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.
23: Warbands and Warlords
"Gah-!" The voice of a viking was silenced as a fist slammed into his face, sending him flying into a rock, exploding it into millions of smaller pieces.
Within a flash, before the last viking of the camp could react, his head was smashed into the ground as the figure of Bell hovered over him, looking around himself for any other enemies.
It seemed he had taken out another camp, well, knocked them out and broke enough bones for them to retreat back to their main base.
For the past 2 days, Bell had been clearing out small encampments of Vikings and he had cleared out enough that signs of desperation were coming from the vikings. Their movements had become more impulsive and less strategic. It was a clear sign of desperation and it wasn't long until what Bell wanted to happen would happen.
Soon, it would be time for the final confrontation.
From what Bell could gather from some of the conversations from the Vikings with the limited Norse he had tried to learn, the main camp vikings numbered two hundred in total. He sighed as he got up on his feet before rubbing his eyes through the holes in the mask.
He had been going at it since morning and it was nearly midnight by now. He could easily keep going, but that would take out too many Vikings. He needed to be careful so the fight would be dangerous and challenging for him once the plan came to fruition.
He took one last look around before heading back in the direction of Rakia. He was currently near the western shore within a small forest that was located there. The only encampments remaining were the ones closest to the main one.
He had thought of the fact that the Vikings may not do as Bell pleased so in case that happens, Bell would just simply assault the main viking camp head on. It would be significantly more dangerous as he would be fighting on the enemies turf and terms.
Thankfully it was only a fallback plan.
As Bell was nearing Rakia's walls, he pondered about what he would read next. Rakia had an extreme collection of warfare to the point that it seemed redundant for them to even have that much of it.
Their entire library's contents could be summarized in one word. Warfare.
That was all it had, every book was about war, fighting or tactics that probably existed and wasn't lost to time. Ares was obviously a little too obsessed with war… though it was kind of understandable with him being a god of war.
As he walked through the streets and up the stairs to the castle, he smiled slightly as he noticed Hendericks walking through the Halls before noticing him.
"'Stranger'! Do you have a status report?" he asked with a tiny smile.
"Well, only the encampments located close to the main one are still standing, the rest are gone. Hopefully this will be enough" Bell responded as he looked down slightly in contemplation.
"Agreed, We will see soon enough… and what is that?" The question got Bell to look at Hendricks before turning to where his gaze was aimed at
"Ah, I picked this up as a souvenir. Viking blacksmithing is different from other countries, just like how the Far East is different from Rakian" Bell said as Hendricks nodded. Bell liked to pick things up to remind him of his journeys. His grandfather had once told him that every fight, every interaction no matter how small plays a large role in the path one takes. One different decision can change the fate of the entire world, even if it seems inconsequential.
When he had said that to Bell a year before he had died, Bell had been surprised at the out of character speech. They had been talking about Heroes and their paths and the subject had come up.
It was one of the few speeches that his grandfather had said without mentioning women, harems or anything as such, and Bell heeded those words.
Because of that, he keeps souvenirs to remind him of his path. This would remind him of this trial.
"Well, be careful with that. It's sharp, and with your power, that could do some serious harm" Bell chuckled at Hendricks warning before he stopped twirling the knife and put it back in one of the many unused sheaths hidden within the small openings in his armor.
He continued onwards towards the library, walking through the hallways as he took in the militaristic look it had. He arrived outside the Library and walked inside and was met with the advisor sitting at the central table, reading a book.
He looked up and nodded at Bell.
"Greetings" He said as Bell walked forwards and nodded.
"Hello. What are you reading?" he asked before the man looked down at the book before aiming the cover at him.
'The art of Guerilla Warfare' the book read as Bell nodded.
"I'm currently reading up on different ways to fight a war, whether it be in small groups" He brought the book higher, insinuating that was what it was "or large scale battles. Is there anything you need?" He finished as Bell thought of it. Was there anything he needed at the moment?
'Perhaps…' Bell thought. It was as good a time as any.
"Well, would you be up to discuss how to handle the enemy once they launch their attack…? Hopefully" Bell asked as the advisor nodded before gesturing to the seat adjacent to his. Bell sat down before starting.
"This is how I thought we should do it. When they attack we will start with…" Bell began as he continued, the two having a detailed discussion and at the end of it, a plan they felt good about was formulated.
=Next day, City wall=
"Are you ready?" Hendricks asked as Bell and him looked out to the Horizon, the vikings marching towards them at a fast pace.
"Yes…" Bell said as he felt daunted at the numbers he was seeing. Trying to imagine 200 burly, smelly vikings was one thing. Actually seeing it, even at this distance was another.
"Alright… did you receive 'that'?" Bell nodded instead of saying anything. The vikings had done exactly as they wanted and were launching this attack to finish off Rakia as they thought that they couldn't wait any longer.
"I'm going. Remember the plan, wait for the signal" Bell said before vaulting over the wall before falling through the air, smashing into the ground as the rocky surface he landed on cracked slightly.
He started to calmly walk towards the marching army… or was it a sprint? It was hard to tell.
Bell reached back towards his midsection and took a glowing crystal out, humming with energy.
'I have 3 of these, courtesy of Rakia… better make good use of them' Bell thought as he looked at it before pulling out his spear and preparing it behind his back. The enemies were closing in, and were getting close. He peeked back, seeing he was at a sufficient distance from the walls.
'Now… how do I do this' Bell wondered. He thought about it for one second before coming up with what to do.
He waited, the enemies closing in, now only a few seconds out. Every second for Bell felt like an eternity as he waited.
The vikings screamed as they raised their weapons. Bell kept an eye on the one in the front, his weapon slowly heading for his neck.
One second passed, and the blade was closing in, only half a meter away.
'Wait for it…' Bell thought, waiting as the attack inched closer and closer, millimeter by millimeter before.
*Crack*
Bell crushed the crystal in his hands, the energy surging out in a shockwave before enveloping his entire body, the weapon that was only a millimeter from his neck zapped with electricity, conducting it into the vikings body, who conducted it. The energy surge from the item contracted at Bell before-
*BOOM*
Lighting flew everywhere, sending the front lines of the army onto the ground because of the shockwave before Bell grinned, the Rakian's that had been circling the perimeter starting to move in.
"You all worship the god of thunder? Then eat THUNDER!" Bell screamed as he launched forward, the energy flowing around him like a shield.
The vikings attacked as best they could, but Bell dodged and weaved under their attacks, using his spear and longsword to counter attack, thrusting and cutting enemy after enemy.
Bell instinctively knew that these ones were the weaker bunch. The majority of the army should be level 4. These were level 3 at most.
"E-e-e-e-e-e" A viking gurgled out as Bell lightly sliced his leg. Bell made an 'O' expression for a second because of it.
'I take back everything I've ever said about this magic. Legacy's rebirth is amazing!' He couldn't help but think as he jumped in between to swords, narrowly dodging both strikes. He held his spear and sword to the sides, cutting across their faces before they fell to the ground.
Bell quickly swiped the ground around him, sending multiple vikings onto the ground before he sheathed his longsword and clenched his fist, pulling it high into the air.
"FIREBOLT!" Bell screamed out before slamming his fist into the ground as hard as he could.
The ground shook before powerful flames were sent all around him, sending a large portion of the frontline back onto the ground, crashing and tumbling.
The rest of them ran towards Bell. One sliced vertically towards Bell who just moved to the side as the strike got stuck into the ground.
He planted his fist onto the vikings face before grabbing his collar and throwing him back, impacting another viking as the two groaned out and tumbled to the ground.
The next second, he flipped and kicked away one vikings sword before landing on his hands, pushing himself up and aiming his hand towards two people and launched his magic at them.
Once he fell down again, he grabbed a hold of two vikings heads and slammed them into the ground before launching forwards, instantaneously appearing in front of the last dozen vikings and started decimating them.
One by one, they fell to the ground, bones broken and groaning out in pain. Bell stood up and wiped some blood from his mask before looking around.
The Rakian soldiers had begun attacking the rest of the Viking army. Bell had only taken out 25 of them by now, and they were the weakest.
He inspected the whole battlefield looking for a specific person. He had no idea how he looked, but knew that once he saw them in battle, it would be easy to pick them out.
Eventually he spotted them. One person was knocking and throwing rakian soldiers around like ragdolls. It was a giant dwarf, which contradicted the race's usually short stature but that's what he looked like. The Viking was wielding a giant battleaxe, one sided as he swung it around as it cracked or sliced soldiers in half.
The man was borderline brutal as he completely destroyed the Rakian lines.
The viking and Bell's eyes met. The giant dwarf grinned as he started making his way towards Bell, smashing away a rakian soldier with his fist on the way.
Bell began running forwards, slowly speeding up as the viking did the same. The two met as the viking swung his battleaxe towards Bell who used his spear to flick the attack upwards before thrusting his longsword towards his abdomen.
The viking flinched and narrowly dodged to the side. Bell was about to turn around but his intuition told him something else. He jumped up, avoiding an axe throw as multiple soldiers converged on Bell's position.
Bell looked over the numbers and smiled slightly underneath his mask. This might prove to be a challenge. He launched forward and dodged under the weapons just enough for the lightning around him to touch the weapons in order to paralyse the ones that attacked.
Some seemed to be smart enough to avoid the shroud of lightning around Bell and opted for ranged options. The arrows or spears that were thrown at him were swatted off by the shroud of lightning until-
*Clang*
A spear that was thrown hit Bell's shoulder as he flinched forward, throwing his movement off and subsequently being hit straight into a warhammer that crashed into his abdomen, sending him flying backwards.
Bell quickly stabilized him before noting that the shroud around him was dissipating.
'I see… since it doesn't run on mind power, it uses the power stored within the crystal. Once that starts to run dry, the protection weakens. Well, there is no magic that's omnipotent' Bell thought as he stood up, noting that his hip was thumping hard from the hit.
The endurance stat helps the skin not get pierced and for you to tank more hits, but it doesn't remove the pain of blunt force very well, same goes for his armor. It protects against being pierced and somewhat from blunt force but the hit was clearly strong enough to bend his armor that adorned his abdomen.
Bell shrugged off the pain and looked forward, seeing that the distraction of the Rakian soldiers had stopped. It was only him left. The rakians hadn't sent in very many as it was obvious their levels were too low.
'Well… I asked for a challenge… let's go and face it' Bell couldn't help but think as he looked forward to the army of 170 that were left. The viking that had previously engaged Bell in combat walked forward with a grin on his face and spread his arms.
"Dú eru allr einn, Drengr!" The man said as Bell smiled underneath his mask.
"Er Veic" Bell said just loud enough for the warrior to hear before Bell readied his spear and longsword, keeping the daggers as reserve weapons if he's disarmed.
The viking grinned as he readied his axe, and the army moved with him as he started running towards Bell.
Bell of course moved in unison before breaking out into a full sprint, quickly catching up to the army before jumping into the battle that was about to ensue.
=Top of the Rakian Wall=
"Are you sure we can't do anything? He's all alone against an army!" Henderson asked frantically as he watched the stranger seemingly having a staredown or a conversation with the enemy leader.
"You know as well as I do, our highest level is level 3. Their army practically consists of level 3's and above. We would only send men to their deaths. The 50 we sent out earlier was all the troops we could spare…" The advisor explained as he looked out at Bell just met the army head on, jumping into the fray and releasing a bolt of fire that smashed against the ground.
"In other words… He's on his own. It's what he wanted as well. The reason he came here to help is because he sought a challenge to level up, and I have to hand it to the man, his bravery is beyond anything I have ever seen" He said as everyone stationed at the wall were anxiously watching the battle happen right in front of their eyes.
"That… that is something we can agree on. The stranger has more balls than every man in Rakia combined, heck… probably even Orario too" Henderson added with a bitter smile before he turned towards the battle, eyes widening slightly.
"He's holding on pretty well" The advisor noted as Bell deflected the axe from the viking leader before he kicked him backward and flipped over a sideways axe throw.
"Holding on!? He's tearing them apart!" Henderson exclaimed in shock. The noise on the wall became more intense as some cheering started.
The advisor smiled and nodded before it turned bitter and he looked over at Bell in the distance with concern visible on his face.
'He may be tearing them apart now… but how long can he keep it up? Everyone's stamina has their limit, no matter who or what they are' He thought, wondering where the stranger's limit lies.
=On the battlefield=
Bell narrowly flipped over a viking trying to body rush him before Bell's feet landed on his back, propelling him forward as he punched a viking in the face, sending him flying into another viking behind him, knocking both out.
Bell landed and swiped the ground in front of him before his spear cut into the ones behind him, sending both sides to the ground, one groaning, the other trying to get back on their feet.
'It's only been a couple of minutes but-' Bell thought before dodging another axe. He barely had time to think in this scenario, even with his reaction speed.
Bell jumped and twirled in the air, his foot contacting the chest of a viking, cracking his ribs before Bell turned on the ground with his wrist, aiming upwards and launching himself up, his heel impacting the chin of another one.
Bell quickly surveyed the area as he was high enough to do so and got a rough number of the remaining forces.
'120 remaining… but I can already feel my stamina draining. God a skill that helps with stamina would be godly at this point' Bell thought as he felt his muscles slowly hurt more and more.
As time passed, Bell continued to take out one after the other, implementing what he had learnt from inspecting Finn as well as his own style. Bell gained a small amused smile as he couldn't help but think 'Best of both worlds'.
Bell dodged between two axes before impacting the leader's chest that was blocked by his arms. He was sent gliding backwards on the ground before he winced before rubbing his arms.
"You are very impressive… for a mainlander" He praised before jumping back into the battle.
"Oh!? You can talk Koine!" Bell said with mock shock as Bell maneuvered himself close to the ground, sliding as he bent backwards before sliding his sword through the abdomen of a viking.
"Yes I can, I only use it for those I see as worthy! AHA!" He sent is fist towards Bell's back as he was distracted, catching him by surprise as Bell's eyes widened before he was swiped before a hammer hit him into the ground.
"Ugh… good one" Bell groaned as the viking put a foot on Bell's chest, smiling as if he had won. Bell smiled under his mask and put one hand on his ankle.
"You so haven't been paying attention" Bell mocked as the viking tilted his head.
"FIREBOLT!" The fire instantly exploded on the vikings ankle as he jumped back in shock and pain.
"AHHHHHHH! KILL HIM!" He screamed out as everyone thrust their weapons down at Bell who was there one second, but quickly rolled out of the way as his muscles protested.
He pulled out his knife as his spear and longsword were somewhere else entirely, being disarmed earlier as he had been surprised at the vikings attack.
He quickly sliced the ankles of two vikings before pushing himself under their legs before jumping up, using their backs to propel himself away from the mass of vikings that had been surrounding him.
Bell quickly sheathed his knives before pulling out and throwing two throwing knives into two men's throats, before rolling on the ground.
"ARGHHHH! You annoying little…!" The leader called out with a beet red face, contorted into anger.
He was limping, his ankle clearly charred as Bell smiled at it. He winced quickly as he tried to move as he looked down, surprised as he saw a knife embedded between a gap in his armor.
His adrenalin must have dulled the pain so he hadn't noticed it. Bell pulled it out before regretting the decision of not having any potions with him.
The vikings moved closer, and Bell planned to intercept but the moment he took another step, his leg completely failed him as he fell to the ground.
'God damn it!' Bell cursed at whoever threw the knife before a hammer hit him in the face, the mask protecting him before a kick impacted his stomach as he spit out a tiny amount of blood.
The attacks continued as Bell managed to defend some of them, but there were simply too many of them.
Bell groaned out as another kick impacted his back as he turned around and threw a knife at the vikings chest.
'My movements… they are getting sloppier. I'm running out of stamina' Bell thought as he quickly realized the situation.
He was about to attack another viking as the flat end of a battle axe hit the backside of his head, sending him into the ground as he groaned.
'Is this as far as I go…?' Bell thought a hammer impacted his spine as Bell screamed out as he felt a rib break.
He closed his eyes, feeling the darkness slowly creep into his vision, believing it was time…
…
…
'Bell… I know you have to do this. That… it's just who you are. It's one of the many reasons I love you so, so much… but I beg you to be careful… don't leave me… don't leave us. I don't know what I would do if I lost you'
Bell's heart thumped as he remembered the pleading words of Elora when he had told her of what he wanted to do. Bell groaned out as his senses picked up when the viking leader was preparing his axe for the final hit.
'I can't leave her… I promised… I PROMISED!' Bell screamed in his mind as he pushed himself onto his back, his entire body protesting before grabbing one of the remaining two crystals breaking it before he instantly used all the energy for office, sending it out from him as-
*BOOOOOOOM*
Lightning blew everywhere, the explosion so large that even the people on the wall were thrown to the ground as Bell screamed out in pain as he felt his bones break from the fallback. His entire body aching to its core.
The pain was unbearable as he thumped through every nerve in his being.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Bell screamed out at the top of his lungs, unable to move a single muscle. The skill hadn't joked that using the magic for offensive purposes would take a heavy toll. Using all the energy was damn near lethal!
His mind became clouded with the pain as he had trouble discerning where he was. The only thing he understood was the pain and he would do anything to make it stop.
"Stranger! Stranger!" He heard a voice.
"Oh god! GET A HEALER! HE NEEDS HEALING!" The voice screamed as Bell felt the darkness of subconsciousness slowly consume him
=Top of the Rakian Wall=
*BOOOOOOOM*
The explosion sent Henderson to the ground as lighting flew everywhere and even hurt some of the men stationed on top.
He quickly got to his feet and his eyes popped wide open. The once vibrant green battlefield that had been tainted with red had been completely charred, the bodies of the vikings that had been surrounding the stranger as he seemed to have given up were scattered far and wide, having been sent flying from whatever magic the stranger had used.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" He heard a guttural scream, shocking him, it came from where the stranger had been and Henderson jumped into action
"ALL TROOPS, MOBILIZE!" He called out as he jumped over the wall, his level 2 status easily allowing him to land safely before sprinting down the battlefield.
He passed multitudes of bodies and almost puked at the smell of charred flesh and bones. He had seen a lot of fucked up shit while being a higher ranked officer, but he had not really been prepared for this.
He forced himself to ignore the smell and kept going before his eyes were laid on the stranger, his armor bent and cracked in multiple spots.
"Stranger! Stranger!" He called out, hearing him groan out before he got close enough to realize the damage.
His spine was completely shattered… and so was every bone in his body. His muscles were not responding as they had been ripped completely. It was as if he had gone to hell and back.
"Oh god! GET A HEALER! HE NEEDS HEALING!" Henderson screamed out as two men walked forward. The stranger had clearly fallen unconscious. They began chanting before he was enveloped in green light.
Henderson waited and waited with baited breath as he could almost visually see his limbs moving as the bones were healing and being put back in place.
The man had saved the entirety of Rakia… he didn't deserve to die.
"Sir… we have done what we can for now. His bones should be back to a state where we can move him. Let's get him back to the castle so that the better healers can take over" One of the healers said as his magic stopped.
"Alright, someone, help me with this" Henderson asked as he locked his arms under the stranger's armpit. Another soldier grabbed his legs before the two pulled him up.
Henderson winced at the slight cracking of the bones before the two quickly started to practically sprint in unison towards the gates, hoping to everything sacred that they would make it in time.
=Anfesera, 6 hours later=
"..." Elora was sitting on the roof with Adrienne on her lap, the two watching the sun set.
"Auntie… when do you think papa will return?" She asked as Elora couldn't help but smile sadly at the girl she had come to care for as if she was her own child. She moved her fingers through the girl's snow white hair before looking back at the sunset.
"I don't know… it all depends upon how his mission goes" She answered as Adrienne hummed and leaned into her touch.
"God… I miss him" Elora said under her breath, looking at the horizon with sadness in her eyes.
"Papa's strong… he will come back. He always does" Adrienne's words helped Elora's mood as she looked down at her.
"I know… he's one of the strongest I have ever met…" Elora's mind traveled back to her childhood when she had been living in Orario. She had only known her parents for a short time as she had pretty much been born into the Hecate Familia as her parents moved away from the elven village to Orario for… reasons she didn't like to think about.
When she was 4 years old, one year before the fall of the Zeus and Hera familia, she had met Maxim of Zeus Familia. A level 8 at the time, but it wasn't until she experienced the power of Alfia and Zald that she understood the sheer power those familias had once held.
Only two of their members had put Orario in a state of disarray and chaos as they were virtually unstoppable. No mage or warrior could touch them at first, even in their weakened state.
If they had been in their prime… she shuddered at the thought. If Alfia hadn't had the sickness, thank god Bell didn't inherit it, she would have been able to completely destroy Orario single handedly.
Bell now reminds her of them a little. He holds so much power and honestly… he doesn't even realise it. His strength alone could probably make the entire Loki familia give a run for their valis.
That was as a level 5… if he reaches level 6 after this… the only one that would be able to contend with him would be Ottar, and that is only until he pushes his stats to their limit again. Once that happens… no one will be able to control him.
'Well… except for us' Elora thought with a smirk plastered on her face as she continued to run her fingers through Adrienne's hair.
"You two! Dinner's ready!" Elora looked down at Bache who had walked out and was smiling at them.
"Okay, we will be there in a minute" Elora responded as she carefully got up with Adrienne in her grasp. She jumped down as said girl made an excited sound from the movement.
"Hehe… that's always fun" Adrienne giggled. Elora couldn't help but chuckle at the absolute innocence that she had clearly inherited from Bell. It was adorable.
"Hey Bache, Erebus. What did you make?" She asked as Erebus chuckled.
"Just a simple meal that I used to make in Tenkai. Even if we are gods and don't need nutrition up there doesn't mean we don't enjoy eating" Erebus explained as Elora nodded before looking at the food on the table.
God she never got used to living under a rich household. Don't get her wrong, she was doing well with valis before, earning a decent sum from her job as head of the guards, but Bell made what she earned a month look like a poor man's pay.
When she had first heard of him making two and a half million valis a month, she had been beyond shocked. She actually hadn't known that until a month or so ago.
She sat down after helping Adrienne onto her chair and dug into the food.
"Mhmmm" She moaned out at the taste as she heard Bache and Erebus chuckle.
"Erebus! Why aren't you making this more often!? It's incredible!" Elora asked as she imagined being able to eat this at least once a week.
"Well… it takes a very long time, in mortal standards, to prepare. It took me all day to make this" Erebus explained as Elora nodded.
"I understand. Just thought that this is incredible. The only thing I can think of that rivals this is Bell's Katsudon!" Elora was right, Bell did make one hell of a Katsudon.
"I agree. So… Elora… I heard you got a pretty big status update from Erebus" Bache struck up the conversation she wanted.
She had only recently updated her status with Erebus and she had been beyond shocked, but at the same time not.
"Well…" Elora said before she poked into her pocket and pulled out her status sheet. She couldn't really burn it like Bell did. Not everyone had swift-strike magic, the rarest magic in Gekai.
Elora handed it to Bache, the two already having trusted each other with their statuses, being like family to each other.
Name: Elora Cranel
Lv 4
Status:
{STR} B-798 - A-802
{VIT} A-834 - A-841
{DEX} A-899 - S-907
{AGI} S-904 - S-916
{MAG} A-889 - S-900
Magic:
Secatus Veti: 'Through the protection of the forest, power flows through me. May the call of the wind show us the way. It cuts down the enemies, who stand before me'
Wide area wind magic that cuts the air in multiple different directions of the casters choosing. The cuts are strong enough to slice bodies in half. Any cuts made by the magic will heal slower than normal
Skills:
Agilis Thúl: Makes the user faster and more dexterous when fighting with mind power.
Active Trigger
Development Abilities:
Hunter: G
Abnormal Resistance: G
Chain Attack: H
"Mhmm! This is quite a jump, but not what I expected from how you talked about it" Bache said as Elora elaborated.
"Well, the thing is, I can Level whenever I want now" That got Bache's attention.
"You leveled up!?" She asked, her eyes going wide.
"Yes… but I haven't gone through with it yet. Bell and Erebus had explained to me the importance of pushing your stats to their limit. I'll have Bell push me hard after the pregnancy" Elora explained as she subconsciously put her hand on her stomach.
"Speaking of… Have you and Bell thought of a name?" Erebus asked as Elora shook her head.
"'We' haven't thought of anything. I'm not letting him name anything. You know how bad he is at it" Elora chuckled as she remembered Bell telling her the tale of how he wanted to be named 'Burning Fighting Fighter' instead of 'Little Rookie'.
She had been appalled and instantly promised herself to not allow him to name their child.
"Hehe, Papa is bad at naming!" Adrienne giggled as the three chuckled along.
"You have a point. So, what have you thought of?" Erebus chuckled slightly at the beginning before he asked the rest with a curious look aimed at Elora.
"Well… I thought the name Aralaya sounds beautiful for a girl… or Jannor for a boy" She answered as the two nodded.
"Not bad. It does roll off the tongue. Aralaya Cranel or Jannor Cranel. We'll use your surname outside the village of course, that being Aralaya Carleen or Jannor Carleen. At least the initials stay the same" Erebus commented as the two smiled at his words.
"Yes… Now, I'd like to finish eating! I'm starving!" Elora said before gracefully eating the food as the other three shared the statement and continued with their meal as well.
=Rakia=
"Ugh…" Bell groaned out before pulling his arm heavily in front of his eyes, blocking the light from the magic stone lamp above him from blinding his vision.
He blinked as he felt his arm thumb in pain from the movement he had made. Bell carefully sat up with a grunt before looking around the room.
It seemed to be an infirmary where some wounded were on a few beds to Bell's left, his armor was neatly stacked on a table in front of him and there was a door to his righ-
His armor was in front of him… not on him
Bell instantly put his hand on his face and sighed in relief that they hadn't taken the mask off. Ares knew who he was, he had seen him in the past. Thankfully, they seemed to respect his privacy.
He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed before putting one hand over his mask before closing his eyes. The last thing he remembered was unbearable pain.
Rakia was still standing and he was alive so… he must have won…
Bell stood up before stumbling to the side, grabbing a hold of the wall and ignoring the pain that shot down his spine.
The door opened and a person in mage clothes walked in before Bell's ruby red eyes locked onto green ones that were wide with shock.
"You're awake! Don't strain yourself too much. We had to heal every bone in your body from scratch. That's no exaggeration, we healed a total of two hundred and six bones" Bell gasped lightly at the number.
"How broken were they?" Bell asked as the mage fiddled with her fingers.
"Well… they were nearly turned to dust. Any more damage and you would never have moved a muscle again" Bell nodded, understanding her statement.
Healing magic was powerful but it had limits. It couldn't regenerate limbs, and bones couldn't be restored if they were turned to dust. Only the absolute healing magic could do any of that, which a great example would be Fels Resurrection magic, Dia Orpheus.
"I understand, I'll take it easy. I feel like I can walk though so is it alright if I talk with Ares?" Bell asked as the mage nodded.
"Yes, your bones are healed enough to walk. You just have to get used to it a little as the nerves are severed. They only need to form new connections which won't take long. A minute at max" Bell nodded, now understanding why he tumbled like that. It was partly due to the shock of standing after his bones were broken so badly and his nerves not having the right connections.
He started to slowly take one step after another before walking towards his armor. Bell quickly noticed that his weapons were mounted by a stand to the right which he hadn't noticed before.
"Could I get some privacy? I'd like to change" The mage went beet red and apologized before excusing herself.
Bell slowly put on the armor, making sure to not exert himself. Once it was on, he limped slowly out the door and into the hallway, heading towards Ares chambers.
He noted that just like the mage said, it was slowly getting easier to walk, the only issue was that it hurt when he did.
Bell stopped in front of a door before knocking. He waited patiently before a voice came through.
"Come in" Bell opened the door where Ares, Henderson and the advisor were standing around a table.
"Ah, you're up" Henderson said with a smile filled with relief. Bell nodded before boisterous laughter exploded from Ares, making Bell flinch.
"HAHA! You're amazing! You were like BAM and WHAM! The enemies barely knew what hit them!" Ares practically screamed as Bell rolled his eyes.
"Ehem" The advisor cleared his throat as Bell looked at him.
"Please ignore my patron god for the moment-"
"Hey!"
"-But we would like to extend our sincerest thanks towards you for what you have done. Without you, I don't want to think what might have happened to Rakia. As for your reward, it's already packed into the back of a large wagon outside the castle, with guards of course" Bell nodded, remembering the mental sum they were paying.
"Also… we'd like to extend an offer" He finished as Bell quizzed a quizzical eyebrow at him. If they were asking him to work for them, it was a no. He didn't have the time or the will for it.
"I'm listening" Bell answered, at least hearing them out.
"We noted your precarious situation of not having a name or even a nickname, so Ares here actually came up with something logical for once" Ares glared at his advisor as Henderson just smirked in the background.
"We'd like for you to carry the title of the Rakias champion as an Alias. No strings attached" Bell thought of it for a second, the title of the Rakian champion was a lot more intimidating as well as rolls of the tongue better compared to 'Royal Executioner'
"No strings attached?" Bell inquired, making sure there wasn't anything that came with the title.
"No strings. Only thing we ask for is an alliance of sorts. If you ever need our help for anything, we will be there and vice versa. You don't have to accept that, it's not a condition" He clarified as Bell nodded.
"Alright… I'll take up the name" Bell said with a smile hidden underneath his mask.
"Splendid. It's been a pleasure working alongside you… Apollyon" Bell got a small chill from the name. It sounds so much cooler than Little Rookie so he isn't complaining at all. As titles go, that's one of the better ones.
"Pleasure as well. I'll be on my way now" Bell bowed slightly as Ares gave an eccentric wave before Bell headed down the halls towards the exit, looking forward to getting home.
That's chapter 23! Sorry for the long time. I recently got a job and I've been trying to balance my freetime. Because I was recently employed, chapters won't be released as often anymore either, so don't expect one every 2-3 days. Might take a week or two now :)
Otherwise, there isn't much else to say apart from that I hope you enjoyed and to see you next time!