Author's note:

Well would you look at that, 50 chapters :0

To anyone that actually made it this far, thank for reading :)

Chapter 50: Back to the dungeon

Bell:

With a small sigh of relief, Bell shrugged the bag strapped to his back into position as he looked back at his familia home. The old church still had an air of solemnity to it. Bell enjoyed it as a home, far less luxurious than he had grown up with, but far more than the farmhouse he had exiled himself to.

Either way, it had become more crowded than either. They needed an expansion or a secondary home. Technically, they had Belit Babbity, but none of them wanted to live there or anywhere else in the entertainment district.

The crowding had become far more apparent after Ishtar was sent back to the heavens. Kirito was a permanent sense of worry. Hestia winced and Lili paled when they saw him. The others did not react as visibly, but he still disturbed the atmosphere. Not just him either, many of those that had been charmed by Ishtar were not themselves. Lisbeth had locked herself in a rentable forge somewhere, whereas Silica and Sachi wandered with lost eyes. Seeing them in that condition allowed Bell to accept Kirito's deed more easily. Gods could err. Sometimes they needed to be corrected.

Besides, some good had come it. Turning, Bell smiled at the golden haired Renart who prepared her own bag with a diligent expression. She noticed Bell's gaze and smiled broadly at him.

"I'm so excited to be coming with you, Bell!"

His cheeks heated. She was radiant, with her hair like spun gold and flawless porcelain skin. Wearing a red kimono, she could have been an ancient shrine maiden to one of the great spirits.

Yes, with Ishtar removed, Haruhime was finally free to convert into their fmailia. She was an official member of Hestia familia and on her first excursion as one. From his familia, only Lili was coming as well. The Prum was glaring at Bell for some reason.

At the dungeon he would meet up with Welf and Klein. After receiving the set of armour he had been promised yesterday, Klein had shown up and recommended they go 'kill stuff' in the dungeon.

Bell had agreed. When he told Hestia though, Lili had been there and said they had some quests to fulfill in the middle floors and this could be a good opportunity. So, Bell went to meet up with the rest of the party with two supporters in tow.

The city, as expected of Orario, had recovered almost instantly. Sure, there were people disrupted, a few shops destroyed, weapon shops looted, but there was no despair. The guild dealt with it. Unfortunately, this would usually have been covered with the guilty familia's funds. Ishtar's funds were now Hestia's.

That left the victims in a situation where the guild could only shrug and offer loans. A poor bandage in this case. No matter how sour the answer, the citizens grumbled and tried to recover. One got used to events like these in Orario, where adventurers made up much of the population.

Most merchants, Bell suspected, took it as the risk involved in selling services in the center of the world. The origin of the world's magic stones had enough coin to make the average merchant here a wealthy person in other places.

Shortly, Bell and his party were through the shopping district and met up with Welf and Klein at one of the nearby parks just outside Babel. The looming tower a monolith of sturdiness.

"Yo, there's our third man!" Klein cheered, that cheer abruptly cut off in the middle. He had been charmed by Ishtar as well, if not to the extent of the others. That seemed not to dampen his approval of beautiful women as he coughed and bowed formerly to Haruhime. "Ah, my beautiful lady, please know that nothing will happen to you this day. I pledge my life on it."

"Of course I know that!" Haruhime replied happily, Lili only glaring at the man for not including her. "Afterall, Bell is my hero and will surely protect me."

"Urgh." Klein bowed his head. "First Kirito and now this? Where is my luck?"

Welf patted him on the back. "I'm sure you'll find a nice girl at some point."

"With bad eyesight," Lili grumbled.

"Yes, and rough skin so your scruff does not scratch her." Haruhime added on innocently.

"And no sense of smell," Welf's eyes twinkled as he smiled.

Bell did not add to the slaughter. He was not sure he had ever seen someone destroyed so thoroughly in so little time.

Klein fell to the ground soundlessly, his head bowed. "So… this is where it ends. The only honor left to me is death."

"Stop exaggerating." Welf kicked the other red-head roughly. "At least you aren't trying to win a goddess' heart."

That drew Bell's head. "A goddess… Hephaistos?"

"…Yes," the blacksmith blushed averting his gaze. "When I saw her work, I knew. There was no one else for me."

"Oh my."

"How sweet."

Both girls seemed to approve the blacksmith's passion, wondrous smiles touching their lips. For Bell it was just another sense of unease. What are the gods?

The answer to that question eluded him. Had eluded him for years now. Their falna saved the world. For that, the lower world would always be in their debt. So why did so many of them cause strife? Hermes' machinations, Ishtar's cruelty. Bell could not understand.

Welf's recent declaration only made him more confused. The gods could be… loved? Yes, they did look like normal people, but they far from being one. Unsettled, Bell tried to urge them to moving.

"Hold on," Welf said. "Didn't you say something about another quest, Klein?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, apparently a party went missing in the colossal tree labyrinth. Let's hunt down the monster that did it!"

"Err…" Bell shared a glance with the two girls. Neither reacted much. "That would require staying overnight in the dungeon."

"We can get rooms at Rivira." Welf shrugged.

"That is far too expensive!" Lili growled. "We may barely make a profit at that point."

"I suppose…" Bell said slowly. "We can just camp on the eighteenth."

The other two boys shared roguish smiles. Bell assumed this had been the true point of the excursion. Clearly Klein had seen a grand adventure in this and had convinced Welf of it.

Bell glanced down at his own body. Preparing for a trip into the middle levels, he was wearing a cloak of Salamander wool. It hung loose around him revealing the brand-new armour that glistened in the sunlight. Like a kid with a new toy, he smiled wide as well, their enthusiasm infecting him.

"Yeah, let's go find some adventurers."

Sachi:

Laying in bed, Sachi stared listlessly at the wall. The wooden panels were infinitely complex. That detail alone would have convinced her that this was a real world. Her eyes traced down the grain in one direction, until it whorled around and went up somewhere else. She tracked it, did anything to keep herself from thinking.

It did not work well. How was Sachi supposed to forget the body of her friend held in her hands? Limp from Sachi's blow to the head to knock her out. Mikoto's eyes had been sightless but there was still a faint smile of victory on her mouth. It had made Sachi mad at the time.

That anger seemed incomparable to the wave of fear that had surrounded her shortly after. "Oh, Kirito…" As soon as she spoke his name, the grain of the wood disappeared in her vision. All she could see was aura of darkness, dominating, consuming. Entwined in that storm, Sachi heard one word echoing in her ears: God-Slayer.

She shivered her body already covered in a light sweat. The bed seemed less welcoming now. The room itself was still worse. Sachi had no energy, no desire to move. She had gained and lost everything in the course of a few days. It would have been so much easier if Mikoto had just killed her.

Why had she let Sachi knock her out? Mikoto must have been running out of time or something. She was much more gorgeous than Sachi herself, and far more skilled.

"Urgh…" Closing her eyes to recuperate some energy, Sachi soon regretted her decision. The total darkness reminded her of that day. Of Kirito's bottomless rage as he committed the sin that had spread like wildfire.

Eyes snapping back open, Sachi shivered again. She had thought the nightmares would lessen over time. Thought that she was strong. Ishtar had disabused her of that notion. The goddess' control of her had been complete. There were moments Sachi found herself on the edge of tears, weeping for the departed goddess.

Sachi grabbed at the linens of the bed, grabbed tight enough that the fabric began to tear slightly. She hated it. She hated living in fear. Now that she had experienced life without the fear it became twice as terrible.

Stomach roiling, it was almost enough for Sachi to get out of bed. After a minute though, it faded and Sachi sighed. Her bleary eyes went back to the grain of the wood, tracing it… trapped in a cycle of horror.

Again.

Again.

A nightmare that never ended.

Creak!

Sachi's shoulders tensed but she did not move when the door opened. Waiting, Sachi assumed they would declare themselves in a moment. Five seconds passed, then ten, no demands, no sounds of any kind. It upset Sachi, but she could not bring herself to turn and look. There was a chance it was Mikoto after all, bow raised and ready to exact her revenge.

"Do I have to beat you?"

It was Mikoto.

"I'm a coward," Sachi replied, her voice rasping. "So I would prefer a painless death."

"Well, I don't feel like giving you one."

Sachi flinched but could not close her eyes. She stared intently at the wood grain, waiting for the first blow, anticipating the pain. In some ways the anticipation was worse than the pain itself. When you knew the pain was coming, it became so much more painful.

"Ahh!" Letting out a surprised shriek, Sachi felt herself get dumped to the ground. Even with her head striking against the floor, it barely hurt at all. Her endurance was high enough that a fall from the height of her knee could not injure her.

It gave her a jolt of adrenaline strong enough that Sachi sat up straight and glared back at the person that had flipped her off the bed. "What was that?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Mikoto told her coldly. "I'm going to beat you first."

Sachi wilted. The rush of energy faded from her. "Oh, yeah… Sorry."

Mikoto's hand grabbed the dirty shift that Sachi wore and pulled her to her feet and then lifted her into the air, slamming her against the wall. Sachi gasped from the impact but hung limp after that. Her battle instincts urged at her to fight, to break away from the hand holding her. It was an effort, but Sachi held them down, her hands staying limply at her sides.

Sachi was not sure which would be worse, closing her eyes and returning to darkness or watching the pain as it came. That choice was taken from her as Mikoto drew back her free fist and aimed it for Sachi's face.

A small gust of wind washed over Sachi, but that was it. A full powered strike from a level two adventurer would have put her head in the wall. "So… you'll fight back?"

Only when Mikoto spoke did Sachi notice that she had stopped the punch. Her hand was wrapped around Mikoto's wrist, muscles flexing to hold it in place. "Oh, Sorr—Eh!"

Sachi's word warped as Mikoto tossed Sachi over her head. Sachi was rotated and then planted back on the bed mattress causing the soft thing to bend up at either edge as she created a crater in the center.

"Why do you still resist my fist?" Mikoto muttered harshly.

Sachi blinked and noticed that Mikoto was struggling to complete the punch. She also knew, instinctively maybe, that Mikoto's every bit of force was going into it. The seasoned warrior was using all her strength and Sachi held it at bay. Not easily. But she could manage it.

"I-I don't…"

"Answer me or release me!" Mikoto screamed.

"I…" Gazing up into those once so friendly violet eyes, Sachi had her answer. It was the same thing that she had told Kirito. "If I let you do this… it will hurt you."

"You think I'll regret this?"

"I do…" Sachi continued more strongly, hating the implication in the words. It meant she would have to live, continue living. She had betrayed them all, knocked out her friend, but Sachi's death could not cause them further pain.

"Then how do you plan on making up for this?"

"That…" Sachi started crying again, the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, down to the mattress. "I can't. I deserve death for this but I can't have it."

"…You are an idiot."

"Huh?" Sachi blinked in confusion. Then the force was gone. Mikoto's other hand was by her face. Sachi tried to flinch away, but the gentle fingers caressed her cheek.

"How could you be so stupid?" Mikoto sighed pulling Sachi to herself.

Wrapped in a tight embrace, Sachi's mind began to blank. This situation was impossible, it must have been. Ishtar had told Sachi herself that her old familia hated her, were waiting for an opportunity to cast her off. Or that had been…?

"I could not believe Hestia when she told me that you were expecting me to kill you. But when I opened the door and you asked…"

"I betrayed you though…" Sachi whispered. "I lost everything that day."

"I… I do not know about Kirito," Mikoto whispered in her ear, "but you did not lose me."

Sachi wept harder, closing her eyes and leaning into the embrace further. The scars Ishtar had left in Sachi's heart began to heal a little. She could still see death waiting in the void, but a star had returned. She wondered if it would ever glitter again like it used to.

Klein:

Klein decided, halfway through his strike, that he would make this kill extravagant. Forcing his katana ahead even faster, Klein let the momentum rotate his body a full three hundred and sixty degrees before slamming the blade back into its sheath.

Beautiful.

The girls would be fawning over him for that. That one kill would secure his place as the leader of the group. That kill was the catalyst that would propel him to popularity. Ladies would be eating from his palm, not that Klein would be unfaithful, he would just be very careful with his promises. Yes, he could see it now. He could see…

"Did he just sheath a blade covered in blood?"

"Look at his expression… Is he the real monster all along?"

"Urgh!" Shoulders slumping, Klein sighed. Another setback. Another time when his good looks and sharp wit had apparently failed him.

"You really should clean your blade," Welf insisted. "I made it and I won't have the metal getting etched because you—"

"Yeah, yeah." Klein cut his blacksmith off and drew it again. The sight made him wince. It was coated. The inside of the sheath would now need to be cleaned somehow. Maybe he could wash it in a river on the eighteenth floor.

Their current location was the fifteenth floor of the dungeon. Well into the middle levels now, monsters were starting to block their path with regularity. Even the main path through these floors were not travelled enough to keep them clean.

"Firebolt!"

Klein winced upon hearing the name of Bell's unfair magic. The boy had absolutely no right to look as gallant as he did as he fired off the magic. The red glow of the magical fire matching his ruby eyes and contrasting that startingly white hair. Wearing brand new gleaming armour, he really did look like a story book hero.

At least he did until that smile came back. The goofy thing instantly made him look his age and took away the severity in his expression. When Klein saw that smile he wanted to wrap him under an arm and ruffle his head.

Kirito had been like that once…

Klein remembered fondly his first meeting with the boy in the dungeon. Oh so long ago, right when the horrors began. The boy had abandoned Klein in the arena upon learning he would not leave this world.

But Klein also remembered the innocent expression the boy had sometimes. How he tried too hard to be mature. He acted aloof thinking adults were like that. But no child could really understand that adults never really grew up. They did not consider themselves any different from when they were younger.

That's just you… Klein ignored that voice in his head.

Far more important was what had happened to Kirito. He had been in the square, felt the darkness on his back and turned around to face the goddess that had encapsulated his heart. There she had lain, dying, Kirito's black sword slicked with her blood. But so much worse was the expression on his face, the boundless anger reflected in those obsidian eyes.

"Hey, you actually get your feelings hurt?"

Klein shook himself erect at Bell's words. He returned an awkward laugh and scratched at his head, feeling at the bandana that was tied there. "Me? I am a Samurai! I will always help a maiden in need. You do not need to fear for me."

"Sure…" Bell answered doubtfully. "A samurai… that's part of your title, yes?"

"Urk!" Klein froze somewhat, sweat beading on his face. He did not like reminders of his title. Oh, how his god had howled when he told it to Klein.

"The Blazing Samurai: Forged by the Hammer of Rejection. That is your title, right?" Bell had stumbled over some of the words. Rather than native Japanese words that the people here spoke, it utilized many English loan words which confused all but the gods.

"A samurai cannot speak of those things," Klein replied, fumbling for an excuse. "All you need to know is that a Samurai always protects women."

The corridor before Klein was rough as he walked. Loose rock threatened to trip someone up, holes could appear and vanish. It was far from a nice place to be. Shadows lurked and obscured; paths wound around each other in twisting patterns. For a normal person, it would be hell. For Klein, it was a welcome distraction from the conversation.

Bell, did not pick up on this, following Klein like a little puppy, his voice loud enough that everyone could hear. "That is a fascinating ideal. I had not realized that there was a group of men sworn to that. Does it not become hard to hold to that oath when amazons are involved?"

Maybe a hole will swallow me. Many men have prayed that the earth will open beneath their feet, but it is possible here…

"Klein? Are you listening to me?"

"I would not worry about him," that prum girl laughed, her voice had the tones of revenge laced in it. "Women are used to empty words from men. Promises to draw them in before they break them."

"K-Klein is that true!?" Bell gasped.

Klein almost winced at the hurt look in the boy's eyes. Where was this innocence when he had stared down the goddess? "Urgh, every order has oathbreakers! I remain solid to my vow!"

"Whoa… That's amazing!"

Klein winced at the adoration in the boy's eyes.

"I have my own ideal that I am trying to pursue. I am going to save everyone!"

Klein blinked. When did the boy become eight again? No, even most eight year-olds would not have that delusion, especially in this world. Welf looked equally surprised. The girls though… The prum was exasperated, but the beautiful Renart nodded along like she believed every word.

"That's… uhh, well…"

"Impossible?" Bell challenged him.

"W-Well…" Yes? Klein did not say it out loud. His pragmatic adult voice told him that they were equally likely to accomplish their missions. Klein's was more of a cover story than an ideal anyway.

"I need more strength to do it…" Bell was talking to himself now, the words quiet but audible in the sudden quiet of the dungeon. "First I need to catch Kirito, then my parents, then I'll—"

Klein did not catch the rest. The dungeon, quiet? That was unlikely. Especially this high, there was always something happening. The rocky corridors here echoed, carrying yells and screams kilometers.

A soft red glow emerged from further in.

Klein's eyes bulged as shadows resolved themselves into dogs. Line after line of Hellhounds, mouths primed with deadly flame were waiting for them. The infernal monsters were oozing bloodlust, the contrast of red fire and black fur making it truly look like an entrance to hell.

There was nothing for it. Turning on his heel, Klein, the gallant level two adventurer screamed his command. "RUNN!"

The others required no extra prodding. With soft screams from the women and a louder one from Klein, they fled as a hurricane of fire chased them back down the tunnel.

Bell:

"Ah… Ah…" Laying on the soft grass of the eighteenth floor Bell felt exhaustion settle hard on his body. Haruhime had already collapsed, Bell had lain her on a bed of soft grass with his pack as a pillow. Her magic had been helpful in getting them out of a number of sticky situations.

"I thought you were lucky Bell," Lili groaned. "That was the worst trip through the middle floors I've ever heard of."

"I…" Bell had no response. The journey had been unnaturally hard. If they were going to experience more of the freak accidents on the nineteenth floor Bell was not sure they would make it out again. "I don't think I was responsible for that."

"I did hear some whispers from my familia," Welf spoke roughly, one hand on his shoulder. They needed to find a way to heal that. While on the seventeenth floor a hole had opened up above them dropping a minotaur on him. "The dungeon seems wilder. Giving birth more randomly, transforming."

"Transforming?" Bell had grown up in the top adventuring familia. He had actually heard an example of this. The coliseum they called it. The dungeon had changed part of the thirty-seventh floor to create it at some point.

If something like that happened in the upper-floors… It made Bell shiver. No, surely it was just bad luck on their part. Everything was normal.

Welf shrugged with his good shoulder. "Just rumours probably. A bit of unusual activity on the upper floors. Maybe has something to do with that weird floor boss."

Bell shivered again at that. His life had flashed before his eyes. Goliaths were stupid creatures. They tossed their fists around and called monsters to help them.

This one though… It had spawned days earlier than it should have, while they were halfway through the cavern, and then it had done the most unbelievable thing. Using those long arms, it had scooped up the broken crystal from the wall of sorrows and began to throw them.

Fast.

Klein had gone of the Rivira to tell them about the goliath. Bell suspected that it had to do with the boy's ideal. It was very likely that a party with women would try to come to or leave the eighteenth floor. If they met that goliath unsuspectedly, they could die.

So why aren't you doing anything?

Bell winced, feeling the hypocrite again. He knew that people died in the dungeon every day. Did he break his ideal by sitting here? But no, Bell needed to become stronger yet. He could not save them now.

"Are you alright?" Lili whispered, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You look angry."

"Ah, oh, no!" Waving his hands, Bell tried to smile. Lili's frown only deepened. Sometimes Bell thought she could read his mind. She had a really good mind, a natural brightness that had allowed her to trick and manipulate seasoned adventurers for years.

"If you say so." Sighing, Lili sat down next to him. Very close. Bell tried to wiggle to the side. All he could think about was the heat from Lili and the constant threat of contact.

He thought he managed, but the gap did not seem any wider. Frowning, Bell moved a bit further, more obviously. Welf looked over once and smirked, his eyes amused.

Once again though, when Bell settled into position, there was no gap. How was this happening!?

"Is something the matter?" Lili asked, looking up at Bell with those wide brown eyes.

Many people looked down on Prums. They were short, seen as weak. An inferior race it was whispered. But looking into those eyes, Bell knew they were wrong. So big were her eyes, set in that small and delicate face, Bell felt sucked in by those warm brown pools. They possessed a clarity and sense of emotion that no other race could duplicate.

"N-Nothing." Blushing, Bell gave up on his plans and sat in silence. Welf was diligently starting to sharpen his blade his a whetstone. He looked awkward with only one good arm, but the blacksmith was managing, pointedly never glancing at the two of them.

As time passed, Lili's mood seemed to brighten, reach a crescendo and then dip a little. Bell did not think her upset, but the prum seemed… expectant. Was she waiting for Klein to return? Maybe for a monster to attack them? They did live on the eighteenth floor after all.

"Ah, man… I can't wait to sleep." Klein's voice suddenly penetrated the air.

Lili let out a disappointed sigh, her body moving away. Bell had no idea what that had been about. He was partially relieved that he had survived. A larger part though… he was disappointed. Now that made zero sense.

"Heh, you get dumped Bell?"

"W-What? D-Dump? I don't know what you mean." Bell was pretty sure that Klein's sentence was not grammatically correct. You could get dumped on by rain, but it did not make sense in that context.

"Ah, nevermind, I'm sure the girls will teach you the meaning eventually."

"Umm…" Now that was ominous. Bell was not used to being around adults anymore. Hestia was a goddess and kind of counted but besides her, everyone in the familia was close to his age. Did they all speak in this confusing manner?

"Well?" Lili growled.

Why was she upset now? Bell was so lost.

"Calm down missy," Klein waved his hands soothingly. "The town just groaned and accepted it. They will send a runner past the goliath to give warning."

"A runner?" Lili panicked. "Did you tell them about the throwing!?"

Klein shrugged. "Yeah, but they were level three. Seemed confident in their speed. Not much else we can do really."

Even Lili nodded reluctantly to that, then she glanced to her bag. "Hestia familia was able to complete their quests on our descent. We likely have two days here before the goliath squad comes to take this thing out."

"There could be causalities in that fight…" Welf interjected quietly, his sharpening coming to a halt. "We need to make sure they don't underestimate it."

"You all worry too much," Klein scoffed. "Adventurers are used to facing the unknown. They adapt crazy quick. A thrown rock won't hurt them anymore than it affected us."

Bell shrugged concomitantly, feeling awkward. For some reason, he felt their gazes on him. It was like they were waiting for him to say something. "Umm… well I think we have done what we can. More people will probably try to get down and see its speed so…"

All three looked disappointed!? Bell's shoulders wilted. A cute yawn saved him. Haruhime pushed her upper body up slightly, leaning on one arm. She blinked sleepily, long eyelashes fluttering.

Bell's jaw dropped somewhat. He heard the other boys doing the same. Seeing Haruhime in that pose, on her side, Kimono fluttering around her… Bell ripped his eyes away, feeling like he had intruded on something precious. Something he would soil if he continued to look.

"Oh, I appear to have taken a nap. My humblest apologies Master Bell! I, Haruhime, have failed as your supporter!"

Suddenly she was there beside him, hands clutching at his cloak. Unable to resist, Bell looked into her golden eyes and gulped. "T-There is nothing to forgive… You did your best."

"R-Really!?"

"Really really."

Bell exhaled finally as Haruhime leaned back, a happy smile splitting her lips. As she sat up, the crystal sparkled a little brighter, casting a ray of light that reflected off her golden air. She had just been sleeping, but the dishevelment only gave her a sense of realness.

"I hate you, Bell." Klein said suddenly.

"Think of Hephaistos, think of Hephaistos…"

"What did I do!?"Bell yelled back but it was pointless. This was going to be quite the eventful trip into the dungeon.

Argo:

"He never came…" Argo growled to herself. Pacing down North main, Argo's tail whipped side to side like a cat's. It was a fox tail, but close enough for Argo today.

Before her anger, the crowds parted. People took one look at her face and ran away. Shopkeepers ducked behind stalls, pedestrians fled into buildings, even other adventurers crossed the street.

Argo could not see her face, but that gave her a strong indication of how she looked. Good. When she saw Kirito, she wanted him to fear her wrath. To fall on his knees and apologize.

After injuring her side, Argo had been captive to the cruel care of Amid in the Babel pharmacy. Amid of course, was not intrinsically cruel. She had the face of a doll. The only time Amid had made an expression was one of deep disappointment as she explained to Argo that she would be locking her room door.

Two whole days Argo spent trapped in that room with barely anything for entertainment. Hermes had swung by once, Lulune as well. Besides that, no one. There were a number of people that Argo was not happy with, but number one on her list was the boy she had injured herself trying to help.

Stalking up to the ex-church's front door, Argo pounded on the wooden double doors. A faint crack told Argo she had beaten too hard. A moment later it was whipped open, an indigo-haired woman with bleary eyes and a sword in her hand.

"Who is attacking!?"

"C-Calm down, Strea!" Argo took a wary step back away from that blade. She had gotten the feeling that this woman had deserved her title of The Bloody Berserker.

The woman let the blade lower and blinked away the sleep. "Oh, it's that mousy girl!"

Argo ground her teeth. Mousy girl!? Ohh, Kirito would hear about this.

"Are you sure you aren't here to attack?" Strea asked, sounding very unsure.

"Only Kirito." Argo growled.

"Ah, he is upstairs moping in his room." Strea pointed up. "I did not really get to see what happened or why he is so upset."

"Upset!? Him!? I'll show him upset." Argo stalked in, tail still whipping. Only when she crossed the main hearth room did she consider how improper it was for her to be here. A member of a different familia really should not be allowed to tramp around the headquarters of a different familia. None of the Hestia familia members appeared to notice her, let alone questioned her presence.

Argo stomped upstairs, clinging to that anger as wariness began to seep in. This was downright eerie. Those girls had been so confident. What happened? Was it Kirito or Ishtar?

Anger fluttering on the edge of extinguishing, Argo barged into the room she determined was his. Where it was positioned, the slightly more worn door handle, signs like these highlighted it. More than those, this close, Argo could feel him. That was unnerving.

Flinging it open, Argo raised a hand, finger extended to begin her rant and then paused. Words flitted away from her. Kirito was there, as she expected, but he was different. So different from the boy she had recruited to write a floor guide with her.

A sullen anger emanated from him, his shoulders were slumped as if under a great weight. The once upraised lips as if on the verge of a smile at all times was a flat line.

He looked… weary.

"Argo?" Kirito had spoken first, turning toward her.

Argo's throat dried. Oh, his eyes. Argo had seen those on some of her older familia members. Ones that had worked to aid Hermes in less savory sections of his endeavors. They had the same lost quality as a soldier that had fought in too many wars, seen too many comrades die.

"You…" Argo started slowly, trying to remember why she had come, "did not visit me."

"Visit…?" Kirito tilted his head. "Why would I visit you?"

Why would I visit you?

That did it.

From within her, Argo's anger burst forth in a raging torrent. She had suffered too much. She had consigned herself to live in the shadows to protect this city. Argo had thought that she would be able to do that with a smile if Kirito was able to live a safe life. This was too much.

"WHY!?" Argo's screeched words must have penetrated every crevice of the building and maybe into those beyond. "Look here mister. I tore open my injuries leading your familia to you. Without me, you would still be Ishtar's pet!"

Kirito stiffened. "Don't use her name around me."

"You mean Ishtar!?" Argo drawled the word, making it last longer. Savoring Kirito's flinch. Stalking up to him, Argo laid a finger on his chest. "Or what? You gonna strike me down as well, God-Slayer?"

Argo had put as much derision as she could on the title that the people of Orario had granted him, but Kirito flinched backing away. "Who knows what I am capable of anymore…"

"I do!" Argo advanced, her fury tightening itself into a sword of rage. A blade that she would use to cut away this melancholy that had infected the boy in front of her. Argo refused to leave him like this.

Oh, it would not only be Kirito that would get a talking to. Every single member of this familia would feel Argo's rage.

"Who was it who tried so hard to protect people in the dungeon?" Argo snapped. "When I had given them up for dead, you cursed me and ran to save them. You have always been too selfless for your own good. That is what you have done. Your bloody familia members may not have had the nerve to thank you, but the city does.

"You put your immortal soul on the line to save everyone from Ishtar's torture and mind control. Kirito, I do not fear you. I do not know what happened to you, but I will see you whole again."

Kirito gaped at her. His black eyes suddenly shifting slightly. Emotions beginning to surface. They were there but buried beneath a layer of wariness and fear.

"Well?" Argo demanded.

"You don't understand." Kirito's voice was a rough whisper. As if he had not spoken in days.

"Well if you tell me I may." Argo sniffed. "You have not forgotten to speak at least?"

"No… but I do wish I could forget this last week…" Kirito shook his head slowly, eyes staring at nothing. "I fled from her, Argo. I could practically feel her charm working its way through my mind. I could stay and fight, or I could run. I ran."

"Ran?" Argo did not understand. "You were captured by her."

"My body was." Kirito corrected her. "My soul, there was a… a backdoor of some sort. I took it and fled."

Argo struggled to repress the shiver. She had no idea what Kirito was talking about.

"Part of me was here, part of me was there. Neither fully conscious without the other. Bell was the light that guided me back."

"Where… where did you go?" Argo was dumbstruck, her anger gone. Of all the things when she expected to hear, this was not it.

"I…" Kirito shook his head again.

Argo narrowed her eyes. "I will believe you if you say it is true."

Kirito locked eyes with her and then spoke in a flat voice. "I think my soul travelled to possible worlds and experienced things that I could have… should have felt."

Argo blinked. Despite what she had said… She could not imagine it. It was not that she thought Kirito was lying, she simply did not have reference frame for accepting what he was saying.

"And those… experiences are what gave you the strength to overcome Ishtar's charm and kill her?"

"…I think I always could have done that," Kirito breathed his shoulders slumping. "This was simply another failure. Another time where I could not bring myself to kill a woman until after my friends have suffered."

"Another…?" Kirito looked away. "Those experiences… Were all of the experiences bad?"

Kirito nodded curtly. "Failure," his voice had a note of mocking to it. "That is all I am good for."

Argo did not think twice. With the power of an adventurer her hand sent a deafening crack through the building as she struck Kirito's cheek. There was enough force to lift his feet from the floor and send him hard against the wall.

Kirito was growling but Argo stared him down with building anger. "Are you going to kill me, God-Slayer?"

"Of course not!" Kirito barked at her. "But why did you hit me?"

"Because," Argo said patiently, "it seems like pain and bad times is all you remember."

"W-What?"

"You said you only saw bad times while experiencing these other lives. Therefore, if I want to be remembered by you, I have to make it a bad time."

"T-That's not…"

"True?" Argo narrowed her eyes. "There are no therapists here, nor do you have the luxury of stepping down from your position, but somehow you need to find a way to remember the good times as well."

"W-What?"

"Do you regret coming to this world?"

Kirito only hesitated for a second before shaking his head in rejection.

"Why is that?"

"The people I met. The times we have shared…" He trailed off seeming to get where she was coming from.

"Maybe it was Ishtar's charm," Argo offered the boy a way out. "Your guilt for fleeing gave you more scenes that you feel guilty for. But! I have a task for you. Every member of your familia, every person you care for, ask them what their favorite memory is with you, ask them what they like about you."

"A-Argo, that task is—"

"You deserve it." Cutting him off, Argo lightly kissed the handprint in his cheek. Before she could back away, his arms were around her, pulling her in a tight hug.

"Thank you… Thank you for trying."

"That's all I do," Argo replied, heart tightening. "I try."

Holding on for a long moment more, Argo released and made Kirito release her. "Do my assignment, and next time I am in the hospital…"

"I'll be there," Kirito smiled. It was still tremorous, but it was there. Ishtar's injuries had hurt him more than any of the others.

Walking from his room, Argo closed it behind her and found a group of people waiting nervously. Argo's eyes narrowed at the two leading the group that Argo knew best.

Growling, she waved a finger at them. "If I ever find him in this condition again, I will take him from you."

Rain and Philia flinched visibly. It was the red-headed Rain that replied though. "If he ends up like again, it is what we deserve, thank you Argo."

Argo nodded curtly. "I gave him an assignment. Ask him about it and make sure he completes it."

Leaving it there, Argo stalked past them and eventually out of the familia house. She gave one last look up at the window on the second floor and found Kirito looking out at her. Argo gave a sardonic wave and stalked off.

She could not stay any longer. She could not let him see her tears. Oh, how she wanted to stay, but Kirito did not need another girlfriend, he needed a friend. She knew that, and it got harder every time.

Bell:

"Grahhh!"

"Ahh!" Bell's scream of determination mixed with the Lizardman's scream of pain. Ripping his knife out of its midsection, Bell jabbed it into the throat. A few moments of flailing later it began to collapse, and Bell backed away panting.

They die tough. Bell had not been strong enough to fight these enemies last time he was here. Now, he had accumulated the power, but not nearly enough to do it easily.

Kirito mentioned this floor being too easy for him…

Determination restored; Bell rushed in just in time to deflect a stab from a second lizardman that would have taken Welf in the side. Nature weapon collided against the Hestia knife sending up sparks. Even as the noise became grating, Bell kept up the force, knife sliding closer to the base. About halfway up the blade, Bell heard it catch. A deviation in the nature weapon that the Hestia knife slid into.

With one last mighty pull, Bell cut straight through the nature weapon. His swing continuing up and though to slice open the Lizardman's throat.

I did it! Congratulating himself, Bell missed its other arm with the shield flailing toward him. Getting caught in the head, Bell went down hard. Rolling once across the earthen floor, Bell blinked away the spots and crawled back to his feet.

"Don't get distracted!" Klein commanded from the center of the formation. His katana lashed out in another perfect slice killing one of the encroaching monsters. Every swing from him was another kill. The regularity was lacking however. He waited patiently for killing blows, dodging other attacks.

It was a fascinating battle style and kept the center at bay. No matter how close Klein may be to level three though, his power was not great enough to plow through a horde of level two monsters.

"Welf, you need to close up your flank. Klein, don't overextend. Bell if you are injured, use your magic!"

Lili's swift orders were obeyed instantly. Bell lifted his left arm and fired off two firebolts. A few crossbow bolts were sent from Lili to help Welf.

As they stabilized, the monsters' rush was rebuffed, and it began to falter. Using their superior skill and strength, the four-man core began to destroy the rest of the monsters. The last to fall was a bugbear that Klein split perfectly from shoulder to waist, breaking its magic stone.

"Amazing!" Haruhime clapped. "You are all so strong. Now, let's see here…"

Bell could not help but smile as she began moving with precise movements to cut open monsters and extract stones. No matter what anyone could say, Haruhime was not innocent. She learnt everything she put her mind to and accomplished it. Now, she cut open monsters and gathered items with the look of a far more experienced supporter.

Even the harsh taskmistress that was Lili could only nod grudging approval. A faintly sad smile touched her lips for a moment as she watched Haruhime work.

"Whoa, you sure are something, Lil Lili!" Klein sighed relieved as he watched back, stretching his right arm. The nickname had been decided by Welf and Klein had picked it up. "We would be struggling down here without you!"

Lili sniffed and tried to look imperious. The compliment had gotten a preen from her that she could not hide.

"Seriously," Welf muttered, looking exhausted. Of the three of them, the blacksmith had the lowest status and was suffering on these floors. "The two of you saved my life a couple times there."

Bell smiled at the blacksmith and tapped his chest plate. "And this saved mine."

Some of his exhaustion left as he smiled proudly. His eyes lit up with a fierce belief in his work and was glad to see it succeed.

Lili rained on their parade. "I think we need to retreat. Our ranged abilities are limited and the three of you are getting exhausted. We would need to rely on Haruhime to get through the more remote corners of the floor."

"H-Hey now!" Klein protested. "It has only been a couple of hours, we are still on one of the secondary paths!"

"Yes," Lili agreed. "And we are struggling."

"Adventurers don't go on adventures…" Bell said, repeating the words from Eina. He had been to see her yesterday to prepare for this. Her hard eyes had drilled into him the importance of staying safe, especially in unfamiliar areas.

Lili nodded as if that settled the matter. Haruhime finishing up with the collection came back and looked around nervously, providing no opinion.

"Ah, well, if things got bad, I did bring one of these." Welf flexed his shoulder, letting them know that the second blade strapped to him was a magic sword.

"That will not help when a Lizardman blade takes you in the neck," Lili spoke harshly but flatly. Bell knew her well enough to know that she did not speak to injure them. She prized their safety above all and was fighting to see them return to the surface in the one piece.

Welf flinched at the reminder. Bell had truly saved the boy's life. No amount of potion could have healed the wound that would have arisen.

Klein coughed. "Lili is unfortunately right. I should have thought this through more. These floors are tough, we will return at a later date with more people!"

"That party will be dead by then," Welf reminded him somberly.

There was a moment of silence, but no one said anything. None of them needed reminders that the missing party was likely already dead. That they went down here knowing death lurked around every corner. The dungeon did not forgive nor permit inattention. Any moment of sloppiness could be your last.

Shivering from the reminder, Bell glanced down at the knife still in his hand and sheathed it. He needed to get stronger. For now though, they needed to leave. These floors were too strong for this party.

"I agree with Klein and Lili," Bell said. "We are done here."

Welf only nodded as everyone turned to leave. Back to the surface. Bell gave the battlefield and the path they had been planning to take deeper one last look. It was where the party of monsters had come from.

Thinking about it… had they been fleeing something?

A shadow moved in the tunnel. Entrance shrouded by vines, Bell could not be sure if they were human or monster. The uncertain gait spoke of injury.

"Something approaches!"

Everyone turned instantly. Eyes and weapons ready, they waited. The shadow got to the wall of vines. When they lifted a hand to brush the vines away however, they fell through them.

Bell did not think, rushing over to them instead. When he got there, Bell found a female half-elf, ears slimming to a tip not quite as sharp as a pure elf with brown hair cut short. For a moment, she reminded Bell of his advisor, Eina. This woman however, rather than pretty had a kindly face.

Only after staring at her for a second, did Bell's gaze move to her body. He paled at what he found there. A massive gash cut through her side. The blood that had dripped behind her, the pool underneath her…

Bell's stomach contracted as the light left her eyes. It should not be different. It should have affected him as if any adventurer had died. But Bell had grown up with Zeus, the old god was a romantic. Women should be protected, kept safe. Their lives were more precious than a man's was.

A shudder.

Bell's eyes drifted back to the vined gate. Something was coming. Something large.

Bell gasped and turned back to the corpse that grabbed his leg. Even as his eyes widened in terror, Bell realized that he had been wrong. He had wrongly counted her as dead. An adventurer could continue long past the point a normal person would die.

"Run… It will drag you to its arena. Don't let it."

When her hand fell from his leg, Bell was sure that this time she was dead. Someone that Bell could not save. Maybe he would have been in time if he was stronger. They could have been in that cave sooner and saved her.

Those thoughts were interrupted when another shudder passed through the ground. Through the vines, through the darkness, Bell saw it and felt fear. It was like what Kirito's aura of rage had done to him. Not to the same extent, but it held the same certainty of death. That ultimate futility of standing up to it.

The shadow of a large humanoid shifted and revealed itself. As it did, recognition widened Bell's eyes. "No way…"

It was a minotaur. Not just any minotaur, but one Bell had fought before. Back when he had been level one, when Apollo familia had tried to kidnap him. He had fought against the monster that had easily slaughtered a level two adventurer.

An enhanced monster.

Bell groaned, they had never issued a mission about it. Things with Ishtar had immediately spiraled out of control and Bell had forgotten about it. The beast needs to die.

Even in the dire situation though, Bell could not stop that one question from flashing through his mind, what is it doing here?

"Gruh!" Maybe it was Bell's imagination, but the snort sounded surprised to Bell. As if the beast had enough intelligence to remember him.

It took another step and Bell growled at the blood dripping from its sword. For a normal person it would be a longsword, meant to be wielded in two hands. In the minotaur's hand it looked like a rapier. The exact weapon that struck down the adventurer laying at his feet.

Just as Bell brought up his knife in a defensive posture, the minotaur stopped. Raising its free hand, it curled the four beastly fingers there.

It was… beckoning him?

It will drag you to its arena.

The minotaur waited. If Bell followed it, it would lead him back most likely to the place the woman's party had died. If he did not…

"What the hell…" Klein had rushed over. "Tsk, all that fuss over a stupid minotaur? Oh, well, may as well deal with this—"

"STOP!" Bell roared, standing up.

"Huh?" Welf had a magic sword out and levelled at the monster. "I'll blast this thing away if you are scared of it."

Bell had no response for that. Yes… This was a dangerous enhanced monster. He nodded and Welf swung the blue blade.

From its tip, lightning sprang. Bolts upon bolts scouring away the vegetation and even the rock. A vast barrage lanced toward the minotaur.

The monster did not break stride. Opening its free hand, it met the lightning head-on without fear. Its figure was highlighted in light, sparks dancing along its body as it cackled with energy. The fur smoked and wilted beneath the destructive power that Welf had unleashed. That, however, was it.

Before Bell's disbelieving eyes, the minotaur moved. It was a flash to his eyes. A blurring of speed he had not seen since the fight against the raging bull. Something no level two could ever come close to matching.

Even as the final sparks were fading from Welf's first swing, the Minotaur was there. Its punch hit Welf's stomach and sent his bent over body flying. The blacksmith would not be getting up again.

"N-No way…" Klein's voice was faint. He had good reason.

Bell felt strangely calm as he faced the beast. "Haruhime, me please."

"As you command. Uchide no Kozuchi!"

The magic that she had spent the time casting settled over Bell. Her instincts had likely saved them. Again, the minotaur pointed down the corridor it had come from. Bell had no intention of seeing its killing ground. Shaking his head, Bell attacked.

Blade out, Bell met the slash of the sword with his own. It felt like taking a hammer blow to his hand. Going numb, jolts of pain emanated from his wrist and traveled to his elbow. The swing was harder than Bell had anticipated. Pushed further to the right, his planned follow-up ended up short of the monster's skin.

"Hrngh!" The minotaur grunted, as if in surprise that Bell remained standing. Then, rearing back its head, it let out a massive howl. "UGHOOO!"

Bell shivered from the triumphant excitement in it. Almost like a kid yelling in joy about receiving the toy they had been begging for all year. It was both human to bestial.

But Bell had no idea what the potential of an enhanced monster was. How many magic stones had this thing devoured? And how did it get down here?

Whoosh!

The air broke from the power of the swing. Bell knew he would never be able to block it. Throwing himself backwards, Bell flipped off his hand and landed on his feet. He could not help but marvel in the power that flowed through him. Haruhime's magic coursed through him, propelling him to new heights.

With this, he would have destroyed the minotaur the last time they met. Now, he was still a step behind. Their agilities were in the same realm, but strength and endurance were the minotaur's by a landslide. They were likely higher than Kirito's or Aisha's. Bordering a level-five adventurer.

Level five…

It was the lofty limit that defined a first-class adventurer. Bell had looked up to and studied the people that had reached this level. Orario had been abuzz when multiple members of Astraea familia reported hitting this milestone after a raid into the dungeon. Before the disaster, less than one percent of all adventurers had been first-class. That had dropped to zero of course.

The minotaur stepped and jabbed. Its brown fur had been burned to black in patches from Welf's sword. Both of its horns stood out in sharp contrast, black against the burnished steel of its blade. The thrust had the feel of a strongman with a wooden stick. No elegance, nor serious practice, just endless strength that allowed for complete control of the weapon.

Bell knew exactly how he survived: Welf's armour. It shrieked horribly and was rent, but it directed enough of the force away that Bell could slide to the side. His counterblow to the monster's wrist was ineffective. He scratched the skin only, its fur and thick hide buffers against half-hearted attacks.

"Graogh!" Roaring again, the beast raised its head and began to stomp around with large, wide area slashes.

Bell dodged one and jumped another. The change was deadly but welcome. With this he had a chance. Yes, the attacks had left it open!

Eager to finish the fight, Bell dove, knife posed to drive it into the beast's chest. One good hit was all he needed. He could funnel argonaut into the blade and blow it up from the inside.

I've won!

As the thought filled Bell with exhilaration a large shadow entered the periphery of his view. The free hand. Bell did not have time to feel regret. He did not get to feel sadness of what he had failed to accomplish or the people he had not saved.

His vision went black, and Bell's body rolled across the ground, not rising again.

Lili:

"BELL!" The boy's name was ripped from her throat. He was unconscious, a thin trickle of blood leaking from his mouth. Worse, infinitely worse, the minotaur grabbed him and flung his body unto its shoulder.

"Where the hell do you think you are taking him!?" Klein roared furiously.

"NO!" Lili cried, but it was too late. The katana-wielding warrior rushed forward and then was flung back. Blade had met blade and the longsword had proven superior by a wide margin.

With Welf and Klein on the ground, the minotaur took one last look around to see if anyone else would challenge it. Finding none, it began to walk back from where it had come.

"W-Wait…" Haruhime held out a hand to the departing monster. "This… This isn't how it goes. Bell can't lose… My hero can't…"

"This is not a story!" Lili rushed over and grabbed the stupid Renart by the ear. The action elicited a scream of pain. Lili could not feel regret, not right now.

She dragged Haruhime over to where Welf was laying. He lay curled up, his face a rictus of pain. Pulling out a greater potion, Lili looked him over quickly. "Just your stomach?"

"Urgh," a grunt of pain and a nod for answer. Lili healed him and moved on to Klein. The self-proclaimed samurai was already rising. Lili gave him a potion to drink anyway.

"What do we do?" The samurai asked, voice hard.

"We need to return for aid," Welf said, voice bitter. "Bell was alive, I am sure of it. If we hurry, we can make it. Kirito can—"

"We can't wait for him!" Lili insisted. "We still have your blade. Klein, with Haruhime's magic should be able to match it. Buy time for Bell's argonaut to finish the monster."

Haruhime still looked lost. Her golden eyes were dimmed as all the light had been drained. With her hair a mess she no longer looked like a royal princess, she looked like a sacrifice.

"Lili is right," Klein stood up, trying to look reassuring. All Lili saw was the fear in his eyes though. "I refuse to leave Bell to that monster. I am captain of this team, and he is my responsibility."

Did anyone believe him? Looking around the group, Lili got her answer, no. Haruhime was not listening and Welf was shaken.

The blacksmith completely ignored Klein instead turning to Lili. "You saw how effective my lightning blade was. The thing practically ignored me."

"No," Lili corrected Welf, meeting his gaze, "it instantly rushed to stop a follow-up attack. It was injured. Besides, you are only a distraction in this plan anyway."

"We may not make it past the hordes of monsters on our own." Welf continued. "You literally have a level four and half a dozen level threes in your familia only a few hours of running away."

"H-Hey!" Klein protested. "I'm the leader and—"

"Shut up!" Welf yelled at him. "Answer me, Lili! What proof do you have that we won't die if we rush in there?"

"None," Lili growled back. "Exactly the same amount you have every time you step into the dungeon. No, every time you wake up could be your last. You said it yourself, they are hours away each direction. This floor is not that large. You are correct, Kirito and co can kill that minotaur, but Bell won't survive it.

"Neither will we if even a single one of us turn back. This is something that the four of us can do, but not any three of us."

"You say that," Welf challenged her, "but what is your part in this?"

Lili flushed from the insult. "I will guide you. Also, I may need to carry one of you out." And my crossbow can help, but Lili held that to herself. It was unlikely to make a large difference.

Welf eventually nodded and rubbed a hand across his face. "Sorry about that. Just wanted to make sure I would be dying for a reason." Then, a broad brotherly grin split his face and his fluffed Lili's hair.

"W-What the hell are you doing!?"

"Just complimenting you." Standing up, the blacksmith sighed. "Then are we doing this?"

"Of course!" Haruhime finally spoke, some determination returning to her eyes. "This time… I'll be Bell's hero."

Klein and Lili could only smile at that. Their direction was determined.