Author's notes: Here's a new chapter, which took a little longer to arrive. That's normal, it's a little bit longer and I've been busy on my side... OK, I also spent a whole week on God of War Ragnarök and that didn't help^^
For those who would read the fic in a language other than English using an automatic translator, I suggest you do so directly with the French version which is the original version (Sous le voile de la courtisane). The English version is already a translation, so you might get a better quality that way.
On that note, have a good read.
Chapter 6: Monkey Business
Zeus was a man who had many regrets in his long life, both up there in the Tenkai and down here in the Gekai.
For almost a thousand years, his familia, along with that of Hera, had dominated Orario. Generations and generations of mortals of all races had received his blessing, grown, fought, and then died, naturally or otherwise. Over the centuries, the familia of Zeus had counted thousands of members in its ranks.
And Zeus remembered every one of them. Perfect memory was one of the other advantages of being a deity.
But it had all fallen apart in just a few months. Arrogant, complacent, feeling invincible, he naturally thought that with Hera's help, the three great quests were within reach. The Behemoth and Leviathan had fallen, but he should have seen the signs right then.
Zald was dying after the fight against the Behemoth, the beast had pushed them to the limit. And it had been the same against the Leviathan, Alfia had been forced to push the limits of her magic further and further, but she had made the hereditary disease that was consuming her from the inside terribly worse.
The signs were there, they should have stopped there. But in their arrogance, they continued and challenged the Dragon. This beast was not just a powerful monster, it was more, much more...
The mightiest of that time challenged it... and they fell. The Dragon was not even wounded, they could not even duplicate the feat of Albert Waldstein.
In just a few days, everything he had built over a thousand years had collapsed. Without an ounce of mercy, Freya and Loki brought them down and banished them from the city. All those who claimed to be their friends had abandoned them. It was said that it was in trials that one recognised one's true friends. Zeus and Hera learned that they really didn't have many friends...
But circumstances had led Zeus to take in a young boy, the son that Metera, Hera's beloved child, had conceived with a supporter of his familia.
Zeus had taken the boy to a remote village and had begun to prepare him, even mould him, for what he expected of him. And that was another of Zeus' regrets. He could have just lived a simple life and pushed Bell to do the same. There was no shame in living such a life.
Kind and cute as he was, he had no doubt that his human grandson could have easily found a nice girl to make a life with, raise a family and be happy.
But instead, Zeus had chosen to put stories of heroes in his head... and also a bit of a harem, because the old perverse god remained equal to himself. He had then staged his own death to break the last ties holding Bell and push him towards the city of the Dungeon, where he would become the last hero.
A project for which he had the help of a very special accomplice, Hermes. The travelling god took advantage of his activity and his rights to report to him regularly. Zeus had only limited confidence in Hermes, for the latter was unpredictable and interpreted requests in his own way, but he had no choice.
The last time he had received news, Bell had just arrived in Orario.
Zeus had just received a new letter. Settling into the house in his new village of residence, he began to read Hermes' letter.
"So Bell has found a familia? Good."
Zeus resumed reading while taking a sip of wine before violently spitting it out.
"In Ishtar familia! How the hell did he end up there? With the hundreds of gods in this fucking city, he ends up at Ishtar's? Freya or Loki, that would have been enough to ruffle my feathers, but Ishtar! Is Hermes playing a joke on me or what?"
However, the letter didn't seem to end there and after regaining his composure, the god resumed reading and felt like this was all sounding more and more like a joke.
"Not charmed? A branch dedicated to Dungeon exploration? Ishtar takes care of him? She even seems... in love? But like... really in love? Well, that sounds big for a joke, even from Hermes."
The Olympian lord began to think about what all this implied.
"My boy, I don't know whether to be worried sick or to congratulate you on this feat," the god said as if addressing Bell.
However, his face showed an expression of panic as something crossed his mind.
"Oh damn it! We can't let Hera know about this! If she ever finds out that her beloved Metera's child ended up in Ishtar familia, she'll skin me alive!"
And while the banished god panicked in his corner, the festival was taking place in the city from which he was exiled. Orario was in full swing, the monsterferia had begun and many visitors were heading for the large coliseum of the Ganesha familia where the major events would take place.
But even without that, the city was very lively, if only because of the hundreds of stalls selling food, drink and trinkets of all kinds.
Following the advice of Neela, his pallum friend from the Midnight Sigh, Bell had decided to go and enjoy the festivities a little. But on his way into town, his path led him to a tavern he was getting to know well.
The tavern had a friendly Cat people in front of it, who quickly called out to him.
"Hey! It's Mr. Gigolo! This way nya!" she said in his direction.
Immediately Bell blushed and rushed towards her.
"I already told you I'm not a gigolo! Stop saying that..."
"Hmmm? Really?"
Anya's tone was clearly teasing. She could see that the subject was horribly embarrassing to Bell and so she felt compelled to bring it up again every time, just for a little laugh.
"Well, that's okay, I need you to do me a favor nya."
"Sure, what is it?"
"That airhead Syr forgot this, hurry up and bring it to her nya." She said as she placed something in his hands, before taking a small hit to the head. Ryuu's graceful figure then appeared behind her.
"Anya, he's not going to understand anything if you don't explain it properly. I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Cranel, but Syr is off today and has gone to enjoy the festivities, however, she forgot her purse, would you please take it to her?"
"That's exactly what I said nya!"
In response to the cat-girl, Bell only had a nervous laugh to offer her, before turning to Ryuu.
"No worries, if I find her, I'll give it to her."
"Thank you."
Then the elf suddenly moved closer to him, until she was only inches away from his body, but not touching him, planting her gaze in his.
"Feel free to enjoy the festivities with Syr, it will please her, but I'm counting on you not to bring her to a secluded place to pour out your lust on her."
Obviously, the implication was very clear and Bell blushed, as much from embarrassment as from indignation.
"For the last time, I'm not a gigolo!" he tried to protest.
Strangely, if the other waitresses seemed to have finally understood his situation, even if Anya was still having fun teasing him about it, Ryuu, for her part, still seemed convinced that he was some kind of wild beast ready to do a thousand very dirty things to them.
"Your face is too cute to be totally innocent."
"Are you sure you're not the one with a dirty mind here?"
Was this some sort of consequence of the elven culture? Maybe from living too purely, they had come to see indecent things everywhere. And it was in cases like this that he realised that Saria, of the Midnight Sigh, was truly an exception within her own species. Or maybe she was the only one who really assumed herself and all the elves were hidden perverts...
In any case, Bell did not linger, wishing to quickly end this very embarrassing conversation. The young man therefore set off again for the feria.
For Bell, who had just come from the countryside, Orario had always seemed to be a lively place. But now that he was seeing real festivities in town, he was discovering an atmosphere he had never known. Lots of noise, colours, smells. It was enough to make one's head spin.
The boy slipped into the crowd, wondering which miracle would allow him to find Syr.
But he wasn't the only one enjoying the festivities, Loki, along with several of his children, were in town. If most of them were enjoying the show in the arena, their goddess, who had managed to get her favourite to accompany her, was having to go for a drink upstairs in some tavern to meet a certain goddess of beauty, who was going to tell her about her new prey, before ducking out and leaving her the bill.
All this to prepare his next move. It would be risky, but the results could be most interesting.
And while one goddess of beauty was scheming, another was walking around town. By chance, she saw the figure and, above all, the white hair of her little protégé.
Taking advantage of the bustle in town, Ishtar approached Bell without being noticed. The boy was looking at the merchandise of a stall and did not pay attention to his surroundings.
Once close enough, she put her hands on his shoulders and gently blew on his ear.
Naturally, Bell reacted with a small cry of surprise and a startle.
"What the... Goddess?"
" Yes, it's me." She replied with an amused chuckle.
"Couldn't you just call me normally?"
"And miss an opportunity to tease you and enjoy your oh-so-cute reactions?"
"I'm not a toy." He made with a pouty face.
"Of course not, you're my adorable little bunny."
"Goddess..." he said in a dejected voice.
"Sorry, I haven't seen you in three days and I missed you more than I thought."
"Me too goddess."
Bell replied with a small smile. He had indeed missed his goddess. After seeing her almost every day, a three day absence suddenly felt very strange.
As for Ishtar, seeing Bell again made her realise that she too was beginning to develop a real emotional dependence on this boy. He was the first to arouse it in her.
"Have you finished your business?"
"Yes, a little while ago. And you? Are you out enjoying the festivities?"
"Yes. Neela advised me to."
"And she was right. Glad to see you've managed to get along with a lot of people."
Ishtar's orders regarding Bell were mostly for the Berberas, so they wouldn't turn him into a piece of meat or anything like that. But she had realised that her idea could have isolated him. Fortunately, Bell's character had allowed him to make friends. And even to be well liked within the familia.
"I have to meet a friend first, I was asked to bring her purse."
"In a crowd like this, it's going to be complicated. But let's look for her together, so we can take a walk."
"With pleasure."
Even he suspected that he wouldn't find Syr in a crowd like this without a major stroke of luck. He'd probably have to go back to the Hostess of fertility after all this and apologize to Anya and Ryuu. But not finding Syr couldn't be worse than being considered a lust beast.
"Very well, in that case, we have something to do first."
"What are you talking about?"
Without another word, the goddess took his hand and led him with her. Navigating through the crowd, she led Bell to an alleyway where she quietly entered. There was no one around, so this would be an ideal place. As usual, Bell was going to be careless and get caught. Without hesitation, the goddess opened her cloak so as to free her very scantily clad body and pulled Bell to her for a big hug.
"G-Goddess!"
"After three days without me, I had to start by giving you some of my presence first, I'm sure you must have missed it terribly."
Bell was surprised, so she would never stop inventing new ways to tease him.
"I could have lasted until tonight... No! I mean... I don't miss your hugs!"
"How? Are you tired of me already?" she said in a voice that was deceptively outraged, but which made Bell fall for it.
"Of course not goddess, it's just... it's embarrassing... you're too... sweet..."
Bell's cheeks flushed, horribly embarrassed by the sensations the goddess was causing him. Of course the softness of her skin could not leave him indifferent. But for the young man, the gods had to be respected and he felt guilty for having such impure thoughts towards his goddess.
Even if he alone was the one who thought like that.
As for Ishtar, despite what she claimed, she was perhaps the more needy of the both. While she had been helping Hephaestus, her mind had been too busy, but now that she was calm, she found that three days without seeing Bell, without being able to touch him, to be in contact with him, was horribly long.
It was the first time Ishtar had ever pined for a man in this way. It was a strange sensation, but nevertheless pleasant in some ways.
The young adventurer remained frozen on the spot, until his goddess finally decided to let go of him and cover herself again with her cloak.
"That will do... for now anyway."
The goddess punctuated her words with a knowing wink to which Bell was unable to respond other than to blush before she took his hand and led him back into the crowd.
And while Bell and Ishtar walked hand in hand, another goddess was at work.
For the Ganesha familia, the monsterferia was THE big event of the year. Everything had to be perfectly coordinated and even with the Guild's help, it was still a gigantic task. The smallest grain of sand could stop the machine and cause panic among the children of the elephant god.
This is how one of them felt when she found that she had no news from one of the warehouses where the monsters were kept. Despite their heightened security, a thousand disaster scenarios were possible.
And this young woman knew something serious was going on when she arrived at the place and noticed the guards on the ground. She quickly approached one of them and saw that he was alive, but in a state of shock.
What could have done this to him? He didn't seem to have been knocked out in the usual way, or even poisoned.
As she got up and was about to give the alarm, two hands stopped her. One of them embraced her waist, while the other rested on her eyes.
And immediately she felt herself grow weak. They were women's hands, soft, light, without any strength. She could have easily broken away from this embrace, but she was unable to do so.
Her body no longer obeyed her, her mind became hazy, as if she were under a mixture of intoxication and excitement.
A voice was added to the hands. A whisper in her ear that made her shiver in the same way as if he had caressed every erogenous zone of her body.
"The key to the cages... Where is it?" Asked the voice.
"Right... here..."
Unable to think, she reached for the bunch of keys that hung from her belt and the hand on her belly drew back to grasp it. She had obeyed without thinking. She wasn't capable of it anymore anyway, her senses were saturated with pleasant information.
"Thank you." The delightful voice whispered in her ear. For the young woman this was too much, her body and mind could not take so much stimulation and she fell to the ground under the gaze of a Freya still amused by the effect she caused.
Part of her was telling her that this was a really bad idea. Another shivered with pleasure at the stimulation this transgression offered her. But most of them wanted to see Bell shine.
Just as Ishtar had told Hephaestus, the gods remained captives of their nature and so did Freya.
She would have liked to observe him from afar, but she was unable to do so, she was obliged to interfere...
Unfortunately, as he had feared, Bell was unable to find Syr in such a crowd. Perhaps she had already returned to the tavern to look for her purse. Moreover, Ishtar was leading him from stall to stall.
Usually, the goddess gave a more mature image, but alone with him, in the middle of the festivities, she seemed almost to have fallen back into childhood, marvelling at what she saw and everything she tasted.
Now that her mind was free of the old obsession, she felt she was rediscovering life and all it had to offer. Of course, Ishtar was enjoying the Feria itself, but it was the fact that she was doing it with Bell that made it all so special.
She still didn't know why she had changed so much, what the dreams meant. But she was happy. In the old days she would never have been able to enjoy such simple, yet pleasant things. She would still be that abominable bitch, sitting on her throne looking down on the world while brooding on her hatred of Freya.
But if the dreams had started her change, the one that completed them was the young man at her side. Bell was a sweetheart, a true embodiment of kindness. He always seemed to see the best in people, including her. And she wanted to become better for him. Every time her eyes fell on the young man, her gaze grew more tender.
"Get out of your cage."
The silverback looked at the goddess and obeyed without a grunt. This monster had enough physical power to crush this woman, but he did not. As soon as she had planted her gaze in his, he was unable to do anything that would displease her.
"You'll be perfect."
She was playing with fire, she knew. Someone would eventually figure out who had released a good dozen monsters in the middle of the Feria. And there was a risk that Ishtar would figure out that they were charmed, but strangely enough, playing with risk like this only made her more excited.
And more importantly, she wanted to see Bell's soul shine. Such potential, she needed to see more. If this boy could soften a whore like Ishtar so much, then perhaps he was the key to her own loneliness. Her Odr, the soulmate her heart so desperately craved. How many times had she believed in it and been disappointed? The pretty sand princess was promising, but not what she expected.
But Freya would keep looking. No, she had to keep looking. If she gave up now, she would be admitting that her Odr did not exist, that she would be condemned to an eternity of loneliness, her mind would be unable to cope with such a truth and she would collapse immediately.
Bell was her Odr, he HAD to be. And it was her duty to help him be strong enough to shine by her side.
Delicately, the goddess raised her hands to grasp the face of the beast, which was unable to resist her.
"The goddess with the tan skin and purple hair is your target..."
She gently placed her forehead on the Silverback's and he knew then who he should be looking for.
"Go..."
And while chaos was brewing underground, on the surface people suspected nothing. Little by little, Ishtar and Bell approached the Coliseum. There were people there, organisers from the Ganesha familia, but also some Guild employees who were helping to organise the event.
And among these employees, Bell immediately recognised the familiar face of a half elf.
"Eina!"
Hearing her name, the young woman turned around, even though she recognized the cheerful voice.
"Bell! Are you enjoying the festivities?"
"Yes." Replied the boy as he approached her. "And you?"
"Unfortunately for me I am working. The monsterferia is a joint event of the Guild and the Ganesha familia, so I might as well say that we're not out of work."
"I shouldn't bother you then."
"I do have work to do, but I can still spare you a few minutes."
It was then that Eina noticed the hooded figure who had just joined the young man. Immediately, Bell took the necessary steps to explain things to Eina.
"Ho! I am with my goddess today." He pointed at her.
"Your goddess?" Then suddenly Eina remembered who Bell's goddess was. "Wait! You mean... Lady Ish..."
But she was interrupted by the goddess who had just put a finger to her lips to silence her.
"Yes, that's me, and I'd just as soon be discreet."
Eina quickly understood what this was all about. Ishtar was a goddess of beauty, not exactly the type that normally went unnoticed. If she was dressed like that, it certainly wasn't to be recognized so easily and Eina had almost shouted her presence to everyone around.
"Yes. Forgive me." Said the counselor with red cheeks.
"So, you're the famous Eina that Bell tells me about from time to time."
Something in the goddess' gaze made Eina immediately swallow. She only knew Ishtar by reputation and that was far from reassuring.
"Ah? Bell tells you about me?"
"In a good way, I reassure you. You're a great help to him from what he tells me and I think he likes you."
"Ho! Uh... that's my job you know... taking care of the adventurers in my care."
As for Bell, he was red with embarrassment.
"And I suppose you keep a very professional attitude with him."
"O-of course lady Ishtar!" replied Eina, sure that the goddess was checking to see if she was behaving herself with her child.
"Really? Too bad... I thought your one-on-one classes would have given me some anecdotes of crunchy moments."
"Goddess! Stop with the nonsense! Eina is embarrassed!"
"Wouldn't that be you instead? You want me to believe that her strict teacher look doesn't make you want some private lessons?"
"Stop it!"
For her part, Eina was troubled despite herself by the goddess' words. A part of her mind was beginning to betray her and she imagined her and Bell... alone in the office... where no one ever came to disturb them... where she could knock him over the desk...
No! Naughty thoughts!
Eina was now as red as Bell and Ishtar noticed it immediately. As she suspected, she was not indifferent to Bell. Which didn't surprise her much, he had a natural ability to attract women. It was a pity that he didn't accept to receive women clients, his success would be immediate.
And unfortunately for Bell, she still felt like teasing him a little.
"Really? I thought I could add her to your harem list."
"A... harem..."
Eina painfully articulated these few words, which Bell interpreted as a sign of terrible trouble ahead.
"Stop with the joke! People will really get the wrong idea!"
"Okay, okay, I'll stop... for now."
And at that very moment, Bell didn't yet know that Eina would be unable to look at him innocently from now on.
"Hmm... I'd have to find out who makes the Guild uniforms. What do you think Bell? A theme night at some of the establishments where I dress my employees as Guild employees. I'm sure there are plenty of adventurers out there who must fantasize about their advisors."
"Please, anything but that."
It was at this point that Eina remembered who Ishtar was and what kind of establishments she ran. Clearly, she had no shortage of imagination when it came to renewing her clientele.
"B-B-Bell, I'm going to go, I still have work to do, lots of work! See you at the Guild for your next class." She managed to say, her cheeks on fire.
"Y-yes, no worries Eina." He replied just as embarrassed.
Eina then greeted a very amused Ishtar and decided that she would need a cold shower first. The meeting with the goddess of beauty had been... very intense.
"Mooo! Bell, stop sulking!"
But the boy only responded to his goddess with silence and a pout.
"Good thing you're adorable even when you sulk."
"I'm sure Eina hates me now with your nonsense."
He hadn't expected his goddess to start laughing at his statement.
"I don't think so, on the contrary. I even think she now has some ideas in mind."
"Don't talk nonsense." He answered her with a dejected look.
"I'm a goddess of fertility and sexuality, so trust my expertise on this sort of thing."
"I mostly trust your expertise in teasing me."
"Really?"
Even though she wasn't letting on, Bell's words bothered her a little. The young man always seemed to think she was teasing him all the time. Sure, sometimes she would just tease him for fun, but Bell seemed to blame everything on teasing. Even he couldn't be that innocent at his age. She was rather beginning to wonder if seeing everything as teasing was some sort of defense mechanism that allowed him to avoid confronting some of his... or anyone else's desires.
"Listen Bell..."
But just as Ishtar was about to start a much more serious conversation, she was interrupted by panicked screams.
"Monsters! Monsters have escaped!"
Thankfully everyone had already noticed. The beastly screams, the sounds of smashing and the flying debris were clues enough. The result was obviously panic.
There were a few people who did not panic, particularly a large number of adventurers, who were used to dealing with monsters, even if seeing them loose in the city took everyone by surprise.
As for Ishtar, she was mostly angry. Who would allow themselves to spoil her special moment with Bell, especially when she was about to have an important conversation with him?
But the goddess didn't have time to continue to be angry when she felt her hand being taken away from the chaos.
Bell had analysed the situation, seeing that the monster closest to them was a silverback, so he decided to retreat. He had followed Eina's lessons and knew that this kind of monster was not yet within his reach. For the time being, he felt that his priority was to get his goddess to safety.
"Good thing I have my own personal knight." She said with pleasure and amusement.
"Goddess!" Replied Bell as he led her away from the trouble.
But the trouble seemed to want to pursue them further, for the silverback was coming in their direction. And a monster would have to threaten Ishtar on the very day she didn't have her berbera guards with her and only Bell.
Aisha and the others would no doubt be warned quickly, but they would have to survive in the meantime.
For the creature still seemed to be pursuing them.
"Goddess, it looks like it's after us!"
"I think so. Do you think it wants revenge? How many of his friends have you killed?"
"None! Otherwise I wouldn't be running away! Are you sure it's not you he wants?
"I've known a lot of men in my life that I could call monkeys, but I've never done anything with a silverback, even I have my limits."
But they did not have time to continue talking when they had to dodge a wooden crate that shattered on the ground beside them. There was no longer any doubt that they were being targeted.
Bell was running fast, very fast even for his level. But even with good physical condition, Ishtar was slowing him down.
"My apologies goddess!"
Immediately, he pulled her towards him and took her in his arms in princess carry style, which amused the goddess.
"Bell, you're the first man to carry me like this without taking me to a bed, it is refreshing."
"Not now Goddess!"
Bell quickened his pace, but it wasn't enough. The silvarback was powerful and agile despite its size.
Taking advantage of Bell carrying her, the goddess adjusted her position in his arms to get her head over the boy's shoulder and look behind him. The monster was in range and she could meet his gaze, now was the time to give it her all.
"Now, that's enough! Stop!" she said in a firm, commanding voice as her charm spread over the creature.
But to her horror, it had no effect.
Why wasn't this creature charmed? Why wasn't it obeying?
Was he already charmed? That might explain his behaviour. But in this case, it would be by a very powerful charm. More powerful than hers...
Could it be Freya's trick?
No, she shouldn't let paranoia get the better of her. Hathor and Aphrodite were perfectly capable of charming too, though she couldn't see them doing anything like that. But it could just as easily have been the effect of a magical object or some mixture that Ganesha's familia had made her swallow. The charm of a goddess of beauty was very powerful, but it was not absolute.
Rather than speculate, the goddess chose to focus her attention on their escape. Turning as Bell continued to run, she scanned her surroundings and raised her hand in one direction.
"That way Bell!
"Alright!"
The boy obeyed without question, he had complete confidence in his goddess. She continued to lead him down small streets and soon Bell sensed that he was in a special place. No longer hearing the silverback behind them, he slowed down a bit to catch his breath.
"Goddess, where are we?"
"Deadalus street. An area of the city made up of maze-like alleys, it's easy to get lost or lose a pursuer.
Bell hadn't been in the city long enough to know a place like this particular neighborhood, but Ishtar did, which was why she'd brought him here.
"Let's keep going, danger can come from anywhere."
The young man nodded and started walking again.
Freya was observing the situation from the rooftops. The little chaos she had caused had kept most of the adventurers away and the situation was handled without too much damage, allowing the silverback to continue his mission with peace of mind.
The goddess of beauty gritted her teeth a little when she saw how Ishtar had the pleasure of being carried by Bell, but then she felt a strong sense of satisfaction when the latter realised that her charm was useless on the monster.
Even if she didn't understand, she would at least be put in her place. Freya felt superior to her and it was always nice to let her know that, even though she seemed to have changed.
In the end, things were reversed, now Ishtar didn't care about Freya, but Freya was starting to get jealous of the other goddess since she was the one who had Bell's attention.
"I think we lost him."
Unfortunately for Bell, his words were an invitation to be punished by karma, for only a moment later the roar of the monster was heard from the rooftops.
The young man had to rely on his reflexes not to be crushed by the monster as he hit the ground hard.
"Bell, run!" Ishtar said to him and he didn't hesitate. For Bell, the important thing was to get his goddess to safety, even at the cost of his own life.
It was a never-ending chase, even taking advantage of the maze of alleys, the beast always came back, he could not continue to run like this, especially if he wanted to protect Ishtar.
But as he took another diversions to gain a precious lead, Bell saw something out of the corner of his eye. A gate leading to an underground entrance.
The young adventurer set his goddess down and guided her towards it.
"Bell?"
"This way."
The emergency of the situation caused him to be somewhat irreverent as he pushed his goddess into the passageway... before closing the gate behind her.
"Bell!"
"Go on without me goddess, I'll hold him back."
"Stop that right now Bell! Open up!"
"Run away goddess, until the berberas arrive. I can at least buy you enough time for that."
Ishtar tried to force her way through, but that rusty old gate was stuck.
"Bell! I beg you, come back!"
But the boy turned on his heels and when the beast's roar was heard, he grabbed a pebble from the ground before throwing it violently in its face.
"This way, you stupid monkey!"
The silverback may have been ordered to chase the dark-skinned, purple-haired goddess, but he had enough intelligence to understand that the white-haired human was an obstacle to his divine task, so he chased after the troublemaker who was provoking him once more.
For her part, Ishtar was panicking. It had to be now that Bell started to disobey her.
No, no, no! He must not die! Not here, not now and especially not like this! She did not want him to sacrifice himself for her. If he did, she would have his blood on her hands and would never recover.
The goddess took a deep breath and managed to regain her composure and her ability to think in order to analyse the options available to her.
The gate? Completely rusted and she had nothing to force it with. She had no choice, she had to find another access and find Bell as soon as possible. At least, as long as he was pissing off the silverback, she only had to follow the roar.
The first few floors Bell was used to contained hardly any large monsters, so he was unaccustomed to facing such massive creatures. The silverback had an advantage over him in terms of reach.
At first, Bell continued to play the provocation, he needed to gain time for Ishtar to escape. Moreover, he would need more space to face such a monster. Stuck in an alley, he would not be able to move freely.
After about ten minutes of intense chasing, he finally arrived in a sufficiently clear space. Bell was getting out of breath, the whole chase had exhausted him and he was running out of stamina. He had no choice, he couldn't run anymore, he would have to use his last strength to fight.
Taking a deep breath, he focused, weapon in hand, and called upon everything Lena had taught him, as well as his personal experience in the Dungeon.
Stay calm, analyze, look for the weakness. It was important not to be impressed by the size of the creature, by its roar or its large movements.
Bell had only one dagger, so he should target the monster's weakness, its magic stone, directly.
The silverback tried to mow him down with a large arm movement, Bell dodged with a leap backwards. Stay calm, analyze. The monster crushed the ground with its fist, leaping to the side to avoid the attack. Look for the weakness.
The monster tried to strike him with a direct blow, Bell retreated and dodged the fist at the last moment. As the silverback's fist slammed into the wall behind him, Bell took advantage of the moment to leap forward, jumping on the monster's arm and coming up to his chest. The boy concentrated all his strength and struck forward, determined to pierce the magic stone of his opponent.
But unfortunately, all he heard was the sound of breaking metal as his blade shattered. It was a beginner's weapon, of inferior quality, not strong enough to pierce the thick skin of such a creature.
His hopes of victory had been crushed. And Bell did not regain his senses quickly enough, which prevented him from completely dodging his opponent's attack. Even if he could reduce the impact, he was still thrown backwards.
He had no weapon left and was at the end of his rope. The few people he had come across had fled, no one would come to help him. This time it really felt like the end of the journey.
The creature was probably thinking the same, raising its fist, ready to finish off this nuisance. And since his attention was fully focused on Bell, he didn't see the spear coming, which stuck between two of his toes, one of the few areas where his skin was much thinner.
The wound was far from mortal, but it was terribly painful and the monster fell backwards screaming in pain.
"Bell! Over here!"
Not one to be deterred, the young man fled in the direction of the voice.
Elsewhere in the city, a metallic splinter sliced through a monster and turned it into a pile of dust. Even in a girly outfit, Ais Wallenstein was still a formidable fighter. Her little demonstration earned her the relief and applause of the audience.
Loki wasn't happy at all. Her date was ruined twice. First the meeting with Freya and now the monsters.
Eina Tulle, on the other hand, oscillated between anger towards the person responsible for this security breach and fear caused by a situation that could have turned into a catastrophe.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Wallenstein."
"You're welcome." The blonde replied in her usual monotone.
"'Tis the last one?" Loki asked.
"Apparently, there's still a silverback who ran away to Deadalus street." Eina told her after another Guild employee had come to report to her. "And according to our information, the Berberas have gone after him."
"Ishtar's girls? Curious..." Loki thought simply.
Eina, for her part, had a bad feeling. Bell had come to the Feria, with his goddess. And she still hadn't seen him since the monsters had escaped. He might as well have escaped, but with this news of berberas tracking a silverback...
A few moments earlier...
Ishtar had managed to find another way. Of course, she could have run away and hidden as Bell had asked her to, the woman she was before would have done so without thinking, without any qualms about sacrificing one of her children. But she was no longer that woman and Bell was the last one she wanted to sacrifice for her.
And from the sound of the beast's roar in the distance, Bell was probably still alive... no... he had to be alive.
The goddess quickened her pace. Finally, she heard the screams coming closer. She caught up quickly and fortunately the monster didn't see her, its anger seemed totally focused on Bell.
She had to act, quickly, to intervene before Bell was killed. The boy had made great progress, proof that he could resist such an opponent, but he still lacked the necessary strength, not to mention his basic dagger, a very inadequate weapon.
It was then that the goddess saw out of the corner of her eye a potential solution. In their fight, the silverback had destroyed the front of a shop, a pawn shop. The kind of unscrupulous business that flourished easily in Deadalus, the kind of place where you could find a lot of things. Personal belongings, jewellery... weapons. Very often sold by adventurers sinking into misery.
The goddess then took a spear. A basic weapon, but sufficient. And the situation was becoming urgent. Bell had given his all, but his weapon had shattered against the monster's skin. Ishtar took a deep breath and cocked her spear for a throw.
"I am a goddess of beauty. I am a goddess of sexuality and fertility. I am the goddess of joy. I am an astral goddess... But I am also a goddess of war!"
After this confident statement, the goddess let an ancestral instinct present in her divine nature resurface and made a throw of great expertise. Even though she had put this aspect of her divinity on the back burner compared to the others, it was still present.
Without her arcanum, she had no more strength than an ordinary human, so she would never cut through a silverback's leather with a simple spear. But what she lacked in strength, she made up for in expertise.
She had aimed at the junction between two toes and her throw was so precise that it hit the mark.
The silverback may have been a monster, but he was still a monkey. A very big monkey. So a primate, a creature physiologically very close to a human.
And anyone who had ever stubbed their toes on a piece of furniture knew how sensitive that area could be.
"Bell! Over here!"
And the boy came towards her.
Bell was surprised to come face to face with his goddess, but he didn't have time to say anything as she led him on. After a short run, they ended up in a small isolated alley where the monster would take some time to find them.
The young man wanted to speak first, but he didn't have the time, because his goddess slapped him, to his great surprise. The gesture provoked a certain incomprehension at first, but then he met the gaze of his goddess. Tears were slowly falling from her eyes and her face expressed a complex emotion, a mixture of anger, fear, concern and relief.
"Don't you ever do that to me again..." she said before taking him in her arms. "Do you hear me Bell? Don't you ever do anything like that to me again!"
"I... sorry goddess."
"I told you before, I'm not as nice a person as you think I am, I'm not worth your sacrifice for me."
"Goddess..."
"Don't ever do that again... Don't ever leave me alone..."
"I'm sorry goddess. I promise you goddess, I will never leave you again." He said as he took his goddess' face and plunged his gaze into hers. Immediately she knew he was not lying.
When was the last time Ishtar had cried? She herself could not remember. Once again, Bell was showing her how strong he was at turning her mind upside down.
But this touching reunion was interrupted by the howling of the silverback in the distance. Immediately, the goddess and her child returned to serious faces.
"We need to sort this out." Ishtar said soberly.
"How, Goddess? Are we still waiting for the berberas or for other adventurers to take care of it?"
"No, you will kill that monster."
Bell was surprised by his goddess' words. Her confidence in him was touching, but she seemed to overestimate him.
"It angers me to admit it, but I'm not strong enough and my weapon is broken."
"Don't let it get you down too quickly. For starters, you'll use this."
The goddess then pulled out from under her cloak the black dagger she had helped craft for three days. Bell was stunned when he saw the object, realizing that it was no ordinary weapon.
Gently, he took it in his hand and drew it. Focused on the weapon itself, he did not notice the signature of Hephaestus on the scabbard.
"Goddess, this is..."
"Your new weapon. Born especially for you. And I'll update your status."
Looking at the previous fight Bell had fought, she was sure he could triumph, all he needed was some strength and a better weapon. The last problem was solved with the black dagger. And thanks to his skill, Bell would certainly have a sufficient increase in status to face the monster.
Immediately, the goddess went behind the young man's back and raised his top to get to work.
"Knowing you, you must have been working hard despite my absence, this will do."
With speed and precision, the goddess activated the divine interface giving access to Bell's falna. The divine runes began to glow and Ishtar set to work. The situation was urgent and even Bell could sense it. Usually, when she updated his status, Ishtar's movements were slow, gentle, calculated, deliberately sensual.
But not this time, she was brisk, quick, precise, she went to the essential. This time, she had no time to play, to tease him, to savour the softness of his skin under her fingers. It was an emergency update, quick and functional.
The goddess ignored all magic and skill. Even if he had gained some, he wouldn't have time to learn how to use it in such an urgent situation. No, what he needed was just pure power, so she focused her attention on his stats and realized once again how absurdly fast he was growing.
"I leave him alone for barely three days and he gets over 600 points of growth? That's really crazy!"
"Goddess!"
"I know!"
The monster was close, everything was going to be a moment away. Bell was ready to rush into battle, his new weapon in hand, just waiting for the signal.
Ishtar finished her work and pressed the glyphs of light into his back.
" Go!" she simply said in a determined voice and the signal was given.
With a single impulse of his legs, he was again facing the beast, his new weapon in hand. And the fight resumed. This time he was stronger, more agile.
For a moment he thought the silverback had become slower. But no, it was him who was faster and whose reflexes were sharper.
The great ape was still a formidable opponent, but now he knew that this monster was within his reach. He had faith in his abilities, in the training Lena had given him and above all, he had faith in his goddess, in her blessing engraved on his back and in the weapon she had brought him.
Annoyed by this chase and by this white insect that refused to be crushed, the silverback became enraged and even more violent than before. The blows came, stone, earth and wood flew every time he hit something.
But Bell refused to give in.
The Berberas had not sought out their goddess by chance. When the goddess had finished with Hephaestus, she sent a message home to say that she would return after a short trip to the Feria.
When the news of the monsters having escaped reached the ears of the amazoness, they set out on their way, but found it difficult to trace her, until they heard of a silverback chasing a white-haired young man to Deadalus street, accompanied by a person hidden under a cloak.
It was not hard for them to make the connection and set off. Then they simply had to follow the noises and shouts.
"Lady Ishtar!"
Aisha reached her goddess' side, expecting to be severely reprimanded for her tardiness, but the goddess said nothing, her gaze fixed on the battle.
When the amazoness saw that Bell was struggling alone with a silverback, she prepared to intervene. She recognized that it was very brave of him, but logically, it was not an opponent for him.
But as soon as she started to take a step, the goddess raised her hand to signal her to stop, which she did immediately.
"Lady Ishtar?"
"No need. Bell will be fine."
It might have sounded like overconfidence, but there was such assurance in her voice that the amazoness froze in place.
And then she looked closely and understood.
Bell did not need help.
And Aisha began to see something in him...
The only amazoness who didn't stay silent was the most cheerful one of the group.
"Go Bell! Kick his ass!" Lena shouted to encourage her pupil, as happy as she was fascinated by the meteoric progress he was making.
Carried by the gaze of his goddess and the encouragement of Lena, Bell felt all his fatigue vanish. The intensity of the fight was generating enough adrenaline in him to give him the energy to fight.
On the contrary, it was the silverback who was beginning to be exhausted.
Bell dodged, analysed, looked for the weakness...
And once again, he found it...
A first punch, a jump to dodge it... move forward, get closer...
A second punch, the boy twisted like a reed to avoid it... Advancing, entering the opponent's guard.
Take advantage of a blind spot... and strike!
Bell's attack was swift and decisive, he drove the black dagger with all his might into the monster's chest. And it penetrated its skin and muscles like butter. Bell heard the characteristic crack of a magic stone breaking and the monster evaporated into black dust.
Only the young adventurer remained, his dagger still in the place where he had struck. And for a moment, there was only silence...
Then came the applause and shouts of joy. Suddenly, the people of Deadalus street had reappeared and after observing the young man's fight, they congratulated him.
Ishtar had rushed to Bell and jumped into his arms, hugging him.
"I knew you could do it! Well done Bell."
"Are you alright goddess?"
"Yes, thanks to you. I think that even deserves a reward."
And she complied immediately, planting a kiss on his cheek. Naturally, this made the young man blush.
"G-Goddess! We're in public!"
"Then this will also be your punishment for the scare you gave me."
No, she hadn't liked it at all when he abandoned her with the idea of sacrificing himself for her. But he seemed to have understood never to do something like that again. Ishtar was now totally infatuated with him, she could not bear for him to die, let alone for her.
Suddenly, the goddess felt herself faint and fell into Bell's arms.
"Goddess!"
"I'm fine Bell, I'm just a little tired. I've been working hard for almost three days, so all these emotions have finished draining my strength."
Hephaestus had shown no mercy in putting her to work and with her desire to give Bell an ideal weapon, she had given it her all. The gods may not have feared disease and old age, but living as mortals they were still constrained by some physical limitations, such as the need to eat, drink or sleep. Ishtar was simply tired.
"I'm going to go back to Belit Babili and rest for a while. Girls!"
Immediately, several amazoness came to her and took her by the arms for support.
"Bell, I think you should find your friend and make sure she's okay."
With all this fuss, he hadn't been able to find Syr and was a little worried that she had been caught up in the turmoil. He'd probably be better off checking in the tavern to make sure she was okay.
"Yes, I think so. Above all, rest goddess," he said, obviously concerned about her health. This made Ishtar smile fondly. How many people had really cared about her and her well-being over the ages?
However, something else had begun to change. Several berberas passed by him, much more smiling and friendly than before.
"Hey! That was pretty good kid!" said the first amazoness.
"Good job! Killing a silverback at your level in solo, that's a good job Bell!" Lena continued, happy to see her student's progress.
"Keep it up boy and you'll soon start turning us on." Concluded another amazoness.
Berberas valued strong men. Bell was already no longer the shaky little beginner they had known just three weeks earlier. He was beginning to look like a warrior and their gaze was beginning to change too.
Then the young man found himself with the figure and overwhelming presence of Aisha in front of him. As usual, she was looking at him with a certain sternness. But now her gaze was more intense, as if she was scrutinizing him and sizing him up, which did not make him feel very comfortable.
Bell had always had a hard time with Berberas. But there were three women in particular who worried him.
First of all Phryne. Even without judging on looks, there was something fishy about her. The very few times he had seen her, an alarm had gone off in his mind and he shunned her like the plague.
Then there was Samira. He had the feeling that she hated him deeply. She gave him the impression that she was ready to beat him up at the slightest opportunity. Her eyes were always full of anger and contempt for him.
And finally, there was Aisha. First of all, this amazoness had a particular presence. Whether it was her height, her very generous curves, the way she held herself or her penetrating gaze. She had an image of strength and overflowing sensuality. With her dark skin and black hair, Bell saw her as a magnificent panther, a noble creature, bewitchingly beautiful, but deadly.
And she was the one whose intentions he could never understand.
Without a word, she grabbed his chin with one hand and forced him to raise his head so that he could look her straight in the eye.
"Yes... maybe she's waiting for you... maybe you can save her. But you have to get even stronger. Much stronger."
And without giving him time to ask for any explanation, she let go of him and turned to join her sisters and her goddess.
Bell was left alone with his questions, wondering who Aisha was talking about. Something told him it wasn't their goddess.
However, he didn't have time for conjecture, he had to make sure Syr was okay first.
Even if she was not risking anything. In her true form, she was still watching the young man below. He had given her the show she had hoped for, it had made her shiver, even a little excited.
Before being brutally chilled by the vision of Ishtar jumping on his neck to kiss his cheek. Was this whore forced to spoil her moment? But even so, she was satisfied.
"Well done Bell. I hope you'll show me more in the future. Even if you are bathed in Ishtar's mire, keep shining. I'll do anything to help you."
And the goddess disappeared, not without giving Bell for the first time the strange impression that someone was watching him.
For her part, although she was tired, Ishtar asked herself questions. Why had the monster not reacted to her charm? Why did she have the impression that she had been his target?
"Girls."
"Yes my goddess?" Answered an amazoness.
"Make sure someone investigates what happened at the Feria. Ganesha may be an eccentric, but he's not an idiot, I don't believe in simple accident."
"Yes my goddess."
Maybe nothing would come of it, but it was better to be sure...
Author's notes: Originally, I was going to continue this chapter a little longer, but since I thought it was already long and it took me a while to write it, I might as well cut it off.
My apologies to all those who wanted a Dantesque fight, action scenes are really not my thing. And anyway, I'm planning to focus more on the relationship between the characters than on the pure action.