Hello everyone.
Boy this chapter got me conflicted about how to go on about. However, I decided to say 'let me change it'. And well, I got this.
However, at the end of writing it, I felt satisfied. Know that once this story is over, I will take a very long break. Just to recharge or think of how it plays out and how it will end.
Now, on to the story
Disclaimer: I don't own Danmachi, nor the characters.
Chapter 22: Confrontation
Bell was training with Ais, Lefiya, Filvis, Mikoto, Lilli, Ryuu, and Tiona. They were pushing themselves to do their best, and Bell knew that the Loki Familia were going to deal with the problem ahead in the Knosis.
He avoided another vertical slash attack and pushed himself further, getting ready to face Vittereux in a fight. He needed to push himself, while Ais was doing her best to get prepared to deal with either Evilus member or anyone else within the place.
Tiona was being double teamed by Mikoto and Lilli. She was hanging in there well thus far, but was then disarmed by Lilli. Tiona disarmed Mikoto and it became a fight with their fists. Tiona was trying to get her to a clinch, but ended up being thrown to the ground. She rolled out of the way from a stomp and got up. She went for a flying punch at her.
Mikoto rolled to the side and Lilli came in with a headbutt on her stomach, backing the Amazon woman off. She smirked and went after them again.
Both Tiona and Ais eased their level to be able to not hurt them that badly. Knowing they are at a higher level than them.
Ryuu, Filvis and Lefiya were pushing themselves on their magic. Lefiya was getting the hang of using a sword, to be able to battle using close range, while using some spells. She was also learning to improve her footwork, and learning Bell some useful spells.
A small ringing was heard and they stopped. "Well, that's that."
Ryuu nodded. "I heard you were going on an expedition. Didn't your familia already go into one?"
Lefiya answered "It's something that the Guild commissioned for us to deal with."
"Fair enough. Are you sure you don't need an extra person?"
"Positive" She looked at Filvis with a smile "We already have more people assisting us already."
The dark haired elf smiled and nodded. She then saw Bell stretching his arms. "What are your plans, Bell?"
"For me? I will have to help out at the Hostess of Fertility today. They are having this nice event and I have to keep an eye on Noelle."
"Your daughter?" Mikoto said.
He nodded "She is learning as much as possible. After all, she healed my son's blindness, which I am forever grateful for."
"Good. I have to go and meet with Dionysus." She went and held his hand. She felt his thumb going up on the hand, making her blush a bit.
"Take care, Filvis." He felt a small peck on the cheek from her, and looked at Lefiya.
Lefiya was surprised by what she saw, but not as surprised as she felt a kiss on the cheek from Filvis "See you tomorrow." She then saw her leave, leaving Lefiya blushing redder than an apple.
"You okay?" Tiona asked.
Lefiya nodded "Umm…take care." She then left, leaving to ask herself what happened.
Ais then went over and kissed Bell's lips. She felt his arms wrapping around her lower waist and smiled.
The kisses ended and he looked at her "Stay safe, Ais."
She nodded and petted his head "You too, Rabbit." She then left.
Tiona jumped on him and he caught her. She starts kissing him, much to Mikoto looking away and her face turning red. "Do these girls have any shame? In front of me?!"
After the kiss Tiona smiled "I will keep an eye on her, Argonaut."
"Thank you, Olna."
She smiled and got off of him and left as well.
Bell looked at the others "I am heading to the showers and will meet with Ryuu at the Hostess."
"Take care, Master Bell." Lilli left as Mikoto tagged along.
Ryuu went one way, while Bell went in another.
One hour later in Hestia's Church
"And there we go, the tie is all set up."
"Thank you, Hestia."
She looked a little melancholy about all of this "Have you got everything with you?"
"Yes." He smiled as he looked at her.
"I'm sorry, just trying to make sure you are all set."
"I know" he then kissed her lips "I promise, I will be back home today."
She then turned into Vesta "I wish I could be there."
"I told you, everything will be fine. Just going in, doing my thing and heading home. I will bring back Eli and Noelle as well."
She sighed "Take care, my champion."
"Thank you, Vesta."
He then left, while she prayed for his safety.
Few hours later
"Order up for table 10!"
Anya went to pick up the order and served to the patrons. She kept in tabs on how many tables she has served and took orders. "I think that was about….mew thirtieth? Yeah, that's how much so far, meow!"
She is doing her best, but the most popular ones she has seen so far have been two children that volunteered to help out.
The young werewolf was serving a few plates, which thankfully his Faulna allowed him to hold a good amount of plate and served. Mostly women. Mother-like women. Sister-like women. They would pat his head and would call him 'cutie', much to his blushing at times.
"Here you go, three specials!" He would serve three women.
"Aww, thank you, sweetie~ Won't you sit with us and join us?"
"Sorry, can't do. I am helping Mama and I promised not to slack off." He gave a salute and left.
"I wish we could just pet him."
"Oh, he will grow up to be such a handsome one."
They nodded in agreement and planned to keep an eye on him, to see how he grows up.
As people were being served, a cat girl and a regular man came in and were placed on a reserved table. They sat down and smiled at one another.
"It has been a while since I have come here." Aki smiled at how crowded the place was.
"The atmosphere is pretty lively around here." Vittereux looked around. He didn't expect it to be a pact, but he decided to just let it be.
She nodded "Oh it is. That's why I love it here." She then saw a waiter with brunette hair smiling.
"Hello, welcome to the Hostess of Fertility, my name is Lunor" she handed the menus "Anything to drink?"
"Just a regular beer for now."
"Same here."
"We may need a bit more time to order."
"Understandable, just call me whenever you are ready."
They nodded as she left.
Vittereux still looked at the menu for something, when he felt a splash on his right leg and looked over. A child wearing the waiter's clothes with gray hair and gray eyes. He felt it going off. "So it's you? Found you."
"I….I'm sorry…." She was on the verge of crying.
The red haired man began to chuckle and pats her head "Don't worry little one. I understand it was an accident." He saw she was calming down a bit at the moment.
Bell went to the sound of a tankard falling and that is when he saw him. The man that destroyed Hestia's familia. The man that hunted him and any other gods down. A part of him wanted to stab and end him, but he realized that murdering him out in the open without a reason is out of the question. He began to think of the long term implications of what will happen.
Plus, he had no evidence that this man was the same as the masked fox man. He will have to follow the plan.
What made it more for him to stop is seeing Aki there. "What is Aki doing with that man?! I better figure this out quickly and make sure she stays away from him. May have to add her to the plan."
He went over and smiled "Sorry about that. It's her first day working."
"That is understandable. We all have accidents from time to time."
Bell agreed to it.
Aki had an amused look "Bell, I'm surprised you're here."
"Oh, Aki! Well, I volunteered to help out today, and brought my son and now my new daughter to work."
She looked at the child and she looked a bit shy just being looked at "She's adorable."
"I agree with you Aki. Children are very precious and are innocent." He smiled, "They are also good target practices."
Bell then asked "So, are you on a date?"
Aki blushed a little "We are. I think."
"I see. Glad that things are going well. Are you prepared for tomorrow though?"
"I think so. Just nervous on the mission though." She looked at the red haired man.
The red haired man waved it off "I wouldn't worry about it. I am sure you will do well and take care of the problem. After all, you are a high level person. By the way" he turned to Bell "We haven't met before."
"No, we haven't." He extended his hand "Bell Cranel."
"Vittereux." He shook it and both gave a firm handshake. Then they let go. "Ah, so I heard about you. They called you Flaming Knight Hare, or is it the Record Holder?"
"Either is fine."
"So tell me, how did you manage to level up so fast?"
He looked at him "I took on stronger monsters and a minotaur was in the way, and well….here I am. I did so to save lives and wanted to see if I could become a hero."
"A hero? I love heroes! Especially how they would swoop down and save the day from any disaster or damsel in distress."
Bell smirked and took a seat. "Fascinating. You know, I have this amazing story to tell. Want to hear it?"
"Of course."
Mia watched and noticed Bell sitting down. She was going to say something, until Syr tapped her shoulder and she turned to see her. She shook her head. Mia didn't like this, but waited.
"There was a leader who saw a city that lacked anyone to stand up to injustice. So one day, he found two powerful mercenaries. These two mercenaries were given instructions to cause as much destruction as possible on this little city. He believed heroes will appear and fight for justice I believe."
Vittereux nodded, but inside he felt a familiarity with this story. Aki, listening on, never heard of this story.
"The leader wanted to see new heroes spring out and see if they could defend a city from any evil that rises. The two mercs, along with a small army were destroying everything left and right and no one seemed to stand up against them. When things start to become bleak, when a group of people took arms, seeing their city falling and were willing to put their line on the line, willing to save the city no matter what. A man who was testing himself, being raised by his adopted mother and trained by her, was beaten by one of the mercs more than once. He was pushing all out to beat him and finally did it. The other merc fell to her death, due to her powers waning and being almost overwhelmed by the group's effort."
Bell saw Anya with a glass of wine and he looked at her "Is it for anyone."
She shook her head and he got the glass of wine. He placed it on the table. "The leader surrendered and accepted his fate. His only wish is to allow his own group to be spared and left alone."
The red haired man didn't like this at all.
"One of the men witnessed the execution and heard everything in that conversation. He grew furious on how he was used to bringing new heroes. Of course, these heroes went to do many things after that. Some grew stronger than others, by facing various types of monsters. As for the man who heard it all, he disappeared."
Vittereux decided to take a bite on this story "Where did you hear this fascinating story?"
"An old man told me." He looked at him and drank the red wine. Bell saw a glint in his eyes for a moment and was gone "I see the rumors are true about the color red. Colorblind."
"Interesting tale."
Bell nodded and looked at Aki "Did you know the color red is meant for love and trust?"
"Oh? Really?"
"Oh yes" he then looked at the red haired man "How about give the nice lady a red rose sometime?"
"I will see if I can."
She giggled and saw Bell call over Ryuu and whispered a few things. She nodded and left for a moment.
Bell then looked at the red haired man and said "Vittereux, I was wondering if you can indulge me on something in the back?" he then looked back at Aki "I promise, it won't be anything bad. Just the fact that I would like to get to know him on his own."
Aki sighed "Okay, but not too long."
He nodded and gestured to follow him in the back.
Aki wondered what they were talking about, until she saw Syr sit next to her. "Hey Syr."
"Hey Aki. Let's head somewhere quick. I showed it to Bell and he thought it was interesting."
She nodded and went with her. They went to a small store room and she gave a suggestion of silence. She then pointed to a door knob, surprising Aki and opening a slit.
She saw both Bell and Vittereux outside.
As they walked, the man stopped and looked around. No one was around.
"I must admit, seeing the former member of the already dead Erebus familia being around here."
"Alright, who the fuck are you?"
Bell chuckled "Oh, Vito, Vito. You are such a fascinating man." He began to walk around him, all while Vito was trying to find anyone else, but realizing he was alone to be sure. "A man who is colorblind, but can only see the color red. It excites you doesn't it, spilling the blood of innocence for your amusement."
Vito lost all pretense and had a sly smirk "It is true, kid. I do enjoy it. I also enjoy watching a brat getting blood on my feet."
"Funny. I saw how you were looking at my daughter in a way for your little plan, on raising a Demi Spirit."
Vito was caught off guard. Bell smiled, "Oh dear, you seem nervous."
"Who told you?" He demanded.
"I don't think it would matter, Vito. The only thing I know is that you won't escape this time."
"A mere level 2, with just his luck won't go that far. Just as I cut those good little friends back at the lower floors. That snot nosed punk of a boy losing his arm, and an older pathetic coward losing his leg." he had a sadistic grin "You don't stand a chance. Watching the cry for mercy made me excited."
"It's a shame your days of running are over. So why hang out with Aki?"
"Oh, the little bitch of a cat? Simple, just to make her blab out what her familia's plans are and trap them on the Knosis. It won't matter what plans they have, or any changes. They will be crushed and she….well, let's say she will be used on an experiment by one of our own members. I am disgusted by cat people. They look unnatural. She would cry about her little Raul, which I would help them reunite."
Vito saw Bell take two knives out. He chuckled "Such a naive fool. Aki would be sad if I was ever hurt.
"No I won't."
Vito turned and saw Aki and the other waitresses surrounding them. "How could you?! You murderer!" She was held by Ryuu, as tears came out. "You monster! I swear, I will rip you apart!"
Viterreux smirked, "It was simple. Just playing with your emotions and watching you blab it all out. So…weak willed and easy to trust."
Bell had a stoic look "The only weak one is you, Vito. And I will put you down."
"Really? I am surrounded by each of you, not so fair to be honest." He gave a fake pout. But noticed Bell smirking.
"Who said they will interfere? I told them that this fight is between us. So, here is what is going to happen. It will be a duel to the death. If I win, you are finished. If you win, you will be given a 5 minute head start to your god of death. So how about it?"
Vito's smile loved hearing this. "Oh, I will love this very much~" He purred. He threw his cloak to the side, and took out his sword.
"Remember what I told you girls, let him go when I lose." He got into position.
They nodded in agreement, but Aki wanted her vengeance. She wanted him dead, but was held down by Mia now. She was surprised how strong she was.
"You better clean this up, when it is over, kid!"
Bell nodded and had his knives out. It was now or never.
"You can do it, dad!"
Vittereux smiled, "Time to put you down for good."
To be continued.
A/N:
Yes, I am moving this fight forward. And the next chapter will make an explanation. For now, I am satisfied with it.
I don't have anything else to say. So I will leave it like this.
I may put up a forum to put any Q&A or any talks about either the series or the stories. Something to keep people interested.
Next chapter: Bell vs. Vittereux. See you next time.