Hello everyone and happy new year!
I will upload the fifth chapter as well in a couple of days. I will probably look to do at least chapter 6 before doing a chapter for one of the other stories. Possibly the Prince one since I haven't done almost anything for that story specifically.
Look forwards to that, in the meantime enjoy this chapter
Chapter 4 – The Adventures Of Bell Cranel (1)
"It's pathetic isn't it? For a Goddess to live in a place like this."
Bell had gladly accepted her offer only for the Goddess to suddenly become nervous as she tried to explain where her house was. Apparently most people she offered a Familia to turned her down upon seeing what kind of place she lived in.
"Don't worry Goddess. I do not mind."
Bell's smile and kindness caused Hestia to burst into tears, happy to have finally found a reliable member to start a Familia. The two then entered the church where Hestia gave Bell his first blessing. It was a shock to her when she learnt that Bell already had a skill. A unique and powerful skill called Liaris Freese, which had the effect of increasing growth speed according to his feelings as well as making him immune to charms.
Before she could question him any further after telling him of his skill the boy left, saying he had to meet Astraea. Despite having descended a few months ago, she had never met with her dear friend Astraea, too ashamed to show her what had become of her after she heard Hephaestus' thoughts on her current state.
'What a strange and interesting child.'
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Bell arrived at the gates of the Stardust Garden and was reminded of how beautiful the place looked. He contemplated how to inform the Familia of his presence but before he could think any further he was tackled to the ground as a body slammed into him.
"Bell! It's been sooooo long!"
Looking back he spotted his self-proclaimed sister, Alise Lovell. Her fiery red hair and cheery attitude hadn't changed at all. Neither did her bright green eyes lose their shine.
"Alise?! Ugh, let go … of me!"
The people walking around looked surprised as the famous captain of the Astraea Familia tackled the cute bunny boy down to the ground. The red haired girl, however, didn't mind neither Bell nor the citizens going around them and instead kept on lovingly rubbing her cheek against the poor boy's fluffy white hair.
"You've been away for so long and you didn't miss your poor big sister. I felt so lonely and sad without you around, do you know how hard it was for me to not come and find you?"
Alise finally let go as she pretended to wipe a tear.
"I know, I know. I did miss you Alise."
Alise stopped for a moment when Bell gave her a smile, but was happy to see he hadn't changed and was the ever honest boy. She returned his smile before pulling him in for a hug, no teasing this time, she meant it after all when she said she missed him.
"You seem more mature."
"Well, being captain of a Familia comes with its responsibilities. I had to be a bit more serious about it."
"Hmm, but its good you're as lively as back then."
The girl smirked smugly.
"But of course that's one of this beautiful lady's charms. That won't change, don't worry. Wouldn't be me otherwise."
Bell smiled as he heard the last sentence but couldn't help himself when he muttered that she was just as delusional and a show off as before. That of course earned him an elbow to his gut.
"Hehe, anyways it's good to have you back. I thought you had forgotten about me and you wouldn't come back for me."
"How could I ever forget someone like you?"
Alise however, didn't answer only giggling at the question.
"Here for Astraea?"
"Yup."
"Then follow me."
The girl, still taller than Bell, walked behind Bell, her arms wrapped around his neck and her head resting on his own. A simple smile showed how happy she was to get to pamper little Bell once again and she was sure Astraea was going to look forward to it just as much she was.
"Astraea!"
As usual the fiery knight lacked any and all decorum as she slammed the door open, startling all members inside. Bell looked around and was surprised to see that the Familia had expanded quite a bit since he last saw the Goddess. All of whom, were now sat at a table, eating and discussing plans.
"Alise!"
Shouting at the captain was Ryuu Lion, the blonde elf was strict about being respectful towards Astraea. However, everyone went quiet when they saw who Alise's head was resting on. Of course almost all of the girls in the room didn't know him, but Astraea, Ryuu, Kaguya and Lyra knew him well and it had been a good amount of years since they had last seen him.
"Bell!"
A bright smile sprouted on the Goddess of Justice. Without missing a beat, the woman stood up and made her way to the bunny.
"Aunty Straea!"
Bell waved energetically while shocking all the members who didn't know him by the way he addressed their patron Goddess. The virgin Goddess on the other hand didn't mind and opened her arm, inviting the little bunny in an embrace, further shocking the members.
Bell walked forward and hugged the Goddess, who couldn't help but rub her face in the fluffy hair. It was as soft as she remembered and his smile and personality as pure as ever. It was no wonder that the divine weapon had chosen him as the wielder.
"It's truly been too long Bell. I see you still have your pretty necklace, and look at how much you have grown. You've become big and strong, just like a hero."
The Goddess teased him and was rewarded with the much awaited sight that was his adorable blush. The members of the Familia watched with hanging mouths. While the Goddess often showered with them, none of them would dare to take a peek at the Goddess much less touch her. The only select few who had hugged the Goddess, or more aptly, been used as a pillow, were Alise, Lyra, Kaguya and Ryuu.
"Now, since you are here, that means you'll be starting your journey as an adventurer and hero, am I correct?"
"Yup!"
"Good now in that case I would say its time for you to receive this."
The Goddess let go of Bell and took a minute to retrieve her divine weapon before handing it to Bell. The boy gladly took it and stared at it in awe, not having had much of a chance to admire the blade back when he was a child. She was relieved to see that he was still the worthy chosen one.
"Now Bell, obviously you won't be able to use the full potential of the sword. That will happen as you grow stronger, for now it is no more than a regular high quality blade in your hands. You understand?"
"Of course Aunty I'll grow stronger than anyone."
"Good, then what do you think about joining my Familia?"
The boy blinked before looking down.
"Sorry but I can't."
"Eh? EH?! Why not?!"
The Goddess was sure that he would have accepted so when he refused and her plans to cuddle with him and have an adorable bunny in the house went into the drain, she began pouting. Bell then explained how he wished to join a starting Familia and found a Goddess that had no members.
"Who is the Goddess? I must make sure that she is a reliable person. I won't accept a filthy b-being, like Ishtar."
"Umm, Hestia?"
Astraea blinked, not knowing that the tiny Goddess had descended to Gekai. Though she wouldn't call her reliable she was a kind and generous girl. She just hoped she didn't hog the cute Bell all to herself. That would be unacceptable for her.
"I see. She's a good person so it should be okay. What are you going to do now Bell?"
"Go to the dungeon of course!"
Astraea felt like face palming at the obvious answer, what was she expecting from the young and hot blooded boy.
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Over the next few days, Bell registered himself as an adventurer and reported the creation of Hestia Familia as an adventuring Familia. There he met his advisor, a pretty half elf with green eyes and brown hair. Her glasses gave a feeling that she was the diligent kind of person. Bell later discovered from his lessons with her that she was beyond diligent.
Then he met Lilliruca Arde. A supporter that looked to be of help to him. One that he could swear looked exactly like the girl that he encountered the night before, escaping from an adventurer who seemed ready to kill her.
Young Bell had learnt much from Zeus and one of the things was to judge a person's character and intentions. When the little girl presented herself to him, he noticed the lying words of a thief but her eyes held so much loneliness and sadness that he ended up accepting her request. It was in Bell's nature and he could not turn a blind eye to her situation.
And despite the kindness he showed, the little prum didn't let herself be swayed. In the few hours she was with him, she noticed his necklace and the beautiful sword. However, she soon gave up on the sword as it didn't budge in her hands, making her wonder how strong Bell was. The necklace on the other hand looked to be important to him, but the colourful feather was easily recognizable. Her knowledgeful eyes immediately recognized the siren's feather. An incredibly expensive drop item, just like a vouivre's teardrop or a mermaid's blood.
Just a few days later, the little girl made her move and stole the necklace. Thing that Bell immediately noticed immediately. He had to admit that it was impressive how she managed to take it from him without him knowing from the start. However , he couldn't allow the feather, being a gift from Ray, to be sold. Even if it did he would just go to Astraea and ask her to take it back under the pretence of it being stolen.
He didn't like the idea of using Astraea's reputation for it, but it was too important for him. Luckily it never came to that as Lilli bumped into him once again. Before he could ask her about the necklace a familiar elf caught his eye. Ryuu Lion, she held the necklace in her hand. The elf had immediately recognized it, as the little boy had it on him ever since he returned from the dungeon back when he was five.
"Ryuu!"
The boy grabbed the elf's hand causing the woman to blush, but she did not push him away.
"Umm, Bell-kun, please don't."
Bell immediately squealed and backed away as he realized he was practically rubbing her hands with his own.
"S-sorry about that Ryuu."
"Don't worry. I know how much that necklace meant to you. Speaking of which."
Her gaze hardened and returned to the prum who shrunk away from the glare.
"It's all okay Ryuu. I'll deal with this I don't want to bother you anymore than I have to."
The blonde girl nodded and with a smile she bid farewell.
"Now, Lilli."
The girl paled as she watched Bell tower over her.
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The boy had stated that she should never try to take his belongings again, but made sure to emphasize the importance of the necklace. His kind soul, however, forgave her and made her promise she would not do it again. She was shocked that he wanted her to stay and be his supporter.
"Lilli. I know you hate adventurers and that everything you're doing is to be free."
His words made her gasp.
"But if you don't tell me what the problem is, I won't be able to help you."
The girl watched with teary eyes at the bunny before her. She let go of her doubts and knowing she could trust him her damn broke. She dropped all her history and feelings, insecurities, doubts, sadness and hatred, bare for Bell to see. He held the little prum in an embrace, slowly patting her head as she promised to be his dedicated supporter.
Over the following days Bell took Lilli to meet with both Astraea and Hestia, also taking the chance to make Hestia meet Astraea. It was awkward for Lilli and Hestia, but the discussion that followed soon solved the awkward environment. In front of the two Goddesses, Lilli told them her history, situation and swore to do whatever she could to help Bell from now onwards.
Astraea, together with Lilli, Bell and Alise would then go to the home of the Soma Familia later in the day, to get the God to release Lilli. After taking a test from the God and surprising him as she retained her will after drinking his wine, Soma was more than willing to let Lilli be free, much to the displeasure of Zanis.
"I will make changes to the Familia and start over so it becomes a proper Familia."
Astraea was happy to see that Soma had finally decided to care for his children. The captain of the Soma Familia on other hand, looked shocked as the God stated that he'd be reforming the Familia. Knowing he'd be losing his power, he couldn't allow the changes to be made.
"W-wait a minute Soma-sama, you said I cou-"
"Be quiet Zanis. While I am responsible. This whole mess was started by you in the first place."
The man was shocked as he had never been opposed or denied by Soma. His anger burst and turned towards Lilli and Astraea. That only resulted in Alise smashing his face with her elbow, not intending to let him go after he directed his unjust rage towards her Goddess.
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"Thank you so much auntie!"
Bell gave the Goddess a tight hug while Soma began removing his falna from Lilli.
"No problem Bell. If you have any problems come to me, alright?"
The rabbit nodded before a question rose in the Goddess' head.
"Say Bell, you've been here for a while, but have you gone to the Ganesha and Loki Familia? I'm sure there a few people that wouldn't be happy to know that Alise had the time of her life with you while they were forgotten aside."
Bell gulped and shook his head. The Goddess giggled before releasing him from her hug and heading back, Bell would be able to deal with the rest. She also made sure to remind Bell to visit Ardee and Ais before he forgot again.
Without wasting time, the Hestia Familia, now comprised of two people, made its way back to their home, safe from scrutinizing eyes. The church may be in ruins but the basement truly represented Hestia, a cosy and warm hearth for its members.
"It's a pleasure to have you in the Familia, Lilli."
"Thank you for taking Lilli in despite everything she has done."
The supporter bowed, tears pricking her eyes, not having enough words to explain how grateful she was to both Hestia and Bell. While Hestia gave the supporter a blessing, Bell excused himself to go and see a few old friends.
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"More, I need more."
A deep and broken voice resounded in the room, soon followed by a blood curling growl that would have terrified even the bravest of warriors. It grew impatient but it knew that it had to bide its time. When the moment for his resurgence would present to himself, it would raise itself and bring chaos to this world.
The belligerent being waited with glee for the day it would unleash itself on Gekai, all the while unaware of its mistake. Far in the north, laid in ruin its secret. A tragic mistake, it would blissfully forget, not realizing how catastrophic it would be to its plans in the future.
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"Sorry about that little bunny. Most left the manor for a mini expedition about a week ago. But man is it good to see you after such a long time. Maybe Aisy poo will soften up again now that you're here. I'm sure the others will be ecstatic about it as well."
Loki walked Bell around the manor of her Familia explaining that he had just missed the whole Familia, now busy on mini expedition to gather funds for the real expedition. The trickster, however, was more than happy of his visit, though she was shocked to hear that her rival Hestia had placed 'her grubby hands all over poor little innocent Bell' and was corrupting him with her enormous breasts.
After his little trip to Loki, the bunny proceeded to make his way to the Ganesha Familia where he was met with an overjoyed Ardee. The girl threw herself on Bell much like Alise had done and just as Astraea predicted, the girl was livid to hear that Alise had gotten a hold of him for an entire week without telling her.
Upon finishing his reunion with Ardee and catching up with her, Bell headed back home to his Familia explaining to Hestia how it all went. According to Loki, the expedition would be back in a week. During that period Bell happily awaited to meet Ais, to see how she had changed, but secretly even more exciting was the idea of meeting Ray. That however, according to Zeus and Ouranos shouldn't be told to anyone.
His week, however, wasn't uneventful. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. During the following week Bell got himself dragged on a supposed date by Eina, who showed him where to buy armour and weapons. The idea was strongly supported by both Hestia and Lilli, who wished for him to be safe. Though the name of the armour piece was questionable at best, the armour itself looked great and soon proved to be reliable.
It was the next day that he learnt of Monsterphilia from Lilli, an event where he had probably the most memorable experience. A battle to the death with a rogue silverback. The fight was seen by many people and its difficulty pushed Bell to his limits. Limits which he broke upon unsheathing the divine weapon for the first time and using it for a spectacular battle which ended in his victory.
Alise, Ryuu and Astraea witnessed the battle and looked in awe at his incredible growth in power since becoming an adventurer. Hope grew in Astraea's heart upon seeing the fight. Perhaps he truly was going to bring an end to the damnable lizard.
It was during that fight that Bell truly understood what Astraea meant when she said that he wouldn't be able to use the full potential of the sword with his current strength. He felt the power of the sword but wasn't able to draw upon it. Like drawing water from an ocean with a spoon. That feeling reaffirmed his wish to grow stronger and empowered his skill, making him grow stronger and faster each day from there on.
After the battle, Bell wisely decided to rest for the next two days. During that time, Bell went around the town where he set foot for the first time in the Hostess of Fertility. According to Astraea, the place was delectable, but he was a little taken back after being suspiciously given a thick black book to read by Mia and Syr.
Following their suggestion Bell took to reading the book, which caused the boy to lose himself in a dream, where questions on the nature of magic awakened his arcane ability. Upon getting a status update, Hestia revealed the appearance of a chantless spell called Lux Aurea. Hestia couldn't tell him much about the spell since there was no description.
"Do not say its name because a chantless spell will go off the moment you call out its name. Unfortunately you'll have to see what it does tomorrow in the dungeon."
That phrase however, was a mistake. The young and impressionable boy, who always dreamt of being a hero and using magic, could not keep his excitement in check for the sake of his own life. As midnight arrived and the moon rose to its peak, Bell snuck out of the church and aimed for the dungeon with a grin.
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In less than hour, the boy had reached the first floor and was already stalking its victim. A green goblin, unsuspectingly roaming the empty room. Bell aimed his outstretched arm at the monster and pronounced the magical words that formed the name of his spell.
"Lux Aurea!"
An electric golden light gathered in his palm in the form of a sphere, emitting a more powerful glow as it charged up. The ball of light shot forwards towards the goblin who turned just in time to spot the glowing attack. Without having the time or reaction speed to dodge it, it took the spell to its face. As soon as the magic attack landed, a devastating explosion shook the room, destroying the goblin.
Just as Hestia had said, or more precisely according to Hephaestus, a magic spells' power and effect was dictated by how long the chant is. The exception to this rule being those who do not have a chant, just like Bell's. They were rare and unique, they could be powerful or useful despite the fact that they had no chant and one could never know what to expect from them.
"Wow."
Bell watched amazed as the dust cleared, revealing the dead goblin torn to bits by the explosion. His eyes shone wide and bright. Before he could think, the boy was already going around blasting everything in sight. He let sphere after sphere go off, destroying room after room of the dungeon with explosion after explosion.
It was no surprise that Bell the ever pure boy got carried away with his spell. In the middle of the night. Alone on the sixth floor. With no armour or weapons. And unknowingly close to a mind down. Bell soon began felt heavy and tired, realizing that he went overboard and that something was wrong he decided to stop for today and try again the next day. That plan however, was soon discarded as he fell to his knees before promptly passing out and hitting the ground face first.
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It had been a good two days since Ais triumphed over Udaeus. Walking next to her was Riveria, carefully observing the blonde knight for the past two days. Her meeting with the red haired tamer had shook her and her bad mood had only soured. She hoped that the battle against Udaeus would have changed that but unsurprisingly her dark and serious visage never left her expression.
Or at least that's what she thought before a look of confusion suddenly took over the face of Ais. Then it brightened with extreme joy as she recognized something before turning to one of dread and horror, fear gripping the young girl's heart. Seeing her go through a sudden turmoil caused the high elf to look at the body laying on the ground, the cause of all her emotions.
The body of an adventurer laying motionless on the ground. Riveria noticed the oddly familiar white hair and upon seeing his face her eyes widened in shock much like the ones of Ais. Together with Ais she dashed to the side of the boy.
She remembered the ever smiling and kind bunny now lying dead on the ground causing her heart to sink. Until she took notice of the fact that there was no blood, no injuries and looking around the room there was no sign of physical fighting. Only the burn marks and magic stones littered the room.
'A mind down?'
The elf couldn't help but look with raised eyebrows at the confusing situation.
"Riveria, how's Bell?!"
The jade haired woman looked back at the terrified girl. It was always interesting how Ais let go of everything both in actions and in her mind and flourished with emotions the moment Bell was brought up as a subject.
"Riveria?!"
"Ah right. He's fine. He just seems to have a mind down."
Ais probably didn't know she was holding her breath, but the sign of relief on her face was instant as she let the air go with a sigh. She smiled slightly before puffing her cheeks and pouting at the unconscious adventurer before him.
"Bell became a cheeky and naughty bunny."
Hearing such a comment caused an adorable giggle to escape Riveria's lips. Ais however, paid it no mind and proceeded to take Bell's head and place it on her laps, just like she used to do back when they were children.
"I'll leave you to it."
Ais nodded and only five minutes after the high elf vanished, the bunny boy began stirring from his slumber.
"Ugh, Ais?"
Bell was surprised to see the Sword Princess and it certainly the kind of reunion he expected or wanted with the sister like girl.
"Bad Bunny."
"What happened?"
Ais then told him of his mind down and spared no word in reprimanding the bad bunny.
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It was a couple of days later that Bell would fall in a trap planned by a group of other adventurers and nearly succumbed to their villainous schemes. Had it not been for the timely intervention of Ais, Bell would have never survived that day.
That is what pushed Ais to drag the boy away and make him promise to meet with her every morning in the manor's training yard, with Loki's full supported consent for a sparring session. Finn, Gareth and Riveria were also happy to share their input to help him grow stronger. Poor Ais was worried for him, she was scared for him. She was terrified of losing him as well, so she made sure to make him stronger … by beating him up continuously.
The other members watched in confusion as the unknown person visited every morning the manor and trained with Ais. Some were jealous and sneered, others were just confused, some didn't care and some cheered for him. But most were in awe by the end as they watched the training session. The boy never gave up and despite the beatings he got up to fight again.
By the second day only few in the Familia were jealous or arrogantly glared at the boy, who paid them no mind. Loki and Finn would also deal with them with harsh punishments. The only two who seemed particularly jealous but said nothing were Lefiya and weirdly enough Bete. It was unusual for the big bad wolf to not say anything, but perhaps his iron will made an impression even on the tsundere wolf as Loki often called him.
.
And it was a week after the training session started and a whole month since he became an adventurer that Bell experienced his first true fight as a hero and warrior. A one on one against an irregular and enhanced minotaurus. With blood red eye, bright crimson fur and black hide, it towered over the human. The large sword in its hand making it all the more intimidating.
Bell however, didn't back down and glared ferociously with his rubellite eyes right at the minotaurus' own red eyes. Behind him stood the executives of the Astraea and Loki Familia. Ais, Alise and Ryuu watched with bated breaths, swords in hand ready to dash forwards the moment Bell is about to die.
Without thinking twice the white haired hero unsheathed the divine weapon and charged forwards. The battle had begun in the minotaurus' favour. Upon catching the rabbit by surprise it managed to land a solid in the boy's left arm. However, it hesitated momentarily upon spotting the powerful adventurers standing behind. It realized too late that they were not going to intervene and the slip up cost it its victory and its arm.
On the other hand, it learnt something else. In front of it stood a challenger and a rival. The enhanced monster began feeling something of new. Something of foreign to an ordinary monster. It felt its blood boiling as excitement filled its body at the prospect of fighting against worthy fighter. With both injured the two were now even. A grin spread on both faces as they resumed their duel for a proper and honourable fight.
It was a heated and epic battle straight out of a heroic tale. Monster and adventurer exchanged blows. Bright golden spheres rained down on the battlefield striking the minotaurus, who tanked the spells. Under the heavy magical bombardment and relentless strikes of the rabbit, the monster slowly began losing its ground.
Seconds turned to minutes as injuries littered the two bodies fighting to their heart's content. The time then came to conclude their mythical fight. They took their place, one facing the other before charging forwards for their last exchange and beginning the motion of their attacks.
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"Congratulations Bell! You're now level two!"
Hestia completed the status update and jumped off the boy's back, calling Lilli back in. the little supporter came back in and congratulated the boy for his success while he took the status paper handed to him from Hestia.
The first thing he noticed was the appearance of a new skill, Argonaut. A heroic strike to turn the tables of a battle. The description really captured Bell's attention but asking the Goddess what exactly that meant, he discovered that she didn't know and the only way to discover was to test it out in the dungeon.
Seeing the battle with the irregular minotaurus had took a lot out of him, Hestia advised for him to rest for at least a couple of days, which the rabbit wisely agreed with. In the following two days Bell would head back to Babel to get new armour only to meet Welf Crozzo in person. From there they agreed to make a contract and as he joined his party, Bell's friendship with Welf would only grow.
Together, Bell, Lilli and Welf formed a formidable party that easily cleared the upper floors day after day. It was during one of these dungeon runs that his argonaut ability first showed. While resting on the tenth floor, an infant dragon suddenly barged in on an unsuspecting Lilli, who was busy retrieving magic stones.
Bell, who was studying the white light that had formed around his hand with Welf, didn't think twice before launching his magic spell towards the dragon monster. Powered up by the argonaut skill, the beam of golden light incinerated the infant dragon leaving only the magic stone.
"Holy Hephaestus! What was that Bell?!"
"I d-don't really know."
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"Yup, that was definitely your argonaut skill."
That is all Hestia said as Bell fully understood the effect of the skill. The ability to turn the tide of a battle with a single attack. It wasn't kidding, it powered up whatever attack he used by several magnitudes, to a level he wouldn't expect to reach with his current strength. A power that would come to save him down in the dungeon in the following days.
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The date of the arrival of the Denatus was just a matter of time and when it did come, boy did chaos rise and order fall. News was shared. Rumours were brought up and discussed. Serious topics were went over, but the only pieces of important information was Ares' yearly invasion and the presence of Evilus growing once again, which turned out to be the more pressing issue. This mainly being due to Rakia having become sort of like a joke to the adventurers and Gods of Orario.
Gods argued over irrelevant and insignificant events. All in all they were several hours of useless banter, until everyone's favourite event arrived. The naming ceremony, where aliases were bestowed on adventurers that levelled up.
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"All ready and set? Little rookie?"
Hestia stood before Bell, Lilli and Welf as she saw them off to the dungeon.
"Don't worry Goddess. We'll be fine. And please forget about that nickname."
The bunny reassured her before setting off for their first trip to the middle floors of the dungeon. Hestia however, simply chuckled liking the alias of the bunny. Next to them the Takemikazuchi Familia bid their farewell to the God of War before heading for the dungeon. Soon their paths would cross over again.
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It looked over the horizon with contempt and let out a guttural rumble. Its eyes glared menacingly at the air, watching its imaginary enemy grow stronger by the day.
"Soon."
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It had been hours since their dungeon raid turned into a survival quest. The party of three had comfortably entered the middle floors, lightly joking and chatting. The hardest moment began when a group of Eastern looking people suddenly dropped a horde of monsters on them.
Lilli shouted pass parade, but the message was lost as they were soon overran by monsters on all sides, forcing them to dive deeper and deeper into the dungeon, in the hope of reaching the eighteenth floor and finding help there.
Fight after fight the group made their way down each floor. However, the continuous fighting began taking its toll on the party of three. Fatigue and injuries kept piling up as floor by floor they encountered dozens of monsters laying in wait on their path.
Then appeared a group of five minotaurus', making Welf panic. It was then that Bell showed his strength, slicing apart one of the level two monsters before charging argonaut for ten seconds and unleashing a physical attack with the landform axe of the monster he had slain previously. The attack was so powerful it sent a shockwave knocking the two companions to the ground.
"Wow."
Welf watched wide eyed at the strength of the white haired boy as he obliterated the entire area with a single physical attack. But even the almighty bunny had limits and was exhausted after using argonaut straight after a prolonged battle of endurance.
With every passing minute, the dungeon whittled at the bunny's strength and it was soon later that Bell had to carry Welf under one arm and the supporter under the other, both passed out after pushing their limit. It was through sheer will that the boy crossed the seventeenth floor, brushing the doorstep of death as he nearly fell victim to a swat of the Goliath's hand.
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"So you think you were right?!"
After being rescued by a worried Ais, Bell had taken time to recover with Loki Familia watching his back. Little did he know that two Gods and a group of adventurers, comprising of Astraea, Takemikazuchi and Hermes Familia, had began travelling through the dungeon in an attempt to find them and rescue them. It was by the end of the same day that the two different groups met and a discussion began as soon as they met.
Considering Bell's connections, it was to no one's surprise that both Astraea and Loki Familia were furious to hear the captain of the Takemikazuchi Familias stance on the matter. Finn was the most after Riveria, Ais and Alise and quickly kicked them out of the camp, stating that as a captain and adventurer he was disappointed in his actions and beliefs.
The other two members of the Takemikazuchi Familia weren't surprised and while Ouka did try to argue he knew that there was no way they'd see reason in his actions. With no choice and everybody shunning them for their decision, to the exception of Bell and Hestia, they left the camp and paid the ridiculous prices that were Rivira's inns.
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It was soon after the Loki and Astraea Familia departed that trouble presented itself. While both groups were worried for young Bell, he insisted that he was going to be fine and did not wish to bother them any further than he had already done.
Oh how wrong he was. It all started with the kidnapping of the naïve Hestia forcing Bell into a fight with Mord, who he had previously met at the Hostess of Fertility and had a less than likeable meeting. After soundly beating Mord up and Hestia calming down the situation with her divine power, the true enemy showed itself. An irregular monster rex sent in response to the dungeon sensing the presence of a God unleashing their divinity.
Luckily Ryuu had stayed behind out of concern for the boy. But even she alone could not defeat the black Goliath. Initially Bors was hesitant about fighting but upon hearing that all entrances to the floor had been blocked, his personality did a complete one eighty. He inspired everyone to take up arms and join the fight to defend the small town.
Dozens upon dozens of adventurers filled the battlefield and fought head on against the irregular monster rex and the hordes of monsters that it summoned forth. It was during this fight that Bell unintentionally gained the trust of Mord.
With a blinding light and a tolling church bell, the rising hero charged forwards intending to deliver his most powerful attack. A full charge and limit off ensured for a devastating attack where Bell would once again prove his worth by breaking past his limits. Full of confidence and bravery, he swung the large sword that he borrowed from the Loki Familia and put an end to the black Goliath.
From afar, a blonde haired God watched it all. Admiration and hope filled his heart at the scene of a hero rising from the ashes of the fallen Great Familias. He stood and brought his feathered hat to his chest as he proclaimed to the heavens above.
"I saw it! I, Hermes, bore witness to it all! Not up to it? Not the chosen one? Do not be a fool Zeus! Your grandson, the present you left us, he is the one destined to rise! He's the last hero of your Familia! Of this generation! Of this world! Things are about to change!"
~To Be Continued
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