Chapter 3: Strive to Survive

Bell was standing with his mouth agape. Normally I'd laugh my ass off upon seeing him like that, but considering why he was that way, I didn't blame him.

Bell: Hermes knew who I was?

Ghost: Yep. I have no idea how.

Of course, Bell didn't care for me being able to tell lies and being like a God. It just had to be all about him and how Hermes expected to meet him on that road.

Bell: I-I don't get it. How did he know me? Had I done something that earned his attention somehow?

Ghost: I honestly have no clue. I couldn't come up with any explanations either.

Bell: … Do you think it's because of you?

Now, there was an explanation I hadn't thought about. Had Hermes known about me being in Bell's body? It was certainly unnerving to think that way, but that could be the case as well. I never wanted to show myself to anyone because, in the end, I'm just feeding off Bell's life. I did not want to establish my own identity through Bell's body, which was why I left all social interaction to him.

I also suck at social interaction, but that's a completely different matter.

It was once we'd entered the City of Orario that I chose to tell him that truth. Orario was far more developed than any other village we'd seen so far. In my view, though, Orario seemed more like a medieval village. The entire city was organized into eight sections of a circular region, divided by a crossing set of main roads. In the very centre of the village stood the tallest tower in Genkai, Babel Tower. The region under this tower was our first destination: the Dungeon.

Ghost: I still think you can do better than being an adventurer, Bell. That's what the guy at the gate said, after all.

I said this hoping that he'd drift away from the topic of Hermes knowing him somehow. Moreover, the guy who took half our fortune as an entry fee into Orario had almost laughed at us for wanting to enter the Dungeon, but he resolved himself to a light cough. I saw the mirth in his eyes, though. Don't think you can escape me there. I know when you're thinking ill of me. I've seen it way too many times.

Bell: I'm sorry, Ghost, but I've always wanted to be one. I know you don't want to go there, but this is something I've always dreamed of. I'm really sorry, but I'm not letting anyone stop me. Not even you.

Ghost: … way to make me feel like an asshole. Fine, I'm the freeloader in your body anyway.

Bell: I wish you'd stop calling yourself that.

We shortly reached our destination, Babel Tower. While the tower blotted out the sky, we didn't really bother with how high it went. Instead, we remained on the ground floor where the Adventurer's Guild was housed.

Yes, an Adventurer's Guild. Who knew a fantasy realm would have one. Although, they only manage people who enter the Dungeon and nothing else. No hunting monsters in the wild or whatnot. As Bell walked through the halls, I sat back and kept my senses open to observe everyone's souls.

This was literally the only skill I had by myself, and I no longer had anime or games for entertainment. Don't look at me like that.

It was during my investigation that I sensed it. Acidic, fiery, hellish. It reminded me of hell, of that horrifying experience I had gone through. The existence was coming from past an open gate within the Guild, leading to a descending stairwell.

Ghost: … What is that, Bell?

Bell: That? That's the entrance to the Dungeon, of course!

A shiver went through my spine, an emotion that Bell felt too.

Bell: Is something wrong? Why are you scared?

Ghost: That… That place is like…

I couldn't say it. I had never wanted to enter the dungeon in the first place, but now I wanted to enter even less.

Ghost: Is there no way I can stay out of the Dungeon?

Bell: If you can find another person to live in, then you can stay out. I'm sorry, Ghost, but I have to go in there at some point.

Ghost: That's your answer, huh…?

The existence of the Dungeon is identical to Hell. I stayed in Bell's body to escape Hell's clutches, and yet its existence would be something I would still face if I remained there. The worst part is that I doubted that staying with any other body would offer me the same protection from Hell as Bell offered. Bell's soul was blessed in such a way that made him unique; I doubted that I'd find anyone else with a similarly pure soul. As such, I had no choice but to swallow my own fears and accept my place as Bell's underling.

After a quick conversation with a guild member and a visit to a completely different place which was the true headquarters of the Guild and not simply the Dungeon Entrance, Bell finally got a list of potential familias. I groaned when I felt a flicker from the guild member there when she wished him the best of luck in finding a familia. Seriously, of all the things to lie about… of course, I didn't tell Bell about that. Sure, I didn't want him to be an adventurer, especially now that I know about the Dungeon's existence, but I didn't want to break the poor boy's heart!

"Let's see, exploration-based familias…"

The very first ones caught my eye. Freya and Loki.

"The two greatest familias in Orario, huh?" Bell wondered out loud. "I wonder what it'd be like if I joined them…"

Ghost: Freya and Loki have the best familias?!

Bell: Of course! Their familia has more Level 6s and 5s than any other! Freya Familia's Captain is a Level 7!

Ghost: … I see. I just didn't think they'd be the type. Freya I get, being the wife of Odin and all… is she? God of War and Marvel told me that much, but I don't know much about Norse, not much about Freya anyway. Anyway, Loki's the one I'm concerned about.

Bell: Loki? What's wrong with her?

Ghost: It's just that – wait. Did you just say her?

Bell: W-Well, yeah. Loki is a woman.

Ghost: …

Bell: Ghost? What's going on?

Ghost: They genderbended Loki of all people…

This was causing me immense distress. It just went to show the nature of the world that I ended up in. Seriously, subjecting Loki to an Anime-ifying beam?! I'm starting to rethink meeting the gods and finding out more about them if they're twisted so much.

Bell: Genderbend? Wait, was Loki male in your world?

Ghost: Yes! Loki was pretty much the villain of Norse mythology. He ended up being tied to someplace with his children's intestines and a snake over him dripping venom onto his face every now and then. That all happened because he killed Freya's son with mistletoe. Thank Rick Riordan once again for that.

Seriously, thank you, Percy Jackson. I'd not survive in this world without you.

Bell: That's awful…

Ghost: Newsflash, gods are never kind. No matter the religion, punishments are always cruel and unthinkable. Anyway, this tells me one thing.

Bell: What is that?

Ghost: I shouldn't count on my own knowledge of these gods too much. Is Loki still the God of Mischief?

Bell: … I'm sorry, I don't know. Most Gods tend to keep their natures secret. Although, I've heard Loki being described as mischievous more often than not.

Ghost: Alright, that sucks. Anyway, you do you, Bell. You can apply for them if you want, just make it quick.

Despite it all, I did hope Bell got into the Loki Familia. Loki's chaotic energy was just the thing I needed to spruce up my quickly boring life.

Two days later, I was cutting off a single slice of a loaf of bread we managed to buy for cheap.

"This should probably last us a few more days if we save it…"

Bell: Why can't we buy more food, Ghost?! We're starving!

"Goddamit, Bell, we're broke as hell!" I announced in the confines of our apartment. "We've only got enough for one more night of stay. After tonight, we'd have to move out!"

Bell: … Okay, then. Let's keep looking for familias.

"Oh? And how's that gone so far?"

Bell: W-We may not have had much luck so far, but we still have familias pending!

If it wasn't obvious, things turned out the worst way possible. We already had a very meagre amount of money to work with, so I had tried to set rations from day one. We survived on Bell's savings of jerky and crackers at first. However, that quickly ran out by today morning. The hotel we were staying in was meant for a short stay so we bought it on daily rent. Very poor choice, now that I see it.

Bell: And what about jobs?! Have you got one yet?!

"Urk."

Yep, jobs were another problem too. I was trying to work with Bell's body, but his physicality was too poor for me to handle.

"That's on your body, man!"

Bell: Don't pin it on me! The last time we got fired you put my finger in my nose in front of the head chef!

"There was something in there! It was just in and out! I can't work when something's in my nose like that!"

Despite my excuses, I bit back my agony at having been caught for such a reckless mistake. It was going so well too. I had already wasted several portions of food due to the speed at which I'd been made to send it all out. For some reason, the more professional chefs took days off when I showed up, leaving me to handle rush hour service by myself. It was up there in the worst days of my life, obviously not counting my time in Hell. Nothing compares to that.

"… All we can do for now is look for familias," I relented. "You can continue ticking off ones from that list."

Bell: I'm starting to think that I should look at familias outside of exploration-based ones…

"Maybe we should at some point. For now, let's just keep looking at those ones."

A couple visits later with all rejections including one after hearing Bell's stomach growling, we finally resolved to find something to eat.

Ghost: Restaurants are the worst possible choice for us.

Bell: Why?

Ghost: They tend to keep prices to market standards. If we want something cheaper, we need to start visiting roadside stalls instead. Part of their charm is their low costs, after all.

Bell: Should we go to the Market, then?

Ghost: Hmm… that could work. Those guys will certainly be open to some haggling.

Bell: … Do we really have to haggle?

Ghost: Do you want to burn through our remaining funds?

Bell: … Go ahead.

Ghost: Good, but be warned. I'm awful at it.

Assuming control, I sighed through Bell's mouth. I turned southwards to touch Babel Tower so I could connect to the Market Area. Neither of us was familiar enough with Orario to navigate through the alleyways, so we stuck to the main roads like the tourists we were.

"Jagamarukuns! Get them piping hot!"

Despite the din of the rush around us, those words made themselves known quite easily. Finding the words 'piping hot' close to what I was looking for, I waded through the other humans, demis, elves – sentient beings to try and find the source.

What I found was a super short girl with long black hair roughly tied into a ponytail swinging a couple fried goods around, her massive boobs swinging with every motion. More importantly, she was wearing literal rags that exposed too much of her cleavage and would definitely reveal her privates if she dared bend low, and her boobs were supported by a string. Seriously, what was up with that?! Didn't that hurt her in any way? Breasts as big as those needed support, a string would hurt way too much! I was not a girl in my previous life, but I knew that much at the very least! Whoever designed this chick was certainly a horny pervert, although that's a summary of this world in general. Seriously, they genderbended Loki!

Bell: Who is that?

Ghost: Hmm…

I reached out with my senses and tried to get a feel for her existence. Its size was like a human, but it felt as if she was restraining herself in some way. It felt like her existence was shoved into a human-sized bottle. Moreover, her existence was not like a human's in feeling either.

"Hey, you there!" the girl called out to me, pointing at me as well. "Want some fresh Jagamarukun? They're only 100 valis each!"

"Deal."

I immediately marched over to the big-boobed loli and forked over 200 valis. She happily accepted and offered two fried items. I hastily shoved one into my mouth, eagerly enjoying the taste of fresh fried potato calming our growling stomach.

Potato?

I looked back down at the second jagamarukun in my hand. An oval-shaped potato patty with a crispy golden exterior from frying… wasn't this a hashbrown?

"You certainly look hungry," the girl said to us. "Want some more?"

I slightly coughed, hoping that my voice would come down fine, especially with such a distracting girl before me. "What were these called again?"

"Jagamarukun, of course!"

"So that's what you call hashbrowns in this place, huh?" I took another bite of the hashbrown in my hand. It reminded me of McDonald's hashbrowns, which was the one thing on their menu I would love to eat 20 of as long as I dabbed them with a tissue beforehand. Jagamarukuns had a very similar issue.

"Hashbrowns? Do you think you can make them as well?!"

I blinked. "Of course, I can."

"Heh. Why don't we have a jagamarukun battle, then?!"

My lips quivered. I sure did know how to make hashbrowns, I just didn't know if I could keep trusting Bell's limbs for cooking. Especially when it came to frying stuff. Deep-frying is always terrifying, even for more experienced chefs.

Bell: What is going on, here?

Ghost: Sorry, can we accept this duel?

Bell: Are you sure you can keep cooking in my body?

Ghost: … I'll just have to try.

I rolled up the sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt that Bell wore that morning. "I should check your pantry first."

"Please, come in," the girl said, opening the panel on the side and allowing me to enter. I quickly inspected the cooler behind them. It was filled with pre-formed frozen potato patties. All that was left was the simple matter of frying them up. Not a bad thing, really. It's after cooking that any food loses quality while freezing. With hashbrowns, this is actually a pretty good way of doing things.

"Do you have any tissues?" I asked.

"Of course, we're not savages," the girl appeased. "Here are the rules. Simple jagamarukun with simple seasoning, nothing fancy."

"What's the seasoning?"

"Salt and pepper, nothing else."

"Pepper's a little weird, but sure."

"Very well! Choose your jagamarukun."

I looked down at the cooler and picked out the most natural-looking patty that I could find. Hopefully, things were okay within the patty as well…

"Good!" the girl reached into another drawer in the cooler and pulled out another patty. "Let's fight!"

I smiled and nodded. She handed me a large pot with oil, but I ignored that. Instead, I found a smaller pan and set that over the stove, lightly filling it with oil. The girl looked at me oddly but then returned to her large pot and set it to heat as well. I took a second patty from the cooler, appeasing Hestia's concerns that it wouldn't end in the final dish in any way. I broke tiny pieces of it and waited for a few minutes. Hestia had already set her patty in, letting it cook. I first dropped one of those broken potato pieces in the pan and was glad to hear the sizzle from it. I immediately set the temperature low.

Frying was certainly dangerous, especially deep-frying. However, I had always preferred shallow frying instead. The moderate exposure to air made it so much clearer when the food would be ready, with none of the merits of deep-frying lost. There is less oil used, less splashing, less risk, all pluses. All in all, it's the perfect way to fry stuff while unfamiliar in Bell's body.

I gently lowered the patty in, ensuring to set it away from me. I watched the sizzling slow down some, so I slightly raised the temperature for some time. Unlike Hestia who kept her hashbrown in the oil for over 2 minutes, I flipped mine 30 seconds in. The colour wasn't right yet, but I trusted in the process. I gave the other side the same amount of time and I fished it out onto the small net of tissues I'd assembled earlier. I salted either side of the hashbrown and then let it rest for a while. Leaving it exposed to air, I watched as the colour deepened and reached the temperature I was looking for.

"Done!" The girl immediately presented a hashbrown to him. I smiled and gently patted my hashbrown dry before presenting it to her as well.

"So, how are we going to judge?"

"Just what are you two doing?" another woman stepped into their stall. "Lady Hestia, why is there some stranger working on my counter?"

"Ah, please don't worry – "

The girl continued to appease the woman who was clearly her boss, but I zoned out immediately after hearing her name. Hestia? The Greek Goddess Hestia, the Goddess of Hearth and Family? That was the person I'd just battled against? Her soul was different, but I certainly didn't expect it to be a God's.

Bell: Is something wrong, Ghost?

Ghost: This girl's a Goddess, Bell.

Bell: Huh?! Are you sure?

Ghost: Well, unless her soul is godlike for some other reason and she was named after the Goddess Hestia, then yes.

Bell: I see…

Ghost: Hey, why don't you take over from here? I've already done the cooking.

Bell: Huh?! But why?

Ghost: Come on, I've already wasted enough energy on social interaction. You're way better at this thing than I am.

Bell: … Okay…

"Right, so you two were competing?" the boss commented as Bell returned focus to them. "I'll be your judge, then. Hestia, yours first."

"Sure!" she barked, handing her the jagamarukun she made. The boss scratched the exterior with her finger and then bit into it. She frowned and pulled her mouth away, revealing a string of cheese within.

Ghost: … Goddess of Family my ass.

"Ehehe…" Hestia chuckled, flashing a sheepish look at Bell. "Can you beat me now, boy?"

Ghost: Heh, don't think I'm backing down so soon. Bell! En garde!

Bell: W-What does that mean?!

Ghost: Hand her the goddamn hashbrown!

Bell quivered at my voice, but then quickly picked up my creation and handed it to the boss lady. She performed the same operation as before save for the cheese pull because, of course, Hestia didn't give me a cheat hashbrown as well. The boss quirked a brow in surprise.

"This is a lot crispier than normal!" she announced, looking at him. "What did you do?"

Ghost: Repeat after me.

"P-Patting the jagamarukun dry keeps it crispier by removing grease," Bell explained for me while I ensured I didn't use words like 'I' to avoid Hestia's lie detection. "Also, shallow frying is better for overall results."

"Hmm… Any other advice?"

"This will be different from tradition, but you can also try breading the jagamarukun. That is meant to be crispy, after all. Also, have the potatoes been drained of liquid before being formed into patties?"

"Drained?" the boss quirked her neck.

Ghost: Amateurs.

Bell almost made to say that, but thankfully I stopped him. "Water is the enemy of crunch, so get rid of all the water you can before you shape the patties. You can put the shredded potatoes in a cloth and squeeze them dry after washing them free of their excess starch."

The boss nodded, surprisingly taking notes. "I see… is that all?"

"… That is all for now."

"Heh, you saved my stall, boy! I never got your name…"

Hestia winced, finally remembering that she hadn't introduced herself either.

"O-Oh, I'm Bell Cranel!" Bell said, free of my influence and bowing to the two of them respectfully. "It's nice to meet you both!"

Hestia smirked. "You're a nicer boy than I thought…"

The boss sighed. "Well, you know her. Her name's Hestia, anything more about her I'll leave for her to explain. I'm Fila, the mistress of potatoes."

Ghost: … Say what?

"Every potato touched by my hand will be blessed to retain perfect flavour, no matter what!" Fila pointed at Bell. "You seem to have immense talent, and I'd rather not let someone other stall steal you away. Work for me."

"I accept!"

I nodded, happy with Bell's answer. I was only doubtful about how this Fila character acted.

"Good! Now, you can come for tomorrow morning's shift and help me with forming the patties. Hestia, you can remain at the stalls."

"Why can't I help you both…?" she asked, expression drooping.

"You are much more skilled at getting our customers in."

Ghost: Sex sells. I understand completely.

Bell turned red at my comment and finally understood what Fila meant, but then shook himself out of it.

"Unfortunately, we're pretty much done for the day," Fila said, gesturing at the setting sun. "Both of you! I hope you're both on time tomorrow. We meet at dawn!"

Bell nodded. "I'll be there!"

With that Fila waved at them and left the stall, leaving Hestia, Bell and me alone.

"So, um, Lady Goddess – "

"How do you know I'm a goddess?!"

"Um… what?" Bell muttered and I sighed. I didn't blame him. I didn't think she'd be surprised by it either. "How did you know that I knew?" Bell countered.

"… You just called me 'Lady Goddess'…"

"Ah. Right."

"So?" Hestia crossed her arms over her bust. "How did you know that I'm a Goddess? I am certain I left my Arcanum sealed completely…"

"Um, I recognised the name Hestia."

"I can still tell lies, you know?"

"… Of course. Ghost? I don't think we have any choice now." Bell announced, making me frown.

"Right, I am the one who recognised your name," I took over and spoke.

Hestia blinked. "You're saying the same thing, but it's not a lie? Do you have some way of lying to us?!"

"Why would I expose myself so easily if I had such a cheat skill?! But no, that's not it. I'm not Bell Cranel."

Hestia paused and looked at him.

"I'm the one who made that hashbrown. Bell's the owner of this body, I'm the Ghost in him. Don't ask me my name, I don't remember it."

Hestia frowned. "Possessing someone is never something decent. Are you a stray soul of some kind?"

"I have no idea what I am, and I'd rather keep my afterlife experience to myself, thanks."

Hestia sighed. "So? Why are you in Bell's body?"

"I'm just freeloading off him. Although, I'm seriously starting to reconsider it. Bell has these huge dreams of becoming an Adventurer and diving into the Dungeon, but I don't want anything to do with that."

"… Haven't you bothered taking full control of him?"

"I'd rather not. Sounds like it's a hassle to keep him at bay. It's much better to share."

"Then why haven't you left his body?"

"I'll keep those reasons to myself, thanks. Although, I will say that I don't mean anything atrocious. I have no idea if my presence is negative to Bell in any way, but I'm not intentionally doing anything to harm him or anyone else. My reasons are for myself."

"I see… Can I talk to Bell again?"

Nodding, I switched back to him. "Y-Yes, Lady Goddess?"

"You're much more respectful than that Ghost, aren't you?" she said, making me reel in shame. "Anyway, how do you feel about Ghost being in your body?"

"Oh, I'm fine with it!"

"You're lying."

"…"

"I'm listening."

"… I would prefer it if Ghost found someplace else to live, but I really don't mind him living with me too much. I just hope he doesn't stop me from achieving my dreams."

"Hm. Better. I have an offer for you, Bell. You want to be an Adventurer, don't you?"

"Y-Yes, why?"

"Which Familia are you in?"

"Ah, umm… we haven't found one yet."

A glint appeared in Hestia's eye. "In that case, why don't you join my familia?"

Ghost: Now, Bell, you need to ask if –

"I accept!"

Ghost: God fuckin-

A/N: Right, new chapter. I honestly have no idea what to say right now.

The Dungeon is like Hell, yes. That's how I'm envisioning it. Heck, the very concept of this soul memory thing is shoddy, really. Souls don't hold memories, the brain does. To say that Ghost was able to retain some of his memories throughout Hell is just impractical because the soul doesn't hold memories at all. I honestly see the soul like a battery for human life, something to jumpstart it. I also believe in one's soul taking imprints from the world around it, my previous karma discussion. Once again, this entire story is an extended twitter opinion post.

Bell and Ghost are finally joining Hestia Familia! I did think of having him join another one, but it was too much effort for me to come up with a story for that. I've taken up a writing course where I'm writing my own independent story, mainly to see how I can improve my style, so I'll be writing that alongside this as well.

I imagine that my next chapter will be for Re:Teyvat. It's been a while since my last update for that, after all. Also, I've gotten a better hold of something I forgot in the previous chapters related to that story, so it'll be easier for me to write it.

Remember to leave a review! Even if you don't favorite and follow, I don't mind. Reviews are a million times better!

V5: They won't split anytime soon. That part of the story is pretty choppy in my mind, but I do have some ideas. Of course, I won't say anything. As for the ships, they'd just have to manage.

Anyway, that's all for now! I'll see you next chapter!