There were many things Bell could've imagined himself doing that day. Going into the dungeon? Normal activity for adventurers. Missing Solaris? Not an unusual thing but sometimes their schedules didn't line up. So fine. Teaming up with someone else outside the Familia or Astraea? Rare but it happened.
Walking alongside a disguised sapient monster? Well sometimes Bell had some daydreams about such a scenario due to Hans' books but he definitely didn't imagine himself actually finding himself in such a situation. Especially with said sapient monster attached to his arm while humming to herself. Or rather Xenos as the trio who was involved in this called Wiene and the others. Ah yes. Others. Because apparently there were a lot of sapient monsters and apparently most people never find out about them. To say that Bell was overwhelmed was an understatement. Haruhime wasn't doing any better, an awkward air around her as she shot looks at Wiene. The one time Wiene noticed and waved back, Haruhime never looked so nervous before aside from fighting against Eris Familia. Naturally Kojoro was completely different. Surprised, intrigued...but ultimately calm. As if he was used to this. Because of course he would. Someone had to be calm of the Hestia Familia currently moving past Rivira, Bell thought dryly. Then there were the three people guiding them who apparently were in on this whole... conspiracy since the start. Shirou whistled innocently, arms crossed behind his back. Hans in the meantime didn't even look up from his manuscript he was writing, frowning deeply as if he was in some sort of time limit. At the same time, Lili had to carefully guide his steps else he'd walk into someone. Bell was certain the man himself wouldn't give a damn, but he could respect Liliruca's determination to keep him out of trouble. Which included the current Familia following them, as she sent them a conflicted glare before turning back to her father figure.
"H-Hans, this is dangerous enough as it-"
He didn't even bother looking up as he twirled his feather pen around.
"Girl, we are already close. It's way too late for objections."
Indeed it was, Bell thought with a chuckle. Drawing his swords at the same time as Shirou and Kojiro pulled out theirs, the Colossal Tree Labyrinth and its inhabitants already moved against them. Bell was the first to shoot forward, exhaling as he swung his swords and cut through them with ease, followed by Haruhime and Shirou doing their own thing. Kojiro on the other hand patiently allowed the monsters to get to him so that he could cut them down, focusing on protecting the apathetic Hans and Liliruca, who was frantically shooting her crossbow.
"Haaaaaans!"
"Ooohh!"
Wiene was the total opposite, staying behind but letting out sounds of awe. It was a bit embarrassing to be honest, Bell thought with a blush. Sure, he had to deal with spectators during the War Game, but at the time he was a bit too focused. Here now, in the Middle Floors, on his level and skill, he wasn't remotely as pressured, which made the attention way more obvious to his mind.
"Stop stressing yourself out, you'll get white hair because of it." Hans hummed before pocketing his papers. He pointed at their companions as they finished with this group of firebirds. "And besides, we can trust those three and their goddess."
Bell froze just as he was about to sheathe Homebringer. Blinking for a moment, he slowly put his weapons down before turning his head to Hans, eyebrow raised.
"You mean four, right?"
The man called Mimir merely stared at him impassionately. The silence grew heavy between them, causing Wiene and Haruhime to fidget in the background while Liliruca and Shirou became a bit slower in extracting the loot from the monster corpses. Eventually, the author scoffed and looked away, before moving past the Albion.
"I know what I said."
Bell frowned deeply. He did not like what Hans implied. Solaris was a good captain and a good friend. Why wouldn't they be able to trust her? The mere idea that she was a traitor of some sorts was ludicrous. Or was he implying something else? Either way, he shook his head and tried to ignore Hans' words. At the very least, the air seemed to clear up a bit as they kept on walking. To where, he had no idea, but he felt like they had to be close. After all, Liliruca grew increasingly nervous. Not by sweating or breathing frantically, but by becoming more and more like a frozen stature in expression. Not to mention the fact that Hans led them around in circles by now. Some might mistake them doing some traditional 'farming' on a floor. It was a common strategy. To keep moving in one area, waiting for the monsters to come back from the walls of the dungeon. It would be good for their finances in a way while also keeping their strength up in comparison to going deeper. Still, not as profitable and it wasn't the main focus of this. He pressed his lips together, wondering what they should do. Glancing at his Familia, they seemed to have noticed as well. Even during the idle moments, Kojiro kept his hand close to his sword, while Haruhime flexed her fingers a few times.
How long would those people follow them? There were give or take twenty of them. He wasn't on the level to pinpoint their exact levels, but the numbers alone were worrying. A wrong move and a fight would break out immediately. Yet as he thought about what to do, Hans let out a loud groan and shook his head. Then he looked to a certain spot, seemingly innocent and devoid of anyone, before pointing forwards.
"Can we help you stalkers with something?"
The entire group tensed up. Out of reflex, Bell pulled Wiene behind him, who pulled her hood down even more and they formed a circle, hiding her from everyone. A chuckle echoed in the area, followed by more laughter. Slowly, the group emerged from their hiding spots. Bell wasn't one to be too judgemental of outer appearance, but he could describe those men with one word.
Shady. Not only that, Bell's eyes widened when he saw the man in the lead. A middle aged man, radiating experienced. A spear on his shoulder and goggles over his eyes as he smirked at them. He knew that man. In his early days in Orario, he recalled Nyx interacting with him, making a deal with him. It confused Bell greatly, for this guy was bad news. He wasn't like the captain of the Eris Familia. Something about the man felt…deranged.
"Stalkers? Sharp tongue as always, Mimir."
"Don't flatter yourselves, dicks." Hans crossed his arms, not even hesitating with his glare. "What do you want?"
The leader's smile twitched. Inhaling through his nose, he hummed thoughtfully as he pointed at them. Or rather, at the hooded form of Wiene.
"We're looking for certain prey. A mission, y'know? Mind scooting over for a bit?"
The Xenos whimpered as the air grew tense. Hans faced the opposition with a glare, not moving an inch.
"Your prey isn't here."
"We'll be the judge of that, won't we?"
Shirou was the first to unsheathe his blades. Soon after that, blades and metal rang in the air, as they got revealed. Kojiro exhaled, Bell tensed up with his blades in hand and he could feel Haruhime's growl, as her sclera began to turn red and her fingernails began to grow. Liliruca gulped, not sure where to aim her crossbow. The only ones not ready for combat were Wiene, squatting down to cover herself, and Hans, who was unmoving as he looked up to face the leader of their potential enemy.
"Go on. Try it and make my day."
To Bell's surprise, the goggle wearing man scoffed. Then he turned his back on them, waving his hand casually, causing the rest of the thugs to sheathe their weapons.
"Let's go boys. Guess our prey is elsewhere."
Nobody in Bell's group relaxed. Dared to relax, until they couldn't see or feel them anymore. Then as one, they let out a breath of relief, finally relaxing. Haruhime winced as her Beastification regressed before turning to Hans with a worried look.
"Uhm. Who were they?"
Hans led the way once more, remaining silent for a bit. Then he glanced over his shoulder.
"How much do you think a Xenos is worth?"
His mind immediately flashed back to Rakia. To Roma. To the defeated in chains. Bell grit his teeth at the thought and he wasn't the only one. Haruhime gasped in shock while Liliruca hushed Wiene, who tilted her head with curiosity, a frown on the Pallum's face.
"I... I heard rumors in the Far East. Of... exotic monsters. But-But I thought it was just false advertisement…"
"Shouldn't someone stop them?" Bell whispered as it sank in. That people like Wiene would be sold off. And he doubted they would be treated as well as the slaves did in Roma.
"Not illegal and no evidence they actually do this crap." One could hear the frustration in Hans' voice and Bell shared it. "Ikelos Familia, with their leader Dix Perdix, is a clean dungeon diving Familia."
How many times would they be stopped by red tape like this. But Bell knew they couldn't just start hunting them down like monsters, killing people they believed to be evil. That path could go wrong very very fast. People would start to fear them, doubt them. And that wasn't taking into account the scenario of the what if. What if they took someone down and they were wrong?
"They probably know secret routes," Kojiro commented, causing Shirou to let out an amused snort.
"I feel like a lot of our enemies know secret routes."
"Guess someone doesn't care for Knox."
"What?" Bell asked. Hans stopped before waving his hand casually.
"It's an author thing, don't worry about it." He pointed at the crystal wall they arrived at. "In here."
Before they could ask what he meant, Shirou stepped forward and shot a kick forward, breaking it down. It crumbled, revealing a hidden passage, causing Bell to widen his eyes. Frontier. An unexplored part of the dungeon.
"Deja vu…" He muttered, faintly recalling the last time they found such a path. It ended wtih them almost dying to a weird Demi Spirit thing. He shuddered at the memory before following the group down the narrow hallway. However, something was bothering him. With a deep breath, he spoke up, sorrow filling his voice.
"...Would people even want to stop them if they find out about selling Xenos…?"
The silence was deafening. Liliruca fidgeted uncomfortably as she looked at Hans. The author sighed before glancing back.
"You're growing up," he said in a neutral tone. Then he glanced at Wiene before patting her head. "That's why we don't want Wiene up here at all if we can help it."
"Yes, we had a close call and it wasn't pretty."
"Not that I could fault them…" Liliruca added with a mutter, causing Shirou to nod in agreement. Now that they mentioned it, wasn't there some sort of commotion about a monster being sighted? He couldn't quite remember. It must have been during the time Hestia and Astraea Familia were outside the city. Before he could think about it more, they came to a stop in a small clearing. Looking down, he spotted a small pond, five meters in diameter. It dawned on him almost immediately. He did a double take, staring at Hans as he pointed at the water body.
"...Wait, really?"
"Yes. Now get to diving."
Usually Bell was a bit more suspicious about a man telling him to go swim in the middle of the dungeon in a remote area. But he merely shrugged and took a deep breath before taking a dive without hesitation. It was a bit hard to see as he swam, but he still found his way. Eventually, he emerged, taking in a good breath of clean air. Looking around, he narrowed his eyes. A wide area, stone, with a few pillars here and there. It was then that he froze and spotted it. With his eyesight as a level four, he could spot it with ease.
The redish Lizardman wielding two scimitars. Meeting eyes, the monster roared and rushed forward without hesitation. Bell immediately drew his own two blades and crossed them, blocking the downwards swing of his opponent. He noted that they weren't alone, many other monsters observing them on an elevated position. With gritted teeth, he buckled down on purpose. The monster stumbled, letting out a noise that sounded like 'gwuark' and Bell pushed him, causing it to roll forward. Bell immediately jumped backwards, only for the lizardman to chased after him. Both of their arms swung rapidly, steel clashing with steel, creating so many sparks it lighted up the area. The Albion exhaled as their feet never stopped moving. He was stronger than any opponent Bell has ever faced! If he had to give it an estimate, this monster…no, this one was the equivalent of level five. Yet something felt off. As if…this wasn't serious at all.
"Bell, are you-Ah!"
He glanced back, seeing the wet Haruhime emerge from the waters, her eyes going wide before she rolled forward when feathers flew past her and embedded themselves into the ground. Bell swayed back and kicked forward, pushing the lizardman back. At the same time, Haruhime's back pressed against a wall and her arms moved swiftly as her Beastification kicked in and her eyes turned crimson. Parrying as much as she could, she suddenly moved forward and actually caught the projectiles before throwing them back up, at the siren that attacked her all of a sudden. The flying opponent dodged with ease, but they were in a stalemate, as projectiles rained down on Haruhime, only for her to dodge, parry or throw them back up.
"Young mas-Oh my!"
Naturally Kojiro smiled brightly at the sight of battle before drawing his own long blade and blocked an attack aimed to smash his head down. On one knee, he grinned wiht excitement as the gargoyle growled and tried to take his head off with a haymaker. But Kojiro shifted ever so slightly and made it miss, before pushing forward, away from the pond.
"Firebolt!"
The flames were dodged by the lizardman, but it served its purpose. Concentrating, Bell tried to replicate the feeling in his feet and pushed. He was fast, fast enough to cause the Lizardman's eyes to widen, but not as fast as he was during the War Game. His sideways swing was blocked, but it launched the opponent. At the same time, Bell felt annoyance. He knew he could do it, this Shukuchi, but ever since then, it never quite worked out so far. He took the time to look at the other battles and smiled a bit.
Kojiro was essentially playing with his opponent, gently cutting the rock skin of the gargoyle wwhile avoiding the claws, as if dancing with him. Haruhime on the other hand moved like a beast, jumping off the wall and actually landing her claws on the Siren, using her own weight to press her down to the ground. Bell put his right blade into a reverse grip and leaned forward. Haruhime raised her fist, aiming downwards and Kojiro was about to stab forward when they saw it.
The smiles on the siren and the lizardman. The exasperation. It was more than enough to make him and the others hesitate.
"Everybody, stop!"
They all turned their heads to the new arrivals. Liliruca pushed her wet hair backwards, a look of disbelief as she looked around. Hans wiped his glasses before raising an eyebrow while Shirou shook his body like a wet dog.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?" The author asked. Just as Bell was about to open his mouth, laughter echoed in the area. The whole mood shifted as light and torches came into existence, revealing how many of them there were. Goblins, kobolds, almiraj, hell hounds. They all laughed at the sight, with the lizardman being in the lead. Dusting himself off after putting his blades away, he walked forward and hit Hans' shoulder a few times, causing him to grunt in pain.
"Sorry, Hancchi!" He pointed at Bell, his sharp teeth reflecting the light as he smiled. It was…weird to look at, Bell thought as he sheathed his weapons. "But after you hyped him up so much, I had to see what Belluchi could pull off!"
He blinked, before turning to Hans, pointing at himself with a raised eyebrow.
"...Am I Belluchi?"
"It's a quirk of his, ignore it," the author responded dryly, swatting the clawed hand away. It was then that Wiene revealed herself, having come up with Shirou apparently. Raising her hands, she giggled at everyone.
"I'm back!"
The excitement grew as the other Xenos approached. The siren gently hugged the vouivre. Bell felt a bit awkward to say the least as the Xenos gathered around them. Haruhime stammered, her social anxiety kicking in even harder than usual. The only one unfazed was Kojiro, who seemed to try to talk to the Gargoyle, who harrumphed and turned his back on them. His attention got redirected when the lizardman he just fought extended his hand forward.
"Let's shake hands!"
It was weird to be so close. Scales. Teeth. Eyes. Tail. They all made Bell wary. But he shook his head. If he could get past Nyx' fear aura, he could get past some…biological quirks. So with that in mind, he chuckled and shook the hand.
"Uh, pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure is all mine! My name is Lido, Belluchi!" Lido exclaimed, shaking the hand up and down in excitement. Then he patted Bell's back and pushed him forward."Come, come, let me introduce you to everyone!"
Leading them further inside, they spotted even more xenos, even including what appeared to be an ancient dragon dozing off. As names were exchanged (the siren being called Ray and the gargoyle's name was Gros), something tickled the back of Bell's mind. As they sat down, around a large fire and drinks and food were spread out, it hit him like Aiz sometimes hits him when they used to spar more often. His head snapped to Hans, who downed a large chunk of his mug.
"Wait, you based all your stories-"
"On this sorry lot, yes," Hans responded immediately. Bell looked around. At the arachne who seemed to blush before crossing her arms and looking away. At the large Formoire playing with Wiene, the large xenos letting out pleased noises. IThe stories were based on the truth after all! How amazing! But his excitement died down a bit when he realized that the noise started to quiet down and…Bell gulped.
"...Why are they all staring at me like this?"
"They read my books," Hans commented and he could swear the man was smirking.
"Oh." He paled a bit. "Oh no."
His words triggered an avalanche of questions as they all got even closer, completely surrounding him.
"Is it true you took down a hundred men before reaching a goddess?!"
"There's no way you beat down that two headed freak with only two other people down in the Waterfalls!"
"Nu uh, I saw it myself!"
"Didn't you escape before the end?"
"Kyuuun!"
"Nobody cares about that, Aries!"
"Did he save you without any powers?!"
"Can I touch your fluffy tail?!"
"Hawawawawa!"
Bell's eyes began to spin. Too many questions. Too much attention. He had no idea where to begin. Time went by like a blur until Bell finally got some air to breathe. He shot Hans a glare of betrayal. It only caused the author to let out a snort of amusement.
"If you wanna be a hero, kid, you gotta take the heat too."
… Okay, he had Bell there, but still! Before he could complain further however, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows, completely hidden in a robe. A weird disorted voice came out of it, sounding male as the figure shook his head at the author.
"Honestly, Hans. Things like these should be discussed beforehand."
"Oh shut up, I know you and the old man were planning to do this. I just skipped the foreplay," Hans said dismissively. Haruhime raised her hand, her hair and tail very messy as she blinked.
"Uh, who is that?"
"Where are my manners."
The figure pulled down his hood. Bell and Haruhime flinched, backing away in shock while Kojiro let out an interested hum.
""A skeleton monster!""
"That hurts! I'm a human!"
The skeptical looks he received caused the skeleton to whimper, head hanging low. Bell cleared his throat, eyes narrowed in thought before he pointed at him.
"Immortality?"
"Of a sorts. I'm reduced to this sorry state, but it has its perks." He lowered his head. "My name is Fels. I am but a humble alchemist."
Alchemist. Haruhime and Bell shared a look, as fellow story nerds, before looking back at Fels with a conflicted expression.
"...Please tell me you aren't the man who made the Philosopher's Stone," Bell muttered, because he felt like he had more than enough earth shaking revelations for the last weeks. Despite the skull, he could see the amusement radiate from it.
"Then I won't. It is a mark of shame after all." The alchemist pulled his hood back up and turned to Hans. "Hans, can we talk in private? Lord Ouranos has concerns."
"Tch. Sure."
"I hope you will continue to maintain good relations with the Xenos."
With those last words, they moved to a corner of the cave. Bell shuddered, feeling a lot of weight on his shoulders. The way he said it…it felt more than just…well, something. Then his mind repeated his words and he froze. Did he just say Lord…Bell shook his head. Nope. Moving on. Unfortunately, he wasn't blind and his eyes landed on Shirou, happily chewing on whatever meat was available. He could pretend it was nothing. However, his curiosity won out.
"Shirou. Are you a Xenos too?" Bell blurted out. Shirou glanced at him, still chewing. With one swallow, he grinned behind his bandages.
"Obvious, huh?"
"Why else cover your face?" Kojiro asked, having finished his maintenance of his sword before sheathing it. He raised an eyebrow at him. "I assumed it was just because of your tatoos but…"
"Nah, I literally changed. What can ya do?" Shirou shrugged it off before tugging at his bandages. They unraveled themselves until his skin was revealed. His…
"You are... very black," Haruhime commented. Pitch black skin. It was like someone only drew the outline of his body and then painted the rest with black color. Shirou laughed, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned forward.
"I hear that a lot, haha!" He looked at Kojiro, pointing at himself. "The guys say I'm some sort of War Shadow mutation now. Weird, right?"
"Ironically it made you stronger, didn't it?"
Bell and Haruhime had blank looks on their eyes. Ah, it was going to be one of these days. Kojiro and his unexplained shenanigans. Ignoring the two of them, Shirou flexed his muscles in demonstration.
"Sure did! Just took dying horribly as a Servant! But hey, third time's the charm!"
Servant. Dying. Third time. Bell noted those details and dismissed them. Unless they were important against Evilus or something, his brain could only had so much space for so many mysteries. With a sigh, he stood up and decided to take a walk. He waved back at Wiene, who giggled at the sight of him. Soon enough, he found a nice rock and sat down. Looking at the Xenos drinking and eating merily like that…it reminded him of the parties in the Hostess of Fertility. No, not just reminded. It was exactly the same. Only with Xenos. He wondered how the dungeon, source of all evil so to say, could spawn such nice people.
"Enjoying yourself?"
Bell jumped only a little bit. Holding two mugs, Lido grinned at him before sitting down, handing over the other, warm drink.
"Lido. Err, just taking a break from…everything." Bell took a sip as the lizardman nodded in sympathy.
"A lot to think about, huh? I get that."
Silence fell down between them, a comfortable one, as they shared a drink. Eventually however, Bell spoke up, smiling at Lido and his blades.
"You're really strong. The way you wielded those swords…"
Blinking for just a moment, Lido chuckled before patting the scimitars with a shrewd smile.
"Haha, experience! You would be surprised how much gets left behind by adventurers!" He puffed out his chest with pride. "I'm not the number two for nothing!"
"Who is number one?" Bell asked, curiosity filling him. Lido's cheer wavered for a moment before he scratched the back off his head, seemingly ashamed.
"Ehh…relatively new. He's in the Deep Floors right now."
"Deep Floors?! Alone?!" Bell shouted. The Deep Floors were hell, from what he heard, giving even the perfect team that was Ryuu and her Familia a hard time. And yet, Lido nodded.
"He's very stubborn. All about finding his true self as he mediates all day long before going on a rampage with new tricks he seemingly pulled out of nowhere to kill everything with." Lido paused before raising an eyebrow at Bell. "Do you know what Pankration is?"
"Uh, I think it's an unarmed style meant to wrestle down even monsters?" Bell said. He faintly recalled some old stories, of how a legendary lion like monster was choked to death, as well as a minotaur. But details about the style were scarce. Or rather, non-existent. It tended to happen with ancient things. It was a pity to be honest.
"Huh. The more you know." Lido fell silent for a moment before he let out a small chuckle. "You are everything we hoped for, Belluchi."
His eyes widened at the sudden shift in mood. Clearing his throat, he put the mug down, tilting his head.
"Why so?
"Because you are proof that our dream is worth it."
A shudder went down his spine. Bell took a deep breath, feeling a warmth grow in his chest as Lido looked up at the ceiling, his eyes going distant.
"Your dream?"
"We wish to reach the surface. To live under the sun so many talk about." The lizardman closed his eyes. "To live in peace and harmony."
Peace and harmony. He then put himself into Lido's and the other's shoes. To be born in a world with other monsters, mindless, who also attacked them for some reason. To be hated on sight by the mortals on the surface. To not even know what stars were. He could relate to that. That wish to see…more. Like Bell himself did, with his journeys with Kojiro.
"It's a wonderful dream," he whispered quietly. He almost fell over when Lido hit his back, laughing loudly.
"Haha, it is!" He finished his mug, letting out a satisfied breath, before putting a hand on Bell's shoulder. "And I hope with you, Belluchi, we can make that first step!"
"I'm not doing much though…"
Lido shook his head.
"You are giving us hope. And more importantly…you are giving us a chance. Sure, Gros and his grumpy gang still doubt. But I don't." He hit his chest with a fist. "I think with you, we can show everyone that Xenos and Humans can co exist."
Coexistence. It felt like a fantasy. And yet..he wanted to believe. To share drinks, to make jokes, to tease each other, all together in the Hostess. With no rejection, no conflict. Bell shot up, nodding in determination.
"I'll do my best! And I'm sure the rest of Hestia Familia and the Astraea Familia will do the same!
Lido's smile was almost blinding with how much hope there was in it. His eyes even seemed to glisten with tears. With a sniff, he wiped his eyes before blinking for a moment.
"Speaking of…where is your captain?"
"She is busy with other things." Bell nodded in excitement. "We'll bring her along next time! She'll love you guys!"
"If she is anything like Hans describes her, we'll get along great!"
With that, the two of them returned to the party, Xenos and human side by side. Bell laughed a bit as they saw Haruhime apparently having drunk something alcoholic and challenging a few Xenos to an arm wrestling match, spurned on by Shirou and Kojiro.
Bell couldn't wait to tell his captain about this place. It was…wondrous, like a fantasy that was separated from reality.
Bell expected many things. Many reactions from Solaris when he and the others told her about the existence of Xenos. Worry. Laughter. Maybe even apathy. What he didn't expect however, with a frozen smile, was his captain glaring at him with crossed arms, anger visible in her expression.
"Cut your ties with them. Right now."