Laurier POV
Lord Miach, Nazha, and I were walking to the stardust garden. It hadn't been that long since I saw Lady Astraea but I wanted to see everyone else as well.
"You seem awfully excited," Miach said.
I turned to him and nodded my head. "Yeah, it's been so long since I've seen everyone I'm excited"
Maybe I can get them to change their minds about Bell?
We arrived a few minutes later and I excitedly rang the doorbell. I couldn't wait to see everyone. Lefiya opened the door and a happy smile came upon her face.
"Ms. Laurier!" She excitedly said.
She escorted us inside and led us to Astraea's office. Miach knocked on the door and she said to come in.
"We won't be long Laurier, you're welcome to stay after we leave," the kind god told me.
He and Nazha both went into the office and shut the door.
"Come with me, everyone's just hanging out in the living room," Lefiya told me.
I followed my fellow elf as we walked to the living room.
"So how have you been at the Blue Manor, everyone treating you nicely," she asked me.
I nodded my head "Yes they're very kind to me, although they can be rowdy from time to time"
Lefiya quirked an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Well Bell and Regis like to mess around a lot, there was this one time where he put flour on Bell's door, so when Bell opened his door the flour spilled all over him, it was quite funny"
Lefiya giggled. "I can already imagine the sight, did the flour match his hair" she joked.
I giggled as well "It did"
We then arrived in the living room where everyone else was.
Alise and Ryu were playing chess with Ryu winning. Kaguya and Lyra were sitting at a table. Lyra making bombs while Kaguya talked her ear off.
Nezhe the grey-haired werewolf was reading a romance novel with Iska the Amazon sitting next to her.
Ryana and Celty were reading books about magic to further their knowledge. Noin and Asta were doing weapon maintenance.
"Everyone look who I found" Lefiya called out.
Everyone turned to the entrance and saw me. Smiles appeared on all of their faces as they said their hellos and it's so good to see you again.
They ushered me to a table, pulling up chairs, and started asking for gossip since I'd been gone. I obviously couldn't tell them about Wiene so I'll just have to talk about the daily high jinks everyone gets up to.
"Well there's never a dull moment I'll say that, if it's not Regis messing with someone he's making a plan to mess with someone else, except for Lili and Haruhime of course"
Lefiya chuckled. "So he even messes with you"
"Compared to the guys his pranks against me are tame," I told her.
"Oh I heard there's a level 7 there now, what's he like" Celty spoke up.
"Oh Zald, he's very kind and helpful to everyone, he's taught Haruhime and Lili some hand-to-hand combat in case they need it, he's a great cook and mentor to anyone that asks, although I have noticed him hanging around Welf more after the Rakia incident"
Kaguya perked her head up. "Yeah we saw the aftermath of that, what exactly happened to his dad"
I felt my ears droop a little. "Welf almost beat his dad to death, if it wasn't for Bell stopping him he would have"
The room went silent at the mention of Bell's name. Seems they still feel someway about him.
"Well it's a good thing he was there to stop him, how is he by the way," Ryu asked.
Cassandra's words flashed through my mind. Should I tell them? They were once somewhat close with him. Or as close as he would let them.
"Ms. Laurier" Lefiya's worried voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I took a deep breath, then spoke. "I'm worried about him, we recently got some new members, one of them is a healer who also has visions, normally people ignore them but Bell didn't"
"And what did she say," Alise asked. It was the first time she spoke since we sat down.
"Bell's going to die, she told him a woman in black will bring him to ruin" I didn't mention the first part of the prophecy.
Everyone seemed shocked at the news. The ones who went to see him in the hospital that day had a cold facade when I first mentioned Bell. Now with the shocking news, it seemed the facade cracked.
Ryu was the first one to speak. "Bell's gonna die?" Her voice seemed hesitant to speak. I nodded my head.
Alise fist tightened. "What was his reaction"
My ears dropped some more. "He said don't worry about it"
Lyra clicked her tongue. "Sounds exactly like him"
Their reactions weren't weird to me. Sure Bell and them had a falling out. But Bell didn't exactly help by practically laughing in their faces when they confronted him. Yet they're not in the right either for assuming Bell will turn out like Alfia. Deep down they still cared for him. Just as he cared for them.
Kaguya put her hands on the table. "And I assume he smiled and laughed it off as well"
I nodded.
The room was silent. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. It was Nezhe who spoke next.
"So the kid's gonna die big whoop" Everyone looked at her shocked. "Kid's had the odds stacked against him before and came out on top, who's to say this time won't be any different"
While I can't remember any interactions Bell had with anyone else in the familia. He was still a topic of conversation after the Soma incident. Some liked him and some were apprehensive but none disliked him. However, after the hospital things changed. They were more guarded, more nervous to speak about him, like if his name was said the boogeyman would appear.
Nezhe's words seemed to cheer them up a little.
"Sounds like him, stares defeat in the face and still wins, it's quite impressive" Ryu smiled.
Since I couldn't talk about Wiene I couldn't tell them that half of the prophecy was already true. I couldn't tell them there was a good chance Bell would actually die.
An image of him holding me in his arms flashed through my mind. He was smiling as he nearly had his eye cut in half. He held me and told me everything was going to be alright. Now there was a good chance he would die, and knowing him he'd make sure no one would be close enough to help him.
What is this feeling in my heart.
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Miach POV
Nazha and I sat down on chairs across from Astraea. She had a warm and kind smile on her face.
"Thank you for bringing Laurier by, how can I help you, my friend"
I looked at Nazha who gave me a nod, then spoke.
"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, got it, I need you to swear on your ichor," I told her.
Her face turned serious seeing as I was using our blood to keep things quiet.
"You have my word that not a single word will leave this room" she promised.
I then took a deep breath. Collected my thoughts, and spoke.
"Have you heard of talking monsters?" I asked her.
She looked at me in confusion. "Talking monsters, no I can't say I have" she responded confusedly.
"Thought so, yesterday Bell was helping out with the firebird breakout on the 19th floor, the rest of his party was fighting the Goliath. As Bell was clearing his way through the floor he killed a battle boar, nothing would be wrong with that except it talked, It said some unsavory things but it talked, surprised he kept making his way further down the floor and saw a firebird about to kill someone, thinking quickly he cut the things head off and noticed a vouvire, he heard footsteps approaching so he hid her and it seemed as if people were looking for her, he then brought her back home and it turns out she can talk to"
Astraea sat there and digested all the information. She then opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses. She poured herself a glass before chugging it. Then poured another.
She held her head in her hand. "I swear it's one thing after another with that boy" she muttered.
"That's not all," I told her.
She looked at me with a deflated look. "Of course, it isn't"
I let out a small chuckle. "We recruited two new members into our familia, both were former Apollo familia members, one of them is a healer and a seer of sorts, before everyone left to fight the Goliath she pulled Bell aside and told him of a vision she had, the first part was about the talking monster which came true, the second part is that a woman in black will bring Bell to ruin"
She gave me a sad look and sighed. She then filled another glass and slid it toward me. "Seems like you need this more than I do"
I took the glass and chugged the contents as well. "I believe in Bell, I don't think this woman will kill him, but I'm still worried about him, what father wouldn't be worried about his child"
We clinked our glasses together and drank some more. "So Bell found a talking monster, I'm guessing you're hiding it at your place," she asked.
"Yup, Bell and Haruhime are playing parents, it's actually kind of wholesome, seeing as monsters are meant to be feared Bell sees Wiene as someone just like him"
Astraea quirked an eyebrow "You named her as well"
"Yup, be kind of rude if we didn't and just referred to her as a monster" I responded.
Astraea then looked at Nazha. "I'm guessing Bell's causing you a headache" she joked.
Nazha smiled. "You have no idea"
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Welf POV
"Alright lad just walk in there and act natural, pretend you're looking for a quest or something, I'll be outside keeping an eye out for any suspicious individuals," Zald told me.
I nodded my head and walked inside the guild going to the notice board. I was pretending to look at quests while keeping my ears open for any news. But something odd on the board caught my eye. It was a lizard man wearing armor and had adventurer weapons. No landform or anything.
Hmm, let's see gather spring water from the 18th floor, collect some adamantine, damn I'd like to work with that someday.
"Hey have you heard the rumors"
"What rumors"
"Apparently people have been hearing disembodied voices in the dungeon"
"Huh what do you mean"
"Well the story goes they hear voices nearby, but when they go to check no one's there"
"That's creepy"
"I know man, I hope I don't hear something like that, I'd probably have a heart attack"
"Well let's not worry about that now, say wanna get a beer"
"Sure man, hostess?"
"I'm down"
The two men then walked out of the guild. I pretended to be disappointed in the quests and left the guild acting sad. I walked back to where Zald was.
"I'm guessing you found something," he asked.
"It's not much but it could be a possible lead"
"Spill it," he said.
"Rumors are there are disembodied voices in the dungeon, people go to investigate and no one's there, could be someone pulling a prank, or could be more like Wiene" I explained.
Zald nodded his head. "Could lead to something, come on let's head back home, let's make sure to take a long way so no one follows us, can't be too careful"
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Lili POV
I was sitting in some old bar in a bad part of town, I was disguised as a cat person and was enjoying a water. I had been here a few hours just listening and waiting. Daphne and Cassandra were waiting outside out of sight as it would be suspicious to see the two new members of the Miach familia asking about talking monsters.
"You've been here a long while, you gonna buy something alcoholic or not" the bartender's gruff voice cut through my thoughts.
"Say I'm looking for some information, Is this the place to buy it from," I asked.
"Depends on what you're asking"
"Heard anything about talking monsters" I slowly slid a coin purse across the counter.
He reached for it but I pulled it back. "Information first then you get paid," I told him. He crossed his arms and grumbled.
"Word on the street is that some famila's who were quite poor have recently made lots of money quickly, some say they rig high stake poker games, others say they rob people in the dungeon, but the most interesting rumor was the sale of monsters, maybe they could talk, maybe they couldn't" he shrugged his shoulders.
He then patted the table. I slid him the pouch and left. When I crossed into an alleyway I dispelled my magic and met up with Daphne and Cassandra.
"How'd it go," Daphne asked.
"Rumors and speculation for the most part" I replied.
Before any of us could say anymore three men grabbed us. Daphne and Cassandra tried to break out but couldn't. It seems these men were level three.
"Oh, what do we have here, Miach familia asking about talking monsters, whatever for I wonder," a man with a scarred face said.
"Who cares, not like Dix will, they're just a weak familia, let's just have our fun with these girls and kill them," the man holding Daphne said.
"Yeah I like this blue-haired one, maybe I'll just keep her"
Before any more words could be exchanged Regis materialized in front of me and ripped the scarred man's neck out. Blood gushed in the air as the man struggled to breathe as he slowly died.
The other two dropped Cassandra and Daphne choosing to run but Regis didn't let them. Using Aether he forced the two to stop in place and snapped both of their necks. They dropped to the ground dead.
"It almost happened again, No not again, not again" I muttered as my back slid down the wall. I curled up in a ball once I reached the ground. Shaking like a leaf. My breathing was getting quicker and quicker.
Until I felt a warm and calming sensation spreading throughout my body. After a minute I had calmed down. Was that Regis using Aether?
"These are Ikolos familia," Daphne said.
Regis looked from one end of the alley to the other. "Best we head home, it isn't safe here"
He took the lead in taking us home. His ears were perked up listening for even the smallest of sounds that could spell danger. His eyes were darting all around looking at every window or alleyway.
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Aisha POV
Lena and I were walking to the pleasure district. It had been a while since either of us had been there. It was currently repaired and open for business under Hermes yet he was rarely around. So the upper management fell to whoever he left in charge.
"It's hard to believe this place was rebuilt so quickly" Lena's voice was full of wonder.
"Well when the one place everyone likes to go is destroyed, you have no shortage of volunteers to help rebuild it" I mentioned.
Lena then gave me a teasing look. "So you and Bell seem close"
I gave her a smirk. "He said he loved me"
Lena gasped. "Shut up no he didn't"
I nodded my head. "He did, we ran into each other last night and I let out what I was feeling, he didn't shy away and let down some walls of his own, I think we're getting closer to seeing the true Bell, one that doesn't have all these walls up"
Lena smiled. "I look forward to seeing this Bell, maybe the boss man will tell us more about his life"
"Maybe, I do want to hear some of his childhood stories, not any of his training ones though"
We then arrived at a brothel without a name yet. It seems like it would be a new one under the management of our friend Samira. She had grey hair with red eyes and giant hoop earrings.
"Well I'll be damned, Aisha and Lena it's good to see you again," she said giving each of us hug. She then led us to a back room where we sat across from each other.
"So how have you two been since you joined the Miach familia, I bet it hasn't been quiet" she joked.
"Nope, boss man can't seem to stay out of trouble"
"He does keep it interesting," I said.
"And is it true he's already made level three," Samira asked.
"It is, boss man's a grower, not a shower, just ask Aisha" Lena joked.
Samira quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really, the kid was able to tame you, Aisha"
"What am I some animal, but yes I guess you could say he wormed his way into my heart" I admitted.
"Well I'm glad to hear that, but something tells me this isn't a social visit," she asked.
"Sadly it isn't, we're here to see if you have information about a certain subject," told her.
Samira leaned back putting her arms behind her head. "Depends on what it is, since we're friends I'll tell you one secret free of charge"
Lena and I looked at each other. Lena gestured me to ask so I did. "Have you heard anything about talking monsters"
Samira took her arms down and put a finger to her chin. "Hmm, last I heard was a guy heard two monsters talking before they ran off, although that could've been the fatigue of the day"
Lena and I perked up at this information. "Do you know what floor?" I asked.
Samira shook her head. "No sorry, the guy was so out of it he didn't remember where he was"
Lean and I let out a sigh of disappointment. "Well thanks for your help Samira, we should catch up and go drinking sometime, maybe after you finally open this place," Lena said her cheerfulness back.
Samira shook her head. "Yeah I'd like that, I'd also like to hear more about this little rookie"
I rolled my eyes. "You will, but thanks for your help Samira, it might seem little but it's still help," I told her so she wouldn't feel bad.
We then hugged as Lena and I left heading back home. Let's hope the other got something while Bell and Haruhime played parents.
Well, it seems the investigation didn't yield much. But let's go over some plot points. It seems the Astraea familia still cares for Bell somewhat. Astraea seems to really care for him wonder why that is. Welf and Zald seem to be building a sort of bond wonder where that will lead. Regis being the Chad he is stopped three rapes by ripping a dude's throat out so w Regis. And Lena and Aisha reunited with an old friend.
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed and a little announcement. I'm gonna add something to the power system I created with the mana cores. I've mentioned beast wills a few times in the story. Right now the only two confirmed people that have them are Finn and Bell. Now in TBATE beast wills come from mana beasts and have two phases.
What I'm gonna do with that is based on the beast will whenever activated the user gets a power-up of sorts. So what I'm planning on doing is based on the grade of the beast will it is. This means whatever rank of a mana beast bonds with the user the power they get increases. So since Bell has a s-rank beast his ancestor bonded with. So whenever he activates Realmheart he gets boosted a level.
So if he can fight a level 4 without a mana core and can beat most level 4s with one since his is dark silver. So right now if Bell were to use realmheart he will have the ability to fight a level 5 for however long realmheart is active.
Now I think explained that well enough. If I didn't you're welcome to ask any questions and I'll try my best to answer them.