And So, Bell Cranel Became a Hero
DISCLAIMER: Danmachi belongs to its respective owners. Everything that occurs in this story is of my own creation and the characters abide by the fictional laws in the setting.
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Chapter 16: And so, A Savior Arose.
Part 21 [1]
"I need a supporter." Bell mumbled while wiping the monster blood off his short sword.
The adventurer had once more prevailed through another of the dungeon's whims, and with it he realized that if he wanted to head lower then he would need someone to help him.
There was only so much Bell Cranel could do on his own.
"I've got some good loots at least," Bell patted his new sling bag, in which he stored the rare drops. As for the cores, he stored them inside his old pouches beneath his coat.
Bell took the moment's respite to look at the dungeon's change in scenery. The mist making it extremely hard to see past ten meters ahead, and had it not been for Insight providing his surroundings information Bell was certain he would've attained more injuries during his fights.
As it was, he only had bleeding nicks on his forearms from when the reverse grip of his short sword wasn't strong enough to parry the Imps claws. Welf's weapon was good, but it didn't work for the suicidal style he had gone for in the end.
Had there been stronger monsters in the trap, Bell would've needed to become creative with his lack of range but luckily for him nothing bigger than one Orc appeared during his way out of the tenth floor.
The time spent fighting his way out of the dungeon was shorter since there was no continuous hoard of monsters blocking his path at every turn, and no pheromones to attract even more monsters.
When he reached the fourth floor where monsters avoided him, Bell took out the healing salve and smeared it on the cuts on his forearm. The Vulneary doing its job to mend the nicks and leave his skin scarless.
There was a change in Bell's routine when the descending Sun greeted him outside of Babel, the adventurer went directly to Welf's smithy and handed the surprised blacksmith one fourth of the items he requested in the list for crafting better weapons.
Bell requested another short sword, a curved dagger, and a weapon with a decent range before leaving the drooling blacksmith to his craft.
By the time Bell arrived at the Pantheon, there was another commotion going on in the lobby.
It seems Bell was not the only unfortunate one to have had a public inquisition, as another party of three young adventurers were being grilled by the very same bespectacled member that questioned him.
Unluckily for them, there was no Ankusha to save them from the public inquisition.
Bell did as all other adventurers did and ignored the situation altogether, heading straight to the teller manned by the pink-haired guild member who received him with a wide smile, her name was Misha if he recalled correctly.
"No blood on you this time, what an improvement!"
"Yeah," Bell scratched the back of his head, "But I'll need a partner if I want to continue"
Misha pressed a finger to her cheek, "Something happened?"
"Triggered a trap on the tenth floor." Bell started pouring the pouches with the monster cores in the teller box.
"You're on the tenth floor already!?" Misha hushed out with her palms smacking the wooden top.
"Ahaha yes," Bell rubbed his nose, "The monsters on the higher floors don't give me any more experience since I leveled up."
"Bell."
"Yes?"
"It's not good to lie."
"Not lying." Bell pushed the exchange box into the slot, "Ein- Miss Eina's preparing my paperwork for the level up."
Misha audibly groaned, "You're going to be the death of her, Bell."
"I hope not," Bell whispered.
"There's 29k here Bell, no monster drops?" Misha opened the exchange box again.
"I have but…"
"You don't want another situation like the last time?" Misha ended for him, and Bell nodded. "Then don't worry, I told you that you can exchange as many as you want with me without worrying over that. I know you're an honest man, otherwise Rose wouldn't have been so smitten with you"
"Won't that get you in trouble?" Bell worriedly asked, clutching the flap of his sling bag.
"Maybe, but its nothing a big girl like me can't handle." Misha clutched her own bicep with a grin.
Bell snorted, "I will trade some, not all of them though. I don't want to inconvenience you. Alright?"
The exchange proceeded forward, with Bell earning another 30k for the drops he traded in. Bell bowed politely to the pink-haired guild teller before he made the line for Eina's cubicle. There was no advisor's session this time, as Bell only meant to report his return from the dungeon to his second lover and ease whatever anxieties she gained during the day.
Eina handed him his paperwork for the Monsterphillia Final Event, a whispered promise to make some time for her during the festival and gave a parting wink before Bell left for home.
On his way home, Bell met up with his twin-tailed goddess who was quick to take his hand into her own. The young adventurer asked about Hestia's day first before giving a recount of his time in the dungeon.
Bell was honest with Hestia, explaining how his desire to become stronger as fast as possible led him down to the tenth floor where he triggered another dungeon trap. The goddess sourly scolded him for allowing his emotions to get the best of him, but also complimented him for trying to better himself in the only way he knew.
Contradicting, yet comforting.
The young adventurer asked his goddess about her knowledge of undeciphered skills but her negative response left him without another avenue of investigation into his own unknown skills.
Hestia did say that there was one goddess that probably could decipher his skills, and Hestia trusted in her enough to let her have a look at Bell's back, but she would need to speak with Hekate first before going through with that option.
And what better time than the present to ask, Rose welcomed back her Familia with a tight hug, Hekate waving at them from the sofa from which she laid on her side.
Hekate's response was in the positive, and Bell was looking forward to Hestia's goddess friend helping them out.
His status update that night was surprising for all four members of the Familia because unlike all previous updates that came with absurd leaps in stats, he barely scrapped the hundred in all his stats this time.
Perhaps, he hadn't tried hard enough?
Shakti did not return during the evening to collect the papers like she had said, but Bell chalked it up to her being busy with the work behind organizing Monsterphillia.
-0-
That night Bell was sulking under the bathroom's shower, the young adventurer sulked because he had expected another giant leap in his basic abilities since he had fought his way out of another dungeon trap.
Maybe because it wasn't as dangerous as last time the Excelia he obtained from that wasn't enough?
Either way, killing monsters in the three digits as a level two was worth barely a hundred points increase, and that was not considering his Paragon growth skill being the one to permanently increase his stats.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to take a bath?"
Bell whirled around, clutching his surprised heart. "Rose! Please don't scare me like that."
Rose frowned, "I did call out before entering. Is something bothering you?"
The mature werewolf discarded the towel covering her body, she folded as she waited for Bell's response.
The adventurer's delayed his response because his admiration of his lover's naked body got in the way, memories overlapping with reality over what her body felt like in his hands.
Bell shocks his head, "I'm concerned about the status update."
"You too huh…" Rose replied, she moved towards Bell and pushed him aside with her hip so the shower could rain down on her. "Lady Hekate was worried too, but she didn't confide exactly why."
"I see…" Bell mumbled, grabbing a random soap, and smeared it on himself.
Rose frowned again and quickly snatched the soap from his hands.
"Rose?"
The werewolf pulled him into her bosom, repeating the position from the first time they took a bath together except this time Bell wasn't a blushing mess. The young adventurer's hands found his lover's hips, the chilly water doing nothing against the heat rising within him.
The saddened look on Rose's face however stopped any sort of lustful emotion.
"Forgive me," Rose whispered, wolf ears dropping lightly.
"What for?" Bell voice was heavy with concern.
"Because there's nothing but my love that I can give you, and it won't help you with your concerns."
"Oh."
She wasn't wrong. Whatever happened with his status update had nothing to do with her, and whatever she did wouldn't help with that problem.
But that didn't mean her love wasn't useful.
Bell placed a chaste kiss on her lips that surprised Rose. "I love you."
"I love you too," Rose instantly replied.
Bell smiled, "Four words and I've already forgotten about my concerns."
Rose rolled her eyes, "That's not what I mean."
"I know, but it doesn't matter." Bell changed his hold on her hips to embrace Rose's waist, "There are some things I have to figure out on my own and having you besides me is all I need to calm my heart and overactive mind from doing something stupid again."
Rose giggled, sliding her arms around his neck. "What a charmer, is that how you seduced the Ankusha?"
It was Bell's turn to roll his eyes. "No, we just… I don't know from the start there was… something there I guess?"
Technically, Shakti Varma was the first person in Orario to be kind to him. And he had yet to repay that kindness.
"From the start huh…" Rose hummed, "Then why did you reject her advances?"
"Because I didn't know you were okay with that," Bell replied honestly.
Rose smiled, "And now that you know how I feel about that?"
Bell scratched his cheek, "I'm still torn about my final decision."
"Perhaps, another incentive is needed?" Rose huskily whispered.
[Warning Tags: Cervical Penetration, Stomach Inflation, Deepthroat]
Bell was not prepared for Rose to push him against the wall, the surprise making him open his mouth and Rose took the opportunity to kiss him deeply. The rough texture of her tongue against his own always felt incredibly good, his hand unconsciously went towards her bubbly bottom in response to her fervor.
The werewolf's heavy breathing warmed his mouth when his palms started to knead her rump, the previous lustful emotions stopped by his mate's saddened moment rushed back into him and Bell couldn't help himself but to reply with the same fervor his werewolf kissed him with.
Bell felt her tense when his vigor grew between her thighs, the water from the shower making it easy for his member to slide upwards until it greeted her wet mound.
Rose pulled back from the kiss but kept her face extremely close, her hazy golden gaze trapped his attention. The adventurer felt her fingers slide down his neck, gently scratching his skin with her nails until both of her hands found the base of his member.
Again, Rose closed in, ferociously twirling her tongue around his own as her hands lightly pumped the base of his vigor which continued growing in her hands until it was at full mast and digging between her wet flower lips.
Bell groaned in need, using his hold on her rump to move her hips and rub his shaft with her dribbling flower as their kiss grew in passion.
Rose pulled back again, a string of saliva still connecting their tongues. It was Bell's turn to go into the offensive, the adventurer attacked Rose's neck by biting the section between where her neck met her collarbone.
The bite had its intended effect, Rose throatily moaned and moved one hand to press the back of his head which meant she wanted him to bite down harder.
"Yes, mark me!" Rose huskily whispered, the pain being nothing against the surge of pleasure at the thought of her body being marked for others to see she was his, and his alone.
The young adventurer didn't pierce Rose's skin with his teeth as she may have wanted, instead he sucked on the skin until a blemish formed. Bell withdrew, the panting face of his lover greeting with him a needy smile.
"I need you"
Bell felt his werewolf's thighs trembled around his engorged member. She started moving her hips on her own causing the head of his member to scrap against her squelching flower on the most desperate movements
It was during one such desperate movement that Rose's stepped on the discarded soap and one of her feet slipped.
"Ohhhh" Rose tensed, nails scratching Bell's back and chest as she fell low enough for his engorged member's head to part her flower open and introduce itself to her needy core.
Bell bit the inside of his cheek, his grip on his werewolf's bubbly rump kept her from falling but did nothing to stop the pleasure he felt from her wriggling insides.
The sensations sparked the fire in him, and the boy reacted to his desires accordingly.
Their position switched with Rose getting pushed back against the shower wall on the drier side with Bell lifting both of her legs by her thighs, the new position tightening her insides embrace of his engorged head.
Rose arms found Bell's neck, and that was as far as her coherent brain kept up with her because Bell slammed his member up to the hilt inside her in one powerful thrust. Her belly bulging from how stupidly big her mate was.
Bell savored the moment his werewolf's eyes rolled up; mouth open in a silent scream as her insides lovingly squeezed his vigor. Unbridled desire burned, and the boy thrusted again.
Rose came to the feeling of her cervix getting pierced, and her womb's roof pushed upwards from the powerful thrust.
Golden eyes hungrily finding her mate's lustful ones and losing him again as another thrust shock her core, the first wave of the pressure in her loins crashing down in a deluge that squirted on to her mate's member base.
Bell felt Rose's thighs jerk in his arms, her hips and feet quivered erratically as her first climax hit her unexpectedly.
But Bell was far from satisfying his need.
Rose tongue lolled out when Bell didn't wait for her release to end. Bell renewed his thrusts at steadily increasing pace that made Rose's flower squelch audibly, the pressure quickly built up within his werewolf again.
Rose bit down on his shoulder, moaning and scratching his back as the pressure became unbearable again and her second climax met the first one before it was over.
"Mghhmmm!"
Bell felt her insides squeeze him tighter, the wringing making his balls churn painfully. His werewolf quivered erratically in his arms again, a drawled out long moan echoed in the bathroom which quickly changed into panting whines as Bell headed his selfish desires again.
Rose eyes rolled up, consciousness barely hanging with Bell renewing his thrust at a faster pace while her second climax continued. Even with her insides positively strangling him, the continuous coating of her nectar and his strength allowed him to mess her insides, and brain, even further.
And she felt it then.
The telltale of her mate's release. Bell's member engorged further, his pacing becoming frantic and making her legs look like ragdolls from his continuous pounding.
"Yes!" Rose moaned out loud as Bell picked up speed with his thrusts, "Inside, inside!"
Bell groaned out loud, he let Rose's thighs fall from his hands and Rose howled in pleasure when gravity made his engorged member slam against the roof of her womb and kept her waist raised, his hands painfully dug into her thighs and Bell pulled on them while he grinded his groin against her flower.
Rose's sight clouded from the pleasure and her rational mind shut down when the first thick spurt completely filled her womb to the brim; however, Bell's release didn't stop there.
The adventurer doubled over until his mouth found one of Rose's rose-colored nipples which he greedily sucked on as her insides milked the second spurt from his member.
Bell continued grinding his groin against Rose's sleek crotch, his bulbous head blocking any of his release from escaping her womb. A third, fourth and fifth spurt bloating his mate's belly.
Rose sagged against the wall, completely surrendering herself to satisfy her mate's desires that continued filling her more.
Minutes passed before Bell's release finally died, leaving Rose's belly looking like she was pregnant with his children. He slowly pulled out, her insides begging him to stay despite their spent owner's sacred chamber.
Without his member to keep her standing, Rose fell on her ass with her legs splayed out. Her flower steadily dribbling her mate's thick seed, her lost gaze not registering her mate's position.
But her instincts certainly did.
Bell was admiring his handiwork when Rose suddenly moved her head forward, her mouth devouring his member t coated in both her juices and his seed.
What followed was one of the sloppiest blowjobs Rose had ever given him. The rough texture of her tongue teased his bulbous head and the underside of his shaft, her soft cheeks tickled the tip of his head and made his hips buckle in pleasure.
And when her throat squeezed his member, Bell couldn't resist from grabbing fistfuls of her hair and pushing his vigor as deep as he could into her irresistible greedy mouth.
The werewolf replied in kind, embracing her mate's waist, and working her throat to please him. Air became an issue very quickly, but it was something the werewolf could live without for a bit longer.
Or at least that's what her instincts said, in reality her throat contracted around Bell in search for air, but his girth blocked all pathways, the sensations edged him and he willingly threw himself off the edge.
Rose tongue lolled out again, and Bell exploded down her throat when it touched his ball sack. The werewolf's throat bulged from the sudden climax, the volume of her mate's seed clogging her throat and very quickly leaving her a coughing mess that refused to let go of his girth until he was satisfied.
Bell doubled over again, eyes crossing as his werewolf sucked him for all he was worth. Rose's eyes started rolling up again, and Bell's release had yet to stop. His seed dribbled around the seal she had on his girth, and snots of his sperm clogged her nostrils.
The only sound the two could hear was Rose's throat trying, and failing, to drink down his release.
Rose coughed when the need for air became unbearable, and it only made his seed travel up the wrong path and spill from her nose. That was when Bell forcibly pulled out despite Rose's best efforts to keep him trapped.
The werewolf became a quick mess of whines and coughs that spewed the clogged seed on to her chest, distended belly, and shower tiles.
Bell concernedly kneeled in front of her, and the werewolf took that opportunity to open her mouth and make a show of chewing the seed still inside and loudly gulping it down.
That show always got him hard again despite his concerns, and Bell knew most of the time it was intentional because Rose's golden gaze regained its glint.
"More?" Rose huskily whispered, her flushed, teary eyed, hungry gaze and thoroughly messed face only making it more deadly.
The two did not sleep early that night.
[Graphic Warning Over]
-0-
It turns out that Rose was that horny because today was her last 'vacation' day, and she knew once she started working at the Guild again, she would have less time to satisfy her, and her mate's, desires.
Which she admitted was another reason that she had been pushing him towards forming the Harem. There was no way she would be able satisfy all his desires, even with Eina's help since the half-elf had a similar work shift to her own.
That, and she wanted to spice things up whenever the two had the chance for some fun or learn new things from his future lovers.
That still left Bell slightly less conflicted about his final decision.
Hekate kindly reminded Bell that morning that he should try to keep his fun with Rose down low, unless they wanted to make Hestia hear them going at it like animals.
Bell awkwardly apologized, Hekate huffing out that she would put a sound barrier in all rooms so she wouldn't wake up and create one in the middle of the night in a hurry.
The young haired adventurer promised to make it up to his goddess.
Before Bell left with Hestia that morning, he asked Rose to keep his Monsterphillia paperwork in case Shakti passed by to collect it while he was in the dungeon. After that, he accompanied the yawning Hestia to her jagamurkan stall, parting with a good luck kiss to her forehead before he went to Welf's smithy for his new weapons.
The blacksmith waited for him by the door, a giant grin on his lips as Welf handed Bell an identical short sword to the one he already bought the other day along with a curved dagger with the blade-colored purple from the drop used to forge it.
Welf gave him a customized belt to carry both blades on his back from which he could pull them either with reverse grip, or a frontal cross however Bell asked to fix the belt so it would become one sword over his left shoulder while the other from his right hip.
When asked why, Bell explained that while unsheathing his swords in a cross shape looked cool it would quickly get him killed in the dungeon if a monster got into close range and pushed his arms while unsheathing.
One of his forearms would get cut from how close the blade came to his skin, or both of his forearms could be stopped before he could get either weapon out. At least with the shoulder and hip form, he could open himself to an attack and counterattack without one hand affecting the other's performance.
Welf scratched his cheek awkwardly after that and took fifteen minutes to fix the belt the way Bell wanted it to.
And not three hours later, Bell found himself in the exact situation he had told the blacksmith could happen.
An Orc on the tenth floor managed to get past his defense, the monster punching the boy in the chest and denting the plate as he counterattacked by slicing the monster apart in three different sections.
Had he gone for the coolness, Bell would've lost more than just his armor.
The dent bothered him greatly, and despite the voices in his head telling him it was a bad idea, the white-haired adventurer took the armor chest piece off. The fights became more spaced as Bell took more care dealing with each monster he found since he couldn't afford to take any further chances.
Misha received him again in the teller, the cores from the tenth floor netting him 20k for the day. Despite her stubbornness that she wouldn't get into trouble, Bell still decided against trading in more than was necessary.
Another update, another meager twenty points increase.
Why?
Was the danger he put himself into the dungeon by taking his armor off not helping in anything?
Perhaps, he didn't try hard enough?
His Familia didn't seem bothered by the change in pace, in fact two of them welcomed it as it meant Bell wasn't putting himself in harms way more than was necessary.
Shakti did not appear that evening, either.
Bell thought a lot during that night, Rose's presence beside him eased his worries that he may have lost whatever blessing had given him the status leaps. There was no funny business, as Rose would wake up early along with him and their twin-tailed goddess for work.
The white-haired adventurer would not deny he felt like a child all over again as Rose held one of his hands, while his twin-tailed goddess held the other.
He could do without the stares though.
Bell wasn't surprised with how gracious the Guild staff received Rose's return to work, the young adventurer kept his distance to not intrude in her work life. Or at least tried to, the stares he got after leaving the Pantheon's advisor private booth with a red bite mark on the side of his neck was enough to spark another rumor he would later hear about from the perpetrator.
But those kinds of worries Bell left behind when he entered the dungeon.
What was he lacking?
Was his desire to become stronger not enough?
Or was it something else?
Another day, another meager increase.
Shakti didn't pass by.
Welf repaired and upgraded his armor, the adventurer used the opportunity to test whether danger was the issue at hand and went into the dungeon upper floors without any gear except for his two short swords, the guild dagger, and the purple curved dagger.
Still a meager increase at the day's end.
Hestia gained an audience for Bell with her goddess friend; however, it was for after the Monsterphillia event was over.
Four days had passed by since Bell last saw Shakti, and he idly pondered if there was any relation between her and his current problem. At least Rose mentioned the Ankusha did collect his paperwork at the guild, so his participation in the event was certain.
Bell worried so much over his growth problem for the last five days that he didn't get to enjoy any of the festival's festivities.
Perhaps, he wasn't try-
No.
It was not that.
Bell's back burnt as he swung a test axe into the Hard Armored armadillo-like monster's carcass on the eleventh floor, the weapon's weight and Bell's strength doing the intended effect of slicing through the hard shell and cutting straight through the monster's core.
Fear.
How laughable.
It took Bell five days to realize what was going on with him.
Bell Cranel was afraid.
"How stupid…" Bell muttered as a roar from a large, white-furred monkey echoed in the dungeon's misty chamber. "How incredibly stupid!"
Bell's back burned fiercely.
It was not that he wasn't trying hard enough.
The axe found its way into the Silverback's waist, ripping more than slicing the monster's leg. The monster rolled on the ground and howled it pain, and Bell ended its misery with a decapitating swing.
Bell Cranel's resolve had wavered.
He really should've expected such a broken skill to have a stupid mechanism behind it.
His problem started the moment Bell truly became afraid of what his skill could do to him and to others, and his uncertainty about other's feelings for him left his resolve a shaken mess.
Bell Cranel was human, and like any other human, he feared the unknown. And on his back, burning brightly was one such giant unknown.
But unlike other humans, he was Bell Cranel.
And he couldn't, NO! WOULDN'T let such a stupid thing as an unknown skill control his heart any longer.
Bell Cranel embraced his selfishness.
The axe's grip groaned in his hands as Bell's restored his resolve.
The dungeon felt the shift in him, and it shifted accordingly to his resolve.
The floor trembled, the walls rumbled, the few monsters around him ran away at the dungeon behest.
Bell's hardships didn't end with just his internal problems, as one four-meter-long, brown colored drake crossed Insight's perimeter.
Bell dropped the axe as it would be too heavy for what he needed at the moment, the curved dagger making its way to his left hand and the first short sword to his right.
The Infant Dragon waited no longer and started the combat with a frontal tackle.
Bell tested the monster's defense by meeting its charge head on with his short sword, and he was not surprised when it broke against the Infant Dragon's head hard skin.
Bell dodged the monster's bite by front flipping over the beast, unsheathing the second short sword with a smile blossoming on the white-haired adventurer's face despite what transpired.
The combat continued with Bell carefully learning the monster's attack pattern. A tail whip attack parried with the sword; another frontal tackle dodged by an acrobatic dodge.
Insight alerted him to the heat building up within the monster's throat, and Bell headed the warning by throwing himself flat to the floor seconds before the infant dragon attacked with a literal flamethrower from its mouth.
Bell quickly stood back on his feet, heart pounding as he prepared for what was round 2.
Bell made the first move, weaving beneath the monster's tail and tested the curved dagger's performance against its skin. The blade cut into the skin, shallow but that was all the information Bell needed.
Bell's back burnt.
The Infant Dragon reared on its hind legs and tried to belly slam down on Bell, and that kind of attack was exactly what Bell was looking for.
The dungeon rumbled in disbelief as the young adventurer slid between the Infant Dragon's rear legs as it came down, his curved dagger embedded in the monster's softer belly seconds before Bell could get crushed.
Bell only needed to pierce the tip of the dagger, and the monster did the rest.
The howl of pain as the monster embedded the weapon in its belly deeper than anything Bell could've ever done on his own was music to the adventurers' ears. But he didn't dance in victory yet.
Tis' only a flesh wound after all
The first attack was done, and the follow up would be the deciding blow.
The Infant Dragon raged in pain, its attack becoming wilder and forcing Bell on the defensive again. Flames mixed into its attack patterns, yet Bell persevered.
Dancing through the monster's attack with the ease he knew he had in him. And when the known floor boss repeated its slam attack in desperation, Bell made the second strike.
The discarded Axe cut through the same wound created by his dagger, reaching directly into the monster's core, and cutting the core in half.
There was one last pained howl before the monster exploded in dust.
Who's afraid now?
"Hah… hahahah…." Bell sat on his ass, breathing heavier than ever. "How stupid…"
Bell knew he shouldn't take it easy just because he had gotten over another impossible fight, but the notion that his stupidity got the better of him quieted his logical brain.
Thankfully for him, the dungeon rewarded Bell with the time he needed to recover for the amusement it received from him this time.
-0-
"Bell, this is not what I think it is, right?" Misha trembled as she inspected the core in her hands, the white-haired adventurer grinning far too wide from ear to ear.
"It is."
"You're crazy."
"No, I'm Bell Cranel."
-0-
"You've really matured, my champion. For you to fix your flaw on your own in such a short time…" Hekate whispered as she reviewed Bell's memories for the evening. The crimson-haired goddess sat on Bell's back who in turn laid belly down on the couch as Rose and Hestia prepared dinner that evening.
"I'm sorry if I disappointed you, miss Kat." Bell replied.
"No, you could never disappoint me. No matter what you do," Hekate copied his stats to a paper. "And I'm sure you'll be glad after seeing this."
Bell Cranel
Race: Human
Level: 2
Familia: Hestia Familia
Goddess: Hekate, Hestia, ?
Strength: H160 – C618
Endurance: H110 – E490
Agility: H134 – D597
Dexterity: H198 – B722
Magic: I0 – I0
Luck: ? + 13
Skills
DETERMINATION (Determination, Perseverance, Willpower, Unknown x3)
[Deciphered] Resolve Effect: Doubles Basic Abilities Max Limit. Under certain conditions the skill may detrimentally affect the user by locking DETERMINATION altogether or reduce Basic Abilities to critical levels.
'That explains the meager increases!' Bell thought to himself, 'I can't hesitate in anything ever again.'
"We need to do something about your lack of magic, my champion." Hekate hummed, "Would you bring me the Witchcraft Grimoire? I'm sure we'll find something there to help you," Hekate said as she moved away from his back.
Knock Knock
"Bell, could you take that please?" Rose asked from the kitchen.
"Go, I'll get the Grimoire." Hekate ruffled his hair.
The white-haired adventurer fixed his shirt before opening the door. There he found the Ankusha nervously wringing her hands together.
"Shakti!" Bell exclaimed happy to see her again after what felt like an eternity for him.
"Ah…" Shakti looked up like a deer caught in the headlights, "B-Bell!"
There was a moment of awkwardness as Shakti continued wringing her hands together, whatever she had come for forgotten with the surprise of him being the one to receive her at the door.
"Thank you for inviting me to the Arena Event," Bell smiled.
"Ah, yes. Did you prepare?" Shakti recomposed her cool self, albeit the tapping of her finger against her hip revealed her nervousness.
"As best as I could." Bell scratched his cheek, "Did you come for that?"
"Yes, I also needed to speak with Rose." Shakti looked away, "Is she home?"
"She's cooking, would you like to accompany us for dinner again?" Bell asked, already moving to take Shakti's hand and pull her inside.
"If your Familia doesn't mind," Shakti tightly held onto his hand as they walked inside.
'Skill or not, her feelings are real and that's all I should care about'
Bell sat Shakti by the countertop so she could speak with Rose while the werewolf and Hestia cooked dinner, and he would've sat next to her had Hekate not called for him to join her upstairs.
The boy left the three women to their own, ignoring his gramps voice for mentioning how beautiful women surrounded him 24/7, and joined Hekate in the guest bedroom.
"You never got past the first page." Hekate huffed, sitting Bell on the bed, and forcefully pushing the Grimoire into his lap.
"I had other priorities in mind then, miss Kat." Bell reminded his goddess about the time his mentality suffered from the lack of valis.
"Well, those priorities changed now, and you need this. No, I want you to have this!" Hekate insisted, opening the book to the second blank page, and tapped it with her finger.
"What could I g-" Bell started, only to pass out when his eyes focused on the blank grimoire page.
-0-
"You look older in person"
"…"
"You're amusing"
"…"
"Eluding definitions?"
"…"
"You'll need this to reach me at the end."
"…"
"I shall wait for you"
-0-
Bell woke up the next day, confused, famished and in the arms of his crimson-haired Goddess in the guest room. There weren't many details he could remember from what happened after reading the Grimoire's 2nd page, the only clear memory was some of the soothing voice words.
"Good morning, Bell. Slept well?" Hekate asked, patting his cheek.
"I… Yes," Bell escaped from his goddess embrace and sat on the edge of the bed, "Where's everyone?"
"They all left earlier to prepare for the festival," Hekate sat up, stretching her arms above her head. "Off with your shirt, let's see what the Grimoire gave you."
Bell nodded, taking his shirt off and waited for his crimson-haired goddess to update his back.
"Bell."
"Yes, miss Kat?"
"What did you see?"
"Uh… a black void?"
Hekate huffed, "Anything else?"
"Uhm… I think there was someone with blue hair… And someone else with horns?"
Hekate threw her hands up to the air, "THAT BITCH!"
"Miss Kat?"
"Sorry Bell don't worry about that," Hekate ruffled the boy's hair. "It seems we all will be busy today, and tomorrow."
"Hai, so uh… What did the Grimoire give me?"
"Two things," Hekate stood up, discarding her tricolored skirt, and revealing she wore nothing under. "It undeciphered the skill you obtained after your level up, and another development ability called Nihil."
Bell nodded. Hekate was his caretaker for a substantial portion of his life, so he did not feel the least bothered when miss Kat took her black blouse off, which again had nothing under.
"The Skill Aegis halves the damage you received from non-blessed enemies, its most likely the reason you haven't gotten badly hurt in the dungeon even with your stupid prudence," Hekate admonished, standing in front of Bell in all her naked glory and poking his forehead.
"Sorry, what about Nihil?" Bell scratched his cheek.
"Negation," Hekate crossed her arms under her bust. "Since it comes from my domain, it most likely means you can negate the effects of barriers or boundaries to some extent."
"So, spell shields are useless against me…" Bell quickly found one use for the new ability, Hekate not in the least surprised his warrior instincts went there first.
"Probably," Hekate nodded. "I'll take a bath and head out for the day, heard a friend's coming to visit and I wanna show him around."
"Someone from the village?" Bell asked.
"Nah, if there's a chance, I'll present him to you." Hekate strutted to the door, "By the way, Miss Blue had something she wanted to ask you."
Bell tilted his head in thought as the goddess went into the bathroom, there was only one woman who miss Kat would refer to as miss Blue and that was Shakti. Ah, she did join their Familia for dinner the previous night, maybe she wanted to ask something about the event?
His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he had skipped dinner. Bell went downstairs to scourge any food left by his mate. As expected of someone so loyal, there was a lot left in one of the pots with a paper on top with his name on it.
Bell decided against going into the dungeon today, as he wanted to be as fresh as possible for tomorrow's event.
There were other pressing matters he had to attend, such as reporting to Welf the axe's performance, replacing his short sword and dagger, finding out what Shakti wanted to ask him along other minor ones.
For the first time in what felt like in forever, the young adventurer took a stroll around Orario with the intention to search for Shakti, and if he couldn't find her then he would head towards the Guild and look there.
Bell spent three hours walking through the bustling streets of Orario, both admiring the city's decorations and the jovial mood shared by the population. His steps carried him through a street specifically set up for visiting merchants, there he bought trinkets for his Familia and friends.
Nothing expensive, but it would do well to show his appreciation for them.
There was something that caught during a transaction, various stalls down the one he was currently buying things was a tall, blond man with arms crossed while a buxom brunette rejected something from the vendor.
Bell didn't get to see the end of that argument as his own vendor took his attention back.
The adventurer didn't find Shakti anywhere during those three hours and decided to search for her in the Pantheon and visit his lovers to see how they were faring.
The Pantheon's waiting lines went all the way outside of the building, and Bell didn't even need to see inside to know both Eina and Rose must be swamped with adventurers and merchants alike.
It took him thirty minutes to enter the pantheon, and another fifteen minutes to reach Eina's booth first.
"Tired?" Bell asked, searching through his sling back for her gift.
"Exhausted," Eina sagged on the wooden counter. "I was looking forward to spending time with you…"
"Me too," Bell replied, placing the gift on the counter. "Would you accept this?"
Eina teared up, taking off her glasses before gently picking up the pair of simple green stud earrings.
"Ah, did you not like them?" Bell alarmedly asked.
"No, no. It's lovely," Eina sniffed.
"Next time, we'll get something better, together," Bell held one of her hands as Eina nodded. "I'll see you later?"
"Yes!" Eina smiled.
Another long line and fifty minutes later, Bell stood before Rose's booth. The werewolf's cold demeanor melting into a smoldering gaze.
"Missed me?" Rose teased, leaning on the counter, and holding her chin with her right hand.
"Always," Bell laughed. "Miss Kat said Shakti wanted to ask me something, do you know what's that about?"
Rose nodded, handing Bell a sheet without changing her position. "The details for your participation tomorrow. She would've given it to you today, but she's probably sick..."
Bell raised an eyebrow at that and stored the sheet to read later and looked around his bag for Rose's gift.
"YOU!"
Both Rose and Bell jumped when the tall bespectacled male that gave Bell a tough time slammed his hands against the wooden countertop.
"WHAT ARE Y-"
"Hans you have exactly five seconds to disappear from my booth or I'll have you fired from the guild," Rose slammed her hand on the countertop too and glared with pure disdain at the man.
"What! bu-"
"Four," Rose nails scratched the counter, and the man instantly turned tail and ran away.
"Hot," Bell whispered to himself. "Was that alright?"
Rose huffed out, leaning on the counter again. "Yeah, don't worry. It seems working my station clouded his judgement, he's already on a thin thread either way."
Bell didn't feel sorry for the bespectacled man. "Um, I… bought you something."
Rose raised an eyebrow, the smoldering gaze returning hundredfold, "Proposing?"
"Soon," Bell grinned as Rose was taken aback by his response.
The werewolf eyes narrowed, "You're playing a dangerous game, my mate."
Bell nodded, "Worth it." He presented the gift which once more left Rose taken aback by the trinket.
"Bell."
"Hai?"
"We're fucking tonight."
"Hai."
Rose took the gift from Bell's hand, loosening her uniform's ribbon and topmost button of her white shirt. The werewolf donned the gift and presented her neck to her mate.
The gift in question was a black velvet choker with details woven in circles.
"Hot," Bell said it louder this time and Rose giggled.
"Playing an extremely dangerous game," Rose huskily whispered but refrained from acting on her desires. "I love you but please leave, otherwise I'll do something I won't regret one bit."
Bell laughed, "I love you too."
-0-
The white-haired adventurer visited Welf before the day was over, the blacksmith proudly presenting Bell's much desired ranged weapon and special set of armor.
A silver trident forged from the drops of the Hard Armored, Orc, Needle Rabbit and Silverback.
Bell took the trident, inspecting it for any imperfection and found Welf's talent bettering with every new craft. Welf chewed his nails as Bell tested the weapon with a quick thrust and sighed in relief when Bell gave him a thumbs up.
"It's really good, I would've liked it to be shorter for dungeon runs but it'll be really good for battles in open spaces," Bell gave his honest thoughts, and Welf nodded.
"Already working on a shorter variation but I'll need drops from lower floors to make up for the tougher composition," Welf proudly rubbed his nose. "I also repaired the curved dagger and short sword, dunno' what you fought with them, but they sure had some wear!"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Bell laughed and gave Welf a portion of the rare drops he carried with him.
Welf fixed the belt on his back, so the trident went over his shoulder, the short sword over his right hip and curved dagger over his left.
Bell left with a promise to return for more equipment testing.
Miss Kat didn't return that night to the apartment, and the other three Hestia Familia members weren't surprised with that seeing as the Crossroads goddess was a free spirit through and through.
Hestia's gift was a red version of her ribbon lace which the goddess commented Bell had an unhealthy fixation with the red color.
Eina stayed over that night again, the two guild ladies showing their appreciation for Bell's gift throughout the night and Bell wasn't surprised when he felt his back burning at one point.
The half-elf was the first to fall asleep after a very thorough cleanup in the bathroom, Rose took a lot longer to please and she made good use of Bell's gift during their activities.
-0-
"Listen well! I'll only explain one time." Shakti stood hands in hips in front of the group that would participate in the Arena Event. Dressed in her duty uniform, the orange cheongsam, with her regal and strict attitude serving as a deterrence for any misbehavior.
"You all will be waiting in the waiting rooms to my right, there you'll have view of the fights going on in the arena. The God Ganesha will be calling out your name, or your party's name, and you'll enter the arena through the door in the waiting room."
Shakti clapped her hands, "Once you're in the arena, you're on your own. The Colosseum has a barrier powered up by monster cores that will keep the spectators safe, the barrier serves both to allow you to fight without caring about collateral damage and in the case the monster kills you, to not give freedom to the monster."
When the murmurs started, Shakti clapped her hands again with a light glare, "You all signed a waiver, and came here knowing the possible consequences. These may be tamed monsters, but they're monsters nonetheless, and I trust in your skills to not make an embarrassment out of yourselves."
Shakti pointed at the gates behind her, "There's thousands of people watching you today, and it's your only chance to make a name out for yourself to both Orario's population and the traveling peddlers in one fell swoop. Don't waste it."
"There are racks of weapons provided by the Ganesha Familia scattered in a circular pattern around the arena in case you find yourself needing a different weapon from the one you own to deal with your assigned monster."
Shakti crossed her arms under her bust, "Any questions?"
"Yeah! When do we start?" A dwarf bumbled out with belly laughter, the other adventurers sharing the dwarf's excitement.
"Soon," Shakti nodded satisfied. "The opening will start briefly, head to the waiting rooms and wait for your turn."
Slowly but surely the adventurers trickled into the waiting rooms to Shakti's right, the Ankusha keeping her shoulders tense until only one remained. One that she wasn't sure she wanted to see right now.
"There's something I want to give you before the event starts," Bell walked towards her, dressed in the special armor Welf crafted for him.
A form fitting black long-sleeved shirt, with tight form-fitting tights. Both pieces of cloth forged from Silverback's fur and dyed with Imp's blood for physical and magical defense properties. Two gray vambraces protected his forearms, and two gray high greave boots protected his shins and feet,
The silver trident on his back, the short sword on his resting against his right thigh and the curved dagger over his left hip.
"You look good," Shakti flushed when she realized she said that out loud.
"Thanks," Bell presented his gift to Shakti. "I know you can afford better things, and you can throw it away if you don't like it…"
Shakti took the gift, heart skipping a beat like the first time she fell in love.
"You know you're raising some red flags, right?" Shakti concern was hidden beneath her tease.
"My goddess said the same thing this morning," Bell grumbled, pouting, and crossing his arms.
"Don't make this a memento, Cranel" Shakti closed her fist around the gift, and lightly punched him in the chest.
"I won't, let's have a date after this is all over." Bell withheld from snorting at the dumbfounded look on the Ankusha's face.
"Wh-what? You mean as friends, right?" Shakti coughed into her fist.
"Maybe," Bell took a page from Rose book and gave Shakti a smoldering gaze that made her backtrack. "I still have to repay the kindness you have given me."
Shakti didn't know how to reply to that and chose to stay quiet and calm her erratically beating heart. The words she had with Bell's current partner a couple nights ago ringing in her mind and causing her to flush and look away.
"I'll think about it…" Shakti replied.
Bell nodded, with his piece said he went for one of the nearby waiting rooms.
Shakti looked at the young adventurer's back as he walked, clutching the gift in her hand, and whispering, "Don't die on me, Bell."
-0-
The white-haired adventurer stepped into the waiting room and was surprised to find someone he knew, and really didn't want to see at all.
And the feeling was mutual.
"Ha!? What are YOU doing here, you sinful man?"
Golden hair, amber-green eyes, long ears, soft features frowning and a finger pointing at him.
The door closed behind Bell, and he knew he had to face her head on.
"That was a misunderstanding," Bell bowed his head in apology to the other adventurers in the waiting room.
"Right, be-"
A firework exploded, interrupting the elf's words, and served as initiation for the Monsterphillia Arena Event.
The opening act for the Monsterphillia this year was a taming show made by the Ganesha Familia, the chosen monster was a Barbarian from the 37th floor.
The five members chosen by the Ganesha Familia made an incredible acrobatic and colorful show of their method to wither away a powerful monster's strength. It was over in no time at all, the thousands of spectators clapped at performance and the event continued forward.
Whatever the golden-haired elf had against him she forgot when the party Loki assigned to her asked about their strategy. Since she was the Loki Familia representative, and the highest level of their group, she was the one to make the final calls.
Slowly but surely adventurers, and parties of adventurers, went into the Arena to deal with a random monster assigned by Ganesha himself.
Each and every adventurer made an overexaggerated show to demonstrate their abilities while fighting their assigned monster, the crowd's lively attitude spurring other adventurers to do the same.
The worse that happened so far was one adventurer receiving a deep cut to their chest, but nothing life threatening in the end.
Then Bell's turn arrived.
"It's time…" Bell whispered to himself and clapped his cheeks. The boy stood to his full height, puffing out his chest and walked forward.
"Don't die," The elf suddenly said just before he could pass through the gate, and Bell gave her a thumbs up without looking back.
"AND FROM THE NEWLY MADE HESTIA FAMILIA WE RECEIVE BELL CRANEL INTO THE ARENA!" The announcer shouted into the magical megaphone.
Bell walked until he was standing at the very center of the arena, head lightly turning as he gazed at the thousand upon thousands of spectators watching him. His eyebrows went into his hairline when he saw all the members of Hestia Familia sitting at the front rows along with what he guessed were Hestia and Hekate's friends, just beneath the announcer's booth.
"NOW WHAT WILL OUR GOD DECIDE FOR THIS YOUNG ADVENTURER TO FIGHT AGAINST!?"
Drums thumbed in the background as Ganesha himself took the microphone, the elephant-mask wearing God raising his arms and stopping the drums.
The God gave one long stare at Bell and announced,
"Minotaur from the 17th floor!"
A cage rose from the arena's floor, a black-furred cow-headed monster with a wound on its left eye that Bell felt extremely familiar with. The hum of the barrier activated accompanied the excited cheers of the crowd.
"START!"
-0-
"Hey look! Isn't that the boy you saved Ais?"
-0-
"A trident."
-0-
"Look, look, it's him Mikoto!"
-0-
"Bell Cranel huh…"
-0-
"Curious, my dear?"
"… Yes."
-0-
"Arara! Look Asfi, that's the kid I was talking about!"
-0-
"Amuse me more"
-0-
Bell's world slowed down as the black Minotaur broke the cage apart and held one of the cage's metal bars as a club, the monster snorted and glared with murderous intent that Bell ignored.
The young adventurer started by unsheathing the short sword, pointing it straight forward.
The black minotaur charged, the mass of muscle bulging beneath its fur as it started by swinging the makeshift metal club against Bell.
Bell didn't test his strength against the monster and opted to leap backwards to dodge the swing which was quickly redone in the reverse direction, and Bell slid his feet backwards just enough for the metal club to miss his chest by the thinnest of margin before he thrusted his sword forward.
The short sword's tip broke apart when it failed to pierce the Black Minotaur's armpit, the beast grinning and went for an overhead swing.
Bell didn't let the weapon's damage faze him, the adventurer using his entire strength to parry to the side the metal club. The short sword broke apart but served its purpose in redirecting the heavy blow to the side and springing up dust from its impact.
The young adventurer's left hand wasn't idle during that time, as it had grasped the curved dagger in his left hip and found its intended target.
And unlike the sword that broke apart, the dagger pierced deep into the Minotaur's armpit and Bell twisted.
The howl of pain was accompanied by the monster letting go of his makeshift weapon and deliver a backhand blow to the adventurer that weaved beneath it, the dagger coming loose and finding itself once more in the monster's second armpit.
Another howl and the monster back off, glaring murder once more at the adventurer who picked up the metal bat, testing its weight.
The Black Minotaur went an all fours, charging horns first intending to impale the boy only for the makeshift metal club to smash against its forehead and momentarily stun its charge.
Bell ran forward, stepping over the Minotaur's horns and twirled mid-air with the curved dagger carving a thin line across the cow-headed monster's back.
Another roar of fury and pain reverbed in the Arena, the monster foregoing all sorts of defense for offense in order to kill the little pest that had injured it.
Wild swings of the Minotaur arms were weaved around by Bell who abused the hyperactive form of Insight to keep track of the powerful blows. And every time the monster overextended; the curved dagger left its mark on the monster's skin.
The Black Minotaur growled in fury, backing off once more.
"You're still too weak"
The Black Minotaur's body glowed black for a second, its muscles visibly growing and roar deepening.
Bell knew something changed and switched weapons from the curved dagger to the trident.
The Black Minotaur charged again, twice as fast as from the previous times and Bell barely dodged to the side. The monster circled around, a backhanded blow from its shoulder that Bell blocked with the shaft of the trident.
Both Bell and the spectators were speechless when the attack sent Bell skidding backwards over ten meters.
The white-haired adventurer narrowed his eyes and decided that showtime was over, and he would end the fight before the Minotaur could change and surprise him again. The monster threw the remains of the metal cage that Bell parried with ease with the trident, and slowly closed the distance between him and the monster.
The Black Minotaur roared again, deafening those who were on the front row seats at it attacked Bell with an overhead swing. Bell tracked the attack's trajectory and placed the trident blades right were the fingertips of the Minotaur passed by.
Blood and fingers flew.
Bell didn't stop his attack, thrusting forward through the monster's exposed defense and stabbing the trident directly into its broad chest. The Black Minotaur bled from the mouth, hands moving back to smash the boy by clapping its fingerless hands.
Bell blocked the attack with his vambraces that broke apart and the armor's pieces embedded themselves on both his, and the monster's forearms. He ignored the pain and grabbed the trident's shaft again and pushed.
The Black Minotaur exploded in dust; its core being destroyed when the trident had fully pierced through its chest.
Bell took off the rest of the vambraces and raised the trident high in victory.
The crowd cheered.
-0-
"Impressive, I can understand why Lady Loki is interested in you."
Those were the words the golden-haired elf received him with in the waiting room. Bell nodded in response and sat heavily against the wall; he noted her party was the only one left in the room as all other adventurers had already left.
"You alright?" The elf's softer tone made Bell raise an eyebrow, which made her roll her eyes.
"My forearms are killing me," Bell sighed out, presenting his forearms in which some pieces of his vambraces were still stuck.
"Why didn't you dodge that?" The golden-haired elf asked, motioning for the healer of her group to help the white-haired boy.
"I would've lost my weapon if I dodged," Bell winced when the healer plucked out the fragments.
"How?"
Bell sighed in relief when the healer chanted the cure spell, "The Minotaur knew how to use weapons, wouldn't put it past it to use my own spear against me."
"Interesting," The golden-haired girl looked down.
"Thank you," Bell thanked both the healer and the elf.
"Don't mention it."
"NEXT UP WE HAVE THE FOREST PARTY!"
"Alright everyone, that's us! Let's give the crowd a good show!" The golden-haired elf exclaimed, leading the party of five towards the arena.
"Don't die!" Bell repeated the golden-haired elf own words, causing a challenging smile to form on her lips as her group entered the arena.
The waiting room door opened seconds after, and Bell tiredly looked over and was surprised to see Shakti close the door behind her, his sling bag in her hands.
"You're crazy."
Bell snorted, "No, I'm Bell Cranel"
Shakti one fist on her hip, "Very funny."
"Not that I want you to go away but, is it okay for you to be here?" Bell curiously asked.
"The Forest party is the last group, and I was given this to deliver to you." Shakti handed him his sling bag, inside he found the potions he always carried with him.
"Thanks," Bell plucked out a stamina potion and greedily gulped it down. "Much better."
"You made quite the show near the end there," Shakti sat beside him. The two watched the Forest party start their fight against a Spartoi, a skeletal monster from the 37th floor.
"Something was wrong with that Minotaur," Bell rubbed his forearms, easing the ghost pain from the last attack.
"My God said the same," Shakti frowned. "Would you mind speaking with him after all of this is over?"
"Hai," Bell leaned back and the two continued watching in silence the golden-haired elf shout orders to her party.
It was interesting to see how she went back and forth between offense and defense, providing cover for the front guard by firing arrows from her bow.
"You seem interested in her," Shakti murmured quietly.
Bell glanced away from the elf to look at the sulking Ankusha, "Today's the first time I'm seeing how other parties fight. I know she's… strong." Bell winced.
Shakti noted his wince, "Trouble?"
"Trouble."
"Walking magnet trouble, this one." Shakti bumped his shoulder with her own as Bell laughed.
"You like me like that," Bell bumped her back, and grinned in victory when the Ankusha looked away.
"Low blow Cranel," Shakti crossed her arms.
"I like you too, you know?"
Shakti's head slowly turned towards him.
"You were the first person to be kind to me when I got to Orario, and I made a promise to myself to pay you back for that time. I've only incurred more debts with you," Bell scratched his cheek, "This will sound very childish, and selfish, but I'd like to know you better."
"Cranel, please don't do this to me," Shakti whispered, fist tightening. "I'm older than you."
"Won't ever bring your age up if that's an issue."
"I'm stronger than you."
"Not for long."
"… We're in different Familias."
"I'll visit you as often as possible and take you on as many dates as I can."
Shakti sighed again, nursing her forehead. "You know, I told myself that night that as a grown woman I would look the other way and forget about you?"
Bell nodded, "I… guessed as much. I wanted to chase after you but, uh… I didn't want to upset Rose, or Eina."
Shakti's face flushed when Rose's name was brought up.
"She told you something, didn't she?" Bell said through narrowed eyes.
Shakti looked away.
Bell sighed, "If you really don't want to, I'll… accept that."
Shakti leaned against his shoulder, "One date."
Bell tilted his head to look at her, her cool blue eyes looking up at him from his shoulder.
"Let's try one date, and we'll go from there." Shakti cupped his cheek, leaning upwards, "And in case it doesn't work between us…"
Bell's back burned as Shakti's lips pressed against his own, the cool sensations of her lips softly pressing against his own being all his brain could focus on.
The young adventurer's instincts took over, and his body moved to pull the Ankusha onto his lap where he could hold her absurdly soft hips while the kiss continued. His hands slipped through the slits of her cheongsam, finding the hem of her lacy underwear on the sides of her hips.
The mature woman's experience showed when she bit down on his lower lip at that, lightly pulling back without stopping the slow kiss. Bell groaned when her fingers gently ran behind his ears, massaging his scalp and pulled him into a deeper kiss.
The boy responded by caressing her sides from below the dress, feeling her shiver below his gentle touch.
Everything around them disappeared, the two only focusing on one another for however long the kiss continued. Neither needing to separate from air from their respective experience, and only spurred each other further.
Shakti was the first on the offensive, exploring his mouth and gently teasing his tongue with the tip of her own.
Bell chased after her when her tongue regressed into her mouth, using some of his past experiences with Rose to twirl his own tongue around hers and gently suck it out of her mouth.
However, as all great experiences in life.
The end of their first kiss came to an end.
Shakti pulled back panting with a string of saliva still connecting their lips, "Two dates."
Bell couldn't help snorting at that, "As many as you want."
The level 5 glanced at his hands under her dress, "Found something you liked?"
"Hai," Bell grinned and grabbed a handful of her rump, the supple flesh spilling between his fingers and making the owner gasp and bite her lips.
"I'll have my revenge for that Cranel," Shakti breathed out, and rested her forehead in the crook of his neck.
"Can't wait for it," Bell replied, taking his hands away from her soft rump and hugged her.
Shakti squirmed in his lap until she managed to turn around and the two continued watching the Forest Party finish their fight.
And that's when Bell felt something in the environment shift.
Bell saw through the barrier separating the arena platform and the rest of the coliseum how the Spartoi's body glowed black, exactly the Black Minotaur had done before it powered up.
His back started burning fiercely to the point that it felt like his skin was melting.
Bell suddenly stood up, surprising the Ankusha who was quick to stand beside him.
The golden-haired elf did the final blow with the sword he was very well acquainted with, her attack piercing through where the party had managed to expose the Spartoi's core and reach the core itself.
A core that was glowing.
The monster fell back, dead to the world and the announcer shouted the party's victory over the last monster. The crowd cheered, the golden-haired elf nodded in satisfaction and sheathed her sword as her party members cheered.
But Bell didn't move his eyes from the dead Spartoi.
A Spartoi whose core continued glowing despite the crack in it.
"Bell?"
Insight went into overdrive and Bell saw everything in slow motion.
Green vines exploded from the Spartoi's core and covered the monster's skeletal body from head to toe. A pumpkin head replaced what would've been its face and the monster stood up before a second had passed, what was the monster's hand covered in vines raised up and pointed at the golden-haired elf that was turning around in alarm.
Bell moved.
-0-
[Warning: Graphic Scene]
Alicia Forestlight commanded her assigned party until the battle was nearing its end, the Elleaf of the Loki Familia preparing herself to deliver the final blow and make her Familia proud of her and forgive her for turning away the white-haired adventurer most of them were transfixed with.
The Spartoi they fought against was on its last legs, the party doing their job properly despite being made of level 3's with her being the only level 4.
The core was revealed, and Alicia dashed forward intent on ending the fight once and for all.
Her sword stabbed the monster's core, and she felt it pierce through it.
The Spartoi stopped moving and fell on its back dead.
Alicia huffed, fixing a strand of her hair and sheathed her sword as the crowd exploded in cheers along with her party. A sisterly smile demonstrating how proud she was of each and every one of them.
And she felt it seconds before it happened.
Something was wrong, and Alicia barely turned around to find herself facing a monster nobody knew where it had come from.
Then she felt pain, cold and numb.
The golden-haired elf glanced down at her stomach where a vine had pierced straight through the left side of belly, her eyes numbly trailed upwards to the monster with the pumpkin head smiling creepily before the pain consumed her mind.
The vine ripped itself out of her stomach by the side, leaving an enormous gash bleeding out, exposing part of her ribcage and some of her inner organs, and shortening her life. The world around her turned dark, the monster's pumpkin head being all she could see as it stepped beside her and pointed its hand at her again.
Someone screamed her name in the crowd, and her vision went dark.
-0-
Chapter End?
Author's Note: Ah gruesome and unfortunate, I know. I really liked Alicia's character too… If only I didn't end the chapter here and we see what happens next, right? ;)
-0-
Part 21 [2]
Shakti stared in disbelief as Bell Cranel dashed forward, breaking through the door that led to the arena with his spear in hand. There was no time to warn him about the barrier and Shakti was surprised once more when Bell simply passed straight through the barrier as if it didn't even exist.
Then she heard the alarmed screams from the crowd, and the Forest Party members.
The Ankusha was frozen by the sight of the monster impaling the golden-haired elf's stomach, as everyone else in her party was. The elf was lifted off the ground by the vine, and then thrown down with the vine ripping part of her stomach out.
That's when the party members started moving but they would be too slow to save her.
-0-
The world slowed down to a standstill around him, the white-haired adventurer's back burning like the sun itself as he ran through what he knew was a barrier. His heart pumped faster and faster, a single thought encompassing his mind.
Bell did not know her.
But he didn't need to know her to know she was precious to someone else.
And that was reason enough to move forward, pass through the barrier, pass through the unmoving party members, pass through the meters of terrain separating him and her and it.
Insight said there were minutes left for her, and Bell would make every second count.
The trident was thrown.
And with it went the vine monster with the pumpkin head.
The world kept still as Bell desperately searched through his sling bag, searching by feel the distinct shape of the strongest healing potion he was gifted weeks earlier. The white-haired adventurer skid to a stop beside her fallen body, his back covering the sun from her face, and he kneeled.
Her soft features were distant, mouth bleeding from both sides and eyes rapidly closing despite the world moving slow. The wound was fatal, and he prayed to whoever watched over him that his desperate gamble would work.
Bell knew the shock would keep her from drinking the elixir on her own, and he couldn't waste it by pouring it into the wound since its effects were diminished for how long it had been sitting without use.
So, the boy drank the elixir, keeping all the liquid in his mouth and crashed his lips into her own, blowing the liquid down her throat.
Bell felt the telltale sing of the world about to return to its natural state, and he pulled back clutching her head to his chest and forcing her upper body to remain upwards so gravity could do the rest and deliver the healing liquid.
Bell braced himself.
"ALICIIIIIIAAAAAAAAA"
The world started moving again with the scream of someone he knew very well, Bell wasn't surprised that everyone suddenly stopped again when they saw him clutching the golden-haired elf to his chest.
And then she started coughing, and Bell thanked whatever deity looked after him for allowing his gamble to work.
Insight flared alive again.
"Look out!"
Bell was already moving, hand taking the sword from the golden-haired elf's hip and used it to cut through the vine that had been coming for him.
The crowd watched in silence as whatever thing the Spartoi had become started growing in size and height, the vines grotesquely inflating until the pumpkin headed vine monster stood over ten meters tall.
The monster swept its hand much too fast for somethings its size, dozens of pointy vines rocking through the air towards the surprised Forest party members and Bell.
"Stand behind me!" Bell ordered, leaping backwards where he knew three out of four of the level 3 adventurers were standing with the fourth one throwing himself on his stomach to reach the spot behind Bell.
Bell held tightly onto the golden-haired elf's shoulder, keeping her pressed as tight as he could against him while his right hand moved to block every single one of the vines heading towards them.
It took courage to face such insurmountable odds, and Bell faced them head on. The Broken King nodded at his courage.
Bell's entire body burnt as he continuously parried the vines, each one making his feet skid backwards the slightest bit, but he persevered through the onslaught and kept all the adventurers behind him safe.
The arena quickly became a garden of shredded vines surrounding the adventurers as Bell furiously swung the sword in all directions, and the attack finally ended after what felt like forever.
Bell breathed heavily, numerous gashes over his right forearm from when he was still to slow to protect himself.
"Woah"
Bell features contorted into anger, the adventurer spinning on the ball of his feet while the monster continued growing in size. The golden-haired elf was handed to the closest member.
"Head for the door, I'll take care of things here. DON'T walk away from my back."
Bell's willpower commanded over them, the four adventurers obeying his orders and running in a straight line towards the border of the arena with the healing elf where Bell could see Shakti screaming orders to the Ganesha members to take down the barrier.
Insight flared again.
Bell was quick to equip the curved dagger in his left hand, armed with a weapon in both arms the boy started blocking once more the deluge of vines. The ground trembled as the monster took a step forward, its body slowly growing size and evilly rumbling in laughter with every sweep of its vine arms.
Bell tasted blood in his mouth.
A vine slapped the back of his left hand, the dagger flying away from his grip.
Stronger. [3218 – 6436]
Another vine would've pierced his right thigh had he not moved to the side at the last second, it still left a bleeding gash.
Tougher. [3090 – 6180]
More and more vines came down at him, threatening to skewer him like a pincushion which he could barely keep up with.
Faster. [3197 – 6394]
Another rumbling step that made the ground tremble, making his feet unstable.
Nimbler. [3322 – 6644]
"You can't fall here, not when you haven't reached me, my broken king."
Bell Cranel would not fall here, could not fall here.
A vine pierced straight through his left shoulder, the reinforced silverback clothing doing to stop the vine from taking a chunk of the muscle away.
Bell didn't scream, didn't falter, didn't fall.
Three beings felt the shift in the environment again.
The first being screamed.
"DON'T LET IT BELL!" Hekate's scream rang through the crowd as the barrier protecting the spectators deactivated.
The second being laughed.
The vine monster throw both of his arms to the sides, a multitude of pointy vines emerging directly towards the helpless and unprepared crowd.
And the third being moved.
"I'M YOUR OPPONENT!" Bell roared his resolve, the boy blinking out of existence from his previous position.
-0-
"Lady Loki be caref-"
The white-haired adventurer appeared in the vine's path, slicing through it with an axe he had picked up from the destroyed racks of the arena, and disappeared.
-0-
The tall blond haired man finger's twitched, and that was as far as he went for the young white-haired adventurer blinked in front of his Familia, and him, with a lance in hand that deflected the vines and disappeared.
-0-
"Mikoto, Chigusa, behind me!"
The white-haired adventurer appeared with a flail, ripping apart the vines and disappeared.
-0-
The white-haired adventurer appeared in front of the Malicious Honestly, a buckler of all things slamming away the vine that would've taken her mortal life. The same buckler's edge cut through the two other vines with the same intent before the boy disappeared.
-0-
"Lady F-"
He appeared in her time of need, like her heart knew he would. A broadsword similar to the one her own Captain preferred in his hands, making mince meat of the vines that had been heading towards them.
And he disappeared, just as her heart knew he would.
-0-
"Asfi, protect me!"
The elf didn't get to finish her incantation, but she didn't need to. The vines that would've killed her God were sliced by the white-haired adventurer with a longsword that broke apart after cutting the last vine.
He disappeared just as fast as he saved them.
-0-
Bell's world was a blur, everything hurt. But he couldn't stop.
The second he stopped; someone would die.
And he couldn't allow that.
Wouldn't allow that.
He would sacrifice his body for whatever precious time he could gain for the adventurers of the stronger Familias in the crowd to regain their wits.
An axe was picked; and broken.
A lance was picked; and broken.
A flail was picked; and broken.
A buckler was picked; and broken.
A broadsword was picked; and broken.
A longsword was picked; and broken.
Every single weapon in the arena found its way into the adventurers' hands, and every single one broke apart after saving the life of several spectators.
Until he was down to his very last weapon that saved the very first life.
The vine monster roared in anger as it attacks failed to take even a single life, its hatred focusing on the white-haired adventurer that was glowing white and standing between its feet.
A silver trident glowing crimson in his hands and pointed at it.
The vine monster swung down with both arms, intent on ending the boy's life once and for all.
Bell had saved many lives, but who would save his own?
…
Did he even need someone saving his own?
…
No.
The savior does not need saving.
Bell blinked away from the blow, appearing crouching sideways against the arena wall. A vine emerged below him and he disappeared again, appearing above the monster's pumpkin head in the air.
The Heavens, Earth and Dungeon watched as the Soteira was born once more.
Bell Cranel's body glowed like a falling star, the tip of his trident glowing crimson and aimed directly at the monster's face. The world slowed to a standstill again when the monster created innumerable vines to attack him.
And Bell's attack cut through every single one of them.
The monster opened its giant pumpkin maw and roared its defiance.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR
"DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
The falling star pierced straight through the monster's head, destroying almost everything in its path in a downward spiral.
Green blood flooded the arena as the giant monster's remains fell on its back, the corrupted glowing black core exposed for the Heavens, Earth, and Dungeon to see.
The savior stepped over the monsters remains, the trident slowly fading away in his hands from the special skill's activation.
The first hit landed, and the second hit would be the last.
Bell gently clinked the tip of his trident against the core, both core and trident completely broke apart in a cloud of multicolored smoke shortly joined by the giant monster's remains.
And so, the savior rose his hand to the skies signaling his victory.
-0- True Chapter End -0-
Author's Note: I legit have absolutely no idea how I will top this chapter for the next arc… actually I'm kidding, I know VERY well what happens next and this is just the tip of the spear (no pun intended).
Let me know what you think about this chapter please~ I tried really, really, really fucking hard to make it come true so any review will be very, very, very much appreciated!
Signing out: Jas / Shiiva.
Character Information
Bell Cranel
Race: Human
Level: 2
Familia: Hestia Familia
Goddess: Hekate, Hestia, ?
Basic Abilities [Total with The Broken King Active]
Strength: C618 - [6436]
Endurance: E490 - [6180]
Agility: D597 - [6394]
Dexterity: B722 - [6644]
Magic: I0 – I0
Luck: ? + 16
Development Abilities
Insight: Increases user DEX and Spatial Awareness Massively.
C(?): ?
Nihil: Negation
Magic – None
Skills
Paragon of Crossroads: Boost user overall growth. Increases LUCK. Every successful decision made by the user permanently increases user STATS.
DETERMINATION: User has access to Skills/Abilities naturally locked by a lack of Falna.
[Perseverance Effect: Under certain conditions the user's Mind will be drained to bolster the user's vigor, if no Mind is available then the effect will drain the user's Stamina at a reduced rate until the user faints and cripple their overall recovery for the following 24hours]
[Willpower Effect: User can impose his will on weaker willed living beings, rendering them more vulnerable to attacks and suggestions, or weakening their resolve and mentality]
[Resolve Effect: Doubles Basic Abilities Max Limit. Under certain conditions the skill may detrimentally affect the user by locking DETERMINATION altogether or reduce Basic Abilities to critical levels.]
[Unknown x3]
Aegis: Halves damages received from non-blessed foes.
Special Skills
A*****, The Broken King: [Active only when DETERMINATION(Unknown) is active] Doubles the user STATS.
Soteira: ?