Laurier POV
"Ms. Laurier I'm going to take a bath do you want to come with me," Lefyia asked. I looked up at the girl and smiled at her.
"Sure Lefyia let me grab a change of clothes" I responded. I fished through my bag grabbing a change of clothes. I then exited the tent and began walking with Lefyia to a stream on the 18th floor.
"You did pretty well on the expedition Lefyia," I said. She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I didn't do all that well," she said squirming. "Not what I saw. You took out a whole army of mammoth fools on the 21st floor" I replied.
"But I couldn't have done it without everyone's help" she replied. I laughed. "Always the humble one," I said. We then reached the stream and began to disrobe. However, I noticed something was bothering Lefyia.
"Lefyia is something the matter," I asked. She jumped as if she was in her own little world. She then looked at me and spoke. "It's just. This Bell character I don't like him" she said. I quirked an eyebrow at this.
"What do you mean you don't like him," I asked. She paused for a minute as she collected her thoughts. "It's just. He comes into the city and levels up in two weeks. Not even the sword princess could do that. Then he comes into our house during the war of the pleasure district bleeding all over the place and gives us some half-assed excuse and lady Astraea doesn't do anything. Then he comes back with a matter of justice but when we tell him it'll take time he goes off on his own and wipes the familia out. And don't even get me started on what he did to their captain. But then again lady Astraea doesn't do anything against him" I cut her off before she spoke some more.
"But he and his familia had it coming for what they did to the poor girl," I said. "I'm not disagreeing with you there but there's a process to this" she responded. "Lefyia we both know the process doesn't work sometimes" I replied. "But that doesn't mean one should take the law into their own hands," she said as we stepped into the stream.
"But isn't that what we do? Just because Bell doesn't belong to a familia of justice doesn't mean he didn't enact it" I said. She paused for a moment and seemed to think about what I said. "Yes but there are other ways to enact justice than what he did," she said. "You are correct he did take it too far but in the end, he enacted justice for that girl and made a promise to protect her from any further harm," I said running the water through my hair.
"Bell's actions may seem Barbaric and brutal. Because we'll let's face it they are. But he does it with a heavy heart and a quest to save someone. If that's not a paragon of justice then I don't know what is" I said.
She stood there in silence for a moment as she washed her orange hair. "I enjoy our debates, ms Laurier," she said a smile on her face. "So do I. It's always nice to debate with someone who doesn't shout at you to try and get their point across" I said.
Snap
We both turned around quickly and covered our chests. "Who's there" I demanded. No response came and I was about to speak again when the very topic of our conversation walked right in front of us. He was pale. Very pale. It seemed he didn't hear us and he stumbled forward another step before collapsing on the ground. I quickly got out of the stream to go and check on him.
"Bell! Bell!" I yelled trying to shake him awake. His eyes didn't open and it was then I realized the gaping wound on his side. "Lefyia I need your magic over here" I called out. Shaking herself out of her shock you ran up to us while chanting Noah heal.
I saw the wound on his side close and he stopped bleeding. However, he was still very pale and his breathing was very shallow. "We need to get him back to camp and quickly. Grab some towels and let's go" I ordered. Lefyia nodded in agreement before wrapping a towel around herself and handing one to me. I quickly wrapped it around me and we picked up Bell and started running.
Alise POV
It had taken nearly an hour but we were escorting the wounded and exhausted members of Bell's party. But what bothered me the most was that Bell wasn't among them. I couldn't ask any of the party as they had all passed out their exhaustion finally catching up with them except for one. I then looked at the purple dog who was heading back to the entrance to the 18th floor. "Regis" I called out as I ran up to the dog. He stopped and looked at me.
"Where's Bell?" I asked as I caught up. "Dumbass got tackled down a cavern by a Minotaur I'm going to look for him," he said. I felt a flash of anger pass through me. "And you didn't immediately go after him he's your bond for Christ's sake" I growled. He stopped and then fully turned around to look at me.
"Watch your tone girl" he growled. The change in his tone caught me off guard as well as startled me. "I have known that boy since he was born hell I was there for it. It took every fiber of my being to not go after him the second I saw the railing breakaway. But I didn't because he made me promise to make sure his friends were safe before I went after him. So don't question my loyalty to my best friend because I will knock you on your ass right here and right now girl" he spat his tone full of anger and malice.
I took a step back feeling the pressure he was releasing in his anger. The pressure then disappeared. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to go find a dumbass and bring him back. Bells still alive so you're free to come with" he said as he walked away. I stood there for a second in shock. Just what exactly was Regis to release a pressure like that? I'm a level six and even I had to take a step back to try and get away from it.
Shaking myself out of my stupor I ran to catch up to the dog and walked next to him. We walked in silence heading to the entrance. When we reached the entrance however something was wrong. The entrance was cut off by rocks and there was a trail of blood on the grass and down the cliff.
"Well good news is Bell's close by," Regis said as he sniffed the blood. "Wait that's Bells" I nervously asked. "Yup kid got impaled by a Minotaur horn on the 16th floor. Although he cauterized it immediately after. Looks like the wound opened back up when he fell" Regis said looking down the cliff. "And he didn't have a nice fall either. That's a good 300-foot drop" he said. "He also hit the trees on the way down" I pointed out.
"Eh looks like the kids gonna have a rough awaking," Regis said turning around and walking back to camp. "Aren't you gonna jump down after him?" I asked. "Don't need to he's already been found" Regis said. Before I could respond Ryu came running up.
"Alise we found Bell. He's in pretty bad shape but Celty said he'll live" Ryu said. I began running back with her. "How bad is he?" I asked. "She said he had two broken ribs as well as some damage to his spine. He also lost three liters of blood. If Laurier and Lefyia didn't find them when they did he would've bled out" Ryu explained.
"Wait weren't those two taking a bath? I saw them walk off toward the stream" I asked. I saw the tips of Ryu's ears turn red before she spoke. "That's where he collapsed from blood loss. If it weren't for that Lefyia might have attacked him for peeping" Ryu responded. "Yeah, that sounds like her" I muttered.
When we arrived back at camp we and to the medical tent and went inside. On the makeshift bed which was more like a table than anything was Bell. He was passed out and pale. Very pale. Celty was off to the side of him checking his vitals.
Celty was an elf was short green hair. Her hair was so short that she could've been mistaken for a boy if not for her chest. She wore wide round glasses that looked like one from a book about a boy who lived or something like that.
"How is he Celty" Ryu asked. She took her hand off his wrist and faced us. "If he had gotten here an hour later he would've been dead. It's a good thing those two found him when they did. With a simple blood transfusion, he should be back up in no time. The thing is I don't know his blood type" she explained.
"What about the damage to the rest of his body," I asked. "Oh don't worry about that I already fixed all of that. Once he gets the blood transfusion he'll be good as new" she excitedly said. "Now if only I knew his blood type" she muttered.
"It's A," Regis said stepping into the tent. I felt my heart drop. "None of us are A," I said. I heard Regis let out a sigh. "Well let's go find someone that is. I'm pretty sure one of Bell's party members could be a match. A shouldn't be that uncommon" he said before walking off to the tent we set aside for the injured party.
Regis POV
None of them are A you gotta be kidding me. Uh whatever guess that just means I'll have to find some blood by any means possible. I used my head to push aside the flap of the tent and walked in. Of course, they're still passed out.
"Well fuck what can I do now" I muttered. "You could wait," Ryu said as she opened the flap. "Celty said Bell would be alright he just needed the transfusion to wake up sooner," she said sitting in front of me. "And I assume you want to talk to me since you sat down?" I asked. She nodded her head in agreement. "It's about Bell I want to try and know him better," she said.
"Uh alright why do you want to know him better," I asked. "Because part of him reminds me of myself. A part of myself I'm ashamed of and I don't want him to do something that he'll regret" she said. So she did something she regrets and by the sound of it, it's something bad.
"Alright, but I'll only tell you what everyone else knows. Bell has his secrets and they're not mine to tell so you'll have to ask him about that" I stated. She nodded her head in agreement as I began the story.
"Life hasn't been kind to Bell. Ever since he was born he was put through hardships. A father dead before birth. A mother that died during childbirth which he blames himself for. A grandpa who raised him but eventually died of old age and an aunt who raised him for a year after his grandpa died. Then she caught a sickness and died in her sleep leaving Bell all alone. Hell, I'm practically his only family left. So if the boy wants to come to Orario we go to Orario. If the boy wants to go to Athens we go to Athens. Hell even if the boy wanted to go to Telskyura for whatever reason we'd go to Telskyura" I paused. "Even if that boy asks me to not go after him when he needs help because he wants his friends. The people who he's grown close with over the past month to make it to safety. Then I'll get his friends to safety and then go after the boy. So to answer your question about what type of person Bell is. He's the person who'll put himself through hell and back for the sake of his friends and I mean that literally. As long as Bell can still walk and breathe he'll fight for what's important to him" I stated finishing my rant.
Ryu sat there for a moment her eyes wide in surprise. "To go through all of that and at such a young age. How can he still smile? How can he still keep going forward?" She asked. "Because he wants to be a hero. Despite all he's gone through he's still a child. Is he sad he didn't get to grow up like other kids yes. But he doesn't let his past hold him back from being who he wants to be"
She sat in silence for a moment just staring at me before once again she spoke. "It seems I was wrong about Bell. He seems a good person with a good heart. Not a lot of those around these days" she said.
"What did you expect him to be this monster of a person that just goes around hurting people" I joked. "No. But I did expect him to have some evil qualities. But it seems I was wrong. It seems he cares deeply for those around him whether he knows them or not. Case in point with his situation right now. And while I'm relieved that he's not a bad person I have another form of worry" she stated. "Oh, and what's that?" I asked. "How far is he willing to go to keep people safe? I mean he pulled a sacrifice play on your way down here" she asked.
Does Bell have a sort of secret skill that makes women care about him after barely knowing him? Does he have some form of charm? It would be pretty funny if he did.
"Look I've known the kid a pretty long time. If he refuses to die he won't die. But he will go the extra mile to make sure people are safe. Remember the dumbass wants to be a hero after all" I said. I then saw a smile spread across her face. "Thank you for answering my questions" I hear a series of groans behind me "but it looks like your friends are waking up" she pointed out. I turned and saw everyone waking up grasping their heads and groaning. "I'll leave you to it," she said walking out of the tent before anyone realized she was there. Once everyone was awake I made them it in front of me. Before I could even speak Aisha did.
"Where's Bell?" She worriedly asked. I sighed as everyone else started to chime in and ask where Bell was. "If you all will shut up I'll tell!" I yelled. Everyone was quiet after that finally allowing me to speak. I then sighed before speaking.
"Bell is on the 18th floor" I heard everyone gasp and murmur amongst themselves. "Yes I know Bell made it down here by himself he's impressive whoopty fucking do" everyone stopped talking. "However he wasn't in good shape when he arrived. Two of his ribs were broken and there was damage to his spine. He also lost three liters of blood before passing out. Lucky for him he passes out in front of two Astraea familia elves who brought him back here" I said.
"How is he," Welf asked. "He's fine the Astraea familia healer patched him up pretty good but there's a problem" I began. "Lili's guessing master Bell lost too much blood and needs a transfusion," Lili said.
"Hit the nail on the head Lili. Bell needs a blood transfusion or else he ain't waking up anytime soon. So any of you A" I asked. A series of heads shaking no met my vision and just before I was about to curse Haruhime timidly raised her hand.
"I-I am" she stuttered nervously. "Good that's very good. But we need to be careful with how we do this as if you give him too much you'll pass out" I said.
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Bell POV
My eyes felt heavy but I felt like I was on a very soft pillow. I couldn't open my eyes but I could feel and hear everything around me. Was someone humming? I tried again to open my eyes but couldn't.
I then felt someone move my hair almost like they were petting me. What the hell is going on? Where am I? I again tried to open my eyes but again nothing worked. The humming continued as well as the petting. Or no not petting someone's playing with my hair.
Am I even still alive? I mean I have to be right. Cause if I'm dead that would suck. But if I was dead why would my body feel heavy?
So not dead that's good. Now let's try and see if my eyes will open. I tried once again and was met with the same result. Goddamnit, why won't they open.
Alright, I need to calm down getting angry won't solve anything. Let's start slow and see if I can move at all. I tried to move my head to the side but it wouldn't budge. Alright, that didn't work I'll need to start smaller. I then tried to move my hand. Which again didn't work. Alright even smaller I guess.
I then tried to move my fingers and I could barely move them. Alright making progress now let's see if I can wake the rest of my body up. After I don't know how long of struggling I was finally able to open my eyes. When I did I saw the familiar tan skin of Aisha and her face looking down at me.
"Not the worst thing to wake up to" I weakly said. I saw her smile at me. "I'm glad you're awake Bell," she said. "Where are we?" I asked.
"Where in the Astraea familia's camp on the 18th floor. You made it" she said. I then let out a laugh. "Told you I could take care of myself" I groaned. I then saw a mischievous smile spread across her face. "If you can take care of yourself why are you in a medical bed getting a blood transfusion," she said.
Blood transfusion? I looked over to my left and saw Haruhime sitting in a chair with a tube connecting both our arms. "How. How much have you given me" I asked. "About 3 liters master Bell. The same amount you lost" she said. "No. Stop or else you'll pass out too" I said trying to yank the needle out of my arm.
Aisha grabbed my hand and gently set it back by my side. "It's alright Bell she hasn't done it all at once she waited a few hours in between," Aisha said.
"How. How long have I been out" I asked still feeling weak. "About six hours. You got lucky if you didn't collapse where two of their elves were bathing you would've bled out within the hour" she said.
"I'm sorry I collapsed where?" I asked. "Where a couple of Astraea's elves were bathing. Oh were you trying to get a peek before you passed out" Aisha playfully said. "I have to apologize" I muttered. "For what it's not like you intentionally did it" Aisha responded.
"Because it's the right thing to do. Elves are very stingy about who sees what" I explained. I then turned and faced Haruhime. "How are you feeling Haruhime? Feel weak or dizzy" I asked. She shook her head. "No master Bell I feel fine. So please don't worry about me" she said.
"I'll always worry about you Haruhime" I responded. I saw her face turn scarlet as she looked away. "Wow ever the charmer aren't you," Aisha said. I rolled my eyes before closing them again.
"Man this pillow is really comfortable," I said laying into it more.
"Bell" Aisha said.
"Yeah"
"That's my lap" I paused for a moment before I spoke.
"My point stands" I muttered.
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After another hour of rest, I was able to stand up. I was back to full efficiency but I could walk and that's all that mattered.
"You sure you don't need help walking? I don't mind helping you" Aisha said as she and Haruhime helped me out of the bed.
"Nah I'll be fine. See good as new" I said as I stood without help. The two looked at me as if they expected me to fall. Yet when I didn't they shrugged their shoulders and walked out of the tent. When the tent flap opened what I saw shocked me. Sure Alfia had told me stories of the 18th floor. That it was a paradise in the dungeon. But I didn't actually believe the dungeon could have something like this. A vast expanse of green was in front of me. With hundreds if not thousands of trees spanning across the entire floor.
"Careful you'll catch flies," Aisha said putting her hand under my chin and closed my mouth. I shook myself out of my stupor. "I've heard the stories. I just never thought the dungeon could make something like this!" I exclaimed. Aisha giggled. "Yeah, Haruhime reacted the same way you did when she first got down here. So did I" Aisha explained. She then nudged my shoulder. "Come on we're about to eat dinner," Aisha said.
The floor all of a sudden turned dark causing me to reach for my knife. Which wasn't there. "Careful it's just the dungeon telling us it's night," Aisha said putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Where's my knife? My bow? My sword?" I asked. "In the tent, we're all sharing master Bell. They wanted to make you comfortable as possible so they took off your armor and put it with your weapons" Haruhime said.
I then closed my fist and saw that my hidden blade was still. Well hidden. "You said dinner was this way," I asked pointing in the direction. Haruhime nodded and the three of us went in the direction of food.
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"Hey Bell you're awake," Welf said as he threw his arm around me. Everyone turned their attention towards me as Alise spoke. "Well, Prince Charming about time you woke up" she playfully said. I groaned in annoyance before looking at Regis. "You see what you've done. Now that name has spread" I grumbled.
"I know and it's really funny" I glared at him. "For me anyways" he added. I rolled my eyes as I sat next to him with Welf sitting on my other side. Alise then walked up and handed me a bowl full of stew.
"Hmm smells good," I said. "Just wait til you eat it," she said. She then went and stood in the middle of the circle that surrounded the pot.
"Alright everyone listen up!" She yelled gathering everyone's attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
Alright, I'm gonna stop this here as, to be honest, I'm hitting a blank on what to write and I don't want to keep you waiting for a while. I also don't want this chapter to drag so I'll make a part two to this soon. Sorry again for leaving it off here but I really have no clue what to write and there's a few more things that need to happen on floor 18. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as we got different POVS from characters that haven't really been shown much.