The moon shone high above the sky. Bell and his two companions had been running non-stop to catch up to the kidnappers. But like all things, they eventually had to rest or collapse from exhaustion.

"Here should be a good place to camp," Shakti pointed out to a clearing in the trees.

The three stopped their pursuit and began to set up camp in the clearing. They didn't bring tents or even blankets, for that matter, as time was of the essence, and they could only carry the bare essentials, such as food, water, and potions.

They gathered some sticks, stones, and leaves, making a makeshift fire pit to provide some warmth.

"You two can get some sleep. I'll take first watch," Shakti offered. Anya thanked her and yawned before curling up in Bell's lap, a content smile on her face as her tail happily wagged.

Shakti gave Bell a confused look.

"She's very clingy. Been like that since I've met her," Bell explained, patting the top of Anya's head, causing the girl to smile more in her sleep.

Bell's back was pressed against a tree, and Shakti sat across from him.

"I see. I'm assuming you've known her for a while," Shakti asked as she poked the fire.

Bell nodded his head. "Yeah, saved her and her brother from slavers when I was seven."

Shakti's eyes widened at this. "Seven. What were you thinking getting involved with slavers at that age."

Bell tilted his head. "Because slavery's bad."

Shakti let out an annoyed sigh. "You're correct, but getting involved with them at seven. You must've not thought the situation through."

Bell chuckled in amusement. "Please, Arthur saved an elven princess when he was four by killing four slavers. My feat pales in comparison."

"Right, I keep forgetting you're a Leywin. Been too concerned that a greenhorn has almost caught up to me," Shakti said.

"What, jealous" Bell teased.

Shakti shook her head. "No, just annoying how someone half my age can grow so fast. But I guess talent runs through your blood, so I can't be too annoyed."

The two sat in silence for a minute, enjoying the quiet and ambiance the woods provided.

"Ryu said you ran into Valletta. Is it true" Shakti asked, breaking the silence.

"Pink hair and a black jacket," Bell questioned.

"Yes," Shakti quietly answered as if reliving a traumatic experience.

Bell nodded his head. "Yeah, fought her briefly before the Elderwood guardian showed up. I'm guessing you have some grudge against her," Bell mused.

Shakti growled in anger before recomposing herself. "She killed my sister. Convinced a child to slit her throat and blow herself up. All while she laughed in glee."

"That's fucked up. Alright, I'll keep my eyes out for her. I find anything out or encounter her again, I'll let you know," Bell vowed.

Shakti closed her eyes to stop the tears. She missed her sister. "Thank you, Bell. But you don't need to do that for someone you don't really know."

"Says who," Bell asked.

Shakti was in shock as her eyes flew open.

"Just because I barely know you, who says I can't help you? I barely know Airmid, yet I'm still out here, far from Orario, to help her. Just because we haven't talked much or ever hung out, I'll still help you. Besides, Valletta's a bitch, and I still owe her some pain for what she did to Demeter."

Shakti just stared at Bell, who was looking down at Anya's sleeping figure. What did she do to deserve something like this? All her life, she had to fight for what she wanted, and most of the time, it was alone.

Anyone she grew close to either left her or died. Or were put off by her serious attitude. Was she so deprived of affection that the words of a 15-year-old boy touched her so profoundly? Or was it just the fact he was willing to help without even knowing a thing about her?

"Besides, you tried to help me when Uto showed up. You didn't even seem scared when Agrona showed up and stopped you. Which, I'm not gonna lie, was pretty cool."

Bell's words had broken Shakti out of her thoughts as he continued to praise her. "Why, why are you being so kind to me," Shakti asked.

Bell tilted his head. "What are you talking about? I'm just treating you as I would anyone else. Has no one sat down and had a conversation with you."

Shakti shook her head. "They have. They're just normally put off because of my personality. Or because I focus on my work too much. Only a few have really sat down and listened to my troubles."

"That's dumb. So what if you're serious? Most of the time, your job is important, and if you need anyone to listen as you vent, just pay me a visit. Assuming I'm not in the dungeon or injured. Or if I'm not put into another coma," Bell told her, a smile on his face.

Shakti felt her heart skip a beat at such kindness. "Thank you, Bell. But you should probably get some sleep. You look tired."

Bell yawned at being reminded he had barely slept the last two days. "Alright, wake me up in two hours, and I'll take the second watch."

Bell then closed his eyes as Shakti watched him. She put a hand on her chest, feeling it beat irregularly.

"There's no way. Not just because of that tiny amount of kindness. Right?" She thought.

.

.

.

.

Another day came and went quickly with our three heroes not too far away from the kidnappers. The sun was setting once again, but they could rest later. They were close, maybe only an hour away.

They did stop to come up with a plan of action before continuing, however.

"Their trail leads into those trees. It looks like they're heading to Athens," Anya said, picking up their scent.

"Athens? Why would they head there" Bell asked?

"Because Athens is a port city. They can take a boat and get back to Alacrya. However, it'll take about another two weeks on foot to reach there," Shakti explained.

She then held up her hand, signaling the two to stop.

"Alright, before we continue, we need to come up with a plan. Bell, you have an idea of what we're up against, so you should come up with it," Shakti said.

Bell nodded his head as he began explaining Alacrya's mages. "Their mages are derived into dove categories. Striker, Shield, Sentry, Caster, and Instiller. However, most squads are comprised of the first four. A striker has offensive magic, while a shield has defensive magic. Since a striker has the shield to protect them, they don't focus on blocking or dodging and focus on ruthless attacks. A sentry specializes in detection, so they'll know we're coming before we see them, so a sneak attack is very unlikely. A caster focuses on long-range spells, so keep an eye out for them. An instiller can enhance objects with their mana."

"So we're likely facing a squad size element, each with a role they are proficient in. Seems like we have our work cut out for us," Anya commented.

Bell shook his head. "Not necessarily. Shakti's a white core, so she can make it a lot easier for us. However, we still don't know how many people were up against. We could be facing a single squad or multiple."

Shakti put her hand to her chin. "So when we do engage in combat, we should focus on the caster and shield. Take out their defensive and long-range support while avoiding the striker. How proficient are they with magic" Shakti asked.

"Since their magic system is different than ours, using runes instead of mana cores, the amount of spells they can use is limited. However, don't underestimate them. Since their magic is more limited than ours, they've spent years honing that single spell. So keep your eyes peeled and your head on a swivel," Bell told them.

Sure, Shakti was a white core and could take care of herself. It was Anya he was more worried about. She didn't have a mana core or any magic that he knew about. So she'd play the retrieval part of this mission.

Anya raised her hand. "Ah, what's my job? I'm not like you two, so I might hold you back."

"Your job will be to retrieve Airmid and run like hell. Shakti and I will buy you some time, and if we can't beat them, we'll catch up to you," Bell explained.

Anya gave Bell a thumbs up. "Right, you can count on me."

Shakti clapped her hands together. "Right now that we have a plan, let's get moving. We should reach them soon, so be ready."

.

.

.

.

Airmid had her hands tied behind her back and was propped up against a tree. She didn't know why she was kidnapped, but she knew the people that took her were dangerous.

Above her on a tree branch was a blonde-haired woman scanning the area around them. By the fire was a tall bald man poking the fire and cooking a deer they had just killed.

Off to the side was a short red-headed woman and a black-haired man talking. It looked like they were arguing, but she couldn't pick up on what they were saying.

She knew her head hurt really bad. Like she had a killer headache that refused to go away, and she could feel dried blood on her forehead.

The short red-headed woman threw her arms up in the air in frustration before walking away from the black-haired man.

"Get up. Time for a bathroom break," the woman ordered, grabbing Airmid by the arm and roughly picking her up. Airmid nearly fell from the force, but the woman's strong grip kept her upright.

"Hey, I said be careful with her!" the black-haired man yelled.

The woman waved her off as she led Airmid deeper into the woods. Once they were far enough away from camp, the woman pushed Airmid against a tree.

"Don't make this worse than it already is for you," the redhead said before taking off Airmids pants and underwear.

Airmid felt her face flush red before the woman pushed her behind a tree. "Go already, else you won't for a while," the woman ordered.

After Airmid finished her business, the woman put her clothes back on. But right after she put Airmid's pants back on, Airmid kicked her in the face and began running.

The woman fell back and clutched her nose as she could feel blood dripping from it. "Ah bitch"

While Airmid doesn't have a mana core, she's still a level two adventurer, which means she's still stronger than an average human by a lot.

She could hear multiple footsteps chasing her as the blonde-haired woman sensed what happened. But she had to keep running if they caught her she didn't know what they would do to her.

Would they rape her and leave her for dead. Would they just straight-up kill her? Or would they take her to wherever they were going? She knew she'd never see anyone in Orario again if they did.

But she could hear them getting closer and closer. She wouldn't make it. They'd catch her, and she was scared of what they would do to her.

She looked back and saw the four right behind her and getting closer. Before she could turn back around, however, she ran into someone who caught her and held her close.

Was there a fifth one keeping out of sight she didn't know about?

"Ya know, if you didn't want to go to dinner with me, all you had to do was say no," Bell joked as he cut the rope binding her wrists.

Airmid's head whirled around, and she felt tears of joy stream down her face. She would be safe because he was here to save her.

"Shit, it's the Leywin," one of her kidnappers said.

Bell handed Airmid off to Anya as Shakti took her place next to Bell.

"Oh, so you know who I am. I'm flattered," he quipped, putting his knife in his cast and securing it.

"If you all surrender and come quietly, I guarantee you will be treated fairly in a court of law," Shakti said, taking out her spear and had her light magic create another one so she was dual-wielding spears.

"I'm not gonna lie, you look pretty badass right now," Bell commented as he summoned dawns ballad from his dimension ring.

The four Alacryans looked at the adventurers, then at each other before answering.

"You won't take us alive! Glory to the Vritra," they yelled before charging.

The battle had just begun.

Gonna leave it here as I'm blanking with what to write again, but just know the next chapter is going to be primarily fighting, and as you all know, fight scenes are hard for me to write.

But I hope you enjoyed the two chapters in a day as a sorry you had to wait like two weeks. Now onto Spectacular Bell and then Gamer Bell