Hestia's workday had started out fairly normal. Aside from Bell sleeping in a while, which almost never happened.
Get up an hour before midday, work for six hours at the food cart, collect her pay if it was the week's end, take care of any errands that needed to be completed, grab a drink with Miach if she was in the mood, and head home.
She wasn't expecting a female half-elf in a Guild uniform to show up as she was closing the stand asking about Bell. This woman introduced herself as Eina Tulle, Bell's Dungeon Advisor.
Apparently, Bell hadn't gone to the Guild that day, despite having a lesson planned. Normally, this wouldn't have been any issue to send an advisor out on, but given how ragged Bell had been running himself recently, and because some paperwork from the Guild was marked for Hestia familia, Eina had been authorized to track down Hestia.
Upon hearing the news and detecting no lie, Hestia took off towards the base of her familia. Partway through her journey, dark clouds rolled in from nowhere, releasing an utter downpour within moments. A loud bang rang out as she turned onto the street and approached the church.
Hestia entered at once, flinging the door open to the sight of Bell, covered in dry blood from head to toe, and a white-haired stranger standing over the red box Bell brought with him when he joined her familia. The stranger was holding a sheathed, gray sword in one hand and patting Bell on the back with the other.
Not used to hard-running, it took Hestia a moment to catch her breath before speaking.
"What is going on here!?"
Nary a moment passed before she found herself slammed against the wall with a dagger at her throat. The white-haired stranger had a very similar face to Bell, albeit far more mature and developed, Hestia idly noticed. But that was overshadowed by the blade pressed against her trachea.
Adrian Invana; Vileblooded knight, hunter, and craftsman for the queen.
Jack's little brother, and father of the boy Jack rescued earlier. A bright man, quick of wit and gentle of tongue. Back before the falling out between the Church and Cainhurst, he had been a founding member of the Healing Church's Oto Workshop.
Never much one for blood art or swordplay, yet not lacking in either field. His main efforts had always been displayed in his workshop by means of miraculous mechanical weapons and tools. Aside from working, Adrian never showed much interest in physical activity.
As a hunter, he was different from the rest. He lacked the ruthless brutality of the other knights. This brought him an overall lesser kill count than most, but he got by.
As a noble, he was generous to his peasants, sometimes toiling in the field with them despite ridicule from others among the nobility. An odd, kind man.
And a sentimental idiot...
During an excursion in the tombs, an army of monstrous, glowing red spiders had swarmed their company without warning. Several knights perished. Merlin Sprigner, another knight and one of Adrian's close friends, was knocked down. Just before that knight's death, Adrian rushed in to slay the spider, only to have another headbutt him off a cliff.
It was at least thirty seconds before they heard a few echoed impacts and a final crunch.
Even for family, Jack couldn't afford to separate knights from his company to search in those tombs.
A stupid mistake had cost him everything.
That was seventeen years ago. The last time Jack had seen him.
And now his-
A new voice caught his attention. Spinning on his heel, Jack lunged and grabbed the girl by her throat.
I didn't notice her approaching!
"Who are you? A robber?"
A poor one at that. Slimey peasant should know better.
Examining her a bit closer, Jack felt confused.
Appearance wise, the girl was perfectly formed. From the head to the toe, her skin was flawless and bright. Her long black hair was somehow untangled and very glossy. Her eyes had a startling clarity to them. The blue irises seemed to slightly glow.
It didn't seem natural. It was like she was carved from marble and brought to life rather than born. And there was something else about her that felt off. Some scent or aura that didn't belong. Unlike that blonde child from earlier, this one distinctively felt overpowering. Almost like a bonfire where there should've been a candle.
It was similar to staring at that Great One in Yharnam, only to a far lesser degree.
It was like staring at a god.
Wait a moment...
Jack widened his eyes and jumped back, quickly shoving Bell behind him and aiming his evelyn at the threat in his presence, every sense on high alert.
A Great One?!
"What business have you here, monster?"
This isn't good. What is it doing here? Why has it taken on the form of a person?
The creature's mouth opened. It was so... human-like. Flawless appearance, emotive eyes, and human body-language. A proper human tongue even. All the facial muscles worked in perfect, graceful synchronicity.
Even with his limited arcane detection, he could feel great power hidden beneath its disguise.
Jack glared and prepared to draw his chikage.
This is not going to be easy.
"Great One, I have no quarrel with you as of yet. But if you dare try and bring any harm to Bell," Jack quickly drew his chikage and spread a thick, sharp blood-coating in one motion, "I will gut you!"
Bell finally broke out of his trance and started looking around.
"W-wat? What's going on... OH! WAIT !"
All of the sudden, Jack felt someone pulling on his arm. The force was minimal, and the person would've been able to hang from his arm without making much of a difference. Keeping his eyes on the thing in front of him, he shifted part of his attention to the boy next to him.
"Back away Bell. I'll do my best to destroy it if it moves against us, but I'd rather avoid fighting one of them," Jack harshly whispered.
"What do you mean 'it'? That's the leader of my familia, Goddess Hestia! She's really kind! She'd never hurt a fly! Even if she would, she couldn't! Please put down the sword Mister Jack," Exclaimed Bell.
"NO, CHILD! If it turns hostile, nothing in this world will be safe until that thing is dead," Jack shouted back as he readjusted himself to be between the Great One and Bell again. The Great One opened it's form's mouth again, this time with a perfect imitation of a human's aggravated expression.
"HEY! QUIET DOWN AND LISTEN FOR A SECOND! WHO ARE YOU!? WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOME!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BELL!?"
It's too good at this. No Great One should be able to mimic a human so closely.
Tightening his grip on his chikage, Jack forced his blood to cycle through his veins faster, increasing his ability to move in case he needed to fight. Before he could respond, a blob of white hair tainted by red rushed past him. Bell now stood between Jack and the monster, holding up the steely-gray modified Chikage. The boy's arms shook, and his hands were improperly spaced on the handle. There was no possibility of a proper swing occuring.
"Bell! What. Are. You. Doing? Get away from that monster! There's no telling what it wants."
"No ! She is my goddess! I promised that I would protect her!"
Jack narrowed his eyes. The Great One spoke again.
"Sir! Put down the sword so we can talk!"
Bell backed it up.
"Please ! Just one chance!"
Bell had determination in his eyes and a pleading look on his face. One that was very familiar. One that tugged at Jack's heart.
You really look just like him.
Frowning and hesitating for a moment, Jack relented, dismissing the blood-coat and lowering the sword, but not sheathing it. Bell also lowered the blade and exhaled.
"You wanted to talk, Great One. Now talk," Jack spat.
The Great One breathed a perfectly believable sigh of relief, "Why don't we sit down first?"
Jack's eyes flickered over to the subpar table and chairs,
Why would a Great One settle for living in such a terrible place?
Jack sat as nobly as possible on the wooden stool Bell had taken from the closet. The legs were uneven, and the stool was wobbly. To his left, at the end of the table, Bell sat. Across from him, the Great One's form sat. Upon the table, thirteen fried potato bites resided on a plate. From where the Great One procured them, or why a Great One would stoop to such lows as eating mortal food, Jack did not know.
This Great One was confusing even now. The moment he had put his blade down, it had dashed over to Bell and hurriedly checked him over, almost like a mother checking over her young. It was infuriating and unnerving to see a monster like that put its paws all over his nephew. His chikage laid across his lap and his evelyn was in-hand, ready to be used at a moment's notice. Wanting to take some measure of control over the situation, Jack took the initiative and spoke.
"Bell. What is your relation to this Great One? Why is it in your home?"
Irritatingly, the Great One answered. Its voice was bright and cheery, despite Jack's glare.
"Bell is a member of my familia!"
Did Adrian actually...
"Are you saying Bell is your offspring? What of his father?"
Then who was the 'grandfather' Bell spoke of earlier?
"Wait, wait! Nononono, I mean he is part of my familia!"
Jack narrowed his eyes, "Does that not mean family? Then is he adopted?"
The Great One made a convincing slight blush appear on its face before speaking, "Not in that way. By being in my familia, I mean he has my blessing, my falna."
"And what does 'falna' entail? And what are you getting out of this 'blessing'? His servitude? His soul?" Jack leaned forward as he spoke. His grip on his evelyn tightened and he subtly tested its weight.
Five shots left.
"No! I'm not taking his soul!" The Great One looked horrified, "And he isn't my servant!" Jack felt a small relief in the back of his mind, but paid it no attention.
"Then what exactly does this 'falna' entail? 'Blessing' can mean all sorts of things from your kind."
Bell answered this time, which Jack found much better sounding.
"Well, Goddess created a marking on my back that can boost my abilities. That marking is falna, and it's power can be improved by killing monsters."
"So you grow in strength from the deaths of the creatures in that dungeon?"
The Great One spoke again, and though Jack's want to shoot at it spiked, he stayed his hand.
"Kind of... The falna works by generating excellia, a type of divine energy, in response to great feats being performed by mortals. Then the patron god of that mortal applies that excellia to the falna, updating the mortal's status permanently," The Great One turned to look at the rabbit boy beside her, "Didn't I go through that with you already?"
The boy just chuckled sheepishly and turned away.
The Great One pouted like an innocent person before continuing, "Slaying monsters in the Dungeon is what most adventurers in this city do to gain excellia."
"Hmm..."
So he has a contract with her. He gets strength through his falna, which she provides. And then what? Does he support her? Does she feed on the experience?
"But why? What do you gain? Why not give him great enough power right away to survive in the Dungeon if he will be visiting there for years to come? He would've died today if I hadn't stepped in to stop that Minotaur!"
The Great One's eyes shot fully open.
"A MINOTAUR!?"
It went into another frenzy of desperately checking all over Bell for any possible injuries like a cat checking over a kitten.
It would've been an amusing sight, had it not involved a terrifying, cosmos-originating, god-monster with the ability to rip reality and logic apart on a whim. Jack loudly cleared his throat. A few moments later, Bell and 'Goddess Hestia' were facing Jack. The Great One spoke again.
"How did he find a minotaur? Bell, how deep did you go into the Dungeon?
"I only went down to the fifth floor! Miss Eina said minotaurs don't spawn until the fifteenth floor."
That far? No animal would go that far to chase prey. It wouldn't be worth it.
Was it running from something?
"Are you sure you're okay, Bell? Really?"
Bell nodded. 'Goddess Hestia' exhaled, then turned to address Jack.
"Then I must thank you sir. Bell here is the only one who was willing to join my familia. I would be devastated if anything were to happen to him."
Jack leaned forward before speaking, "You have not answered my questions."
"And you haven't said why you were in my home," replied the Great One with a raised eyebrow.
Bell scratched the back of his head and spoke.
"Well... He said he might've known who my father was. And that I was a 'Vileblood' like him, so I invited him here to take a look at the box that Grandpa left to me."
A flicker of... some emotion passed the Great One's face at that sentence. Bell wouldn't have picked it up, but Jack did. It's next sentence was said with a careful calm.
"Bell... Go take a shower. The adults need to talk."
The rotted smell of decaying monster blood was starting to become impossible to ignore, especially outside of the Dungeon where the constant dangers within would let other, larger priorities take precedence. Bell nodded sheepishly before getting up and leaving the room. The sound of running water became clear.
The Great One leaned forward towards Jack.
"What is a Vileblood? When I constructed Bell's falna, it listed him as such. It also said that he was inactive," It spoke with a collected face, "But when he said he was human, he wasn't lying. I took his word first and changed the wording of the falna to reflect that. I've also never found any reference to whatever a 'Vileblood' is. But he also isn't lying now, and neither are you. So what is going on here?"
Can they tell when lies are spoken? That isn't good...
"Vilebloods are beings descended from thirteen humans that were gifted special blood for slaying a powerful creature. We have greater physical abilities than humans," Jack lectured while removing his left gauntlet, "And those born with one human parent are born inactive. They still have some greater physcial prowess, but most can go their entire lives without ever knowing that they were more than human."
"I was able to single Bell out because of his scent. He is inactive. I wasn't exactly certain who his Vileblooded parent was, but this told me."
Hestia leaned forward as the stranger grabbed the sword Bell had been holding. The things he said sounded rather crazy, but none of it was a lie. Or, at the very least, he truly believed it to be truth.
She hadn't lied either about Bell's falna. She had written down the format for falna and let it fill itself out like Hephaestus described. Only, under the 'race' catagory, 'Vileblood(inactive)' appeared. She had asked Bell to make sure he was indeed human. His answer wasn't a lie, so she assumed there was some mistake on her part and corrected it.
She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. Her eyes found the badge around the man's neck. It had the same design as the box the Bell always kept. Her domain-related instincts flared. This man was strange, but there was something else going on. His features were too alike.
His white hair was the exact same shade. It was longer and better combed, but still identical.
His facial structure was also similar.
His eyes were the same bloody rubies.
This isn't a coincidence.
Hestia's train of thought halted immediately as the man impaled his left hand with the gold-hilted sword. He didn't flinch as he drew it out. The wound drew together and healed immediately, not even leaving a scar. There were a few scars on his hand though. A line across his palm, a line across the middle section of four fingers, and a line right at the base of his hand.
The blade was covered in and extended by hardened, sickly sweet-smelling blood. It felt off.
"Chikage are forged specially for specific knights. The blood rite only works with that knight's blood. A knight's children may also use it. This chikage is mine," he picked up the steely-gray weapon, "And this one here belonged to a knight known as Adrian Invana. He was my... comrade."
That wasn't a lie, but it isn't a full truth.
Hmm...
As the man opened his mouth to speak once more, Hestia interrupted him. A scowl emerged from his face.
"How are you related to Bell?"
A flash of panic lit up the man's eyes, but his expression remained under control.
"I am not."
That was a lie.
Hestia activated her eyes.
Being a Goddess of Family had certain benefits. Most of her powers were sealed away in the upper world, especially her Fire Goddess personality, Vesta. This was true for all deities. But they all carried some of their power in a more subtle manner. For some, especially Love Deities, this went to a magical 'charm'. For others, especially Blacksmith Deities, this went to a special interactive capability of their craft. Many deities connected to similar concepts had similar magics. There were some with more rare powers Hestia had heard of, such as a God of Desires capable of drawing out the heart's yearning with his meer presence, or an extremely violent Blood God that could increase the war-hunger in his children's souls.
Her limited eyes allowed her to see part of a soul's aura. Not much, but some reading was possible. The colors she could percieve were related to family history and relation. It was never exact, but it was something.
In this man's aura, she saw a similar crimson as Bell's aura. Deeper in shade, but not by much. He was closely related to Bell. Farther than a sibling, but closer than a grandparent.
In the distance, the sound of running water stopped, though it went unnoticed.
Venom swelled in his voice and mood as Jack slammed his hand on the table, accidentally punching through it, causing the Great One to jump in surprise.
"Whatever link you believe I have to that boy isn't any of your business! I need to know is what your intentions are with him. I failed Adrian already. I will not abandon Bell in the captivity of a monster!"
The monster in question merely narrowed its eyes.
"So tell me what exactly your plans for him are. It matters not your ruinous nature and power. I will protect h-."
"You're his uncle, aren't you?"
Jack stopped dead. His hand reflexsively pulled the hammer back on his evelyn.
Impossible. How did she do that?
"No, I am not."
The creature smirked and laughed.
"And that confirms it. It doesn't take a god to see you're lying though your teeth."
Anger rushed through his veins once more. Jack quickly stood up, knocking over the stool and training his evelyn on the Great One.
"Fine! Yes, he is my brother's kid! I will not let your kind bring him harm!"
Jack opened his mouth to speak more but stopped. The sound of fabric hitting the floor touched his ears. His head snapped over to the side, where a shirtless, wide-eyed Bell stood.
"What?"
Bell's utter confusion and shock radiated from that one word before he passed out and fell over.
AN:
Hello to anyone actually reading this. I thank you for your time.
It has been a hot second since I last updated this story. Don't worry, I've yet to forsake my vow of finishing this. The long time it took to make this chapter is for a few reasons.
A. My life got very complicated very quickly, so this kinda got sidelined. I did my best to write little bits here and there, but it still took a while.
B. Writer's block is so much fun, as I'm sure y'all can understand.
C. I don't like this chapter. I might rewrite it at some point or another. It is quite poorly executed, but it was necessary and I'm hoping I got across the characterization that I was aiming for.
Poor excuses, I know. But I'll be trying to get uploads to be a little more constant. I'm also going to be starting some other works for when I get burned out on this one and want a productive break.
Please leave reviews so I may learn from my mistakes.