AN: Hey everyone. Back with the next chapter. Thank you for the comments and feedback, I read them all. Wanted to address a few now:
RabbitHaremLover24: As always, thanks for the positive feedback!
LoverOfArtemis: Yes you are correct, there really isn't a reason for Bell to have an advisor as he actually has familia members, unlike in cannon. I did this because while the Astrea familia isn't exactly new, they are still relatively small compared to the top dogs. I figured a familia that size would rather have the guild teach him. Maybe to counter this, I'll only have him go when he needs to progress in the dungeon, and not almost every day like in cannon.
Mrlee5255: Glad to hear it, look forward to reading yours when it comes out!
Lordfinn: I'm open to suggestions on those embarrassing names!
charly22salazar: I apologize about Bell's speech. I know he talks more maturely than what his age would suggest. I can try and work with that going forward, but I also plan to age him up soon. I appreciate the feedback.
SmilingIceCube: That's actually a good point on his armor and I hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks for the feedback.
(SPOILER) I also thought I'd answer the number one question I get: Yes Bell's growth is much slower than cannon right now. If I gave him Liaris Freese at age 5 he would be the most OP character by the time he hits his cannon age of 14. That being said he will not be weak forever. No he will not get Liaris Freese exactly, as the "Ais/Minotaur" event does not happen. I will say that he DOES get a skill at one point that will boost his growth in some form. You'll just have to wait and see :)
This was it. The dungeon. Bell had been training for this moment for the past several months. It was time to see how well he could put that training to use. Equipped with his leather armor, his dagger from Ryuu, and a few potions, Bell took his first steps inside.
Remembering what he was taught, he proceeded slowly, keeping his guard up at all times. Alise and Maryuu followed a few paces behind. Not close enough to be targeted by a monster, but still within range to jump in if needed.
As they rounded the first corner, Bell saw movement. It was a tiny green...man? No, it was a goblin. However tiny was relative to the average adventurer. For Bell, it was the same size as him.
Readying his weapon, he slowly approached until the goblin took notice of him. Stunned at first by Bell's small size, the goblin became over confident in his ability to win. Racing towards Bell he readied his attack. Bell stood his ground, waiting for the goblin to close the distance on his own. Once it was in range, Bell and the goblin swung for each other simultaneously. Bell was able to block the hand of the goblin on his leather arm piece with his free hand, allowing him to plunge his dagger into the body of the goblin. Ripping the blade back out, the goblin took a few steps back, before exploding into ash.
Turning to face his companions, both Alise and Maryuu could see the absolute joy on his face after completing his first kill.
"I did it! I killed a monster!" Sang Bell as be began to jump around.
The two let out a small giggle before Alise took a serious tone.
"That's very good Bell, but the dungeon is not a place to celebrate. Keep your guard up at all times and never lose focus." Said Alise
"Yes, you're right" Said Bell, getting himself back into position to continue forward.
It didn't take long before they came across another goblin. This one seemingly having the same mindset as the first one with Bell's small size. As it charged forward and Bell readied himself, Alise interjected.
"Bell, try not to let this one hit you. Your armor should hold up against goblin attacks on this floor, but you aren't meant to be hit by every monster you fight, at least not on purpose." She stated.
Bell gave her a small nod, understanding what she meant. His armor would need constant repairs if he treated every fight like he had his first one. This time around, he let the goblin swing first. Stepping to the side as best he could, the goblin hit nothing but air. Realizing this was his time to strike, he slashed his dagger down across the goblins face and upper torso. While this didn't kill it, it did render it unable to fight as it was too concerned with the pain to notice Bell moving in for a second hit. Much like the first goblin, this one soon exploded into ash, and dropped another crystal.
"Very good Bell, you handled yourself well." Praised his captain.
.
One by one the goblins fell to Bells blade. He was hit a few times as he tried to learn how the goblin attacks, but with each kill, he became just a little bit more efficient. This lasted for an hour or so until Bell came across a monster that wasn't a goblin. It appeared to be a mix between a wolf and a person.
"A kobold" Bell whispered. Readying himself for the fight.
Once the monster had spotted Bell, it dropped into a low prone position, ready to stalk its prey. It quickly ran at Bell, and caught him off guard as Bell wasn't expecting it to be so fast. He tried his best to dodge, but the kobold's sharp claws were too fast for him. His armor did a good job of taking the brunt of the damage, but one of the claws had managed to slip through a joint in the armor, and scratch Bell himself.
Letting out a scream as blood began to ooze from his wound, Bell was trying his best to focus on the monster in front of him, and not the pain in his shoulder.
Hearing his scream, Maryuu instantly started to run forward, only to be stopped by Alise who held a hand out in front to block her.
"Not yet" was all she said. Although she was barely containing herself for that matter. Hearing Bell scream was the most unpleasant sound she'd ever heard, and it tugged at her heart.
As Bell focused on the beast in front of him, he readied his dagger. The kobold swung its claws once more, but instead of dodging Bell blocked them with his weapon. Using a small burst of strength, he was able to push the kobold's arm back and got in a small cut against the monster's chest. A thin line of blood ran out of the beast, but this only seemed to anger it.
Thinking back on something Ryuu had once said in relation to fighting beasts that stand on all fours, Bell adjusted his stance to attempt to use the kobolds speed against it. As the monster charged, Bell readied himself for the incoming claw swipe. What he wasn't ready for, was the kobold to forgo the claw strike, and attempt to bite him instead. Bell had no time to react as the Kobold clamped down on one of his legs.
While leather armor is somewhat resistant to both slashes and punctures, it could not hold up to the bite strength of the kobold's powerful jaw. The teeth of the monster punctured the leather and entered Bell's skin. Bell once again screamed in pain as both his shoulder and now his leg were bleeding.
Alise decided now would be a good time to step in, and with one fluid motion, cleaved the the kobold clean in half. As the monster turned to ash, Bell's leg was freed.
Even after having his leg freed, Bell hadn't moved from his spot on the dungeon floor. He sat there, staring at the crystal dropped from the kobold. Worried for his health, Maryuu quickly ran up to him, and began to heal his wounds with her magic.
"Are you okay Bell? That looked like a nasty bite." Asked Maryuu, still healing his wounds.
Bell offered no reply. He simply sat there...staring.
"It appears some lessons on kobolds specifically are in order, I'll mention this to Ryuu when we return and she can help you out." Stated Alise, looking down at Bell.
Once again, Bell said nothing. Maryuu had finished healing his wounds on the surface, but he would need to rest to let his body finish recovering.
"Bell, what's wrong, say something..." Said Alise as she dropped to his level to look him in the eyes.
As he looked up at her, she could see the tears forming in his eyes.
"I know it still hurts but be strong okay?" She said trying to comfort him
"That's not it..." Whispered Bell, his voice barely able to be heard.
As Alise reached out a hand to comfort Bell, he flinched. An action not lost on the two members present. An action that hurt her heart.
"You had to save me..." He whispered, only this time, a little louder.
"A level one monster, and you had to save me..."
"Bell, don't beat yourse.."
"NO!" He shouted, startling the two.
"Don't you get it?! I've been training with you all for months and for what?! I couldn't even beat this stupid monster!" Bell shouted.
"How am I ever supposed to be the hero if I'm the one always needing to be saved..." he said. His voice returning to a whisper at the end of the statement.
It took the two women a moment to gather their thoughts. Seeing Bell like this was nothing short of heartbreaking. Finally after a few minutes had passed, Maryuu spoke up first.
"Bell. I know this must be frustrating, but you're still so young. You're only six. Most adventurers don't start this young. You are already ahead of them all. You killed nine goblins today! All by yourself!" She exclaimed.
"Maryuu is right Bell. Be proud of what you've accomplished today. So what if you lost a fight. You think the hero's in your stories won every fight they had?" Asked Alise.
Bell was silent for awhile. Pondering the two responses he was given. As more time had passed with Bell not saying anything, the two began to worry about him even more. Finally breaking the silence, Bell spoke up.
"I just wanna go home.." he said, with little emotion in his voice.
"Alright, let's head back. Can you stand?" Asked Alise
As Bell tried to stand, the pain in his leg from where the kobold had bit him began to flare up again, and he collapsed back down.
Seeing this, Alise scooped Bell up, and placed him over her back to carry him home. Needing to be carried out of the dungeon on his first trip in did not improve Bell's mood.
Making their way back through the dungeon and into the city happened with no further complications. The walk back was made in complete silence, as no one spoke a word. Upon entering the gates of the mansion, a few members who had returned from their errands ran out to greet them.
They hadn't made it very far for as soon as they locked eyes with their captain, Alise gave a small shake of her head, signaling this was not a good time. Feeling the atmosphere drop, the other members backed away.
Upon entering the home, they were immediately greeted by their goddess. It appeared as though she was camping at the front door all day, eagerly awaiting their return. No words were needed as Astrea could read the expressions on Alise's and Maryuu's face. Something had not gone right. Worry instantly filled her.
As Bell was brought into the infirmary room to rest, Maryuu stayed by his side in silence to monitor his condition, while Alise went back out to tell her goddess what had happened.
After retelling the story of Bell's fight with all the goblins, and finally the Kobold, along with everything that was said after, Astrea could not help the tears that escaped her. She was not the only one as Kaguya and Ryuu had listened in on the story as well.
"I tried to talk to him further, but he doesn't seem to be interested in anything I have to say" Said Alise, letting out a sigh.
"Thank you... Alise, for bringing Bell back to me. I will talk to him, but he probably just needs time to sort out his feelings." Said Astrea.
Astrea left the three in the living room, and departed for the infirmary. If her little Bell was hurting, she would do everything she could to help.
As she entered the room, she quietly signaled Maryuu to give them some privacy. Doing as she was instructed, she quickly left, leaving her goddess and Bell alone in the room.
"Bell" Astrea spoke softly. "May I sit with you?"
Not even looking up to greet her, he offered a small nod.
He really must be beating himself up over this. I've never seen him this down before.
"Alise told me what happened, Bell, and I think you were incredibly brave today. In all my years living down here, I've never seen nor heard of a six year old capable of killing nine goblins in row."
"But I lost goddess... I lost to a single kobold. A measly level one monster." Countered Bell
Getting out of her chair, and climbing into the bed with Bell, she held him as close to her as she could.
"Bell, that kobold was bigger than you are. It will take some more time, but you'll grow stronger every day, I promise. Before you know it, no kobold will ever be able to defeat you." She said, while starting to run her hand through his hair.
"Are you sure?" Asked Bell, looking up into her eyes.
The hopeful expression on his face was almost too much for Astrea to handle. She had never seen a cuter face. Smiling down at him she spoke.
"Yes Bell, I just know it"
After the reassurance from his goddess, Bell relaxed a little and just let himself be comforted. While he'd never say it out loud, having a hand run through his hair was very relaxing.
.
As dinner time approached, everyone was gathered around the table, ready to eat. Bell was still rather quiet compared to his usual self, but his mood had been improving with every passing hour.
Alise recounted Bell's first dungeon trip to the rest of the familia as they ate. Bell nervously looked around at each of the members, expecting some disappointed faces. What he didn't expect, was for every member to congratulate him on the many goblins that he won against. Feeling slightly better about himself, he let a small smile grace his features.
After Bell and many of the members had gone to bed, the higher ranking members of the familia held a small meeting to discuss Bell's training.
"While I'm proud of what he accomplished in the dungeon today, he definitely has a long way to go" Said Alise, letting out a sigh.
"I would like to be with him on his next trip into the dungeon, and see for myself how he fights." Stated Kaguya.
"That would be a good idea. Take Ryuu with you. Given the amount of time she spends training Bell she should see what he needs to improve upon, not to mention she can replace Maryuu in terms of healing magic." Said Alise.
As Alise and Kaguya continued to discuss what was best for Bell, Astrea simply sat quietly, half listening to what was said while zoning out into her own little world.
"Lady Astrea, you've been awfully quiet this whole time, something bothering you?" Asked Alise to her goddess
"Were we wrong to do this? Did we send him in too soon?" Asked Astrea, not making eye contact with her two children present.
While both Alise and Kaguya could understand why the question was asked, the answer was very easy.
"No. Even after how today turned out, I'm still glad we went. It pains me to know that Bell was hurt, but that's the life of an adventurer. You know better than I the road this lifestyle travels." Said Alise.
"He'll never fulfill his dreams if we hold him back." Said Kaguya
"I know. I trust you all to keep him safe." Said Astrea, offering her children a warm smile.
.
As the sun began its ascent into the sky, Bell was once again up and running through the halls. He was already wearing his armor and had his dagger strapped to his waist. After the previous day of Neze helping him with his gear, he had little trouble doing it by himself now.
As the rest of the familia came into the kitchen, they could see Bell already scarfing down his breakfast. He was wasting no time in waiting for the rest of them to join.
"Slow down there Bell, you're gunna give your little tummy a bellyache." Said Lyra, making a frowny face at Bell.
All he could do was glare at her as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.
"Seems someone's ready to go" Said Kaguya, sitting down next to Bell to eat her own meal.
"You bet! I'm gonna beat all the monsters this time!" Shouted Bell, clearly haven gotten over yesterday's failure.
As breakfast came to a close, Bell had not settled down and was still racing around the mansion waiting for Kaguya and Ryuu to finish their preparations. He didn't have to wait long as they both rushed their efforts, knowing how excited Bell was.
The trio were soon on their way, heading towards the dungeon entrance. As they walked, Bell had slowed himself down a little, as to not run ahead. The streets of Orario were often cramped, and one as small as himself could be easily lost. As the entrance came into site, Bell did his best to ready himself. He understood now that the dungeon was not a place to have fun and mess around.
After descending the staircase to the first floor, Bell paused, took a deep breath, and continued on. Kaguya and Ryuu kept their distance, much like Alise and Maryuu had the day before. They were both more than curious as to how Bell would handle his first, and hopefully not last, kobold of the day.
Much like the day before, the first few monsters they stumbled across had been goblins. Bell made quick work of them, and only took a few small hits. Hits that his armor held strong against.
It only took turning a few corners for the trio to spot their first kobold. It was wandering the halls, looking for its next victim. As it took notice of Bell, it focused all its attention on the young boy.
"Remember Bell, the kobold will alternate between clawing at you, and biting you. You have to be ready to handle either situation." Said Ryuu
The monster, not wanting to wait around for Bell to make the first move, sprang forward and ran at him. This time however Bell was expecting the speed, and reacted quicker than he did yesterday. As the claws of the kobold slashed down towards Bell, he leapt forward and rolled to the side, using his small size to slide under the out stretched limb of the monster. Once Bell had landed, he plunged his dagger into the side of the beast. It let out a nasty yell as it recoiled from the sudden pain.
Unfortunately for Bell, the sound of the kobold's scream had alerted another one that was just around the corner. Hearing its fellow beast scream, it came running into the room to investigate the noise. As Bell turned his head to greet the new monster, the first one was recovering, and was quick to snap at Bell with its jaw.
Ryuu, seeing that Bell was too focused on the new arrival to realize the first one was launching an attack, stuck the end of her wooden sword into the kobold's mouth to save Bell from being bitten.
"Focus Bell, do not lose sight of your original opponent, just because it was wounded, does not mean it is no longer a threat." Shouted Ryuu, snapping Bell's attention back to her.
As Bell brought his attention to the kobold that had nearly bitten him, Ryuu removed her sword from its mouth, and stepped back to let the fight continue. Bell was now sandwiched between the two kobolds, a spot that even he could quickly understand was not where he wanted to be.
As the new one charged at Bell, the wounded one held its ground, not giving Bell a chance to back up. Bell made the only move he could, and dove to the side to let the charging beast pass. As he recovered from his roll and looked up, he could see the two kobolds, now side by side, slowly approaching him.
Figuring he should target the already weakened one, Bell ran forwards towards it. Once he was in range, he repeated the maneuver he had used earlier, and slide under the side of the injured kobold. The monster had little time to move as Bell, not waiting for his slide to finish, plunged the dagger into the underside of the kobold. Getting in a lucky strike, the dagger managed to pierce the lung of the monster. This coupled with the loss of blood from its earlier wound, was enough to kill the first kobold. As it's body exploded into ash, the remaining kobold wasted no time in slashing at Bell. As Bell had sacrificed his position to kill the first one, his back was wide open to the incoming hit.
The leather held strong during the swipe, only leaving Bell with faint marks on his skin, barely piercing it. As Bell whirled around to face his next opponent, the kobold charged in again, this time ready to bite. Not wanting to be bitten two days in a row, Bell shoved his dagger into the open mouth of the kobold. While he managed to get a clean strike through as the blade came out the other end of the monster, the kobold had bitten down on Bell's arm, and bit through the leather. This only lasted a second as the beast exploded into ash.
Bell fell back onto his butt, panting heavily as he did so. Instinctively, he dropped his dagger, and gripped the wound on his arm. As Ryuu and Kaguya approached, Bell could see the smiles plastered across their faces.
"You did very well, Bell. I know you weren't aiming to be bitten again, but I'd say given the circumstances of having to fight two at once, you came out fairly unscathed." Praised Kaguya.
Ryuu bent down and began chanting her magic. Within moments a soft green glow had enveloped his arm. It was the same glow that helped him the first day they met. It really was quite a beautiful sight.
"Can we stop for awhile?" Asked Bell, still getting his breathing under control.
"Of course, take as much time as you need" Said Kaguya, smiling at Bell.
Bell was enjoying his break until a pair of goblins rounded the corner.
"Shall I take care of them for you?" Asked Ryuu
"No. I'm ready. I'll do it." Replied Bell, getting back to his feet.
The next few hours were spent much the same. Bell would kill several monsters, then pause for a break. He didn't yet have the stamina to constantly fight. During one of their longer breaks, Kaguya presented Bell with a quick snack, something she had packed before they left. Happily taking it, he sat on the floor with his back against the wall, munching down on his treat.
As the hours wore on, Bell would need to break more frequently, and for longer durations. Seeing as he wasn't going to gain much more by continuing to fight, Ryuu suggested they call it for the day. At first, she expected Bell to argue and want to continue, however, she was rather surprised when he immediately agreed. Making their way back to the surface was a rather quick affair as they hadn't ventured beyond the first floor.
Returning to the mansion was much better today than it had been the previous day, largely due to Bell being able to walk home normally without being carried. Once again the goddess of the familia was camped out at the front door waiting for their return.
As Bell entered the home, and locked eyes with his goddess, his face erupted into a bright smile. Astrea could only mirror his action with a smile of her own, knowing that this was a good sign. As she asked how the trip went, Bell was about to explode into story time mode, but Kaguya thought it best for him to save his stories for dinner time, when all the members could listen.
Reluctantly agreeing, Bell headed off for the bathroom to get himself cleaned up before they ate. As he entered his room, he carefully removed his dagger, and took off his armor. Looking down at it as he held it in his hands, he could see the marks the kobolds had left. Seeing the damage he could have received had he not been wearing the armor scared him, but only for a second. If anything, seeing the damage was proof to him. Proof that he was a real adventurer now.
Dinner was served shortly after. The members of the familia all took turns cooking, even their goddess would help. As everyone sat down to eat, Bell began his tale of the dungeon. Of course, Ryuu and/or Kaguya would step in every now and then as Bell's young mind had a tendency to exaggerate a few points. There was not in fact "Like a hundred of them"
.
Over the coming days, a schedule was established for Bell. He would train in the courtyard of the mansion in the morning to warm himself up. He would explore the first floor of the dungeon, always accompanied, in the afternoons, and he would rest during the evening. At least two days a week were always taken off as a recovery day. No training, and no dungeon trips. Bell still required time to just be a kid. He would run around the house, chase after his familia screaming that he was a monster and if he touched them they would become his minions.
Life was peaceful. The Astrea familia of course still retained its responsibilities and duties to Orario, something that Bell was not yet taking part in. Astrea's hopes for Bell were coming to be as well. The familia had in fact accepted him as one of their own. Even Ryuu, the one Astrea had worried about the most, was slowly warming up to Bell, though they still had no physical contact. Everything was as it should be.
While times of peace are always enjoyable, they all have one thing in common. They don't last forever.
For unknown to the Astrea Familia, a goddess sat upon her tower, swirling a glass of dark red wine in her hands. Her eyes gazing across the great city below her. Eyes wandering, searching, piercing the very souls of the inhabitants. As her eyes fell upon the Stardust Garden, a small smile graced her lips.
AN: Aaaaaaand Chapter 5 complete. That was my best attempt at a teaser/cliffhanger.
Alright I want to say this now before I'm murdered in the review section. Yes I know I'm probably the only one here to make Bell lose to a level one monster...poor kid..
I know he's been training for a few months prior but let's be honest. Bell is six. I don't know about you but plot protection only goes so far. Have no fears though. Bell will not be weak forever. I'm more of a character growth/development kind of person than an OP MC out the box. I like my OP in the late game :)
Just so everyone is on the same page, here is where everyone is at. I used cannon age and level for the ones I could. The others are made up. Cannon age and level is given at the time of their downfall so I lowered them a bit to match this timeline. If I messed something up please let me know and I'll fix it in the next one.
Bell Cranel - Age 6 - Level 1
Alise Lovell - Age 15 - Level 4
Kaguya Gojouno - Age 16 - Level 4
Ryuu Lion - Age 13 - Level 3
Lyra - Age 15 - Level 3
Neze - Age 13 - Level 2
Iska - Age 13 - Level 2
Maryuu - Age 14 - Level 2
Noin - Age 15 - Level 3
Asta - Age 12 - Level 2
Ryana - Age 15 - Level 3
Celty - Age 12 - Level 2