Bell rubbed his eyes when he woke up in the morning, the bed in Astrea´s guest room was quite comfortable, he stretched his arms and looked out of the window.

The sky was already brightening, although the sun could not yet be seen, probably because of the mountains.

It shouldn't bother anyone if I do some early morningtraining.

Bell stood up and changed into a shirt and short pants, after taking his weapons he quietly headed down, he didn´t knew if Ryuu or Astrea still slept.

Is there someone...humming ?

After arriving at the bottom of the stairs Bell sneaked into the living room, it was empty, but at the entrance he saw Ryuu sitting with her back to him, taking off her socks and humming softly, apparently she wanted to train barefoot. She wore her usual white shirt and short pants, that she used for training.

For a moment he stood there and enjoyed the sound.

Of course Ryuu had heard him, she turned her head and smiled to him, while she whispered. "Good morning, Bell."

To him it was like the sun rose up, she had such a beautiful, warm smile on her face.

"G-Good m-morning." Bell felt warmness on his cheeks.

Her eyes wandered to his weapons. "You want to train too ? Care to join me ?"

"S-Sounds good."

"Hmm...Bell we should train without weapons today, the clashing sounds might disturb the neighbors this early."

It made sense, shadow training alone wouldn´t cause any loud noises, but against each other would.

"So, hand to hand ?" He put his weapon belt aside.

"We never know when we might lose our weapons." Ryuu rolled her shoulders to loosen up while they left the house and closed the door quietly.

"Is Lady Astrea still asleep ?" Bell shook out his arms and legs.

"She should be about to get up, she was always one of the first to wake up."

They went around the house to the backside, so no villagers would see them fight, the fresh grass under their bare feet felt good, their feet only got a little wet from the morning dew.

Both took their basic position, Bell hold his hands similar to when he had his knifes, Ryuu hold her left forearm upright next to her face, the right a bit lower. Bell got some lessions in martial arts from Mikoto and Lord Takemikazuchi, Ryuu had experience from a past Familia member who specialized in hand combat and her training with Runoa.

They stayed that way for a few moments, both waiting for the first movement.

Ryuu started with a quick step forward, delivering a straight punch with her right arm, whirling to the right when Bell blocked and kicked after him. Bell jumped aside and swung his fist.

It wasn´t their first hand to hand combat training and while Ryuu used all kind of techniques and punches, Bell had always one specific handycap. He would never try a punch to Ryuu´s chest.
She had scolded him more than one time he should focus on the fight and treat her like it was serious , but Bell remained who he was and so he refused, they were things he just couldn´t do to a woman.

They had to watch out for the slightly slippery grass and the fence in the backyard, Lady Astrea would certainly not be happy when they damaged it.

Bell ducked down and kicked after Ryuu´s legs, she had to jump backwards to evade. Even an high leveled adventurer shouldn´t jump into the air just like that, it was hard to change the direction with no objects to kick away from.

His strong side were his kicks, since he used his legs plenty while fighting with his knives, he tended to use them more than his fists. They complemented each other very well, since both were more of the speed type of fighter.

Ryuu brandished her fist after Bell´s face, he leaned back and rammed his knee against her hip...or rather he tried. She was somehow faster this morning than usual, when he blocked a punch or kick they felt stronger.

He was no newbie when it came to that kind of fight but she literally danced back and forth.

One time their momentum brought them so close that their bodies almost touched, the next moment they whirled or jumped apart.

Fast but controlled breathing could be heard, both started to sweat.

They jumped at each other again, block followed punch, counter attack followed counter attack, the sweat made it harder to block. Whenever there was a glimpse of time, they wiped their forehead with the forearm, to keep sweat from getting into their eyes.

But old habits die hard and even if Bell did his best, there was another factor that he didn´t knew about in this fight, Ryuu was not used to her new status.

They heard a window rattle and shortly after Lady Astrea´s voice. "Heeey you two ! Breakfast is almost ready, come in and wash yourself !"

That moment...this little distraction made Bell react too slowly.

His eyes and brain followed Ryuu´s upcoming leg, her right foot directly aimed at his face.

Actually, she had planned for him to crouch. But her kick came a bit too fast and too strong.

SMACK !

The back of Ryuu´s foot collided with Bell´s face before she could stop herself.

"Bluargh !" Bell whirled around and crashed right into Lady Astrea´s fence...

"Ah, Bell !" Ryuu dashed to his side.

She heard the door rattle and fast steps after that. "What happened...my fence ! Mr. Bell ! Ryuu what did you do !"

Lady Astrea rushed over to them.

"Sorry ! I went too far again !" Ryuu knelt next to Bell.

Bell lay there groaning. "Ow...it´s okay...I´m used...to it."

"Used to something like that ?!" Astrea looked at Ryuu, startled. "Ryuu...you can´t just kick Mr. Bell around like that."

"Sorry..." Ryuu averted her face while she helped Bell to get up.

He rubbed his cheek. "It only happens sometimes."

After checking if Bell were hurt, Astrea looked at her fence, then at Ryuu who looked embarassed.

"I..will fix the fence.."

"You two have to be more careful with your surroundings." Astrea didn´t sound really angry.

She sighed. "Well for now go and wash yourself, as I said breakfast will be ready soon."

Twenty minutes later they sat down at a table in the dining room.

"I really wished you would´ve told me that you leveled up before we started the training..." Bell´s cheek was swollen and he looked at Ryu reproachfully.

"I´m sorry ! I´m sorry for being such an useless elf !" Ryuu looked more than embarassed.

"Ahm Mr. Bell...I might have had the wrong impression of you...are you making Ryuu say things like that often ?"

"Wha ? N-No ! I don´t !"

.
.

"S-Sorry that we didn´t help with the breakfast." Bell looked embarassed, that Astrea had to do all the work alone while they trained.

"It´s okay Mr. Bell, I´m more than happy to have you two here." As always her smile put the sun to shame.

Although there were only three of them, it was a pretty big breakfast. There was freshly baked bread and goat milk, some boiled eggs and butter, together with vegetables.

"Our baker starts to work before sunrise so I got some bread for us and a few eggs on my way."

"You were already awake this early ?" Bell looked amazed.

"Well I don´t need that much sleep, even though there are days where I sleep long, when there is not much to do."

"It´s been so long..." Ryuu smiled when she looked at the table.

Astrea returned the smile. "Yes.."

The breakfast reminded Bell of the ones with his Familia, it was always nice.

"I will show you two the village when we´re done. We have to buy some food for the next days."

"Lady Astrea, what is your job here in the village ?" Ryuu looked at her goddess.

"I help where help is needed, sometimes we have to fend off smaller monsters, the bigger ones don´t come here, when there is dispute between villagers it is my job to mediate. And I help the wounded, we don´t have a doctor or a healer here, so we work with what we have."

"So...your experience from the dark times...is useful here." Ryuu looked at Bell. "She helped many citizens in the camps."

Astrea nodded. "Not a pleasant memory..but the knowledge is useful."

Since she was the goddess of justice that made sense.

"You help fighting the monsters...isn´t that dangerous ?" Bell looked worried.

"I might not be as strong as an adventurer but I will wield my sword to defend the village."

"Lady Astrea can fight very well, when I was new in the Familia, she regularly sent me to the floor."

Astrea giggled. "Yes, but that was a long time ago."

They took their time to finish the breakfast and cleared it away.

They left the house, Ryuu and Bell in their travel clothes that were washed the evening before, Lady Astrea wore a wide skirt, a white jacket and a hat. A basket hang from her arm.
The village was very peaceful, no loud noises, not much traffic, the exact opposite of Orario. They passed a few villagers on their way to the small market place, each of them greeted them.

On their way to the small market place, they saw some villagers working, they carried posts to an open area, it looked like preparations. In the middle of the field was a small shrine with a pillow on it.

"What are they doing over there ?" Bell looked at them curious.

"Oh, preparations for our annual festival to welcome the summer and thank the mountain spirits, you two are lucky that you came right now."

"There are spirits in these mountains ?"

"Yes, there are places all over the world where spirits live or gather, from small spirits to the big ancient ones. Just ask Ryuu...I´m sure she saw some a few times. For some reason spirits prefer elves over the other races."

"I´m sure spirits would avoid me...I´m not that pure anymore.." She sounded depressed.

"Mou, Ryuu." Astrea turned around and squished Ryuu´s cheeks with her hands. "Don´t say that, you´re still the same pure child of mine okay ?"

"I´m shorry."

"With that out of the way...the village was acutally built by elves a long time ago, they lived here in harmony with the spirits, at some point the elves left and now this village is here.
We still show our respect to the spirits."

.

The market place itself was not that big, only ten stalls, each sold different goods and on the side was one stall with a small forge at the side. The owner was the only dwarf in the village.

Not only humans lived in that village, except for elves they saw various races, the butcher might be the smallest wolf man that Bell had ever seen, he looked almost like a dwarf.

Ryuu drew a few glances, an elf was rarely seen here.

A few villagers stood together and chatted, when they saw Astrea.

"Ah good morning Lady Astrea !" The whole village seemed to like the goddess.

"Good morning you all, is everything alright ?"

"Yes, as always." The villagers seemed happy.

An elderly prum woman noticed Bell and Ryuu. "Lady Astrea, do you know these travelers ?"

"Oh of course." Astrea turned half around to Ryuu and smiled warmly. "This is my daughter, Ryuu."

"""Ooooh !"""

It meant a lot when a goddess called on of her children her daughter.

Ryuu bowed her head in greeting, her cheeks were just a tiny bit warm from being called Astrea´s daughter so openly.

"And this is her companion Mr. Bell."

"Nice to meet you." Bell bowed lightly.

The elderly woman smiled. "What polite young people."

It was easier for Bell to talk to the villagers than it was for Ryuu, she was never good at talking with strangers and Bell grew up in a village. .

.

But...

.

Sometimes...fate...or maybe the gods...had a strange timing...

.

As they were about to buy the food, a titanic roar shook the whole village and the earth started to shake.

.
""What was that ?"" Some villagers looked panicked.

Birds screeched and fled from the forest, shorty before they heard breaking branches.

The trees in the forest in the north started to move when something made its way through.

"RRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR !"

Some villagers covered their ears as a second roar rang out.

A tree broke and fell over, revealing a scaly leg.

More trees broke...a head appeared between the treetops.

A head covered in scales and with two giant horns on top...a wingless dragon.

The scales were like dark gold in color, his head reached about six meters...and he was wounded.

The upper quarter of the tail was missing and some scales had deep cuts in them, blood dripped from his muzzle...the dragon looked enraged.

Lady Astrea looked scared. "What is he doing here ? He lives much deeper in the mountains !"

Bell´s head shot around to her. "Is that the king ?!"

Astrea´s answer was drowned out in another roar.

The villagers tried to flee away from the beast, Bell noticed that Ryuu was nowhere to be seen.

"Bell !"

He whirled around, Ryuu sprinted in his direction, holding their weapons belts in her hands, the moment when the first roar rang out, she had run as fast as she could to get their weapons.

"Lady Astrea run ! We will fight him !" Bell caught the belt that Ryuu threw to him.

She had no other choice, she might be able to deal with small monsters but a dragon was something else.

The dragon started to move into their direction, just as Ryuu and Bell started to move.

"Firebolt !" Bell fired while running.

The electrical firebolt smashed into the scales and...did nothing.

"Wha !"

"Bell ! Real dragons have incredible high magic resistance and are immune to fire !"

Incredible high magic resistance, immunity to fire, scales to fend off most physical attacks, breath attacks that vary with the dragon, most with the ability to fly...dragons weren´t called the king of monsters for nothing.

Astrea led the people to the other side of the village, she prevented an uncontrolled panic.

"Where is his magic stone ?!"

"Real dragons don´t have magic stones !"

"This is ridiculous !"

"I know !"

Their only advantage against such a beast was speed.

The dragon stormed forward and struck a claw in Ryuu´s direction. She jumped to the side, kicked the ground and tried to slash the scales at the lower leg...nothing happened.

Her Futaba´s were strong weapons but it didn´t work.

Bell attacked from the other side, he jumped high and aimed with the Hestia Knife for the neck.

Something that big shouldn't be able to move so quickly, but the dragon bent his neck to one side and swung his head in Bell´s direction.

His Familia wasn´t deep enough in the dungeon to fight dragons regularly and this one was on a whole other scale.

Bell evaded the snapping jaws.

"Aim for the eyes !"

Being two people was another advantage, one of them distracted the dragon, the other tried to attack the head.

A few moments before Ryuu´s boots touched the ground, the dragon rose to his hind legs and let his front legs crash onto the floor.

.
He triggered a local earthquake.

.
Ryuu stumbled and tried to get her balance back, when the dragon sucked in air.

"Ryuu !"

If the dragon were able do use his breath attack, Ryuu would be in danger, but no fire, no ice or acid came. Instead a torrent of spit and blood came out.

She managed to dodge it...her new status was a big help.

"I´m okay ! His throat is injured !"

The dragon whirled around and wipped at them with his tail.

From behind them they heard Astrea screaming something, but they had no time to listen, the dragon was bigger and slower than the two but he would not have grown so big without some experience.

The fact that these kind had no wings was the only reason they could hold him back.

Maybe the dragon had enough of them, he stormed forward in the direction of Astrea and the villagers.

"No you don´t !" Ryuu sounded enraged, she would do everything to protect her goddess.

She jumped on the knee of the left front leg, from there to the "shoulder" and further up to the neck.

"Bell !"

"Yes !"

Holding Hakugen and the Hestia Knife in his hands, Bell jumped to the dragons side and rammed his weapons in one of the cuts.

The dragon threw back its head and screamed in pain for the first time, Ryuu used that distraction.

She whirled around, something flashed silver, then one of her swords sank into the left eye of the dragon.

Screaming in pain, the dragon tossed his head back and forth like crazy, until he threw Ryuu away.

Smoke streamed from the wound and blood gushed out. The dragon was way beyond enraged, he stormed forward, still ignoring them. .

The smoke stopped and with a nauseating smack the wound...closed. It´s eye restored itself.

"Regeneration !"

"But why not the other wounds !"

How should they defeat the dragon ? He stormed on unchecked...then Ryuu saw something that that made her blood run cold...Lady Astrea stood in front of the people, her arms spread to the side as if she tried to protect them and she screamed something that couldn´t be heard do to the dragon.

"MOTHER !"

Ryuu didn´t notice the word she had used, she was in panic.

Bell and Ryuu rushed as fast as they could.
.

They wouldn´t make it in time...

"...e king !"

They heard what Astrea exclaimed.

"Wha ?!"

"This is not the king !"

Ryuu used every spark of strength to jump faster...that´s when the dragon turned his head around and countered her in the probably worst possible way...

He spit at her...

Unable to stop her movement, Ryuu was hit in the upper body by a huge ball of dragon spit and blood. She lost her momentum and slammed to the ground, the only luck she had was, that the spit wasn´t caustic.

Bell tried to reach the dragon that turned his head around again.

"Stoooooop !" .

.
Then it happened...

.

.
Something like a white shape shot past Bell, too fast to see it.

.
"HUrgh !" The shape passed the dragon.

.
The dragon made a strange sound and stopped.

Bell´s feet touched the ground...he stopped, amazed.

A fine red line appeared across the neck.

"Urgh.." .
A moment later...the dragon's head fell and its body collapsed, twitching. He was only thirty meters away from Astrea.

"Wha !"

.
The white shape seemed to be shrinking a bit and stopped in front of Astrea.

.
Bell´s ears still rang from the fight but he heard the villagers shouted something. "ing !..."

"What ?!"

"ing !...This is the king !"

.
Lady Astrea didn´t move away, as the shape turned around and fixed his gaze on Bell.

.

It was...

.
A bunny...

.

A white bunny...with red eyes.

.
And...wings ?

Bell couldn't believe his eyes.

A small white bunny stood in front of Astrea, with two tiny wings at his side, an antler on the head and two saber teeth. Blood dripped from his teeth.

.
The small creature stood on his hind legs and screamed victorious.

"Kyyuuuuuuu !"

.

It was the cutest fearsome roar he had ever heard...

.

With a groan he heard Ryuu getting up, when he looked at her Bell noticed that she her upper body, head and arms were covered in dragon spit...

"Ryuu ! Are you okay ?" .
"Yes...more or less...wha ?!"

She stopped when the bunny hopped over to her. As it passed Bell, it shot a murderous glare to him and growled, Astrea followed it with quick steps.

Ryuu looked perplex as the bunny stopped at her feet and looked up.

"What is this ?" Bell looked at her.

"This is...a holy creature !" .
The bunny stood on its hind legs and sniffed at Ryuus legs.

Astrea reached Bell´s side, she was panting.

"This is the king of the mountains...it´s a holy creature...close to spirits...even purer than unicorns.

Bell looked horrified. "What ?! This ?!" .
The bunny stopped his sniffing and turned around to stare at Bell.

It scratched the floor with its foot and tapped it, then it tossed its antlers back and forth.

Astrea clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no !"

"Wh-What ?!" .
"He thinks of you as a rivale."

"Huh ?!"

"Your white hair, the red eyes...your knifes...he might think of you as a rivaling male of his kind !"

"Wha-Thats absurd !"

But Astrea shook her head.

"When he sniffed Ryuu...he must have noticed your smell on her, because you traveled together...he must think she is your female and you want to settle here."

Bell wanted to cry...a white bunny creature thought of him as one of it´s kind...

The bunny scratched the ground again.

"Bell you mustn´t fight it !" Ryuu tried to come closer but the bunny moved between her and him.

"H-Hey calm down...I don´t want to f-"

"Sha !" The bunny bared it´s teeth.

"You have no choice, for him it's a turf war ! He won´t accept a no." Astrea backed away slightly.

Now Bell really wanted to cry...

"Whatever you do, don´t kill or hurt him !" Ryuu stepped back as well.

"Uuuuuh..." Bell took his fighting stance.

The "bunny" noticed he accepted the challenge...then it started to...grow...

It grew bigger and bigger until his head reached about one meter...it didn´t look cute at all anymore.

"Wha-!"

"WRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !"

With a loud scream the king of the mountains...a Wolperinger...dashed onto Bell.