Passing through the dungeon was something Bell did many times. At this point, it should've been second nature, like walking through a park. In a way, it was. The monsters on the early floors could all be dealt with by one swing of Homebringer. Even the Middle Floors with their Minotaur and what not were not much of an issue, not even requiring any magic from any of them. Takemikazuchi Familia had seen them in action before, but they were surprised by the fluidity of Hestia Familia's teamwork, considering they were lacking an active supporter in their group, with three vanguards and one working the mid range. And yet, it worked.
None of them flinched when the chains swooshed past them at high speeds. They never got into each others' way, even when they crossed over each other. If there was an opponent large enough, it was struck down by three people at the same time, either from different angles or different heights. All done without even a second thought. It was the sort of teamwork Mikoto and the others were jealous of. The sort Liliruca never experienced herself. The sort Lefiya saw with Astraea Familia sometimes.
Anyway, it meant that at this point, Bell and the others could be considered veterans by now, having faced much, in terms of human malice and monsters' ferocity.
However.
Nothing prepared him, or anyone else, for the sheer cruelty that was left of Rivira. The destruction alone caused an ache in his heart. He knew that the town within the dungeon was ruined plenty of times. They even put up a sign to indicate which version of the town was present. But there was a difference between reading about the destruction of a place and actually seeing it with his own eyes. The entrance was the first thing that caught their eyes, or rather what was left of it. The arch stood tall back then, proud of defying the rules of nature, of the dungeon. Yet now it was shattered, its fragments lying on the ground. Then there were the many stalls ruined, with items and goods that one couldn't get anywhere else within the dungeon, stomped on and forgotten.
The worst of all however…were the blood stains. The fragments of what he believed to be bones. He was always led to assume that the dungeon consumed all…but apparently it took its sweet time sometimes. He glanced at the others, how they reacted. The Takemikazuchi Familia was a bit green in the face. Solaris and his Familia grimaced, same with Lefiya. Surprisingly, Liliruca and Hans maintained a cold stone face, not showing any hints of disgust or sorrow. Well, that or they were good at hiding it. Bell bit his lip, knowing they had to move past all the destruction. And yet…
He asked everyone, to find anything, something, to bury. To find some items or memories to bury. It was the least they could do for the victims of this place. Lefiya let out a deep sigh, before smiling weakly. Ouka clearly seemed to disapprove of this, while Hans didn't bother to say anything. Solaris on the other hand tapped her arm a few times, before raising her hand.
"Five minutes. That's all I'm giving us."
The mood was somber as they looked over the area, keeping their senses sharp for any surprise attacks. Surprisingly enough, they didn't get attacked whatsoever. Still, they kept their wits about them, even as they felt their hearts suffer from the sights they saw. All the hard work of mortals, gone in an instant. Not because of the dungeon itself, but from a cult born from mortalkind. Soon enough, the five minutes were over, with Solaris scratching the back of her head in annoyance.
"Kinda hoped for some healing potions or something left over." She let out a dry snort. "Guess we simply don't get hurt. Else the deeper we go, the longer the way back we got in case we get badly injured."
"Sure, the job wasn't hard enough already anyway," Ouka muttered. Bell laughed lightly, before turning around, back at the Rivira they left behind, burying whatever they could find. Then, they all clapped their hands together, paying their respects to the ones that were lost. The rest of the trip became a blur once more. At this point, most of the group, sans veterans like Kojiro, were starting to get notice with the lack of Evilus' presence. They all knew they operated in the dungeon, they knew that there had to be Filvis down here. And yet, all they faced were monsters, as if they were on a regular dungeon dive, gathering resources. Liliruca almost cried at how much she had to leave behind, in order to remain mobile in emergencies. They weren't here to make a profit after all, no matter how much the supporter complained.
Soon enough, Bell reached the limits of familiar ground. The sound of crashing water, of the flow of rivers…it certainly brought back memories, and he wasn't alone at that. As they gathered around a fireplace, with Welf sharpening their weapons, Liliruca shuddered as she wrapped herself up in her cloak.
"Lili can't believe we are back down here again…"
"You make it sound like you did anything at the time," Hans commented dryly, causing the little girl to bristle up with a blush.
"It was still a terrible experience!"
He waved her off dismissively before giving a pointed look at Bell and Lefiya, who blinked at his attention.
"We shouldn't have a Monster Rex breathing down our necks this time. And even if it did, we have two of its slayers right here."
"Riiiiight." Solaris raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "How did you pull that off?"
The two glanced at each other. Recalling the moment, how they had to dodge for their lives, put more magical energy than ever into their attacks, how Bell somehow parried those blows…They both frowned as they returned from memory land and shrugged at the same time.
""Good luck?""
The group laughed lightly, causing the two to blush in embarrassment. Lefiya made it a point to shuffle a bit further away from Bell, as she let out a huff. Looking back, it truly was a miracle that they succeeded. Separated from the party, rushing in without any thought or rhyme, just to save someone. And the only reason they survived…
Lefiya grit her teeth. Filvis. It was thanks to Filvis' contribution. If she weren't there…they would have been crushed. Without her shields, her martial prowess, her forceful magic…Lefiya lowered her head, her lips quivering. She truly was so amazing, buying time for them, no matter what. No matter how hard she was hit, no matter how tired she was…she still shone like a beacon to Lefiya's eyes. The pinnacle of the grace an elf could be, showcasing strength she always envied. Perfectly combining physical and magical prowess. It was one of the reasons she admired Filvis so much, and was glad to call her a friend, a role model.
A soft melody entered her mind, creeping up together with the doubt in her heart. She bit her lip.
Did Filvis ever think of her as a friend…or just humored her? After all, compared to her, Lefiya was just…Lefiya. A shadow, a taint, compared to the great lights surrounding her. Always needing protection. Always failing when it counted, forcing others to make up for her. The Monster Rex back then was the same. Without Bell, she wouldn't have won. Maybe she was just imagining it, that Filvis cared, that she was sorry for hitting her before escaping. Perhaps she was just sick of Lefiya. Sick of her mission to befriend her for the mission.
The melody intensified. The world darkened around her. She felt her feet move.
Did she make it worse? Filvis' suffering, as a prisoner. Forced to be weaker, to get down to her level…and here she was now, chasing after her, even when she was finally free of her…
Step. Step. Step. The music was filling her entire being at this point.
What was she even doing here? Each moment going after Filvis, she was insulting her very being, with each breath she took. Her every action was meaningless. Pointless. Worthless on the surface, worthless underneath it. If Aiz were here, if Lady Riveria were here…they could save Filvis from evil. But not her. She could never. She would just push her further into the darkness, diminishing her brilliant light even more.
So…
Wouldn't it be better…to just give up…? To pay for her sins with her li-
"WAKE UP!"
Loud banging noises snapped her out of her thoughts. That, and she felt her head snap to the side, with a sharp pain flaring up at her left cheek. Then she felt her body lurch as someone pulled her by the arm. The world stopped darkening and twisting around her, her vision becoming more clear as she heard…screaming among the music…?
Lefiya's eyes snapped wide open. Wait, music? Why didn't she notice anything wrong before?! She looked around frantically, gasping at what she was seeing.
Kojiro grit his teeth, his palms bleeding as he grasped the blades Ouka and Chigusa held, about to stab themselves through the gut. They blinked, before immediately letting go of their blades, green in their face. Haruhime held Mikoto from behind in a chokehold, gritting her teeth before relaxing when her friend inhaled sharply, her eyes clearing up. Welf was tied up in chains, stopping his wriggling, while Liliruca was easily subdued by Hans with one hand on her neck, pressing her down, his other hand frantically writing across his papers.
"Are you alright now?!" Bell shouted at her, breathing heavily against her ears. She felt a shiver down her spine, but her adventurer professionalism kicked in, as she closed her eyes and got up to her feet swiftly.
"Y-Yes, I am…" Then she finally caught up on the pain, as she rubbed her cheek. "Wait, did you slap me?"
"I didn't know what to do! You were about to walk off into the water!"
She looked down, seeing the ledge and how close it was. Her gut went cold at that. She didn't even notice her thoughts turning…unnatural. The others were the same. Only the weird banging noises that Hans created, snapped them out of it.
But why was Hestia Familia fine? Or at least, snapped out of it earlier? Questions for later, as Hans let go of Liliruca, and twirled his pen with a snarl.
"Get your crap together, we're already under attack!"
"Dio Thyrsus."
Time slowed down, as Lefiya heard the all too familiar chant…uttered completely emotionless. She saw her form, that monstrous, inhuman shape, stepping out of the shadows, palm extended forward. She reacted too slow, not having even started the chant. Everyone else was busy picking themselves up again, drawing their weapons…but it was one individual who acted the fastest, reaching for her hip and swinging the magic sword in time.
"Not on Lili's watch, ha!"
Light clashed against lightning, equal in power, to Lefiya's shock. What the hell did Welf Crozzo put into those magic swords, to match a level seven's blast?! It didn't stop it completely, but the fact it managed to divert the beam, weaken it enough to not turn them into ashes, was more than enough. With their lives saved, Lefiya choked as she saw the blank look in her friend's eyes, a far cry from the emotional turmoil she showed when the Night Queen got her.
"Filvis!"
Yet her words didn't reach her. Lefiya only grew angrier, more determined in response, as she took a deep breath…and began to chant. At the same time, more shadows emerged, revealing their forms. The Takemikazuchi Familia and Haruhime took up their positions, to guard Lefiya and Hans, with Solaris covering the back with Liliruca. The child of fire let out a dry chuckle as she watched their opposition.
"So much for them going after the Xenos…!"
Violas after Violas shot forward, trying to crush Lefiya, who was building up the most magical energy, besides Hans, who created more floating bells, to counteract the music that gave them incredible headaches. The cause of it all emerged at last, playing a violin, causing Hans to scoff.
"Not even giving us a headstart, huh, Salieri?!"
And he too didn't respond. It made Hans frown deeply, before focusing back on writing even faster. Salieri meanwhile made one final note…before rushing forward with the blade in his hand. Kojiro got into his way, swinging his blade against it. Bell jumped in from behind, only for the Avenger to dance around it, forcing the Albion to evade the Violas coming after him.
"Your luck sucks, Cranel!" Ouka shouted, shield in hand as he clashed with the vine monsters alongside his Familia. Haruhime deflected the course of some of their rushes to the side, while Lefiya was quick on her feet, in order to make the job easier on her bodyguards. Bell felt his eyebrow twitch at the comment sent at him. He swayed backwards, looking at the backline at the same time.
"Why do people always blame me for this stuff?!"
"Enough with the chitchat, ladies, and get into formation!" Solaris roared, ramping up the speeds of her spinning chains, which started to glow with heat. Welf pressed his back against her, letting out a laugh as he saw Violas emerging from the waters behind them as well.
Thus, the battle within the dungeon has begun.