The Fallen Argonaut
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him
Authors: Eli-er01 & ViceroyChalister
Summary: The will of a hero is strong, yet unwavering but all good things must come to an end, even at the cost of one's Heroic Will. Imprisoned and blamed for a crime he hadn't committed, Bell seeks a way out of his predicament so that he can live without fear of being hunted by the people he once looked up to.
12: Longing
Normal POV
=Twilight Manor, 2 months and 3 weeks after Bell's departure from The Far East=
The females waited patiently in line to get their status updates. Though it was extremely uncomfortable with Loki staring at them with a lustful look of glee, they waited patiently as she updated every single one of them.
They had recently returned from the last exploration team of the Knossos and Finn had just received the official guild request to hunt down the escapees from Kauhea Forbande, just as he had predicted. The knossos had been quiet anticlimactic. The first trip in had made them clash with the remnants of Evilus and caused the first casualties in a long time, but it was almost as if they had completely withdrawn. Finn had found it strange, but it bought them time for the mission they had just been assigned.
During this investigation, they are splitting into 3 groups. Group 1 is led by Gareth who is going to look for Hayden Mishivona. The second group is led by Riveria who is going for Poh Anphion while the third group is led by Finn who is going after Bell Cranel.
There will be four level 6's within Finn's group because of Bell's higher status. This makes him more dangerous which is the reason for not only having him and Tione there, but also Tiona as well as Ais, much to their displeasure.
They had tried to persuade Ais to go with Riveria, as Bete was going with Gareth but she had been like an immovable wall in the matter. Eventually they conceded and thought of it as an opportunity for her to let go of Bell even though Finn was working on the truth of what had occurred.
At this very moment, Ais was inside her room, already having gotten her status update as she stared down at it in her hands.
Name: Ais Wallenstein
Lv 6
Status:
{STR} G-245
{VIT} G-211
{DEX} G-297
{AGI} G-285
{MAG} E-401
Magic:
Ariel: 'Awaken, Tempest'
Self-enchantment spirit magic that envelops the user in a protective wind that can be used in both defensive and offensive purposes, increasing the user's speed and power exponentially alongside their defense.
Skills:
Avenger: Explosively boosts attack power of the user against monsters. The boost is increased exponentially when fighting dragon type monsters. Requires the user to see the enemy as a monster to be activated
Development Abilities:
Hunter: F
Abnormal Resistance: G
Swordsman: H
Spirit Healing: I
During the last 5 months since Bell had been sentenced, she had gone into the dungeon at any chance she had when she wasn't moping about what happened or she wasn't tasked with anything else, and her status had increased because of it.
Though to Ais, it wasn't nearly enough. Nothing would be enough for her.
She put the status sheet down on a dresser before opening a small cupboard and pulled out a small box.
She slid the lid off before bringing out the black knife within, running her fingers across the intricate design. It had become a common occurrence for her to do this as the knife had become sentimental for her. Memories long gone to her that she was desperate to hold onto.
Ais heard a knock on the door before she turned around, noticing Riveria peeking through.
"It's time, Ais" She said as Ais nodded. She put the knife back where she got it and took her Desperate before leaving the room, adorned in her regular armor.
As she walked through the narrow maze-like halls of the Twilight Manor that she knew like the back of her hand, she eventually came to the front door and walked outside.
There the entire familia was gathered, split off into 3 sections, 3 groups. Ais walked over to the Finn's one before stopping as said prum stood in between all of the groups.
"As you all know, this mission is quite different from our usual dungeon exploration ones. Normally the Ganesha familia would have gotten a task such as this but as they have their hands full with the armed monsters, we were the next best option" he started off as a form of reminder of what the mission was.
"Now, the mission in question is to hunt down and capture the escaped felons of Kauhea Forbande, and I will repeat the names in order of the groups that will be responsible for going after that specific one. Number one, Hayden Mishivona. Number two, Poh Anphion and third, Bell Cranel" Silence fell over the field again as before some muttering was heard.
Finn cleared his throat as everyone listened in again.
"We will all depart outside Orario, and will return periodically for rest and dungeon exploration, but the Guild has said this mission takes priority and will stand until they find it's too costly to keep it active" Finn stopped before he nodded at Gareth and Riveria.
"All Right, that's all! Let's move out!" Finn finished as Gareth went first, before Riveria followed behind his group. The last one in the line was Finn's as they made their way through Orario.
Once outside, the three groups split off to gain leads to their targets, Riveria heading for a nearby village near a forest and Gareth heading towards Zolingham to gather information.
Finn's group was the only one that already had a lead, and headed for the town of Agris
=Town of Agris, 2 days later=
Finn's group had just arrived and said Prum had been asking around quite a lot. It was obvious that Bell Cranel had gone through this town on his way to wherever he went as there was no one denying it. The only issue was that they weren't as cooperative as he would have liked.
"I'm sorry , but we are under orders from the guild to track down an escaped Felon. As this town is under the guild's jurisdiction, you are required to comply with our request" Finn said calmly as the woman in front of him, Amelia Whitbelly wouldn't be helpful at all.
"I don't give a rat's ass about what the guild thinks. The boy helped this town, and we're not about to sell him out simply because you asked" She said with a frown on her face.
"Well… then I guess we will have to inform the guild, who's most likely going to remove your permit to run this establishment" Finn somehow managed to get out in a nonthreatening manner, even though it was meant as one.
"Fine… I'll tell you what I know, but don't think I'm happy about it" She said as she pointed accusingly towards Finn.
"I wouldn't expect it" He responded smoothly, being glad that Ais and the others listening in didn't do something rash.
"The boy arrived here around… 7 and half months ago now looking for an odd job. We had been asking the guild for help with a sandworm for a couple of months with no real response, and the boy comes along and does what you wouldn't do within a couple of hours" She said as Finn frowned. She was correct with the fact that they had been overflowing up to their chin with things to do before, which is the reason the sandworm hadn't been subjugated. She had every right to be angry, but it didn't mean Finn was going to like it.
"Once he was done, he picked up the Valis, before telling me whatever I heard about him was false. After that, he left down the road to the south east. That's all I know" Finn nodded before thanking her.
He quickly made his leave after that as they stopped outside a makeshift camp right outside the village.
"Well… It seems that the rumors of him subjugating a sand worm that was from the dungeon is true" Finn said, causing some shudders through the people present, mainly the level 3's and 2's.
"She also mentioned he headed south east which would head straight for-" Finn was cut off before a knife impacted the location he was about to point at with incredible force.
"Why… Why would the kid head there!?" Finn looked up at Tione, glaring at the only possible location south-east of where they were now.
"I wonder that too. It seems that Bell Cranel has headed towards Telskyura, and with their policy, he could enter because he was level 3…" Finn muttered before he looked over the male level 2's.
"Well, that's our next destination. We're going to Telskyura"
=2 Weeks out from Telskyura=
"Bell! Get some towels from downstairs, this one is drenched!" Bell ran down and got back at record speed as he was internally panicking.
The trip had gone slower than usual as they couldn't travel too fast because of Bache's prolonged pregnancy, extending the trip by an entire month.
It wasn't until earlier today that Bell had completely lost control of himself as he had heard the words he had somehow both dreaded and looked forward to.
Bache's water broke
Bell hadn't understood what it had meant before, but a quick explanation by one of the local healers had sent him into a panic. They had stopped at a village for resupplies for a day, and guessed it was a really good choice.
After all, doing this in the back of a filled waggon was definitely not ideal. Bell handed a towel to the healer as she put it under Bache, who was breaking the wood in her death grip.
Bell ran to the side and grabbed her hand, knowing his defence would be high enough to endure her strength.
The moment he grabbed her hand, she looked at him before pulling the hand to her chest and enveloping her other one around it and squeezed hard.
Bell flinched slightly at the subsequent pain, but ignored it. Erebus, who was even less experienced with childbirth than Bell, wasn't even allowed near the room. He was waiting downstairs instead.
"Alright, the baby is halfway out… just a couple of more pushes now. You can do it" Bache nodded before doing as asked, subsequently squeezing harder on Bell's hand before she herself wailed out. Even with the status of a level 6, it hurts like hell.
Normally, one would throw insults at the one that had gotten the woman pregnant because of the wild emotions going through the person, but Bache forced herself to refrain. She knew that this was her fault, that she had caused this to occur.
"Alright, one last push!" Bache complied as she screamed, before the pain let up, still present, but nowhere as bad as before.
Bell looked at Bache for a second, seeing her closed eyes as she leaned back on the pillow. The next second felt like an eternity as he laid eyes on the little girl that was held in the healer's hands.
Her skin was the characteristic tanned of the Amazoness, and no other features could be made out as she was covered with either blood or other liquids. Her eyes were also closed as she started kicking and whaling, causing Bache to look at the source before gasping slightly.
"We will clean her up, before you hold her" The healer said, understanding what Bache wanted. She nodded as the healer walked to the side, and cleaned the baby of all of the liquids and blood, before grabbing a clean blanket and wrapping her up in it.
She walked over to Bache, who reached out. Once she had her hands on her, Bache pulled her newborn daughter to her chest as the baby calmed down.
Her eyes were softer than Bell had ever seen before as if she was in some kind of trance. Bell couldn't really blame her as he was in a similar predicament. Even though he didn't feel that way towards Bache, just laying eyes on his daughter sent his heart spiraling into the quadruple digits of beats per second.
"She's… Beautiful" Bell said without even realizing it as Bache's smile went wider than before, if that was even possible.
"She is… and I have a perfect name" Bell forced his eyes to move towards Bache who looked up at him with a smile, before they returned to their baby.
"Adrienne" That single word sent a tear into Bell's eyes as he stared at her blankly. The longing of seeing Adrienne again filled his being as he now stared at his daughter. His eyes softened considerably, deciding that this longing wasn't the bad kind. This one was positive and the name…
"It's perfect. I think Adrienne would have liked that" Bell said with a smile. It was one thing Bache and Bell had in common. Their adoration for the girl that left the world too soon.
This… was their way of honoring her. To remember her.
"Then her name… will be Adrienne… Adrienne Cranel" Bell's eyes widened at the surname.
"She's not taking your surname?" Bell asked as Bache shook her head.
"No, I don't want my sister to feel like she has some kind of claim on our daughter" Bell understood instantly. One thing that had become very apparent from the beginning was the strained relationship between Bache and Argana. All he could do was nodd
"Alright… Her name will be Adrienne Cranel" Bell said with a smile, before Bell carefully pulled her to his chest as Adrienne leaned into the welcome touch.
He couldn't help but smile at the adorable action of the newborn who had no clue what was going on.
"Guess she's a papas girl" Bell heard the healer say with a smile as Bell couldn't find a response.
"Bell… could you take care of her while I…" She yawned, giving Bell a pretty good idea of what she wanted.
"That's alright. Rest Bache, I'll make sure nothing happens to her" Bell said, still smiling down at his daughter as the pure elation in his heart wouldn't let up.
He sat down in a chair next to the bed Bache was on, as she closed her eyes, and relaxed. Even with the still stinging feeling between her legs, she managed to succumb to sleep as Bell rocked Adrienne back and forth gently out of instinct.
"I promise I won't abandon you… it is the one promise I can make sure I can keep" He gently said as a promise, more to himself than anyone else as the minutes and hours passed without him even knowing, and before he knew it. Bache awoke, and Bell handed Adrienne over and went to sleep himself on the sofa nearby.
=1 week later=
Bell opened his eyes groggily, the first light he saw was of the covering of the waggon they were traveling in.
"Ugh…" Bell moaned as he sat up and shook his head. He figured Erebus or Bache had put a blanket on him, even though his status protects him enough from heat and cold to survive the temperature difference aboveground.
"You're awake. We just stopped to eat, you must be pretty hungry after all. You slept for an entire day after you read that grimoire" He heard Erebus who had investigated the sound from the waggon.
"Eh… yeah, I am kind of hungry. Before that, could you update my status? I kinda want to see the new magic I got" Bell asked as Erebus shrugged and did as asked.
Bell carefully got out of his armor which he now found stupid he hadn't gotten out of before reading the grimoire. Underneath was the black clothing he had gotten with the armor that was form fitting but still loose in different areas to allow mobility.
Once he pulled the shirt up, he handed Erebus one of his knives which the god pricked his finger with and got to work.
No words were exchanged during the ordeal before the silence was interrupted by Erebus' surprised voice.
"Oh my, this is… quite unique" He said before quickly copying the status and handing it to Bell.
Name: Bell Cranel
Lv 5
Status:
{STR} I-0 - I-7
{VIT} I-0
{DEX} I-0 - I-11
{AGI} I-0 - I-5
{MAG} I-0 - I-46
Magic:
Firebolt: Swift strike magic. Casts a bolt of fire and electricity on command that explodes on impact upon impacting any surface.
Legacy's Rebirth: Catalyst Magic. Generates a shroud of lightning around the user that interacts with the body, strengthening it and protecting from outside dangers. May also be used offensively as magic but takes a strong toll on the body if doing so.
Requires a Storm Crystal as a catalyst to activate.
Skills:
Liaris Freeze: Precocious Maturation. The effect is maintained so long as the user maintains their feelings, and the effect is heightened depending on how strong these feelings are (Current Bonus: 954%)
Argonaut: Heroic strike, the possibility of turning any situation around with an overwhelming amount of force. Able to be dual charged but drains massive amounts of mind power.
Scourge: Raises the power of the user exponentially depending on the amount of Malice the user lets out
Development Abilities:
Luck: F
Abnormal Resistance: E
Psych: G
"Storm crystal? What's that?" Bell asked as Erebus sighed.
"It's a magic item that is either made with the Mystery ability or by a skilled mage during a thunderstorm. It's a rare crystal that when cracked, releases a large amount of lightning that damages the immediate area nearby. It's mainly used in major battles because of their rarity" He said as Bell frowned. Then what was the point of this magic? He couldn't even use it.
"Well… guess we will go storm crystal hunting" Erebus said before taking his leave. Bell silently cursed the grimoire for giving him such useless magic. Where was his luck when he needed it!? At least his basic abilities increased a little because of his own private training sessions. Only issue being his vitality can't be increased without another person to hurt him. He quickly used his firebolt to burn the paper, before joining the others in the meal
=1 week later, Telskyuran Market=
The waggon Bell and the others were traveling with had stopped in the Telskyuran marketplace. Bache and Bell were currently carrying the items out of the cart as Erebus went and rented a place to stay.
During the 2 weeks after Adrienne had been born, Bell had purchased a wrapp that allowed Bache to carry Adrienne at her front. It was very useful and allowed her to multitask.
Speaking of Adrienne, after she had first opened her eyes, they had been met by two Orange orbs that had stared at them curiously before reaching out.
Now, she had even started to grow some hair, which was pure white in color, the same as Bell's.
Bell put down a chest before looking at Adrienne. She was looking up at Bache while kneading her skin wherever she could get a grip.
Eventually, the two had finished getting everything out of the waggon as Bell stretched, forgetting that he had his mask on.
He walked up to Bache and leaned over and poked a finger at Adrienne who shrunk away at the masked individual in front of her. Bache laughed before motioning at his face.
Bell chuckled as he understood, and pulled the mask off, causing Adrienne to do a 180, and instead reach out as Bell gave her his finger, which she happily took and stuck in her mouth instantly.
"Woah… didn't expect that" Bell said as he almost instinctively pulled back before stopping himself.
"She's definitely curious" Bache said with a smile as Bell hummed in agreement. The two stood there, playing with Adrienne for a minute before they heard Erebus cough behind them.
"Sorry to intrude, but I found a place. An easy rent of 6000 Valis a month. Not extravagant, but large enough for 4 people" Erebus commented before smirking slightly.
"If she counts as a person in their documents" He said as Bell growled slightly out of instinct at the notion of Adrienne not being a person.
"Well… Let's start carrying everything there. I'll stand guard so no one steals anything" Bell nodded as he started to get to work. He looked at the map and followed it with the chest in hand.
Once he arrived at the place, he noticed that Erebus hadn't joked when he said it wasn't extravagant. It was basically a slightly better and larger version of their previous residence here.
He walked downstairs with Bache in tow as they put the two chests in a corner.
They did the same a couple of times until they had everything where it should be. They had some basic supplies in the basement where it was stored and salted for longevity for the food. They also used one of the rooms as a kind of armory for Bache and Bell, while most of the weapons and armor was Bell's because of Bache's tendency to use fists and basically no armor.
She had a pair of Telskyuran Daggers for emergency situations, but she mostly didn't use them.
There was only one thing they were missing now. That was baby supplies for Adrienne. They needed a crib, some toys as well as other necessities for taking care of a baby.
Bell was the one who went shopping as Bache just wouldn't leave Adrienne's side as she slept and didn't want to wake her, so Bell had conceded.
He had put on his mask as he was trying to get used to having it on. When outside his home, he didn't want to be recognized by people who could possibly have heard of him.
Bell eventually found what he needed when it came to the absolute necessities right now such as diapers for one. They wouldn't survive a week without them.
Bell was about to hand the Valis required before his spine shuddered as his intuition screamed at him to turn around.
Bell did so and froze. His instinct told him to run and hide, but knew that would be more suspicious than just continuing shopping.
Right in front of his eyes, walked a group of people he never thought he ever would see here.
With a spear leaning against his shoulder as he walked, Finn Demine was racking up some attention as basically anyone knew who he was. Behind him was Tione and Tiona who didn't seem glad to be here alongside Anakitty and… Ais.
Bell froze as he locked eyes with her as his heartbeat became hyperactive. She had become taller, that's for sure and she had slightly matured more, other than that, she looked the same. Said girl stopped for a second to stare at the masked individual that gave her a stare she didn't understand, but she couldn't help but think that the person seemed… familiar. She had a suspicion but decided to ask Finn later.
Instead, she ignored it as she turned back to the group and caught back up with them, giving a single last thought about the individual with an intimidating aura.
'He's strong' She thought before continuing on.
Bell breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't recognize him. He really didn't want to have to run for his life at this time.
Bell gave the Valis he owed before bringing the supplies over to another shop that had a crib for sale. Once purchased, Bell carried it all home before setting it up, neglecting to mention the encounter he had.
=Kali's Palace=
"Tione! Tiona! What do I owe the visit?" Kali asked in her usual tone that feigned ignorance. The two amazoness were about to retort back before Finn put a hand up.
"If I may, we are here looking for an individual that may have traveled through here" Finn conveyed as he noticed the lack of two certain amazoness that were usually at Kali's side.
"By the way, where is Bache and Argana?" Finn asked as Tione and Tiona realized the same thing and looked around. Ais did the same alongside Anakitty.
"Well, Bache is not here at the moment, and Argana is resting in her room" Finn nodded before getting back on topic.
"Well, an individual known as Bell Cranel may have traveled through your country. Do you know anything about this?" Finn asked as Kali laughed, causing everyone to look confused.
"You mean the white haired boy?" She said as Finn nodded.
"Yes, he was here though he left around 8 months ago" She finished, composing herself as Finn pondered the information.
"Then do you know where he went?" He asked as Kali nodded
"Unfortunately, it isn't my top priority to find out where everyone within my country goes, whether they are a citizen or not" She said, hiding the information she actually had with a perfect form. Soon after, Anakitty decided to speak up.
"Do you know what he did in Telskyura?" She asked as Kali's smile remained the same
"You haven't heard? He kind of got famous as he fought in an arena. The only man that had any strength around. He was about to become as famous as he got" Finn nodded, understanding where she was coming from. Bell Cranel had a tendency to go beyond any expectations one set for him. Amazons were definitely going to be interested in him.
"If he was so famous, then how come it wasn't a big deal when he left?" he asked as Kali's smile faltered, realising her slip
"Well, I couldn't really blame him. After what we did, I would want to leave too. Not that I regret it..." she said, trying to figure out how to continue without making it too obvious she was withholding information. Normally she would comply as it didn't matter to her if they knew or not but she did have a small grudge against the prum for making one of her strongest followers fall for him. It had been a pain in her ass for quite some time now.
"In what way?" Ais spoke up with an edge to her voice. They were hunting him, but her attachment for Bell was still present. It still hurts her knowing what he did as much as it would if he was hurt.
"Well..." Kali started before it hit her. He had been very attached to the girl, and she had an aunt that had been… an unfortunate casualty. All she had to do was twist the story to her advantage.
"There was a strong interest to see what he was capable of, so my followers wanted me to get him into the ring. In order to do so, we took a girl he cared for hostage and threatened her life if he didn't comply. He didn't hesitate to do so in order to get the girl released" Kali was pleased with the way she managed to hide the story. If Tione and Tiona found out that Argana and Bache were pregnant, things wouldn't go… very well she could imagine.
"It does sound like Bell…" Ais said, looking to the side with a hint of a smile on her lips. Finn nodded before smiling slightly.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Kali. If you don't mind, we'll just ask around a little in the market before taking our leave" He said as Kali shrugged
"Go ahead, as long as you don't break anything…" She muttered as the group left Kali at her throne to smile slightly at her success with deraling that damn Loki's followers mission. They will go around in circles now trying to find new leads as Kali and Argana were practically the only ones that knew where they had gone.
She couldn't help but break into a grin at the image in her head as she watched the group leave the hall before disappearing out of sight.
=Telskyuran Market=
Finn and the others had walked through the market for quite some time and asked around. It seemed to Finn that Bell Cranel had either been ludicrously thorough with leaving without anyone knowing or he was simply lucky. The last notion sent a throb through Finn's thumb as he bit down on his nail.
The only issue is how often lady luck is on Bell Cranel's side. It's almost as if the gods still in Tenkai are watching over him and intentionally protecting him like an unseen force of nature.
It was the same in Orario, Bell Cranel's luck seemed to be infinite. First, he survived a minotaur encounter on the 5th floor as the 'newbie of the newbies' as Bete described him. Then he managed to defeat a silverback according to Loki after only 5 days had passed.
Then he managed to defeat a minotaur at level 1, he by chance met up with Ais after their 'Death March' to the 18th floor as the boy himself had described it as. There are many other instances where Bell Cranel's luck had been off the charts. The only time he can think that his luck ran out was after his goddess had died.
Something told him there was something there but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Meanwhile as Finn was contemplating the information, Ais was looking around the Marketplace for a certain individual that had intrigued her. The man with the Armor that seemed so foreign it stood out like a sore thumb had sent a chill down her spine at the familiarity she felt when their eyes locked with each other.
She had at first thought that it was Bell, but quickly squashed that theory down after they had talked with Kali. She hadn't even gotten the chance to tell Finn of the man. It was a man, right? He was quite tall after all as Ais herself was considered tall among women as she had grown in the last 8 months. She was now a little shorter than Riveria, around 168cm. Even then though, the man had towered over her, being at least 175cm or taller. That had been another thing that had sent her thought of it being Bell out the window. Bell was shorter than her… there was no way he was now that tall.
Ais had no idea how airheaded that thought was as she completely forgot about the magical thing called Puberty.
As she was about to give up on finding the man again, her vision stopped at a person that was walking around with a baby in their arms as Ais' eyes widened slightly.
She stopped as Tiona walked into her with a mumbled 'oww' into her shoulder.
Finn stopped alongside Anakitty and Tione to look at Ais questionably.
"Why did you stop all of a sudden, Ais?" Tiona asked as Ais simply nudged her with her shoulder before nodding in a direction
"Tiona… look" Tiona did as she asked and turned her head.
"What is it? Did a guy catch yo...ur-" She stopped as her mouth fell open. It was like she had turned into a complete statue as the other turned to the direction too.
"Oh my…" Finn's voice could be heard as Tione was put in a similar position as her sister. Tiona was the first of the two to snap out of her stupor and she launched herself forward towards the woman Ais had nodded towards.
"BACHE! WHO IS THAT CUTIE!?" Tiona's shrill scream could be heard as Bache snapped around, noticing the group and an incoming Tiona charged missile.
Bache turned around as Tiona impacted Bache's back, causing her to instantly stop against the level 6 armor before falling to the ground.
"Ow…" Tiona muttered as she patted her nose before getting back up, everyone else now at her side.
"Hello, Tione, Tiona… Finn and…" Bache looked at the other two, recognizing them but not quite putting her finger on it.
"These two are Ais and Anakitty" Bache nodded before tilting her head.
"Why are you all here?" She asked, still not knowing of Bell's true predicament.
"Well… we were looking for a boy by the name of Bell Cranel. He's a wanted felon of Orario" Bache's eyes widened for a second before she composed herself.
"Hmm… I have heard the name before" She said, trying to play it cool. The mention of Bell being a Felon had surprised her, and she didn't want them to take him away so she wasn't about to reveal anything.
"Yes, we came, following him. Too bad nobody knows anything" Tiona said energetically before turning her eyes towards the child.
"Whose kid are you taking care of?" She asked as Bache smiled slightly.
"My own" Those words sent another shock through Tione and Tiona as they gasped.
"You have a kid!?" Tiona asked energetically as she gave the baby multiple looks at different angles.
"She's adorable, she has your eyes… and white hair! Aww" Tiona gushed before Tione tried to compose herself.
"How… is Argana doing?" She asked as Bache frowned.
"I don't know, last I saw here was 8 months ago. We were both pregnant then" Tione practically died on the inside as she heard that. Argana, the psychotic bloodcrazed vampiric amazon had managed to get a kid before her… on the other hand, Tione's drive to get with Finn strengthened manyfold at that moment, causing Finn's thumb to ache so bad he started to form a sweatdrop.
'Oh my, it seems that something unforeseen has happened…' He thought in response to the throbbing.
As the silence ensued, a little whine emanated out of Adrienne's mouth as she reached out towards one of the new faces.
Ais looked down at the girl, internally screaming in confusion as she didn't understand what the baby wanted. Little Ais was sifting through the near empty library of books on babies that was her brain in a panic.
Bache decided to intervene and walked up to Ais and reached out with Adrienne in her arms.
"She wants you to hold her" Bache said simply as Ais looked at Finn who nodded. Ais complied and pulled the child into her arms. Adrienne instantly snuggled up to Ais and closed her eyes as Ais tried to calm down on the inside.
She somewhat noticed the 'Awws' coming from Tiona. She looked at Finn who smiled at Ais before nodding at Adrienne as she looked down.
"What's her name…" Ais asked as Bache smiled at the interaction. It was a welcome distraction from Tione and Tiona questioning.
"Adrienne" She said as Tione quirked an eyebrow
"Adrienne Kalif?" She asked as Bache shrugged, not wanting to actually give the real answer in fear of what they would do.
"I suppose" The answer slightly confused amazon who decided to ignore it. Eventually Finn decided they needed to leave.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have to leave and inform the others that this lead has run dry" Finn said as he walked up to Ais and Adrienne. He reached up and swiped a random newgrown strand of hair from her side smiling.
"It was nice meeting you and your child Bache" He said as Bache nodded before Ais handed Adrienne back, much to Adrienne's complaints and Ais disappointment.
The group walked off as Bache did the same. Finn and the others, unknowingly walking further away from their target instead of closer.
=Residential Area=
Bache returned to their rented house, entering the main living area and quickly noticing Bell sitting down with his hand on his face and mask off, Erebus at his side talking about something.
"You knew you were going to eventually see them again. It happened sooner than expected and it seems that this Ais Wallenstein didn't recognize you, or things would have gotten ugly" Erebus explained as Bell sighed
"I know… It's just… the emotions I had for her… They are not as strong as before but… they are still the...re" Bell said, stalling for a second as he noticed Bache with Adrienne.
Bell stood up and walked up to her, silently asking if he could hold her. Bache quickly complied as Bell took her out of her hands with his gloved ones before carefully leaning her on his plated chest.
He smiled down at Adrienne, his nerves calming down from the events that happened not even one two hours ago. He was snapped out of his stupor as he felt a nudge on his side before looking at Bache who gave him a 'We need to talk' look.
Bell nodded before reluctantly handing Adrienne to Erebus who sat down on the sofa, A book to his side and Adrienne in his arms as he rocked her back and forth as he read.
Bache led Bell into one of the bedrooms, before closing the door before sighing.
"I'm sorry for asking, but I need to know. What happened in Orario?" She asked as Bell frowned. She knew that something bad happened, but he never explicitly stated anything.
"I met Tione and Tiona along the prum, a human girl and a catgirl while I was out. They mentioned that you were a wanted felon. Don't get me wrong, I don't care what you have done, but it would help with me keeping a story straight if I knew in case I ever run into them again" Bache explained as Bell's frown deepened before he sighed. He sat down on the side of the Bed before patting the space to his left.
Bache sat down before turning towards Bell, who knew he had to tell. She had a good point and keeping secrets… doesn't really set a good example for Adrienne as she grows up. He almost chuckled at him thinking like that when she wasn't even a month old yet.
"Well… as most things start, it was with an encounter. This one, being in the dungeon" Bell started as Bache nodded.
"I encountered something I, and everyone else, thought to be impossible. A monster that had emotions. A monster that could dream, that could feel, that could think and act against their instincts" Bache's eyes widened at the information. It seemed… impossible, just like Bell said. It would break everything everyone, even the gods knew about them.
If monsters like that existed…
"This monster was running from both other monsters, but also a Familia led by Ikelos. She was limping around in an overgrown forest floor with enormous roots. Her leg was broken and she was practically done for as she had tripped and fallen down a hill"
"That's where I found her, staring at me with tears in her eyes. There was fear in them, the same type I recognized too well as I have felt it many times. The fear of one's own doom" Bache frowned slightly, she knew that fear well too. She had felt it every time she had entered the Arena and fought for her right to live. The same fear… Adrienne must have felt…
"I couldn't kill her as all I could see was a scared girl, monster or otherwise running for her life. Internally begging to be saved. I couldn't ignore it, so I wrapped a salamander wool around her and took her to the surface. I protected her with my Familia, until it wasn't sustainable anymore" Bell continued as Bache started to see where this was going.
"We got her into the dungeon again after an incident, and met more of her kind. They call themselves The Xenos. Intelligent monsters that want to clash words instead of blades. They prefer diplomacy above barbarism. We shook hands with them, we talked with them, we shared stories with them just like we do with anyone else" Bell paused, letting the information sink in.
"Then… what's the difference?" Bache asked quietly as Bell looked at her.
"What's the difference between them and us?" Bell frowned at the question before giving his own answer.
"I have thought of that too. I could only come to one conclusion. We are less forgiving, and in a way, more barbaric than the very monsters we so despise. Ouranos, the patron god of Orario had explained that the hatred is too deep rooted to simply be forgotten. The thing that started at animosity, then to hate had now just become an endless cycle of hatred, anger, suffering and cruelty" Bache nodded, wanting to hear anything before she adds anything else.
"It's the reason I never truly kill a monster out of anger or hate. I do it because I have too. If the monster doesn't attack, then I won't either. Anyway, back to what happened, after the monster girl, Wiene, had been left with the other Xenos, the Ikelos Familia killed a party of other Xenos. This sent a large group of them into a frenzy to find the ones responsible, and attacked a town on the 18th floor called Rivira" Bache nodded, her expression turning slightly dejected.
"Apparently, there is an artificial dungeon called the Knossos and they had kidnapped Xenos to be sold through there. Anyway, long story short, Weine had been kidnapped before being turned berserk by the Ikelos Familias captain and went on a rampage aboveground where I endangered the public to save her. My entire image of ruined and everywhere I went I got menacing looks and insults thrown my way"
"My Familia attempted to cheer me up the next day by accepting a quest outside the city… but out of pure 'luck' I felt like something bad was going to happen and returned. My home had been blown up and my goddess was kidnapped. I was knocked out and tortured with my goddess in the room… they… they tried to… violate her" Bell said the last part in a barely audible voice as tears filled his eyes as emotions swarmed, his back feeling warm at the development ability area.
"I… I killed them all, every last of those monsters… but I went too far, and I still failed to save my goddess. She was killed in front of me before I was taken in and sentenced to Kauhea Forbande without a fair trial. I didn't even get to see anything else as the next time I woke up, I was right outside the prison" Bell explained as Bache's expression had turned very sour. She seemed positively pissed off.
"I was there for 2 weeks before I escaped with Erebus and two others. In fact, they were headed for the Far East. Most likely in one of the smaller villages which is the reason we didn't meet up most likely. Anyway, after that, we traveled to a town called Agris, got some gear before heading here. You know the rest" Bell finished as Bache's eyes turned to him.
"They didn't even give you a chance to explain… That's… That's just illogical!" She exploded the final words with a loud voice, practically screaming before growling out in slight frustration at the story.
"I know, but I want to return someday, no I long to return to Orario. I long to clear my name, but I can't do that with my current strength. I need to get stronger…" Bell said as he wiped the tears from his face before his eyes locked onto his hands and stared in determination. He clenched before looking back at Bache "No matter what" he finished. Bache stared at Bell before nodding and smiling, her face not covered by the usual veil she wore.
"Then I will help you. We can start training again whenever I get used to Adrienne" Bell nodded as he whispered his thanks to her.
"And… thank you for telling me this" She hadn't actually expected him to reveal so much but… she was glad for it. It was like a piece of the wall between them had been removed.
"You needed and quite frankly, deserved to know. After all, I know of your past and you know now of mine" Bell responded as Bache nodded before getting up, intending to head back to her daughter.
"There is also one thing I wanted to ask you" Said Bell as Bache stopped, turning around.
"I am not planning on sticking around in Telskyura for too long, but I kind of don't want to lose Adrienne so I'm asking you this now. When I find another palace to settle down as a sort of… home that I can return to through my travels, will you come along with Adrienne?" He asked as Bache snorted.
"I was the one who said that I wanted her to know her father. I don't really want to stay here either, the only reason we returned was because I at least wanted Adrienne to be born here, and we both know how that ended" She sent back with a smile as Bell chuckled
"Yeah… But, eh… is that a yes?" He asked as Bache nodded, making Bell sigh in relief before she left.
Bell soon did the same as the two went around, doing different chores or taking care of Adrienne. Bell mostly sifted through the paperwork and scrolls they still owned of Guild related quest completions and such alongside Erebus or he was with Adrienne.
Bache mostly took care of her room and even sharpened some of Bell's weapons alongside her own daggers, something Bell had intended to ask her to teach him since Welf never got around to do that for him.
The days passed, and before they knew it, they had fallen into a routine, unknowing of the fateful encounter that soon would cross their paths.
That's chapter 12 for you all! The action is slowing down slightly but I wonder what this 'fateful encounter' may be! You'll just have to wait and see! As always, I hope to see you all next time!