Bell laid in the snow. His fall was mostly broken by the snow, yet he had a concussion, and his side was bleeding. He looked up at the cliff, his vision blurred. Yet he couldn't see the top. The snowstorm still raged heavily on floor 59. Bell would soon freeze to death if blood loss didn't get him first.

Bell's mind was fuzzy as he was having trouble remembering what happened. A sharp pain shot through his side. Somebody had plunged a dagger into a gap in his armor. Bell could see Longclaw lying at his side. Blackfyre was on his left.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a figure approaching him. He recognized the mop of fiery red hair anywhere. He attempted to reach for Longclaw, yet his head felt light and his body heavy and weak.

He couldn't reach his sword, and Revis crouched down next to him. She examined his wounds and reached into her pouch.

She pulled out a healing potion and poured it on Bell's stab wound. His vision was still blurry from the fall, and he once again tried to reach for his sword.

He felt tired. So very tired and cold. Revis softly grabbed his hand and set it down. She grabbed Longclaw and Blackfrye, setting them in her bag as she examined Bell's eyes.

Bell felt his consciousness slipping as he heard Revis speak.

"Don't worry, Bell. You'll be safe with me." Revis cooed. Her voice was soft and sweet. Almost sounding like an entirely different person. Bell didn't have time to question her change in behavior as darkness overtook him.

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Past

Bell and Alfia were camped out in the woods. Their tent was set up, and a horse was hitched to a tree. They were roasting a boar over the fire that Alfia had hunted.

Bell was busy with some twine and flowers, and Alfia wondered what he was doing with them. The two had already descended the mountain and were three weeks away from Orario.

The sun was setting, casting a yellow and orange hue in the sky. The last rays of the sun shone through the tree line. Alfia finished cooking the boar and handed a plate of its meat to Bell.

"Here, eat up. After dinner, we'll get some sleep." Alfia said.

"Hang on a second. I'm almost done." Bell said. Alfia set the plate next to him and was curious as to what Bell was making.

"What are you making?" She asked, leaning closer.

"You'll see," Bell answered.

After another minute, Bell smiled as he had finished. He moved closer to Alifa and placed the flower crown on her head.

"There. Now you're a Princess of the forest." Bell joked.

The wind picked up, causing Alfia's hair to blow. She reached up and touched the flower crown. It was intricately woven with twine and multiple flowers. The most prominent of which being blue and yellow.

"Why did you make this?" Alfia asked, yet left the crown where it was.

"Well, I wanted to give you a gift. Something I was able to make. I can't carve figures with wood that well, and I'm not good at painting. So I made you that." Bell explained.

He picked up his plate and began eating while Alfia kept the crown on her head. She was touched. Bell did something like this. It made her feel special and loved.

Once dinner was finished, the two put the fire out and crawled into their tent. Since it was only meant for one person, the two had to cuddle together like the days of old.

Alfia enjoyed these times because it meant she could still imagine Bell as a child. But she'd have no choice but to see him as a man once she returned to Orario.

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Bell sat at his desk, holding another letter from his Grandpa. It was the day before the expedition, and Bell wanted to read what his Grandpa had written before he left.

He excitedly opened the letter and chuckled at his Grandpa's words.

Dear Bell

I've lost money because of you. Little shit. But besides that, you were able to charm an amazon, eh? Bet Alfia is just delighted by that. Sorry to take her from you for a little bit, but she'll be back soon.

But you also have to tell me about this Far Eastern beauty you wrote in your previous letter. Your words, not mine. I'm guessing by the time this has reached you, you've already saved her friend.

Proud of you for doing so. Now, on to more important matters. Uh, let's see, Zald and I have made another bet on when you'll sleep with the Amazon. It better be soon so I can get my money back.

Hera says don't let the Amazon corrupt you but let's be honest. I corrupted you a long time ago. But on another note, I'm glad you're finally making some friends. Those three boys you've written about sound like they're a good influence on you.

Eh, but enough of an old man's rambling. I await your next letter with excitement, knowing if you finally become a man or not.

With love

Grandpa

Bell smiled at the letter before putting it in his desk with the other one. He grabbed a fresh piece of paper and a pen to write back.

Dear Grandpa

Yeah, Alfia was purely delighted about me charming Bache. Guess your ways of getting the ladies are different than mine. Haven't had sex yet, but I will soon.

In other news, I've already saved Mikoto's friend. She's a renard, believe it or not, and a really pretty one at that. I can't say the reason Ishtar had her as this letter could get intercepted by those less than favorable people that wish to cause chaos in this world.

Oh, I also went to a ball hosted by Freya as well. Hated dressing up, but the food was good, and so were the drinks. Something odd happened, though, when Freya greeted me.

I wasn't affected by her charm, and she asked me to dance. Which is weird as everyone else was. Any idea as to why I wasn't? But after that, I stopped an intruder and got kicked into a fountain.

But as of right now, I'm about to go on my first expedition. It's tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to write back to you as quickly as I do.

But I'm really excited for it. I've yet to know how far down I'm going, but I'll get to explore the dungeon with my friends. Little nervous with Finn leading as he doesn't seem to like me for some reason.

Sooner or later, we'll, but heads, and I'll probably win. I mean, he's just a midget, after all. Did you know he has an Amazon after him, too, but doesn't do anything? Yet he has a bell to call her and do tasks for him.

Which is just absolutely deplorable, in my opinion. But other than that, I think I'll be fine. To my annoyance, Leon is joining us, but Delta and Beatrix are as well.

But enough rambling, I gotta finish this up so I can eat ready for tomorrow.

With love

Bell

P.S. I'm level five now.

With a smile, Bell finished his letter before sealing it in an envelope and giving it to Loki for her to send it.

Oh, if only he'd known what would've happened. His hopes wouldn't have been so high.

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Back on the 58th floor, the expedition still had their camp set up. The mages and healers were still doing their best to save as many people as they could.

The healer tried their best with Raul, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. He'd need to be taken back to the surface to receive better care. Aki hadn't left her side, and Alicia hadn't left hers.

Bell peeked his head inside the tent and walked in. Raul's left eye was bandaged up, and he lay unmoving on the cot.

"How's he doing?" Bell asked.

Aki sniffled as she held Raul's hand. "Still alive. But we'll need to get him back to the surface if he has any chance of getting better. How's Narvi?"

"She'll be fine. She'll need a prosthetic, but she's just resting right now. Cruz is with her, giving her some company."

"And Ais?" Alicia asked.

"Teetering between life and death. Whatever stabbed her had some poison laced with it. Couple with that fact she's lost lots of blood, it'll take a miracle to pull through." Bell answered.

The tent fell silent as everyone was processing what had happened. So many of them were killed in such a short amount of time.

Evilus had buried themselves in the snow and just waited for them to arrive. Who knows how long they waited like that?

"How's Tione taking Finn's death?" Alicia asked.

"Not well. She's been crying nonstop. Tiona's been with her ever since we came back up. Delta still hasn't returned either."

"How long has it been since we had to retreat?" Aki asked.

"Three hours. Lucky for us, the dungeon isn't spawning any of the Valgang dragons. So I guess we take our wins where we can."

Not getting a response from anyone, Bell looked at Raul one more time before turning around and walking to the exit.

"I'll leave you be. See if I can't be helpful somewhere else."

"Bell," Alicia called out.

He turned his head to face her.

"Thank you for the news, and take care of yourself."

He turned back around.

"No problem, and don't worry about me. Only wish I could've done more."

Bell left the tent, leaving his friends alone. He had other things to take care of. One important thing to take care of.

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Descending down the stairs to the 59th floor. Bell, Bache, and Beatrix made it back to the snowy hellscape known as the 59th floor.

Not much was said between the three as Bell continued his march forward. Beatrix and Bache followed silently behind him. His swords were already drawn, and he was cutting down ice worms that got in his way.

Ice worms were a blue worm-like creature whose skin looked like ice itself. It reminded Bell of the White Walkers, whose skin took on the same appearance.

Ice worms would burrow underground, waiting for their prey to signal where it was located by using echo location. For some reason or another, these worms didn't attack the expedition during the ambush and subsequent retreat.

Whether Evilus placed them here or not, Bell didn't know nor care at the moment. Beatrix and Bache looked worriedly at Bell as he effortlessly carved a path through the floor.

The weather still hadn't changed, and the wind whipped against their wool coats, and the snow being kicked up made it hard to see.

How would they ever find Delta in this? Much less her corpse.

The weather turned even worse, and now the trio could barely see two feet in front of them. They would have to rely on their senses as adventurers to know if something was coming.

"Bell! We need to head back! The weather's getting bad!" Beatrix yelled over the howling winds.

They had been searching for nearly four hours and had come up with nothing.

"You can! I'm gonna keep looking!"

Bell continued walking until Bache grabbed his shoulder.

"Darling, the storm is getting worse! We need to head back lest we freeze to death!"

"I'm not leaving without her!"

Before any more could be said, Bell felt something slam into him. Looking down, Delta was holding onto him, covered in her own blood.

She had multiple cuts around her body, with one of her arms broken as well.

"L-leave." She muttered before passing out.

Before anything else could be said, the Mountain appeared from behind Delta. His sword raised.

Bell quickly tossed Delta to Bache and got in front of Beatrix and the group.

The Mountain didn't swing his Greatsword. Instead, putting it down and stared at Bell.

"What's he doing?" Bache asked.

"He can't kill me. He doesn't wanna risk hitting me and sending me off the cliff. Start moving backward, and let me deal with anything that comes our way. Beatrix, kill any monsters in the process."

So the group began their long walk back, moving at a snail's pace. The Mountain and those weird soldiers from before tailing them along the way. Bell counted at least 24 of them.

Anytime one of them tried to get around Bell, he was already there to stop them. He was grateful for being fast.

Slowly but surely, the group made their way back to the entrance. The Mountain had yet to make an attack. Bell didn't know why but was extra cautious of him.

The storm began to slowly die down, with fresh snow littering the ground. The entrance was soon in sight, and it breathed a sign of hope into the group. It had been almost eight hours since the group left, and they were almost there.

"Alright, keep going. We're almost there." Bell calmly stated.

He kept his distance from the group so he could have room to fight and push back the weird soldiers that endlessly pursued them. He also told the group to have their hoods up to confuse the enemy on which one was him.

"Bell, we made it. Come on!" Beatrix yelled.

The trio was standing on the stairs, Bache still holding Delta while Beatrix was calling out to Bell.

The soldiers, now knowing who Bell was, kept their distance as he slowly made his way toward the exit. The cliff was very close to him on his left, the bottom not being seen.

However, right before he made it to the exit, the snow from under him broke and revealed two elves. One of them being a dark elf.

The light elf thrusted her dagger into Bell's side and twisted it.

"You never should have come here." She whispered before kicking Bell off the cliff.

"BELL!" Beatrix yelled, watching him go over the cliff.

"Idiot, we weren't supposed to kill him!" The dark elf yelled.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that was him? I was buried under the snow and couldn't tell which was which."

"You better hope he survived, or else the Silence will have our heads!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

Beatrix wanted to charge at the two elves and kill them. But Bache grabbed her arm to keep her in place.

"We need to go. Bell will survive and make his way back to us. But we need to get Delta some help now." Bache ordered.

Beatrix growled, and the two elves turned to them.

"Run along now, girls." The light elf said.

"Yeah, else our big buddy the Mountain will fuck you up."

Beatrix growled once again, but another tug from Bache made her follow the amazon up the stairs.

Once the two were gone, the elves looked over the cliff.

"You better hope he survived." The dark one growled.

"How was I supposed to know who was who? I couldn't see anything under the snow, just feel things. I couldn't hear anything either." The light elf shrugged.

"If he dies, we're all dead. Still can't believe your dumbass did that."

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Present

Bell awoke in a cave. His vision was still blurry, but he heard a fire crackling close to him. His head still hurt, and his body felt weak.

Once his vision cleared some more, he saw Revis tending to the fire next to him. He looked over to her bag seeing his swords poking out from them.

He went to reach for them, but Revis noticed he was awake and grabbed him. She gently pushed him back to where he was. His back was resting against the wall, with Revis crouching in front of him.

"Easy Bell. You're heads still messed up from the fall. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." She softly spoke. Her voice sounded like honey and was once again filled with care.

Was this really Revis?

"What are you doing?" Bell asked, his voice weak.

"Taking care of you silly."

"Why?"

"Well, for many reasons. If you die, your aunt will kill us all in a fit of rage. The second one is because I enjoy your company."

"But every time we've met, all we do is fight."

"Unfortunately, that's what has to happen. Now you need to not move. You hit your head pretty hard."

"And if I do?"

"Then your recovery will take longer. Don't worry. I don't intend to harm you if that's what you're worried about. If that were the case, I would've done it to you while you were out."

Bell was very confused about what was going on. Revis was helping him but wasn't acting like the Revis he knew at all.

What exactly was her game here?

After a few minutes of silence, Bell was finally able to gather his bearings. He looked around the cave now that Revis was back, tending to the fire.

It looked like a tiny little base of sorts. There was a wool blanket and a wool sleeping bag. With firewood gathered from different floors as nothing really grew down here.

Food that was preserved because of the cold and water to drink. Medical supplies were also located down here. There was also a weird-shaped orb hidden behind the firewood.

"What, is this place?" Bell asked.

Revis finished tending to the fire before answering. "A little hideout for me. Only I know about it, so we won't be disturbed."

Bell's eyes widened a bit. "You might wanna phrase that better."

Revis giggled before sitting next to Bell. "Why is your dirty mind running rampant with thoughts?"

Bell still had his guard up but chuckled. "Blame my Grandpa for that. Now, who exactly are you? You're not acting at all like the Revis, I know. If that even is your real name."

Revis sighed before turning to Bell. "My name is Revis. But I'm not exactly human. About five years ago, I died in this very dungeon. Wasn't on this floor, of course, but I died nonetheless. However, I was brought back to life by a sage and red priest known as Fels. He put an artificial monster stone in me and prayed to the Lord of Light to bring me back."

"So you died and were brought back to life? Why did Fels save you?" Bell asked.

"Don't worry too much about that. All you need to know is that the Lord of Light has a higher purpose for me right now."

Bell nodded, still a little disoriented and confused. He just chalked it up to Revis making a joke. But he was suspicious of why she was dressed as a priest.

"So what do you plan on doing with me? I've heard you can't kill me, but I doubt you'll let me go as well."

Revis sighed. "You're right. I can't let you go. Evilus would love to capture you so they could use you as a bargaining chip."

Bell lightly chuckled. "They gonna torture me? Cause they won't be able to break me."

"No, they probably just keep you as a prisoner. Maybe try and make you join."

Bell chuckled. "Yeah, that'll never happen. So you gonna be my warden?"

"Maybe. You are a big threat with swords, and with your teeth." Revis joked.

"Hey, I only bit you because you were kicking my ass. I fight dirty. Also, what were you doing at Freya's anyway?"

"Gathering intel."

"Right, very descriptive."

The two sat in silence for a minute before Bell spoke again.

"So when are you gonna take me to the big bad Evilus people?"

"Once this storm dies down. It might be a while. These storms are known to last for days."

Bell groaned. "Great, that means we'll be stuck with each other."

"Oh, you make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Revis, we've fought every time we've met each other before now. I still don't even know what you plan to do with me before you take me to your evil overlords."

Revis giggled before poking the fire. "Well, there is that. But look at it this way. There's one bed and two of us. I'm scantily clad under this robe, and you're a hormonal teenager. Must be a dream for you."

"Yay, I'm so happy I get to sleep with a woman who kidnapped me and is going to take me to her evil overlords that will keep me as a hostage, and I won't see my friends or family." Bell deadpanned.

"See, you get it, and don't worry, it won't be too bad. Who knows, maybe someone will break you out of there. Or perhaps you'll steal the keys to your cell and break out yourself." Revis winked.

"Well, what's stopping me from knocking you down, grabbing my swords, and hauling ass out of here?" Bell asked.

"You could do that. But you fell to floor 62. If it weren't for that fresh snowfall, you would've had a lot worse than a concussion."

Bell muttered a curse under his breath. He was trapped with Revis, and it looked like he'd be stuck with Evilus for the time being. Bell sighed and leaned his head back on the wall. He looked outside the cave and saw the storm had picked up once again.

He didn't know his way back, but he did allow himself a small smile. He had found Delta and was able to get her and everyone else to safety. He was praying for Raul to pull through and didn't care much for Ais.

"Don't worry everyone. I'll be back when I can." Bell thought.

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Beatrix and Bache dragged Delta up the stairs. Once making it back to camp, they screamed for a healer, grabbing almost everyone's attention.

Leon hurriedly exited his tent, seeing Delta being carried into camp. Once the healers grabbed her, Beatrix collapsed to the ground in grief. Bache stood there looking at the entrance, hoping for Bell to come back.

Leon quickly made his way to Beatrix, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Beatrix, what's wrong? Where's Bell?"

Leon knew the three had descended looking for Delta. But he couldn't send anyone after him as it was too dangerous. He had a severe lack of information and didn't want to send rescue party after rescue party.

He also needed to worry about the wounded, some of whom had already died. He now only had 89 active adventurers up and running. But most were filled with grief.

Leon was in a tricky situation, and he knew it.

"We went looking for Delta. But when we found her, the Mountain was after her along with those soldiers. Bell played defense on our way back here. But before he could reach us, an elf stabbed him and kicked him off the cliff." Beatrix wept.

"What?! No, there's no way! Are you saying Bell is dead?!" Leon yelled.

"We don't know." Bache quietly answered.

Leon growled in anger but quickly composed himself. He needed to remain calm and think clearly. He had two options right now.

Consider the expedition a failure and head back. Get the wounded better medical treatment and leave Bell to die. Or send another search party down and have the possibility of them getting lost as well.

"Where did he get stabbed? Did you see?" Leon asked.

"In his side. Then he went over the cliff." Bache answered as Beatrix cried.

Leon solemnly nodded as he ran over his options. Time seemed to stop as Leon felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned and saw a younger version of Bell staring at him. He was smiling while looking around the camp.

"You know what I'd tell you to do. Even if I don't listen to my own advice." The small child said.

Leon looked back over the camp and saw many injured and broken people whose morale had been sapped from them. They didn't have much will to fight.

With a heavy sigh and tears pricking the corner of his eyes, Leon stood up. He looked to the ceiling and spoke.

"This expedition is a failure. Tell everyone to get ready to move. We're heading back to the surface." Leon ordered.

Beatrix quickly shot up after hearing his words. She punched Leon in the face before jamming her finger into his chest.

"We're leaving?!! Bell is still down there, and you want to leave?!! You watched that boy grow up! You were there when he got Met! You were there when he won against Alfia! You've been there for his whole life, and you want to leave him?!!" Beatrix yelled.

Leon growled and smacked her hand away. "I don't want to leave him! But we need to leave! Look at everyone, Beatrix! They're broken, we're broken! I love that boy more than anything else, but he would want this! I hate it as much as you do, but his life is not worth more than everyone here!" Leon shot back.

Beatrix still glared at him, her fist clenched. Leon glared back, but a hand on Beatrix's shoulder calmed her down. When she whirled around to see who it was, she saw Ottar staring back at her.

"Leon, my familia, and I will remain here. We'll search for the boy while you take everyone else up." Ottar said.

"Ottar, your familia has the most injured. If you stay down here, you won't have much." Leon pointed out.

"Matters not. We shall remain here and search for the boy. Anyone else that would like to do the same is welcome to."

Leon bit his lip before sighing. "Fine, but I'm keeping Gareth. I'll need some heavy hitters on our ascent. Once we're back on the surface, I'll try and bring a force down to find him."

"Very well, take who you need. I and anyone else who wishes to remain shall stay here."

Leon nodded and made his way back to his tent. Once alone, he sat down in his chair, and he wept.

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Bell and Revis were still sitting in the cave with the snowstorm raging outside. The fire still crackled between them as they made conversation.

"Hey, Revis, what's that weird orb thing behind the firewood?" Bell asked.

Revis flinched a little before answering. "Nothing you need to worry about. How are you feeling?"

Bell noticed she dodged the question but didn't push it. "Head still hurts a little. But my stab wound is healed thanks to you. Although I do have a question?"

"What is it?"

"Why did that elf stab me? I thought I was off limits?"

Revis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I see you met one of the Dis sisters. Great, so they're the reason you ended up here."

"I'm guessing they don't like to follow orders very well?"

Revis shook her head. "No, they're just sadists who like to cause pain and misery, and they barely listen."

"Great, glad I ran into them. They gonna give me the five-star treatment when I get there?" Bell deadpanned.

Revis sighed as she looked back to Bell. "No, they won't. I can assure you that you won't be tortured. Just held captive."

Bell didn't say anything and looked out at the storm. "Doesn't look like it's letting up anytime soon."

"No, it doesn't. Well, I'm feeling tired, so it's time for bed."

Revis yawned as she stood up. She walked over to the wool sleeping bag and grabbed it. It was big enough to fit two people, and she grabbed the blanket for it as well.

She laid it next to the fire and spread the blanket across it. She then turned around and tilted her head at Bell.

"Come on now. Unlike you, I don't bite."

Bell rolled his eyes as he stood up. He walked over to the sleeping bag and crawled in with Revis following him.

Once the two were settled, she wrapped her arms around him and cuddled up to him. Bell had to admit to himself she did feel warm.

"Comfy?" Revis teased.

"If I say no, how would you react?"

"It would hurt my feelings. I mean, I'm pretty and blessed in all the right places. Plus, I'm clinging onto you in the cold. How can you say you're not comfy?" Revis fake pouted.

Revis then smirked. "Oh, maybe it's because my clothes are still on? Should I take them off? Is that what you want?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just shut up and go to sleep." Bell groaned.

Revis giggled before snuggling into Bell more. She did this for two reasons. One was so Bell couldn't escape. The other was for warmth as it was very cold on the 62nd floor. But the third reason was because she simply wanted to. She was still a woman, even if she was a sort of human hybrid.

As Bell shut his eyes and began to fall asleep, he apologized to everyone. He was sorry it would take him a while to come back to them. But if they forgave him, he'd promise to make it up to them.

However, there was one person he'd have to make it up to the most. Because he was truly sorry for what he was about to do to them. Even if they were the ones who told him to do it.

"All for the sake of peace? Right, Bell?"

Well, let's end this chapter off on that ominous note. Things are heating up as Bell has been captured by Evilus.

Will he be rescued or perhaps join them? Why is Revis acting so different than normal, and what's with that weird orb she has?

Who knows, but I'll see ya later.