every alley and roof that was visible until they landed upon an abnormally red figure that was standing on top of a roof. Once the figure realized it was spotted, it crept to the side of the roof and jumped, landing a couple of meters away from the green-haired waitress.
Ryuu defensively brought up her sword and was ready to defend herself but she found herself gaping when she looked at the figure's face.
"…M-Mister Cranel?"
"Hello Miss Lion," Bell said with an eerily nonchalant tone.
Ryuu shuddered as she looked over Cranel's figure. The color of crimson covered Bell completely, even covering his snow white hair with a paint of red. The only reason she was able to recognize the rabbit was because of his dark ruby eyes, a distinct color that no one in the Hostess had. eye color that she had never seen before.
"Mister Cranel… a-are you okay?"
Although he was covered from head to toe in blood, it didn't seem like Mister Cranel was injured but she felt like she still had to ask.
"You have nothing to worry about. The blood isn't mine." Bell let out a tsk and quickly added: "I went into the dungeon."
"...What! Y-You went into the dungeon!?"
"That is correct."
Mister Cranel's deadpan expression, no nonsense tone, combined with what he just said caused Ryuu to physically recoil in shock and disbelief. She is certain Bell didn't have a falna so going into the dungeon is extremely dangerous and reckless! Monsters in the dungeon are incredibly difficult for people without a falna to kill!
Calm down Ryuu, calm down.
From what she knew about Bell Cranel, despite his youthful and rabbit like appearance, he had to be a capable warrior. While difficult, it wasn't impossible for an unblessed person to kill dungeon monsters if they had previous training.
"How deep did you go?"
Bell adopted an inquisitive expression before returning to his deadpan one.
"I didn't keep track."
Not only did he go into a dungeon without a falna, but he also didn't even track which floor he went to!
"Alright…" Ryuu put on her thinking cap and tried to think of a question that could help her piece together this mystery. After a couple of moments, a metaphorical light bulb flashed above Ryuu's head and she looked back to Bell with a confident expression.
"What monsters did you encounter in the dungeon? What did they look like?"
"Hmm…" Bell brought up a bloody hand to his chin and adopted a thinking countenance.
"I first encountered these little green creatures that were quite easy to dispatch, I believe they are called Ggoblins."
'Goblins, the first and perhaps the weakest monsters in the dungeon that are found on the upper floors. Makes sense.'
"I eventually encountered these humanoid creatures that had these knife-like hands."
Is he talking about… War Shadows?
"Perhaps the beast that I found to be the most "challenging" was this massive beast whose face has an appearance similar to a domestic animal that I believe is referred to as a cow," Bell said, recalling a picture of a cow he saw in a book that he read in the library.
"...WHAT?!"
"Miss Lion, is something wrong?"
'He fought a MINOTAUR!?'
Ryuu tried to recompose herself and not collapse from the complete surprise that Bell threw at her face. She briefly wondered if he was lying to her but his expression and demeanor suggested the complete opposite.
Bell Cranel, a person who had no falna, faced and defeated a minotaur. A monster that Level 2 adventurers struggle to kill.
"Umm… Miss Lion?"
A mixture of fascination and horror swept through Ryuu's body. The fact that Bell was able to accomplish this turned everything Ryuu knew about the capabilities of a living being on top of its head. How was Bell Cranel capable of this? Even races that are known to be able to kill Dungeon-level monsters without a falna such as Boaz and Dwarfs would get annihilated by a Minotaur. How was he able to do this without a falna?
"Mister Cranel…" Ryuu stopped speaking when she noticed that the albino was no longer standing in front of her. In fact, the sun was now bright in the sky and there were people walking around her and giving her weird looks.
"How long have I been out here?"
"Umm… Miss Lion?" Bell asked Ryuu, who appeared to be in a trance while muttering to herself. Although it was faint, he could hear ramblings involving 'how' or 'why.' It faintly reminded Bell of the insane patients in Lady Maria's watchtower and a chill ran down his spine.
"I'm going to go inside… see you later…" Bell walked past the nearly catatonic Ryuu and leapt toward his window, completing the jump with a smooth roll when he landed in his room. When he stood up, he grimaced at the blood that now stained his bedroom floor. He would have to clean that after cleaning himself up.
After Bell showered and cleaned his bedroom floor, he collapsed onto his bed and stared at the ceiling as if in a trance. His mind was running rampant with thoughts, ranging from the beasts he had slain in the dungeon, the four adventurers he encountered and Ryuu's shocked face upon seeing him return to the Hostess of Fertility. But there was one that was at the forefront of his mind.
"A hunter must hunt."
A state of melancholy overtook Bell as he repeated the words his dear master said to him all those years ago.
'I fought for so long to be free of the hunt and once I finally was… I couldn't even last five days without the violence that I am so accustomed to.'
He thought that once he escaped the hunt he would be freed from the violence that accompanied it and leave behind the life of a hunter.
But it seems like he was wrong. The peace that he fought for so long for was within his grasp but had the opposite effect on him. He thought the peace would be freeing, liberating, and, most importantly, peaceful.
To his dismay, it wasn't.
The peace he fought so long for was… unnerving and foreign to Bell. It was missing something that he was ashamed to admit. He wanted to deny it with every fiber of his being saying it wasn't true, but Bell knew he would be lying to himself if he denied it.
It was missing the violence he had grown accustomed to during his time as a hunter in Yharnam.
As much as he hated to admit it, he enjoyed the hunt. No… he relished in the thrill of the hunt. The adrenaline that pumped through his veins as he slayed beasts was like ambrosia offered by the gods themselves. He couldn't resist its call and recklessly dove into the dungeon with a hunger for combat, and because of his recklessness, he endangered four adventurers. He would have to apologize the next time he saw them. Hell, all the "beasts" he slaughtered down in the Dungeon barely even satiated his desire to hunt.
The depressed hunter bit his lip to the point of drawing blood as he curled into himself atop the sheets of his unkempt bed. Bell truly believed he was hopeless. Just a hunter who's only good for hunting beasts.
The hunter uncorked himself and rolled over to his right side, staring at the lantern that was resting atop of his bedside table. It wasn't until his hand was illuminated by the sunlight coming through the window that Bell realized he was reaching out towards the lantern. He stopped himself and let his hand drop back onto the bed.
'It's too early to attempt it.'
As much as he wanted to just try it right now, it would be best to wait until the middle of the night in order to do it.
'I… I need to go on a walk and clear my head. Yeah… a walk.'
Bell, instead of wearing the casual clothes he had been wearing the past couple of days, decided to wear his Hunter's outfit and grabbed his Rakuyo. Not wanting to interact with the workers, he opened his window and landed on the ground without making a sound and decided to take a walk East.
As he walked toward the Babel tower, his thoughts went back to that god that was overjoyed to see his four adventurers safe from harm. The sight bewildered Bell and made him question his belief about gods. Based on his observations of deities the past couple of days, all of them were selfish, arrogant, and viewed their familia members as pawns that were used to fuel their wealth and prestige, which disgusted Bell. But the sight of the god being ecstatic over his adventurers unharmed caught him completely by surprise and made him question his belief about gods. Were there gods out there that actually cared about their familia members and viewed them as more than tools?
No. Bell shook his head to banish those preposterous thoughts to the back of his mind. That god was just happy his pawns managed to return to him with their lives intact.
After Bell reaffirmed his view of deities, he arrived at the Tower of Babel and noticed a large crowd of adventurers. This normally wasn't an uncommon thing to see since some of the familias that went into the dungeon were massive, but a majority of the adventurers were wearing uniforms that belonged to the Ganesha familia. Based on what Hermes told him, the Ganesha familia was a familia that served as a peacekeeping and policing force for Orario which meant they were a familia that didn't venture into the Dungeon as often as other familias, so why was a large group of them going into the Dungeon?
Bell let his curiosity guide him and walked up to one of the Ganesha familia members that was preparing to go into the dungeon.
"Apparently a high-level adventurer completely cleared out the first 15 floors of the dungeon without picking up the magic stones," the adventurer said without looking at Bell.
Ah, so those were the objects that were in the chest of the beasts he hunted in the Dungeon. He wondered what those objects were but he was too focused on his hunt to actually pick one up and inspect it.
"Why would an adventurer need to pick up those?" Bell asked. The question caused the adventurer to turn around to address Bell properly with a raised eyebrow.
"What? What type of question is that? Are you new to Orario?"
"Yeah, I arrived about 6 days ago."
"I figured. Adventurers pick them up because not only is it their source of income but it is necessary in order to make sure the monsters don't become an Enhanced Species."
"An Enhanced Species?" Bell asked as he tilted his head, a habit he picked up from his surrogate mother.
"An Enhanced Species is a monster that has eaten a certain amount of monster crystals and can evolve into a more powerful version of themselves. Faster, stronger, all of that. It's paramount that they are wiped out before they evolve and kill other adventurers."
"I… I see," Bell muttered with a low voice. Not only did he endanger three adventurers for his recklessness, but he also endangered even more adventurers by not picking up the magic stones. It was a blunder that could have easily been avoided had he kept himself in control and did thorough research of the dungeon in the library. Though that does bring up the question as to whether they know that he was the reason as to why this happened. When he went on his hunt, he wasn't wearing his hat and bandana to conceal his identity. There's also the fact that his red eyes and white hair make him stand out amongst other people.
"Have they identified the adventurer?" Bell asked with a slightly hesitant tone and thankfully the adventurer shook his head.
"Unfortunately no. From what the three adventurers said, the high-level adventurer has red eyes and red hair. Pretty vague description and no one has spotted him. Hell, he could even still be in the dungeon for all we know," the man said, a hand under his chin with an inquisitive countenance.
Inwardly Bell breathed out a sigh of relief and mentally thanked the girl who most likely mistook his white hair covered in blood with red hair.
"Interesting, you have my thanks mister…"
"Ah." The man looked Bell in the eye and outstretched his right hand with a pleasant smile on his face.
"The name's Hashana Dorlia, nice to meet you."
Bell stared at the outstretched hand for a second before deciding to reach out his right hand. Although he disliked physical contact to a certain extent, he knew it would sometimes be necessary while interacting with other fellow living beings, especially if he wants to develop pleasant relationships with them.
"My name is Bell Cranel, pleased to meet you and once again you have my thanks for the information."
"No problem man," Hashana gave Bell one more smile before turning around and walking with the members of the Ganesha familia into the dungeon. Once all of the familia members were out of sight, Bell turned around and began to walk back to the Hostess of Fertility.
Not wanting to interact with any more people, the albino decided to cut through some alleys to avoid any sort of social interaction. However, as he turned a corner he ended up colliding with another person. The person fell down holding their face. She wore a massive gray coat with a hood so Bell couldn't tell what race she was but she was quite small so she was either a member of the pallum race or a child of another race.
"Ah, forgive me, I wasn't paying attention," Bell said as he got on one knee to address the little person before him. When the person removed their hands from their face and looked up to Bell, time seemed to slow down.
Bell's heart began to leap, a cold sweat coursed along his cheek, and his mind went blank.
The girl before him was perhaps his greatest failure in Yharnam.
"C-Caroline?"
Although she was wearing vastly different clothes than what she wore in Yharnam, there was no mistaking it. The girl before him had chestnut-colored hair, hazel eyes, and was exactly the same height. His greatest failure of Yharnam kneeled before him.
"Caroline!"
Bell's cold heart leapt in joy and tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"Huh? W-Who-" the girl was cut off when she felt two strong arms wrap around her tightly. She tried to wiggle out but she found herself trapped by the boy's secure embrace.
"H-How did you survive!? It doesn't make any… you know what that doesn't matter! I'm just so happy to see you!"
Bell tightened his grip around Caroline and he felt like he was on top of the world. He had no idea how Caroline was still alive, considering he saw what remained of her when she was devoured by that disgusting pig but that didn't matter! She was alive!
Bell released her and he looked at her with an ecstatic expression but to his surprise, Caroline had a look of confusion and dare he say nervousness on her face. Did she not recognize him? Bell supposed that could be the case since his first journey through Central Yharnam was a long time ago. Or was she perhaps angry at him for sending her down into the sewer? If that was the case, he was prepared to get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness. Bell opened his mouth to ask Caroline another question but before he could, a deep and angry voice interrupted him.
"Finally I caught you you fucking bitch!" Bell heard some commotion and turned around to see a furious adventurer with his eyes locked onto Caroline. "You stay right there you little bitch."
The adventurer didn't seem to notice Bell until the albino stepped in front of the girl, obstructing the adventurer's view of her. This surprised both the enraged adventurer and the girl.
"Huh? Who the fuck are you?!"
"Someone that doesn't like to see little girls be threatened by someone with obvious malicious intent," Bell said with barely concealed rage.
"What!?" The adventurer exclaimed. "You'll protect a shitty supporter?! They're nothing but scum!"
'Supporter? When did Caroline become a supporter?'
Bell wasn't sure what a supporter was but he would definitely ask her after dealing with this adventurer. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for Bell to stay calm. How dare he call the adorable Caroline scum!
"The only scum I see is right in front of me."
The infuriated adventurer let out a growl and pulled his sword out of its sheath. Having reached the breaking point of his anger, the adventurer screamed. "Fuck this! If you are gonna protect that shitty supporter then I'll just kill ya too!"
The man charged forward and swung his sword downward, intending on splitting Bell's skull open with his sword.
CLASH
SWISH
"GAH!" The adventurer fell onto his back due to the clash. His fall was soon followed by a CLANK sound to his right indicating the loss of his weapon.
But even then he didn't hesitate, he may have been just a Level 1 but he had more than enough experience in being disarmed to know that hesitating meant life or death, so, he immediately went to grab his sword off the ground to continue the fight.
But, he couldn't.
When he closed his fingers around where the sword's hilt should be he found nothing, rather, he felt nothing, not the hilt nor his fingers.
"Wha-!?"
His confusion was cut by a sharp pain he had never felt before coming from his right wrist.
"AAHHHHH!"
Through tear-filled eyes he saw his sword lying on his right, along with his right hand, still clutching the sword's hilt.
The man screamed as he frantically looked back and forth between the albino before him and the stump on his arm that was spurting blood. Bell wiped the blood off of his Rakuyo before addressing the man.
"Your eyes do not deceive you and be grateful for my benevolence! Where I come from, that would have resulted in having your throat ripped out!" The sudden raise in Bell's voice caught the man completely off guard and he looked at the albino with trepidation.
Even with his hazy sight, the adventurer couldn't suppress the chill that overcame him when he looked into the boy's crimson eyes.
"Leave this place right now or your hand isn't the only thing that will be severed."
The man nodded wordlessly and knelt down to reach for his severed hand and sword. If he made it to Dian Cecht familia's pharmacy, he could save his hand-
"What do you think you are doing?"
Before the man could look up, a crack and a yelp of pain rang out after a boot made contact with the man's chin, sending him flying backwards and landing on his backside. The man tried to get up but was stopped when he felt a boot land on his chest.
"Your hand and sword no longer belong to you. You forfeited your right to those the moment you raised your sword to harm my friend and I. Ah, I almost forgot."
The tip of the Rakuyo blade rested on the neck of the adventurer.
"If you harm my friend or if I hear any rumors about what has just transpired, well…"
The tip of the Rakuyo pricked the adventurer's neck, resulting in a yelp of pain. The prick was not enough to kill the man but just enough to draw blood.
"I'm confident you understand what will happen. Understand?"
The adventurer understood, he could feel how 'death' wrapped around the thing in front of him like the reaper's mantle.
The way it looked at him, was not the look a person would give to another, there was something unnatural behind his gaze.
"Ah-"
The man froze, not because of the threat, but because he understood. The look this thing in front of him was giving. It was no different from how a predator would gaze at its prey.
Although the man didn't respond, the enraged hunter could tell the pathetic man in front of him understood his threat.
Bell removed his Rakuyo and backed up to give the man space. He then grabbed his handkerchief and chucked it at the man.
"Your radial artery is spurting blood and you will die if you don't treat that, I suggest leaving and seeking out a doctor before you lose consciousness. Now get out of here before I decide to change my mind."
That snapped the man out of his thoughts. He had to get out of there fast. He had no idea why his life was being spared, given all of the murderous intent the monster before him was emanating but he wasn't going to question it. He turned around and ran, not caring for his sword and hand still on the ground.
Tears streamed down his bloodshot eyes, his ears wouldn't stop ringing and the stub in his right arm felt like it was on fire, but the only thing in his mind was to put as much distance as he could between him and that thing.
Bell bent over, picked up the hand alongside the sword, walked over to a trash can, and tossed them in. After closing the lid, he let out a sigh and started to turn around to address Caroline.
"I… I'm sorry that you had to witness that Caroline, but it was necessary in order to make sure the man wouldn't harm you in the fut-"
Bell stopped speaking when he noticed the girl was no longer in the alleyway with him. He looked to his right, to his left, to his right again and to his horror, she was gone. His heartbeat started to speed up as he frantically looked around for some sign of the girl.
"C-Caroline? Caroline!"
When the youthful familiar voice that he longed to hear again didn't respond, he collapsed to his knees with a look of anguish.
'I scared her off. God dammit. I gotta find her and apologize for everything!'
Bell started to stand up but before he could run off to try to find Caroline, a voice rang out in his mind.
'Has your mind become so far gone that you have forgotten what had transpired all those decades ago? She is dead.'
"No… no no no no that isn't true!" Bell denied with a quivering voice.
'Stop denying the truth and face reality! Caroline perished during your hunt when you made the decision to send her down to those sewers.'
That's right. As much as he wanted to deny it, the adorable girl he met in Yharnam was dead. Her fate was sealed the moment he told her to go down that ladder on the Great Bridge oh so long ago. All because of his negligence.
Bell slumped back onto the ground and he felt like his mind was collapsing. Yes, as much as it pained him, Caroline was dead. Did he just suffer from a hallucination? Was that girl he encountered in the alleyway even real? Hell, was that entire encounter even real?
"Dammit."
Thrack
"Dammit."
Thrack
"God dammit!"
Thrack
The last hit to his right temple broke skin and blood began to flow down the right side of Bell's face, which brought a slight sense of calmness and familiarity to him. After relishing in the familiar sensation, he held out his left hand and summoned the power of the Hunter's Dream to deliver him a blood vial. However, to his surprise, a blood vial didn't materialize in his hand. He tried it a couple of times until his fractured mind remembered a vital piece of information.
He was no longer connected to the Hunter's Dream, which was something he was hoping he could correct soon.
Bell felt his legs give out and he collapsed to his knees but before he could plunge himself into a state of nothingness, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Bell-kun?"
"Huh?"
Standing on the top of the staircase was Syr who was holding a bag of groceries but upon seeing Bell's full face, the bag slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.
"Bell what happened!?" Bell let out a sigh as he heard Syr's frantic footsteps approach him.
"Nothing Syr I'm fine."
"Fine!?" Syr scoffed. "You're not fine!" She said as she stood next to the albino and observed his profusely bleeding wound.
"How did this happen?"
Bell's fractured mind worked frantically to come up with an explanation for his head wound and he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"I fell and hit my head."
"…"
"…"
'Great choice of words Bell Cranel! You are truly the greatest wordsmith in all of Orario! Queen Annalise would be so proud of you!'
"Shut up." Bell muttered which he immediately regretted because he felt Syr's hand that was on his temple twitch.
Great, now she thinks I'm crazy.
'Well she wouldn't be wrong.'
Shut up.
Bell slowly gazed upward and to his surprise, was met with an expression full of concern and worry for his well being. He then noticed her gaze drifted from his eyes to his bloody hand and her expression became a little dejected before taking on a more compassionate one.
Before Bell could even formulate a response to Syr's change in expression, the bandana that was wrapped around his neck was abruptly pulled off.
"Hey what are you-"
"Keep this pressed against your right temple," The gray haired waitress said as she pushed the bandana into Bell's right palm and guided his right hand to his right temple, pressing down on the bleeding wound. Before the confused hunter could even comment on what Syr was doing, she grabbed his left hand and started to drag him out of the alleyway.
Considering that Syr most likely didn't possess a falna, Bell knew that he had the strength required to remove her grip on his wrist but he found that he just didn't care enough to do it.
After a minute of being dragged around by Syr and keeping his head down to avoid the stares of other people, Bell could hear the familiar voices of the waitresses shouting out orders and civilians having a good time. They have arrived at the Hostess of Fertility. However, instead of going through the front entrance, Syr led him around the side and they entered through the back door.
The smell of ambrosia invaded Bell's nostrils as they walked through the kitchen but before Bell could look at what was cooking, he was dragged to a table that was at the side of the room where there was a single chair.
"Sit down, I'll be right back." Syr didn't even wait for Bell's response as she was already calling out to another person.
"May-san have you seen Ryuu anywhere?"
"Meow Mamma Mia sent her on an errand so she won't be back until just before rush hour. Why nya~?"
"Look."
"Wha- NYAH!?" May physically recoiled at the sight of Bell while he just rolled his eyes.
"It's just a minor wound. I don't see as to why you two are panicking over it," the indifferent tone Bell used when he talked about his injury caught the two off guard.
"Bell, how could… you know what, nevermind I'll be right back," Syr said as she walked out of the room, leaving just May and Bell, who just kept looking at the floor, making sure no conversation could be made. May decided it would be best to leave Bell along and she immersed herself in her cooking.
After a minute or two of waiting, footsteps were approaching the kitchen and the kitchen door opened, revealing Syr who was carrying a massive red bag with both arms.
"Since Ryuu isn't here yet we are going to tend your wound the old fashioned way!"
Bell raised an eyebrow when Syr mentioned Ryuu.
"Why would we need her for this? And I can treat myself."
"Hehe you'll just have to wait and see, it's a surprise." Syr then looked at Bell with a cheeky grin on her face.
"I also know that you could treat it yourself but no need because it's your lucky day! Not every man has the chance to be treated by a beautiful maiden such as myself."
Syr then winked at the albino but pouted in mild annoyance when all Bell gave in response was a deadpan expression. She set the massive red bag on the table beside Bell. She then leaned down toward Bell and began to reach her left hand out to the young boy's chin. However, just as her fingers grazed Bell's chin, Bell's hand shot up like a rocket and grabbed her outstretched hand by the wrist with an iron grip.
"What are you doing?" Bell's razor sharp gaze pierced Syr's ashen eyes and a chill ran down her spine.
"I-I was going to lift your chin up so that I could get a better look at your wound."
Bell's iron grip on Syr's wrist started to become nearly unbearable.
"B-Bell-kun please let go y-you're hurting me."
The albino's eyes widened and his gaze drifted toward his right hand before he let go of Syr who backed up from Bell. The hurt expression on the gray haired waitresses face caused Bell to feel a slight pang of guilt. Not wanting to see that expression anymore, the hunter turned his gaze toward the floor.
"I apologize for doing that, it was uncalled for."
"No, I should be the one that should be apologizing. I forgot that you don't really like people touching your bare skin, I should have remembered that."
Bell looked back up at Syr and once again, was taken aback by the amount of concern and worry her countenance was exhibiting. Other than Eve and Ryuu, he could not recall any other time someone had looked at him with that type of expression before. He felt like the concern for his well being was misdirected but he found himself appreciating it. He decided to give her one chance.
"…If you still desire to, you may carry out what you were about to do."
A smile appeared on Syr's face and she walked up to Bell. She reached her hand out and although he twitched when her fingertips made contact with his chin, he didn't lean away from her touch. She tilted his head to the side and began to look at the wound.
"Your cut is quite deep and over a celch long. Normally you would need to stitch this up but that won't be necessary since we have Ryuu."
Once again Bell's interest in what Ryuu was capable of resurfaced but he held his tongue since his previous question will be answered once Ryuu comes back during the evening.
Syr pulled out what appeared to be alcohol and a white cloth pad out of the massive red bag. She then dabbed the white cloth with the alcohol and began to reach her hand out to Bell's right temple.
"Just want to let you know this might sting."
She then pressed the white pad to Bell's temple and to her surprise, the boy in front of her didn't even react to the alcohol or even twitch in discomfort. In fact, his eyes were closed and he had a relaxed expression on his face, a far cry from his usual neutral or guarded one.
'He is actually kinda cute when he isn't all serious! He kinda looks like a rabbit! Well… a bloody rabbit but still a cute rabbit!'
After cleaning the wound and wiping the blood off of Bell's face, Syr pulled out a long piece of cloth and wrapped it around his head. She then backed up and gave Bell some space.
"All done!"
Bell's eyes slowly opened and he brought his right hand up to his right temple and lightly tapped the bandage. Feeling satisfied at Syr's handiwork, he looked back at the gray haired waitress with a grateful expression.
"You have my thanks Syr."
Bell's grateful demeanor and small but genuine smile caused Syr to giggle and smile back.
"No problem Bell-kun! If you ever need help don't hesitate to ask!"
"I'll keep that in mind. I'll be upstairs in my room if you need anything."
"Good to know! When Ryuu gets back I'll let her know you are upstairs."
Syr flashed him one more smile before walking out of the kitchen to resume her job as a waitress. Bell's eyes lingered at the door that Syr just walked out of and he started to contemplate his previous opinion on Syr. Prior to this moment, Bell didn't trust Syr at all because his gut was telling him she was hiding something. She hasn't completely gained his trust yet but if this interaction told Bell one thing, it was that although she wasn't a completely honest person, at least she was a nice one.
Once Bell walked up to his room and sat on his bed, his body started to feel weak and his eyes started to feel heavy. It was as if all the energy he possessed that day was sucked out of his body and he knew the reason why. The last time he slept was two days ago and his fatigued state became exacerbated when he went on his hunt.
He didn't want to go to sleep. The last time he slept he was plagued by nightmares but try as he might, sleep overtook him.
Knock Knock.
The sound of knocking at his bedroom door brought Bell out of his stupor and he let out a groan as he sat up from his bed. Although it was by no means a good nap, he at least wasn't plagued by nightmares.
Knock Knock
"Cranel-san?"
Bell was momentarily confused until he recognized who was calling out to him behind the door. It was Ryuu. He then recalled that the elven waitress was supposed to return to the pub around evening and that Syr would send her up to his room to deal with his wound.
Bell peeked through the curtain of his window to see that it was early in the evening. The sky was dark but there were still many adventurers walking around. After checking his watch to see that it was eight at night, he rose from his bed and walked to the door. Once he opened the door, he was greeted by the green-haired waitress.
"Hello Cranel-san," Ryuu said in her normal stoic voice, a far cry from the tone she used when they encountered each other in the morning.
"Greetings," Bell said as he held open the door for Ryuu to walk in.
"So… what is it you are going to do?" Bell asked once Ryuu was inside of his room. Ryuu had a confused expression on her face when she heard Bell's question.
"Did Syr not tell you?"
"No, she wanted to keep it as a surprise."
"Typical of her," Ryuu muttered while shaking her head. "Let's begin. Please take a seat and remove your head wrap so I can heal you."
The hunter complied and sat down on the foot of his bed while removing his head wrap. Once the head wrap was removed, Bell looked at the elf standing before him with an inquisitive expression. What was she going to do? What did she mean by "heal?" She didn't bring up any medical supplies. In fact, she didn't bring anything with her. Does she have some concoction similar to a blood vial in her pocket?
She then raised her hand above the wound and she spoke.
"The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you – Noah Heal."
A green light emanated from Ryuu's hand as magic flowed from her hand into Bell's body. To his surprise, not only did the skin reattach on his right temple, he felt energized as if he didn't pull three consecutive all nighters. As he felt these things happen to him, he stared at Ryuu with a sense of fascination and wonder. Her serene face combined with the otherworldly glow that illuminates her face made her look mystical, something out of a fairy tale. He didn't know what it was, but he just couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
Once the green light ceased and Ryuu lowered her hand, Bell reached up to his right temple and to his surprise, the massive cut was no longer there. After repeatedly touching the spot in shock, he stared at the green-haired waitress in amazement.
"What was that?" Bell exclaimed.
"That was my healing magic," Ryuu said with a sense of pride, content that she was actually able to elicit a reaction from the usually stoic rabbit.
"M-Magic?" the hunter parroted.
"Yes. I'm assuming there wasn't much magic in the countryside?"
"No… I've never seen anything like it. It's incredible and beautiful."
"Thank you." Ryuu's enchanting smile lasted a couple of seconds before she took on a more serious expression.
"Mister Cranel… I need to ask you something." Ryuu's sudden serious tone knocked Bell out of his trance and he mirrored her serious expression.
"How… How were you able to defeat a Minotaur in the dungeon?"
"Minotaur?" Bell tilted his head to the side. "What's a Minotaur?"
Ryuu let out an exhausted sigh before explaining. "The monster that you said looks like a cow was a Minotaur."
"Oh, well…" Bell just shrugged his shoulders and spoke. "The first one died when I plunged my fist into its chest and ripped out what I believe is called their crystal."
"F-First one? You mean you killed more than one?"
"That is correct."
"Mister Cranel, do you even realize how… absurd this whole situation is?"
"..."
"Well in that case let me explain. A minotaur is a monster that spawns in the fifteenth floor and is known to be the strongest Level 2 monster in the dungeon. Level 1 adventurers would be hopeless against such a monster and you, a person who has no falna, killed one with your bare hands."
"Oh. I see why you would find that unusual," Bell said after absorbing what Ryuu said to him. From what Bell has researched in the library, the only two ways for a mortal to increase their power exponentially was to either work with a spirit, which is not common anymore since the gods descended, or having a god grant them a falna. Since he obviously hasn't done either of those things, a person who has no falna such as himself obliterating a minotaur is inconceivable.
Telling her he used the blood of his enemies to increase his power was out of the question. Not only would it open up a can of worms he did not want to deal with, but he would essentially be revealing to Ryuu one of his greatest secrets. He did consider Ryuu one of his closest "friends" (did he have the luxury of calling her that?) but he wasn't sure if he was close enough to her that it would be safe to reveal his greatest secrets to her.
"Ryuu! Get your ass down here, it's rush hour!"
Miss Grand's deep and powerful voice rang throughout the entire pub and Ryuu actually jumped in place. Ryuu kept looking at Bell, waiting for a quick answer or something. After being met with silence, she silently crept outside of the room. However, before she could close the door and walk downstairs, Bell called out to her.
"Wait."
Ryuu peeked her head back into the room to look at Bell, who appeared to be having an internal crisis. He was rubbing his forehead and frantically tapping his right foot against the floor. After a couple of moments, Bell let out an exasperated sigh and looked up to Ryuu.
"We'll talk tomorrow."
That seemed to satisfy Ryuu and she gave him a subtle smile before closing his bedroom door. Once he heard the bedroom door close, Bell let himself collapse onto his bed.
'…Why are social interactions so exhausting?'
He wasn't sure if he made the right decision. He wished Queen Annalise was here so he could consult her on social interactions.
He shifted his gaze to the lantern that laid at his bedside table and he felt a smile form on his face.
Just a couple more hours.
Bell's room was nearly pitch black with the only source of light being the lantern that was set on his bedside table. He felt a certain ambivalence towards the lantern. He was anxious because if what he was about to try worked, he would be connected to the very place that broke him and turned him into a shell of the boy he used to be. However, he was also excited because it would also serve as a gateway to the only place in existence where he felt truly safe.
Bell made sure his door was locked and the window curtains were closed before he sat down on the left side of his bed. Bell hesitantly grabbed the lantern with both of his hands, closed his eyes, and projected an image of the Hunter's Dream in his mind. Instead of imagining himself leaving the mortal plain, he focused on the lantern within his grasp. He felt his soul begin to wander for just a second until it was once again blocked. A pang of hurt sprouted in Bell's heart and he was about to cut his connection until it happened. Energy within his Dream-bound soul burst through the barrier like a bullet piercing through paper and congregated within the lantern. The lantern's crimson flame turned violet and the lantern now had a certain serene glow to it.
Excitement and apprehension flowed through Bell as he stared at the repurposed lantern in disbelief. His theory actually worked. Bell theorized that like in Yharnam, he needed an object that served as a gateway between the Hunter's Dream and the mortal plain and what better object to use than a lantern.
Bell, still grasping the lantern, pictured the field of flowers within the Hunter's Dream and everything went black.
Honestly when my semester ended I thought I was gonna dedicate more time to this story but I ended up just doing stuff that I wasn't able to do during college such as traveling, binging video game series such as Dragon Age/Mass Effect and other stuff so as weird as it sounds, I think I will be more focused on this when the semester for school starts.
Also holy shit thanks for all of the reviews, 700+ favorites and 1,000+ follows. Holy shit this fic has grown so much in the span of like 5-6 months its insane.