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.
24: A New Balance
=Orario, Twilight Manor=
Ais was standing within the chambers of her room, looking out her window as she held the black knife that Bell once wielded. The blade staring back at her in defiance to her every attempt to read it's runes.
She had been quite confused since the events in the Knossos. She had managed to defeat her adversary, Revis but... That man had heard the truth. That meant that her secret was no longer confined to Loki familia executives… not even the Loki Familia at all.
She didn't know if she could truly trust him, but she understood there was nothing she could do. He already heard, and promised that he wouldn't tell, but that didn't stop her from fearing the worst.
It had sent her here, into her room with the blade as she continued to ponder the situation. She could tell that the rest were getting worried for her. Tiona and Lefiya had come and tried to get her to go out multiple times a day by now. Riveria had even asked her what was going on but she had just told her that she needed time.
"Sigh…" Ais shook her head before looking out the window, noticing Bete leaning against the Wall as Tiona, Tione and the others were talking about something and patting Tione's back in a congratulatory way.
Maybe she should tell the truth…
The thought only made Ais more afraid. She was scared that they would reject her… that they would see her differently. Deep down, she knew that it was illogical, that they wouldn't change their view of her simply because of her blood, but sometimes, fear overpowers logic as Riveria says sometimes.
*Knock* *Knock*
The door opened slowly, making sure Ais would have the time to retaliate in case she was doing something private before the door opened wide.
Rivera walked in with a small smile and a nod in greetings.
"Riveria?" She asked as the high elf walked over to Ais bed and sat down, patting the seat next to her.
Ais complied and walked over, sitting down with the knife in her lap.
"Ais… I know you needed time but… it's been a week since the Knossos so… I'd like to know what's going on" Riveria asked as Ais nodded, understanding her worry.
"It's just… he knows" Ais tried to get her worries out but only cause Riveria to raise an eyebrow.
"I don't follow"
"The masked man… he knows… of my parents" Ais said. This got Riverias attention real fast as she instantly became alert as if she was in the dungeon.
"What!? How did he figure it out?" Riveria asked a little too loudly in her shock before Ais recounted what had happened. All Riveria could do was pinch her nose before sighing.
"Well… there isn't much we can do. We don't know where he is at the moment. The last we heard was him helping Rakia out with the vikings. The man is stronger than we gave credit for… fighting an army of level 3-4's alone… it's just monstrous" She trailed off as she thought of what she had heard.
"He fought an army of level 3's and 4's? Isn't that level supposed to be rare outside Orario?" Ais asked as Riveria nodded.
"Indeed. It seems that our information of the levels outside Orario has become outdated. More and more strong people are appearing without the dungeon. If we don't pick up the pace, we'll fall behind" The high elf explained. It just made no sense. Where were these people coming from? Did the vikings stay inactive to train for so long for the result of that army all these years?
Questions popped into Riveria's head as she felt a headache creep up on her. She shook her head and decided to talk about it later with Finn.
"Anyway Ais, there isn't really anything we can do but trust that he will keep your secret out of respect" Ais nodded, understanding her reasoning before running her fingers along the knife again. Riveria peeked at the knife and gave a sad smile at the girl.
"How are you feeling?" Riveria asked and the moment Ais turned to ask what she meant, she stopped and understood what she was asking. Ais' eyes became saddened as they fell down to the knife again.
"It… it still hurts. We don't know where he is, whether he's alive or not. What Loki told us about what Dionysus did…" Ais felt her throat lock up as she struggled to speak.
"I know… We do know that he technically did what he did but… we never got the chance to ask for the circumstances. We now know that he did only want to protect his goddess, and that a goddess of beauty was behind the kidnapping" Ais thought of it. She only knew of two goddesses of beauty on that's currently on Gekai since Ishtar is in Tenkai now.
"Freya or Aphrodite?" Ais asked, her eyes not moving an inch from where her fingers continued to trace the blade's runes.
"Well… Aphrodite isn't anywhere near Orario so I don't think it's her and according to Loki, doing anything to ruin Bell's reputation would only be disadvantageous for her. After all, Loki did say that Freya was after Bell, still is" Riveria answered as best as she could.
"Then… who?" Riveria sighed as she honestly didn't have a clue. Some unknown goddess of beauty so…
"...Recently descended maybe?" She muttered out loud as Ais nodded. Riveria shook her head, deciding to update Ais on some things she missed.
"Ais… There are some things you have missed in the last week. Firstly, Ganesha Familia has invited the familias of Orario to the banquet of the gods, and the goddess can bring one of their children with them. Loki asked for you" Riveria said. In truth, the banquet was late this year as the entire ordeal with Dionysus had forced most familias to focus on that and would have put the count of familias present to an all time low.
Because of that, they delayed the banquet until a week or so after everything was over. An indefinite delay but it didn't take too long.
Ais almost rolled her eyes after Riveria had mentioned Loki wanting her to come with her. She could already hear her saying she wanted a 'Date with her Ais-pu!'.
"I understand… When is it?" Ais asked as Riveria smiled.
"It's in three days. Make sure you're ready by then"
"I will" Riveria nodded before she prepared herself to deliver the news that had shocked everyone in the entire Familia, her more than most.
"Well… lastly I wanted to say something that happened which I never anticipated. Apparently Tione had locked herself in Finn's office for an entire day and had a 'Discussion' with Finn.
Ais raised an eyebrow at Riveria, wondering where this was going.
"Well… turns out that Finn caved and agreed to marry Tione on a couple of conditions" Ais' eyes widened as she heard what Riveria had said. He had caved? Ais wondered why.
"Firstly, he was allowed to have one Palum offspring with another prum, for hereditary purposes which Tione agreed too, knowing of his grand desire" Ais, knowing about it too nodded.
"Second was that she had to tone down the clinging, which I am honestly happy for. Women could barely say hello to him without getting pounded into the ground by her" Ais let out a small giggle at the mental image.
"Lastly, the relationship couldn't interfere with the familia business. In other words, things won't change too much" Riveria finished before an amused smile graced her lips.
'To think that he caved. My lord that amazoness is tenacious' Riveria mentally chuckled before standing up.
"Will you be joining us for dinner?" She asked as Ais looked up before thinking for a second. She nodded shortly after before standing up and putting the knife back into the box.
The two left for dinner, Ais wondering about how Bell is doing, and whether the masked man would keep his promise.
=Anfesera=
Bell was walking through the village, his armor tattered and battered, desperately needing repairs. He noticed the shocked and worried looks he got from the villagers, some people even came forward, asking if he was alright.
It wasn't until he was approaching the center of the village that he came across the chief. At first glance at the mask, she smiled, but the moment she looked at the armor, it fell and she gained a frown.
"Bell... are you alright?" She asked as he nodded before pulling the mask off.
"Yes, it was just rough. I did look for a challenge after all" Bell answered as the chief shook her head, noticing the healing wounds on his face.
"Did gain some new scars though. Should heal in a couple of years with the help of the Falna though" This just made the chief's sigh louder.
"You're going to give your wife a heart attack if you keep this up. She's going to be so worried when she sees you" Saena said, her frown disappearing as an amused smirk appeared on her face.
Bell groaned out as he hadn't thought of that. She was going to be so pissed.
"God, what am I going to say?" He muttered before he noticed Saena hold in a laugh before a knowing look crossed her face.
"You don't have much time to think about that, here she comes" Bell panicked. He looked left and right before turning around, staring face to face on a very angry and worried elf, stomping towards him.
"BELL CRANEL! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT BEING CAREFUL!" Bell flinched at the shrill scream that spoke volumes about what she felt at the moment.
"I'm… sorry?" He said in the tone of a question, unsure about what to say to calm his wife.
"YOU…" She started as she slammed her fist into his chest with all her strength, causing him to buckle slightly from the force and pain as she hit him right where one of the ribs had been broken.
It was healed but the mentally, the body still thought of the wound being there.
"You… promised" She said as she buried her face into his chest as his eyes softened, his arms pulling around her frame.
"I know… I'm sorry" He said as he felt her shae slightly.
"Hey…" He put a finger under her face before making her look at him.
"I'm alright. I'm here and I'm not leaving you for some time… scratch that, i'm not leaving you or the others ever" Elora nodded before she hugged her arms around his neck and practically slammed her lips onto his.
Bell gasped at the sudden action but quickly reciprocated before the two parted.
"How about we head home? I'd like to get into less… battered clothes" Bell said as he gestured towards his armor and torn clothes underneath.
Elora nodded before the two headed towards their house where the rest awaited.
Once they arrived, Bell was instantly bull rushed by Adrienne, causing him to chuckle.
"Papa! You're home!" She said with a smile as she giggled. Bell reached down and pulled her into his arms.
"Yes I am, Little Firefly" He said as he took her appearance in.
"Did… did you change your hairstyle?" He asked as he noticed that her usually wild hair that went down to her back was not in a ponytail, some of the hair still wild on her head but taming the worst of it.
"Yes! Mommy helped me though Auntie tried to make it too complicated. It was dumb" Bell looked at Elora who just gave a sheepish look to the side.
"Well, I think it looked beautiful" Bell said as she giggled. He turned away from Adrienne and looked at Bache. He opened his arm, causing her to widen her eyes before Bell motioned her forward.
He pulled her into a hug. Bache blushed at the contact she wasn't used to and Elora just smiled and shook her head. Erebus who was sitting on the Sofa like usual raised an eyebrow with a slight smile as well.
"How's things been while I have been gone?" Bell asked as Bache composed herself.
"Oh… They have been great. Quiet in fact" Bell nodded in understanding before he put Adrienne down.
"That's good to hear. Erebus, I'm going up to change clothes. Could you update my status once I get back down?" He asked as Erebus nodded.
"Yeah, I got time" He said as Bell chuckled.
"Of course you have. It's beyond me why you even descended. You're so different from the other gods" Bell's words resonated with Elora and Bache as they nodded along.
"Well, it wasn't too different from the others. I descended because I was bored of being able to do nothing. Literally, the majority of the gods descended so at the time, chaos was impossible to ensue in Tenkai. Here in Gekai, there are endless ways to ensue Chaos, right now I'm doing it through you. Chaotic good you know" Erebus tried to explain. Bell nodded, getting a little grasp of it.
It did make sense. The Erebus back before his attack on Orario thought of his evil as absolute and to be hated by everyone. If there was no one left in Gekai to hate his evil, his entire existence would be for nothing in his eyes.
It wasn't until Astraea had explained her view about him that Erebus had managed to do something that was thought of as impossible. He changed. A god, something unchangeable, changed. Instead of seeking pure chaos and evil that everyone hated, he sought a kind of Chaotic good. Something that wasn't absolute but inevitable to make this world a better place.
Something he was doing through Bell, as in a way, he was spreading chaos wherever he goes, but in the end, things get better for it.
Because of that, he isn't bored and instead pleased with the results. It makes him content with living a normal mortal life without any complaints.
"Alright, I understand. I'll be back down soon" Bell said before walking upstairs. Elora watched him walk up before sighing.
"You didn't give him too much trouble out there, right Elora?" Erebus asked as everyone left in the room looked at him.
"He did keep his promise. He came back here. Maybe a little battered, but he did" Elora nodded but…
"It's just… seeing him like that hurts…" She said quietly as Erebus chuckled.
"Well, Bell told me something that is very true when he came back from the Far East. To trust those that you love to come back. You know as well as I do what kind of life he lives, what his goals are. He will end up getting hurt, and he will return battered and scarred, but as long as he comes back with his life intact, it should be fine" Erebus reasoned as Bache walked up to Elora, Adrienne in her arms as she wrapped one arm around her.
"I know… I just can't help but worry" Both understood what she meant. They worried for him too. Erebus wouldn't really admit it out loud but Bell had become a big part of his life down on Gekai, so seeing him come back like that did worry him a lot, but he knew that things would be like this, and he would do his part in making sure he had as large of a chance to return as possible with his blessing.
"I understand, we all worry, but I can tell you this for sure. That man will go places no one else has ever come close to accomplishing. He may be the only mortal in existence at this point that could prove the level 10 theory, and might actually be the one to lead a new age of heroes when the time comes" Bache and Elora understood what he was talking about. With his growth, the level 10 theory wasn't far-fetched for Bell.
The only issue was that it was slowing down considerably. His skill was slowly deactivating, still active, but clearly getting weaker.
"Eh… did I miss something?" Bell's voice came out as the four people in the room looked up before Erebus snorted and shook his head.
"Not really, why don't you sit down here and let me update your status. It'll be your first one in almost a year" Bell nodded as it was true. Once his status stopped increasing at all, he refrained from updating in hopes of increasing his chances to level up by stacking Excelia and overloading it.
It was a gamble, but he hoped it paid off.
As Erebus got to work once Bell sat down, Bache and Elora went over to the kitchen and started making something to Eat. Thinking about it, Bell hadn't eaten since last afternoon.
"Well… congratulations on your level up" Erebus' voice invaded his ears with the most pleasant words he had heard in a week or so. He smiled before looking over his shoulder.
"What are the development abilities?" Bell asked as he felt the smiles form Bache and Elora look at him at the mention of a level up.
"You got quite the collection to choose from this time around. First and foremost is Blacksmith. Most likely because of your insistence of repairing your own armor and weapons. Secondly you have Fist Fighter, you can thank Bache for that one" Bell almost laughed out loud as he remembered her insistence of them fighting hand to hand to improve his fist fighting capabilities if he's ever disarmed.
"Next is… Diving? How did you even manage to get this one?" Erebus asked, confused as Bell cringed inwardly.
"I may or may not have fallen down into a water filled cave and had to swim my way out for two days…" Bell muttered as he shivered at the memory. He almost suffocated to death too many times to count.
"The fourth one is Chain Attack, which adds power to every attack that is stacked in a chain. Obviously where you got this" Bell nodded before Erebus traced another spot.
"Then there is Hunter. Huh? I thought you could only get it at level 1…" Erebus muttered as Bell nodded. He did once have the option. Most likely it's because he has killed so many of the same monster over the two years, it popped up again.
"The last one is… Strong body. Alright, this one is extremely difficult to get. It needs one to practically break all the bones and nerves in their body to even have a chance of obtaining. It increases the durability of… well everything. It's a better version of Strong Defence that protects against practically everything but abnormal conditions" Erebus explained as Bell nodded, pondering his options.
Blacksmith sounds nice but it isn't really his style, so that one is out. No reason to even consider Diving as he would practically never use it.
Fist Fighter and Chain attack sounds alluring but he would have to pass, since he has no issues in any of those departments. Hunter is extremely alluring as Erebus had once explained that most didn't even realise that it worked against mortals as well, not just monsters.
Though… There is one thing that is bothering him. His endurance is extremely high but… it's still his biggest shortcoming. When he looks at his status and what he can do, he feels that his magic is more than sufficient, his speed and strength are excellent alongside his dexterity.
That leaves endurance which is the only thing that he feels needs improvement, and his intuition is telling him to cover up any holes in his status as best he can.
'Alright, I've made up my mind' Bell thought as he nodded.
"Erebus, chose Strong Body. My biggest shortcoming is my endurance, Reinforcing that is my biggest priority" Erebus nodded as he started writing again before grabbing a piece of paper and copying his status on it.
The moment Bell laid eyes on his status, he smiled.
Name: Bell Cranel
Lv 5 - 6
Status:
{STR} SSS-1399 - I-0
{VIT} SSS-1399 - I-0
{DEX} SSS-1399 - I-0
{AGI} SSS-1399 - I-0
{MAG} SSS-1399 - I-0
Magic:
Firebolt: Swift strike magic. Casts a bolt of fire and electricity on command that explodes on impact upon contacting 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: 543%)
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: E - D
Abnormal Resistance: D
Psych: G - F
Intuition: H - G
Strong Body: I
"All my development abilities but abnormal resistance went up?" Bell asked, shocked at it.
"Yes, not by a lot, but the incredible amount of excelia you have accumulated during the year has been enough to boost all of them one level" He explained as Bell nodded.
"Anyway, that's two level ups in one week" Bell looked at Erebus confused.
"Two…?" He asked before turning around to Bache and Elora.
"Well… I did reach level 5…" Elora said with a smile as Bell's eyes widened.
"Honey… that's incredible! Congratulations!" He said before standing up and walking over to her, giving her a hug which she happily returned.
"Yeah, but I didn't go through with it since I want to max my stats like you and Erebus told me" She explained as Bell nodded with a smile.
"Smart" Was all Bell said with a smile.
"Well, I am going to have you push me once our child is born" Elora said as Bell nodded, happily obliging to help her, at least after there is no risk for the baby.
"What about you Bache? How is your status looking?" Bache only chuckled as she walked over to a drawer and pulled out a status sheet and handed it over to Bell.
Name: Bache Kalif
Lv 6
Status:
{STR} S-999
{VIT} S-984 - S-990
{DEX} S-999
{AGI} S-987 - S-991
{MAG} S-999
Magic:
Velgus: 'Di asla' - Poison Enchantment magic that imbues things with deadly poison that is unblockable. Potency of the poison depends on magic stat. Must be in direct contact with items to imbue poison.
Skills:
Eitur Auka: Enhances all poison abilities of the user depending on the 'Abnormal Resistance' of the opponent. Can only increase poison efficiency by one 'Abnormal Resistance' rank.
Taistelija: Boosts basic abilities depending on the user's desire to battle. The stronger the desire, the stronger the effect
Development Abilities:
Fist Strike: F
Fist Fighter: F
Abnormal Resistance: G
Berserk: H
"The status looks good. Are you not able to level?" Bell asked as she shook her head.
"No, I still haven't reached a feat to get myself to level 7" She responded as Bell nodded.
"Might want to try to look for that. I'll help since I might come across something" Bache smiled at Bell and nodded.
"Papa… how long will you stay this time?" Adrienne asked as Bell turned to her, sitting on a stool by the kitchen table. He walked over and got down to one knee for her before addressing her.
"For quite some time, Little Firefly. It's quiet out there and I feel like I should spend more time with you all, especially with your sibling on the way" Adrienne smiled wide at that.
"Yay! Papa's staying longer!" Everyone laughed at her excitement as Adrienne giggled.
"Yes… Yes I am. Anyway, Adrienne, your third birthday is coming up in 2 months. We were wondering what you wished for" The question sent the amazon into thought, pondering about what she would like to have.
"I want a toy sword! I want to be like Momma and Papa when I get big!" Bell chuckled at her enthusiasm. She had been adamant about her wanting to be like her parents for some time now.
"Well, Little Firefly. We will see about it, but remember, I won't start training you until you're at least 6 years old, if you still want it by then" Bell said, pushing that point as he refused to train someone younger than that. After all, if she wanted to be like him and Bache, he wouldn't pull any stops and go all out, he wanted her to be as safe as possible, which unfortunately would make her training pure and utter hell.
"Hey, Bell…" He heard Bache say from the doorway, she had just walked outside and just returned, looking confused.
"Why is there a wagon in front of our house?" She asked as Bell suddenly remembered that he had taken it with him from Rakia.
"Right, my reward from helping Rakia is in the back" He said. The next moment Bache fell onto the floor with a large thud as she held her head.
"Bache! Are you alright?" Elora said as she walked over with Bell and Adrienne, Erebus kept a small distance as he wouldn't fit with the trio surrounding the amazon.
"Bell… do you realize what's in the back…?" she asked as he instantly understood why she collapsed.
"Right… I forgot to tell you all…" Bell started as everyone turned to him, the only one not worried was Adrienne who tried to comprehend what was happening.
"Bell… what did you get?" Elora asked with a shiver in her voice, a guess upon what but not knowing the actual number.
"-on Valis" He whispered so low, not even Bache picked up on it.
"Pardon me?" Elora asked as he gulped.
"One Billion valis" The moment the words were said, Elora collapsed too, putting her hand on her face.
"We're even richer now…" She said with a shaking voice as Bache sighed out.
"Bell, you do realise that this makes you one of the richest people in Gekai, right? You could buy half a country with that!" Elora said, every word becoming louder as she tried to comprehend the amount.
"Yeah… I think it's about time that we made some renovations to the training yard…" Bell muttered as the two nodded, Erebus completely noping out of the situation. Adrienne on the other hand was counting on her fingers, having extreme difficulty thinking of the number.
"Papa… how much is one billion?" She asked as Bell almost groaned out.
"It's… a lot. Enough to get anything I want… literally" He added at the end. The only thing he couldn't buy at this point was an entire county or unpurchasable things.
"I'll contact Asfi tomorrow and ask her to order a lot of pure adamantium… or should I go durandal for the floor and walls?" Bell asked as she pondered the question.
"Just go durandal. You could probably build a castle out of it if you wished" Erebus said from the dining table, having gone back to his book.
"Also, could you buy some more books? I'm running out of reading material" Bell just stared at him.
"I guess I'll renovate the house with a library too…" He muttered as he thought of adding a room in front of the stairway that was a little tower that would act like a large library for them. He did get a lot of books from his travels after all, he even has a grimoire he got from some bandits. How they got their hands on it was beyond him.
"That sounds good. Also, you should read this one, it's very informative about how magical energy works around us as well as how it interacts with our surroundings" He said as Bell nodded.
Probably the one he got from one of the elven villages he helped out. It was at least one of the nicer ones that welcomed visitors openly.
Bell got up and helped Bache and Elora onto their feet before motioning for them to help him. They walked outside and began to take the Valis downstairs, striking up small talk.
Hours went by like this as Bell got back back into the normal life, something he somehow both missed, and didn't miss.
=Orario, Entrance=
To say that Freya was in a sour mood would be a massive understatement. They had traveled all the way north, towards the border of the valley of dragons where there had been clues that they had found out was planted of her Bell-kun being there.
Whoever had planted it had been extremely thorough too, making sure it looked as much like Bell as possible while also leaving virtually no trace of them at all. No matter how hard they tried to track down the culprit, it only ended in failure.
The only thing that truly came out of this trip was their encounter with the Empire. They had been scouring east of their country for more places to expand and scrounge for resources. Among them were multiple level 5's and even Kaius, the last Zeus Familia member alive.
Ottar and him had completely obliterated the surrounding area, and both came out with wounds they would have to heal from.
It's been two months since their departure at this point, one month since the battle and Ottar still had clear wounds on his body.
Allen and the others were also worse for the wear so when she came back, finding out about Loki gaining three level 7's as well as that the Royal Executioner having been in Orario sent her mood spiraling into a pit far more dangerous than the pitfire of Helheim.
"Helun… could you find out everything you can about the royal executioner" Freya asked… Well, honestly it was more like she demanded as there was an edge to her voice.
"But… Syr has been gone for years… suddenly returning…" She protested slightly but Freya wasn't having it.
"Oh, just tell them that you traveled outside Orario for personal reasons. Tell Mia that I held you occupied, She can't blame you for that" The edge was still there and a little sharper as Helun nodded.
"It will be done, Milady" She said before disappearing into the crows that were watching them"
"Ottar, I would like to update your status once we return to Babel. I need something to improve my mood" Ottar nodded as they were closing in on the tower, the rest having departed to Folkvangr.
As they entered babel and took the elevator to the top floor, her thoughts drifted towards Bell. Oh, how she wanted to see him again, that beautiful soul of his and hold him close for eternity.
'Oh, where are you my Odr…' She thought as the elevator stopped and they walked down the hall before entering her large room.
Ottar filled a glass of luxurious red wine before handing it to Freya, who was now seated in her usual place.
"Milady, would you like to update my status now?" The Boaz asked as Freya nodded.
"Yes, let's see if you've finally breached your limit" She said as Ottar got down to one knee in front of her, lifting up his shirt. He handed her a dagger which she pricked her finger with before starting her update.
As she went along, she smiled slightly as she became more and more pleased with the result.
"This pleases me greatly. Loki couldn't keep her advantage for long it seems" She smiled as her mood had improved greatly.
"Now… What development ability would you like? You can choose between…" She started, telling him his choices. Once he decided, she wrote it in before looking his status over with a smile and taking a sip from her wine.
Name: Ottar
Lv 7-8
Status:
{STR} S-999 - I-0
{VIT} S-999 - I-0
{DEX} S-999 - I-0
{AGI} S-999 - I-0
{MAG} B-798 - A-806 - I-0
Magic:
Hildis Vini: 'Silver Moon's mercy, the golden wilderness. This body is destined for the wild boar of the war. Run through, carry the goddess' will'
Self Enchantment magic that strengthens the users Endurance and Strength by a ludicrous amount, allowing one to use the power of levels far beyond one's own. Requires extreme amounts of mind power for usage.
Skills:
Vana Arganture: Allows the user to beastify, raising all abilities by an extremely large amount, and has an active trigger. Every use drains the users stamina and mind by a large amount.
Stortus Ottar: When the users continues to fight, the development abilities 'Healing Power' and 'Spirit Healing' are gifted for the duration of the skill. All development abilities are strengthened. The condition is proportional to the user's status.
Development Abilities:
Hunter: E
Abnormal Resistance: E
Magic Resistance: F
Crush: G
Strong Body: G
Tenacity: I
The turn of events pleased her greatly and helped unsour her mood. Once Ottar took his place next to his goddess yet again, the two stared out the window, looking down at the people on the streets.
=Gekai=
As the news spread across the world of Ottar reaching Level 8, things became crazy for a while until it calmed down. Bell being somewhat frustrated with the news had simply decided to shrug it off and enjoy his time with his family.
Days passed in a peaceful tranquil for him, something he hadn't truly had since… well before his grandfather died, and hadn't even realised he had missed until these days.
Days turned into weeks before they turned to months. Before they knew it, Adrienne's birthday was on their doorstep and they thoroughly enjoyed it. To say she was ecstatic with having her own room which she should do what she pleased with would be an understatement.
The renovations for a library also finished within one month after that, storing their books and having more space than they knew what to do with for books. Valis on the other hand, they were completely drowning in.
The renovations only cost around 4 million Valis which Bell earned back within two months passively. At that point, Elora was beginning to have issues walking as her pregnancy became more and more clear to the eye.
Two months after that, ironically marking the 4th year anniversary since Bell's escape from Kauhea Forbande, Elora went into labor at 8 months and 2 weeks pregnant.
Things had become chaotic at that as it happened in the middle of the night at 2AM. The people that knew what they were doing were sleepy and took some time to wake up enough to understand this wasn't a joke.
Bache had to practically slam one into the ground to get it through their skulls that she wasn't joking.
Erebus did his best to calm Elora as her contractions continued while Bell paced like crazy, his heart clenching in pain at every painful wail Elora let out.
Once the healers came, they waited for the contractions to reach the desired state before Bell gave Elora his hand which he almost instantly regretted as she clenched with strength he thought was impossible for a level 4. Erebus and everyone else had left the room, Adrienne very confused upon everything.
It felt like his bones were being shattered and dusted a hundred times over but he only bit his lip and took it, whispering sweet nothing to her as she cursed at him to vent her emotions.
This went on and on for hours before a baby was held within the arms of one of the nurses. Bell was about to let go, stand up and reach for her, his second daughter before.
"AHHHHHHH! WHY DOES IT STILL HURT!" Elora cried out as she felt another large lump trying to get out.
"Oh my…" One of the healers commented as Bell looked at them confused, having decided to wait to let go before they answered the question.
"How… How haven't we noticed before?" One asked more to themselves than anyone else.
"What? What didn't you notice?" Bell and Elora asked in unison as the healer snapped out of her shocked state.
"It appears that… you were pregnant with fraternal twins" Bell blinked. Fraternal… twins? As in twins that didn't look the same… wait… twins…
"BellLLLLLL-!" Elora tried to say something but ended up screaming out as the second baby was practically demanding to be born.
"Alright… Elora, you can do this. Now with me. One. two. PUSH!" The healer said as the other one held the firstborn baby, cleaning her while Elora wailed out again as she followed the command.
"One. Two. PUSH!" This repeated over and over until finally-
"Waaaaaaaaa" A cry came out of this baby. A boy which Bell could tell even from a slight distance. Elora slumped back, breathing in and out deeply as she reveled in her release from the pain.
Bell reached over and kissed her forehead before standing up and walking over to the nurses, caressing his crushed hand in the meantime.
"Are they…" Bell asked. It was natural, one never knew if complications happened after the birth but from the smiles of the two healers, Bell figured they were alright.
"They are healthy, Bell" One said before she handed him the firstborn daughter which Bell happily took, looking down at her closed eyes as a wide smile spread across his face.
"Bell…" He heard Elora call out. He turned around and instantly understood what she wanted. He walked over and handed her their daughter before he received their son.
"She's perfect… no… beyond that" Elora said as her eyes warmed to a degree Bell had only ever seen once or twice.
"So… what's her name? I did agree for you to name them. I have to concede that I am not good with naming" Bell grinned as he said it, looking down at his son.
"Well… I never did say what I had thought up…" She began, taking another deep breath before she continued.
"Aralaya… Aralaya Cranel, in Elvish, the name means 'Beautiful'" Bell smiled and nodded.
"It's perfect… What about him?" Bell asked with a smile as Elora looked up at him, her own smile mirroring his own.
"Jannor, Jannor Cranel meaning 'Kind Soul' in Elvish" Bell almost laughed at the name that would have fit him perfectly a few years back. Well, it still did but…
"Aralaya Cranel… Jannor Cranel… We will make sure you're treasured beyond anything you could ever ask for" Bell vowed to himself as he kissed Jannor's newborn forehead gently.
"Bell… I'm really tired… Could you take the two downstairs? The others are probably waiting and I'm in no condition to come down" She asked as Bell nodded
"Of course. I'll make sure you're not disturbed. Sleep well" He said, kissing her on the forehead before taking Aralaya in his other arm.
"Thank you for your help… and sorry for waking you in the middle of the night" Bell thanked the two nurses who just shook their heads.
"Don't apologize, childbirth is quite unpredictable" One answered as the other nodded in agreement
"It was also our pleasure. Though we are tired so we'll take our leave as well" The two nurses left before Bell smiled, looking down at his two newborn children.
After a moment he looked at Elora before leaving, giving her the time to rest as he walked down the stairs where the others were sitting by the Sofa.
The moment Bache laid eyes on him, she stood up and walked forward, meeting him at the bottom. The worried look on her face disappeared, replaced by shock as she noticed not one, but two babies.
"Twins…? You had twins?" She gasped out as Bell sheepishly nodded.
"Yeah… it was kind of a shock for us too" Bell answered before he felt a tug on his leg, seeing Adrienne looking up curiously.
"Is Auntie alright?" She asked as Bell nodded.
"Yes, she is quite alright, Little Firefly. Just tired… now I'd like you to meet these two" Bell said as he went down on one knee. Adrienne looked curiously at the two.
"They are your siblings. Well, half-siblings but family nonetheless. I expect you to treat them well" Bell said as Adrienne nodded, reaching out slowly with one hand and poking the nose of Aralaya, causing her to turn her head at the unexpected touch.
"I will Papa. What are they named?" She asked. Bache and Erebus had a pretty good idea but Adrienne probably had forgotten.
"Aralaya Cranel" He said as he nodded his head towards her "And Jannor Cranel" He finished with a nod at him.
"Aralaya… Jannor…" She said with focus on her face, trying to force herself to remember the names.
"Well… Bell, with Elora resting, I'm guessing you don't want to disturb her… where are you sleeping?" Erebus asked as Bell looked up.
"I'm sleeping on the Sofa tonight. I'll just leave Aralaya and Jannor in the crib we made. Thankfully it should be large enough for two" Bell said.
"Don't we still have the one that Adrienne used?" Bell shook his head at Bache's question.
"Don't you remember? You used it for firewood…" Bache flared instantly as Erebus chuckled at the memory.
"Now… Little Firefly, how about you and Mom head upstairs and go to sleep? I'm pretty tired and I want to leave these two with their Mom upstairs first" Bell asked as Adrienne nodded.
Shortly after, she left with Bache as Erebus went to his room. Bell headed upstairs and grabbed his brush after putting the two newborns into the crib and went downstairs.
The sofa wasn't exactly comfortable but it worked. He had slept on worse. The darkness of sleep started to consume him after a while as he disappeared with a smile on his face.
That's chapter 24! Hope you all enjoyed it. Now, I don't really have anything to say so I hope I see you next time!