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.
52: Colder Depths
=Dungeon, Floor 52=
As they exited through the entryway to the 52nd floor, the narrow passageways seemingly cut from marble were spread out for them, endless cross sections that would seemingly interconnect at an infinite degree.
It was almost dizzying to stare down the long way forward with so many paths to take. The dungeon's true propensity for confusion and misleading was shown within the dragon's crucible.
The group moved forward at a decent pace, keeping an eye on the passageways and their rear. Bell wasn't at the center of the formation here, instead, he was at the front replacing Jannor who was behind Aralaya and Lili.
Due to the interconnected nature of the passageways, monsters were much more likely to ambush from behind, and the fact that some monsters like Deformis Spider's like to wait and ambush their prey once the 'hunt' had begun.
As if on cue, a soft yet harrowing rumbling noise sounded as the elven ears twitched at the noise.
"Bache! Dodge!" Bell screamed as she instantly reacted and thrust her leg hard into the adamantite infused floor of the dungeon, shooting herself straight to the side.
The moment she was out of range, a burst of flames cracked and burst the ground into nothingness, enveloping the entire area where the amazoness once stood.
"They already have a lock on us! Lili didn't think it would be this bad!" The prum complained before grumbling to herself "Everyone, into formation and move! Bell-sama, you can tell where it's coming from?" She asked as the albino nodded.
"Me, Bache and Elora should be able to tell. Mikoto as well" The three mentioned nodded at him, having also felt the attack coming. Now that they had a lock on where it was coming from and the sound before it, they'd be able to trace it.
"Good, you four will predict the attacks and warn us. Everyone else, if they tell you to move, you move" The prum ordered, getting more nodes in return.
"Okay, good. Lili has studied some crude maps of these floors. Lili is somewhat confident she can guide us"
"Then lead on! Because we need to move, now! Jannor, to the left!" The rumbling returned in full as the ground slightly shook, making Bell react. Jannor instantly dodged as well, his leg a millimeter away from being engulfed in the attack.
"Take the second to the next left!" She commanded as Bell turned and ran down the passageway, coming face to face with a Black Rhino.
"Get out of the way!" He screamed as his fist made a sickening crunching sound as he hit it straight against its horn, breaking it in half before shattering its skull. Its branmatter flew out before everything turned to dust.
Knowing he had no time to care for drop items, he stomped on the magic stone it dropped, crushing it before continuing on.
It is always better to destroy magic stones than leave them. Better not fuel any more irregularities to be created.
"Bell-sama! Next, right!" He peeked back and nodded before turning.
"Elora! Deformis spider on your left!" Bell called out as he felt its eyes on him. The elf's eyes glanced in the direction, spotting the spider camouflaging with the walls. With a swift strike with her sword, its head went flying, severing its consciousness from the source of its power, killing it instantly.
The rumbling once again sounded and Bell was about to call out to Bache but she jumped to the side, dodging the attack long before it arrived.
Instead, she grabbed hold of a Venom Scorpion trying to sting her by its stinger, throwing it without really hurting it.
It skidded to a halt before hissing, almost as if to mock her for failing to kill it.
It only took a second for the flames to engulf it, burning it to ashes before the magic stone could do it after being incinerated.
Without so much as a single moment to waste, she shot forward once again, following along beside Bell.
"Hey, I kind of like this! It's fun!" Bache grinned as Bell looked at her for a moment, unable to resist smiling back.
"Well, it does have its charm I suppose" He chuckled as Lili called out to him to take another right before quickly going left again.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see what a Giant Yeti looks like. It sounded like a good opponent" Bell rolled his eyes at her before taking another left.
"Haruhime! Dodge!" Mikoto called out as Bell looked behind him. As he did, he saw the flames blow a hole right in front of the Renard as he felt a sense of dread fill him.
'She won't be able to stop'
A second passed and all Haruhime felt was the loss of contact from the ground before she fell and her high pitched scream entered hers and everyone's ears.
"HARUHIME!" Practically everyone called out. Without so much as thinking, both Mikoto and Bell leaped down the hole as the rest called out to them in worry.
"LILI! LEAD THEM TO THE 58TH! WE'LL REGROUP THERE" Bell screamed in hopes of her hearing. Thanks to his enhanced sight, he saw her nod, smiling and returning it.
The next second, he shifted in the air so that he was diving straight down in a streamlined manner before charging Argonaut in both his feet at once in a dual charge.
A little further down, closer to Haruhime's flailing body, she saw Mikoto falling as well in a much more controlled manner.
With a thrust of his left foot, his speed skyrocketed as he shot past Mikoto who gasped in shock before he impacted straight into Haruhime's stomach, grabbing hold of her and securing her in his arms.
Quickly thrusting the air with his right foot, he impacted the wall of the dungeon with his back, caving the all in and getting himself stuck there and breaking their fall, Haruhime still in his arms.
"You alright?" He asked as the girl nodded, clearly shaken.
Bell looked up, noticing how far they've fallen. They're closer to the 58th than the 52nd floor at this point, around three fourths of the way down to the aforementioned floor.
"Bell-dono! Haruhime! Are you alright!?" Mikoto came to a halt as she stopped herself at their sides.
"Yeah, but we might as well head deeper. The hole will close before we come close to where the others are" He said, feeling the dungeon trying to heal the wall behind him, slowly pushing him out.
"Understandable. What do you suggest as the best course of action?"
"Hmm, can you carry her? Ill Wyverns are heading up towards us. With my Dragon's Bane skill, I'm the best option with handling them" he said, not even mentioning his level advantage.
"Understood. Haruhime, can you chant your healing magic? A silver worm managed to bite me on the way down. I'll soon be paralyzed without it" She said, remembering what she had read about its paralyzing toxin.
Nodding, Haruhime closed her eyes as she became secured in the easterners arms.
"May the sun wrap you in its warmth, bind your wounds with its rays, and cleanse your body through the crucible's fire. Ake Jihi" She chanted before Mikoto gloweda golden color around her, a sigh escaping the girl before it dissipated.
"My thanks, Haruhime. Shall we head out?" She asked, turning to Bell who was now hanging off the wall, his fingers being used like metal spikes in the wall.
"Yeah, follow my lead" He said before letting go, spreading his arms while whopping, deciding to enjoy the thrill of the fall as he slowly plunged towards his enemies.
"How he can enjoy this, I do not understand" Mikoto shook her head as Haruhime giggled. Without waiting a moment, Mikoto too let go, keeping her center of gravity in order to not upset Haruhime in any way.
A bellow of pain screeched across the slowly closing hole, causing the two falling girls to look down only to stare in awe as a black and white blur shot between the walls like a rabbit, Wyverns being cut in half, limbs severed and blood and guts exploding across the walls.
Mikoto could also tell he wasn't using a single skill apart from Dragon's Bane. Nothing on his body was glowing with those white particles, so he wasn't using Argonaut and that red mist wasn't present either.
She wasn't even able to see him, which was understandable with a level gap of two plus the skill. Even with that bit of logic, it was still surreal to see it with her own eyes.
Especially when he sped up and smashed two wyverns into the wall, splattering their guts and blood across it before falling into the pit, turning to ash in the middle of the air.
"Well… I guess Bell-dono has got it handled"
"Yes, he seems to be having fun" Haruhime responded with a smile. Now that kind of fun, Mikoto could understand. For high leveled adventurers like her, being able to truly let loose without any repercussions was rare. She can't imagine what it's like for someone like Bell who holds back every second of the day, no matter who goes against him.
'He's letting loose his base power to it's limit' She thought before relaxing. If he was doing that, she didn't think they had anything to worry about.
Eventually, the end of the hole approached as Mikoto prepared herself to land as gracefully as possible. To a level 5, no matter from what height you fall, you won't get hurt from it. Even level 3's are safe from any damage due to gravity. After all, the fastest a mortal can fall just doesn't hurt anymore at that point, no matter how low your endurance was beforehand.
Haruhime closed her eyes as the end of the hole was quickly approaching and it seemed to be closing faster and faster.
One second she thought they would come to a sudden halt, but out of nowhere, the room around them felt more open in her senses. Opening her eyes, she saw the vast open singular room with graphite rocks surrounding the entire floor.
'The Dragon's Vase' She thought in awe before suddenly forcing herself out of it as she looked down, seeing Bell falling straight towards the open mouth of a Valgang Dragon, its fire breath ready to be fired.
The moment it shot towards Bell, he slashed down as the force of the blow cut the fire in half from the pressure, literally.
The dragon itself wasn't much better, its body slicing in half before Bell shot down into the ground with a loud boom, the ground shaking and dust and rocks exploding in all directions.
'Did he?' Mikoto thought before smiling in realization.
He created a crater to more safely land without having to pay attention to stray rocks that might make her trip.
With a loud thump, her legs stopped herself on the ground before she let Haruhime get back on her feet.
"Well…" the two heard Bell utter as they turned to him before the Renard paled and Mikoto nearly groaned at the sight of multiple Valgang dragons staring straight at them, clearly out for blood.
"Hope you're both ready for a fight"
=54th floor, a few minutes earlier=
"Left! Right! Right! Left! Right!" Lili constantly screamed out the direction to turn on Elora's shoulder as they headed towards the passage to the next floor. They were supposed to meet Bell, Mikoto and Haruhime down there.
She had turned to an Almiraj to speed up the process with her short legs causing her to slow the entire party down. Even Jannor and Aralaya were faster than her and she was a level above them. Thus, turning into an almiraj and riding Elora's shoulder was the logical course of action.
Lili just wished that-
The prum jerked as Elora dodged another blast from the Valgang Dragons. The prum grabbed onto Elora's hair while the elf ignored the discomfort, understanding why she did it.
It was just that which Lili wished would stop. She was starting to understand why anyone that's explored these floors hate it with a passion. It was not fun being hunted like this.
"Hm?" Everyone skidded to a halt as both Bache and Elora had come to a complete stop.
"Is something wrong?" Welf asked as the two shook their heads.
"No… it's just-"
"It stopped" Bache finished for the elf, frowning.
"What stopped?"
"The rumbling. There was always a constant underlying noise before it intensified as an attack was coming. It stopped" Elora explained as Bache nodded.
"Wait? Are you saying?" Jannor asked.
"Did the attacks stop?" Aralya continued her brother's trail of thought before Adrienne grinned.
"It's them… they've probably gotten down there" She said as everyone seemed to agree with the conclusion.
"It makes sense. The dragons would focus on the threats that can actually hurt them than ones far away from imminent harm" Elora concluded before shaking her head.
"Let's enjoy the peace for now. We need to continue"
Bache instantly shot forward with Elora as everyone followed, Lili continuing her commands.
'Keep everyone alive Bell, we're coming'
"Hya!" Mikoto cleanly cuts the chest of a Valgang dragon with her katana, its magic stone being destroyed in the process.
Normally, she would go for the throat or head or heart but never magic stone due to it being a large portion of their revenue, especially with the pouches Bell had made for them essentially removing the limit of how many they can carry.
The issue was the thick armored scales of the dragon making it tough to kill, and that goes without saying its incredible vitality. You could cut its throat halfway through and it would still keep fighting.
Bell on the other hand from what she could tell was in the most simple terms she can imagine… mowing through them like a madman. Just like the wyverns from before, they quite literally, don't stand a chance.
Without realizing it, she silently asked if anything could stand up to him in the dungeon before quickly correcting her thoughts. They hadn't even explored the true depths of the dungeon so that was a stupid thought. There most likely is something down there that could.
"Hey, are you two just going to watch?" Bell asked, swishing his sword to rid it of the blood that soaked it, ash from monsters surrounding him alongside the familia glint of magic stones with plenty of Valgang Dragon Fangs and Scales here and there.
"I'll protect Haruhime, just keep as many of them at bay as you can" Mikoto answered back as Bell nodded, turning back as another dragon stood up to challenge him.
Within a split second, the futile challenge was ended with its head flying through the air, soon to be joined by a few more.
To Bell, he was actually having the time of his life. It sounded bizarre saying it in a situation where he was literally covered in their blood and guts while carving them up even more, making him look like a sadistic killer on the hunt.
It was more the fact that with there being so many of them on the floor and his dragon's bane skill basically increasing his status like a level up would (If his theories were true), making it fun in a weird way to just casually slash with the sword and see the heads and limbs fly off without a shred of resistance.
'Is this how it will feel at level 8?' Bell mentally questioned. He hadn't really had the opportunity to take advantage of it with Balor. The monster rex was literally in a different league compared to the Valgang Dragons. His entire mind and focus was on Balor and the fight, disabling himself from truly taking in the feeling of increase in power.
Another swing and another head flew into the air while another Dragon's clawed paw was slowly heading in his direction, so slow he casually walked around it before cutting the entire leg off.
Before it could react, its entire body was cut in half as Bell continued through the dragons.
"Ehm… Mikoto-sama… isn't he…" She trailed off as the raven haired girl nodded, blinking.
"Yes… He's killing everything…" She mumbled as both girls just stared before Mikoto sighed out. Hearing of his power was one thing, but as mentioned before… seeing it is another.
A whooshing sound flew ahead of them as the two looked up, spotting an arrow flying straight towards a dragon which had decided to take flight, hitting it straight in the eye.
It instantly screamed out in shock and pain as it lost half its sight before falling straight into the ground.
"Secatus Veti!" Elora shot in front of them, aiming her sword towards the dragon as the magic did its work, cutting it apart into tiny pieces before turning to dust.
"Mikoto-sama! Haruhime-sama! Are you alright?" Lili asked from Elora's shoulder while Bache stopped in front of Haruhime, making the girl shriek in shock.
"Oh, sorry" was all the amazoness said with a slightly amused smile.
"Yes, Elora-dono… though it appears Bell-dono has gone on a rampage" Everyone tilted their heads, even the ones that just caught up before Mikoto and Haruhime both nodded in the direction of the battle.
The moment they laid eyes on it, Bache instantly broke out into hysterical laughter at the sigh of Bell covered in a mixture of ash and blood, dragon heads being lopped left and right while Elora just stared slack jawed, a hint of exasperation in her eyes.
The kids on the other hand were snickering while Welf and Lili were in a similar predicament to Mikoto and Haruhime before.
"Correct me if I'm wrong… those are Valgang Dragons" He started as Aralaya nodded with a hum as an answer "Which are estimated to be level 5" he said as another nod and a hum.
"And he's just lopping their heads off like it's nothing. What the hell!" He called out as Adrienne shrugged while Bache was rolling on the rocky ground, unable to get her bearings back.
"Well, he does have his skill. He's practically level boosted at the moment" Jannor commented as Welf turned to him.
"Another skill? Any more surprises for us?" He asked as the twins looked at one another before snickering, only exasperating Welf even more.
This continued for quite a while until every dragon was dead. Their respawn timer was quite long so eventually, their numbers will run out.
As Bell walked back, he noticed the rest of the group looking at him.
"Honey, you need a bath" She said as Bell looked at himself before shrugging. In his eyes, it was worth it.
"Well, if you can magically produce one, be my guest" He threw back, Elora rolling her eyes with a fond smile on her face.
"Lili? Can I get some water to pour on me? I can't walk into the glacier territory like this. I'll stick out like a sore thumb. That and it'll make it more slippery" Without waiting, Lili put her backpack on the ground before pulling out a large container of water.
Without hesitating, Bell put it upside down over his head, the water splashing across his body before he shook his body with a sigh.
"That's better, now… Firebolt" He uttered as he shot it at himself, vaporizing the water and drying himself in the process.
Being able to control the output was actually really nice and useful at times.
"Well, I'm ready" He said, turning back to them as they stared at him "What? And what's wrong with her?" He asked, pointing at Bache on the floor.
"You just wasted an entire container worth of water" Welf deadpanned, ignoring his second question.
"We can get more in the glacier territory. I can just melt some ice after we put it in the container" He answered back with a shrug before turning towards the far end of the floor where the entrance to the 59th should be.
"I sometimes wonder what goes through his skull" Elora said before grabbing Bache's foot, dragging her along as she still had not stopped laughing.
An hour later with Bache having recovered from her fit, they arrived at the destination, staring down the hole to the 59th.
"So this is the entrance to the glacier territory?" Bache asked.
"Isn't as ominous as I thought it would be" Adrienne said before she looked at Elora's face.
"Auntie?" She asked as the elf got down on her knee before putting her palm close to the steps as if feeling the wind.
"Strange…" She muttered as Bell frowned too, wondering what she was doing. In hopes of understanding, he imitated her action but only felt a light breeze. Not cold or warm, but pleasant.
"Huh?" He uttered as it hit him.
"Why can't we feel the cold? The glazier territory should be cold enough to freeze an unprotected first class adventurer solid… and if that's true, then why can't we feel it?" She asked as Bell tried to think of an answer but came up short.
"What are you saying?" Welf asked as Lili walked up next to Bell, looking down with a frown as well.
"Not even Lili can feel a chill. Something is wrong here" There was silence as everyone seemed to just stare down the staircase, a deja vu of the Loki familia just fifteen years back.
"Well, the only way to find out is to head down ourselves" Bell said before taking the first step… then another and another.
The others followed him closely behind, on their guards as this was a completely unexpected mystery that had landed right into their laps.
"Is it just me or is the air getting… humid?" Elora asked as Bell took a whiff, noticing the distinct smell of air after rain.
"You're right… which is strange considering humid is the opposite of what it should be" Bell answered back as they neared the end of the staircase "But somehow it seems… colder than it should. I don't know how to describe it" He finished.
As they reached the bottom and entered the 59th, Bell couldn't help but stare at the sight with blinking, confused yet awe filled eyes.
"What is this?" He asked as Aralaya and Elora too stared at it with the same look as Bell.
"A jungle…layered with ice? She asked as the sight was bizarre. It was cold, yes, but nowhere near enough to be harmful to any of them. Heck, even a non blessed person could survive this cold with minimal clothing… yet it didn't fit with the environment.
"What happened here? The trees are slowly frosting over with ice and… the leaves are falling" Aralaya analyzed. Bell looked over everyone before stopping at Lili who seemed… calculating, thoughtful maybe?
"Is something wrong Lili?" He asked as the prum jumped slightly. Was she so focused on what she was thinking that he scared her? He was right in front of her.
"No, Lili just thought that Loki Familia might know. They are the only ones that have reached this deep since Zeus and Hera" She told him as Bell nodded, turning back towards the floor.
"She's right honey, it might be best for us to ask them once we return" Elora commented before taking a step forward, looking over her shoulder.
"Staying here won't give answers. Let's continue before we let this meager cold slowly seep into our bodies" She jested with a smirk, knowing their bodies would produce heat faster than they lost it.
"Right, out of everyone, you would freeze the fastest. You always complain in winter" He snorted while Elora rolled her eyes.
"What can I say, I never liked the cold" She answered with a shrug before jumping down into the forest.
Bell chuckled before following along, the others not far away as Bell heard a quiet laugh or two.
As Bell landed behind Elora, they walked through the frosted jungle like environment. Bell found the sight bizarre. A jungle covered in frost is something that's not supposed to be possible at all. After all, a jungle only forms in humid and warm environments. The dungeon works on similar laws judging by how both the Jungle Paradise and the Tree Labyrinth are humid and relatively warm to support such a diverse set of plantlife.
This… This breaks that rule, and that doesn't sit right with him at all. Does this perhaps have something to do with those demi-spirits he helped Loki Familia defeat a decade ago?
His gut agreed but even with his intuition, it was always better to keep it as a hypothesis instead of treating it as a fact.
"It almost seems like the dungeon is changing shape…" Welf muttered as Bell looked at him, before turning back to his surroundings.
'That… makes a weird amount of sense' Bell thought as he frowned.
"I think you may be right. Maybe something artificially changed the floors…"
"And now the dungeon is changing it back" Lili finished with a mutter, feeling the same sense of unease as everyone else. It wasn't just the environment, but… something else as well
"Yeah, I somehow look forward more to the Glacier Territory than this" Jannor shivered as his entire body felt a tingle run through it at the abnormal situation.
"For once, I actually agree with you brother. Let's head on to the 60th as soon as we can" Adrienne continued while Mikoto's eyes darted left and right in a guarded manner, staying close to Haruhime.
"Well, we got quite the trek to the entrance to it. It's on the opposite side of the floor. At this rate, it'll take us at least an hour to get there, if not more" Elora said, mentally estimating the time it would take.
"You know what's even more strange?" Bell asked as all eyes turned to him "Where are the monsters?" At the thought, everyone realized that the 'something' that was off that they couldn't pinpoint, was in fact how unusually quiet it was.
If they had been standing completely still, all one would hear would be the breeze. Not a single step, scream or trace of anything else living on the floor, even with Bell's senses.
"Huh… you're right…" Bache said, focusing on her sense of hearing as best as she could but picking up nothing but herself and the others.
"I am starting to lean more and more towards the fact that the dungeon is changing the environment back to the glacier territory. It would be the same as repairing itself which also stops monsters from spawning. It adds up"
"But that still begs the question, why does it need to change it back in the first place?" Elora asked as Bell sighed.
"Well, we can't find it right now. Let's just head towards the 60th floor as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay here" Bell said.
At that, everyone couldn't agree more and sped up towards their goal.
=Approximately an hour later=
As they sped up towards the entrance to the 60th floor, due to the quiet atmosphere of the time spent here, Bell had taken notice that whatever he had sensed watching them on the 50th floor had really disappeared.
Or more accurately, lost track of them.
He had gotten the feeling that leaving early was for the best as whatever it was that had watched them, had even put him at guard.
But alas, by the time they get back, hopefully it will have moved on so that they could get the last Cadmus Drops in peace before taking the trek to the surface.
The expedition so far has gone… well was one word for it. It could have gone better, but no one has seriously been injured if you ignore his punctured lung against Balor. There had been some close calls like with Haruhime nearly falling straight towards a floor filled with level 5 dragon type monsters but for the most part, it had been quite a good expedition.
He just hoped that things wouldn't derail from here. By his estimations, the most challenging part of everything… is easily going to be the cold. The monster rex on the 60th floor, which is described as a giant myriapoda, was a close second, but the cold will be harsh, especially towards his kids, and old familia.
They are between level 3 to 5 with most being level 4. The cold is said to freeze the blood of even first class adventurers if unprotected. Unfortunately, he had no idea how much salamander wool would help towards keeping one warm. It does trap heat to lessen the effect of cold, so maybe level 3's could survive it.
Jannor, Aralaya and Adrienne also had undine cloth layered on top of it, further trapping the heat as it reflected it back towards the salamander wool in the middle. In other words, it's a double layered jacket that traps body heat and repels external temperature.
Unfortunately, Lili, Welf, Mikoto and Haruhime don't have that and will only wear Salamander wool for the floors.
Either way, they were about to find out as the entrance was closing in quite quickly.
"Hey, Honey. Here it is" Elora said as she pointed towards the entrance.
"Ohhh god! I can feel the cold all the way from here!" Adrienne complained as Bell chuckled. Sure enough, the cold really had a bite even here. To him, he could feel it tickle his skin so he could only imagine how bad it was on the floor.
"Well… is everyone ready? We've got quite the battle whenever we get down there" Bell said with a small smile as everyone grew a little on edge. It's only natural after all with it being right before a battle.
"Wait what?" Bell's eyes locked onto Welf who looked confused for a second while Bell gave him a 'really?' look.
"Welf… we talked about this last night" He said as the smith blinked… before finally making the connection.
"Oh, right… The Myriapoda… I never liked bugs"
"We know Anvil-head. You never quit complaining whenever we encounter them!" Lili mocked as Welf just rolled his eyes.
"Well, why don't we go over what we know about it before we continue" Aralaya suggested as Bell nodded and smiled at her idea.
"That's a good idea" Bell said before everyone gathered around each other.
"So… we do know it's a Myriapoda. What else?" Mikoto asked.
"Ehm… if it's a Myriopoda, I believe it might have a tough shell…" Haruhime piped in as everyone was slightly surprised as the girl usually lets everyone else make the plan and instead comments here and there.
"You're right… Regular Myriapods have chitin armor. If it's giant, it's going to be very tough to get through" Elora said while scratching her chin in thought.
"Erebus mentioned that it was fast, deceptively fast and could also shed its shell to increase speed and attack power at the cost of defense" Bell added.
"Hmm… that might make it tough, how should we handle it?" Bache queried as Lili paced back and forth.
"What about the environment?" Lili asked, looking at Bell.
"According to Alfia and Zald, the Glacier Territory is in a perpetual snowstorm so visibility will be beyond abysmal. The cold will slow us down alongside the layers of snow and ice" Bell answered.
"If I may, we could try to force it to shed its shell" Mikoto piped in, giving her idea as a viable suggestion.
"Hmm… what are you thinking?" Elora asked the samurai who nodded at her before opening her mouth.
"The Monster Rex is fast with tough armor, correct?" she asked as Bell nodded "So it will most likely rely on hit and run tactics, using its speed and armor to maximize its survival chances while minimizing ours" She began.
"If we have the two fastest in our group keep up with it, and pressure it, it will shed its armor to get away, thus opening up a possibility to counterattack whenever it goes in for an attack. At that point, Lili could come up with a strategy in order to claim victory" As the idea sank in, it made more and more sense. Creatures in the dungeon with high speed tended to rely on hit and run tactics to gain an upper hand because that's the type of fighting style that works best for that kind of power.
A monster rex should be the exact same, and her idea to force it to weaken its defenses was a good plan since it would eliminate an entire hurdle all at once, even if it's risky due to it increasing its speed and power.
"Lili agrees with Mikoto-sama. Taking away its armor will be our top priority as without it, the only ones that would theoretically be able to hurt it are Bell, Bache, Elora and maybe Mikoto-sama" Lili agreed with the plan.
"And what of the actions after?" Bache asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Lili thinks that the most optimal course of action is for Mikoto-sama to act as our ace in the hole. Her skill allows us to detect when the monster is moving in for an attack, allowing us to prepare. Due to that, Lili believes she should be at the center of the formation. Bell and Elora-sama are best suited to keeping up with the monster rex with your unique talents while Bache sama should act as the main counter-attacker" Lili began to explain.
"Alright, that sounds good. So me and Elora will give chase and keep putting pressure on it in order to drive it to shed its shell while the rest of you act defensively until that moment comes. I haven't lost you yet, right?" Bell asked to confirm.
"Bell-sama's understanding is correct. Once the shell is shed, Bache-sama shall act as the tip of our spear. Her poison magic will be able to weaken it further once properly applied, allowing the rest of us to pin it down and finish it" Lili clarified the latter part of the plan.
"Sounds good, what about the kids?" Elora asked.
"Jannor and Adrienne will protect Aralaya and Haruhime as they are our only source of healing in case anyone gets hit. Bache of course is responsible for fending off attacks as Mikoto warns in which direction while I will provide status updates depending on how the situation evolves so that the plan can become flexible" The kids nodded, understanding their role in the situation while Bache felt a little pressure as if anyone got hit, it would technically be on her.
"What about me?" Welf asked as Lili turned to him.
"Your sword should be able to blow back a bit of the storm whenever we find it necessary and create a good source of immediate heat. Whenever you aren't using it, you will assist in protecting Haruhime and Aralaya" She responded immediately and without hesitation on what role to put him in.
"As a side note, Haruhime's Level boost is a last resort in this battle as we are aiming to gain as much excelia as possible. Whenever anyone uses a level boost, they gain less than half the excelia they would have gained otherwise so it's something that should only be used whenever it's absolutely necessary" Lili advised as Bell hummed, not knowing that tad bit of information about Haruhime's magic.
As the group fell silent, they couldn't help but feel good about the plan. It was detailed, accounting for the capabilities of the monster at hand. It's flexible as Lili will be keeping an eye on the situation and change anything she sees fit with the plan whenever necessary. To say that Bell and his family were impressed with Lili's critical planning was an understatement. She might actually already be the rival to braver if she gained a bit of fame.
"Does everyone consent to Lili's plan?" The prum in question asked, waiting for voices of approval while feeling a bit nervous.
"The plan is solid and has contingencies in it. It covers everyone's strengths and weaknesses on top of being flexible" Elora began with a smile "I'd say we have a solid shot at this" She finished with an approving nod.
"I second that," Bell chuckled, raising his hand as a gesture of approval.
"Me too"
"Sign me up as well"
Everyone began giving their voices of approval as Lili's face lit up with pride. Bell noticed it quite quickly before he smiled, feeling proud of how far she had come.
"Alright, I'm guessing that no one needs any reminders of what role they have?" Bell asked as all he got were nicks of their heads.
"Well then, let's head deeper" The words sparked the group into moving towards the staircase before descending down into its depths.
Every step felt colder than the last with the frosting and ice on the walls, stairs and roof becoming more prominent and thicker. Soon, it would become snowy before ice began taking hold.
Bell felt the chill start to envelop the outskirts of his body, desperately trying to squeeze itself in against the heat that pushed back.
Thanks to his level and equipment, it was nigh impossible for such a cold to make its way into his skin, but they weren't even one third of the way down the stairs.
Once they reach the bottom, he'd guess that he'd start feeling it. His eyes peeked behind him, noticing from the flushed faces of Lili and Haruhime that they were definitely feeling it by now, the salamander wool doing its job with keeping themselves warm enough to fight and survive.
Jannor and Aralaya were a bit better off than Lili and Haruhime with them barely showing any signs. The only indications being the tiniest hint of a building flush on their cheeks, but nothing more.
"Damn, it's getting cold, and we're only halfway there now" Welf muttered, rubbing his hands over his arms in an attempt to produce heat.
"It's only going to get worse. Do you understand why your sword will be useful now?" Bell asked as Welf nodded.
"Watch out by the way, the stairs are getting slippery" He said it just in time as the smith nearly slipped on a step but managed to correct himself in the nick of time thanks to Bell's warning.
"Shit, I swear, these floors are going to be the death of me" He said as chuckled around the group.
"Right, get ready everyone, we'll be down in a minute" Elora chimed in as Bell unsheathed his right sword and pulled out the spear of Orion in his left hand.
"Are you sure you want to use that here?" Bache asked next to Bell as he turned to her.
"Yeah, it's the best choice. I don't want another Balor to happen, and it's literally unbreakable. I'll block it and attack with my sword" He answered before looking at her hands, a smirk spreading on his face.
"What about you? What happened to your daggers?" He asked as Bache shrugged.
"Well, they aren't unbreakable, you know, so I'll just rely on my fists" She said with a chuckle as Bell returned it.
"Yeah, I might want to get Welf to enhance our weapons with the durandal attribute. They need it, especially if the two of them level up after the expedition. It's a miracle we aren't breaking them already" Bell said, letting out a small laugh while Bache did the same.
The two calmed down as they reached the bottom, the cold now strong enough to freeze any living creature solid without protection. Just to be sure, Bell took one more look around at everyone, seeing how they are handling the cold.
Finding that everyone was not withering on the floor by the cold or turning blue from it, he'd take a leap of faith and say it's alright for now.
As they entered the floor, the snow covered half of the adult's leg's while Lili basically had half her body buried in it. She intelligently decided to trail behind Bache in order to make it easier on her.
"Dear god, this storm is a shitshow" Welf commented with a chuckle as they could barely see five feet in front of them, only outlines of trees being seen further than that.
"Told you it would be bad… How are you holding up Elora? I'm surprised you haven't complained already" Bell smirked as the elf smacked him in the shoulder with a scoff.
"I might not like the cold, but I can shut up when I want to" She answered back as he stared at her.
"Wait, so all that time I told you to stop complaining…"
"Oh yeah, I did it to annoy you" Bell was about to say something before a rattling noise echoed across the floor as everyone's heads snapped in it's direction.
"Mikoto-sama, activate your skill!" Lili instantly barked her command as Mikoto followed it without hesitation.
"On the walls to our east, heading towards us" Mikoto called out as Lili's eyes darted in the direction.
"Bell-sama! Block!" She called out and the next split second, the enormous bug type monster rex came out of nowhere, using its head to smack straight into Bell's spear as he blocked. As a result, Bell was sent flying with its movements before crashing into the wall, legs first as his head snapped up towards it.
'Got you' He thought before he shot forward with a boom, running along the wall as it ran away.
"Bell-sama is able to keep up. Elora-sama, follow them and assist Bell-sama!" She commanded, the elf nodding before shooting off as well, activating every single one of her boosting skills to gain every advantage she could get. She was going to need it.
"Bache, prepare yourself. Mikoto, give us active updates on where the monster rex is!" The prum barked out. Bache positioned herself in front of everyone, keeping herself positioned right in front of where she heard Bell and Elora either clash with it or the rattling cracking the walls as it scaled it.
Mikoto was positioned behind Lili who was in between her and Bache. Behind Mikoto was Jannor with Adrienne in the back to squish the two healers with protection.
"The monster is heading towards us on the eastern wall…" She trailed off as Bache's muscles hardened in anticipation.
"It's attacking!" The moment after the words were uttered, The Myriapoda shot out of the fog the storm created as Bache's eyes kept track of it.
'It's not fast enough to catch me off guard' Bache noted she moved her arm and body, letting it's head pass her just an inch before slamming herself into it, forcing its attack to the side, missing everyone else behind her.
Quickly, she moved to cover the flank, putting herself in front of where it landed before Bell shot past her out of nowhere.
Its body curved as it used its tail to try to whip him out of the way as Bell flipped over it, letting go of his sword for a split second before reaching for his throwing knives.
Before it could even react, three knives were thrown in between the slits of the chitin scales. Grabbing his sword out of the air again, he landed against the wall as it moved to try to slam its body against the wall, only to find itself unable to move correctly due to the knives interfering with it.
'Good, with the knives stuck and preventing it's full range of movement, it'll add incentive for it to shed its scales' Bell thought with a slight smirk as what he had tried to do worked.
Shifting its body again, it used its front instead where the knives weren't blocking movement to slam against the wall.
Before it could, he dashed to the side at the same time that Elora leaped onto it, thrusting its short-sword between the scales as well before twisting it. The scale above slightly bent from the forced pressure while green blood began to leak from the wound.
*BOOM*
Bell's eyes widened as his head shot to the side where Elora was launched from its desperate burst of movements.
It had quite literally just thrust its entire body in a circle, sending Elora flying across the floor and disappearing into the fog.
"God damn it…" Bell muttered, not really fearing for her life as he knew that wasn't enough to kill her.
As he turned back to the monster rex, it was shaking and strutting about. His eyes honed in on its back, noticing Elora's sword wedged in an awkward angle into its flesh.
"Well I'll be damned" Bell chuckled before putting his foot onto the back wall before using an instant argonaut charge to shoot off towards the monster.
In a split second, he was right in front of the sword before he forcefully stopped himself and latched onto it in order to not get flung off.
"Here goes nothing" Bell called out before charging argonaut again before activating scourge.
"ARGHHH!" He screamed as he punched with everything he had straight into the hilt of the sword, mentally asking Elora for forgiveness as he saw the sword splinter before shattering into a million pieces, all being thrust into its body deeper as the monster screeched in agony.
It began to jump around in a wild manner, as Bell lost balance and with nowhere to grab onto now, she was launched off into the snow around a hundred meters away.
"Bell!" He heard as he looked up, seeing the outstretched hand of his wife..
"Elora, thanks" He answered back before taking it"And sorry, I might have broken your sword" He said as she rolled her eyes.
"It's just a sword, we can replace it… but can I borrow yours in the meantime?" she asked as Bell nodded.
He threw Lunastus to her as she caught it before pulling out Katua.
"Follow me, It's in this direction" Bell said before shooting off, Elora following him as they headed straight towards it.
Before they knew it, they passed the group once again before seeing the monster in the snow.
The Myriapoda glared at Bell and Elora before letting out an ear piercing screech at the two.
*Crack*
Everyone blinked as before their eyes, its shells fell right off its body, the pale flesh underneath exposed as it stood up on its back hundred legs or so, towering over them as if Babel tower was right in front of them.
"Well… it did what we wanted" Elora whispered to Bell as he nodded, taking a step back.
"Yeah, let's retreat to the others. It's time for Bache to play her role" Bell said as Elora agreed. The two shot off towards the rest before taking their place behind Bache.
"Alright, it shed its shells" Bell reported as Lili nodded.
"Good, Mikoto-sama, keep track of it. Bache-sama, activate your magic" She commanded.
"Di Asla" The amazoness uttered as her fists became coated with her poison. At this point, it was strong enough that even this monster rex would feel its effects.
"To our north, on the roof," Mikoto reported.
"Bache, attack incoming!" Lili called out as Bache looked up. In the fog of the storm, she saw the glint of its two glowing red heated spikes before she leaped straight towards it at the exact same time it leaped towards them.
The two collided hard against each other and without the shell to protect the monster, both came to a stop as Bache's arm felt like hell from the blowback while the monster rex's flesh caved in slightly while burning heavily from the poison.
Before they began falling, she used the fingers of her left hand to dig into one of its eyes to latch on before rapidly smashing her fist into another one over and over again, getting as much of the poison into the monster's system as she could.
As a result, the myriapoda screeched loudly as the two flailed in the air as they fell down, smashing against the snow with a loud boom.
Bell jumped in front of the group before using an instant argonaut charge to blast the resulting avalanche of snow away from the group.
"Bell-sama, Bache is doing her job. You should charge your skill now. Elora-sama, chant your magic and assist Bache-sama! Everyone else, provide support in whatever way you deem necessary!" Lili's commands were answered as Bell's hand lit up with his skill as he charged Argonaut. Elora began chanting her magic alongside Aralaya.
Jannor and Adrienne didn't really know what to do at the moment, so they kept an eye on the situation to find an opening to attack.
Mikoto figured her magic would be the best thing to use right now, so she too began chanting it while going in to help Bache at the same time.
Within a few seconds, Mikoto thrust her Katana into one of its left eyes beside Bache.
"Oh, nice of you to join me- ARGH!" Bache greeted before slamming her first into the hole in the monster's head at this point before ripping out a chunk of flesh.
"Give my petty body divine power-" Bache made an 'ah' noise as she chuckled.
'Right, concurrent chanting' She thought before going in for another strike while the monster fruitlessly tried to get her to let go by slamming it straight into the ground. Not even Mikoto let go from being impacted against it again and again, she didn't even stop chanting.
"Secatus Veti!" Elora's magic came out of nowhere as it cut into it's lower body, its green blood staining the snow all around it before it fell over to the side, writhing in pain before-
"Thunder Strike!" The electricity trailed up its body, paralyzing it for a few moments before Mikoto jumped back before reaching out with her hands.
"Futsunomitama!" The gravity magic slammed into its center, locking the monster rex into place as the paralyzing effect ceased. Arrows began pelting its head, blinding it completely as its eyes became completely useless.
The next set of attacks came for Adrienne and Jannor who both attacked what would be its chest area. Jannor slammed the tip of his staff into its back, making it flinch slightly into Adrienne's thrust which went straight into its chest, but not enough to hit its magic stone.
The next moment, flurries of flame enveloped its lower body, setting it ablaze as it screeched even louder, flailing and thrashing as violently as it could while Mikoto groaned and her knees buckling from the strain it caused her.
"Hold it just a little longer Mikoto!" Bell called out. The samurai looked at him, understanding why he asked that and doubled her efforts, her entire body complaining.
The monster's antennas moved, detecting Mikoto's position before snapping her mouth towards her.
At the sudden attack, Mikoto jumped back at the cost of letting her magic go. With it being released, its remaining functioning legs launched themselves forward at extreme speeds right into the wall, slamming against Bache as the amazoness guffawed at the sudden force exerted on her before being squished.
"No… you don't!" She screamed as her hands grabbed ahold of it tightly enough to make it bleed before pushing her against it. Its body moved tilting before Bache was underneath it, pushing it up on her back.
With everything she had as every fiber of her being protested and pushed back, she pushed past it and thrust it's entire body over her head, slamming it into the ground head first, squashing it's teeth into its own flesh.
"Hold it there Bache!" Bell called out as she almost groaned as she forced herself to hold it in place and not told backwards, only forcing herself to push even further past her physical limits.
Meanwhile, Bell shot forward, using every ounce of malice he had and focused it on the Myriapoda before jumping straight towards its central body.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The fist slammed straight into the body where the magic stone lay. A second passed before the entire floor of the dungeon seemed to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.
The storm behind Bell blew apart as everyone was flung onto their backs a few meters back due to the blowback.
*Crack*
Everyone looked up as a sea of dust exploded into the air. It was dead silent as everyone took deep breaths with smiles on their faces, ignoring the cold of their surroundings.
All they cared about was that they did it… The monster rex… had been defeated.
That's chapter 52! The Remorhaz had been defeated! Also, for your information, I didn't refer to it as the Remorhaz due to the Loki familia being the ones that named it that. Bell and the others haven't gotten wind of that name yet :)
Anyway, I won't keep you and instead get right into the reviews!
NinjaFang1331:Excellent chapter and it looks like the expedition is going to finally go deeper.
Author: Oh yes it will, but not the way you think.
MarcoSketcher: I'm glad you uploaded a new chapter.
If I had to say what is going to happen on this expedition, it is that everyone survives, very injured and barely alive, but they manage to level up.
What caught my attention is that we finally have the appearance of the Goddess of Beauty who wants to destroy Bell and is not happy with the information she received. Something tells me that by looking into Bell's background, she will see how to destroy him and his family so that it doesn't affect his plans.
Kaius is seen as someone else who enjoys the attention and power, so much so that he fears someone stronger will appear and defeat him.
I think at this point, I can bet that The Empire is looking to be the power to defeat Orario and conquer the entire continent. For this reason, they not only seek military power, but to do with artifacts that can benefit them in their purpose.
That encounter will be the trigger for a larger-scale war for many, but for Bell that encounter is personal.
Author: Can't answer the first part since… you know, spoilers! But yes, we have the appearance of the goddess of beauty and as usual, we are teasing you and aren't giving you a name!
You've definitely gotten somewhat of an understanding of Kaius, but he also has a motivation and reason of hatred towards Orario and the rest of the world. If one thinks on it deeply enough or has read a certain someone's epic 800k tale, they'll probably figure it out.
Yes, the Empire is definitely a power that wants to defeat Orario, but there is a central reason for it. Let's just say even the emperor serves someone.
On the topic of large scale war… It will happen soon. The catalyst is soon upon us and when it is… chaos will reign supreme.
That's it for the reviews, not many this time I know, but it is what it is. Anyway, I do hope that you enjoyed it and to see you all next time.