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.
45: Memory Lane
=Archian Manor=
Bell's mind was reeling at what he was told. The skill, the one that was linked to his emotions towards Ais was… It was active again… No, oh god no. He didn't want this at all.
He already had a family! He already had a wife! God, he was a jerk- no a complete and utter asshole. What kind of scumbag falls for someone else when they have a wife, one they claim to love with all their heart?
Well… him apparently.
"Bell" His ruby eyes shifted towards Erebus who looked at him softly as well as a hint of worry.
"It's alright. Don't beat yourself up about it. Feelings aren't something we can control, especially things like love" Bell winced at the word before Erebus motioned for him to let him finish.
"That, and the strength of the effect is… well, meager is an understatement" He smiled softly as Bell blinked.
"Strength? You can tell how much of an effect the skill has?" He asked as Bell tried to process the information. To him, there was no indication on the skill on how strong of an effect it currently has. Maybe gods can tell? Perhaps through their intuition.
"Yes, I can tell. It's hidden within your excelia and soul which the Falna allows me to look into. I'd say that the effect when we first met was easily over 40 times stronger than it is now" Bell's eyes widened at that piece of information.
"So… the feelings aren't strong?" He asked as Erebus hummed.
"Yes, right now, it's only the mere vestige of an ember, hiding and waiting for a chance to grow" He said as Bell nodded, somewhat relieved that it wasn't that strong…
"But… I felt conflicted after being with her. After she hugged me and apologized, her smile made my heart flutter…" He said as Erebus listened.
"Hmm… I'd probably say that it was simply mere affection. A fluttering heart doesn't necessarily mean love. Someone can make another person's heart beat faster simply by doing something unexpected and endearing. Weren't you the same before you were banished? You told me you could barely talk to a woman without going red in the face" At the reminder, Bell flushed softly before he blinked.
"That's completely different!" He threw back as Erebus merely shrugged.
"Yes, but you still held affection for a lot of people who constantly made you blush. Would you say you loved them in the romantic sense?" The question gave Bell pause as he contemplated it. It didn't take long for him to concede with Erebus' point
Of course anyone can make someone else's heart flutter, especially those you hold some sort of affection for. If they do something that's endearing and unexpected, it's only a natural human reaction to be caught off guard.
'And I let myself get so distracted from it…' He muttered, remembering the absolute hell he brought on his famil-
Bell instantly stopped before sighing.
"Right, I gotta go and tell Elora" Bell stood up as Erebus blinked before putting his hand on the albino's shoulder.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked as Bell hummed.
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's not but… I can't hide it from her. She's my wife, the woman I have vowed to spend my life with, share my secrets, my pains and heartaches with, until death do us part. Even if I didn't say it out loud, I did vow to myself to never hide a single thing from her… and I'm not going to start now" He said as Erebus breathed out, a genuine and proud smile on his face.
"You're a good man Bell. A person any man should strive to be like, even us gods" Bell, for the uptenth time that day was caught off guard by his patron deity's words. He had figured out Erebus was very different from any run of the mill god out there quite quickly after meeting him and it had become apparent over the years, yet he still surprised him even to this day.
"Erebus, I'm not that great… but thanks for the sentiment" Bell said in gratitude, eyes soft.
"If only you weren't so damn insufferably humble that is"
"Aaaand the moment's ruined. I'm leaving" Erebus chuckled as Bell left, shaking his head before shrugging. Even if they are Erebus, a god is a god after all.
He headed towards his and Elora's bedroom, slowly beginning to dread the conversation that was to come. In reality, he wanted to do anything but tell her and jeopardize what they have… but in the end, he'd rather have something real, than something built on lies and secrets.
He took deep breaths as he got to her door, hearing her inside as he steeled himself and gathered all the courage he could muster.
As he opened the door, Elora's hazel eyes were drawn by the noise, her arms over her head as she took off her shirt. Her lips curved into a smile as she absentmindedly threw the shirt to the side.
Bell winced at the bruises and cuts on her body. Their only healer was out of commission so she hadn't been able to get healed. She wasn't going to waste a potion for such minor wounds that would be gone in the morning either.
She frowned at his reaction before looking herself over, instantly understanding what was going through his head.
"Honey, it's okay. You need a distraction and this will only help us grow in strength, even if I'm reaching the limit of my status as of the moment" Bell smiled half heartedly before Elora reached out, running her fingers across his cheek as she looked into his eyes with worry.
"Is something wrong?" Bell could only chuckled out while shaking his head.
"God… I sometimes forget you know me so well… Elora, we need to talk" He said seriously as gave him a worried smile in return.
"Those words never follow up with anything good but alright" The two made their way to the side of the bed as they plopped down, lightly bouncing before the elf turned her entire body towards her husband.
"So… I'm guessing this has something to do with why you needed a distraction?" She asked as he nodded lightly, almost unnoticeable. Elora had been curious but had known that in the moment, it was for the better that she didn't pry. After all there was nothing she didn't trust him with whatsoever.
Bell opened his mouth before closing it again. He repeated the action a few times as he tried and failed to formulate words, making him look like a fish on land.
"It's okay, just take a deep breath" She soothed him, putting her arm around his back, rubbing his upper arm on the other side softly as a way to calm him.
"You're going to hate me…" The words froze Elora as she stared at her husband. She felt his muscles size up at her own reaction before she blinked.
"Hate you? Bell, there is nothing and I mean nothing in this world that could make me hate you. I love you more than life itself. I'd die for you if I had to" Bell's head snapped to her at the words.
"Don't… please don't… I-" He stopped before taking a deep breath.
"Bell, I know you don't want me to die, that'd be… very bizzare and hurtful towards my feelings, but it is the truth. So just suck it up and accept it, just like I know you'd do the same for me" She grinned at him, full of emotion as Bell couldn't help but feel entranced.
'God, I married the most amazing woman in the world' He thought in awe. He realized that the fear in his heart had evaporated and instead was filled with love and an honest desire to tell her the truth, and he'd be damned if he didn't do just that.
"Elora… when I updated my status, something happened" He began as she seemed confused.
"This morning or…" Bell shook his head as she nodded.
"You know that I love you, and I always will, right?" He asked, he just had to make sure one last time before the words spilled from his mouth.
"Of course honey. There is no way I wouldn't know" She smiled, leaning forward as she looked at him expectantly.
"My skill is active again… Liaris Freeze" As the words spilled from his mouth, Elora felt her heart freeze over as the information sunk in.
'Active again… but that would mean that he…' The thought made her world come crashing down upon her entire body.
"Oh boy…" She breathed out, her head turned to the floor, her ears bending down towards her neck as she felt her heart completely shatter after that revelation.
She remembered the day he told her about his skill. About how it stayed active as long as he was in love with Ais Wallenstein. She remembered how he told her that the skill was becoming weaker and that it was all because of her.
She turned slightly to the side, just enough for her to see Bell's expression in her peripheral vision. What she saw was his pure and utter self-loathing laced in disgust at himself, all hidden behind the heartbreaking fear in them.
She took a moment to think on it all, and in all honesty, the situation was…. Difficult. Her heart, the part of her that was crying and screaming in pain and despair, wanted to do nothing but scream at and hit him again and again for even daring to look at another woman that way.
But the more logical part of her that could see those emotions within his head, the conflicted and disgusted eyes that reflected what he thought on it all said otherwise.
She took a deep breath, making her decision before sitting up straighter and turning to him.
"Bell… I won't lie and tell you everything is fine. I'm hurt, and probably will stay that way for a while, but at the same time, I won't judge you. I know how love can be unpredictable, after all, I never expected to love you, and I was already too far gone by the time I realized it. So… I want you to know that I don't blame you. I don't even blame the sword princess, even if I think you let them off a little too easy" She smiled softly in slight amusement, trying to lighten the mood at least a little bit for not only Bell, but herself as well. Bell's fear seemed to ease up, only making the self-loathing more apparent.
"What I'm saying is that we should work through it, together. After all, I don't want to lose you, especially to a woman who basically betrayed you once. So I am damn well sure that I'll fight to keep what we have" She finished as her eyes blazed with determination as Bell's own widened.
"I… but- How can I even be near you like this… what kind of husband feels something for another woman other than his wife?" He asked as he turned to the side, lips shaking as his eyes awaited her answer, almost as if expecting the worst.
"Like I said… love isn't something you can control or aim, It just happens. What I can say for sure, is that despite the long periods of you being absent, you are without a doubt, the best husband and partner one could ever ask for. There isn't a single man in the world I'd rather spend the rest of my time on Gekai with" She spoke with utmost honesty as Bell looked at her.
"Now…" She said as she scooted closer to him before grabbing his cheeks in between hers, the moonlight from the young night seeping into the room from the window "Even if that's my decision, there is something I do need to make sure of right now" She said as Bell's eyes hardened in determination.
"Anything" The word that was so strong and powerful coming from his mouth made her want to melt as she said her next words.
"To make sure you know that you're mine" Even with his level and reaction speed, he was completely caught off guard as she practically slammed her lips onto his own as she hummed into his in satisfaction.
It took Bell but a moment for the information to process before his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as he responded in kind, clashing his lips against hers as their tongues battled it out.
Elora moaned into his lips with delight, hand running up his back before it took its place in his hair, grabbing it lightly as she leaned back, Bell following her along before they both laid on the bed in a full blown make out session.
After a minute, Elora flipped Bell onto his back as she straddled him, releasing his lips as she hovered over his, their breaths panting and tickling each other's skin, her ears flushed in excitement.
"I am yours" Bell muttered after a second as Elora's heart melted as desire built up. She reached down towards the hem of his shirt, tugging at it lightly as to signal what she wanted.
Bell noticed this and leaned up, Elora following before he helped her remove it.
"Is your armor under your skin?" She asked as Bell shook his head.
"No, I left it in the armory before updating my status" He answered as Elora smiled seductively at him.
"Good… I don't think you'd be comfortable with it there otherwise" Bell gulped as he knew what that meant before nodding, smiling at her.
"Anything you want… tonight, you can do anything you want" He answered as her eyes lit up before softening, leaning forward, closer to him before lightly touching his lips.
"Guess it's going to be a very long night" She didn't waste another second, latching onto his lips with vigor, content and determined with the fact that this night, she was going to make sure that not only Bell, but even the Sword Princess will know that he was hers, and hers alone.
=Next morning=
"Ugh…" To say that Aralaya was sore would be like saying the Behemoth was a little big. She groaned as she tried to sit up, wincing as her body complained. She was used to the feeling because of her fathers spartan training regiment.
She looked down at her own form, noticing that she was only in her underwear. She didn't really feel embarrassed about it with the only ones in the entire house being her family and she figured that it was her mother or aunt that had put her here. Her father was too much of a gentleman, even to his own daughter, to strip her. Heck, even Jannor was the same way.
Well… he was definitely similar, just way more annoying if you asked her. Though in the end, he was still her twin brother, and even if she wouldn't admit it bluntly, she loved him dearly, just like she loved the rest of her family.
"Might as well heal myself…" She muttered, placing her hand on her stomach.
"Body worn and tired, mend thy self, be made whole, and rise again. Balm Touch" Her body was surrounded by a warm green aura as she sighed out in contentment as her bruises healed.
All the cuts and scrapes were gone thanks to her level 3 status, but she wasn't like her father, mother or aunt with their first class ones. They could probably heal from a stab wound or broken bone overnight, but it'd take her a week.
The status' exponential growth got kind of crazy at level 4. Adrienne was proof of that, as even without her magic, she'd be able to best Jannor with everything he had, skills, magic and all with only her basic abilities.
After her healing magic stopped, she got up and flipped to make sure there wasn't any lingering pain. As her feet landed on the floor, she smiled and nodded in contentment.
She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a buttoned up white shirt that looked somewhat extravagant, the skin on the arms and small part of her colar being exposed. Her pants were simple of the simple black kind that hugged her legs and hips tightly. She finished it with two black bow ties, one where you would normally expect it to be, and another in her hair, attached to a black headband.
She turned and looked at herself before turning her attention to her face and hair, making sure it looked good before smiling, her somewhat sharp jawline and red eyes from her father alongside the small nose, long ears and blonde hair of her mother meshing well to make for a stunningly beautiful young elf.
She walked away from the mirror and looked at herself over one last time before smiling as she pinched the garment of her shirt with a soft smile.
"Thank you dad…" She muttered.
It was actually new ones as he had replaced her old clothing with specially made ones out of colored undine cloth and Salamander wool, them being double layered with the Undine cloth being under to protect from heat and allow her to move better in water.
The salamander wool was layered on top to protect against flames and cold. It's a good combination and something that she had found incredibly smart once she had read about the 'Water Capital'.
He had done similar things for everyone else. He too had the same material for his clothes underneath his armor.
It made sure they were constantly protected from it all, the only downside being that water based attacks were able to destroy the salamander wool, though it'd take a lot of punishment for it to happen. After all, it was imbued and protected with the essence of salamander spirits.
'If only it was possible to combine the two's effects into a single material' She hummed before leaving the room, heading down towards the kitchen to get breakfast, most likely cooked from her dad. He always did that as a way to apologize for the harsh training and with how adept he was in the kitchen, it was so worth it.
What confused her though, was when she found Bache being the one cooking. She looked at her aunt, humming softly as sizzling from the bacon she was making tickled her ears.
"Auntie? Where is Dad?" She asked, as the amazon turned around and smiled at Aralaya.
"Oh, they are still asleep. They went a little wild last night, kept me up for quite a while" Bache said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Aralaya instantly colored as she desperately tried to get the mental image out of her head.
'Oh god! Please stop, please stop!' She complained internally before shaking her head.
"I did not need to hear that. Do you know where Adrienne and Jannor are?" She asked as she simply pointed behind her as she flipped the bacon with her other hand.
Aralaya turned around and understood instantly.
"Thanks" She said before she left, grabbing an apple on the way out before she swung the doors open to the dining room. Inside, Adrienne and Jannor were sitting by the table, the amazon girl happily running her mouth as the boy laughed.
"Good morning!" She greeted them as they turned to her with a smile.
"Morning Sis!"
"Good morning, Sister" The two greeted back as the half-elf girl took a seat between the two.
"So, what are you talking about?" She asked as the two turned to her.
"Oh, just-"
"I'm done" Bache walked into the room, interrupting Adrienne as they instantly lit up as she brought out the bacon and scrambled eggs she had made. It was simple, but still fulfilling. The amazoness put out plates for everyone alongside two extra for Bell and Elora when they woke up before she plopped down next to Adrienne.
"What were you all talking about?" Bache asked, taking six pieces of bacon and some scrambled eggs and munching on them.
"Nothing much, I was recounting that one time you came back out of the forest covered in the blood of a minotaur alongside a large sack on your back with drop items" her daughter answered as Bache laughed.
"Oh, I remember that! It was hilarious how everyone screamed and ran as they saw me. I honestly think they thought I was a demon" Adrienne laughed alongside her mother Aralaya and Jannor chuckled nervously as they remembered seeing their aunt in the doorway like that. It has caused a lot of nightmares for the 3 year old kids.
The conversation continued for a while like that, bantering back and forth as they recalled memories or discussed different subjects. It wasn't until an hour or so later when it was almost nine in the morning that Bell and Elora finally walked through the door.
"Morning…" Bell said tiredly as he stretched. Elora walked in behind him, positively beaming at everyone at the table.
"What happened to you?" Bache smirked as Bell hummed softly before giving her a look.
"You know exactly what" He said matter of factly before smiling softly.
The two took their seats next to each other by the side of Jannor before taking their breakfast.
"Now… I don't want to push this along for later so I'll just get it out there" Bell started without even taking a bite out of his food. Everyone's eyes turned to him as Elora nodded at him encouragingly.
"Yesterday, my skill reactivated" Those words surprised everyone as they knew there was only one skill he could be talking about.
Bache instantly turned towards Elora, her eyes staring at her seriously.
"Are you alright with this?" She asked as the elven woman smiled at her and shrugged.
"Can't say it didn't hurt at first but… after last night, I'm positively sure that he loves me and knows that he's mine" She said, turning to her husband with a smirk as he chuckled.
"So… Dad" Adrienne's voice was soft as Bell turned to her with his full attention.
"You like the sword princess?" She asked, her tone soft yet serious. He sighed out as he thought on how to answer.
"Well… Erebus did explain to me that the effect is so small right now that it's basically the vestige of an ember that can grow into a flame if given a chance" He told her honestly as everyone seemed content with that answer.
"That, and he also said the effect was over 40 times less than it was when he met me, which is when it was at its strongest" He added before looking around "Speaking of the god, where is he?" he asked as Bache sighed.
"He's in the library… passed out face first in a book" She said with exasperation as everyone chuckled. It was a common occurrence as he tended to spend most of his time reading, which automatically put him there. That and his bad habit of forgetting to sleep when doing so.
"Guess we can leave him there for now… anyhow, are you all ready for today?" He asked as everyone turned to him in clear confusion.
"Ready for today? What are we doing today?" Jannor asked as Bell frowned.
"Didn't you remember? We promised to accompany Welf and the others today into the dungeon" They all seemed to understand before smiling.
"Right, sorry. Kind of forgot" Bache chuckled before she stopped "Oh, right!" She reached into her back pocket before pulling out a sealed letter and handing it to Bell.
"What's this?" He asked as the amazon shrugged.
"Beats me, the pink haired receptionist from the guild dropped it off. Saying it was an official directive from the guild to the Themis Familia" At that, Bell's eyes widened before getting serious. Elora did the same as she instantly knew what that meant.
Bell ripped open the letter and began reading quietly as everyone waited for him to finish.
After a moment, his eyes popped open as he stood up in shock.
"Bell! What is it?" Elora asked, surprised at his reaction.
"We have been given a mission for an expedition…" Bell began as Bache looked confused while the children understood thanks to their mother's lessons which did include the terminology in Orario.
"Expedition?" Bache asked as Bell hummed and nodded.
"That's right. It's a mission from the guild for exploration familia's such as ours to venture into the dungeon for a specific purpose" He explained as she nodded.
"Alright then, so how far down? The water capital?" Bache asked, thankful for the guides Bell and Elora had whipped up on the dungeon and its floors as well as monsters and secrets they knew.
"No… deeper" Elora blinked as she turned to him.
"Honey… how deep?" She asked, her achieved floor was floor 41. She had never been able to go deeper because of her familia only having two level 4's and six level 3's with more level 2's and 1's.
"The 50th floor… in other words, far into the deep floors"
"WHAT!?" Elora shouted as she shot out of her chair, staring at him before snatching the letter and reading it over.
"What the hell! Why are they asking us to go so deep!?" She huffed in anger and frustration as Bell sat down with a sigh.
"Probably because of our ranking. We're considered an S-class familia being ranked 3rd in overall power within Orario" He answered her question as she seemed to be somewhat placated by this.
"Still, it's our first mission and they expect us to just fly through the dungeon that easily!?" She asked as Bell shrugged.
"Beats me"
"Well, I've got a funny idea" Bache began as everyone turned to her.
"If they wanna send us down that far, how about overshooting their expectations? Maybe see how far we can really reach?" She asked as Elora looked at her in horror.
"Bache! You've never even been in the dungeon yet, the kids and Bell are the only ones that have… and no! That one time when we fought the Demi-spirit doesn't count!" She said as Bache tried to complain, making the amazon stop in her tracks "You don't know how the dungeon doesn't play fair and how it changes from each floor. The deeper you go, the more unpredictable and vicious it becomes" Elora finished as Bache took a second before shrugging. Elora couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at her nonchalant behavior.
"Do you want to level up or not?" The amazon asked as Elora made a throaty sound as she hit a nerve.
"Fine…" She muttered after a second as Bell laughed. Wasn't that a bit too easy?
"Well… I'm up for it" Bell smiled before turning to the kids as they nodded.
"Sure, it'd be fun" Adrienne grinned.
""Guess it's alright"" Both Jannor and Aralaya said in unison. Adrienne shivered as she stared at the two.
"God, I hate it when you do that. It's creepy" she muttered as the two turned to her with smirks.
""What? Do you mean this?"" The amazon girl groaned as the entire room laughed.
"Well… when is the mission issued?" Bache asked as Elora's eyes shifted towards the bottom of the notice.
"Next week" She answered as she nodded.
"Then we got plenty of time. We already have some of the material since Bell was so kind to deliver such as Salamander wool and Undine Cloth" Bache listed before Elora continued.
"We have a literal stockpile of high potions of both varieties, Our gear should be good enough for the deeper levels" She stopped as she scribbled it down on the back of the guild notice.
"Ehm, what about camping equipment? Didn't we leave it back home?" Aralaya asked as Bell nodded.
"I can buy new ones tomorrow. Orario does have a lot of it because of the nature of the dungeon exploration in the city" He suggested as they nodded.
"We need plenty of containers to hold water as well as food. Running out of food on a barren floor is a nightmare" Elora continued, writing it down "I'll handle that" she wrote her name next to it to signify that the task was hers.
"We have Bowls and spoons for the food… Bell, can you get that tomorrow too?" The elf asked as he nodded.
"Hmm… what else?" She asked.
"What about drop items and magic stones?" Jannor asked as Bell hummed. It would be annoying using his Valis pouch for that. He found that out from his journey across the Valley of dragons. It's a real pain to get out if it sits there for a while as it gets mixed together with the valis.
"Well… I guess it's a good idea to get a large storage pouch for all of you. I can just buy a normal one and use mystery on it" He suggested as they nodded.
"Anything else?" Bache asked as everyone tried to think.
"Let's list things off. Camping equipment, Utensils, gear, potions, food, water, storage… isn't that basically everything?" Elora asked as everyone seemed to shrug before Bell's eyes lit up.
"Wait! Welf!" He said as if it was obvious what he meant.
"What does Welf have to do with this?" Adrienne deadpanned as he chuckled.
"Well, missions have rules to them and one of them is that half the party has to be made up from the familia that the mission is issued to. Since we have 6 members in total…" his voice trailed off, waiting for Adrienne to continue.
"That means we can bring along 6 more adventurers from other familias!" She answered.
"I was thinking we could ask Welf and the others to join us… as for the remaining two spots, I was thinking maybe Daphne and Cassandra. They were good friends and allies before everything happened. I'll just have to meet and catch up with them first. They are both level 5 now so it works out" Bache smiled at him as Elora hummed.
"That makes sense, at least it isn't the Sword Princess" She huffed the last part as she looked at him. He could only chuckled awkwardly.
"Well… we may be allies and I did forgive them… but I don't feel like I can trust them to truly have my back that far down in the unknown yet" Elora was happy with that answer as Bell internally realized that she was going to be pretty expressive for a while.
'Guess that's natural after what I told her, in fact I expected a lot worse' He thought to himself, honestly beyond happy with how it turned out.
"Well, we can continue this planning tonight because Welf and the others will be waiting for us soon" Bell said, before quickly and swiftly gobbling up his food at rapid speed thanks to his status before standing up.
"That's fair. Kids, head on up and get dressed for the dungeon" They instantly followed the elf and amazon upstairs apart from Bell and Adrienne who cleaned up the dishes.
They already had his gear underneath their skin with the weapons on them.
After they were done, the two walked out, meeting the others in front of the main door before leaving, heading towards Babel tower that resided above the great hole known as the dungeon.
=Babel Plaza=
"Do you think they remember? Bell-sama did promise to meet us here" Lili asked as Haruhime nodded at the prum.
"Yes! Bell-sama isn't someone to go back on a promise, after all he is-" She stopped as her ears twitched before turning around "Everyone… they are here" Welf, Mikoto and Lili turned in the direction she was looking and smiled at the approaching people. Practically everyone in the plaza was staring at them as they approached them.
"I hope we didn't keep you waiting" Elora said with a smile as Welf shook his head.
"No, not at all. You came at a perfect time actually, we just arrived" Bell nodded at him with a smile.
"So… what's your deepest floor? I'm curious" He asked as they all looked at each other before smirking.
"40th floor" Bell whistled at the answer, though it made sense. They were a decent sized party made entirely of level 4's and level 5. If Mikoto's captain and Chigusa tagged along, then it'd be two level 5's and one extra level 4.
"That's impressive. Though I'll beat you soon, after all, we did get a mission today for an expedition to the 50th floor" Mikoto and Haruhime gasped as Welf's eyes practically popped out of his skull.
"50th! That's nuts! Though if it's you, I guess you'll be able to do it. I mean, your familia has two level 7's. That's more than enough for those floors" He hummed as Lili nodded.
"Anvil-head is correct. According to the guild, Floors between 50 and 44 are recommended for level 4's to explore" Lili told him as Bell smiled and nodded.
"Then we should be fine. Now, how about we head on inside? I'll warn you, the monsters on the upper floors are… well, they kind of avoid me" He chuckled as they stared at him, blinking while they walked inside Babel tower.
"What do you mean they ignore you?" Lili asked as Elora also seemed interested.
"Well, I went down there a little while ago and… I noticed that there weren't any monsters around… at least until I saw a goblin turn tail and run at the sight of me" That made Welf crack up and laugh.
"Man! You're kidding! Just how strong have you gotten?" Bell shrugged as Elora smirked.
"Probably the strongest person in the world" The pride in her voice was evident as everyone seemed to humm in agreement, much to Bell's embarrassment.
The upper floors, just as predicted, went by like a breeze with literally no encounters. The first monster to actually be dumb enough to challenge them was a hellhound on floor 14 which Bell had casually flicked a rock into it's head, killing it. Welf had complained for not being able to show off how far he had come as Bell shrugged, mentioning the fact that he could do that later.
"Wait… has the Goliath respawned?" Jannor asked as Lili shook her head.
"No, it was killed a little over a day or so ago by adventurers in Rivira so it's still 2 more weeks until it does. Lili heard that Bell-sama killed it before that… in one punch no less" She said, staring at Bell as if seeking answers.
"Oh, that. I was trying to see how strong I have gotten and used all of my power alongside scourge at full blast on it. It ended up being too much" He awkwardly said the last part as Welf frowned.
"Scourge?" Bell turned to him before chuckling.
"My skill. The more malice I let out, the stronger I get. In other words, the more I want to kill my opponent… well, you get the idea" He explained as they blinked.
"Damn… what if you stack Argonaut on that?" He asked as Bell winced.
"I tried that once, and that was as a level 4. I've never done it since. It's way too destructive and I fear that if I do it now, I might actually blow apart everything around me, including all of you" That made them sweat drop as Elora shrugged.
"It makes sense. Just status alone, he's strong enough to take down the entire Loki familia alone. Scourge can easily double his overall power at full blast. Add Argonaut at 7 minute full charge on top of that, which is multiplicative if I might add… then that is basically a combo to guarantee the death of whatever he fights" She explained as Bell frowned.
"Not everything…" He muttered as they all turned to him "Not that dragon" He continued as his family gave him a pitying look.
"What drag- wait! You said you've stared into the black dragon's one red eye! Is it really that powerful!?" Mikoto asked as he nodded.
"Yes… I was at the peak of level 6 and it was overpowering me to the point that my legs would not move. Even now, I doubt I would stand a chance against it" He stared forward into the bedrock environment of the 17th floor passageways.
"By the way, have any of you seen any minotaurs?" Bache asked as Aralaya and Jannor gave her a horrified look.
"Bache, you are not fighting any minotaurs. Every time you do, you rip them apart and get covered in their blood" Bell practically commanded as the amazon just pouted.
"How filthy…" Haruhime whispered in disgust as Bell smiled at her.
"Oh… there it is, 'The Big Wall of Grief'" Bell said as the kids turned to the side and stared at it. They hadn't really gone down here yet, at most going to the 16th before returning. After all, their parents did tell them to be careful and not push their luck.
"It's beautiful, but why is it called something so glum?" Jannor asked as Bell turned to him.
"Well, that's because right behind that wall, is where the Goliath waits to ambush adventurers. For inexperienced parties, it's basically a world of grief walking into this room only to have the wall explode and a monster rex screaming and attacking them" Elora explained as he nodded.
"Yeah, I don't want big mean and ugly surprise attacking me and my friends" Welf chuckled
"Though… if you think this is beautiful, wait until you see what's past that entrance to the 18th" Bell smiled as everyone did the same at the thought of seeing their first reaction to the Under Resort.
As they made their way through the entrance down to the next floor, all three children shielded their eyes from the bright light before finally laying eyes upon the floor.
Their eyes blinked as the twins went slack jawed. Adrienne stared up at the ceiling before happily looking around at the lush forest and finally locking onto the enormous tree at the center of the floor.
Everyone just smiled at them before Bell's eyes turned to Bache who hadn't been here either. She was much more composed than the kids, looking around with a smile, but he could tell that her eyes held awe in them. After all, the Under Resort was a treat to the eyes for anyone seeing it, especially the first time around.
"That giant crystal over there… isn't that a landmark used for figuring out where on the floor you are?" Aralaya asked as Elora looked at where her daughter pointed.
"That's right, the crystal is on the eastern part of the floor, closer towards the entrance to the 17th. If you are lost, just get to a vantage and look at where it is. That way you can triangulate your position" Elora smiled as Aralaya nodded.
"Or you can just head to the giant tree at the center" Jannor suggested with a light laugh as snickers went around.
"I… I suppose that works too" They all laughed at that as they headed into the forest and towards the center of the floor where the entrance to the 19th lay.
"So… how far down are we going?" Adrienne asked before Bell turned to Lili.
"How far do you guys normally go?" He asked.
"Lili and the others usually go to the 27th floor unless it's an expedition. It's inconvenient and too time consuming going deeper" Bell nodded, understanding what she meant. The floors got larger the deeper you go, meaning it took more time to descend one floor.
For a party that the lowest level is second class such as theirs, getting from floor 1 to 18 was relatively quick, only taking an hour, two tops. As for the 18th to the 27th floor. That can take anywhere between 4 hours to 6 hours depending on the amount of monsters intercept the party on the way back.
If they normally head down there, it means they enter the dungeon early at around 10 in the morning and come back at around 9 PM, maybe even later depending on the circumstances.
It makes sense though as if they didn't go so deep, they'd get next to no excellia that's actually worth it.
"That's fair. I'm guessing that your expeditions went to the 40th floor last time?" He asked as Mikoto nodded.
"That's right, Bell-dono. Takemikazuchi-sama's last expedition went down to the 40th floor and we are planning on reaching the 41st the next time" She smiled at Bell who nodded.
"That sounds like a good plan. This might also be a good time to ask this… but for our expedition, would you like to tag along?" The question sent them for a loop as they stopped abruptly, Bache and Elora turning to the group of Bell's old familia.
"You want us to… follow you to the 50th floor?" Welf asked.
"B-but… I don't think I am good enough for that…" Haruhime's ears fell as she said those words as Bell snorted.
"Not good enough? The Loki familia is composed mostly of level 3 adventurers. With their numbers, that's still very impressive, but that means that most of the adventurers on the frontline towards the 50th are level 3. That and the recommended level until after the 50th floor is level 4 as Lili mentioned earlier" They all blinked before thinking on it.
"That… Can we think of it?" Welf asked as Bell nodded.
"Of course. It's up to you and I won't make you. Though you might have to stay on the 50th for a while. The rest of us are going to see how deep we can really go… unless you want to come with that is" Bell said with a smile as they stared at him.
"Elora here also wants to level up" Bache said nonchalantly as the elf rolled her eyes.
"Wait… Isn't Elora-sama level 6?" Lili asked as they all nodded.
"Yes, though she is reaching the limit of her status. It's about time for her to level up" Bell smiled at his wife who returned it in kind.
"Limit? How much is the limit?" Welf couldn't help himself from asking.
"All S" The words tumbling out of all of Bell's familia at once sent the group spiraling around before ending up leaning on a tree.
"I thought Bell was the only one that does that…" Welf mumbled as Mikoto and Lili nodded in agreement.
Haruhime laid against one tree, spirals for eyes as her mouth practically foamed.
"I have been a level 6 for quite a while now and Bell's training is… well, brutal is one word for it" Elora chuckled as she remembered yesterday and a plethora of other times worse things had happened.
"Is that so…?" MIkoto mumbled
"Yes! He made us train our strength and endurance by mining through a mountain!" Adrienne said with a hint of fear as she glanced at Bell. She had honestly been mentally scarred by it.
"That doesn't seem so bad…" Welf said with a blink as he looked at her.
Jannor huffed before squeezing his fist and holding it up.
"He had us do it with our fists…"
At that, Welf stared at Bell in utter horror as if he was the incarnation of the true god of evil.
"What's wrong with you Bell! Mining through a mountain with your fists isn't normal! It's monstrous! What am I saying! You're all monsters!" He threw his hands into the air before plopping down at a tree as the group laughed.
"I had that same thought when I watched my entire family lift the remains of the Hearth manor and hammer it to dust as if it was normal…" Bell said sheepishly as they all turned to him.
""That's your fault!"" They said at the same time the albino couldn't help but shrink down a little.
"Is that so?" He mumbled as they nodded.
"Yes, and you're even worse! I mean, our power is beyond normal for our level, Bache is probably the closest to what normal Level 7 should be in power but you? If you really wanted to, you could run circles around us… no, even the whole Loki familia without them even realizing it. You could most likely even beat the King, heck, I'd bet on it!" Elora ranted as everyone stared at her.
"Wow… where did that come from?" Bache asked as the elf looked at the amazon.
"I don't know… maybe I'm just tired of him having no common sense when it comes to power levels" She answered.
"Hehe… My bad. Anyhow, would we keep going? We still have quite a trek left" Bell suggested as they all happily nodded along.
As they continued and headed towards the entrance to the 19th, Bell couldn't wait to see how far his old Familia has come in all these years.
That's chapter 45! Weird place to end it, I know, but you'll see dungeon action soon enough, I promise and I do believe I have said this before, but each floor of the Dungeon all the way to the end of it is planned from floor size, habitat, monsters, drop items as well as Monster Rex'! Anyhow, I do hope you all enjoyed it and I'll get straight into the reviews!
BChuggs:No… No… No! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!NOOOO!
I'm really enjoying the Elora and Bell pair—and their family! Don't let Ais ruin this for me maaaan!
I hate that I don't want Ais to be part of Bell's romantic relationship, but I really don't want this to go how I think it will…
Author: Well, I guess that this chapter has no complaints then, lol. Bell and Elora have been married for over a decade and been through enough that it's practically impossible to rip them apart from each other. Their trust in one another is basically unwavering as shown in this chapter.
Of course, deep down, Elora is very hurt and jealous so as Bell thought in this chapter, she is going to be pretty possessive and affectionate towards him for a long while. That and there might be some interesting interactions between her and Ais ;)
Thrivean:That was a plot twist at the end, I wonder how Elora will handle it, because I feel like she's smart enough to understand that Bell can't control his feelings. I don't know, still processing, but I'm really excited for what's next!
Author: You, my good sir, are 100% correct. Elora is one of the smarter characters in TFA and know perfectly well that emotions aren't something one can always control, especially love which is the least controlled one of all with it occurring whether one wants it or not (Of course you can influence it once you know what's happening by pushing the person in question away)
Naga986:I swear to god if you make Bell get hung up on Ais again, even though he has a WIFE and CHILDREN, I will personally come to your house and make it so that every faucet in there permanently drips in a consistently inconsistent manner.
Good chap btw.
Author: Well… at least it isn't a curse to step on lego's all the time so I guess it's survivable hehe.
Gone: (It's too long to put here so guess if you're interested, you can go and find it)
Author: Ok.
FreakShowMilotic: Hey can you please think about making a Bell x Tiona story? I've been asking around the site but no one really wants to write one, and the ones that do exist aren't being updated.
Author: I chose this one for last to address that normally, I don't really do requests. I take them into consideration for future stories as me and Viceroy don't really know what we want to write post-TFA. So these requests are instead put on consideration for whatever story we may come up with.
Anyway, that's it for the reviews, and I hope to see you all next time!