Orario and the Ghost of Sparta

Chapter 1

"A sudden meeting, and a fantastic journey"

Far and away, in a land of magic, might and fantasy, exists a kingdom known as Orario, the Labyrinth City. Called so because, underneath the tower that stands in the center of town, lies a labyrinth filled with beasts of myth and nightmare. But above it, the people of Oraio go about their usual lives. Some sell food and beverage, some sell other wares like clothing and household items, others sell weapons for those brave enough to enter the labyrinth below, or as the people call it, the Dungeon. But they don't go without a purpose, for according to legend, the deities of the heavens descended from their home to live amongst their children.

Though they seek excitement and inspiration, they sealed away their divine powers. But some formed groups with those of the lower world, be they human, human/animal hybrids known as beast humans, dwarf, elf, amazon and everything in between. These groups are known as familia, meaning direct relation to the gods. All that the deities could offer in their earthly state was a blessing, which means granting any and all within the familias of each god or goddess the ability to fight and defeat the monsters that dwell within the Dungeon. With each victory, the familia members, or commonly called adventurers, gain experience that allows them to get stronger, while each defeated creature would leave behind something, such as the source of their life and power, a magic stone that, for those of the lower world, would be worth money, depending on how many are gathered.

But for the unprepared, the Dungeon can be lethal, as two young men were learning as they were backed into a wall by a minotaur. "Back, you foul beast!" cried one adventurer, carrying a shield and short sword, but the minotaur smacked him aside and set his sights on a whitehaired young man with a steel plate covering his upper chest. Suddenly, an angelic woman with long hair and a sword sliced the creature in half, destroying it, leaving only its magic stone. "You two. Are you alright?" she asked as she looked at the boy, covered in the minotaur's blood, and the warrior carrying the large, circular, bronze shield with the symbol of the first letter of the name of the capital of ancient Sparta upon it. "We're fine, but who are you?" asked the warrior.

Some time later, both boys were running through town, one running for an unknown destination, the other running after him, with the townspeople watching on and saying different things, one of whom implying that the boy covered in blood made a rookie mistake. "Miss Eina!" the boy shouted. But when Eina saw the young adventurer coming towards her, covered in minotaur blood, she screamed her head off. "I want to know everything there is to know about Miss Wallenstein, please!?" he called. Soon enough, both boys were in the building Eina was about to walk out of. "Well, that was foolish, going down to the fifth floor by yourself wasn't smart. Just going into the Dungeon alone without a party is reckless in itself. I already told you, adventurers don't go LOOKING for adventure." she said scolding to the boy, who had a towel around his neck. "I know. I'm sorry." he said, apologetically.

"You're lucky that you ran into me down there, kid. I was on the third floor, resting after my latest conquest and saw you heading towards the stairs to the fourth floor. I tried to flag you down, but apparently my words fell on deaf ears." said the warrior. "Bell, do you no realize how lucky you are? You're a level 1 adventurer, much like Mr. Mordecai Mákho over here despite his head start over you. Six months ago, you've never even been in the Dungeon, while Mordecai had been down there starting three months ago, and yet you both managed to escape a run-in with a minotaur." Eina said, clearly not as scolding.

"Yeah." Bell said, somberly. 'What I'd like to know is how that minotaur got to the fifth floor in the first place. They're usually further down on the middle floors, not on the upper ones.' Mordecai thought before Eina tapped Bell's nose to get his attention. "Anyway, I'm happy that you're safe, and I'm sure you're happy you ran into Mordecai, but please be more careful, okay?" she said. "And try not to run through the streets covered in blood, I tried to flag you down for that, too." Mordecai added. "Right." Bell agreed. "So, listen, do you know anything about Miss Ais or what?" he asked. "Miss Ais? You mean Lady Wallenstein? The woman who had to swoop in and rescue you and Mordecai?" Eina asked. "Well, technically, she saved Bell from being gored by that beast while I was knocked into a wall." Mordecai pointed out. 'But since I arrived in Orario way back when, I had never met her before today.' he thought.

"So, you've fallen for her, have you?" Eina asked Bell, quickly realizing why he was asking about her. "Maybe." Bell said, bashfully. "Ais Wallenstein, a level 5 member, of the Loki Familia. She's probably the best, or second best sword wielder in town. The gods have awarded her the title of 'Sword Princess of Orario'." Eina explained. "Not bad. Though, I doubt the head of my familia would've given any human female that kind of title, and he's probably the greatest warrior that I've ever laid eyes on." Mordecai stated. "I know about her reputation and title, but I want to know about the personal stuff. Like, what her favorite food is." Bell clarified. "Aw, you're probably wondering if she has a partner, aren't you?" Eina asked.

"Yeah! So, does she?" Bell immediately asked. "I don't think I ever heard anything like that." Eina responded, to Bell's excitement. "Although, realistically speaking, I'm sorry but your chances of being her partner right now are slim to none." she added, quickly crushing his excitement. 'Ouch.' Mordecai thought. "Remember, like Mordecai was given the blessing of Kratos, the Greek god of destruction, you've been given the blessing of Hestia, so you're part of her familia. So, there would be all sorts of problems if you ever try to approach a high-level member of another familia, like Lady Wallenstein of the Loki Familia. Understand?" Eina said to a downhearted Bell, but he still seemed glum. "Chin up, kid. How about we cash in the magic stones we picked up down in the Dungeon?" Mordecai suggested.

Bell begrudgingly agrees and both walk towards the cash out desk. "Here you go." Bell said as he pour three small magic stones into the drawer. In seconds, the drawer exchanged the stones for three gold coins. "1,200 Valis. Have a nice day." said the teller. "Thanks." Bell said upon collecting his money. "Now it's my turn." said Mordecai before cashing his own stones. "2,400 Valis. Have a nice day." said the teller. "Much obliged." Mordecai said after picking up his coinage. "Well, that's it for me, then. I'm going home." Bell said, still disheartened. "May I join you, Bell? I'd like to meet Hestia, if you don't mind." Mordecai asked. "Sure, I don't mind." Bell responded. "Bell? You know, it's a well known fact that women are attracted to the kind of men that are strong and dependable. Maybe if you work really hard and never give up, a stronger version of you might impress Lady Wallenstein some day." Eina suggested.

"Sound advice, I admit." Mordecai said, impressed by Eina's words of wisdom. "Yeah! Thanks, Miss Eina! I love you!" Bell said happily as he ran out, with Mordecai following behind, surprised by what Bell had said, while Eina was just shocked before recollecting herself. "I guess I was a little too nice. Oh dear." she said. Outside, in the streets, Bell and Mordecai were running along as Bell remembered something that someone told him, that being that a promising young adventurer like him should find love within a dungeon, and once he rescues a fair maiden from a big, ugly, terrifying beast, he'd be in her good graces, adding that that very scenario is what adventuring is all about. As those words played through Bell's mind, he and Mordecai arrived at a ruined and rundown part of Orario.

'It's just like my grandfather said it would be. Well, she rescued me, but, still. I'm gonna do whatever it takes!' he thought to himself as he and Mordecai raced on until they arrived at an old, empty and seemingly abandoned church. Through a hidden door in the wall at the altar, they entered to the living quarters of Bell and his goddess, Hestia. "Hello? Are you still here, goddess?" Bell asked before he was promptly hugged by Hestia herself, who was more than happy to see him. "Welcome home, Bell!" she said with a beaming smile. "You sure are back early. Who's your friend?" she added. "Oh, this is Mordecai Mákho, of the Kratos Familia." Bell answered. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Hestia." Mordecai said humbly.

"You're Kratos' warrior, huh? I've heard many legends of the god of destruction, especially of his wars against anyone who dared to put down his homeland of Sparta." Hestia stated. "Yes, many called him the Ghost of Sparta because of how he was tricked into killing his family, and he was cursed from that day forward to have the ashes of his wife and child fastened to his skin, never to be removed. But, he's a great leader, since he was a former captain of the Spartan army." Mordecai concurred. "Anyway, I ran into him on the third floor in the Dungeon today, and we almost got ourselves killed by a minotaur on the fifth floor." Bell said, shocking Hestia to the point of looking him over for scratches or bruises or wounds.

"What?! You're not hurt, are you? I mean, if you ever ended up hurt or worse, it would totally give me a heart attack!" she said in a worried panic. "He's fine, Lady Hestia, I promise you, he is. He only got drenched in minotaur blood when someone slayed the beast after it sent me into a wall. I'm lucky I had my Spartan shield to protect myself." Mordecai said. "He's right. But seriously, since I'm the only member of the Hestia Familia, I'm not gonna go and get myself killed and end up abandoning my goddess." Bell put in. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." Hestia said, relieved. "I guess since Mordecai is your new friend, maybe he'll make sure you stay out of trouble. Oh, yeah! I also brought us some dinner!" she added before revealing a bowl of what looked like potato patties. "Ta-da! You boys hungry?" she asked.

"When did you learn to make potato croquettes?" Bell asked as he put up his coat. "I started working part time at a food cart, remember? One of the customers ordered too much and he let met keep them. So, why don't we turn dinner into a little party? Get ready, boys, your taste buds won't be getting any sleep tonight!" Hestia responded. "Can we just go ahead and eat?" Bell asked. "I agree. Haste makes waste, as lord Kratos told me during my initial weapons training." Mordecai added. Within time, the threesome were enjoying their potato croquettes.

"My poor little familia, seems like nobody's interested in joining us. Guess it's because I'm not one of the popular gods." Hestia said, sadly. "Hey, lord Kratos isn't exactly one of the more popular deities, either, hence why I'm the only member of his familia. I remember he took me in when he saw me practicing with a weapon, trying to prepare for diving into the Dungeon about three months ago." Mordecai added as he and Bell put salt on their croquettes. "Any of the deities could give someone the blessing, I don't understand why no one would want to choose you or lord Kratos." Bell said before taking a bite of his croquette. "Well, I don't mind, and I'm sure Kratos doesn't mind, either. Maybe I might like it to be just you and me for now, Bell." Hestia said, but Bell was clueless as to what she was implying.

"Sounds to me like you're implying something." Mordecai said, suspiciously. "Uh, nothing!" Hestia quickly said, worried she was sounding perverted. "It must be pretty hard for you to bear such an incredible burden all by yourself, Bell." she said, sadly. "Don't worry about me. You and all the other deities do a lot too, you know. I mean, look at this great dinner you got us." Bell replied, reassuringly. "Come on, it's just some potato croquettes. I wish I could use Arcanum, but ever since we came down to the lower world, there's been this stupid rule in place that prevents us gods and goddesses from activating and using our powers. I'm sorry, I guess you pledged yourself to a pretty lame goddess, didn't you?" Hestia said.

"NO! Don't say stuff like that! Our familia is just getting started, okay? Once we get through this, things will get a lot better. Right?" Bell responded, feeling sure of his words. "Oh, Bell. Thank you. I'm so happy I met a nice human like you." Hestia said with tears in her eyes. "Well, then, for the sake of our future, why don't we give your status a little touchup?" she added, wiping away her tears. "Okay, sounds like a plan." Bell concurred. Soon, Bell removed the shirt on his back, laid down stomach first onto the bed, and Hestia sat on his thighs before pricking her finger, causing a drop of blood to fall onto Bell's back, allowing her to access his familia insignia tattoo and his status.

"Bell, you dream about the Dungeon way too much. Do you really think you'll find someone to love down in that nasty place?" Hestia asked. "I don't know. Maybe." Bell responded. "And this Ais Wallen-whatever, if she's really as great as you've heard, I'm sure there are probably a few guys in town and in other familias drooling over her as we speak." Hesita added. "Begging your pardon, Lady Hestia, but you sound upset about something." Mordecai said. "I assure you, I'm not." Hestia responded before she and he saw something peculiar, something that surprised Hestia. "Is something wrong?" Bell asked. "No." Hestia answered as she placed his stats back into this tattoo. "Here's the thing, Bell. You should try being more observant. The right girl may be closer than you think. Maybe, your true love has been beside you this whole time. So the girl you're looking or, perhaps you already met her." she added as she took a piece of paper, placed it on his back, and engraved his stats on the other side.

'Is she referring to herself? I thought it's forbidden for a god or goddess to fall in love with a human, much less a member of their own familia.' Mordecai thought. "Do you really think so?" Bell asked. "Well, this Sword Princess is in the Loki Familia. So even if she did like you back just as much as you like her, it's unlikely you could marry her, right?" Hestia responded. "I guess so." Bell said. "So maybe it's best to let her alone, since I doubt Loki would want you anywhere near her. Happiness can be found closer to home, if you know what I mean." Hestia suggested as Bell and Mordecai viewed his stats.

"Let's see. Your strength went up by five points, so it's at 82. Vitality, or endurance, is at 13. Dexterity is up by three points, so it's 96. Agility went up quite a bit, up to 172. Looks like speed is your main game, Bell." Mordecai said, impressed with how fast he is. "Well, my other stats seem pretty bad, but at least you're right about my agility." Bell replied. "That'll happen when you're running in terror." Hestia said as she sucked her finger to stop the blood. "Magic still at 0, though. Do you think I'll ever be able to use magic?" Bell asked. "Even I don't have the answer to that." Hestia responded. "It'll come, Bell. Trust me. I already have my sights set on acquiring lightning magic, could make my javelin more deadly than before." Mordecai said, cheerfully before seeing the thing he and Hestia saw.

'What is that? I was taught by my guildsman to read hieroglyphs after I first got to Orario, might be a skill.' he thought. "What about skills? What does it say?" Bell asked. "Sorry, but as usual, the skill slot is empty." Hestia fibbed. "Of course it is. I just wish there was a quicker way for me to get stronger." Bell said as he got up and put his shirt back on before heading to the mirror to brush his teeth. 'The children of the lower world change so easily, unlike me and my fellow gods and goddesses, we don't change at all.' Hestia thought as she touched the stat sheet, causing the illegible words of the one skill on the sheet to light up. Unbeknownst to Hestia, Mordecai has a sharp eye and an excellent memory, and saw that the skill was known as Liaris Freese. 'Liaris Freese, fast growth. The effect lasts as long as he maintains his feelings, and increases depending on how strong they are.' she thought.

"Congratulations, looks like you finally got yourself a skill." she said quietly, unaware that Mordecai heard her. 'But you got it for a stupid reason! Just because you like some other girl that saved your life!' she thought, still upset about it as Bell continued to blissfully brush his teeth. "Well, if you two aren't going to finish those potato croquettes, may I have them?" Mordecai asked. "Sure, if you want." Hestia responded. "Thanks. I'll enjoy them. Must be off, though. Farewell, Lady Hestia. See you tomorrow, Bell." Mordecai said gratefully as he took the bowl of croquettes, bowed in respect and left.

Mordecai soon arrived at the home base of his familia, where a large, ghostly white bald man with a red tattoo streaming down on one side of his body was waiting. "Lord Kratos, I have returned." said the young warrior. "You've returned later than usual. And what is it you bring?" Kratos asked. "A small amount of food for us. I was invited into the home of the Hestia Familia by a young adventurer named Bell Cranell." Mordecai explained. "Hestia? The goddess of the hearth?" Kratos asked. "Yes, the only member of the familia is a boy named Bell Cranel. He and I ended up running into a minotaur on the fifth floor of the Dungeon." Mordecai replied. "Why would a minotaur be on the upper floors?" Kratos pondered.

"That's what I pondered myself both when I saw it, and after the fabled Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, rescued Bell from being gored by that minotaur after it knocked me into a wall." Mordecai pointed out. "Well, before we finish the food Hestia and this Bell Cranell boy let you bring with you, I believe it's time to see how much stronger you've gotten." Kratos said. Mordecai silently agreed, removed his shirt, and allowed Kratos to use his own blood to access his familia insignia tattoo. "Well, it appears that you've improved somewhat. But you must remember, a Spartan rises as soon as they have fallen." Kratos stated. "I understand, Kratos. It appears that Bell may have a unique talent, as I saw his status being updated after dinner." Mordecai responded. "What sort of talent?" Kratos asked. "I believe from what I read it's known as Liaris Freese, which means fast growth. As to how it works, I do not know. Though it is his first skill, and I think not even Hestia herself knows much about it." Mordecai answered.

"Very well. It doesn't concern either of us too greatly, but keep it in mind. A Spartan must always be prepared for whatever comes his way. And you, have the heart of a Spartan." Kratos said as he placed his warrior's stats back into the insignia tattoo, set a piece of paper on his back and engraved said stats onto the blank paper. Mordecai soon saw what his status was, and was surprise at what he saw. His endurance was his best stat, and he also discovered a skill of his own. "Lord Kratos, I think I received a skill. It's called Enemy Tracking." he said, pondering what it meant. "If I remember correctly, that means you can track your enemy's movements when you engage them in combat, and easily counter any attack they throw at you." he added. "Good. It will serve you well. Now, I suggest you eat something. A Spartan with no strength is useless on the battlefield." Kratos pointed out. Mordecai humbly agreed.

The next day, Mordecai was doing his morning training, getting ready for another journey down into the Dungeon. 'My endurance isn't the only thing that's improved, my agility increased. I don't remember me swinging my xiphos this fast and precise. Maybe my aim improved as well, which would make my javelin more lethal to throw. Only one way to find out.' he thought before heading off into town. After a bit of walking, he came across Bell. "Bell!" he called. "Oh, hey, Mordecai. Good morning." the young warrior responded. "Morning. So, ready for another trip down into the Dungeon?" Mordecai asked. "As always." Bell responded. As they walked, Bell was speaking of what happened when he woke up.

"So you're telling me that Hestia was trying to use you as a pillow after you woke up?" Mordecai asked with a stifled chuckle. "Yeah, but I got out of there without her even realizing." Bell responded before he felt someone watching him. "What is it, Bell?" Mordecai asked. "Uh, probably nothing, but I thought I felt someone watching me." Bell replied. "Um, excuse me." said a voice. Bell and Mordecai soon saw it was a waitress from the local pub who was trying to get their attention. "Sorry. Did you need something?" Bell asked. "Well, it's just that, you dropped this." the waitress answered as she handed him a magic stone. "I did? I thought I cashed in all of my magic stones yesterday." Bell said as he took it. "I thought so, too. Strange." Mordecai added. "Anyway, thanks, ma'am. I really appreciate it." Bell said to the waitress.

"So, you two are adventurers, right?" she asked. "That's right." Mordecai answered. "Are you both really going down into the dungeon this early in the morning?" she asked. "Yes we are." Bell confirmed before they all heard his stomach growling. Soon, the waitress handed Bell a bento box. "It's not a lot, but you should take it." she said. "But, ma'am, isn't this your breakfast?" Mordecai asked. "He's right. We can't accept this, not from someone we just met." Bell added. "Don't worry about it. I work here at the Hostess of Fertility, so when we open, I can just get myself something to eat." the waitress said before another waitress, one with a cat tail, took notice of what was going on. "Anyway, how about this; you both can pay me back by having dinner here tonight. Promise me you'll both come back, okay? I'd be happy if you did." she suggested.

"Well, I suppose that works." Mordecai said. "Sure, okay." Bell added, sheepishly. "Alright, I'll see you both later tonight." the waitress said with a smile. Later, down in the dungeon, both warriors were taking down a couple creatures called Kobolds. Bell had a simple knife in hand, while Mordecai had a spear and shield at the ready. But regardless of their weaponry, the monsters fell all the same, leaving their magic stones behind. "At the rate I'm going, I wonder how long it'll take me to catch up to Miss Ais." Bell pondered. "Well, from what I hear, it takes years to reach level five, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's close to hitting level six, which would make her second most powerful warrior in town." Mordecai stated as they gathered up the magic stones from their kills. "Well, Miss Eina told me its important to build up experience, but years of it?" Bell said before realizing he found something that wasn't a magic stone. "Well, what do you know, looks like the Kobolds dropped some nails for us. These will fetch us about 800 Valis, each." Mordecai said as he also picked up a Kobold nail.

"Lucky us." Bell said with a smile before they heard something coming from both behind and in front of them. What they found behind them was a pack of more Kobolds, while in front of them were Goblins. "Well, we got Kobolds in the rear, and Goblins in the front." Mordecai said as they both readied their weapons. "There's so many of these guys." Bell said. 'I want to run, but...' he thought before remembering his goal, catching up to Ais. "That never stopped the Spartan army at Thermopylae. It was 300 of them against 500,000 Persians. So this should be a cake walk!" Mordecai stated. "Yeah! We got to give it a shot!" Bell said enthusiastically. "Right, you take the Kobolds, leave the Goblins to me. FOR SPARTA!" Mordecai declared as both warriors charged at their targets on both ends.

Later that evening, Bell and Mordecai were in shock when they saw Bell's stats. "Lady Hestia, we're not seeing things, are we?" Mordecai asked. "My experience level, it's over 160 now! Look! I only took one hit from those Kobolds and my endurance went past 40!" Bell said, excited. "I know! You endurance is 42, the same that mine's at! And you don't even carry a shield!" Mordecai pointed out. "Aside from being practically an assassin because of that incredible agility of yours, your strength increased as well! That's unheard of for a level one adventurer!" he added as he looked at the stats; Strength, 120. Endurance, 42. Dexterity, 139. Agility, 225. But Hestia just ignored all the excitement and stood up in a huff. "Goddess? Well, it's just, I'm curious. Do you know why my stats just started increasing this fast?" Bell asked, though Hestia just had a small tear in her eye and an angry look on her face.

"No, I have no idea." she said, annoyed, as she grabbed her coat. "Lady Hestia, it's uncharacteristic of you to just ignore your only familia member and claim you don't have any idea as to why his stats are increasing. At least explain where you're going!" Mordecai stated, causing Hestia to stop. "I, uh... have to open the food cart. And since you two told me you were invited by one of the employees at the Hostess of Fertility to have dinner there, maybe you should get going before you're late." she said before continuing on her way out. 'Seems to me like there's jealousy in her voice. I bet it's that skill of his, she's worried that he'll become more focused on getting stronger that he'll forget all about her.' Mordecai thought. "Tell me, Bell. What was it that caused you to rush into battle like you were the second in command of King Leonidas' army?" he asked. "I think, it was my desire to stand next to Miss Ais." Bell responded. 'So THAT'S what caused his Liaris Freese skill to suddenly kick in! The more he thinks about his crush, Ais Wallenstein, the bigger the effect, and the stronger he gets!' Mordecai thought to himself.

Later on that night, Bell and Mordecai arrived at the Hostess of Fertility. "Sounds like a grand time in there." Mordecai said with a smile before the waitress from that morning appeared to greet them. "Oh, you both made it! I wasn't sure if you'd remember." she said. "Why would we forget about coming here for dinner?" Mordecai asked. "Good point. I guess I forgot to properly introduce myself. Hello, I'm Syr Flova." she responded. "Name's Mordecai Mákho, and this is Bell Cranell." the Spartan warrior said before he and Bell were seated and given bowls of stir-fried noodles. "So, you two are a couple of Syr's friends, huh? I didn't know they made adventurers as noble looking as you. Or as cute as you, sweetie." said the owner of the establishment as she pointed to both of them. "Please don't pick on me." Bell insisted.

"Aw, sensitive, too." she said with a smile. "So, what do we call you, ma'am? Other than ma'am, that is." Mordecai asked. "Oh, my mistake. The name's Mia Grand, but you can call me Mama Mia." she said. "Well, thanks, Mama Mia." Mordecai said with a smile as he drank from his glass. "Say, is this apple cider?" he asked. "Yep, made from the best apples in Orario." Mama Mia answered. "Well, I admit, this stuff is delicious." Mordecai said with a smile. "Let's see, the noodles are 500 Valis, the drink is 200, and thanks to that Kobold nail, I've got 4,400 on me. But I wanted to save some for the familia." Bell said as he calculated how much the whole dinner was going to cost him. "I've got about 4,800 on me, Bell. Course, I'd be able to cover everything if we had been able to run into Jack Bird that had a golden egg with it. One of those would've fetched 1,000,000 Valis alone." Mordecai said before Mama Mia presented them both with fried catfish.

"Here you go, fellas." she said. "The fried catfish special? But we didn't order any." Mordecai pointed out. "Guess your friend needs it more than you do, Mordecai, since he's so skinny, he's got to put some meat on his bones." Mama Mia stated. "Guess we'll have to eat something to get bigger and stronger, huh?" Mordecai asked. "You got that right, Spartacus." Mama Mia concurred. "Hey, I'm nothing like Spartacus!" Mordecai pointed out. "How much is the fried catfish special?" Bell asked before looking up at the menu and getting a serious shock. "800 VALIS?! THAT'S CRAZY!" he shouted. "Well, the price may be outrageous to you, but the taste is unbelievable!" Mordecai said with his mouth semi full. "Glad you like it. So are you two having a great time?" Syr asked as she came over to check on them. "I think I'm losing my mind." Bell said, still shocked about the price for the fried catfish special.

But Syr just giggled. "Sorry to hear that, but it looks like I'll be making some pretty good money tonight, though." she said. "Oh, good for you." Bell said as he took a bite of his catfish. "You know, this a really great place to find all sorts of different people. The more people there are, the more amazing stuff there is to hear about. That's why I'm always excited to come to work. Learning about other people is one of my favorite things to do. It just gets my heart pounding, you know." Syr said as Bell just ate his noodles. "Sounds like an idea if you're looking for someone. But I say the only reason to come here is for the good food and cider! So, Bell, enjoy what you got in front of you! Eat, drink and be merry, that's what I say!" Mordecai proudly stated before one of the waitresses, the cat waitress, meowed in excitement. "Nyan! The big party with the reservation just arrived! Nyan!" she declared.

As she did, the whole group arrived, consisting of two amazons, a wolfman, a couple elves, a dwarf, a pallum and the one and only Ais Wallenstein, which caught Bell off-guard. 'Wait, if that's Ais, then that's the Loki Familia!' Mordecai thought before one of the familia raised a mug of beer up to propose a toast. "Alright, guys, you really kicked that Dungeon's rear end! So tonight, we feast! Eat, drink and be merry!" she shouted before they all clanged their drinks together in a toast. "Syr, do they come here often?" Mordecai asked. "The members of the Loki Familia are some of our best customers. Their goddess, Loki, likes coming here. Like, a lot." Syr answered. "That redhead who proposed the toast was Loki? Guess she tends to get tipsy here from time to time, living up to her moniker as the goddess of mischief." Mordecai said as they watched them feast. 'Maybe I should start coming here, too.' Bell thought.

Later on in the night, some of the other customers had left. "Hey, Ais, it's about time you told everyone about what happened yesterday, it was hilarious." said the wolfman. "And what story is that, Bete?" Ais asked. "Come on, you know what I'm talking about! When all those minotaurs got loose. You told me you went down and finished off the last one on the fifth floor, right? You had to save these two guys." Bete explained, unaware that Bell and Mordecai were in earshot. 'Wait, so that minotaur got on the fifth floor thanks to the Loki Familia?!' Mordecai thought, shocked and mad that they nearly caused Bell and him to get gored.

"Anyway, there's these two guys running around in there, one of them carrying a Spartan shield, the other just a wimp, and this big, ugly sap starts chasing them. It knocked the Spartan guy into a wall and backed the kid into a corner, right? So Ais jumps in and cuts the thing to pieces and the kid gets absolutely covered in blood! The guy looked like he was a giant, walking tomato!" Bete continued, gaining the laughter of the two amazons. "Now this is the best part, then the tomato guy ran off without even a word, he didn't even scream his head off like you'd expect a scaredy-cat to do, he just up and ran away from the one who saved him, leaving the Spartan to thank her!" he added before laughing his head off and smacking his knee. "What a pathetic shrimp!" he shouted.

"I'm not so sure that either of them can be blamed, particularly the boy you mentioned." said Ais. "That will be quite enough out of you, Bete. The minotaurs only escaped the seventeenth floor because of our mistake. It wasn't their fault. Don't even try blaming them." said another member of the party. "What?! The two of them bit off more than they could chew being down there! You could ask Ais, she knows what I'm talking about. Go on, then, tell them the truth. Who's the better between us? Me, that Spartacus wannabe or that scrawny tomato?" Bete responded, clearly intoxicated. "Bete, I think you might be drunk." said the pallum. "Ais, I asked you a question. What would you do if either of them walked up to you and told you they had a crush on you? I'm sure you'd tell them both to get lost, right? I mean, you wouldn't waste your time with two level one noobs that you could totally crush. Those two don't even have the right to be anywhere near you, especially that tomato geek! You're way too good for a loser like him! Could you imagine that rat being your partner? No way! Not Ais Wallenstein!" Bete continued before Bell just ran out, having heard enough.

"Bell, wait!" Syr shouted. "Bell, come back!" Mordecai called. "You don't think that was him, was it?" asked one of the amazons. "There's always something scandalous going down at Mama Mia's, am I right?" Loki asked, somewhat tipsy as Ais ran out to see where Bell was going, but neither her, Syr or Mordecai saw him anywhere. "I think that might've been..." Ais said softly, thinking what the amazon had suggested. Inside the tavern, Bete was strung up so he could sober up. 'I oughta give that wolfman a piece of my mind, but I don't have time for that right now, I better go find Bell.' Mordecai thought. As for Bell, he was in the Dungeon slaying giant creatures called Frog Shooters before one tried to swallow him whole, only for it to get slain from the inside as a result.

'I was so stupid. How can I expect to get something I don't deserve? I have to keep fighting. I have to! I have to overcome everything that confronts me, or I'll never be able to stand next to her.' he thought before the roof of the Dungeon cracked, allowing new monsters to emerge. "War Shadows." he said aloud as the creatures eyed him, only for Bell to start picking them off one by one. 'I will. I will! I will do it! I WILL DO IT! I'll do whatever it takes to be by her side!' he thought in a rage as he slayed the beasts. He kept at it, long into the first light of dawn. Meanwhile, Mordecai had met up with Hestia, but he was out of breath.

"I searched the places where I think he'd be, but not a sign of him." he said. "Bell. Where did you run off to? You didn't come back home last night. You wouldn't up, and leave me, would you?" Hestia pondered. "I doubt he did, but he overheard some wolfman jerk named Bete talking about what happened to him and me down in the Dungeon the day before and he just ran off. Must've been embarrassed." Mordecai pointed out before they both noticed something, or someone, coming towards them. "Bell?" Hestia asked. "It's him alright, I know that white hair anywhere!" Mordecai stated before they ran up to him, but were shocked to find him battered and bleeding. "Bell, what in the name of Orario happened to you?" Mordecai asked.

"You're bleeding." Hestia said, worried. "Goddess. I want you, to help me, become stronger." Bell said, weakly. Hestia simply smiled. "Okay." she said. "Well, right now, let's get you inside and treat those wounds." Mordecai suggested. Soon, Bell's wounds were treated and he was carried into the living quarters. "Here you go, Bell. You sleep on the bed instead of the sofa. I mean, since you're injured and everything." Hestia said. "I agree. A wounded soldier is less effective in battle than a fully armored one." Mordecai concurred. "I'm sorry, my goddess. I'm just really exhausted." Bell said softly. "Well, after going down into the Dungeon to blow off some steam like you said you did, its no wonder." Mordecai stated. "You know, just to be safe, I could always sleep next to you." Hestia said, cheekily. "Yeah, sure. Guess it's time for bed." Bell replied, shocking Hestia as he collapsed right then and there, taking her with him.

"Wait a minute, Bell, I was just saying that so you could get all flustered like you usually do, that's all! I'm not trying to do what you think I want to do, I just..." Hestia said frantically, but both she and Mordecai realized that Bell had just fallen out, right into dream land. "Uh, Hestia, he's asleep already." Mordecai simply said. 'Guess the kid really hit the bricks last night, better let him snooze and see myself out.' he thought before departing. 'Well, looks like this is the start of a great friendship between me and you, Bell.' he said to himself with a smile as he left the abandoned church, the home of the Hestia Familia, behind.