Here is the next chapter. Slight shorter as I wanted to give a cliffhanger cause im an ass. Mwahahaha?
Anyways. I wanted to explain something. So the way that Bell used the chain and blade in the first chapter, was that like Trevor Belmonte on the Castlevania series on Netflix. Changing the direction of the chain with movements of his hand or his fingers. The plan is to have that be Bell's weakness and his trump card. Powerful, but leaves him open if someone gets past it as well as how much concentration it requires to use. I am even considering giving him a single chain and having Bell decide to change up his weapons, especially after the end of this chapter. I'm considering it. I loved Trevor.
Anyways. I haven't heard anyones opinion on the Wiene thing, so we'll see how you all enjoy it when we get there.
"AAAAH!" With a roar, Bell charged headfirst into the Minotaur, ducking underneath a haymaker from the beast, aiming with his knives to cut right into the Minotaur's throat… this was right when Bell learned something…. Minotaur's were not monsters he could fight… Not yet. His right knife sunk into the fur of the beast, only to snap in two seconds upon contact with the Minotaur's skin. 'What the… my knife broke?!' Bell thought, but his thinking was halted when the Bull bent his head and headbutted Bell harshly in the chest, sending one of the horns into Bell's left shoulder. It missed anything major, but the wound was painful due to the curve of the horn. Impaled on the beasts horn, Bell screamed in pain as he was thrashed around, his shoulder opening more and more. With a mighty roar, the Minotaur flung his head and Bell flew off, crashing harshly into a nearby wall. Sliding down with a groan, fear began to enter Bell's body. This wasn't the fear that he felt the night he fought all of those beasts and nearly lost his life due to being Falna-less. No. This was that fear but amplified. Terror. Horror. He felt like prey to this beast.
'I… I… I can't move…. I… I have to move…. I HAVE TO MOVE!' Bell screamed in his head as the Minotaur let out a bellow, before charging after Bell.
THUD THUD THUD! The loud footsteps of the minotaur got closer and closer as it was in a trot, before it broke out in a run at Bell, lowering his head for a final impale.
'I HAVE TO MOVE. I'M GOING TO DIE. NO! MOVE! DEATH! MOVE! MOVE!' Bell screamed in his head, before rolling to the side at the last minute. The Minotaur slammed into the wall, sending a shockwave through the dungeon floor, shaking the entire floor from the impact. Rocks began to fall from the ceiling, not large enough to cause much damage, but to showcase just how powerful this beast was. Bell immediately began to run, stumbling every so often as he yelled, trying to urge himself to move faster… but the Minotaur was just too fast. With a swipe, the Minotaur struck Bell in the back, sending the White Haired boy flying, before his body impacted against a wall, right in a dead end. Bell spat up blood from the impact, as a few ribs were also broken from the swipe and the collision with the stone wall.
Sliding down the wall, Bell groaned and coughed up some blood, before he collapsed over onto his back, resting against the wall. He stared in horror, but found himself unable to move from the fear. Sure, his body could move, despite the pain… but his mind. It refused. Despite having ran the first time, the power the bull-man beast had… It was just too much for the boy. Frozen. Lifeless… That was what would describe Bell in this moment… and after what the Minotaur would surely do to him.
As the beast lifted two fists for a powerful hammer strike, he heard a voice.
"OOOOOOAH!" It was feminine. It was quite sultry. It was a bit deep but most of all, it was on the other side of the Minotaur. As soon as he heard the voice, a massive blade speared through the Minotaurs left shoulder, cleaving the arm off with a sudden thrust up. The blade was golden and silver. It had silver edges, but the center and most of the blade was a dark gold with blue gems near where the crossguard would be. The Minotaur bellowed in pain, blood spraying the area as the beast twisted and squirmed, as if a fish on a hook. These movements as well as the blood spurting from the arteries began showering Bell in blood, coating the poor boy head to toe. His eyes widened as he saw just who had cut into the beast, saving him from becoming a ground up man. It was a beautiful woman. She had tan skin, almost bronze, with medium length black hair. Her hair had two semi pig tails, though most of her hair was coming out of the back. The 'pig tails' if you could call it that, had Golden bands near the tips. She had three golden necklaces around her neck, with blue gemstones on the bottom of the three. She wore -very- little clothing, not something that anyone but an amazon would consider decent. She had a white tube top, just covering her breasts and doing a decent job at that, though lots of cleavage was visible. The tube top had golden seams along the top and bottom. She had two golden bracelets, and wore a Pareo around her waist. The Pareo in question had bands of green and gold throughout, with a golden 'belt' almost. She was absolutely stunning to look at though Bell was still focusing almost entirely on the Minotaur.
The beast turned suddenly turned to face the Amazon, only to find a rapier blade shoved right through the mouth of the roaring beast, impaling it through the back of the head. With a flick of a wrist, the beast lost its head, once again showering the poor white haired man in blood. The beast disappeared in a shower of Ash, revealing the second person to appear. It was another beautiful woman. She had long golden-blonde hair, golden eyes, a slender body with a decent chest. She wore a white and black cloth, black arm covers, long blue boots underneath a set of armor. She was very pretty. The Amazon was first to speak as they both laid eyes upon the lad behind the Minotaur.
"Looks like we got here just in time, huh Ais?" She spoke, looking at her companion who was staring intensely at the blood covered boy.
"Are you alright?" Ais spoke. Bell was looking between the two, as a blush began to spread across his face. It wouldn't have been visible due to the blood covering his body. Bell could only say one word.
"Beautiful…" He spoke, before his eyes widened. His body could move and move he did. With a sudden dash of speed, much like that of a 10th level adventurer, Bell disappeared up the stairs, the blood on his body slowly dripping down off of him, leaving a trail. His mind was racing, but it was only with a single thought and image. The image was that of the Amazon that had rescued him… and the thought was the same word that he spoke without thinking. 'Beautiful'. This thought was the only thing running through his mind as he raced through the streets, ignoring all the onlookers, including that of a Green haired elf that he had collided into before. He had a goofy smile on his face, as the Twilight Manor appeared in the distance. Bell rushed through the gates as they opened upon his approach, despite the guards looking a bit shocked and concerned at the blood covering the boy. It seemed he was uninjured, so they didn't feel the need to raise any alarms over to the boys appearance. Bell ran through the home, rushing past Raul who was currently relaxing in the main lobby with a book. Raul blinked and watched as Bell ran through through the manor. Raul was vaguely aware that Bell was a new member so he didn't question Bell, but there were several question marks floating above the head of the leader of the second string of Adventurers.
Bell rushed through the Manor and entered one of the bathhouses, immediately stripped down and rinsing down in the shower, scrubbing away the blood with vigor. He was in a rush to talk to Eina, so he wasn't focused on enjoying the hot water over his body. He merely wanted to clean himself as quickly as possible and get back to the guild. As such, he was done in record time, rushing back to his room where he began stumbling around trying to get a fresh change of clothes on. Falling over multiple times in his excitement, the boy never once lost that giddy smile. His thoughts never once left the beautiful Amazon nor her strength. He was smitten. 'Oh I hope she doesn't have a partner… Oh I hope she is single!' He thought as he put a shirt on, before darting out of his room, narrowly dodging Loki who was walking past his room.
"Ah! What the hell! Watch were you are going!" Loki scolded. "I nearly spilled my wine!" She huffed as she saw Bell dart away from her without even stopping.
"Sorry Goddess! I'm in a hurry! See you tonight!" He said, waving back at her. He left the manor and a confused Loki, who was surprised to see that Bell didn't smother her with his exuberance for once.
'Wonder what's going on with that… Hmmm. As long as hes happy.' Loki thought, before grinning at the bottle of wine. 'Now then… Come to me my beautiful bottle. We're going to make out now… Mmmm.' She thought lewdly.
Bell ran through the streets, dodging and weaving past people as he didn't once stop. Once again, he darted past the green haired elf who had yet to be able to stop the white haired lad. She stared at his back, curious to what has Bell so excited that he couldn't walk. Bell finally came into the main street, Babel straight ahead and just his luck, Eina was coming out of the guilds front door with paperwork in her hands.
"MISS EINA!"
"Huh?" Spoke the Half-elf advisor.
"MISS EINA!"
"Oh it's Bell, he seems excited." She said, smiling softly at the cute lad she was in charge of. Bell came to a sliding stop in front of her, immediately clasping her hands with his own. "Ah Bell!" She exclaimed, blushing at the contact.
"I need your help! I need to know all about this Amazon I met! Please!" He exclaimed, a big exuberant smile spread across his face. He was still very much like a child and Eina never wished for that to go away.
"Okay Bell but please can you let go… and come inside. You're making a scene." She blushed, looking around at the people around her that were staring at the scene. She heard many comments regarding this, including some that she wasn't entirely against if she was honest with herself.
Five minutes later, Bell and Eina were located in a private booth behind the registers, where Bell was nearly bouncing with excitement in his seat. Eina sighed and straightened her glasses.
"So, before we begin. Wanna tell me why I heard that you ran straight through the guild and across town, covered in blood?" She asked, crossing her arms right after. She was displeased.
"Well…. You see. I may have went down to the fifth floor…. And… fought a minotaur…?"
"Bell! That was insanely reckless. Not even mentioning the minotaur, going into the dungeon alone is reckless but the fifth floor is just insane! You are extremely lucky that one of the Hiryute sisters and Ais Wallenstein was there to save you. Do you not understand just how lucky you are? You JUST became an adventurer not even a week ago and here you are gallivanting down further than recommended." Eina scolded, very worried about the boys safety. She didn't understand why she cared so much about Bell, considering she had plenty of other clients that she sees, but taking such a care in his life was not something she had expected.
"I know… I'm sorry… I just… I'm sorry." Bell said, immediately pacified as if scolded by his mother. His head was hung low, ashamed of himself. He didn't think about anyone else's feelings on the matter. He just wanted to go on an adventure! Eina sighed before gently flicking his forehead.
"I'm happy that you are safe… just… be more careful. I don't want to hear that you were hurt again… Oh and try not to run through the guild covered in blood. It can be difficult to get out of the floor." Eina scolded lightly, playing with white-haired boy. Bell looked up with a big smile.
"Right!" He said before he began to fidget in his seat. "So um… the Amazon was… Hiryute?" Bell asked, blushing slightly.
"Hiryute… Well the one that saved you is Tiona Hiryute. She is the twin of Tione Hiryute. You asking about one of the women who had to swoop in and rescue you?" Eina asked, getting a flirtatious and teasing smile on her face as she saw Bell fidget and blush. 'He's infatuated. Aaaah our first crush.'
"No… well…. Maybe…. Yea?" Bell asked, stammering a bit, blushing even more from how Eina was talking to him.
"Awww so you've fallen for her huh?"
"M-Maybe."
"Tiona… Well she's a part of your Familia for one. She's level 5 and is known as Crusher."
"She's a part of my Familia?" Bell squeaked, his blush growing bigger and bigger. Eina grinned even more now.
"Indeed she is. How lucky can you be hmm? Such a beautiful woman sleeping in the same place where you would be~" She teased, seeing Bell's blush just intensify from that.
"W-w-well… I-I-I… I-I-It's not like that! I swear! But I…. I would like to know some of the personal stuff…? Like… do you know… what her favorite food might be… or if she has… um…."
"Awww… you asking if she has a partner aren't you?" Eina asked, highly amused. 'He is too precious! So cute!'
"Y-Yea…? Yea! Does she?!" He practically begged, his eyes wide in hope.
"Mmmm no, I haven't heard anything if she does. I don't think dating is on the mind of adventurers all that much to be honest, especially those in the higher Familia's."
"Oh thank the Goddess…" Bell sighed, relaxing. He had a chance!
"I want to say that you have no chance… but maybe. I think you might be able to." Eina said with a slight laugh. "If you work really hard and get stronger… I think you'll be able to impress her. Just be safe and come back… cause a Dead Bell can't get the Amazon~" She teased, giving him a warm smile.
"RIGHT!" He cheered, standing up with Eina who began to escort him out of the guild, since their walk was pretty much done. Walking with him out, Eina could only smile. 'He's going to be a handful…' She thought, as Bell turned to her with a big smile. "Thank you so much Eina! I love you!" Bell said as he ran out of the door, heading off towards the Manor. A few adventurers and guild workers began to tease the poor half-elf, who was blushing with her right hand on her right cheek. She was unable to stop the blush.
'Oh Bell… you have no idea what you say sometimes...'
The hour was getting late as the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow across the horizon. He began slowing down as the streets were a bit more packed, due to most of the adventurers who were no longer in the dungeon, beginning to roam around in search of some pleasure of the night. Booze, women, gambling, or food. These were the evening activities for these adventurers. Bell didn't really have any inclination to stop and enjoy any of these activities, as he was really excited to go find his Goddess. They had a lot to talk about, like Tiona and what she liked, but that wasn't meant to be just yet. He ended up getting stopped when a green haired elf stepped into his path, just to make sure he didn't run past again.
"It's you again. I do hope you are alright." Spoke the elf, who he had crashed into before. Bell blushed once again upon seeing the beautiful elf.
"Oh yes. I am alright. I am so sorry for crashing into you earlier! I wasn't paying attention! I hope you forgive me."
"There is no harm. You did not hurt me." She said. Her voice was regal, smooth, calming.
"Even so…." He trailed off before shaking his head. "I'm Bell Cranel. Would I be able to know your name?"
"You can call me Ryuu, a pleasure Mister Cranel."
"Ah… Ryuu. Well again, I am sorry! I must be off now!"
"Hold on Mister Cranel. When you and I first met, you ended up dropping something. Its your pouch." Ryuu said, pulling out Bell's old crystal pouch. Bell's eyes went wide and he smiled before he began to cry, tears falling down his cheeks. He rushed over and immediately grabbed onto Ryuu's hand that was holding his pouch with both of his, a great big smile on his face. Of course, he had no idea that he was -not- supposed to be touching an elf.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you! Oh you didn't have to do this! Oh thank you so much Miss Ryuu! Please! Let me repay you!" He said, all within the span of about five to ten seconds. Ryuu was blushing, looking a bit bashful.
"Ah it's… you're making a scene. It's nothing… You're getting too excited." She said, almost shyly. Bell shook his head and smiled.
"It's not nothing! Anyone could have taken this and sold it! I'm sure you could have gotten a good payout just from finding this! This means a lot more than you think!" Bell stated as he held onto her hands still. He released her hands after a few seconds. "Ah… I know! I'll uh… I'll buy you something to eat at the place you work?" He asked, looking at her hopeful. He was really trying to pay her back. Ryuu stared at the boy before nodding slightly.
"Alright… We're about to have a big party come in anyway so I should be heading back. Follow me, Mister Cranel." Ryuu said, turning on her heels before heading back into the inn that she just came from.
The Benevolent Mistress
Staring up at the sign for a moment, Bell stumbled before following Ryuu once again, looking around at the packed bar.
"Ah, Ryuu, was wondering where you went." Spoke a gruff yet feminine voice. "We need you to get ready. Syr needs help prepping for the large reservation."
"Yes Mia." Ryuu said before turning to Bell. "Go take a seat at the bar. Mia will take good care of you." She said, bowing her head to Bell before leaving to go in the back to help Syr prepare. Bell nodded and took a seat in the far corner of the counter. Mia glanced at the boy as she was washing a mug with water and a rag, before humming.
"So, you and Ryuu hmm? You must be the boy that ran into her is that right?"
"Y-Yes." Bell said, a bit intimidated by the hulking woman.
"You are here to make for her troubles right?" She asked, raising a brow.
"Y-Yes! I promised I'd buy her something to eat or something!"
"Oh? Well, make sure you buy her a very big one then. Ryuu eats quite a lot." Mia said, though she didn't mean it. She was going to make this boy pay up for Ryuu's sake, especially considering Mia did in fact, see Ryuu outside being touched by this boy. 'Odd that she didn't respond with force though. Usually everyone by now knows not to touch her.' Mia thought before sighing. "Well, what will it be boy?"
"Yes! Uh! Order whatever she wants to eat and I'll pay it! Please! I'm sorry!" Bell said, bowing his head multiple times to Mia who merely smirked and went to prep the order. It was then the doors busted open. A familiar and lovely voice was heard.
"We have arrived! Yaaa! We are going to get drunk, feast, and get drunk some more!" Loki yelled out in pride. The tavern cheered almost unanimously in agreement to that. It was always a party with the Loki Familia! Bell looked excited! His goddess was here and so was Tiona! He was about to get up from the table to come join his Goddess, wanting to at least say hello but then a voice spoke up. It was one of the three men that had come along with the group. It was a werewolf!
"Eyy Ais! Tiona! It's about time you told everyone about what happened earlier today! It's fucking hilarious!" He laughed, obviously a bit drunk due to the flush on his face.
"What story is that?" Ais asked, tilting her head. It was kinda cute. Tiona on the other hand, felt sour. She already knew what story Bete was trying to get out.
"You know the one! All those damn Minotaurs!" He laughed. "You know? Tomato Boy!" He grinned. Bell felt his stomach tighten as nausea began to build up. He felt absolutely ill as the story of his blunder began to come out. "You had to go down to the fifth floor to finish them all off right? Haha! That's when you came across Tomato boy right?! That weak little shit who nearly got turned into a pancake?!"
'Of course… he's talking about me. He has no idea I'm here or in his Familia… I'm so weak…'
"But fine, I'll tell it. I heard it earlier! Okay so check this. There's this little pussy running around right? Running and screaming his head off like the weakling he is. So this big ugly fucker is there, chasing this weakling. Just as he's about to get smooshed, Tiona and Ais just swoops in and cuts the Minotaur. The wuss gets absolutely COVERED in blood and starts looking like a big stupid tomato! Oh it was hilarious but that's not even the best part!"
Tiona's sister and the blonde elf with them were listening intensely. Surprisingly, Loki was not really enjoying the story. Ever since she had taken in Bell, she felt differently about 'weaklings' as Bete puts it. No one has yet to notice Bell was in the bar, listening the entire time.
"When these two swoop in and save his ass, you know what he does to thank them?! He runs away! AHAHAHAH! What a complete and utter pathetic jackass!"
Ais frowned. "I don't think he can be blamed for all of that."
"That'll be enough out of you Bete." Spoke another voice. It was also female. It was the mature Green haired elf of the Loki Familia. "It isn't his fault. It was our mistakes that allowed the Minotaurs to escape the 17th floor. It wasn't the kids fault. Stop it."
"What?! You know damn well that the idiot bit off more than he could chew by trying to be a hero! I even heard he charged AT the Minotaur Riveria! He's a weakling and a loser! You can ask Ais and Tiona! Ais! Tell her the truth! Who;'s the better looking Hero huh?! Me or that Tomato squirt?!"
'I'm so weak. I don't deserve Tiona… He's right. I'm a weakling and I'm pathetic…' Bell thought, tears beginning to spill freely down his cheeks, his shoulders shuddering as he continued to listen like some masochist.
It was then a blonde haired Prum spoke up, trying to defuse the situation. "Bete, I think you might be drunk. You should calm down before you say something you'll regret." He replied, trying to calm his compatriot. Bete, of course, ignored him.
"Come on Ais! I asked you a question! Shit! You too Tiona! What would you do if that pipsqueak of an adventurer walked right up to you and said he had the hots for ya huh?! I'm sure you would tell him to get lost right?! Cause he isn't worthy of ya and never would be! He needs to stay in his lane am I right?! You saw him! Crying all over the place, snot dribbling! You wouldn't waste your time with him right?! That puny pathetic brat doesn't even deserve to be near you, let alone try to even get with ya! What an embarrassment!"
'That's right. I'm an embarrassment. An embarrassment for my Goddess… She won't even say anything… She knows its true'.
"Could you imagine a pussy ass sniveling infant like him as your partners? No no. I don't see it for The Ais Wallenstein or the Crusher herself. No! You need someone on your level! Someone like me!"
It was in that moment, Bell made a run for it. Head down, tears flowing, his stool clattering loudly to the ground, the White haired lad ran for it, running past the Loki Familia who watched as he ran off. "Bell?!" Loki exclaimed, getting up suddenly from the bar. Tiona immediately stood up, eyes wide as she saw who ran out. It was the boy Bete was berating! Tione sighed.
"Looks like another Dine and Dash. Mia won't be happy." The elder sister said, before watching as Tiona dashed out of the Inn to try and give chase only to pause. The boy was gone. Ryuu was also there, staring at the direction that Bell had ran off to. Unfortunately, he was gone so they returned to the bar where Loki was frowning. Her eyes were open for once, filled with concern. Riveria, the green haired elf, turned to Loki.
"You said something… was that his name? Do you know that kid?" The elder Elf asked. It wasn't common to see Loki so worked up over something.
"Hmm? Oh… yea. I didn't get to tell you… but I ended up recruiting someone and giving them my blessing while you guys were in the dungeon… The one who ran out and apparently the one that Bete was insulting? That was him… Bell Cranel."
Read. Review. Moo.