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.
44: Truths, Secrets and Feelings
=Twilight Manor=
Bell stood outside the gates of the Manor alongside his familia, tapping his food slightly as Bache and Elora talked between themselves.
The two guards who were waiting for Fiona to return after she had gone up to get the executives who were in a meeting were sweat dropping at the group in front of them.
He could somewhat understand them. They were standing there, right in front of a person who is supposed to be a fugitive and supposedly a murderer. Well, he's technically correct. He has killed people, but never really in cold blood. It's always been to protect someone.
'I really have to clear the air with a god or something in front of the entire city…' Bell thought with exasperation before he heard the door to the manor open and Fiona walking out.
She waved slightly at them with a small smile as Bell couldn't help to spread his own as he returned it.
He almost snorted as he noticed a pob of blonde hair rush out the door, slamming them open and practically sending Fiona flying to the side.
Ais forcibly stopped as she peeked to the side, noticing Fiona, face planted into the ground.
"Auntie Ais…" She looked up, dirt covering her features as she looked at her 'Aunt' in exasperation.
"Why…?" She asked as the Sword Princess looked at her apologetically before turning to Bell and his familia who now had been let inside the gates.
"Bell…" She whispered as she stared into his red eyes, heart thundering in her chest.
"Ais… Guess this is our first real hello since you knocked me out last time" He said with a smile that betrayed his tone of suppressed anxiety.
"I… sorry" She mumbled out as she tried to formulate words "We… I… didn't give you a chance" Her eyes stared into the ground as she once again felt her throat clog with emotion.
"No… you didn't. You didn't even hear me out after I asked for you in Kauhea Forbande" The sword princess froze as her brain tried to compile and analyze the information, eyes widening in confusion as she looked up, moments away from opening her mouth but was stopped from him putting his hand up.
"Look… it's probably better if we talk where everyone can participate? I'd rather not repeat information to every person in the manor" Ais seemed to want to protest, but Bell walked right past her as the rest of his family did the same, giving her an indecipherable look.
Fiona was the one who got Ais out of her stupor as she pulled at her sleeve before motioning for the door.
"Let's head back inside" Fiona smiled at her as Ais took a deep breath before nodding, following her inside the manor, hoping to get answers and to properly be able to apologize… if he'll allow it.
=Finn's office=
Everyone's attention shot towards the door as it opened. The first person to walk in was the man they all had been wanting to talk to.
Bell's ruby red eyes scanned everyone present.
'Narvi Roll, Level 5. Cruz Russell, Level 5. Alicia Forestlight, Level 5. Anakitty Autumn, Level 6. Raul Nord, Level 6. Lefiya Viridis, Level 6. Bete Loga, Level 7. Tiona Hiryute, Level 7. Tione Hiryute, Level 7. Gareth Landrock, Level 7. Riveria Ljos Alf, Level 7. Finn Demine, Level 7' He mentally tallied in his head before looking behind himself, past his family as two more entered the room.
'Fiona Demine, Level 3. Ais Wallenstein, Level 7' He finished before walking towards the window and taking a peek outside. The view was a lot better than the Archian Manor because of the elevation.
"Cranel-san… It's been a long time, and I'd love to ask about a great deal of things su-"
"Finn… I'll be blunt. Do you know what really happened 15 years ago?" Bell asked as Finn's facial features froze for a second before he put on his signature smile.
"We have gotten information about it, yes. About how the people were charmed. Enyo, the orchestrator of… the attack on Orario, did give us something to work off of" Everyone in the room paid attention to Bell who nodded before turning around, leaning on the window still as he sighed.
"Then do you know why I was targeted specifically? What had I done that was so worthy of their grand attention?" His ruby red eyes stared holes into Finn's own blue ones as he awaited answers, ignoring the looks he was getting from the rest of the Loki Familia present.
"Targeted by Enyo, or Dionysus? You were an unpredictable variable in his plans. The goddess of beauty? Not so much" Bell sighed in exasperation. Did no one know anything?
"Alright… there isn't really much else I have to ask… that'd be of interest to me… though" Bell's eyes homed onto Fiona who blinked in confusion.
"Eh? Me? Did I do something?" She asked as she looked around frantically in search of an answer.
"Not something you've done per se but… more something you're carrying" He walked up towards her calmly before reaching for her sheathed knife.
Fiona almost protested but the moment he took the blade and twirled it in his hand, he sighed out with a smile.
"It's been a long time since I've seen it…" Bell traced his fingers across the Hieroglyphs of the blade he once wielded before trying to nick his finger unsuccessfully.
'Guess since I'm not a part of Hestia Familia anymore, it won't grow with me' He thought out with a bitter smile before turning to Fiona.
"How can you use it?" He asked as Fiona let out a bewildered sound.
"This knife is made by Hephaestus herself with a piece of Hestia's hair in the blade. In other words, this is no ordinary weapon… it's a divine one, just like my spear. Only someone from Hestia Familia would be able to use it but since Hestia is gone… it should not be possible for anyone to be able to" He reasoned with logic as he turned to Fiona who he clearly didn't know why.
His vision soon flipped straight towards the one most likely to have information, Finn.
"Mind answering Finn? Since in technicality, this is mine, not yours…" He then pointed the knife in Fiona's direction with a glare aimed straight at the Prum captain.
"Or hers. In other words, you have no right to use it as it's considered theft. A very serious one at that since this knife is worth two hundred million valis" Even Finn sputtered at the number as Riveria shot out of her seat.
"Two hundred million! Are you serious!? That's worth more than most of our equipment combined!" Riveria asked as Bell nodded.
"Oh, I am deadly serious. Do you think simple weaponry made by mortals has the same worth as a Divine Weapon? Even if they can't use this, it's one of a kind that emanates divinity. There is no way it's worth less than anything a mortal makes" Bell threw back at the elven princess.
"Now, I do believe that my husband asked you a question" Elora chimed in, growing somewhat irritated at them throwing their own questions instead of answering his.
"Right… I don't really have an answer for it. We found it in the rubble where we arrested you and… Ais kind of… seized it" Bell's eyes turned towards said woman as she sheepishly looked down.
"I… I wanted something to remember you by" She said with honesty as Bell sighed out.
"Well…" He began as he weighed his options… What was the point of him having it now? A reminder? He already had that with the Archian Manor… and if he kept it, it would only become a decoration…
He reached out to Fiona, holding the tip of the knife's blade as she blinked.
"Keep it. You're the only one who seems to be able to use it after all" He said with a soft look. The girl didn't deserve any scorn… after all, he never believed in the 'Sins of the parents' thing.
Fiona looked skeptical at him for a second, as if she didn't know if she understood him correctly.
"Go on, it's alright. If I wanted to, I could buy a few more of those if I wanted to with my own god's hair instead" He smiled at her as she caved and took it with a smile.
"Thank you, Apollyon" Bell chuckled, shaking his head before getting down on one knee.
"Just call me Bell, Fiona. Even if they hurt me in the past, you never did anything towards me. That, and I kind of like you. You remind me of a certain goddess of mine" He grinned slightly as the girl blushed before Bell got up and turned towards Finn.
"Now, I came here because I wanted to clear the air. I've gotten the information I wanted… if any of you have questions, then ask" He requested as they blinked.
"Alright then… Firstly, we'd like to apologize for our hasty behavior 15 years ago. I know it will never be enough, but it's the least we can do after everything" Finn began as Bell nodded.
"Now then, there is one thing that has been on my mind since you left the colosseum" Finn began as Bell nodded, walking back to his family who smiled at him.
"What did you mean by 'How could I not after staring into it's one blood red eye'?" He asked as Bell froze. Of course this was his first question.
"Finn… mind if I take off my shirt and show you my back?" He asked as everyone blinked at the question as well as disbelief that he'd be willing to show the place no adventurer wants others to see.
"Not at all" He responded as Bell nodded, the armor on his body retreating under his skin, much to everyone's surprise before he took off the shirt.
No one would fault some of the women for nearly drooling at his toned physique, but the moment he showed his back, all their eyes widened at the clear healed burn wounds.
"The Falna heals our wounds and scars at an increased pace depending on our level. The fact that it's taking so long. I got this wound almost 5 years ago" He explained before putting the shirt back on.
"It was inflicted on me by the one eyed black dragon" Gasps surrounded the room as even Finn's eyes were wide in shock.
"You survived it? What level were you?" He asked as Bell sighed again.
"Level 6… and Ais" He turned to the girl who's eyes seemed to hold a familiar black flame in her eyes "Do not go after it… you'd die before you even touched it" At that, the girl winced slightly as they all looked at him weirdly.
"I have been thinking about my encounter with it for a long time and… well, the thing is beyond monstrous. I was at the peak of level 6 and even then, its mere presence made me want to curl up into a ball and be as small as possible. There is no way for you all to defeat it" He muttered the last part, though they all heard it.
"Can't speak from experience, but when Bell says something is monstrous… then it's ten times worse than he makes it out to be" Bache snickered slightly as Elora hit her on the shoulder while the kids just smirked at each other.
"Hm… that's quite troubling. Where did you encounter it?"
"Not telling you" The prum blinked as Bell stared into his eyes with conviction "What? You expect me to just tell you? With her in the room?" He pointed at Ais who flinched as everyone, particularly the top executives and Loki flinched.
"All I'd be doing is dooming this familia to the same fate as Zeus and Hera" At that, he leaned back on the wall between Bache and Elora while the kids moved in front of him almost as if they were flanking and protecting him.
"Then what ya going to do, Lad?" Gareth asked curiously as he rubbed his beard with one eye open.
"Simple. Get stronger. I have to get stronger so that I can find the goddess who damned me and kill that monstrosity" He said before sighing at the look he was getting from Ais.
"Ais… stop looking at me like a kicked puppy" He peeked up at her horrified face.
"That black flame of yours… It's something I used to have for a long time. After all, the beginning of my exile were…" He trailed off as a dark look covered his eyes "Miserable. I had lost everything. My familia. My reputation. My goddess…" His teeth clenched at the memory that still haunted him. He looked up at the gazes aimed right at him.
"Even after I escaped… that hellhole followed me everywhere. Telskyura to the Far East. No matter where I went, bad things kept happening. People I cared for kept dying and at the culmination of it all, I was nearly consumed by the black flames" He looked towards Ais.
"Just like you were nearly consumed by them when you fought that… red haired woman?" He asked the last part as Ais looked down before nodding.
"After that, things weren't so bad. Adrienne was born a few months after I met Elora and moved to Anfesera. Got together with her and married her" Everyone noticed Ais' wince apart from Bell by a pure fluke.
"It took a while, but the only reason I was able to extinguish that black flame… was through my Family. They give me strength when my body is at its limit, they encourage me to push past my limits. If it weren't for them… I'd be dead a long time ago" He couldn't help but smile as he looked down at his three kids, grinning up at him.
"That's… quite touching Cranel-san. Now… there once again, even if it isn't enough…" Finn got up and walked around his desk before approaching Bell and his familia. Elora and everyone instantly went alert, awaiting any foul play.
To their surprise, Finn fell into a deep bow in front of them as Bell stood up straighter in shock.
"I deeply apologize for our inability to assist you back then. We unjustly attacked and imprisoned you without knowing all the information" The room was silent for a second before he saw Tiona getting back up.
"Hey… Argonaut-kun…" Bell looked up as she awkwardly looked at him through her bangs.
"I don't know if your family told you but… I'm really sorry about what we did. I wish I could take it back and…" Her entire face lit up with a bright smile "I really missed you, you know. You were a good friend" Bell wanted to speak but found himself surprised yet again as the person he honestly least expected to walk up to him.
"I'm sorry… I know I went too far and don't deserve it but… for what it's worth, I take it all back" Bete said as he gave him something Bell had never seen from the wolf. An honest and friendly smile.
"Bete…"
"Huma-Ach, I-I mean Bell" He turned to the side, meeting the eyes of Lefiya who had jumped into the fray.
"I apologize for all those times I was rude to you and… I'm glad that you're alright" She smiled at him as Bell blinked at the elf who normally was bashful and rude towards him for reasons unknown to him.
"I agree with all of them. What we did was wrong so… I'm sorry, Bell" Tione gave him a smile.
"Agreed, it was our fault at play and we did not take proper responsibility. Please, let us do that now" Riveria looked at him with soft eyes as Gareth nodded at him.
The rest of the ones present said similar things, even the ones that hadn't even been there when he had been knocked out.
"I-everyone… I-"
"Bell" Bell's eyes finally turned towards Ais, waiting for what she would say.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't give you a chance, even though I knew you would never do that… I-" Her facial features clenched as Bell listened intently for her next words.
"I failed you" At that he sighed out with a breath he hadn't known he was holding.
"Ais…" He muttered before sighing "Everyone… may still feel somewhat betrayed from what happened… it is something I can overlook as long as nothing like that happens again. And I mean EVER again" He punctuated his words as they all nodded.
"Now… Ais, there is one thing that's bugging me right now" He said as the swordswoman looked at him with a tilted head.
"Hmm?" He looked her in the eye, almost pleadingly.
"Why? Why didn't you come to see me to hear me out when I asked?" Ais blinked as Bell frowned at her confusion.
"Asked?" The words reverberated throughout Bell's body as his mind processed the information in his abnormal speed of thought.
'She's confused? She doesn't remember- no… this is as if…' He turned towards Finn and the top executives rapidly, noticing the widened eyes on their faces before he looked back to Ais as the world sped up again in his eyes.
"You didn't get it?" He asked, trying to confirm his suspicions.
"Get what?" Her question already made it the only possible conclusion. He turned back to the prum who was still in front of him.
"Finn… explain to me… why she has no idea what I'm talking about" He said with a slight smile that was forced enough that everyone noticed.
"Ah… that" Finn sighed.
"Finn? What's going on?" Tiona asked as she leaned forward slightly. Bell turned back to Ais as Elora and Bache glared at Finn, Riveria and Gareth.
"The letter… I got to send a letter to request a meeting with one person from outside the prison. I chose Ais, but she never showed. I know for a fact that the letter made it to the guild since when Eina showed me their records, I saw that back then, everything was delivered as per scheduled" He said before turning back to Finn "Which means it made its way to your hands… so… What. Happened?" He finally asked more harshly.
"We ripped it apart" The room went deadly silent as Bell stared at him with barely withheld rage.
"YOU DID WHAT!?" Bell's head snapped to the side, meeting the sight of something he had never seen before.
Ais, frowning hard with burning anger in her eyes as she glared daggers at Finn.
"Ais, let me-"
"No! No you do not try to get out of this! You know exactly how I felt back then! Exactly how bad I felt, and what do you do at the chance I had to talk to him!? YOU RUINED IT FOR ME!" She pushed up against him, her finger poking him at every point before she rapidly turned towards Gareth.
"You! You're like an uncle to me! This isn't how someone like that acts… it's… not right!" Lastly she turned to Riveria, her eyes boring into the ground as her ears were lowered in shame at the inevitable earful she was about to receive.
"And you… Riveria… you're like a mother to me. You practically raised me! You held me as I cried when I thought Bell was gone, that I'd never see him again! You knew better than ANYONE how I felt… and you go behind my back, ruining my chance as closure…" she stopped for a second before looking between the two of them, tears running down her eyes as her lips quivered.
"Ais-tan…" Loki muttered as she flinched at the heartbroken look etched onto her face.
"This isn't how a familia acts… It's not how a family acts…" She seemed to want to say more but swiftly turned around, leaning forward and-
"Tempest" She shot out of the room as Riveria instinctively leaned towards where he went, arm outstretched before stopping, shaking before pulling her outstretched hand to her chest with pain filling her eyes.
"W-what have we done…" She whispered before looking at Finn who was in a similar position to her, looking down as shame was completely transparent on him. Gareth was the same, leaning forward in his seat with his hands covering his face.
Bell looked between the three before finally sighing and walking forward.
"I won't say that what you did was right… but it seems you regret what you have done. I'll forgive you… all of you" Everyone looked at him in shock, including his family before he walked to the door, looking behind him, his family slowly following him.
"I'll talk to Ais" were the last words he said before leaving the Familia with their executives, everyone wanting to give them a piece of their mind.
=Orario, Memorial=
It wasn't hard to find Ais for Bell. He had told his family to head home and they had understood. He had to talk to her alone after all for more than one reason now.
When he had walked out the manor, there had only been two places he had thought to look for her. Firstly, their training spot. He had quickly thought otherwise. To him, that'd be the first place her familia would look.
So he went to the only other place he could think of. The place where her father's memorial was in Orario.
When he arrived, his eyes had instantly latched on to the hunched up form of Ais, sitting in front of the grave of her father, arms shaking with sobs escaping her lips.
Carefully, he walked up to her before slowly putting one hand on her shoulder. In a way, he had felt relief when he had found out she never got his letter.
After all, that meant that she didn't really abandon him. She was never given the option in the first place and the choice was made for her.
"Ais?" He asked lightly as she froze from the touch and voice of his.
"Why?" He frowned at her question, before taking a seat next to her, looking up at the large grave, honoring Ais' father, the Mercenary Hero.
"I don't know Ais. I didn't stay long enough to hear their reason but… In a way, if I think about it, I can see where they were coming from, even if it was wrong. They probably thought it was going to hurt you, at least deep down and didn't want that since you were already hurting so much" He explained, eyes drifting towards where she was leaning into her knees, her golden eyes looking down as she let the tears keep falling.
"The thing is, even if they are family, they are still human. They will make mistakes, we all do. They have made them. You have too and so have I. Too many to count. The way I see it, all we can do is to try to do better, to learn from our mistakes" He gave his opinion before her eyes shifted, meeting his own.
"But… I don't know if I can forgive them… what they did… it only hurt me more" Bell couldn't help but smile slightly at her explanation.
"I can understand that, but that doesn't mean you have to never forgive them. What good is it to learn from one's mistakes, if others don't give you a chance to correct it? The way I am giving you all a chance to correct yours?" He asked as he practically felt her stiffen before he nudged her lightly.
"You… forgive us?" She asked, voice shaking more than he had ever heard it.
"Yes, I forgive you and give you all a chance to correct your mistake, but as I said before. If this happens again, and I mean ever again, there will not be any more chances" He told her firmly as she nodded.
"I… I promise. I'll never do that again. I know better now" She said, a smile on her face as she took a deep breath before wiping her eyes.
"Bell…" He hummed as he smiled at her, both of them standing up before she hugged him, enveloping him in her arms as he gasped.
"Thank you… and… I hope nothing bad happens to your family… you wouldn't deserve it" Her smile widened as she put him at arm's length. He stood up straighter, eyes widening as his heart skipped a beat.
"Ais…" he muttered.
"I mean it… and thank you for cheering me up. I'll go back and hear what they have to say" She said before heading off, back towards where she came as Bell stared at her retreating form, placing one hand on his heart before a conflicted look came upon his face.
'Why… Why do I feel like this…? I shouldn't feel like this, it's wrong' He chastised himself before leaving too, straight towards his home while trying to sort his conflicted feelings, unbeknownst to himself that his back lit up slightly in response to those very emotions.
=The Guild=
Eina stood in her office, looking out the window as her heart thundered. She had wanted to watch the duel between Apollyon and the Sword Princess, but alas, her duties held her back. She had been locked up since this morning until Misha had burst into her office two or so hours after Apollyon's fight was supposed to have taken place.
Originally, she had thought she had come to tease her for missing out on such a momentous event as she normally would do, but the look of shock and desperation in her eyes had sent that thought spiraling out the window.
Flashback
"Misha! What's wrong? Did someone die?" She asked, worried filling her entire being as she stood up, quickly getting close to Misha before patting her back as she panted.
"Eina… Apollyon… he's-" She coughed slightly as Eina lightly patted her back, giving her encouragement to catch her breath.
It took a minute, but during it, Eina did notice something odd. Down the stairs where the guild normally deals with adventurers was unusually noisy.
"Misha… I'm going to see what's going on" Eina swiftly walked past her only for the human girl to grab her wrist tightly, looking back at her.
"It's Apollyon… Ais Wallenstein destroyed his mask" At that, Eina's eyes widened at the idea of knowing the identity under the mask. After a second, she frowned… if that was what caused the commotion downstairs… then…
"Misha… Who is he?" She asked as her heartbeat quickened, her mind latching on to an outlandish idea that sounded ludicrous to her.
'It can't be…'
"Apollyon is your favorite adventurer… He's the Little Rookie" The moment the words left Misha's mouth, a shiver was sent up Eina's spine as she began to shake.
"He… he's… Bell-kun?" She asked in almost a whisper, Misha nodding slowly.
"He's back… and I didn't notice" Her ears fell as a sense of inadequacy filled her body. How had she not seen it? He had been right in front of her, talking to her, asking her questions.
Now that she really thought about it, the entire encounter seemed familiar. Her and Bell sat on two opposite sides as she informed him of what he needed to know. The situations were almost identical.
'How did I not see it?' Eina thought before slowly walking behind her test as Misha stared at her. Her eyes drifted out towards the city of Orario.
"Misha… can I be alone for a while?" She asked as the human girl seemed to hesitate before nodding and walked out, closing the door.
"Thank you…" Eina whispered as she fell deep into her thoughts.
Flashback End
Now here she was, still standing in the same place and still feeling just as inadequate. She should have recognized him… but she didn't. She was a failure as an advisor… So why was she even here? Why was she in this position at all?
'No… Bell wouldn't want me to give up' She thought, slapping her own cheeks together to right her mind.
That's right… she needed to get it together. Isn't this what she had waited for all this time? To be able to assist him in any way possible when he returns? This is no time to falter.
She steeled her own conviction before swiftly sitting down in her chair as the head of the guild branch and got to work.
If she could do anything, it's give him a chance to prove his innocence… and everyone else wrong.
=The Hostess of Fertility, a short while after the duel=
"Ehhh! White hair is Apollyon, Nya!" Anya exclaimed as the news reached the Hostess. This piece of news froze practically every waitress as well as Mia in the entire building.
"Eh? Cute butt is that large man?" She asked, almost as if she was disappointed.
"He's back? Guess he couldn't stay away" Lunoire muttered as she put down the drink she was delivering to the customers who were discussing the duel.
"Tch, the lad actually did it" Mama Mia mumbled as she grinned, remembering the innocent boy who now apparently turned into that monster of a man.
"Cranel-san…" Ryuu out of everyone was the one who was hit the hardest of them all, her eyes wide as her arm shook. The man she had been wary of and if she was honest, afraid of, was Cranel-san?
The idea seemed ludicrous, but everyone was talking about it. In fact, if she looked outside, she could even see people talking to each other with mixed opinions.
'He really got stronger…' she thought as she tried to calm herself only to me bet with failure as the memory of his words resurfaced in her mind.
"Syr-chan was cute… but I'd like to see you wearing a dress too someday… I think you're so beautiful that it makes me think of… things like that"
Those words had meant more to her than she had let on. For so long had she believed herself to be unattractive, unwanted and unwomanly. She had believed it so much that it had practically become a reality to her.
Bell had shattered that reality when he had said those words with such sincerity and embarrassment that it was unmistakable.
She let a soft smile spread across her face as she stared out of the bar, wondering when the next time she would be able to see him was. Something she had asked herself quite a lot.
The difference… was that now, there was actually a possibility of it happening, one that she could see right in front of her.
=Archian Manor=
When Bell returned, there had been only one thing he wanted to do… to get his mind off of these conflicted emotions.
He had been so distracted by them that he had almost not noticed all the looks he had been getting as he had headed home. It was clear that some people wanted nothing more than for him to disappear, but didn't have the courage or ability to do anything about it. Others had been more open, yet still skeptical upon him.
He guessed that the ones that were downright against him were the ones that had been charmed, the rest were the ones that had been dragged along the pack mentality but were still themselves.
"Elora! Bache!" He called out as he entered the living room, getting the attention of everyone there… which was, well, everyone but Erebus.
"Bell! Did everything go alright?" Elora asked with worry at the conflicted look on his face.
"Yeah, just… I need something to distract me right now. Mind another spar, all against me?" He asked as he saw the brightening of everyone's eyes as the kids shot up.
"You're so on, Dad!" Adrienne laughed before practically zooming past him towards the training room. The other two followed her behind before Bache and Elora walked past him with a smile.
Oh, how he was glad for the family he had. He quickly followed them, heading down towards the large training area underneath the house that he had spent a fortune on.
In all honesty, if Loki familia knew how much he had spent on this, they'd completely lose their minds.
It was worth it though. Having a training area laced with the Durandal Attribute was a blessing as it allowed even the strongest of adventurers to go all out without fear.
As they got down, Bell pulled out his spear as everyone's eyes widened.
"Are you going to be using that? Are you planning on killing us?" Bache asked with wide eyes as Bell shook his head.
"No… Just, I haven't used this spear in fear of its destructive power yet… in the arena… that throw didn't pierce the wall, even though it was made of normal stone" He answered as they blinked.
"Almost as if I controlled the power enough to not kill anyone but Freya" He contined as they nodded, not faced at the casual notion of borderline murder since she in technicality had it way overdue.
"Because of that, I feel as if I'll lose my edge unless I keep exercising my techniques" He finished his answer as they seemed to nodd.
"I'll put a handicap on myself because of this spear. No active skills and no magic" They nodded in understanding as the women and children walked across the training area before getting in position in their usual formation. Bache and Elora at the front, Jannor at the center as a commander in a way. Aralaya in the rearguard for magical support and finally Adrienne being her protection.
Bell put his spear behind his back as he leaned forward, preparing for the battle.
A moment later, he shot forward with nothing held back from his speed without any skills.
Both Bache and Elora barely avoided his first two thrusts that pushed past their cheeks, spilling blood as their eyes widened in shock at the sheer amount of power he's using.
'Woah! He must really need a distraction if this is-EEK!' Elora shrieked both internally and externally as a quick series of hard thrusts from Bell's spear was sent in her direction.
Every time she dodged one, another cut her somewhere else. She knew for a fact that she had no ability to keep up with him when he wasn't holding back but… this was still ridiculous. Her stats had been pushed to their limits from level 4 onwards yet still… even with all of her active skills at full blast and him using none, she was unable to do anything.
The worst part was the fact that as he was doing this to her, he was simultaneously doing the same to Bache.
The Amazoness was desperately weaving between his attacks with desperation. She was doing better than Elora, though only slightly as the elf's skills and earlier pushing of her stats had nearly closed the gap between the two, though it was clear Bache was still stronger.
"Gah!"
"Whoa!" Both Bache and Elora leaped back, vaulting backwards on the ground with grace as Bell had jumped up, feet almost hitting Elora's chin and sper hitting Bache's on the flat side.
The next second, a burst of fire exploded where Bell stood before a burst of lighting was sent straight towards Bell.
In his vision, the lighting was traveling towards him as he began twisting in the air so that the thunder passed between his legs before he fell down onto the ground.
It had been a close one, he had been so focused on the two opponents in front of him that he had nearly forgotten the other three combatants. Jannor and Aralaya had used their magic in tandem to force him into a position since he couldn't dodge in any direction but up because he had been wedged between Elora and Bache. It had been smart and effective
He instantly locked eyes with them as Bell shot towards them. In a battle, it's best to take care of the support before handling the vanguard.
"Steel is my Body, Fire is my blood. Thymos Colasis!" He was intercepted by Adrienne who was pushed back, gliding across the floor as Bell's sheer speed and power pushed against her magic enhanced ones.
"Storming Steps, I beckon the call of the thunderous winds, make me faster than the lightning of the mightiest storms-" Bell's eyes widened as he heard Jannor chant. He knew that magic well as it was an unusually powerful enhancement magic. Nowhere near Ais' but still, nonetheless, powerful.
After all, it was based upon his magic stat which has always been at S at the end of each level and was at that stage right now.
Bell let go of one hand from his spread before grabbing the hilt of her shortsword, quickly twisting her arm as she screamed out in pain before he leaped over head and slashing at her core.
Her armor changed shape and created a thick layer right where his spear went, protecting her as she was sent flying right past Bache and Elora who had regained their composure.
"-, so I may strike my foes with the might of the gods. Storm Rush!" Bell cursed himself for being late as lightning cackled over Jannor's body as he shot forward with power above his level, straight into Bell as he bought time for Aralaya to chant.
"-Lend me your power, and remove those before me. Earth Strike!" Bell tried to react and jump out of the way as he saw the ground materialize earth out of thin air underneath him, but the moment he tried, Bache and Elora' latched onto his arms, holding him in place as they grinned at him.
"Not this time, Honey" Elora's grin widened as Bell instantly knew it was too late to get out of the way.
The magic hit him full force as the three jumped out of the way. Bell was sent flying up into the roof with a loud boom as everyone regained their composure as he fell back down, landing on his feet.
He shook his head, trying to regain his bearings before looking up.
'Alright… I gotta go for her first… and…' Bell turned towards where Adrienne had flown off to and saw her laying on the ground, breathing and fine, just knocked out 'She's out for the count' he finished his train of thought before shooting forward in a straight path towards Aralaya who was already chanting again.
The first to intercept was Bache who was softly parried before a punch hit her in her stomach, sending her flying into the wall as Bell flipped over Elora's kick before avoiding her swipe with her sword by tilting his head to the side.
The moment he landed, he swiped her feet before rapidly getting off the ground and kicking her in the stomach, propelling her backwards while also sending him to the side, avoiding Jannor's fire magic from hitting him.
"God… dad is really not holding back!" Jannor complained light-heartedly.
The moment Bell came to a halt, he shot towards Aralaya again where Jannor was blocking his path.
'I can go a bit harder because of his skill…' Bell told himself as he carefully jumped under his staff, his hand hitting the ground and latching onto it hard, diverting his forward momentum to a circle motion, the end of his spear's shaft hitting the boy right in his back sending him flying just like Bache and Elora.
The moment he was gone, Bell didn't waste a single second and shot towards Aralaya like a bullet and within a split second, he was in front of her, fist on the ready to hit her hard.
Aralaya smirked as her staff aimed straight at his eyes.
"Fire Strike" He had no time to dodge as the magic hit him full force right in his face.
*Boom*
Bell was sent across the room from the resulting explosion while Aralaya was engulfed in the resulting blast as well.
When Bell got up, he looked around the training area, before sweat dropping. All around him, his family were either knocked out or groaning in pain.
"Eh… maybe I went a little overkill" He mumbled as he heard a quiet 'You think?' From where Bache was hunched over.
=Archian Manor=
It took half an hour until Bache and Elora were able to get up again, and they had quickly hauled the kids back up into their rooms, putting them into their beds where they could sleep their wounds off.
Bell on the other hand was headed towards the library, feeling guilty that in his distracted state from his conflicting emotions, he had used too much power. In fact, he honestly doesn't know if he was holding back at all.
"Erebus?" He asked as he entered the Library. The god who was in his usual seat, reading yet another book looked up at him.
"Oh, Bell. What can I do for you?" He asked with a light smile as Bell chuckled.
"I wanted to ask if you could update my status" At that, Erebus blinked and stared at him, not knowing if he was serious or not.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you update it this morning?" At that, Bell chuckled as he nodded.
"Yeah… it's just that after Ais' duel and… honestly a very intense sparr with everyone, I felt like it. Doesn't hurt, does it?" Erebus shook his head with a smile before getting up.
Bell put a piece of paper he had brought with him on the table before taking a seat and pulling up his shirt.
"Alright, so. About that spar. I heard explosions earlier. I'll take it as that was you?" Erebus asked as he began updating the status. Bell nodded, looking back at him.
"Yeah… I was a bit distracted and failed to hold back. The kids are… well, they are in their beds, unconscious" Erebus laughed at that.
"Is that so? Reminds me of their first few days of training. You had no mercy" Bell blushed at that thought. He knew that in the long run, harsh training like what they just had was the best way to increase the status of an adventurer without the real risk of one's life. He guessed that he had gotten a little more lenient over time with them.
"Haha, don't remind me" He chuckled, quite enjoying the light conversation.
"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt. It means they will grow more an-huh?" Bell frowned at the sudden stop.
"Is something wrong?" Bell asked as Erebus blinked, before a bittersweet smile spread across his face.
Without answering the question, he copied the status onto the paper Bell had put on the table before handing it to him.
Name: Bell Cranel
Lv 7
Status:
{STR} S-912 - S-913
{VIT} S-954 - S-955
{DEX} S-943 - S-944
{AGI} S-999
{MAG} A-878
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: 23%)
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
Blade Master: When the user uses a bladed weapon, increases proficiency of the weapon and technique that is currently used
Dragon's Bane: Dramatically increases all basic abilities when fighting draconic type monsters. (+1000 to all stats)
Development Abilities:
Luck: A
Abnormal Resistance: B
Psych: C
Intuition: C
Strong Body: F
Mystery: H
"I went up by 3 points huh…" Bell muttered before turning to Erebus, not understanding why he had been surprised and so quiet all of a sudden.
"Erebus? Is something wrong?" He repeated his question before the god sighed.
"Bell… it's your skill?" Bell frowned before his eyes widened and he stood up, taking a step away from the god before shaking his head.
"No…" He muttered… His confused emotions… everything… no, he didn't want this. Please… tell him that it was all a misunderstanding.
"Liaris Freeze is active again"
Boom! Ending it on that bomb of a note with Chapter 44 now done. Liaris Freeze is back and feelings once forgotten now slowly return!
It hasn't been long since the last chapter so there isn't anything to really comment about. I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll get right into the reviews!
Zasun:That Loki meeting went about how I expected! "What do we do?!" "We can't." "Oh okay." Womp womp. And of course everyone would be accepting of Aiz! It surprises me that even in canon she thinks people will not like her or whatever. Solid job there.
I'm happy Bell spilled about Erebus to his old familia. They are close and I like that. But you tease! Welf asked about Adrienne and Bell just glossing over it. Does SHE even know what happened? I remember when she was a wee one and asked why they don't talk and they both said they'll do better but I can't recall if it has ever actually been addressed to even Elora. Also happy you mentioned the orphans! Or.. homeless adults? Not sure what happened to them yet so we'll see.
But now for the big confrontation/meeting. Will Bete apologize? Will Finn apologize? Who knows any information about the "Northern Goddess"? Will Loki be able to instantly recognize Themis? She IS a goddess of tricks. I feel like she would just nonchalantly ask him why he dyed his hair and then move on.
Find out next time in THE FALLEN ARGONAUT *dragon ball Z theme plays*
Author: Haha, I liked this review and especially the last part where lol. Anyway, since I can already tell you or someone else is going to ask, I intentionally avoided talking about the kids in the meeting. It was a more serious one that covered the main issues between the two. Might have something happen sometime else though, you never know xD.
As for Adrienne knowing about how she came to be, yes she does. They did have a moment once after the Monsterphilia earlier in the story where they talked heartedly over it. Bell over the years has given more affection towards Bache and grown closer with her, becoming like brother and sister.
Thrivean:The wait was worth it! Personally chomping at the bit for the Loki familia sit down next chapter, but I'm also interested to see a short Freya POV to see her reaction to almost becoming a shish-kebab. Super excited for the next one, hopefully it won't be two weeks but take your time so it comes out how you want it
Author: Well… unfortunately no Freya just yet and it wasn't two weeks but 2 days! The progress for the overall arc is going really well. The most important details are practically done. I will say this, the dungeon in TFA has a total of 100 floors, and something sinister awaits at the bottom.
MarcoSketcher: Bueno. Esto tenía que pasar y lo que sigue desencadena lo próximo conflicto. Esta mecha ya se prendió. (By the way. This is my native language)
Good to know that nobody sees weird to Ais, but well they're family after so much that they went through over the years. The questions later.
After 15 years, the trust that Bell has on his old friends is still strong and solid, waiting to see how far he would go with them and his family in the Dungeon.
Now to wait to see the reunion between Themis and Loki Familia. Two things for sure; one, what happened 15 years ago is going to be clearing; and two the plan to catch the fugitive Goddess of Beauty will get started... At least the first one will be done.
Author: Yes, this fuse has been lit but something else will force Bell to extend his plans to a later date.
Otherwise, great summary!
That's it for the reviews, and as always, I hope to see you all next time!