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.
25: Moving Forwards
=Anfesera, 3 years later=
Bell could scarcely believe that it's already been 3 years since Aralaya and Jannor were born. Their characteristics had become apparent. Both had inherited his red eyes and Jannor practically looked like a toddler Bell if you discounted the half elf ears.
As for Aralaya, she had shoulder length blonde hair, the same tint as her mother with his red eyes. They were growing fast and it was hard to keep track sometimes. Adrienne though…
"Dad!" Adrienne called out as Bell looked up from his work. He was repairing his armor while Elora was taking care of the twins.
Adrienne had grown so much over the last 3 years, her hair had grown down to her back, her features had begun to mellow out from her youngest years
"Hey there, Firefly. Nice of you to visit me while working" Bell responded as he turned the heat down on the personal smithy Bell had asked the lumberjack to build near his house.
"When will we be starting?" She asked. Bell understood what she had meant, she had turned 6 around half a year earlier but had elected to train her body beforehand. At least as far as she could take it at her age.
She had recently told him that she was ready to start training as she still wished to be like him and her mother. Bell of course had agreed and today was that day.
"Well, I just finished here. Just gonna drop this into the water…" He said as he carefully used the tongs to dip the heated metal of the armor which he had been working on into the water, sizzling before he pulled it out and put it down on a cooling counter.
"There. I'm done. I don't really need my armor for the training" Bell said to Adrienne with a smile.
"Okay! Need me to get something ready?" Adrienne asked as Bell thought about it.
"Well… bring a choice of weapon. You'll need it" Adrienne scurried off at his words as Bell shook his head at her excitement. It reminded him of himself back when he started as an adventurer. The pure innocence one had before they realised the true hell it would be, no matter if you enjoyed it or not.
Bell quickly packed things up and left the armor to cool, heading outside and shielding his sensitive eyes in front the sun glaring at him in the face. He headed towards the back of the house, where he had told Adrienne to meet him.
That was another thing they had improved over the years. They had decided to move the showers and bathhouse back a bit and extend the main living area so that they had more room for bedrooms upstairs as well as other things downstairs. It also added the benefit of having enough space to put a backdoor to the house.
Once Bell arrived, he saw Adrienne push the door open with her back, carrying a box of weapons. Probably unsure of what to use.
She smiled when she saw him and put the box down.
"Alright… so, what comes first" She asked with excitement, completely consuming her entire being. Bell chuckled before he motioned to the box.
"First… we choose a weapon. After all, fighting monsters in the beginning without a weapons, is the same a suicide. Your status isn't high enough to do that, especially in the forest where they are as strong as the dungeon. Your status is already somewhat advanced because of having it for some time and training the last 6 months, but since you never gained experience in fighting, it's best to start like everyone else" Adrienne nodded and plopped down in front of the box and started to look through it.
"Any tips?" She asked.
"Well… your stature is lithe, just like me and your mother so I don't think that greataxe that's sticking out would fit you. Pick something that fits you and how you want to fight. If you want to go ahead, then a shortsword or two would be good" Bell explained as she got the gist of it.
She dug through the admittedly large pile of weapons that had been Bell's works at trying to improve with forging so he could fix his own weapons.
He knew he would never be as good as a real smith, but they were at least usable and durable enough to fight level 1 monsters.
Adrienne threw a spear over her shoulder alongside a multitude of other weapons before she pulled out a shortsword.
"Ah… that is an amazonian shortsword" Bell explained. He had tried to imitate it to some degree of success, but something never felt right about it. If she chose that as her weapon, he would have to go back and order one made for her.
"It's light and feels good in my hand…" Adrienne said, instinctively testing swinging the sword as Bell smiled.
"Good, that's a sign that it fits you" She nodded before standing up.
"Alright, I will choose it" He smiled as she walked up to him "Now what?" Bell chuckled at the question. Now… begins her hell.
"Well… we go in" Bell said, motioning towards the forest, making her gape and pale slightly.
"Wait… aren't you going to teach me something first? Maybe how to properly hold and swing it? Or how to move during a fight?" She panicked slightly as Bell shook his head.
"I told you Adrienne, this would be absolute hell for you. I've learnt over the years that the best ways to learn are often to do it yourself. Everytime you mess up, you learn something new, everytime you succeed, you learn something new. It also teaches you what works and what doesn't" He explained as she gulped.
"Also, I'll be close enough that I can always interfere. The monsters in the forest don't even move in my vision so it's quite simple for me to help out if I feel you need it" Adrienne nodded as her heart started beating. It skyrocketed even faster as he started heading to the forest.
For a split second she hesitated… but then steeled her nerves and followed him into the depths of the forest's mouth.
=20 min later=
"Mouuuuuuuuu-!?" Bell obliterated a minotaurs flesh completely, it's guts splattering everywhere as Adrienne watched in a mixture of awe and disgust.
Thankfully, it's organs disintegrated into dust… it's blood on the other hand…
She looked at her fathers unarmored frame, his arm covered in it's blood as it dripped towards the floor.
"That's the second one… why are they so close to the edges of the forest? The stronger monsters usually stick closer to the center…" Bell muttered in confusion. Was there an overpopulation of minotaurs or something there, causing the rest to move out? He may have to take care of it if that's the case.
"Ki-?" Bell heard the tell tale noise of the monster he had been looking for.
"Adrienne. Do you know what that is?" He asked as Adrienne looked at the tiny green monster with hints of horns on its head. It's eyes stared at them, looking warily at Bell but gleaming at Adrienne.
"I think… a goblin?" She asked as she tried to recite what he had told her about the dungeon and monsters when she'd asked.
"Yes. It's the weakest monster in this forest. Today, I want to begin your training with killing it" Adrienne's eyes widened at that before she looked at the monster, gripping her amazonian shortsword.
"A-are you sure dad? I don't know if… If I'm ready…" She whispered the last part as Bell smiled at her.
"I understand your feelings. I was the same at the beginning when I first got a falna. Now, instead of questioning yourself, try it. I'm here to make sure nothing goes wrong" Adrienne nodded as she reluctantly walked forward, trying her best to keep her guard up, but clearly had no idea how to do so.
Bell eyed her stance and mentally noted down her mistakes in it for correction later.
He was starting with this type of training for a couple of reasons. One being that it allowed him to get a grasp on what type of fighter she would end up becoming. Instincts played a big role in fighting. You can't force someone to go head on and tank attacks when they naturally are afraid of being hurt and want to dodge. It's counterproductive and would only end in disaster.
The next reason… was to see where she was, what she was good at and what to focus on. If she was alright in one field, but horrible in another, it's better to get them up to speed to improve them together at a steady pace.
The final reason…
"KIIIIII!" The goblin shrieked as it launched itself at Adrienne who was clearly surprised at it's speed, dodging narrowly as it's claw slid across her skin lightly, only drawing a slight scratch from it.
"Gah!" Adrienne winced as she blocked the next attack sloppily, before pushing it off and kicking it, sending the goblin tumbling back.
It quickly recovered as Adrienne tried to push forward, only to be rewarded with a slash on her abdomen as it drew blood.
She grunted as it's claws came back down from above as she forced herself to the side. She had honestly not expected the weakest monster to be this fast. No wonder normal people couldn't do anything against them without proper training. Even something so frail looking like a goblin had a tiny physical advantage.
Bell kept his eyes fixed on it's claws, making sure to be ready to intervene if it gets too dangerous.
Adrienne blocked a blow, which sent a pulse of pain through her gut as the wound received reverberations from the block. The goblin used this window to shoulder bash her, sending her tumbling back as she stopped on one knee.
The monster almost grinned as it raised it's claw running forward to finish it's prey. Adrienne, on the other hand, had other plans. She thrust her sword up, parrying the blow much to Bell's surprise before quickly thrusting the shortsword into its chest.
It gurgled out blood as she twisted the sword out of instinct and sliced it in half. It fell backwards, thrashing it's upper body as a pool of blood started to form, it's guts hanging open and magic stone visible.. Adrienne stared at it in horror as she held her stomach and doubled over, emptying her stomach on the bloodsoaked grass.
This was the last reason Bell started training this way. The life Adrienne wanted to live was a brutal one. You had to have guts of steel in order to live it, so in order to make sure she would be able to take it, he had to show her the truth of what she would probably witness in the future.
Adrienne gasped out as she finished emptying her stomach before falling backwards on her back, wiping her mouth before holding the wound on her stomach.
It took her a moment to notice the clapping as she zoned back into the environment around her. She looked at him, scared, disgusted and horrified at her actions.
"Adrienne, this was one of the main reasons I started training like this. For you to understand that the world isn't fair. It's brutal and cruel, with no regards for anything or anyone" Bell explained as she soaked up his words.
"Whether they are monster, mortal… or god. This world we live in… is so very beautiful, but also incredibly cruel" He finished as she nodded slowly, his words sinking into her heart as she looked back at the goblin that was still twitching slightly, significantly less vibrant green in color than before.
A few seconds later, it stopped moving and started to disintegrate to dust.
"How… How did I do?" She asked after a minute of staring at the blood and magic stone on the ground. He pondered how to answer for a minute before answering.
"Well, for the first time, it wasn't bad. You could have tried to dodge more often and your attacks were sloppy… but that last attack surprised me. It was well timed and executed so I'll say that it was much better than I expected" Adrienne winced at the first half but was happy at his praise.
"Now, let's get back. Let's get you healed up and we can start with the basics. I got a good idea of how you fight and where to start" Bell said as she nodded, carefully standing up.
"O-Okay, dad…" She said still somewhat disgusted and horrified at the scene she had witnessed.
=Back at the house=
"Alright, Before we start, I'm going to go over how your training will go so you know what you will be doing" Bell started to explain as they sat inside the house.
He had given her simple seasoned dried meats which was her favorite food… somehow. He had also made her drink a potion to heal her wounds.
Adrienne nodded at his words and listened intently.
"Firstly, we will go over the basics. This means things like your stance, how to hold your weapons, attacking properly, blocking, dodging and parrying without losing balance. This will take some time as it's not easy to learn" Bell explained as she nodded.
"After that, we will go over awareness of your surroundings, tactics in battle and muscle memory. Finally, we will go over techniques. This will take the longest, years actually" He finished his overview, very simple but still an overview.
"Okay… I understand. I'm also finished" Adrienne answered, gesturing to the food. Bell nodded and stood up. The two headed to the back of the house where they noticed Elora sitting next to the training field. The ground had been reinforced with Durandal so it was actually unbreakable which was honestly one of the best investments Bell had ever made.
"Bell! Are you and Adrienne starting?" Elora asked with a smile as Aralaya and Jannor stopped wrestling with each other and looked up at their father and sibling curiously.
""Papa?"" The two asked simultaneously as Bell chuckled.
"Hey there. You two are behaving, right?" He asked with a smile as the two nodded with giggles. Elora smiled fondly at that before looking at him. Bell nodded in answer to her question as she leaned back.
"Okay, I'll watch. Might get these two to finally stop wrestling with each other. No matter what I do, they don't listen to me" She huffed as Bell smiled, knowing that they were doing it on purpose to irritate her.
He walked up with Adrienne who nodded at her surrogate aunt, before taking her place in front of Bell on the Durandal training grounds.
"Alright Adrienne, I want you to get into a stance as if you were going to fight" She did as asked and pulled fiddled with the sword before finally pulling it out" He ignored the sloppy action and focused on the stance. He would work on muscle memory later.
"Hm… alright, I want you to widen your legs, push the right one out a little and make the left on further back. It gives you more stability and freedom of movement" She tried to correct her stance according to his instructions but struggled to understand what he meant.
Bell walked up behind Adrienne and put his hands on her shoulder, swiping a foot on her left leg, pushing it back into position before doing the same with the right one.
"Like that. Notice how it feels more natural?" Bell asked as Adrienne moved around a little, making sure not to change the stance before nodding.
"Yes, it feels more secure" She answered as Bell seemed pleased.
"Now, ready your shortsword" She quickly put her other hand on the sword and put it in front of her, aiming forward. Bell frowned at that.
"Remove the other hand from the handle. Our statuses allow us to wield them with one hand, freeing the other to do anything else we desire" She nodded, letting go before Bell nodded.
He put one hand on her sword hand and tilted her sword to the left in a guard form.
"When in stance, always stay on guard, you only let it up slightly when going for an attack, otherwise you should always expect to be attacked" He advised.
"Okay… Is this good?" She asked as Bell inspected her stance.
"Yes, try to remember that stance, remember it's feeling" She closed her eyes, doing as she was told before nodding.
"Done? Good… now…" Bell said before smirking. He pulled out his longsword and positioned him in front of Adrienne as her eyes widened.
"We truly begin. I will let you have the first attack, after that, I'm going to go all out… to a reasonable degree. We want your status to rise after all" Bell smiled as Adrienne gulped, glancing at Elora with a pleading look.
"Oh, don't look at me. You asked for this" She said with a pitying smile on her face. She knew what hell was about to be unleashed on the girl she saw as her daughter.
"What are you waiting for?" He asked as Adrienne closed her eyes, praying to any gods still in Tenkai to have mercy on her soul.
She gulped and moved forward, sword leaving it's guard position before attacking.
Bell expertly twisted to the side as his longsword parried her attack, redirecting the blow down into the ground as his first hit her gut as she gasped out, toppling down on the ground as Bell took a step back.
"When attacking, always make sure to be ready for a counterattack. Try to predict your opponent before they attack" He said as she regained her bearing and stood up.
"Dad… that hurt…" She complained as Bell scoffed.
"I know, Firefly, but during training, I won't treat you as my daughter. I will treat you like my student" He said as she nodded.
"Okay…" She said as she readied herself again, getting back into the stance Bell had shown her earlier with some effort.
She attacked again in a different manner, thrusting forward and trying to see what he would do next.
Bell, trying to make this easier and more predictable for her, did the same as before, parrying and redirecting the blow into the ground and sending a fist towards her gut.
She narrowly dodged it before almost tripping over her feet. She regained her bearings before going in for another time, Bell merley dodged under it as she couldn't stop the momentum, revealing her back to Bell who used that to grab ahold of her arm, throwing her over his shoulder before she impacted the ground, hard.
"Gah!" She screamed out as pain was sent through her body. Bell honestly felt horrible at doing this but knew it was necessary.
"...Aaaaa… that hurts…" she complained again, more to herself this time as Bell waited for her to sit up.
Once she did so he cleared his throat, catching her attention.
"You did better that time, but there are still noticeable things to improve. Firstly, you need to stop thinking so much about what the opponent does. I know I said to try to predict them, but that doesn't mean you should only focus on that. It makes your attack sloppy and predictable. Try to split your focus with the two" She nodded as she stood up.
"Next, I want you to do practice swings. That last thing was quite frankly horrific. You put way too much power into it, and when it missed, you couldn't stop the attack which opened you back for the enemy. That's a lethal mistake" She nodded, understanding where he was coming from.
"There are other things, but those are the most important for the moment. I don't want to give you too much to learn at once. Now, do practice swings and get a good feel for the power you need to use to have control over your blows. Once that's done, do another session of practice swings" Adrienne nodded and got into the stance and raised her sword and swung hard.
"Use less power" She listened and did so, but now it was way too weak.
"That wouldn't even scratch a goblin. More power" Adrienne sighed as it was somewhat irritating but understood what he was doing. She swung again as he gave his verdict on the swing.
This went on and on as the hours passed, Elora continuing to watch as Aralaya and Jannor started to wrestle again, much to their mothers dismay.
=Sunset=
"ARGH!" Adrienned groaned out as her arms felt like they would fall off. She had been swinging for the entire day without stopping, changing angles here and there or making specific cuts that always failed and made her shoulder either ache slightly or dislodge entirely, forcing Bell to literally snap it back into place.
"Again!" Bell said as Adrienne internally groaned.
"When will this stop!" She complained as she swung a sideways slash again, her arms protesting violently.
"When I say so, now again!" She groaned out loud this time as she listened. Once she swung, she lost all feeling in her arms and legs and fell forward with the slash, sending her to the ground, face first.
She laid there as she panted heavily, relishing in the opportunity to rest. Her father even had the gaul to chuckle at her.
She sent a glare up at him before he looked at her, his face that had been stern earlier now relaxed and looking at her fondly.
"That's enough for today. It seems we hit your limit" Adrienne cheered in her head at the words.
'IT'S OVER!' She thought as she tried to move, her body shaking as she got onto her knees, leaning back and gasping out in relief.
"You did well Adrienne. Let's head in for dinner. Tomorrow we focus on reading, It's time you learnt more of the world we live in as well" He said as she nodded, actually happy to do something like reading which she normally found boring over THIS.
"Thank god… I'm starving" She said in a tone that blessed the words he had uttered. Bell chuckled as he offered his arm as support which Adrienne happily took.
"Dad… will I only be training with you or…?" The question surprised Bell as he hadn't expected it but knew the answer.
"Oh, god no. Me, Elora and your mother have split your training between the three of us. I'm in charge of your weapons mastery and improving your stats quickly, Elora is in charge of education and Bache in hand to hand combat. Tomorrow you are going to study with Elora, the day after that, hand to hand with Bache. You get where I'm going with this" Adrienne nodded.
So she was going to switch people in a constant interval, having one of them every three days.
Gives time for her to practice what she learnt on her own in between lessons and get it in before the next. It's quite a good setup.
Once inside, Bache was cooking a simple steak dinner while Erebus was on the sofa, waiting for the two. Elora, who had gone in with Jannor and Aralaya earlier, was on the ground with some toys, entertaining the two.
Bache smiled as she spotted the two.
"Bell, Adrienne. How was training?" She asked as she saw the look on Adrienne's face. It's as if she had gone to Hell and back.
"Don't get me started. I'm beginning to think Dad is a sadist" Adrienne grumbled as Erebus and Bache chuckled. Elora smiled a little at overhearing her words, withholding her amusement.
Bell stared at his daughter with an amused smile.
"I did warn you it would be hell" He said as she nodded.
"I know… Guess I didn't expect it would be THAT bad" She muttered as the two sat down on the sofa where Erebus held a needle.
"Now, let's get that status of yours updated" Adrienne nodded and pulled up her shirt. Erebus quickly got to work after pricking his finger, writing and modifying the hieroglyphs on her back before finishing and handing her the status sheet.
Adrienne looked down before her eyes widened
Name: Adrienne Cranel
Lv 1
Status:
{STR} H-121 - H-165
{VIT} I-56 - H-100
{DEX} H-112 - H-125
{AGI} H-108 - H-120
{MAG} I-0
Magic:
Skills:
Development Abilities:
"Why did everything go up so much!?" She asked out loud as Bell chuckled.
"It's because of the Hell I put you through. Your strength and Endurance increased the most because of your swings. It hurt you and worked your power and strength. That added to your fight with me and the goblin made sure everything improved by quite a lot" Bell explained as he instantly noticed his mistake. He felt the murderous gazes of Elora and Bache aimed at him.
He looked at them sheepishly.
"Honey… What's this I hear?" Elora said as Bache stopped cooking and took one step towards him, glaring daggers at him.
"Did you… take our daughter… who didn't have any experience… into the forest?" She asked in a dangerous voice.
"Wait.. he didn't tell you two?" Adrienne asked, unwittingly sealing his fate.
"Bell… mind explaining yourself?" Bache growled at him.
"W-wait! I did it for her!" He said as the two still glared, but more confused than before.
"For her? SHE COULD HAVE DIED!" The two screamed out simultaneously. Bell winced at the tone before continuing.
"She needed to understand that our world isn't as kind as it seems. She needed to see and feel first hand how cruel the world is, otherwise it would become a wall on her progress later on" He reasoned as the two pondered it. It made sense but…
"I understand… but that was still reckless. Don't you dare do that again, you hear me!" Bache growled at the last part at Bell as she hit him on top of the head hard.
"Ow…" He mumbled as she walked back to the kitchen and Elora turned back to Jannor and Aralaya who just looked confused.
Adrienne almost smirked at her father but withheld. Instead she struck up a conversation with him, asking him to retell some tales of his adventures.
The night continued on like this as the family fell into a rhythm, food soon ready as they ate while talking and laughing.
=Dungeon, 26th floor=
"Welf, Iguazus coming from above! Mikoto, start chanting!" Lili's commands exploded out as she did her best to fend off some monsters on her own.
The last 3 years had been slow, but they had been making clear progress. Lili and Haruhime had reached level 3 while Welf and Mikoto hadn't managed to level just yet.
The party had evened out in power and now felt like they were caught up with each other.
Their roles had solidified with Lili clearly being the brains and commander of the party, Haruhime being the support mage, Mikoto the vanguard and Welf the front line.
Currently, they were down in the water city, fighting a large group of monsters that were a mixture of the flying suicide bombers known as Iguazu and the annoying bowling balls known as Crystaroth Urchin.
It had proven to be quite an annoying battle as both enemies moved at immense speeds and had no regard for their own safety. It was like fighting an army that knew no fear or pain.
"Your wound is mine, my wound is mine. Cinder Ella" She transformed into an Iguazu and flew to Haruhime and sat on her shoulder.
"Haruhime, give your level boost to Mikoto, she needs to concurrently chant" Haruhime looked at Lili and nodded.
"Dance!" one tail disappeared from her magic, Kokone, and activated on Mikoto who instantly gained speed. She felt relief as it became easier to chant and dodge at the same time.
Welf on the other hand was having issues with the bombardment of the Iguazu and attacks of the Crustaroth Urchin. Lili flew into the air above Welf and the Iguazu and-
"Echoing message of midnight" Lili turned back into her usual form and shot multiple arrows, killing some of the flying pests. She started to fall and pulled out a dagger and cut up any she passed before landing on the ground.
"Welf, dodge to the left" He instantly followed the command, dodging an attack from an Urchin that tried to sneak attack him.
"Thank, Lil' Lili" She rolled her eyes before the two went back to back, weird with their height difference but they worked well together, utilizing each of their strengths in the fight.
Haruhime in the meantime defended herself using a staff that Mikoto had trained her with. She wasn't really one for bladed weapons and the staff had ended up being what worked best for her.
An Iguazu dived towards her but an arrow pierced it before it came anywhere close.
"Futsunomitama!" A wall of gravity slammed down at a large concentration of monsters as Lili took advantage of the immobilization. She ran to Mikoto and jumped onto her shoulder before loading a bunch of arrows into her crossbow.
She began shooting, taking the monsters out one after the other with the Orichalcum arrows.
An Urchin rushed towards Mikoto as Lili was preoccupied, preparing to finish it's prey. It jumped into the air but the second it was about to hit Lili and Mikoto, a torrent of flames engulfed it as the two turned to its source.
"Watch your surroundings, will ya?" Welf called out as he swung the magic sword at the last big mob of monsters. Incinerating them in seconds.
"You couldn't have used that earlier, Anvil head?" Lili complained as Welf chuckled.
"What's the point of that? We wouldn't get any excellia that way" He said as Lili grumbled.
"Well done Lili-sama, Welf-sama, Mikoto-sama" Haruhime praised with a smile as Welf grinned at her.
"Didn't do too bad yourself Haruhime. You've really gotten good with that staff!" The Renart blushed at the compliment as the other two nodded in agreement.
"I do not deserve such praise" She protested as Welf just shrugged her off and waved his hand.
"Nonsense, we didn't have to protect you even once" He said as Mikoto spoked up.
"Indeed, Haruhime-dono, you've gotten really good" Mikoto praised her as the renarts blush intensified. Her tail wagging from side to side in rapid motions.
Their progress during the last 3 years status wise hasn't been all that much as they seem to have hit a wall, their fighting techniques and teamwork had seen significant improvement, to the point that one would think they were of one mind and body.
This had allowed them to continue delving deeper as their deepest achieved floor was the 30th, a place usually recommended as mid level 3 or low level 4, a requirement that half the party wouldn't meet as only Mikoto and Welf were advanced enough to be considered that strong.
"What's the time anyways? We've been down here for some time" Welf asked as Lili pondered about it.
"Anvil head makes a good point, it should be turning dark in a couple of hours or so. Maybe we should turn back. Don't want a repeat of us staying in Rivira. That set Lili back months worth of valis" Everyone shivered at the exorbitant prices at the place. Just one night could go for a fortune depending on where in the town one decided to hunker down.
"Lili-dono is right. We should return. Takemikazuchi-sama won't be happy if we return so late again" Mikoto made a good point as Haruhime nodded.
"Alright, let's head back then" Welf announced as the group turned around and started heading towards the entrance to the 25th floor.
"Hey Welf, you haven't heard anything about the Royal Executioner have you?" Haruhime's question surprised the smith as he tried to think about anything he had heard.
"No… I don't think so…" He muttered as he closed his eyes, hand on his chin as he sifted through his memories.
In truth, the man had been very quiet for the last 3 years. It's like he disappeared off the radar or something after that Rakian save he did.
"Why do you ask?" Haruhime blushed slightly as she fiddled with her fingers.
"Well… he is sort of a hero to the Far East. If he disappeared or went missing… it would be bad for our home country" Haruhime explained as Welf nodded.
"That's understandable. I think the dude seems cool after we met him that one time… though something did feel off about him…" At that Lili nodded.
"Lili agrees, there was this familiar feeling Lili got from the man. Lili just can't place it" The group thought about it for a minute before giving up, continuing on their way towards the surface.
=The Guild=
"Welf-kun. Returned from your excursion into the dungeon for today?" The emerald orbs of the half elf greeted Welf as he grinned.
"That's right. We didn't go too far this time, only the 26th floor. Was wondering if we could turn in what we got now since it's so late" Eina nodded. She had been planning on packing up before Welf walked in. It had become dark and the flow of adventurers from the dungeon had stopped.
She did feel like helping though as Welf was an acquaintance to her and dare she say, friend. She walked behind the turn-in counter before pushing the drawer open for him to deposit the items.
Once he did, she quickly evaluated what they had gotten and added up the sum total.
"Your total for the day is 56 750 valis Welf-kun. Good job" She smiled as she handed two pouches and a few spare coins worth of Valis.
Welf grinned and thanked her before leaving, holding the Valis. The group smiled as he walked out before he started to split it.
"Here Lili is around 14 000 for you, and the same for the rest of you. A decent haul, not our best but pretty good" Everyone agreed with his statement.
"Thank you, Welf-sama" Haruhime smiled at him, her ears twitching slightly as he grinned.
"Well, I need to get back and sleep, I'm exhausted. I'll be taking a break tomorrow guys, so I won't meet up with you outside Babel" Welf informed as the others shared the statement.
"Lili feels the same, she needs a break. How about we rest tomorrow?" Lili and Mikoto smiled.
"Oh… I'm going to enjoy the sauna tomorrow, hehehe" Mikoto almost drooled at the thought as Welf cringed at her words.
"Okay… You do you… and I'll just… go home…" He said as he took his leave, Lili laughing at his reaction as Haruhime giggled.
"Lili thinks it was fun today! Might see you tomorrow. Goodnight!" Lili took her leave as the two girls returned the statement before heading back towards their home.
"What's with the long stare Haruhime-dono?" Mikoto asked as she snapped Haruhime from her gaze into the dark night sky.
"Oh… Just thinking of Bell-sama…" She said with a sad smile as Mikotos mouth fell slightly at the thought "I just miss him" Mikoto shared that sentiment.
"I do too… he was alway so righteous… so nice to us. I just hope he returns soon. Bell-dono was like the center of our group" Mikoto said as Haruhime nodded.
"He was the one that brought us all together. He contracted Welf, saved Lili, was the reason you joined Hestia Familia to help and repay what you thought was a debt and saved me" haruhime said as Mikoto blushed slightly.
"I did owe him a debt! Ouka Pass-paraded him!" She protested.
"And he forgave you, which would remove any debts owed, but you still helped. Do you regret it?" She instantly shook her head.
"No, I would never regret it. Without him, you would never have been saved… and would be-" She stopped at the dark thought, both looking down, remembering what her fate had been set out to be if it weren't for the rabbit.
"Anyway, Bell-dono is out there somewhere, preparing for his return. When he does come back… we will be waiting with open arms" Mikoto said with a smile as their familia home could be seen. Haruhime nodded in agreement at her words as the two entered the home, the familia turning their head towards them.
"Welcome home! How was the dungeon today?" Takemikazuchi instantly greeted them as the two smiled.
"It was good. We had fun" Haruhime answered as the god nodded in approval.
"Good. Now, you two haven't updated your status in a week. How about we do it now?" Takemikazuchi suggested as they nodded.
"Alright, let's head to one of your rooms" The three walked up the stairs of their home, turning to the right into one of the rooms that belonged to Mikoto.
Inside, was a simplistic room with some Far Eastern decorations.
Haruhime took a seat on the bed while Mikoto grabbed a chair, putting it in front of the bed where Takemikazuchi had sat down.
She exposed her back after sitting down, Takemikazuchi drawing blood and started to work on the status.
Soon he was done and copied the status and put it to the side before Haruhime switched with Mikoto.
Once done, he smiled at the two and opened his mouth.
"Well, you have gone up a good amount" He began as the two looked their status over.
Name: Yamato Mikoto
Lv 3
Status:
{STR} C-611 - C-618
{VIT} D-587 - D-588
{DEX} B-754 - B-758
{AGI} C-635 - C-642
{MAG} F-365 - F-370
Magic:
Futsunomitama: ' I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through anything, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth - shinbu tousei'
Long chant magic. Summons the sword of crushing evil that puts an enormous amount of gravitational force in aimed direction, able to even bend light almost vertically. Strength of the gravitational force depends on the magic stat.
Skills:
Yatanokurogarasu: Enables the user to search for enemies within a set effect range. This effect includes hidden enemies that are using any type of stealth skill or ability, on the other hand, it only works on types of enemies the user has encountered before.
Active trigger.
Yatanoshirogarasu: Enables the user to search for Familia members within a set range. Can only search for members of the same familia and is ineffective on anyone else.
Active trigger.
Development Abilities:
Abnormal Resistance: G
Samurai: H
Name: Sanjouno Haruhime
Lv 3
Status:
{STR} D-545 - D-549
{VIT} D-578 - D-584
{DEX} D-599 - C-608
{AGI} D-566 - D-570
{MAG} A-878- A-883
Magic:
Uchide no Kozuchi: 'Grow. That power and that vessel. Breadth of the wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion. Grow. Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above. Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you. Grow'
Level Boost magic. Allows the user to boost another person's power by one level up, increasing power potential in battle at the cost of less excelia gained. Can not be used on the caster.
Kokone: 'Kokone. Beloved snow. Beloved crimson. Beloved white light. Please let me be beside you - this love I have found at the end of two thousand nights. My name is Magic Fox. Former destroyer. My name is Ancient Song. Former Dreamer. For you who beat your wings like a bird, I shall allow the nine spirits to dwell in me. Echo, song of gold, sacred poem of tamamo. White face, golden fur, king of nine tails. Oh, Tails of the auspicious beast, consume all, grant all wishes - (Second Spell) - Dance!'
Magic duplication magic. Allows the user to form up to 9 tails that each stores one spell that had been chanted in between Kokone. Each one holds the full amount of power as the original spell and takes as much Mind.
Skills:
Mikuzumenohou: Increases the effects of the user's magic by a marginal degree. Also improves the effectiveness of mindpower, allowing more spells to be cast without experiencing a mind down. The effect is dependent on the magic stat.
Sapōto Ryoku: Increases the strength of all support type magic and decreases the amount of Mind Power required for their use. Dependent of the magic stat
Development Abilities:
Mage: G
Abnormal Resistance: I
Both of them smiled at the update. They got a decent amount of excelia and grew a lot more than they normally did the last 2 years. Usually they only go up around two to five points each status update every three days. This time both went up over 20 points!
"Takemikazuchi-sama! This is incredible growth! We went up by a very large amount" Mikoto exclaimed as she mentally added 'If you disregard Bell-dono's growth. His skill is ridiculous'
Haruhime nodded while she kept reading her status.
"Oh, I guess you're right. You haven't gone up this much in a long time now that I think about it. Two years, correct?" He asked as the two nodded. They quickly fell into a companionable silence as the two kept taking in their new status.
After a minute, the group headed downstairs to the kitchen to join the rest of the familia, helping with the food as they mingled, all with smiles on their faces.
=Hephaestus' Office=
"Oh, Welf! You've gone up a lot today!" Hephaestus' smile was wide as she looked over his status. She was about to grab a piece of paper before he stopped her.
"Could you tell me my status orally today?" He asked, a grin on his face. She opened her mouth and began to read out the contents of his status.
Name: Welf Crozzo
Lv 3
Status:
{STR} D-565 - D-569
{VIT} C-621 - C-628
{DEX} B-787 - B-793
{AGI} D-556 - D-567
{MAG} F-399 - E-400
Magic:
Will-O-Wisp: 'Burnout, illegal work'
Anti-magic spell that can cause an Ignus Fatuus if timed correctly. The more powerful the spell the opponent uses, the stronger the blowback. Uses minimal mind power.
Skills:
Crozzo Blood: Blessing from the spirit of forging that allows the user to forge and infuse swords with magic power, far stronger than anyone else. Can be used in a variety of ways depending on the user's creativity.
Lagarbeid: Boosts all basic abilities when working alongside others that the user considers comrades. Effect extends to allies if the user and the comrade in question fights the same enemy. (+150 to all stats)
Development Abilities:
Blacksmith: F
Abnormal Resistance: H
Once she finished, Welf nodded, his grin wider than before. He stood up and started to nod slightly before shaking. The next second, his fist exploded into the air in victory.
"Finally! I've been stuck for so long!" He called out loudly as Hephaestus smiled at him proudly.
"Indeed. I'm really happy for you Welf… Now…" She smiled as Welf made a 'hm' and turned towards her, seeing her good eyes go half lidded.
"How about you help me by my desk over there? There is some 'work' to be done" She asked in a sultry tone as Welf blushed… hard.
That was a BIG change in the last couple of years. Hephaestus and Welf had started dating… and honestly, her libido was sometimes borderline ludicrous, though that should be expected of a woman that hasn't had sex in eons thanks to a scarr noone can stand… well, Welf can. Part of the reason she loves him so much.
All Welf could do was gulp down the clog in his throat, nodding with a small smile on his mouth before following her as she led him along.
=Soma Familia's home=
Lili was sitting in her office within the Soma Familia, reading through a stack of papers while writing down financial costs and gains.
She had officially become the accountant of the familia as her financial sense was superb. She had been assigned that role two years back when the familia needed a new one since Chandra felt it became too much for him.
This automatically elevated her to the status of an executive within the familia, if her level 3 status didn't already do so.
The familia had improved drastically the last 7 years since Bell had been sent to Kauhea Forbande, now housing a majority of level 2 adventurers with only a handful of level 3. These included Chandra Ihit, the captain. Canoe Belway, Tsukinokami Kaede, executive and lastly, Liliruca Arde, Accountant and Executive.
As she wrote down another expenditure and listed it down on her dedicated 'Soma' page since his ingredients do go for a lot, she peeked to her left, seeing two papers. One informal, one formal.
The closest one was her status update she had gotten about an hour ago. She looked it over for a second and gained a slight smile on her face.
Name: Liliruca Arde
Lv 3
Status:
{STR} F-387 - F-390
{VIT} F-376 - F377
{DEX} E-456 - E-462
{AGI} D-587 - D-599
{MAG} C-611 - C-620
Magic:
Cinder Ella: 'Your wound is mine. My wound is mine (Activation chant). Echoing message of midnight (Deactivation chant)'
Transformation Magic. Enables the user to transform into anything that's around their size. There can be a difference, but not too much or it won't work. The user copies the physical abilities of the entity the user transforms into but it is limited to her own status, though the user gains the natural advantages of the species they transform into. Uses a constant amount of mind power during usage until deactivated.
Skills:
Artel Assist: Compensates for the user's abilities when they are carrying a certain amount of weight, making it possible for them to carry massive loads without much strain. Dependent on the strength stat.
Command Call: Increases the area the user can convey their voice which is dependent on how loud they are shouting. During a melee, the area effect is determined by the size of the battle. The range of the skill is determined by the level of the user.
Penetralis Piasu: Increases the power of all piercing attacks. This includes any ranged attack that is considered piercing. The effect enables the attack to negate a certain percent of the enemies endurance, sometimes able to completely bypass an enemies defence. Dependent on the users level
Development Abilities:
Abnormal Resistance: H
Mixing: I
The update had improved her mood by an incredible degree as she, like the rest of her friends, had hit a stone hard wall and was able to overcome it today… somehow. She has no idea why, but they did. Not knowing bothered her a little, but she knew that she had already pondered the question for far too long for that day, so she let it rest.
Her eyes turned towards the second paper and her smile slowly disappeared as she had kept the formal request just for the possibility of something happening to Bell or that he returned with a girlfriend.
On the table was a formal request of marriage from the one, the only, 'Braver' Finn Deimne. He had put up many logical points that almost caused her to reconsider the offer. It was enough to ask to put him on hold, which he had accepted, since he had become her backup.
She already knew she would become a sort of concubine as it had been the talk of Orario for the last two years that Finn and Tione had a daughter, Fiona Deimne. It was an acceptable fate to her as it provided many benefits for choosing it.
She shook her head, getting her thoughts back on track with her work, turning back and reading over more expenses.
She was about to finish and predicted that the familia be getting around two point three five million in profits. It's a good margin as that would result in their total funds at the end of the month being nearly fifty million.
She smiled at the thought of Bell gaping like a fish at the amount. She just hoped he wasn't doing too poorly out there. At least sleeping on a bed and not on the streets. She didn't want him to experience that life in the long term. It really wasn't good for one's health.
Once she finished her calculations, completed and filed her report, she headed out towards her room to get a good night's sleep. Smiling on the way as she held her status sheet in her tiny hands.
That's chapter 25. The training of Adrienne has started. How will she end up? Bell's old familia is getting stronger still and has overcome a roadblock. I do hope you enjoyed it all. The large time skips are happening now as we have to get the story going, or it will exceed 80 chapters and reach into the 100's. Don't want that xD. Now, I won't keep you so I'll just say that I hope to see you next time!