Is It Wrong to Aspire to be an Arknight Picking Up Girls in a Dungeon?

by F-14 Tomcat Lover

In one world, Bell was a rookie who had never held a blade before. In this one, he has learned from a Knight who taught him well. Follow Bell as he strives to be a Knight worthy of his beloved blonde Pegasus. The one who beat Freya to Bell. And I don't mean Ais, but Margaret Nearl, the Radiant Knight of Kazimeirz! Danmachi x Arknights. To the Guest who said it, here you go.

Disklaimer: I do knot own the rights to the published property that I hereby use in the kreation of this story. The rights are owned by respective owners of the two franchises. This is a kombination Fan Fiktion story krossover of both Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon and Arknights. As such I am knot seeking monetary gain for the kreation of this story. This is merely to entertain.

But if I did own the rights, you kan bet I would make a krossover of these two!

Among others.

Now with the official disclaimer, pun and intentionally knock off spelling included, done, it is on with the story!

Is It Wrong to Aspire to be an Arknight While Picking Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Chapter One

Dayknight Dawn

XXXX

A terrible roar fills the underground passageway, echoing off the rock walls and down the lengths.

The sound of something wet, fleshy then resounded off the walls. That was immediately followed by the ring of metal. Of flesh meeting metal in a dynamic way.

The roars continue.

Blue eyes tracking them down the passages. Ears prickling at the sound of what is clearly a battle. Sun kissed golden blond hair trail as faint lines of green fill the air.

Ais Wallenstein dug her foot into the earthen ground before pushing off with enough force to kick up a torrent of reddish brown earth. Being so close to the surface, the Upper Floors of the infamous Dungeon of Orario had more iron composite in its earthen appearance.

The famous Sword Princess charges towards the sound of combat, though, uncaring of that little detail.

Matter of point, as she knew, the ground isn't true earth, but something close to it created by the Dungeon itself.

She knows from both her adoptive mother Riveria Ljos Alf, the famous/infamous Nine Hell, and her friend and almost surrogate sister Lefiya Verdis, the still budding Thousand Elf, that researchers had been studying the details of the materials of the Dungeon for some centuries now.

It's the only reason she knows anything really. Especially as Riveria could be a bit temperamental and Ais, as a child, had learned the hard way not to call Riveria certain names. The Princess of the Alf Realm High Elves proved that she literally would and very much did beat lessons into Ais' head.

Ais still has both a fear and inability to swim as a result.

In fact, she cannot even float on water.

But Ais is also aware of certain facets that most outside of scholarly pursuit wouldn't know.

She among five others as well. Her five surrogate sisters.

The first and closest being Lefiya of course. The younger Wishe Forest Elf being perhaps the one person Ais really needs to help her find her place in the world. A world, she is still trying to grasp even after 10 years.

After Lefiya are the two Twins. The literal Amazon sisters Tiona and Tione Hiryute. Ais honestly doesn't know which one is the eldest and which one is the youngest. Even the Twins contradict themselves on occasion.

The Twins were near identical, but not identical. Both had the same general physical characteristics that showed they were twins, but there were also major differences. For example, Tione did look to be older and she had a more mature womanly body and the beauty that went with it.

By contrast, while still beautiful in her own right, Tiona is a flat out tomboy with a barely developed pair of breasts, a stockier waist, and her shoulders have a bit more manly definition in contrast to her sister. She also has a more childish personality whereas her sister is more mature in most areas. Of course, Tione also had a short temper and could occasionally have a meanstreak pop up, which she did a considerable amount of mental exercises to keep locked away. Tione, ironically, is a very kind person by nature and while she has a temper, her meanstreak appears to be a result of her previous Amazonian training.

Which is probably why she's called the Jormungandr.

Ais and the others of their little sister group believe that Tiona also picked up her own issues, with her unusual and sometimes disturbing happy go lucky personality. But they also believe that Tiona uses it to intentionally bleed off some of the worst her sister keeps locked away, thereby giving Tione a pressure release to be better able to control her own issues.

Which likely only heightened that she is called Amazon, ironically enough.

It is terribly sad. Both are very good and kind sisters. They obviously also love one another, but it had been tainted during their training. As had both of them deep down.

Even the Goddess Freya says as much and Ais knows from her time escorting their own Goddess Loki to meet with the leader of their rival Familia that Goddess Freya can see souls far more clearly than Goddess Loki can.

And despite being the weaker of the two in that area, Loki can see the issues the two sisters have as clear as day.

Not that Lefiya is much better. The girl having what the Deities call 'Tsundere' issues. Though apparently the term is an actual one out of the Far East. Ais really isn't too sure about it, but what she knows is that despite being generally pleasant and caring, very kind and even affectionate to others, a rarity among Elves, Lefiya had a temper of her own and could be somewhat belittling and cold to others.

Mean being a good term to use at those times. As Lefiya is very far from callous and cruel. Let alone abusive.

Of the remaining two of their sisterhood, the last two are Human girls like herself. Mostly. Ais does maintain her own secrets after all.

The first being Elfy Collette, the Lomowarl. A magic user like Lefiya and Riveria specializing in Fire Magicks to be exact. Although studying under Riveria like Lefiya, Elfy has far less magic capabilities than Lefiya does and so doesn't get near as much training and attention. Not that the girl actually wants the extra training and considers what Riveria puts Lefiya through to be, simply put, insane and that it's even far more insane that Lefiya ca actuallyn keep up.

That aside, Elfy is the kind of girl who can get along with anyone. The blond knows that as well. Which is why she and Lefiya were roomed together. Both are simply people persons, despite Lefiya's own issues. Elfy is rather unusual in that she is rather laidback and is what the Deities call a 'Gal' as well, whatever that actually means.

Though, like them all, Elfy has her own issues. Which leads to her own darkness as well. Though, as Ais understands it, Elfy and Line, both have the least darkness out of all of them. At least in theory.

And finally, as she thought about her already, Line Arshe, the Lokolite.

Also a magic user, but one specializing in support and healing. Line also studies under Riveria as well and is also cared by her as well. Like all six of them who arrived at different times, but immediately fell in with one another under Riveria's care.

So much so, that Riveria would occasionally wake up with one or two of them in her bed, holding close to her when they were children. And Riveria always treats them as daughters. Helping them grow and shape into who they are now and what the Elfess can only hope is the beginning of something greater in the future.

And what made them so important right now, to Ais, is the fact if she doesn't catch up and stop the last, she hopes the last, rampaging Minotaur that they let get away from them way back on the Seventeenth Floor, they will each feel the responsibility and guilt for letting that Minotaur get away and kill someone or someones on the higher Floors.

Ais is bound and determined to prevent that. Which is why she pushes her magic skill, Tempest, harder to go faster as she follows the sounds of battle. She will reach and save whoever is fighting the Minotaur right now.

She must!

The green that is faintly and briefly visible around Ais suddenly becomes very visible. Twisting around Ais more akin to a controlled tornado than a writhing mass. It appears more as a barrier meant to decrease the thick air around her to allow her to speed through with a pace second only to the Vana Freya, Allen Formel.

Behind Ais, the ground is torn up. Not enough to even remotely annoy the Dungeon. On average, some of its Monsters can be more damaging on a more daily basis. Plus, Adventurers had long figured out how to neutralize some of the Dungeon's abilities by doing some damage to it. Nothing serious, but enough to draw its attention and above all else, is typically more damaging than what Ais is doing right now.

All too quickly, Ais can now hear the shouting of a person battling the Minotaur. It is a lone male's voice. A boy perhaps as old or more likely a little younger than herself.

One she is certain must be battling for his life as there are few her age that are able to fight Minotaurs, let alone survive one!

Killing one is out of the question. Most of those are in her Familia after all!

Sliding around a corner with practice ease, though due to how fast she is going, Ais slides a little too close to the wall before she finishes sliding forward to a scene she did not expect.

"MRRAOORWWW!"

"RAAAHAAHHH!"

The sight of a boy definitely her age or slightly younger clad in armor with a shield and some kind of sword or ax or sword-ax or ax-sword?

She's not quite sure.

But what she is sure of, is that this boy is fighting with everything he has.

And not just fighting, but actually holding his own against the Minotaur.

"RRAAAAH!" the boy swings his weapon around smashes it into the left wrist of the Minotaur and the Minotaur roars in pain and withdraws back and to Ais' shock, she can see where the boy had bruised the wrist, likely after many dozens of hits.

The Minotaur then strikes back with its right fist and reveals similar bruising on that wrist as well as up and down the arm.

There are even small cuts and a couple of gashes here and there. Nothing serious to a Minotaur in general, but so many, all over the body, is a far different story.

Which also means that the build up of injuries causes the Minotaur to hit with considerably less power. Enough so that the boy is able to deflect the attack off with his shield angled enough to cause the attack to slide rather than try to block it and defend against the Minotaur's greater strength. Which, despite the injuries, is still great enough that Ais can definitely tell the boy is likely going to need a new shield as he is pushed back.

Or rather, he slides back, refusing to be pushed around.

Despite that, the boy sidesteps at the last possible moment to strike again. His weapon digging into a previous injury. The Minotaur roars as the boy bounces away on his feet as the Minotaur swings for him and misses. The boy once more closing in on another injury without hesitation and the Minotaur responding, but unable to land a connecting blow that counts.

The two circle around as they look for gaps and openings. The Minotaur tries a double strike. The boy deftly parries both before sweeping in to go for the right knee.

Realizing the danger, the Minotaur quickly jumps back from the boy. The distance again favoring its greater height and longer reach. But the boy charges, undeterred and right into a position that the Minotaur, Ais realizes with a start, cannot bring its full power to bear because the boy is simply too close!

Angry and exhausting of the boy too close, the Minotaur manages to land another deflected blow that shoves the boy, his feet once more digging into the earthen floor of the Dungeon as he slides back.

Though, this time, the Minotaur repeats the move, deciding to close and simply shove the boy back through raw force. Even for the penalties the boy inflicts with every such move. But it is a strategy that appears to be working as the boy is now yielding ground with every blow.

Or is he?

Ais herself cannot believe what she sees with her own golden eyes as she watches the boy's armored feet leave furrows in the reddish brown earth. It's the only reason he's losing ground, if it can be argued that way. The boy is still unable to match the power, but his determination does not let him just surrender and attempt to flee, which likely would be a death sentence in any event.

Instead of dying in fear, with his back to the Minotaur, the boy has opted to face it head on in the hopes he can change his predetermined fate with determination to not only live, but to come out on top in this fight.

And while smart and courageous, all things considered, it isn't enough.

Another deflected blow is the last one the boy will achieve.

Ais hears the audible snapping of the boy's left arm as his shield visibly warps to be useless.

Yet despite his arm being broken and his shield being rendered useless, the boy lets out a battlecry as he strikes back. His aim is clear and true and the Minotaur had made a mistake and is overextended.

Ais is no male, but she knows that had to hurt. Big time.

Which is definitely confirmed as the Minotuar lets out a sound she can't quite place as it covers its now injured groin.

The edge of the blade had clearly dulled during the fight. As such, while there is blood, there isn't much blood to indicate a serious wound. Still, there is both blood and clear injury. The Minotaur is a 'Male' type of Monster after all. As such, it has the same layout as most males do.

And when that spot gets hit, it will hurt a Minotaur. A lot in this case as the blade, even if dulled, inflicted a cut noteworthy enough for the boy to gain a shocking advantage.

"A knife?!" Ais realizes that the boy also had a knife.

One he had somehow dug, at some point, into the throat of the Minotaur.

If he can hit it with his main weapon, which he is clearly about to do, he could potentially kill the Minotaur right then and there by flooding its breathing passageway full of its own blood while also disrupting and cutting open that same passageway, denying air to the Monster's lungs.

The boy swings the weapon around, somewhat off balanced due to his broken left arm and warped shield, but he is still spot on. It's also his last attack. He's clearly exhausted and despite that broken arm, he has yet to scream in or yield to the pain he is undoubtedly suffering.

This boy, clad in pieces of armor from head to toe, is going to possibly due the impossible and defeat a Monster way above his-

Ais' sharp eye sees it before the boy can even notice it.

She's already in motion.

The ground exploding, leaving a small crater that flows out from where her feet had been.

The Minotaur blocks the attack by deflecting with its arm just enough for it to curve around and use its horns to further deflect the attack completely.

Surprisingly, the boy releases his weapon and swings his broken, shield-covered left arm around with all of his might into the pommel of his knife, striking it squarely and driving it deeper with a burst of blood.

The Minotaur lets out a gurgle, but that is all.

Ais arrives as the Minotaur smacks the boy away as he is proving his defiance with an attempt to use use is good arm to actually punch the knife deeper, its other fist raised to strike the boy down as he bounces, his helmet tumbling off to show a Human boy with white hair and red eyes who isn't done yet.

A fist full of earth strikes the Minotaur in one eye, temporarily blinding that eye as the boy yanks on a cord attached to the knife and the blade rips itself free of the Minotaur's throat, causing blood to explode out like a fountain, surprising the Monster who flinches as it struggles to breath.

But breath it does as it lets out a gurgling roar before it moves to maul the boy to death.

And only then realizes that Ais has been there the whole time.

Blood explodes from the right shoulder as her trusty rapier, Desperate, cuts through the sinew and bone, severing the shoulder and the right arm from the Minotaur.

The flesh and skin, mighty as any armor, and covered in fur that is as thick and strong as gambeson, Ais easily slices through it as she cuts her blade out of the Monster's left hip before completing a spin that allows her further cut the Monster again and again with each spin and strike. Literally several pieces of what had been the Minotaur hit the ground with explosive fonts of blood going across the chamber.

Roaring its last, the Minotaur reaches out towards the boy with its still connected left hand, before it abruptly explodes into black ash as its Magic Stone finally completely dislodges.

Quickly sheathing her rapier, Ais pushes off with a dash to the boy who had fought so well and so hard. The difference in power had been so painfully clear. Yet the boy refused to bow to the inevitable. To the last moment, he fought on. Fighting to not only to survive, but to live in a way his head could be held high, proud and resolute.

And Ais can only feel impressed and awed by the boy's valiant fight.

While a defeat, the fact he held until she could step in at that last possible moment, even being so close to victory himself, is a feat few dare to claim and claim he did.

"Are you okay?" Ais asks him and suddenly wanting to kick herself for asking something so incredibly dumb.

Of course he isn't okay!

His left arm is broken and he will have other injuries she cannot see. Especially right now, covered in so much Minotaur blood.

The boy remains where he ended up with his back literally against a wall. He's sitting in a heap. Breathing hard and in a daze.

Ais realizes he's very much stunned. From hitting the wall, being hit, abrupt end of the fight, the list goes on. He's probably even in shock, if he's injured significantly enough. She needs to get a potion in him fast and await a Healer, probably Riveria, from her Familia to tend to him until they can get him Top Side and into the Medical Ward.

Digging into her supplies, Ais finds a basic potion that could and would at least stabilize the boy. It would keep him alive, that is for sure. Ais is just thankful that she took the advice to wear a small supply pack strapped to the back of her waist. She usually removed it during major fights, so she could be more flexible and to keep it from being destroyed. Thankfully, it had been away from her tent when they were attacked down on the Fifty-Fifth Floor by those unknown Monsters.

She had found it hung up in the tree she had put it on as she practiced with Desperate to improve her already formidable skill and so it had been missed during the battle.

Pulling the stopper off and then popping the cork, Ais brought the blue liquid to the boy's mouth and gently began to pour it into his slightly opened mouth.

Ais works her fingers, getting the boy's mouth open a little more before rubbing his throat in motions she had learned from Line. The result is the boy being induced to swallow and she could see him doing so.

The bottle soon drains away into the boy's mouth, down his throat, and into his stomach. She can see the immediate effect as the boy shudders up and down his body. His reaction is a bit violent as he abruptly and suddenly responds, gripping his left arm with a scream before pushing up and away as he flees down the passageway.

But she had seen his eyes briefly pause on her before fear and pain had overtaken him.

Ais could only conclude that he's very dazed and confused and fled in a panic. Given how incredibly chaotic his fight had been. To say nothing of the desperation he had been in to survive.

"MWA-HAHAHAAHAH!" Ais turns to the laughter to see her Familia's Grey Werewolf, Bete Logia, the Vanargand, standing there laughing as he clutches his arms around his waist, slightly bent over as the boy runs away.

"Oh man! How crazy!" the Familia's 'Lone Wolf' laughs, "He ran away from you, Ais!" before breaking off into more laughter.

Ais only recorks the bottle and reapplies the stopper before storing it, then standing up, and walking over to the hysterically laughing Werewolf.

"That guy- Ahahaha- That guy- Ahahaha- That guy, looked- Ahahaha- like a freakin' tomato!"

Ais shows no outward reaction.

But her foot definitely did.

Bete grabs at his kicked balls as he drops to his knees with a whine and deep breaths.

"Are you done?" Ais evenly intones down at Bete, "Because he's injured with the very least a broken arm and a head injury. If so, you need to get up and find him before Riveria finds out, let alone Finn and Gareth."

Letting out a sound that made it sound like Bete is trying to form words, the Werewolf manages to at least get up to his feet, using a wall as support. He throws a very angry glare at the girl before him before actually growling at her, but turning in the direction the boy ran.

"The Minotaur scent in here is too thick," he manages out as he starts moving knowing Ais could have kicked him harder if she wanted to and he's actually surprised she went for a Kick to the Balls at all. That's highly unlike her, but given that the boy who fled could be injured enough to warrant Ais' concern, that is good enough for him to get on the move.

Especially if she's going to rat him out to Riveria.

Ais knows that if she and her little circle are Riveria's daughters, then Bete is the brat of a nephew that she has to put up with, but still cares for.

And Bete knew it.

Hated it.

And learned the same way as Ais about what not to call Riveria as well as what she would do if she finds out he did something amazingly stupid.

Honestly, Gareth is probably the closest thing to a father he has now. And despite their byplay, the Lone Wolf knew that 'Mama Riveria' is just as protective of him as her daughters. He would only begrudgingly admit 'almost like a mother to him.'

But only because he had his reasons for not telling what everyone else could see.

Ais knows that. Everyone does. Bete is very socially inept. Which only annoys Ais more.

Incidentally, unknown to Ais, but Bete is himself aware of, most people consider Ais socially inept. Despite Riveria's best efforts, Ais really didn't know much beyond her circle of sisters and several others.

For Riveria, it is always trying with her two 'eldest' children.

As the two move at a good pace, which is improving as Bete gets over being kicked between his legs, they begin to see the traces left by the boy, the blood of the slain Minotaur.

The pair find splotches here and there. As well as bloody footprints. And the signs of him falling down as he ran for the Galleries above.

"He may be hurt, but he's scared enough to keep running," Bete notes as they pursue the boy.

Ais says nothing. In hindsight, everything probably happened too quickly for him to process. Coupled with hitting his head, he likely entered into a state of confusion. That would make sense. She recalls being frightened enough times in the Dungeon. And receiving a good enough headblow to throw her off and make her panic. Head injuries could do that to a person who would otherwise pull through a fight and its aftermath.

"Still," Bete continues, "I'd imagine for a rookie, a Minotaur would be pretty terrifying. Especially in a, ha, 'Safe Area' like the Upper Floors."

Ais agrees quietly even as she felt that sarcasm in his tone. Not that she blames him as she could tell he was essentially spitting the two words out like something that tasted bad.

The fatality rate is still plenty high. The Guild knows it is essentially sending people into a meat grinder. Most of the deaths in the first few weeks to a couple of months were typically on the highest floors. A range of reasons for those loses, but most of them stem from the fact that just about anyone can become an Adventurer.

Of course, that said, the Guild and Deities did take the fatalities serious enough. The Guild even went a step further and sealed the Dungeon to anyone not authorized to be in the Dungeon. Such as the identifying orbs that each Adventurer and Supporter carried. These allowed access to the Galleries at the base of the Babel Tower.

Yes, there are ways around the Guild's security, but even the Guild didn't expect it to keep everyone out. It only makes it most difficult that only those with a death wish would keep trying, let alone succeed. So, the Guild is still highly successful in that regard.

For Familias, orientation and training take place. Often very limited due to the nature of getting as many bodies into the Dungeon as possible. At least in theory. It really depended on which Familia a person joined.

Their Loki Familia for example had the resources to train properly and continue to instruct their greenhorns until they became experienced. Most of the Loki Familia fatalities and serious casualties are further down in the Dungeon.

Then there are Familias like the Freya Familia which is simply full of those who skilled fighters or simply far more battle happy than any sane person should be. Which also meant that most of its membership had prior experience with fighting Monsters and other people. They knew their way around weapons and a fight before they were recruited.

And, of course, there are Familias that simply don't care about their members and hurl them in or force them into the Dungeon so ill-prepared, that it wasn't uncommon to see the rookies party typically with those outside of their Familia and even look for ways to change Familias.

Among those with such a bad reputation, is the ever troublesome Soma Familia.

But with all that said, the Upper Floors rarely produce so many fatalities. It's actually pretty easy to progress at a decent pace through the Upper Floors with enough time and experience. The problem that actually occurred always had to do with being able to get supported enough to do so.

Typically, the Widowmaker is the area beyond the Tenth Floor. Though the Seventh through Tenth had always proven to be a crucible themselves. The Sixth Floor is always doable and honestly, the Shadows and Frogs are hardly that dangerous for an alert party.

Which is the other big issue.

Floors One through Four could be operated on solo with no real issue. The Fifth Floor, too, provided one stayed in certain areas and nothing from the Sixth Floor decided to wander up.

But it isn't efficient to operate alone.

Due to most Adventurers being typically Levels 1 and 2, most Adventurers rarely went past the Eighteenth Floor. At the most just about half would go, would be roughly the Twentieth Floor with each attempt past that point becoming progressively less involved with Level 1 and almost entirely Level 2 Adventurers and that is even pushing it.

Typically only Level 3s operated past the Eighteenth Floor and they went as far as the Thirtieth Floor before stopping. Some still went further. All the way to the Thirtieth-Fifth Floor, but usually only in the company of the increasingly rare Level 4s.

'And most of those are found strictly in the most powerful Familias,' Ais thinks with a wince, once again being reminded why so much rests on her own Familia.

Which, inevitably, gets in the way of her goal.

"Ais! Bete!" Riveria Ljos Alf calls out to the pair as she appears before them, clearly on the hunt for the now very dead Minotaur.

"Ais killed the bastard, but it managed to clip a kid who ran off injured!" Bete yells as the pair ran past the Elfess who turns on her heel as she barks out a name.

"Line!"

The dark haired girl immediately breaks from their group with a running start and leaps up onto Riveria's back as the woman takes off after the pair. The sight of which would be considered demeaning by other Elves, but Riveria cares little for such matters. She may be a proud Elf, but she is certainly not vain, especially in regards to chasing after a panicked and injured Adventurer.

Additionally, it is one of her daughters. Riveria and Line had bathed since the girl was first picked up by the Loki, struggling in the Education District. The girl had the book smarts, but not the financial means to attend the high end education areas that would have taught her the Magicks she needed to succeed successfully.

Plus her parents were desperate. They wanted better for her. Not for her to succumb like they did and become trapped in the Soma Familia.

Both sold Line to Riveria for whatever coin Riviera had on her back then. Which, by happy coincidence, had been enough for them to clear some of their debts. But the way some members of the Soma Familia operated, both had taken money they had been saving and fled the city altogether abandoning their daughter to Riveria.

Of course, as Ais and Riveria know, the Soma Familia had come looking to collect the girl to pay off her parents' debts. Riveria had killed two of them, both Level 2s, so contemptuously that the others backed off realizing they could just force Riveria to surrender the girl.

The current Captain of the Soma, he hadn't been the Captain until the aftermath of the Great Feud, had shown up to threaten Riveria. Only they never got the chance as a pair of Guild Guards arrived with Rose Fennett, Riveria's Guild Advisor and acting on a tip, and ordered the Soma to back off.

When they pressed their claim, one of the Guards had simply pulled up the back of Line's shirt and ran his hand over her back. The results for his specially enchanted gauntlet had come back negative. Line had not been marked by Soma and therefore had been fair game.

Though in a surprise that Riveria had not seen coming, was what the Guard had revealed. His decision showed that Loki had been one step ahead. Line had the Loki Familia's Falna. She had been claimed by Loki in secret as she expected the Soma to come calling and therefore the Soma Familia's claim would wind up, no matter what they did, invalid. The God Soma arranged for the payment to be made and to further discipline his members, including his current Captain.

Still didn't stop Loki from drinking Soma's wine or Line currently nestling close to Riveria as the older woman carried the younger.

Ais really needs to free herself of going down memory lane as it is put. Her sister is her sister. No matter that they are not blood related. Which is why Ais knows she needs to find that boy.

Black, Green, Grey, and Yellow stream in the air as the four head down the paths. The boy is getting closer to the Gallery. Hopefully the Gallery Guards would stop him and begin immediate treatment.

"There they are!" the four glance back and see several others catching up.

"Lady Riveria!" Raul Nord, the High Novice manages to pull alongside the more powerful woman, "The Captain sent us to find you! What's going on?"

With Raul are the rest of Riveria's daughters as well as Anakitty 'Aki' Autumn, the Alxa, and Alicia Forestlight, the Eileaf and Riveria's second-in-command of the Loki Familia's elite Elf unit.

"What is going on?" Aki inquires as she pulls alongside Ais.

"I killed the last Minotaur," Ais begins her explanation, making it short and concise due to circumstances about how she hunted the last Minotaur until she finally found its path and heard the beast itself, "But it had found and attacked another Adventurer who was injured and fled in the aftermath. He had been fighting for his life, and had actually been doing well until his arm was broken."

"Whoa!" Tiona shouts as she keeps up with the others, despite carrying Elfy on her back, "Did it pick a fight with a Level 2?"

Ais shakes her head, "The armor and equipment didn't look like gear a Level 2 would use, plus he is young. About my age or more likely a couple of years younger," Ais holds up the boy's weapon, which he had left behind with his helmet in his panic, "He used this strange weapon for one thing."

The others look at the weapon and note it has a shaft like an ax but with a blade more akin to a double edge sword. If anything, it looks like a polearm that has been shortened by more than half its length. An unusual weapon to say the least, though, the helmet that accompanies it is otherwise a normal looking helmet, if likely fashioned in its origin nation's fashion.

But no one can fail to see the weapon is dulled, damaged, and even battered while the helmet has a rather unmistakable Minotaur knuckles shaped dent in its side that jammed the visor in the opened position while also crushing part of it and snapping the chin strap's anchor on the damaged side.

"What an unusual weapon," Tione comments, having not seen anything like it and that's saying something as both she and her sister had done a bit of traveling, to put it mildly, before arriving in Orario.

Lefiya looks over Tione's shoulder at the weapon and helmet and winces before the design sparks a memory from her studies.

"I think that's a Kazimierz-styled Knight Helm!" she shouts in surprise, "But I've never heard of one with a smooth top before."

"And how do you know?" Bete calls back, before abruptly turning to chase the boy up one path they nearly overshot and he only noticed as the blood scent is really noticeable and the sight of where the boy tripped and used the wall to keep upright is just stained a good meder or so down its length.

"I recall it from my studies!" Lefiya shouts back before adding, "But what race is this Adventurer we're chasing?"

"Human," Ais responds as she leaps over a small boulder.

"Impossible!" Lefiya shouts in surprise even as Tione absentmindedly punches a Kobold into a wall before it could surprise a female Adventurer in white and with brunette hair from the Apollo Familia, "Humans aren't allowed to become Kazimierz Soldiers, let alone Knights!"

"A mystery we can either solve or ignore later after we find the Human," Riveria shouts back as the group finally gets a glimpse of some hope, a group of six befuddled Far Eastern Adventurers.

"Excuse us!" Aki breaks ahead to run up to the six, "We're looking for an Adventurer covered in blood and wearing knight armor! Did you see him?"

"You mean Cranel-dono?" the eldest girl in the group responds, "He ran that way screaming," she points in the direction of the Gallery, "What happened? We thought he looked hurt."

"He is!" Bete shouts as they run by, but Riveria comes to a halt next to Anakitty with Ais so that they could inquire about their target.

"You know the boy?" Ais inquires as she observes the group of six who collectively have black hair and uniquely tanned skin that marks them as Far Easterners.

The leader, a tall male with broad shoulders and quite a bit of muscle, dressed in lavender, as were two of the girls while the other girl and two males were dressed in white and Riveria raises an eyebrow at their collective dress.

The males are fully dressed, but the girls are less so. Especially the one in white. Plus the three in lavender are wearing bits of armor like Ais had when she first started to wear armor, but the ones in white have no armor. But all are clearly weaker, except for the leader who the four can tell is a lower end Level 2.

"Bell Cranel, Captain of Hestia Familia," the young man states, "Don't know much about him, but he was trained by a knight prior to coming to Orario," he then indicates his party and himself, "We're from the Takemikazuchi Familia, myself being the Familia Captain and my name is Kash- I mean Ouka Kashima, and the newly started Hestia Familia is our ally. What happened?"

Riveria nods, hearing the protective edge in the younger male's voice, but she only shakes her head Anakitty brings her hands up and shakes them to show they don't want to fight, "A group of Minotaur attacked our party and we killed a few before the rest abruptly fled up from the Lower Floors and we pursued to stop them from harming anyone, but this young man was attacked and injured by the last."

"Here," Ais holds up the boy's helmet and weapon, handing them over to the boy's allies, "He left these behind."

"Those are Cranel-dono's weapon and helmet!" the younger girl in lavender shouts in surprise, fear, and worry as she observes the state the pair of in, "Look at the damage!"

The dulled blades, showing it is on the verge of breaking. Of failing. Cracks are not only in the blades themselves, but on closer examination, so too, is the shaft. While it is clear the weapon hadn't chipped, it had definitely not survived as it is notably bent at the blades and along two places of the shaft. There even appears to be a couple of places when it is clear the Minotaur had tried to twist the weapon into two pieces.

Aside from the obvious damage that had been noticed earlier, a closer inspection reveals that the helmet is partially warped. Visibly, now that attention is drawn to the extent of the damage, the helmet is slightly crushed as well, being made somewhat shorter than it should be. Possibly thinner too which would explain the warping. The back of the helmet is visibly bent where the neck guard extends out and that partially has the tail pointing upwards rather than downwards with a section folded over along the side.

The coloration on both is terrible as well. Mud, blood, dirt, and more cover the helmet and weapon. Both are simply adorned to the point that the blades are more like withered husks of sunbaked rocks.

In the opinion of those present, it would take a miracle to reforge the weapons back to their glory. For now, they were simply battered wrecks, barely, if at all, usable.

"He's obsessed with keeping his equipment properly maintained," one of the males in white states as he helps take the items and stores them in the girl's Supporter Pack, "The damage is extremely telling and those are knuckles indented into the helmet."

"We have to go after him!" the older girl in lavender shouts and moves to pursue, "He's likely to head to either his Familia Home or to the Forum!"

"Let's go!" the leader shouts and the six take off running to pursue.

Riveria, Anakitty, and Ais, with Line still hanging on, take off running as well.

"How old is this boy?" Riveria asks his allies.

"He's about 14 years old," Ouka responds, "Give or take. We know don't know much about his life, other than that he trained under a knight who lived in his village after being exiled for reasons he called absurd as they forcibly recalled the knight just before he came to Orario."

"We don't even know the knight's gender or name," the other male in white adds in, "The best we can guess is that they are Kazimierz from Bell's equipment which was apparently forged at request of his grandfather and that said grandfather passed away in a Monster encounter outside his village."

"He's got a lot of anger issues in that regard," the girl in white further adds, "But he's otherwise pleasant, though, he can be incredibly shy and bashful around people, especially girls and women."

"How much so?" Riveria inquires, curious if that might have something to do with his flight from Ais.

"He once stumbled onto our girls bathing, screamed in terror and apology, and fled for the better part of two days into the Dungeon and only came out due to being hungry and running into a Monster that had hit him with a Status Change," Ouka replies as they run towards the Gallery that Bell Cranel had chosen as his exit and so happens to be the one with the shortest route to the Forum, "He's heading to the Forum! He's likely going to his Guild Advisor, a Half-Elf named Eina Tulle-san!"

"Eina?!" Riveria nearly trips and drops Line in surprise, but recovers and checks on the girl who nods that she is fine, "I know the woman. Her mother and I are old friends from childhood."

It didn't escape the four Loki females that the Takemikazuchi females are blushing in memory from the incident. Which makes them curious about it, though, rumors did circulate that the Far East had customs more akin to Elves in certain social and gender areas. So it is possible the boy had caught them in a very embarrassing state, which bathing did include but is not strictly limited to, and his panic likely didn't help them and further embarrassed them.

Reaching the Gallery the boy had taken to escape, the group of ten found the rest of the Loki group pursuing the boy as well as one of their own messengers who confirmed things with Raul before heading off to find Captain Finn Deimne, the Braver, Captain and Co-founder of the Loki Familia, to report.

"The Forum!" Riveria shouts to her comrades and they fall in with them as they all rush after the boy, a Gallery Guard figuring out what they were up to when he saw the fearful looking Takemikazuchi Familia.

"He ran off towards Main Street and the Forum!" he shouts as he opens his gate for them and calls for others to let them pass immediately.

"You're not far behind!" another shouts as they pass.

XXXX

Eina Tulle hums a simple little tune from her childhood as she exits the Forums front entry with a box in her arms. A Guild Guard helpfully holds the door open for her and she thanks him before going back to her humming as she goes to put up the flyers that are in the box. The upcoming Monsterphilia rarely needs advertising, but it didn't hurt to do so either.

Especially as they would have new events this year, along with a new time schedule for all events and the festival itself.

Eina honestly thinks about asking one of her assigned Adventurers to accompany her if she can get the festival off. Her choice is Bell Cranel, a good boy, if a bit simple despite having trained under an actual knight. The younger boy is five years her junior and well, she's worried as her sister Nina Tulle might be free during that time and Eina doesn't know what to do with her younger sister.

Sadly, as the Half-Elvish woman knows all too well, they are both very estranged from one another. Something they both want to fix, but simply cannot find the time very easily. Or the courage to do so either.

Bell might be helpful there. He's only a year older than her sister after all. So, if things do go from bad to worst, maybe he can help them?

Eina is unsure, but she knows that Bell is very trustworthy.

And is somewhat of a younger brother to her. Which also worries her as she fears that Nina might take Bell's presence and closeness to her as a sign that Eina is trying to replace her with Bell. Of course, she isn't! But that's how it might look.

'Maybe if I ask Bell to be a date?' Eina thinks as she heads down the steps to go around and start on the far ends of her side of the Forum and notices that someone is missing that should be helping her right now, 'Where is Misha? Don't tell me she got into trouble again or is delayed? That girl!'

Her pink haired friend Misha Flot who is the same age and hails from the same hometown as both Tulle Sisters, is something of a klutz. Though she is more socially adept than Eina and more streetwise than the Half-Elf as well, Misha is also more prone to getting into trouble as well. Especially at work and with their superiors.

She's also less dutiful than Eina, which means she falls behind a lot more.

Still, the two are very close. Misha was even wet nursed by Eina's own mother, Aina Tulle, when Misha's mother had fallen very ill when a disease had gone through their village. Aina had been in Melen visiting with a friend when that happened and so missed the disease itself.

Sadly, as Eina knows, her mother's health has not been great in recent years. As such, her father had moved into Orario to get her better medical care. Thankfully, her mother is independently wealthy and said friend is none other than Riveria Ljos Alf, the Vice Captain and one of three Co-Founders of the Loki Familia alongside the namesake Goddess of the Familia.

So they could afford the Dian Cecht Familia's high costs. Not that it is expensive to do so. Unfortunately, even they have their limits and their namesake God, Lord Dian Cecht, is notoriously a greedy one.

Still doesn't stop him from saving lives free of charge when the situation arises.

Speaking of that Familia, Eina spots the lone member and Captain of the nearly defunct Miach Familia, Naza Erisu, the Miyal Hound. The young woman is doing some shopping while waiting for the Takemikazuchi Familia to return with some ingredients for her medicines. The pharmacist may not be an active Adventurer anymore, but the young woman, a year younger than Eina herself, is still a Level 2 and Eina is her Advisor after being assigned a number of smaller Familias to look after in addition to some of the mid size ones.

It isn't the younger woman has been bounced around or had requested a change in Advisor, it's just that her original Advisor was killed in the Great Feud and the following two replacements, including the one just before Eina herself, had either retired to raise her family or been promoted and reassigned to a different section of the Advisory Department.

Despite Naza's notorious cutting tongue and biting remarks, the woman is actually very caring and pleasant. Her sharp barbs are part of her coping mechanism and the result of when she was nearly killed in the Dungeon and all but her God, Lord Miach and patron of his namesake Familia, had abandoned her to death or being crippled for life.

Getting to handle the smaller Familias she had been assigned had been an interesting facet of her job. Eina so enjoyed talking to them and actually enjoyed the company of some of them for tea and small talk. Much more so than the mid size Familias she worked with as well.

Bell is especially enjoyable to work with as he can be very principal, industrious, and studious compared to others.

Since he had started only so recently, Eina had only gone a couple of times to visit the Hestia Familia's home, which is a sorry state due to their poor status, but she had found Bell doing something to improve it or training.

And she has to admit, seeing Bell's back and chest had surprised her as his shoulders are broader when he has his shirt off, his back has more development to it than he looks with a shirt on, and his chest is muscled and toned enough to reveal how he works hard to be successful.

Of course, both times, she had seen more than his back or chest. Bell had been working or training in his shorts. So, she not only got a good idea of his actual build, but could see how strong his legs were.

The young Cranel is, of course, far from a being as muscled as the King, Captain Ottar of the Freya Familia, but he didn't need to be. Bell Cranel is built not for raw power but for a balance between strength, endurance, speed, and stamina.

And, yes, Misha had teased it out of her with Rose's help that Bell's shorts were tight enough that she could see that despite being 14-years-old, he could probably give a full grown Barbarian a run for their money in the Pleasure District or in bed with women in general.

Eina didn't know, but she's pretty sure that even Dwarves are not that big in the prime of their lives in general. Which had left her with a seriously red face and Bell with a red mark on his own.

Of course he had panicked and gone running into his Familia's home to retrieve some proper clothing. Goddess Hestia shouting at him to be more mindful of others. At least that is what it sounded like, but somehow, Eina doubted that Lady Hestia had been that embarrassed by his lack of clothing and just as surprised as Eina had been at what she had seen.

Goddess Hestia may be a Great Virgin Goddess, but that didn't change the fact that she is a Goddess nonetheless.

'Misha must be a lot of trouble again,' Eina thinks as she sighs, 'I best get started. That way, at least I won't have to worry about my appearance when the Adventurers come back up.'

Eina doesn't giggle at her thought. She actually gives a mental sigh. Most of the Guild Advisors are female, preferably young women straight out of their teens. There are those who are older, those from long lived races aside, that are around as well as 'frontline' Advisors.

One of the most notable there is Rose. The woman had actually become an Advisor when she was about 15 years old, graduating from the Education District elite academies early. She spent a year learning under a more senior Advisor, another Werewolf woman named Summer Day.

Yes, her parents had given her the actual name. It was originally in their native tongue, but a disaster had forced them to relocate to Orario and so they started speaking Kione or Common Tongue. So, her name ended up being translated and actually shortened to Summer Day.

No one wanted to be the next Summer, though.

Her husband had been killed in the Dungeon and she had taken the loss pretty hard. Though, from what Eina had learned, it probably had been less the death and more how bad the body had looked. Other rumors swirled as well that Summer might have even been in an affair and that the guilt drove her to near madness.

'Whatever the reason,' Eina sighs as she thinks about her early thoughts on Bell, 'We shouldn't be getting into a relationship with our Adventurers or Supporters. As we may end up with a child, and Fates above forbid, or children to raise alone.'

One of the reasons that marriages among the Guild Staff are so high, is that no one wants to risk ending up married to an Adventurer or Supporter.

"MISS EINA!" a familiar voice shouts and Eina's Elvish ears twitch noticeably, "MISS EINA!"

"Bell…" Eina turns with a smile as she thinks about how he's up early, though maybe he can help her a bit once she knows what is going- "EIIKAYYAAAAAA!"

Eina throws the box of items and flyers she had in her arms into the air with things raining down all around her as she sees the boy of her thoughts is right there, running down Main Street towards her and the Forum covered liberally from literal head to toe in blood.

"MISS EINA!" the boy shouts her name a third time and the Half-Elf feels her ears begin to burn at the sight as eyes go to her, "MISS Einnnaa!"

But that fourth shout of her name sets off alarms in her head.

"Bell!" she shouts back as the boy shouts her name more weakly a fifth time.

"Miss… Eina…" the boy gets out once more and only because of her Elvish heritage does she even pick it up before the boy trips and goes into a falling slide, leaving a trail of blood and Eina realizes that something has gone horribly wrong.

"WE NEED A MEDIC AND STRETCHER!" the two Guild Guards had seen it too as one opens the door and shouts into the Forum Front Guardhouse.

Eina barely notices as she's already running for Bell. The boy spilled out on the street before her. His left arm is clearly broken as it lays at an angle it was never meant to and that his shield isn't totally covered in blood and shows how it had been battered into barely recognizable metal.

Bell is also missing his helmet and weapon. She can see his knife, but his main weapon is missing. Bell would never abandon both so readily. If at all!

Naza is the first at Bell's side as a random civilian finally realizes what is going on and she screams.

Immediately, the crowded Main Street turns to the screaming woman. Then they see Bell, laid out on the street, with Naza already running basic care on the boy. His battered form providing mute testimony many never see.

And soon chaos erupts with City and Guild Guards spilling out onto the street from various locations as others working with Ganesha Familia members abruptly find themselves trying to keep the peace as panic begins to sweep the full Main Street even as Eina reaches Bell as well, calling down to the boy in a panic as she sees him unmoving and unresponsive

"Bell! BELL! BELL?! BELL!?" Eina hesitates to touch Bell as she doesn't know how bad he's hurt and where she could touch him.

The backplate of his armor is dented, scarred, and bent in a few places. As she looks down his body, her eyes see the leg and foot armor are in better shape, barely. One leg guard is nearly crushed around Bell's left leg on its front and the right has a notable crease in it along its outside area. The bottom of his boots show that the material is heavily worn away, with Bell's heel visible through his torn sock on his right foot and a toe covered in a nearly worn away sock on his left boot sticks out a hole at the front of the boot.

The armor there is peeled up and over the boot itself. While the heel armor on both are bent and torn and wrapped about the back of Bell's boots.

And that's not including the front that she cannot see, but she can see his shield, still strapped to his arm and yet looking more like batter iron holding onto his very visibly broken arm.

"There he is!" a woman's voice shouts and Eina looks up to see a mix of Adventurer's running towards them.

A familiar woman pushes forward and then power slides to stop right next to Eina and let a dark haired Human girl in purple and white off her back.

"Eina!" Riveria gently, but firmly takes hold of her friend's child, "Pull yourself together!"

Eina is still at a loss. Tears welling up. She doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know what to say. What is she supposed to do? To say? She needs help! She cannot go through this again, so soon!

"Forgive me," Riveria simply says before slapping the Half-Elf and suddenly Eina feels her mind restart, "Feel better?"

"No," the sting in her cheek is overriding, but she's never seen this side so visibly before about Adventuring, "What happened? Why is Bell so beat up like he went below the Tenth Floor?!"

"Our expedition got dropped on by a large Monster Party of Minotaurs," one of the two present Amazons began explaining, the one that had a more manlier appearance, Tiona if Eina's memory served her right, Tiona the Amazon, "My sister and I killed a few and the rest bolted in fear and we scrambled to pursue."

"It's more complicated than that," Riveria sighs even as she runs a magical scan of the boy and winces as the boy's injuries are difficult to discern as his armor actually includes some surprisingly decent enchantments, but nothing Riveria is able to brush aside and reveal the extent of his injuries, "How did he even stay conscious?"

Line winces as she scans the boy, "He should be near death just from these injuries and going so long and even running with them, he should be dead, but he's holding out."

"I gave him this," Ais reveals the potion bottle that still had a little potion in it, having settled back to the bottom of the bottle after all this time, "Did that help him?"

"It would have," Naza agrees as the medic pulls a restraint for Bell's neck out of an emergency bag and goes to work alongside the Pharmacist and the two Healers.

Soon Bell is gently rolled onto his back. The Minotaur blood as thick and viscous as ever makes it hard to work with Bell and even harder to tell if Bell himself is bleeding from any injuries.

But the blood had settled and so his features are very visible.

For many onlookers, the sight of a boy so young being an Adventurer makes many shift in discomfort. Especially as it is clear that the boy's condition is the result of a run in with a powerful Monster that nearly killed him.

This is the first time they had ever seen field triage since the Great Feud and even that was markedly different from here and now.

And few were so young and innocent looking.

The nerves of some bystanders are put to the test as the boy appears to be just sleeping. There is no groaning. There is no begging. For those who remember the Great Feud, so many died screaming for their mothers and fathers. Others pleading with the Deities to stop the pain or save their lives.

But here, the boy is silent. Completely silent. Still as well. The only sounds being the Healers, medic, and a doctor trying to save his life.

With various tools, they begin to pry the damaged armor off. Battered and warped, which is putting it mildly, around the boy's frame that when each piece is removed, he looks increasingly younger and smaller. The sight causing parents to instinctively pull their children closer to them. As though to ward off the fear that they are not there all of a sudden. That the boy laid out, is their own child and the fear that brings is testing their constitution and playing games with their very minds.

Eventually stripped of his wrecked armor and ruined clothes, his exposed body blood free except for his own blood and a riot of blues, blacks, and purple with ugly green and yellow trim to mix in with the red of his blood, the boy is carefully leaned onto his good arm and the stretcher slid in under him.

Once he is on it, the stretcher bearers strap him in and gently hoist him up and using specially designed straps attached to their own light armor, they carry him off at a quick pace to the Forum's Medical Wing at a decent clip with Naza and the medic at his side.

Leaving behind the blood stained Riveria and Line to make a report to Rose as the Takemikazuchi Familia pick up Bell's discarded equipment, with Ouka stopping briefly to stare at the battered metal that was once Bell's prized shield.

"Probably the only reason he has a broken arm instead of being killed," he mutters aloud, knowing the life and death difference between having a shield and not having it personally as he is the shield of his Familia and he would rather be battered into a mess than ever break and fail.

"Ouka," turning to Eina as she stands there with a worried look on her face, "Has anyone told Lady Hestia?"

The Far Eastern man winces as he doubts it, given how everything has happened so fast, but he finds the resolve in himself and says he'll go and inform her himself while also ordering his best member to go get their God so that he can be there with her after Ouka delivers the news.

XXXX

The Goddess Loki the Trickster finishes one circuit and starts another as she paces back and forth in a circle as she thinks of the situation her Familia is in and the public exposure it had included.

The upside is, the Guild had released a statement right away about the incident. Furthering that upside, is that all of her Children had returned. If a little battered and disheartened. Rather a big surprise, given the depths of the Dungeon they were venturing into.

Though they had incurred a bit of a debt, it isn't anything they couldn't knock out in time. The remaining Drops and the completion of several quests had most definitely helped make things better. Especially as her third Co-Founder of her Familia and known as the Elgam, Gareth Landrock had been squirreling away resources, coin, and some other goods for such an event.

Also, she would really need to talk to him about his business practices. The amount of coin he has been bringing in on the side has been quite impressive and Loki herself feels like they should test expanding a bit. See what they can gain or is at least a bit at risk to make future choices on.

The Guild statement covered the facts nicely. The truth of what happened with the Minotaurs had been officially published, along with a warning about more being on the loose. Though so far, it looks like her kids have been very thorough and accurate.

Still, the Guild didn't like always doing things in absolutes. That tends to bite it in the ass when the Guild isn't looking. Rather painfully, too.

So, the warning is less a slight against the Loki Familia and herself and more just pragmatic precaution.

As she finishes yet another circuit, Loki looks over towards the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia and sighs aloud at seeing the diminutive Goddess idly kicking her feet in the air as she sat in a chair a little too tall for her, but that is the form Hestia decided upon when she would come down to the Lower World.

It also represented how much of her power that she willingly gave up, which is a terrifying thought for Loki and the other Deities, as Hestia's short size still has power comparable to all of them and yet she still had given up the most power!

'No wonder ole Zeus and Odin treats her as an equal to them,' Loki actually shudders at the thought and knowing that Ganesha also treats her equally and even above other Deities didn't help her and that is made worse by the knowledge that Hestia can subdue Goddesses of Beauty, save one and that one is an exception because Aphrodite is a dear friend and ally of Hestia and the other two of the Three Great Virgin Goddesses.

The redheaded, boyish looking Goddess then changes her attention to Anakitty.

Loki is going to be missing Aki in the ranks for the time she is gone, if not ever to return to them.

The Cat Woman had approached Loki herself. Offering to join the Hestia Familia to avoid its destruction if Captain Bell Cranel didn't survive his emergency surgery he's still in at that moment. Loki had wanted to turn Aki down then and there, but the Black Cat had made a convincing argument.

As such, Hestia, despite being distraught, had calmed enough to accept the agreement.

And so, Aki is now in the Hestia Familia and would have her caseload transferred from Rose to Eina pretty quick.

Hopefully things work out. From what Ais has been insisting, she only stepped in at the last moment, when it was clear the boy had lost the battle against the Monster and the Minotaur was literally about to kill him. Something others have been scoffing at, despite clear evidence of the boy putting up one heck of a fight.

"Loki," the redhead turns her squinting gaze to Miach, the God of Medicine as he speaks to her, "I understand your worry and know Hestia's fear greater than any, but please, calm down."

Miach indicates the Children around them. Some are looking antsy and others are clearly nervous. Loki's pacing hadn't been helping. Now that she is stopped and looking around, it is only adding to the tension.

"The Children are on nerves and you yourself are going to wear out a rather fine pair of shoes," Miach continues, calm as he can be, knowing his own Child is in the operating room working with one of the best to keep Bell Cranel alive.

With an explosive sigh of breath she realizes she hadn't known she had been holding, Loki gives a weak laugh.

"Yeah, sorry," Loki then slaps her cheeks a couple of times and shakes her head, "Not everyday this happens. Guess I got thrown off my groove. Thanks Miach! Very helpful."

"I am glad to hear so," Miach smiles softly before suddenly the Magic Stone-powered light that indicated the operating room is in use suddenly fades to off before a line goes through and any residue energy, and glow, is gone, "I believe they are finished."

No sooner had those words left Miach's mouth, than God Dian Cecht himself came out. He had been in the room to ensure Hestia stayed out. Now he exits and removes his medical mask before the white clad, dark haired Hestia is before him, eyes shining with hope, but tinged with a little fear.

"He'll be fine, Hestia," Dian Cecht is a very greedy God, but also an honest God who knows better than to be his normal overbearing self in times such as these, "His armor did well. I must admit, it was surprisingly well made for a product outside of Orario and that the boy had the skill and conditioning to survive."

He suddenly lets out a small sound, like a smothered laugh.

"And luck," the God adds, "Whatever training he had received, whatever experiences he had before the Dungeon, they have served him well and he will live and fully recover. Miach's Child and her medicine has seen that he should be back home at the end of the week. Though I would say he would need a fair time to recover. Do keep him above the Third Floor until he's fully recovered."

And with that said, the God of Healing moves off to speak with his counterpart, God Miach, as Goddess Hestia releases an explosive sigh of relief as Naza and Amid Teasanare, the Dea Saint and one of the two Great Saint Healers of Orario, exit the operating room.

Both young women are a contrast to the general belief of successful healers. Both are still well in their youth. Amid is the eldest of the pair at 19 years old while Naza is only 18 years old.

Their youth and beauty makes them both surprising to those that meet them for the first time, expecting aged mistresses of medicine and healing arts.

Some even expected Elves or Dwarves or another long lived race or two. What they didn't expect is a Human and a Cienthrope. If they had been long lived races, that would explain their appearance. But to be of two races with common lifespans left people incredulous that the pair are such healers.

The general opinion is those in the final stretches of beauty. Well into their 30s or perhaps 40s. But not a pair fresh from their teens.

Even more startling is that both are also proficient weapon users as well.

While both are most certainly Healers and Supporters, Naza is an accomplished Archer and Amid a formidable Magician as well versed well in how to use her staff as a weapon if she must.

That makes them both more well rounded than the typical Healer. Giving them more variation and vital use to the party they are a part of. But it has been some time since both had taken the field. As such, they dedicate their time to medicine and treatment. Often far more mundane, but a calling both enjoy.

Until they are called to moments like saving Bell Cranel's life.

Though, given that Dea Saint had earned her Second Name and Title from being known as one of the Two Saints and able to heal even the most fatal of wounds, Bell was in no real danger of dying, though, even the best can be bested and that is the attitude both had when treating him.

"He'll need time to fully heal," Amid begins simply enough, "Naza has said she'll keep watch and look after him so he won't need to go to a city hospital or the Dian Cecht clinic. Which would also cover his medicinal needs as well."

"Thank you," Hestia releases another breath of relief, "I feel like I lost eons off my lifespan. Is this how others feel when their Children get into such danger?"

Neither woman answers. Out of both, Naza has a good idea. She had been there, screaming in pain and struggling to survive and she is still down one limb as a reminder. It is also a thought she doesn't want to remember very often, let alone dwell on.

As the three speak, Riveria had approached Loki about the incident. Noting that Aki would be by herself essentially. Also, the Hestia Familia only has one member and that is Bell Cranel.

While most of the city would not begrudge them handing over just Anakitty, Riveria had been informed by an ally Familia that someone is already spreading rumors. The Guild has heard of them already and is quashing the rumors with an official report on the matter as well as a full sweep. Several of their number would need to be spoken with about the issue as well, though, she didn't see anything happening that would be remiss for them.

"Ta prob'rem is wit ta Civies, eh?" Loki agrees that whoever is doing their work, they're doing it shockingly fast. "Yoush were fallowed."

Riveria nods, "We sensed it and detected it, but thought it was only the Freya and Ishtar. We saw a couple of the latter a few times over and one or two of the former. But Finn did suspect we were followed from much lower down. To a place only we go along with the Freya."

"And Frey-Frey ain't inta simply tailin' eider," Loki nods, which left one huge question mark, "I'll contact her and alert her. Better tell Ishtar, too. That someone might try and scam the people using her name. You know how she hates that."

Riveria snorts. She and the Ishtar Familia do not really get along well. Mostly because they like to pick fights with her and her daughters. Especially that Toad of a Captain they have liking to pick fights specifically with Ais.

The Guild has leaned on Goddess Ishtar about that. Even the Goddess herself agrees. She's punished her Captain on several occasions. And likely is beginning to wear thin of her attitude as well.

Rumors were going around that Aisha Belka, the Antianeira or the Magnificent Ruler in Kione, is being considered for promotion directly to Captain of the Ishtar Familia. In the near future as well. After the 'retirement' of the current Captain. A move that might occur sooner rather than later given the Toad's inclination to make trouble severe enough to warrant frequent punishment from Goddess Ishtar.

Still, that is just nitpicking now. For both, the issue is clear. They would need to do more to calm some of the more easily agitated citizens. Especially in the wake of what just happened.

"Who do you recommend?" Loki is not thrilled to give up even more of her Children, but once the Hestia Familia has had time to restart and get its numbers up, more arrangements can be made.

"Elfy and Line," Riveria responds at once, "Elfy can keep us informed and is rarely with us on expeditions, while Line can keep an eye on the boy and treat anything that comes up. We could offer to make the Hestia Familia an ally or a subsidiary for now?"

"Ally," Loki will not be the one to enrage Hestia by making her Familia a subsidiary. That was just damn stupid! It would be best to also see about pulling in both the Miach and Takemikazuchi Familias as allies as well. That should sweeten the deal and more to the point, giving some of their more weaker and junior members a chance to party with those more closely their own Levels for simple excursions into the Dungeon.

A win-win for the Loki Familia and a good way to provide cover for a trio of junior Familias.

Plus, once Freya finds out about the boy, Loki knows she'll be interested and that's as good as a death sentence for the Hestia Familia.

Freya being one of the few willing to test her luck with Hestia. No matter how many times she actually lost to the Trio. Only Aphrodiate ever really stands a chance and that is because the Trio and her are on such great terms, even if it didn't look like it.

In addition, Aphro really disliked Freya as well. A mutual understanding is that Freya is the strongest of all the Goddesses of Beauty. Only kept in check by the Trio. Like they all were. They and the others who could simply brush aside their power, like Odin and Zeus, Amaterasu and Ganesha.

Yeah, Loki looks at the small Goddess and shudders. Their powers dictated their size in the Lower World. The less power given up or better controlled, the more generic their size and appearance. Hence why Freya still looks like a Goddess among the Deities and Loki looks like a boy mostly.

Of course, some of that is personal cosmetic design. Like the fact that Loki appears boyish. Loki actually, technically speaking, is more a genderless Deity. Technically a God, but she could shift to a Goddess on a whim and back equally on a whim.

Just not down here in the Lower World. Here, she is stuck as a Goddess, but it doesn't bother her. If anything, it helps her with the beauties that she can visit with!

Though, there are cases like Hephaestus who at least was lucky enough to win the best draw out there. Except for her face, but that is a minor annoyance along with the other small issues and blemishes that followed her down. Which are probably too much a part of her Core Existence to be ever removed. But she had the looks to offset it.

But Hestia is definitely not particularly lucky.

While Hestia has always been a bit shorter than the others, she was never this short. Loki could actually feel and taste how much power still wafts off Hestia and yet she could also tell how much was left behind. Hestia also did a lot of cosmetic changes on top of that, such as her hair being a jet black-like onyx instead of the colors of fire that she normally had.

The same of her eyes losing that coloration that made one feel like she is always seeing them, on a level that even would off put Freya.

Somehow, Loki suspects that Hestia still had the look in her eyes. And without that unique appearance within her eyes, it might just be more terrifying. Loki honestly didn't want to find out.

Of course, the childish side is purely Hestia.

Hestia did tend to be lazy and prone to outbursts, but that was the result of how she came into existence. She isn't the only one to have such personality quirks. They all had them actually. That aside, Loki would need to speak with Hestia on the transfers.

To Loki's not surprise, Hestia turns to her once both of the doctors she had been speaking with leave to go rest and then turns to walk over to her and Riveria, "Yes?"

"How does ya do tat?" Loki responds, more than a little creeped out how Hestia always knows.

A simple smile is all that is made and Loki is quick to move things along before Hestia got that look in her eyes.

"Anywose!" Loki coughs into one fist before speaking again, "Riveria 'ere waz jus' tellin' me t'at sumones ben spreadin' rumors a'readie," Loki explains everything that Riveria had learned, with the Elfess chipping in as well at points before they reach the crux, "So… Do you want me to transfer them over?"

Hestia sighs.

She knows that Loki is looking out for her own. At the same time, transferring Children around like this isn't something done lightly. Given the very public spectacle, Loki is understandably concerned. Her Familia has taken a big hit after being turned back during their expedition with the loss of most of their supplies and loot.

While far from vulnerable, it looks more like someone wants to merely agitate the situation. Nothing more or less. Which means that it is not particularly very petty either. Given that they have such resounding knowledge of what happened from start to end.

The alliance is fairly easy. Both of them know they would continue to rib and rub one another. But whoever is moving, might decide to up the game. So, by having more of her Children in Hestia's Familia, Hestia is aware that whoever is doing something, will back off knowing that Loki has skin in the game and the lives of three of her most prized Children no less.

But she is offering a well taught Healer. That is something that will obviously ease Hestia's mind and more to the point, Hestia would let the Child go on expeditions with her true Familia. Though, the Goddess of the Hearth and the Trickster Goddess both know that Hestia is living less than ideal right now.

Indeed, it is a squeeze for her and Bell alone. Sure the pair had space to not crash into one another, but the reality is that Hestia had the only actual bed and room. With the latter being more of a side area that is now enclosed with curtains and some wood.

Bell had initially lived on the coach before getting a cot that he attached to the wall. But his privacy amounted to the sheet that covered his sleeping space. And when Bell isn't using his bed, it is folded up against the wall to clear it out of the way.

Hestia has an actual dresser to store her clothes, along with a coat closet.

Bell, by contrast, stores all of his belongings in a few cubby holes that he made and covers up with a blanket.

If that didn't say how bad they had it, they also had only one toilet and a single bath. The latter actually being more readily heated now that there were two of them to bring money in. Bell also did something on the side to always bring in a bit more money.

Incidentally, crime in several areas appears to have dropped off.

Rumors claim it is the Ghost of Gale. But Hestia suspects it is Bell. No one is killed, but the Ganesha Familia have brought in several battered criminals. No where near to being fatal or leaving long lasting injuries. But they would definitely be feeling those bumps and bruises for weeks to come.

But she only had a suspicion right now. Nothing concrete. Though, it did interest her into knowing what Bell is up to and how things would go now that he's injured.

Or if the rumors of a 'Ghost of Gale' are true.

XXXX

Elsewhere…

"That was one big sneeze, Lyuu," a gray haired young girl or woman, which is hard to say as she appears to be right on the edge of either, "Are you okay? Are you coming down with something?"

"Nya! Nya!" a Brown Cat Woman meows aloud, "Me thinks Lyaa isn't coming down! Nya thinks someone talking about mew!"

"Who then?" the green haired and eyed Elfess named Lyuu inquires with a raised delicate eyebrow, "Only those present would likely speak of me."

A humming is heard from the last pair present, before they shrug and the brunette Human speaks up, "Maybe it's because, as of late, people are talking about the Ghost of Gale running around town."

"Mew think it was Lyaa, but she's been with us each time," the Black Cat Woman notes.

Before anyone could say anything else, though…

"HEY YOU FIVE!" their employer shouts from the entrance to their tavern, dragging in another unlucky punk, 'GET BACK TO WORK!"

With two Cat cries, the five rush to get back to work and make things ready for the dinner rush.

XXXX

"Are you sure, Loki?" Hestia finally asks, wanting a firm response.

"I am," Loki responds, "But I would like to speak with my girls directly. If they say yes, when can we meet?"

"At once, same place," Hestia responds, remembering the book store where she first made Bell part of her Familia followed by Anakitty, who is proving very faithful and standing slightly behind Hestia as a shadow.

"Agreed," Loki nods and the two shake on it before the doors to the operating room open and finally, Bell is being wheeled out and to his room to recover.

Goddess Hestia all but teleports to Bell's side. The boy is looking better than when he was brought in. Still unconscious, but that could just be the sedatives used to keep patients unconscious during surgery.

With a polite bow, Anakitty follows her new Goddess and Captain. That leaves Loki, Riveria, Dian Cecht, and Miach alone in the hallway.

"Loki," Miach approaches nodding, "I believe she will accept. That Healer you intend to provide? I will have Naza work with her. Hopefully we will have all taken care of and she can return to your Familia in due time."

Loki only makes a weak laugh. Both know that in due time could be months or years. But Hestia would release the girl back to her once her Familia is up to scratch. Hestia would always be as good as her word and better when it came to her own beliefs.

"Unfortunately, there is their living conditions," Dian Cecht adds in after some thought, "While far from unsanitary, if anything, I daresay Hestia would blow her top if she lived in a pigsty," the three Deities each have a laugh of their own knowing that Hestia would eventually clean up, but is actually a tidy person by nature since that is part of her Core Existence.

"But there is the fact that they struggle for heating on occasion as well as cooling," knowing Hestia's home already, Miach already knows about the drawbacks before Bell arrived, "To say nothing of keeping hot water for her bath… Oh…" Miach remembers what will happen.

"My point I was finding a means to," Dian Cecht nods, "One boy, a Goddess, and three young women under the same roof with few places to change and bathe without an accident occurring at some point."

"I'll talk with my girls," Loki sighs as she thinks about it, "Good thing I'm not sending an Elf," before a thought came to mind, "Let alone Riveria herself!"

Said Elfess shoots an annoyed look at her Goddess.

"No kidding," Dian Cecht responds with a wince as he remembers a specific incident about two years ago, "It would probably be like that time someone went out of their way to try and post Lewds and Nudes of Nine Hell and created several riots among the Elves of the city. What do they call themselves? The Protectors of the Alf?"

Riveria growls in memory. To this day, they still didn't know who had been following her. Using Magic Stone-powered devices called Picture Grabbers or something like that, they had posted quite a few embarrassing indecent images of her.

Fortunately, they were always pulled down or intercepted before they actually were seen by the populace. But the fact that someone was trying had gotten out. Lefiya herself had blown a fuse, whatever the Deities meant by that, and Alicia had made volcanoes look positively tame in comparison. The pair, along with the rest of their elite Elven unit and all of the Loki Elves had united as a group called 'Protectors of the Alf' and were joined by other Elves in the city to go on the prowl for the offender or offenders.

Whoever it was, took offense to being hunted and proceeded to try and wage a war on the PTA as well. With similar results and even more chaos. Both sides were apparently trying to 'school' each other into submission. Whatever that was meant to mean.

Fortunately, it appears that the Guild addressed that matter. They apparently still had Guards very capable of hunting down such individuals. Leftover from the time when Lord Zeus had been prowling the city, looking to get into some kind of mischief.

And could he ever.

Further small talk goes on. Details being worked out between the three Deities as the Elfess stands silent, only providing input when absolutely necessary. God Miach would ensure that anything agreed to would reach Hestia in a prompt manner. Goddess Loki knows better than to do anything foolish, though, that said, she does intend to find out who is besmirching her Familia and make them pay. God Dian Cecht finishes up the agreement on what the final costs would be and that the Guild would be covering it from the special fund that the Guild had created for new Familias to rely on in such an event as this.

Once the final agreements are made, the three Deities part while the Elfess goes in search of her two daughters to bring before their Goddess and see if they would agree to this plan they had in mind.

Meanwhile, in the room provided for Bell to rest in, Goddess Hestia is quietly eating an orange and idly kicking her feet in the air again, as the chair is too tall for her, again. Near to her, Anakitty is quietly reading one of Bell's books and enjoying the tale of the Three Young Lieges who reclaimed their country from treason and a conspiratorial plot. The Cat Woman knows that her friend Tiona would love this book as it provides quite the riveting tale and to her surprise, she's only reading the first of six books. The first one titled, 'The Lady of the Plains.'

Anakitty isn't sure how long she had been reading, finding the book absolutely enthralling. She can see why the boy would read it. The character of the Lady Lyndis is especially powerful given the decisions she makes in her life. Including leaving the land of her mother's ancestors to journey back to the land of her father's ancestors. Eventually, while longing for the heroic tactician that had been at her side, she marries happily the man she was originally intended to wed and they have a family at the end of the entire story.

Realizing that, having actually completed the six books and thoroughly enjoying the stories, Anakitty couldn't stop and so she had moved on to the 'The Blue Lion and the Maiden' and had just finished reading a critical section of the story in the middle of the book when Bell suddenly releases a groan and begins to come around.

"Bell!" Goddess Hestia is next to the boy's good arm, but staying out of Amid's way as the young woman checks the boy's vitals as Naza checks his broken arm to find it is mending properly so far thanks to the accelerated properties of Orario's medicines.

The boy shifts and groans a bit more. Eventually his eyes begin to open. They flutter somewhat as he begins to reawaken from his slumber. Of course, one particular shift wakes him up good enough immediately.

"MY ARM!" he screams and twists before Naza smacks him over the head.

"Enough Bell!" The woman then proceeds to rub at both of her ears, growling at the now sheepish boy who's red eyes look a bit frightened before he calms down when Naza smiles, "Remember, indoor voice. This is a hospital after all and yes, your arm was broken in that fight with the Minotaur."

Looking down at his left arm in a plaster restraint, Bell sighs as he lays his head back on the pillow.

"My stuff was wrecked, wasn't it?" Bell knows he shouldn't be calling his armor merely stuff, but the pain about it being nearly destroyed, if not destroyed, is even worse than his arm.

The armor and weapons had been a gift from his late grandfather. Modeled directly on his teacher's equipment. He had practiced endlessly in it and did his best to fight for noble goals.

And to be the shield of those who lack strength to stand up to others.

To be the light in the darkness for those lost.

"Bell…" Goddess Hestia can only gently reach out and stroke his hair while holding his good hand.

In response, Bell does favor his Goddess with a smile. He is grateful for her kindness and knows she isn't trying to patronize him just because of what happened. He can tell. His Goddess is truly kind, loving, and forgiving. She carries a well of depth that many just cannot see and for that, he is truly grateful to her for when she found him and took him out of the darkness of his own fears and worries.

Anakitty quietly closes the book she was reading and puts it to the side and gently walks over.

"Bell Cranel," she starts softly.

"Huh?" he blinks at seeing the unknown Cat Woman, curious as to who the Felyne is, "Yes?"

"I'm Anakitty Autumn, a Level 4 Adventurer," the young woman starts as she steps next to the bed, "I was originally with the Loki Familia, but offered my services to Goddess Hestia until you are fully recovered and can recruit more members."

Bell gives a mild start, surprised by this abrupt change. He looks to his Goddess, who nods before explaining that he is still her Captain and that Anakitty would also be working with him, helping him to get better used to the Dungeon. Hopefully, before long, they can recruit new members so she can rejoin her friends in the Loki Familia.

"My apologies for the inconvenience," Bell nods his head, feeling deflated at this turn of events.

But the Black Cat slowly shakes her head.

"Not at all," she replies and explains what happened. That the returning Loki Expedition to the 60th Floor had been turned back much sooner due to attacks by new species of Monsters that had inflicted a number of casualties and destroyed much of their supplies and equipment.

Then, nearly to the Upper Floors, a large party of Minotaurs was literally born out right around them. After a minute number were killed by their members, the rest panicked and fled up to the Upper Levels. The last one was the one that had fought Bell as her Familia had pursued the fleeing Minotaur and began killing them wherever they could be found.

"From what Ais Wallenstein, the Loki Sword Princess, was saying," Anakitty sees Bell perk at the mention of the blond teenage girl and files it away for future reference, "You were very close to achieving an impossible feat and killing the Minotaur yourself when she found the two of you fighting."

Bell frowns, but nods as he does quite vividly remembers his battle against the rampaging Minotaur.

It is… Quite the queer thing it is. Very strange. That he can recall the details. The clarity of it is as much as some of the rivers and lakes back home. So clear despite their being a world of water that he recalls the village festivals that saw them dance next to the water's edge or above the water and see their reflection cast back as though they were on the edge of a boundary of two very different worlds.

While beneath the water?

How vividly he recalls chasing his teacher in the water.

Darting about, keeping always a simple kick away.

Especially in those bodies of water that held ancient ruins. It was always more like they were swimming through the air on the shore than swimming beneath water. The stars at night always made it feel like they were high into the air as well, swimming just below Heaven itself.

Even during daytime. When Brother Sun was up and Sister Moon slept instead.

Bell recalls the encounter.

He had been yawning, thinking he should probably take a break and go back up to the surface and see what he could buy for lunch. Simply rest a bit and maybe take an afternoon nap.

As his Goddess suspected, something he noticed when she heard the 'Ghost of Gale' stories as of late, that Bell himself had been going around at night, finding criminals and laying them low to be collected by the Ganesha Familia.

Bell is not some novice as many might think simply based on his countenance and youth.

Taking the field at age 12, Bell had first hunted a Monster of danger that had grown adults with years of experience worried. But Bell brushed that aside, not out of hubris, but because there were few left at the time to hunt the beast. Most of whom were actually lesser than Bell was.

It was a kind of Lizard-type Monster that could swallow four armored men whole if it so desired. It had a legion of smaller types of itself in company and surrounding where it lived. They were surprisingly more akin to wolves than lizards in their body structure and build.

Aside from being like a massive iguana or such, it had something akin to hair, surprisingly. It had a coat of fur akin to the hairstyle called dreadlocks. Bell knows its name, the Great Jagras.

And he had been undeterred when he hunted the Monster for three weeks.

Bell had used every trick he had learned hunting. And what his teacher had imparted to him in training and learning. He refused to be defeated and so he went looking for trouble.

He barely arrived when it had descended upon a town of all places completely undetected.

Its horde had led the way in. Causing havoc. The guards were caught by surprise. Immediately, the central watch tower had ignited the age old sign of distress when a location was beset by Monsters.

Bell watched the trail of red smoke reach high into the air. But he also watched the Great Jagras crossover the walls. The guards that tried to stop it failed to so much as get it to yield as they were killed or driven away. Few of the wounded escaping along with those that tried to carry them out.

But Bell was close and he went through the broken main gate of the town. He kept his eye on his target. Killing the Great Jagras would scatter the smaller Jagras. Allowing the guards to kill most at their leisure even.

It had been hectic. Bell helping where he could. Though never forgetting his target.

The Monster had finally eaten one thing too many. It swallowed the daughter of the town's lord and her horse she had been riding in one go.

But doing so had slowed it considerably. Coupled with others it had already swallowed, its massive belly was practically fully expanded. Which meant it was no longer as agile or nimble.

And with opportunity offered, Bell struck fast and hard, surprising the Jagras preparing to guard their leader before they could set up.

Bell went right through them as sure as a sword would through his shirt. The first four were beheaded before they knew he was even then. The next pair caught sight of him and reared up to fight, but Bell disemboweled one and crushed open the skull of the other.

But both had howled an alert of his presence.

Bell pushed on. His bravery rallying some of the remaining guard. Bell had been fortunate, too.

A ballista had been left intact and fully function with a load of bolts within it. It was also aimed at the Great Jagras and Bell triggered it as he passed. The Monster howling as the few bolts actually fired struck home, one even taking an eye.

With a roar, Bell focused everything he was and slammed his weapon into the Monster.

Even training under a renown Knight of Kazimeirz, Bell lacked the strength to actually kill the beast in one hit. In point of fact, he would have likely died fighting it. But Bell didn't fight alone.

Adventurers from outside of Orario, members of the Town Watch, personal guardsmen of the town lord, and others joined him.

One man, part of a traveling group he never found much out about, stood as tall and broad as the King, Ottarl, Captain of the Freya Familia and just as mighty in Bell's opinion.

Like Bell he was armed with a shield and had a powerful and large hammer of all things in hand. He struck the Great Jagras with such power that it immediately coughed up and spewed out all it had swallowed. Which left it coughing and struggling to breath as it realized it was now in danger and couldn't easily escape.

That's when it saw Bell with its good eye. The Great Jagras is known for its intelligence. As such, it didn't take more than a moment for it to realize that Bell had been the cause of its troubles. Once it had made that decision, the Great Jagras acted and attempted to bite him.

Which would have resulted in Bell becoming two pieces. But Bell had seen the Monster leader looking at him. Seen the realization dawn in its remaining eye. Seen the attack coming.

And so, Bell had slid beneath the Monster's attack, causing it to miss completely, become overextended, and vulnerable with a weak point open to Bell who had gone for that weak point which had been the literal jugular.

Those of sensitive hearing covered their ears as the Monster let out its final roar. It then simply dropped dead where it had been struggling to stand and stay so. It took the massive man and his allies almost twenty minutes to get the corpse up high enough that Bell could get free of it.

Thankfully it had landed against a building, so Bell had some literal breathing room left to him.

Which didn't help the smell. Bell smelled of Jagras for a month afterwards. His whole body carrying a distinct red, especially his hair. Which, naturally, annoyed the boy and cost quite a bit of coin to at least tone the smell down where every dog around wasn't trying to bite him too!

After that, Bell could have sworn he heard a group of Heavenly Woman, servants or messengers, singing a song. Because Bell had gone from a nobody, a zero, to a somebody, a hero in no time flat.

Over the following, as the war that had drawn his teacher away to fight and his grandfather worked to keep the peace in the land, Bell had steadily grown as a local folk hero.

The White Rabbit of Dromore.

Some even thought of him as a demon or devil. Mostly the bandits, criminals, and other ne'er-do-wells he found himself crossing paths with. Of course in some cases, he would admit, it kind of, sort of, most definitely did go a bit overboard. Which is probably what led to some people calling him a demon or a devil to the point there had been one case of someone tossing a so-called Holy Hand Grenade at him.

Bell, after he regained his wits and found out what had happened, had kicked that guy so hard between the legs, with the toe of his armored boot no less, that the idiot had been walking funny for almost two months.

Bell was one not to relish in hurting others. But he did derive some satisfaction from doing so. It also made clear not to do that again. Oh and that Bell is Human, too.

Of course, there was that time he found one of the largest Slave Markets in his country and in point of fact, the entire region.

Bell had snuck in while searching for some girls and women kidnapped from his village. It had been at the tail end of the war that had drawn both his teacher and grandfather away. Bell had been resting as a matter of fact after crushing a bandit group and dealing with a, well for him at the time, small Monster threat.

He had also been investigating some strange Monster behavior in the region that had been giving everyone a reason to scratch their heads well into the night in confusion.

After the kidnapping, Bell had joined the rescue attempt. Of course, with his luck, he had found himself in the capital and in the largest Slave Market around. And he had arrived at a moment in time, just before one of the girls from the village and a defeated female Knight Commander were to be 'Stuffed' for a man that had bought both, raped them, and intended them as nothing more than furniture.

Bell had heard the knight screaming, breaking down to not be 'Stuffed.' That she would be a good slave. The man had paid no mind than to inform her her beauty would be forever.

Instead, it was Bell's legend in his home country that became forever.

By the time Bell had finished, he had the King himself sending bounty hunters after him.

All the King got for his effort was the Queen overthrowing him alongside the King's brother.

Of course, by that time, Bell's lord had marched on the Capital. With his teacher in the van, the alliance of loyalists to the Queen, overthrew the tyrant. The False King he would become known as he didn't really do anything for the country or to govern it. He simply had lavish parties, ate expensive food, and tried to have a son born who would prove to be his true successor.

The King had two brothers. One was no different from the King while the other had been sickly much of his life. Both brothers had gotten involved, the one like the King was slain by his own son that he tried to sacrifice for his own survival. The other brother had never married, but was the true father of the Queen's two daughters and was loyal to wife and daughters.

More than that, the King and his brothers had married into the Royal Family. The Queen had been legitimate heir to the throne. And so, Bell's efforts had inadvertently allowed the Queen to reclaim her family's throne and now she sits as the Regent of the land.

The father of her two daughters had succeeded in siring a son with her since and is now the King Consort. And despite his still less than stellar health, he is far more active in government affairs than his brother had been. More than that, he was beloved by the people as a good match for the Queen who both had the support of the people since they did govern fairly and justly with a nobility that had been purged of its corrupt influences.

Save one high ranking noble, but he had actually been steadfastly loyal to the country. Seeing the rise of the Queen to be a mighty monarch, he had brought his forces under her command and offered his head in exchange for their safety. He was instead kept around out of his loyalty and recognition of his valor in fending off an invasion and rescuing many kidnapped citizens.

Also, he finished off the slavers that Bell had missed.

And with that, at the age of 13 years, Bell was given certification as a Free Knight and encouraged to-

Bell found it missing!

"Where is it?!" he tried to move his left arm to help his right pat down for it, "Where is it?! Whe-"

There it is!

Before Bell grasps it though, his mind catches up.

Gazing from the item on its chain to the hand holding the chain. He follows the familiar arm up to its shoulder. From there to the face of the owner.

"I made sure no one would take it," Naza smiles as she flicks her wrist, snapping the item up to pop high and then drop into her palm before she twists her hand around and holds it to Bell, "I figure it is that important to you, Bell."

Almost unable to speak, Bell coughs, before gently placing his hand beneath Naza's and the woman gently places her hand into his palm before opening it and letting the item fall into Bell's hand.

"So…" Naza began with a look on her face as she withdraws her hand back, "The teacher… She's a woman, right?"

Bell flushes and looks bashful and shy even as he brings the Marriage Band to his chest. Right above his heart as he thinks of his beautiful wife in that moment. Her long golden blond hair beneath the white of her bridal veil. Her surprisingly white skin for one so active and not afraid to wear a simple sleeveless top with only straps to hold it over her shoulders.

Though she did have a tan and tanlines. Especially after she received her first bikini from Bell, thanks to the influences of his grandfather Phil Cranel, that he had gotten for her when he had been 11 years old. But while she was red in the face, she didn't hesitate to wear it that Summer, and even awarded Bell with being the first to see her in it.

He had been right to get the back of the bottoms with a cut that while it exposed a little more of her rear, it had accommodated her horse tail quite well.

And the ears on her head. Twitching just above the bridal crown. The way the bridal dress simply both hung off her body and yet also revealed every curve so starkly.

That evening, when they had actually done it for the first time. He was 13 and she was 23. Early, but so many wanted her to stay in Dromore and Bell had been one of them.

Marriage had been the only means.

Despite that age difference. She had said yes.

"Margaret," Bell speaks softly, "That's her name. Margaret Cranel," he had tears in his eyes as he thinks of his wife, "Sadly… Those who exiled her from Kazimeirz wanted her back in a major conflict they had gotten themselves into. Mostly because of her original family of—"

XXXX

"—Lady Nearl, our forces are on time," the Kazimeirz Officer reports to the scion of the Nearl Household, finally back after those damn fools who exiled realized their mistake in doing so.

The Officer and many others are glad she is back. But her mind often seems distant. Perhaps her exile had been harder on her than one could tell. Though given the level of loyalty she had shown her nation and been rewarded with exile, he had little doubt that she had some reasons to doubt her stay.

In point of fact, several fellow Knights and a few others always volunteered to test her food and drink, oft times without her knowledge, to ensure it was safe. So far, no one had become more than a little embarrassed. Who knew they had such strong herbs and spices in the world?

Though the sandwich is an incredibly astute invention!

While simple, a soldier or knight on the move could eat one with one hand while in full gear. The items involved can be filling enough, more so than hardtack and water without the bland nature no less!

And a sandwich can be both hot and cold.

Humans really do have some surprising smarts to them.

Subtly eying Lady Nearl's personal militia composed of Humans, he could see why she would have a softer spot for them than most of the Nobility.

And he had to nod well to the fact that once given a competent level of training, they were competent enough to be good Auxiliaries. He doubted them in the battle to come as a Legion, but in the Auxiliary role, they are being quite useful.

While they did complain a lot about the pace, they kept with them, though, that might have more to do that they wore less armor and therefore could keep better pace with them.

Still, they had proven themselves in the last siege. They had dug right to where was needed and set their explosives. Something their opponents had failed to detect, given that Humans didn't have a strong sense of smell and therefore were not as prone to sneezing when digging or handling explosives. Not like the rest of them who were either claustrophobic, needed special facemasks, or some other reason that made it more obvious they were tunneling and setting mines.

"Very good," Lady Nearl responds to the man, though, he hadn't noticed it, she had been looking at her Marriage Ring given to her by her Human husband.

Her mind set on her far away love. A boy who had unexpectedly, even to himself, had managed to simply enter her heart and settle in. Just as she had entered his heart and settled in.

'We were close too,' Nearl thinks bitterly as well, 'Just one more month and I could have conceived! We would have had a child!'

Working with the midwives and doctors, she had been tracking when it would be best to work towards a child. Not that it was stopping her from trying to conceive and despite Bell's youth, he was surprisingly both very enduring and filled not only the place that they needed filled to have a child, but she is quite certain that any girl his own age would be left unable to bed any other man ever.

Let alone women close to her own age being able to find such an endowed man after a time with Bell.

Despite being her husband and having had sex with her from their first night married onward, Bell had flushed deeply after the midwives and doctors had checked him. He had been struggling to get himself at attention, that only his wife had been finally able to get him up before them.

And she had been as red faced and embarrassed as Bell when he finally reached full attention before their gazes and the room had become filled with disbelief that Bell was born to Human parents only.

Given his strength, vitality, and how well endowed he is, the women around them had been convinced Bell had to have at least Pallum blood and at least some blood from a Beast Race in him. Possibly even some Barbarian blood!

"He is too big for a Human boy of 13 years," they had said at the time and lamented that Margaret had become Bell's wife.

The pride she still feels, even now, at marrying Bell.

Her student she took on to keep him from hurting himself or others divining the secrets of Kazimeirz Knight Arts.

And yet, she had taught him well. Taught him so well that in short order he had become a Free Knight without ever serving a House. A rare feat regardless of nation and race.

Phil had been crackling madly at that. Saying the boy likely had Heavenly Proclaimers announcing his feats. He had even jokingly pointed out when they had married, that she might have beaten Lord Odin and the Goddess Freyja to Bell. The man could be odd like that, but she had taken the declaration from him as his way of taking pride in having her for a granddaughter-in-law.

"Milady?" the Officer looks a bit concern, "Are you well?"

'No,' she thinks in her mind, but aloud says something else that has been weighing on her, "Our movement is swift, but so weak is the enemy skirmishing that I suspect a ploy to lure us where they will have advantage."

The Officer grimaces, but he does not disagree. He had been in battle before. On campaign. There is a firm reason why being too speedy due to a lack of enemy action despite what level of mobility their current foe has, is indeed troubling.

"There will be a gathering soon," the Officer takes her concern to heart and will arrange his forces accordingly, "Will they actually listen to you?"

Lady Nearl only turns, the two that had been closest to her, but not knowing what goes on in her head at times, not anymore, turn to her and prepare to follow her.

"Some yes," is her only reply as her younger sister falls in on one side and her surprisingly young aunt, on the other, but a step back for each as the Officer rises up and quickly follows, creating a diamond by which the four walk to their column as their force marches along, kicking up a series of dirt clouds that the four know cannot be missed for leagues around.

"We can also expect the enemy to employ a Familia as well," Margaret Nearl had encountered them before, when fighting in her husband's native land of Gael, "We will be hard pressed if they have Level 2 members. With defeat a very real conclusion if they field Level 3 Adventurers, even if only one. Inform all the soldiers and knights to expect an attack that will be unlike anything they have ever imagined."

XXXX

Far removed, a Level 2 Adventurer sighs as he drinks his soup from a cup.

The Radiant Knight.

Either famous or infamous depending on who you ask. He only knows the rumors, but he did meet with an old friend whose Familia had been on the wrong side in the Gael Civil War.

Wrong side from her and the victors.

The nobles he was contracted by weren't so bad as nobles went. They actually did care for their country, but felt it needed a new direction. With a Council of Nobles, not individual Royals, having the most power.

They were defeated in the war, but the victorious Queen, a late entry into the fight herself, had been generous in regards to them. As had been the forces arrayed in her name and loyal to her.

One of whom had been the Radiant Knight, Margaret Nearl.

His friend told of how she knocked around himself, a Level 2 as well, and a couple of other Level 2s like they had been nothing. She had been briefly detained by their Level 3 Captain who had ordered a Status Thief used on her to see what Familia she belonged to.

To their shock, she had no Falna on her. The Status Thief had revealed that she had never been part of any Familia in her whole life and that had meant that she had been so strong from the start. Surprised, but also delighted to have her first, after some 'cajoling' of course, their Deity tried to claim her right then and there after they had managed to drug her to keep her subdued long enough.

Only… He spoke in both fear and awe as he swore it was the gospel truth that a powerful God had arrived and captured their Deity and forced them to both release the Radiant Knight and surrender.

The God being none other than Lord Zeus himself.

His friend had been in terror at saying that. Yet he had also been in awe of what had happened. That several of their number tried to capture the God in turn. Only he defeated them. Himself included. By a God.

Lord Zeus may not have been the almighty Deity as he was in Heaven. But he is also as the myths and legends said. A Deity of great skill and strength. His power was not something strictly bestowed as a God of Thunder, but something he himself had in his mind and body.

Truly terrifying. And awe inspiring.

For the Adventurer, that is most concerning. Not long after the Gael Civil War, rumors of Lord Zeus having participated as a soldier in the war rather than as a God or leader of a Familia, had circulated. Those were quickly followed by word of Goddess Hera making a beeline straight for Gael only to change direction at the last moment when Lord Zeus had made a fuss in another country and Lady Hera had gone straight at that country.

Having unfortunately met Lady Hera, he did not envy those who would meet or have met her since.

But he had a quandary on hand.

The Radiant Knight is supposed to be in exile. Technically not exiled, but on a mission that is more a borderline, if not straight out one, of a Quest to be given to an Orario-based Familia. Which is a convenient way of saying she is exiled without having to actually exile her.

And yet, here she is. He can see her. Her family flag above her head and it is known that there are only three female members left in the entire House of Nearl. Plus one male, but he didn't leave his family estate much, let alone the Capital of Kazimierz.

They are also identifiable by their armor.

The Radiant Knight's armor is white with a golden trim to it. Her gambeson is also white, but has silver trim on it. Though she started to use blue as well to further distinguish herself. Though he noticed her surcoat is also both black and white, possibly as a sign of when she was exiled before being recalled. She also appears to have a blue ribbon in her hair or perhaps two of them, one near each of her ears. Uncommon for a grown woman, but they may be there to help hold her hair inside her helmet as well.

He had also noticed her looking at a ring. Likely a Marriage Ring. The rumor mills near Gael had spoken of her marrying immediately after the war. The rumors ran from Lord Zeus down to a peasant boy from a farm.

The latter might be the truth. But only insofar.

After all, the White Rabbit of Dromore is a boy of 14 years, if he is reckoning right that is. It had been all the talk when the boy had been made a Free Knight without ever serving a House. The fact he had fought on his own, hunted Monsters no boy had any business hunting, while battling bandits and other criminals, and then making the ex-King of Gael send both bounty hunters and soldiers after him?

No one missed that part.

The White Rabbit is a powerful force on his own and it is believed that it was him that the Radiant Knight married.

'And the Kazimierz Nobles would have had her executed, the boy also killed, and his village burned, even if it risked war with Gael and its allies while also angering Lord Zeus,' the Adventurer shudders as like all who work this region of the continent know, the Kazimierz Beast People hate Humans.

They're barely tolerated in a number of areas. Forbidden to be soldiers. Though they can be mobilized as a Militia for short durations. But never in any numbers.

Which is why he sighs as he knows they're going to need to rethink their plan after spotting a column of Humans under the House of Nearl Banner marching as a competent Auxiliary for the Kazimierz.

"All that hard work undone," but he sighs again, knowing that his opinion won't really matter with the powers that decide. They will adjust the plan, but stick to it. The smart ones will take heed. Unfortunately, the dumb ones are in the lead.

And he has no doubt, given how obvious it should be about there being a battle in the immediate near future coming up, that the Kazimierz is also lead by the dumb ones, too.

"It's going to be a meat grinder," the Adventurer sighs, knowing what will happen and to make sure his will is finalized before they head into battle.

They should have asked Altena's representatives for more coin and support if they have to face the likes of her alone.

XXXX

A/N:

Welp!

Here's a new story for you all. One I don't think you all saw coming, did you?

A Guest in the Reviews had mentioned Arknights and I was thinking about an Arknights story. So, here we go. An Arknights crossover with Danmachi.

But I bet you all didn't expect this approach, right?

Coming up with a second name for Bell is going to be hard. Though, bright side, I think I got that covered. That said, ladies and gentlemen, this will not impact the other stories either.

For now, one is on hiatus until I get myself out of the corner I painted myself into. The other is still in production. As for the hiatus one, I think I'm getting out of that corner right now. Just need to clean up a few bits and go from there.

Anywhos!

Bell is married! To a woman 10 years his senior, no less. Why?

Better question… Why not?

And if you're like Rabbit Harem, don't worry. This is me and Danmachi. And the title says it all.

But it is also not like Bell to be just out collecting wives like they're Pokemon. Since when are women anything like Pokemon? I swear, some people have priority issues. And lack a bit of common morality in addition to decency.

Now, as you have also noticed, Bell is also far more capable here. He already knows Magic, Hestia is aware of it as is Miach and Naza. Eina, too. But it isn't common knowledge that Bell is a Paladin type of Knight.

But he learned from the best and I was NOT going to downplay Nearl!

Nope. She's going to be a powerhouse. Nothing like Ais' late father, but still pretty darn close in terms of in story modern terms. But still a far way off where Level 3s can beat her, but Level 2s have to work for it. Fates Above help the Level 1s dumb enough to cross her.

What else?

Oh yes. She won't actually be rejoining Bell for quite some time. During which time other Arknights characters will be joining as well.

Some will join the Hestia Familia while others will join other Familias. Need to introduce a bunch and make arrangements. Though the major recruitment for the Hestia Familia will not occur until after the War Games. That way they have the space for everyone.

That said, you may be wondering about Anakitty, Elfy, and Line?

Well, that's something I thought would be a good cause and effect.

Also, for as strong as Bell has been outside of the Dungeon, the inside is a whole other ball game. So, Anakitty would provide to be a good teacher. Patient and understanding and able to connect with others. She would teach Bell before returning to the Loki Familia.

Elfy and Line add a good learning curve for Bell. It would also increase his pull in from the Dungeon having extra members. At the same time, there would be added costs too that offset the increase. After all, they are unsupported by the Loki Familia as they are now part of the Hestia Familia.

Both Anakitty and Line, though, will be apart from the Hestia for the Loki Expeditions. This would leave Bell having to headhunt for a new party member. Hence where Lili comes in.

Also to note about Anakitty and Line being away means that the Hestia Familia will get a cut from their participation in the Loki's expedition. So, for Hestia it is a win-win.

The alliance between the two also means that when Bell's party, including Elfy, arrives on the 18th Floor, they will be instantly cared for as allies more than as mere friends.

And you can imagine the effect it would have on the dynamic between the Loki and Freya Familias and their respective Goddesses. Plus, what it could mean for the Apollon Familia if they move too quickly and abruptly without some way to neutralize or have the Loki Familia out of the way. To say nothing of what it would mean about the dynamic of the Ishtar-Loki Relationship, poor as it is.

But that's for the future.

As for the next chapter… Part of that will deal with Bell and Hestia having to adjust their lifestyle for their three newest members. Bell in particular will have adjustments to make as he's the only male among four females.

And the three new members will have to adjust to their new circumstances that are a major downgrade from what they had known. Including fewer resources, less personal space, and a far more activity to make up for their considerable lack of manpower.

But at the same time, this Bell is a more proactive type. Not just content with a few katas a day. So, the girls are going to have to get used to working out more. But the payoffs would include Elfy being seriously considered for expeditions as a mainline Mage than she previously had been.

Not including Anakitty's better sword skills in training bouts with the Takemikazuchi Familia and Line developing into creating Potions on the side after learning from Naza.

The training the group will get as a whole would increase their overall power. So, don't be surprised if in later chapters, Ais drops in to train with her friend and sisters. And brings a few along as well.

And, of course, the God Emperor on his Golden Throne will just smile as the Children learn by sharpening their claws on one another in friendly bouts that also build ties between Familias.

Plus, there will be a smile. Hidden out of sight from a most unlikely source. One who accepted the request of others.

Oh and if you haven't noticed, I also threw in a couple of references.

Phil Cranel isn't just a randomly chosen name. That's Zeus alright. I found myself delighted to find he had a name that included Phil in it as one of his many aliases and it also represents Phil from Disney's Hercules!

Which is also referenced in bits and pieces. Not much. But some.

Though, on that topic, there is a criminally serious lack of Danmachi AMVs with the OST from Hercules.

I don't know why My Hero Academia got so many, but I find it shocking that there are none for Danmachi. Trust me. I've been looking and coming up short. Like in none.

So… If you do AMVs on YouTube, I am definitely saying, FIX THAT PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OUR BEST GODDESSES! Oh and the Blond leads too. And for Lili's sake… Okay, for all of them.

Another reference is a direct dig at Freya.

The one that Nearl thinks about. When Zeus, as Phil Cranel, tells her that she beat both Odin and Freya to Bell. The reason is actually simple.

Odin and Freya split both the Valkyries and the Heroic Warriors they collect.

Furthermore, Nearl's race in Arknights is based on Pegasus. Which furthers the Greek connection. So, that means Zeus gets one, happily by coincidence, over Freya.

Oh and yes, there is that Monty Python reference. Poor Bell. At least he was only annoyed.

And as always, please do read and review when you finish!

So, TTFN laters gators!