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.
63: The Face of Truth
=Folkvangr, 3 days later=
For the past 3 days, the city had returned to its usual hustle and bustle. Whispers and rumors spreading about what really happened on the Themis Familia expedition. A lot of people had mixed opinions on it with the familia which had Bell Cranel as its captain gaining one more level 7 alongside a new level 5 and 4.
Others were somewhat optimistic, those that didn't really dislike him as much as others did or held any animosity towards him. These people were mainly those that weren't directly affected, or saw Bell defending the monster all those years ago, or talked to the boy personally.
When it came to the top two familias in the city, they'd been strangely quiet with Loki having been expected to have at least had some turmoil about it due to them closing in on the top rankings so quickly after their appearance. Instead, all that had occurred was silence and Bell starting up training once again with Fiona and Ais.
Freya on the other hand, had not said a word, simply watched with rapt attention for any information she could gather, wanting to reinvest herself within Odrs live and learn everything there was to know about him once more.
Having just seen his soul once after his return from his expedition, she'd almost had a release then and there at how brightly it shined and pushed against the constraints of the container it was held within.
He was so close to a level up, the container bursting at its seams with the amount of growth he'd undergone.
She just knew he must have jumped at least an entire letter on each stat to achieve this kind of increase in glow.
Thus, when they'd announced the impromptu hearing of Bell Cranel in the Colosseum to reveal all the truths from falsehoods that pertained 15 years ago, she'd been intrigued and looked forward to it.
Within the early morning, Freya laid within her bedchambers at the largest and most luxurious room possible within Orario, sprawled across the bed in a manner unbecoming of someone who has such an image of high class.
As the trickles of sunlight entered the chamber, licking her pristine skin, the goddess of beauty that was desired by oh so many, slowly opened her purple eyes, with a slight content hum at the feeling of a good night's sleep, she covered her eyes for a second in a poor attempt to block out the sunlight as she slowly flopped onto her stomach, the covers going with her, revealing her nude body.
Freya knew that today was the day. Her Odr would finally be allowed the chance to prove his innocence and the people will let go of that blasted grudge caused by her.
The mere thought of that sorry excuse of a goddess, especially one of beauty, made her seeth. To dare try to rip her Odr away from her grasp… to separate them for however long it would have been if their plans had been finalized.
She fully knew that whenever a goddess of beauty makes her move… it is one that's meant to be final. To achieve her goal, and one such as the one she had gone for, had been one meant to snuff him out.
Permanently.
Feeling awake, she sat up in her queen-sized bed, groggily swinging her curvaceous form to the side of the bed before standing up.
Walking towards the window whilst dragging her feet along the floor, she swung the curtains wide open, not caring if anyone on the streets outside the fenced area of the mansion seeing her completely nude form, she soaked in the sunlight with a content sigh.
She knew without a doubt that this would be a good day. Her godly intuition told her as much.
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts as she peeked over her shoulder.
"May I come in, Lady Freya?"
The goddess of beauty smiled slightly at the voice of her most priced child as she hummed.
"Come in, Ottarl."
The boaz walked into the room before locking eyes with her, all too used to her naked form as he immediately walked towards her wardrobe.
Opening it, he looked back towards her in a silent question as she hummed.
"Would you be so kind to pick for me, dear?"
"Of course, M'lady."
At the go ahead, he reached out and grabbed hold of one of her usual black and red clothes that leaves virtually nothing to the imagination.
Heading over to her, she reached out with her hands as he wove the dress around her, helping her put it on as she smiled up at him.
"Thank you… now, if I remember correctly, the show started at midday?" She asked, as she peeked out towards a certain eastern wall where three one white haired men leaned on the edge, overlooking the sunrise.
"That is right. Shall I begin preparing for your departure?"
"Do that… I'll wait here and watch." She smiled, knowing that her Odr knew full well of her gaze, wondering what they'd do for today's training.
=Eastern Wall=
Being back into the normal swing of the city wasn't such a bad thing, it had its upsides, but he really did not enjoy the gaze Freya had one him constantly.
Sadly, he couldn't do much on that front and was content with simply ignoring it by focusing on the one thing he could do up here without Ais or Fiona having arrived yet… the sunset.
The two had really come a long way in the short time they'd trained. He'd say that their hand to hand combat had improved significantly, and their movements were clearly better coordinated and streamlined.
At this point they were ready to move onto the next step, weapon mastery. He glanced to his side at the two boxes filled to the brim with different kinds of weapons. Swords, daggers, spears, javelins, clubs, staffs and much more were loaded into them.
They had a lot to go over and it would take a long time to truly beat it into them, both figuratively and literally, how to use every time efficiently. If he was training them, then he was going to do it right after all.
"You're late. Did you oversleep?" Bell asked with a slight smirk as Ais frowned before turning towards Fiona, the two walking towards him as the girl blushed slightly at the question.
"I- ehm… Yes… I overslept." Her blue eyes glanced around seemingly at random, clearly embarrassed at the slip up.
It was rare to ever see an adventurer oversleep, especially one from a familia with the highest number of expeditions undergone each year. After all, they have to meticulously train their internal clock to adapt to the depths of the dungeon. Every second down there can be the difference between life and death so being able to internally change your clock to sleep for say, 5 minutes on point was almost a necessity.
"I won't ask, but since we lost a bit of time and we can't go on for too long since I have the colosseum to get to, I'll get straight to the point. Both of you have improved greatly and I think you're ready to move onto the next step." Bell smiled as their faces slowly morphed from the excitement at the prospect of something new.
He'd tested the two the last two days harder than ever before, using the moment to see how strong he was after the expedition, and the difference was very noticeable. Whereas before when he went all out, Ais was practically frozen, she was still moving slightly in his vision. Now… she was a statue. All of those points had propelled him further than before.
399 points in agility at his level was just given that absurd of a boost combined with his baseline.
The two had been left in tatters after the session, but it probably helped a lot with their status. Not that he had any way to check, but if his family was anything to go by alongside Rethusa, then it should have done the trick.
"So, what are we doing next? Does it have anything to do with the boxes of weapons?" Fiona asked, eyes sparkling with excitement as Bell glanced back with a chuckle
"Yes, at this point, you've trained your foundations rigorously. You're clearly faster,more flexible and efficient in every way. Now, you need to train your skill with weapons." He said as Ais instinctively reached for her sword as Bell shook his head.
"Not your weapons Ais. You already know how to use them. No, you'll choose one weapon type from the box you aren't familiar with, and train with it until I am satisfied. Then you repeat the process with another until you've got a wide knowledge on how to use different weapons." His explanation instantly made their excitement dim as they began to realize where this was going.
"Wait… when you say train…" Fiona sweatdropped. All the bruises she still had making themselves known as she realized the fate
"You're sparring with me the entire time." He grinned as Fiona flopped onto the floor, looking like she wanted to cry. Ais was just giving him a dead look as her gaze slowly lifted towards the sky.
He honestly wanted to laugh, and feel a bit of pity for them, but he didn't. Was he a sadist for taking slight pleasure in this? Maybe a little.
"Now, choose a weapon from one box each. The left one is Fiona's the other one is Ais'. We're doing this until each box is empty."
When the two didn't move he chuckled before shaking his head.
"Alright then, guess I'm choosing the weapons for you. Fiona, Staff. Ais, Great axe." The two instantly sprung into action as they realized the choice would be gone from them if they didn't choose quickly.
Grabbing the weapons in question, Bell didn't even hesitate for a second as he pulled out his daggers and launched himself at the two, who had barely gotten up and into a comfortable stance.
Ais dodged to the side as Fiona blocked the blow, sending her gliding backwards, the two frowning as Bell grinned.
"Here the fun begins…"
To say the least, only one person had any fun in that training session.
=Archian Manor=
Aralaya stared down at her status sheet, somewhat content with the progress made in the last 3 days of her training.
She felt like she'd been lagging behind after her brother went through with his level up while she stayed at her level.
Granted, she could easily have gone through with hers as well, but her status was not at it's peak, and all her life she'd been stressed upon the importance of maxing everything as much as possible, no matter what.
Glancing once again over the Status sheet, she hummed once again, trying to come up with more ways to push herself.
Name: Aralaya Cranel
Lv 3
Status:
{STR} S-988 - S995
{VIT} S-999
{DEX} S-987 - S-991
{AGI} S-999
{MAG} S-999
Magic:
Balm Touch: "Body worn and tired, mend thy self, be made whole, and rise again"
Healing magic that can restore most wounds. Requires a peaceful state of mind and is more potent the more peaceful their mind is.
Paterna Commutatio: "Elemental Spirits, I call upon you, lend me your power, and remove those before me" (in addition of saying "*element* strike")
Short chant versatile offensive magic that can change elements depending on the user's will. The currently available elements are: Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder and Earth.
Skills:
Aero Mana: Increases attack power the faster the user runs.
Divergence: Allows the user to stop a chant and launch the spell at the cost of less power and mind usage.
Active Trigger.
Fortitude: Reduces the mind usage by a large margin when any magic is cast. Dependent on the Magic stat.
Development Abilities:
Abnormal Resistance: G - F
Mage: G - F
She was so close to reaching the absolute peak of her status. She'd practically mangled her hands over and over trying to punch holes in the wall downstairs (Which has the Durandal Attribute) and healing them before redoing the entire process to increase her strength.
For her Dexterity, she'd asked Jannor for help, sparring with him using daggers to raise it as she needed to stress the stat to effectively use daggers since you move and twirl them around a lot depending on the action you want to take.
She'd been doing that non stop and she still had a few points to go. At least she was a week away from leveling at most, so that was a bonus.
She felt a little bad for her auntie Bache who still had four A's and only one S in her status. She was months away from leveling up, but like the rest of them, she had the capacity to do so as well.
Deciding she'd had enough time to contemplate, she stood up, putting the status sheet to the side before heading towards her wardrobe. Picking out her usual outfit, she quickly fixed up her appearance before exiting her room and heading towards the garden.
It was a pastime she'd picked up recently when she was resting with nothing to do. She'd ended up trying gardening and found she quite enjoyed it. There was just something therapeutic about taking care of the plants so that they can grow healthy and beautiful.
Maybe it was an effect of her elven blood and connection to nature, or she just naturally liked it. Who knows.
"Aralaya!" Said girl turned around at the call of her name, smiling at the approaching newest member of her family.
"Fina! Good morning!" She beamed as the woman smiled back with a nod.
"Good morning to you too. I was wondering if you know where Bell is?"
"Oh, he's out training with Ais and Fiona. He should be back an hours or so before his hearing." Fina blinked before remembering that he had daily training sessions with the Sword Princess and Midnight Princess.
"Ah, I guess it can't really be helped, hehe. I wanted to ask for his opinion on something." She smiled as Aralaya nodded.
"Is it something I can help with?"
"Oh, no, not really. I'd rather have a man's opinion as this is the first time I'm heading out to a more… formal setting in over a year." The chienthrope chuckled awkwardly, her tail swishing and shivering at the same time in slight embarrassment.
Aralaya could understand where she was coming from. She herself was no expert on such ordeals. She'd honestly been to a formal event once before, and that was because she and her father had been practically forced to attend one by some stuck up noble they'd helped defend their territory.
It was the most excruciatingly boring event of her life, so she wasn't exactly excited for this one either.
Though, she was nine years old at the time so it was a given she'd find it boring compared to their usual adventures he'd take her, Jannor or Aralaya on once in a while.
"Of course, that's alright. Just to make sure, the event starts at midday in the hall of the colosseum?" She asked as Fina tilted her head for a second in thought before nodding.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Terrific! I'll see you then!" The two parted like that, smiling as Aralaya continued on her path towards the garden as she thought of the location.
The formal hall of the colosseum is actually a place not used often. Mostly for auction house events which only take place once every four months or so. How they managed to fit it into the colosseum is beyond her, but it's there.
The event for her fathers hearing was quite big as it was a topic virtually everyone was invested in, thus the largest familia's would all be present. Loki, Freya, Ganesha, Hermes among others.
She just hoped all would go well.
Shaking her head and deciding to not worry about it, she entered the garden, smiling as she occupied her mind, intending to do so until she needed to prepare to head off.
=Eastern Wall of Orario=
Bell vaulted over Fiona's poor attempt at using the staff to swipe his legs, twirling in the air as he weaved his legs underneath Ais' axe head, twisting it out of her grip before punching her hard in the stomach.
With everything being at a complete stand still in his vision, it made it painfully easy to do those actions as he could react to any change in their movements in an instant.
Ais watched in slight fascination as she landed, wincing at the throbbing pain all over her body as Bell moved towards Fiona, noting her observations in the last two days.
His growth from his expedition had been incredibly noticeable as he'd not only moved a lot faster, there was no way at all she'd be able to compete with him at this point. If he went through with his level up…
She almost shuddered at the prospect. She wondered if this was what Riveria had tried to explain when it came to her view on Alfia's sheer power.
Bell had grown enough that it honestly scared her a bit just as it fascinated her. Exactly as Riveria had described her thoughts on Alfia… apart from her very sharp bite and tongue which made her quite approachable to most as if her status didn't do that already.
"Alright, I think that's good enough for today." Bell's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked towards where he and Fiona were, him standing over her, blade at her throat as he slowly stood up, sheathing his blades before holding his hand out.
Fiona smiled in thanks as he helped her up, the girl limping slightly from the bruises and cuts that littered her body.
"Bell… Thanks for the training today." Fiona's thanks was greatly appreciated by Bell as he didn't get those that often when it came to his training style. Not a lot of people can take what he would put them through after all. It's meant for adventurers, and if you can't handle it, then you don't have it in you to be one.
"No problem. I'm actually enjoying myself with these sessions. It's a nice change of pace from the one on five I usually have with my family." He said, the two listening intently.
"You… fight your family all at once?" Ais asked, his white hair fluttering in the air from the morning wind as he smiled.
"Yeah. It's the only way I can really challenge myself out of the dungeon. I have to keep getting stronger… I plan on ending what my aunt and her familia failed to do after all." Bell answered back solemnly, smiling slightly as he looked up at the slightly cloud filled sky.
"You have an aunt?" Fiona asked curiously, not having heard of this from anyone before.
"Yeah… I did. I never got to meet her before she died 22 years ago. She had to do something bad for the betterment of the world and didn't see herself as worthy to meet me…" He trailed off, feeling weird about talking about it twice in only three days.
Maybe having hallucinated her and his mother down in the dungeon had sparked up some buried feelings. Longing, for having meet those that he had roots with. To get to know them and laugh with them.
To be a family with them too alongside the one he has built himself.
The mere thought warmed his heart yet cooled it instantly as his mind reminded him of how that was impossible. His mother was dead, died of her hereditary disease shortly after his birth.
His aunt too was dead, body consumed by the dungeon for all he knows. Sacrificed to hopefully create a new hero.
He hated how the effort had been futile… he wished at least her sacrifice would have sprung up a new hero, but instead it only gave Orario a one level boost for all top familia's before they stagnated once again, growing at a snail's pace.
Shaking his head to get rid of the dark thoughts, he looked back at the two.
"Sorry, didn't mean to ruin the mood." He apologized as the two shook their heads.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. We all have weaknesses when it comes to family. That you are sad about it only shows you're human." Fiona comforted slightly as she reached forward, putting her hand on his shoulder as he smiled.
"Thanks."
He glanced at Ais who nodded at his affirmation, smiling slightly as he returned it. Looking up at the sun, he couldn't help but notice the slowly arriving midday.
He honestly had no idea how a hearing had turned into a formal event of sorts broadcasted across Orario. He'd really have to ask Eina about that, but he had his guesses (Hermes in this case probably somehow pulled strings).
"So… how are you feeling for your hearing?" Ais asked as she too looked at the slowly ascending sun, closing in on the midway point.
"The hearing that's fifteen years overdue? Just peachy… though I don't know how to feel about it becoming so formal. It's never really been my scene." Bell chuckled awkwardly at the end.
With him saving so many people and helping so many territories with their issues, he'd been to his fair share of parties and he'd pretty much had his fill for ten lifetimes. The only positive experience he had from a formal party, was back with Apollo's one where he danced with Ais.
At the time, that had been a moment of the ages, if only a wargame challenge wasn't issued just moments later.
His luck ability just seemed to decide to take a timeout whenever these events occurred.
"Yeah, I can get that. Dad does seem like he enjoys them slightly, but I always want to be anywhere but there." Fiona shivered, remembering one of the many events she'd been to, dragged along with Ais as Loki's 'dates'.
Gods are weird. She's just recently entered puberty for crying out loud!
"Are you both going to be there?" He asked, tilting his head as they nodded.
"Yes. All executives of the Loki Familia are invited alongside a few notable members." Ais' answer explained enough for him to get the gist. With Fiona not being an executive, but classed as 'notable', she was invited. That also meant that the executives of Freya Familia would be there.
Joy.
He was sooo looking forward to seeing Allen again. He swore that if Anya hadn't told him that they were related, he'd honestly never believe it. He must have some chronic assholeness as a diagnosis.
Mentally chuckling at the wording, he walked over and picked up the two boxes.
"How are you carrying that?" Fiona asked as Bell peeked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean… won't the weapons fall out?" Looking back at the weapons in the two boxes stacked on top of one another leaning on his torso. He silently wondered the same thing.
Thinking on it for a split second, he simply shrugged.
"Have no idea…but I should probably get home to prepare myself for the hearing. It's in two hours after all." Bell smiled at the two as they nodded, waving at him as he began he trek back.
Ais and Fiona simply stared at his retreating form until they couldn't see him any longer.
"Do you want to get something to eat?" Ais asked Fiona who looked over at her before her eyes drifted to her own form. She looked like hell and… ew, she smelled like sweat and blood.
"Eh…. not really. I'd rather get home, have Riveria heal me before preparing for the hearing too. I smell horrible and am hardly presentable."
At the mention, Ais sniffed herself once… then twice before wincing. She had a point. They did not smell pleasant at all.
"Okay." Was all she said before the two began the trek across half of Orario to get home, limping the entire way over.
=Twilight Manor=
Arriving at home, worse for wear was always met with the same response. Worried glances mixed with pitiful ones… that and certain individuals hounding them non-stop.
"Hey! What did Argo-kun do today? You're bleeding so… weapons? Bruises too… hmm. Mixed?" Tiona energetically asked as she followed the two limping adventurers towards Riveria's chambers.
"He had us train with weapons… weapons we had never used before." Tione who had followed silently, clearly ticked off slightly at the state of her daughter seemed to grow interested in that.
"What kind?"
"Oh, he had me learn to use the staff. Ais got the great axe." Both amazons blinked at the image of Ais holding a great axe. It was comical enough to cause snickers in the both of them as the weapons in their mind were carbon copies of Gareth's monstrous axes.
"Really? And he had you spar or something?"
"Yes… we had to fight him and I swear. He takes enjoyment in our pain!" Fiona complained slightly, though not meaning it in full. She did enjoy the results she felt from the sessions, both status wise and skill wise.
As they reached Riveria's chambers, Ais knocked on the door before a sigh could be heard, as if she already knew who it was.
"Come in."
The four walked in as Riveria looked over the two injured members of her familia, dried blood, cuts and bruises covering them entirely.
"Does that boy have no regard for safety? I swear, he's trying to kill you." Riveria sighed before having them take a seat as she got to work.
The magic did wonders for them as their bruises and wounds disappeared, allowing them to get going with their day. Updating their status with yet another noticeable jump for just a single day, Fiona in particular.
She was nearing level 4 at this point and her stats were higher than they'd ever been.
Seeing her status rise so quickly made her beam with pride and that feeling always lasted for hours, like how it was now with her in the shower, getting all the sweat, grime and blood off of her skin, Ais doing the same.
Ais too was positively beaming at her progress, her agility having hit S for the first time ever. She'd never achieved such a height previously and now… now it sat proudly at that beautiful letter.
"Hey, Ais. You never mentioned that Bell had an Aunt." Fiona's question made the golden eyed woman look over at the girl before shaking her head.
"No… I didn't know he had one. He only mentioned his grandfather." Ais answered as Fiona hummed in understanding. Maybe he'd just decided not to mention it back then…
But that didn't really make sense. He had reason to trust them less today than he did back then when Ais was training him.
So… why didn't he mention her… and what had she done that 'most wouldn't agree with'.
She knew these questions were invasive, and she sure as hell wasn't going to ask them to him… but those questions would not stop nagging her… like there was something there.
Shaking her head, she decided to let it go for now, ignoring the feeling, telling her to investigate it.
He's a good person, and he deserves his privacy.
With that in mind, she resumed the task of cleaning herself off before heading off to choose her clothes. She had a hearing to get too.
=Colosseum=
Bell arrived at the colosseum with his family, all dressed up as he felt a bit naked without his armor outside his home. He always wore it so simply wearing a white and red tuxedo felt… bizarre.
He felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned towards his wife who smiled at him.
"You ready?" She asked as he nodded, turning back front as they all waited for his response.
"I don't think I've been more ready for anything in my life than I am now… This is it. I can finally clear my name…" Just saying the words made him lightheaded. He'd waited for this for over fifteen years.
Fifteen long years of the knowledge that the world knew his given name as a traitor… a killer… a monster… for the simple act of trying to protect his own goddess.
He may have gone over the edge back then, and he admitted that, but he'd seen no other way out. It was either that, or they'd violate her… the goddess that had given him a chance when no one else would.
"Yes, you're going to achieve your main goal! Come on, show us a smile!" Bache grinned, smacking him on his shoulder as he turned to her, his smile widening.
It was weird how she could so easily make him smile nearly as brightly as Elora could, but she could. He glanced at Erebus who nodded at him, his children beside him with thumbs up. The god pointed forward, making Bell look in the direction as he spotted his friends walking towards him.
"Well, if it isn't the man of the hour! Come here!" Welf grinned, pulling him forward into a mock headlock both knew Bell could easily get out of, but he humored the redhaired smith.
"Hey! I worked hard to fix my hair!" Bell complained as he felt Welf rubbing it wildly.
"And I'm fixing it myself. You look much better with it wild, you know?" The moment Welf let go, Bell stood up straight as he shook his head, the group looking at him before nodding in approval.
"See, much better!"
"Lili agrees."
"Indeed"
"I have to concur." Bell instantly turned at the voice, coming face to face with a red haired goddess, one eye covered by an eyepatch wearing a blood red dress as she smiled at Bell.
"Hephaestus!" Bell grinned as he hugged the goddess, said deity laughing in response before returning the gesture.
"It's good to see you too, Bell. I'm sorry I couldn't visit earlier. My work and son kept me busy." He apologized as Bell shook his head.
"No worries. I had my own things to do. What matters is the now. I trust Welf isn't being too insufferable." He grinned at the last sentence, Welf scoffing as the group laughed at his expense.
"Oh, don't you worry.I can handle him. Now, I do believe we have an event to get to." Everyone nodded in agreement. Midday was only a few minutes away at best.
Entering the colosseum and heading down a trek of stairs, they found themselves entering a large open room filled with people. Adventurers, gods, merchants and the like.
'Why the hell is a hearing this formal!?' Bell mentally screamed, a sweatdrop being the only indication of his thoughts as he looked around.
He could spot Loki alongside the executives and a few notable members by one large table. Demeter and some other goddesses he couldn't name were on the opposite end. His eyes traveled along many more people before locking eyes with that of a certain goddess of beauty, staring straight at him before smiling slightly at him.
He wanted to glare, but his conversation with Mia flashed through his mind before he decided to just nod at her.
He almost smirked as she looked surprised at his action before he turned and walked down the hall, the entire hall going quiet as Shakti walked up on stage as she noticed him.
"Everyone, may I get your attention!" She called out as all eyes shifted to her.
"As Bell Cranel has just arrived, I'd like to begin this hearing shortly so I'd ask for Finn Deimne, Ganesha-sama, Asfi Al Andromeda and Bell Cranel to please walk up on stage." Her voice was clear and to the point as he smiled slightly at the encouraging words he heard from his family as he walked up on stage.
"I'd like to say… I AM GANESHA!" Bell looked at the god for a second before promptly ignoring the gods outburst and sitting down in the chair at the center.
The other three on scene sat down as well before Hermes stood up.
"Ouranos, do we have permission to use our arcanum?" The question was met with an affirmative before the gods across Orario activated divine mirrors that showcased Bell, Finn, Asfi, Shakti and Ganesha.
"As scheduled, today we have the hearing of one, Bell Cranel, to undergo. The purpose of it is to find out truth from falsehood. Do you agree to not lie in response to any of the questions we may ask?" Shakti asked, eyes looking at Bell who turned to her and nodded.
"I agree to those terms."
"Good, now, without further ado, let's begin. Fifteen years ago, did you kill 23 adventurers?" She asked as Bell sighed.
"Yes." Some gasps but mostly scoffs were heard throughout the room as The Ganesha Familia captain's features hardened.
"Did you have valid reasoning to do so?"
"Although I went too far, I did have a valid reason to do what I did. They were going to violate my goddess, Hestia." He answered simply as she nodded.
"Your charges include that of her murder. Did you kill Hestia in your rampage?"
"No, that can be attributed to Dix Perdix by using one of my daggers which he'd confiscated off of me prior to the engagement."
Shakti turned towards Ganesha who nodded at her, signaling to her what she needed.
"So far, everything you've said has been the truth. Is there anything else you'd like to mention regarding that specific event?"
"No, I think that covers what is necessary." She nodded before continuing on.
"How did you escape Kauhea Forande?" Bell's eyes bore into her own before he sighed. He knew it was impossible to lie here, so he'd just do his best to omit the whole truth.
"I was part of a planned Riot to escape. I heard two inmates, Poh Amphion and Hayden Mishivona, talk about it and became part of the plot. At first, things didn't really go so well. We got split off from the others before following a passage to a secret room." He began, the room listening intently.
"Secret room? What for?"
"To house an inmate… To house a god."
=Hostess of Fertility=
Ryuu sat down by one of the tables, having taken her break for the show where Bell would have his hearing.
When he'd returned to the surface, she'd been immensely relieved to hear that he hadn't been harmed, or what she'd thought for most of the time. Killed.
It had set her heart at ease in a way that confused her. One that she ignored for the moment as she listened in on what was being asked and said.
"What for?" Shakti asked, her voice coming through the divine mirror as the entire Bar was watching in rapt attention.
"To house an inmate… to house a god." That caused a bit of confusion as Ryuu frowned. It was clearly mirrored within Shakti as she seemed to have a double take of sorts.
"God? In the prison of Gekai's worst criminals?" She asked, Bell nodding in response.
"Who?"
"I'd rather not say."
"I'm sorry Bell, but those are the rules." Finn piped up as Bell looked at Finn for a second before nodding.
"Fine, but you won't like it." That only added to the suspense as Ryuu noticed a few people literally at the edge of their seats.
"Erebus."
That name rang in her ear as she froze completely, utterly oblivious to the shocked cries around her and through the mirror. How Shakti's face seemed to morph between shock, rage then confusion.
How Finn had lost his smile completely as she stared at Bell with a blank expression.
Erebus… the deity that questioned her entire reality.
Memories flashed in her head, how Erebus toyed with her, messing with her head as he asked questions she couldn't possibly answer. Challenged her view on the world and what justice truly was.
Not that she had any right these days to answer that question.
"Erebus!? Why- no, how!?" Shakti's voice had clearly become strained, as if withholding her emotions so as to not explode.
"Apparently Ouranos found that it was a more fitting punishment than mere return to heaven. To suffer in a cell with nothing to do for an indefinite amount of time."
That did indeed sound like torture… especially for deities that so searched for anything to entertain them. It'd be utter torment.
"Now, that is fascinating and I'd like to ask further questions, but it might be best if you continue." Asfi said, giving Shakti a sympathetic look since this must be bringing back some very bad memories.
"Well, For a time, I held Erebus' falna until it eventually became that of Themis." He motioned towards Themis who waved back at Bell as Ganesha nodded.
"Truth." Asfi reported before he continued.
"Sadly, I had to… blow the prison up to get out, an action I wish did not have to occur." Bell continued.
"I do see a pattern of regret coming from you. Why is that?" Asfi asked as Ryuu tilted her head, her ears perking up as the response came tumbling out of his mouth.
"Because there is a lot I had to do to survive that I regret. Takara Yume once told me that in this world we live in, sometimes, someone has to die. I've had a long time to think that sentence through, and I can't help but agree. I've seen so much, had to do so much and there have always been times where people had to die… because in the end, no matter how strong we are or how noble or justice driven, we can't save everyone. Sometimes… the path that strays from justice. To take lives is the correct one, as in the end, it can save more lives than it takes." Ryuu couldn't help but feel resonation with his words as in a way, it was as if he'd spoken directly to her. On one end, she couldn't help but agree that sometimes taking lives was for the better. The logic behind it was there, but there was still that naive part of her that did not want to let go of that guilt.
Of how Astrea had walked away from her without looking back. An action which must have been to show her disappointment in her.
"But that's wrong. We should strive to save as many as possible!" Shakti rebuked as Ryuu watched Bell's gaze bore into the blue haired woman's eyes.
"Ankusha, have you heard of the hostage paradox?"
"Huh, what's the lad on about?" Mia asked out loud, wondering the same thing as most.
"No, I do not believe I am"
"Imagine this scenario. You are in a situation where there are two rooms. In one room, there is a dangerous serial killer running away. In the other, there are four hostages with explosives strapped to them, about to detonate. You can either choose to save the hostages, or catch the serial killer. What do you do?" He asked as the captain of the Ganesha Familia thought the scenario over.
"I do both, send some of my familia members to apprehend the criminal while I myself make sure the civilians are secure and safe."
"That's nice and all, but what if you can't do that. What if you can only do one? What then? Do you save the hostages, saving four lives, but letting the serial killer escape, possibly to kill many more. Or do you capture him, letting the four innocent lives perish?" Those words completely halted Shakti in her step as she came to a stop, unable to choose.
"I- I'll still do both…" She got out weakly, unable to say any more as her mind couldn't conjure up any concrete solution.
"The world doesn't play nice, Shakti. Orario is so used to its security after its dark era. Outside there, anything can happen at any time. Bandits, monsters and invading armies. People die every day, and the world will throw you into situations where there is no right answer. This is a reality I had to face for the first time after I escaped Kauhea Forbande. No matter how much I tried to protect people. To save them… I could not save everyone and sometimes, those closest to me were those very people." The last part was said with a clear heavy heart as Bell glanced away, seemingly a mile away.
"My daughter, Adrienne, is named after one of these people. An innocent girl that was kidnapped and tortured in the far east simply to get back at me. I had to watch a little boy be neglected and beaten by his own mother in Zolingham within an inch of his life. I even found a human trafficking ring close to a northern village past the Beoul mountains. You may preach that you uphold the law and protect everyone, but that only goes for the people within Orario, behind safe walls that protect against armies. Behind the power of the adventurers that make sure no one dares make a move. Don't forget, there are more places than Orario… and your laws only extend to within your walls.… while out there, people continue to suffer." Bell finished, the entire tavern and colosseum silent as the words slowly sank in.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a rant… but that's what I truly think." He apologized as Shakti nodded slowly, almost robotically as if the cogs in her head were still sifting thought he information.
."I- that was incredibly informative, Cranel-san." Finn's voice snapped everyone out of their stupor as he leaned forward.
"But let's get back on track. As we've established as truth from Ganesha-sama here, you are guilty of murdering twenty-three adventurers from the Ikelos Familia, which has been found smuggling monsters out of the dungeon so those charges can be virtually nullified due to that. You did escape Kauhea Forbande, freed a god that caused untolds amounts of destruction alongside Zald and Alfia while murdering guards. This in itself would guarantee some accountability, but as per the law, an equal amount of good can give right for immunity. With how much you've helped and saved people outside Orario, I'd say that is paid in full with interest.." Finn said as Bell nodded.
"Lastly, you did not murder your own goddess. That marks nearly all charges on you as null and void… though there is one that still concerns me. Did you, or did you not defend a monster, putting the populace in danger simply because you wanted to claim a monster as your own kill." He asked seriously as Bell frowned. Ryuu perked up. She'd told Bell that she trusted him to tell her in time, but maybe this was where she found out the truth.
"Yes and no." That only served to confuse the elf as it was no answer at all. Perhaps a sort of half true, half false situation?
"Can you explain?"
"I did defend the monster, but it was not due to the reasoning you believe. I did not claim her for a kill.-"Her? "-but to defend her from you all. I'm probably going to bite an arrow for this from Ouranos…" Bell glanced towards Ganesha who nodded at him, giving him the go ahead to continue. "But she was no ordinary monster." He answered.
"Truth" Ganesha said in the most normal tone anyone had ever heard from him.
"She was intelligent, had feelings. She was nice, almost like a child, playful and laughing at tiny insignificant things." What was she hearing-? No, what was he saying!? What he was describing wasn't a monster, it definitely wasn't any monster she'd ever encountered, and she'd fought all too many in her time as an adventurer of Astrea Familia.
"She was as human as human gets… yet she was hunted because she saved a little boy because people could not let go of their preconceptions of creatures born of the dungeon."
"With all due respect, Cranel-san, but what you're describing is an impossibility." Shakti denied as Bell shook his head.
"But it's not. I met her on the 21st floor, being hunted by members of Ikelos Familia and monsters alike, crying and begging for anyone, anything to save her. I answered that plea, and in return, I found out what she was. They call themselves the Xenos. Intelligent monsters who want to clash words instead of blades. They don't want war, or bloodshed, only peace." Bell said, clearly as Shakti shook her head, Asfi looking gobsmacked and Finn having a contemplative expression.
"But that's impossible…" Shakti repeated herself like a broken record as Bell seemed to take slight humor in the reactions.
"You're reacting like this here and now when I tell you the facts. Imagine how I felt. I was so confused about what was happening. I had to figure it out myself, go on wild goose chases to find out even a little." Ryuu figured things made a bit more sense now, even if it sounded unreal… impossible even. If a 14 year old had been saddled with such a revelation, they'd be overwhelmed, confused and incredibly conflicted.
"Cranel-san… if what you say is true, then why did this… Xenos, attack the city? Did you not say they only wanted to clash words, not blades?" Finn recited Bell's words as he nodded.
"Yes, but shortly after, we had an… altercation with Dix Perdix and his familia. They had been capturing Xenos for… selling to nobles with certain… desires." The words sent waves of disgust down Ryuu's body, the bar almost collectively gagging at what he was saying.
Nobles buying monsters for… that?! That's completely and utterly disgusting.
"Dix used his curse magic on the Xenos and one of them breached the surface chasing visages produced by it and I followed. You all know the rest." He finished as the hall was silent for a second before it exploded in noise, the tavern too as Ryuu's sensitive hearing made her wince.
So many voices screaming over one another with some coming through with words like 'Liar' or 'Monsters are evil' made it clear that most didn't believe him. Ryuu too had a bit of skepticism on this, but also knew that Bell wasn't a liar. He was as honest and honorable as they came.
A human truly worthy of respect.
"SILENCE!" The loud voice of Asfi echoed through the mirror, everything going deathly silent.
"Ganesha-sama… was all he just said the truth?" Asfi asked as Ganesha looked at her with a nod.
"Every word he spoke is true." Disbelief filled the air, the knowledge that out there… there were intelligent monsters that were nothing like what they were used to. Monsters who wanted peace. It was such a foreign concept that no one could fully grasp the idea.
With that, Ryuu stood up, the revelations too much as she felt as if she had to get away. She had to think… to reevaluate some things and come to terms with what she'd just heard.
Someone doesn't just shrug off a worldview changing bomb like that in a few minutes after all… and she doubted the rest of Orario would either.
=Ouranos' Chamber=
"It appears the secret is out, though it was not as if Bell Cranel had much of a choice in the situation he was put in." Ouranos hummed as Fels next to him nodded.
"Indeed, but perhaps this is a boon. Sooner or later, the people would find out. Maybe with time… they can warm up to the idea of the Xenos." Fels hopefully stated, really wanting for things to go down that route.
He'd been the liaison between the Xenos and Ouranos for thirty years now… admittedly a short time compared to his long long life, but still a considerable amount of time.
With the increasing amount of Xenos and safe zones for them running short on space, adventurers would eventually run into the Xenos more and more, especially when space finally ran out and they would be found wandering the dungeon.
At most, they would have been able to hide it for a year more before this would have happened. Bell had only sped up the process a bit.
"That may be a bit hopeful Fels. People do not let go of hatred so easily. Things will be bad for a while… but perhaps eventually, they can go in the direction we desire, but only if we are lucky." Fels couldn't help but nod, looking back to the mirror with Bell answering more questions about the Xenos, though withholding where they are for their safety.
Fels looked down to his oculus for a second before quickly dismissing himself as he headed into the backroom, where he usually spent his time when experimenting or creating tools of the trade, mainly said Oculuses.
Calling up his intended target, he waited for the recipient to answer.
"Fels, it's good to hear from you." Wiene's voice came through, a scratching noise in the background. She seemed happy at the moment as Fels sighed.
"Greetings, Wiene. It is good to hear from you too, but I bear news that concerns you and your people." The moment the words came through, the scratching stopped.
"What's happened?" Her voice had turned serious as all the emotions seemed to have disappeared, replaced with the face of a leader.
"Bell had his hearing today to clear his name, and one of the charges that was supposed to get addressed was him defending you during the Rivira incident."
"Oh…" Wiene got out, clearly feeling guilt from the event, knowing that it had caused him so much trouble to stand up for her.
"He had no choice… Orario knows of your existence." Silence extended for a good ten seconds before a sigh came through.
"I understand, we were preparing for this either way. I'll inform the others to stay on high alert for the foreseeable future. It happened a bit early, but I do believe we can weather whatever storm may come. Just… tell Bell I don't blame him." Fels gave his affirmative to her message, fully intending on delivering it to him.
"Thank you for the warning Fels. Now, I have people to warn." The oculus in his hands went dead as he understood her abrupt departure.
Her people needed her…
Now all they needed to do was weather the storm.
=Colosseum=
After the questioning was over, Finn had made his way to Bell. The rest of Loki Familia behind him, he had to know if Bell had any relation to Alfia.
As Finn turned the corner it seemed as if he knew that Finn would be there.
"Hello Finn, I figured you'd come right afterwards with a question or two." Bell said with a smile.
"You'd be correct" Finn said, "But it's just one question"
Bell's head turned slightly, then nodded for him to proceed.
"I've had this nagging feeling since I saw your technique with your spear. One that was eerily similar to my own… so I was wondering, and I do hope I am not overstepping my bounds in asking this. But do you happen to be related to 'The Demon of Talent'?"
Bell paused for a moment as he noticed all faces in the Loki Familia grow interested at his question.
"Demon of Talent?" He asked. He got a slight ping in his mind, but he couldn't place it.
"Alfia" Erebus stated as Bell's eyes opened wide.
With a big 'oh' look on his face, Bell turned slightly serious, "Um… I don't really know how to say this but…" he paused again, frowning, wondering if he should tell Finn.
In all honesty… he knew that he would not let this go if he said no. He'd try to find out any reason to explain it like a bloodhound. Sighing he looked at Finn directly in his eyes
"She's actually my aunt." He said with a shrug
Finn's face went from interest and curiosity to one utter shock and confusion. Riveria looked a mix between shock and terror with everyone else just wearing the former with pride.
"I am… I don't know what to say." Finn said, lost for words as they completely failed him.
"There's nothing to say, it happened before me, and even if I was to be directly involved, it would change nothing since I would be too young." Bell said.
"I will say this, information that you would only be able to get from, I think about 3 people, myself and my family excluded" He waited a second, looking around to see everyone anticipating his apparent unknown knowledge.
"And I'm only telling you because I think it's time to share some hidden truth, Alfia and Zald did not attack Orario out of malice or spite, nor did they have truly evil intentions" Bell said.
"What do you mean?" Riveria spoke up, not really believing what she was hearing, remembering the visage of Alfia and Zald tearing the city to the ground.
Bell turned to her, "Their wish was the creation of a new Hero through the crucible of strife" Bell stated matter-of-factly.
Bell could see the looks on their faces that they showed world shattering effects on everyone.
"I know I just dropped a load of information on you all that is an extreme shock, but I must take my leave before-" Bell said, beginning to turn away.
Bell felt a hand on his arm, turning to see Finn, "One more question please" He asked.
"Alright." Bell said.
"Who are the other two?" Finn asked.
"Ouranos and Astrea" Bell said
Finn looked at Bell with a face that said "And?"
"Erebus…" Bell finished and began to walk away, leaving Finn to ponder his answers only to create more questions for himself.
=3 hours later=
Leaving had been harder than Bell had initially believed. The moment he had left the Loki Familia alone, he'd been bombarded by gods, adventurers and the like. Question after question that seemed to have no end.
After answering what he considered as way too many questions to be healthy. He'd eventually been set free as he had headed home.
The entire event had not gone as he had imagined. Sure, he got his name cleared… but he had to out the Xenos to do it.
He just hoped that Ganesha's approval of the action was shared with Ouranos and Fels. He hoped Wiene would forgive him for it.
As they walked into the manor, he stopped as he felt a tug on his arm. Turning around, he looked at Jannor who looked at him concerned.
"Dad… are you alright?" He asked as Bell nodded.
"Yeah… just… It did not go exactly as I imagined. At least I'm cleared of my charges, but it also opened up more issues that may last for a while." Bell said with a heavy heart.
"Honey, it wasn't your fault. There were so many gods there that even a slight lie would have been caught by them. Once the question had been asked, there was nothing that could be done. I just wished that Finn would have kept his mouth shut." Elora tried to cheer him up, spitting Finn's name out like poison.
"Yeah… thanks. There isn't anything I can do about it now but wait it out. People will calm down in time." Bell reasoned as Elora hummed.
"You know, if I had the chance, I'd love to give that little shit a good punch…" Bache said, giving the air a good, swift jab before slowly turning to Bell.
"Can I?"
"No." Her disappointment was clear as she deflated slightly as they all laughed, Bache peeking up slightly with a smile at her successful moodsetter.
"Well… there was at least one secret we were able to keep." Aralaya piped up as Adrienne nodded.
"Yeah! Dad, you really dodged it perfectly. If you hadn't, Erebus would have been revealed!" She praised her father who smiled back at her.
"Yeah, that's another win. Guess we lost as much as we gained. I guess the cards in our hands are a bit better now as most bad ones can solve themselves with time."
"Yeah, you're right about that."
"Hey, Elora, do you wanna train? I need to let out a bit of steam." Everyone turned to Bache as Erebus deadpanned her.
"That was so random, even I want to reprimand you for that."
The amazon simply gave the god a glare before looking back at Elora, waiting for an answer as the elf shrugged.
"Why not, I need to do the same. Speaking of which… Bell, when is my sword going to be ready?" She asked as Bell hummed.
"Tomorrow. Welf returned the weapon to me today. I just have to give it a few more effects with Mystery." He answered with a smile as she nodded.
"Hope this one is shatterproof." She teased him as he chuckled.
"Yes, Welf gave it the durandal attribute. It shouldn't break like the previous one did. He'll do it to the rest of our weapons, but it'll take time." Bell smiled, Elora nodding with a smile.
"Alright, how about she borrows your sword in the meantime as you work on hers?" Erebus suggested as Bell nodded.
"That's fine with me. Just don't break it with your new strength. You still haven't gotten used to it." Bell asked as Elora nodded, intending on being careful as she adapted to the strength of a level 7.
Looking down at her hand, she flexed and closed it in contemplation before shaking her head.
"I'll be careful. Come on Bache. Let's go." The two disappeared down the hall as Bell chuckled.
"Well, I'll head to my workshop outside and start giving her sword the right effects." He said as the rest nodded, him leaving as the family went on with any business they needed.
=Twilight Manor, 6PM=
Within Finn's office, Finn, Gareth, Riveria and Loki were all around the table, serious expressions on all faces.
"To think we were right… Intelligent monsters…" Riveria breathed out in disbelief as Finn let out a hum.
"Dontcha forget the kid is related to Alfia… Alfia!" Loki exclaimed, remembering the sheer terror that women could induce in people.
"And the lad said Ouranos and Astrea knew about their reasoning as well…" Gareth said.
"Yes, it's all making me… reflect on a lot." Finn let out, Gareth looking between his closest friends with a beard scratch.
"Of course ya are. I'm more surprised the lad was even willing to work with us. We banished his entire family." Gareth said, breaking the proverbial ice towards the topic.
"That's right. He had to grow up without a family due to us. If Zeus hadn't taken care of him… raised him…" Finn shuddered at the thought. If that hadn't happened, then he'd have been left an orphan.
That is not something anyone wants on their conscience. To be the reason a newborn child had no family growing up.
It also made for a lot of thoughts on the possibilities. What would have happened if they hadn't run the remainder of Zeus and Hera out of the city?
What kind of man would Bell have become? He'd definitely have gotten training at a much younger age. Probably been an adventurer young too, like Ais.
"Yes, though there is nothing we can do about that now. What about the Xenos?" Riveria asked.
Finn sat there for a good moment as he contemplated the action, his mouth stopping just short of giving out the automatic answer of hunting them with his own justification being that it'd give him more fame… put him closer to his goal.
But all of the hours spent reflecting since his relationship with Ais had become semi-estranged alongside Fiona being disappointed in her made him stop.
Was sacrificing everything and everyone around him worth his goal… his answer so far had been that he doesn't know… no matter how much that shamed him. Looking up, glancing at Riveria as he remembered her despaired look at the thought of hurting Ais again.
Did he want to be the reason for such looks? Did he really want to be remembered for his selfish actions… for being an artificial hero like the knights of Fianna before him?
Or did he want to surpass them?
That thought made him freeze as his heart thundered. Surpass them… perhaps…
A glint sparked in Finn's eyes as an idea sprung up in his head. Maybe he'd been going about his goal in the wrong way this entire time.
Yes, the Knights of Fianna gave the prums a sense of pride… but it also didn't last. Their legacy and belief that they were gods made sure of that. Their formula failed in the long run.
But heroes don't… real ones don't fail to inspire generations to come, making a cycle that births new heroes as they are needed.
Heroes become legends when their time ends… and legends fade to myth… and myth eventually inspire people to rise, and be heroes themselves.
Isn't that what occurred in the age of heroes? The Argonaut kick-started it, and with him, heroes followed the example. WIthout him… they'd still be struggling behind walls to keep the monsters out.
Instead, through his actions, mortals managed to fight back the hordes leading to their world today.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he made his decision. Maybe it was time to retire the old methods, and try new ones. Perhaps they would work better, only time would tell.
"We give them a chance." His words silenced all three of the people around him, all staring at him as he looked at them.
"What?" Riveria asked, flabbergasted.
"We give them a chance. If they want to talk, then let's talk."
"Finn… you realize that this… might put you in a negative light?" The high elven princess asked as the prum nodded.
"Yes… but I've reflected upon my actions recently… and I can't keep going like I have been. If I do… I'll lose everything and fail in my goal." He told them honestly as it took a moment before Riverias face morphed from shock into a warm proud smile, as if he'd done something she'd thought he should have after a long time.
"Well, I never thought I'd see the day." Loki smiled before nodding at Finn, silently communicating their acceptance of his decision.
"Alright, so that's our stance on it. We give them a chance to prove they want peace."
"Good, I'll alert Ais and the others." Riveria said as Gareth nodded.
"Alright, I can handle Bete. He might be a bit rowdy about it." Riveria gave a grateful smile at Gareth before some noise from outside alerted them.
"What is going on out there?" Riveria mumbled as she walked over to the window, frowning as she saw a mass of people walking down the main road right outside, having arrived by the northern gate.
"Mass exodus… no…" At her apparent confusion, Finn too stood up and walked to the window and looked outside, frowning as he too saw the spectacle.
"I'll find out what's happening. You two alert the others of what we said here." He ordered, the two nodding at his command.
"Keep us updated."
"Will do."
=The Archian Manor=
Bell had been adding effects to the sword for a while, ignoring the occasional earthquake as he figured it was Bache and Elora going at it downstairs.
It wasn't until the three hour mark before he picked up on the loud noise coming from outside which really disturbed him. He was used to hearing people from a long way, but it was never this loud.
Finally having enough, he stood up and walked outside, glancing around before frowning hard. Lines of people, looking worse for the wear, were walking down the main street of Orario, splitting off in different directions, carrying backpacks on them as if they were refugees.
Frowning at the event. He decided to investigate and shot off, leaping to the window to his and Elora's bedroom and within what was an instant to anyone else, switched into his armor and burst out the other side of the manor, shooting across the ground before leaping onto the roofs.
These people, they look… Rakian?
Narrowing his eyes at the front of the line of refugees, he noticed that more were coming from the north as well.
Was this the entirety of Rakia? What the hell happened!?
Spotting Ares at the front alongside with Henderson and the advisor he never got the name of, he shot forward, skipping across rooftops towards the three.
It did not take more than a minute to arrive above them before he jumped down, startling them as he stood tall, their expressions filling with recognition.
"Apollyon!" The advisor exclaimed in relief. As Ares looked at him solemnly.
"What's going on?" Bell asked as the three looked at one another grimly before Henderson turned back towards Bell.
"We were attacked… driven from our home." He said as Bell's frown deepened.
"Is that so… by who?" He asked, fully intending on solving this crisis if he has to. They were technically allies, and right now, they needed his help.
"We aren't sure… it was a single unit… but they were strong. So much so that they decimated our forces. Their leader, a tall man covered in plate armor like a knight blew apart our outer wall and completely sieged our city on his own."
Bell did not like the description at all… this can't be who he thought it was.
"In fact… he could have killed us, but he let us go… he wanted us to give you a message." Bell nodded, motioning for him to continue.
"'Meet them at the mountain within the forest of the damned within two days time-" No… "Or Anfesera, and its people, burns.'"
That's chapter 63 everyone, and the end of the interlude between the expedition arc, and the now named… EMPIRE ARC! Truth's will be revealed, people will die and our protagonist will suffer. Be ready for the true darkness of this story to return… for shit will hit the fan real soon… sooner than you think.
Now, enough with the foreboding. I (Eli) just wanted to say that this chapter got me carried away a bit too much. I started the day with like 300 words written down and ended with 10k at the end of it, leading up to where we wanted to end it.
Don't expect updates this fast normally since I don't have enough free time for that. Apart from that, I'll instead get right into the reviews!
LazyHapa: Oooo…S rank in a development ability…
Author: Yep, Luck has officially reached S rank… but don't think it will stop bad things from happening. It acts like divine protection for him, but it does not help those around him…
Guest: another great chapter, can't wait for the side story.
though it sounds like that discord server needs to be kinkshamed to oblivion judging by the tags
Author: The side story is coming along slowly, so I don't know when it'll be released. About the tags, they may be a bit extreme, but in all honesty. It's all just shits and giggles so I don't really care in the end.
Would be fun to see them be kink shamed though. That'd be a sight to see.
KneeOil: Phenomenal! Very much worth the wait! This chapter was just amazing! Glad to see the gang finally return safe and enjoy a well deserved rest after the long expedition. Always enjoy Bell flexing on Finn and the others, mostly Finn. Not much to say with a Level 8 on the way. Still, quite disappointed Bache interrupted what could've have been another peak of the story but that was a funny scene.
The one-shot also looks... interesting. Ignoring the whole enslavement thing, I don't know what sick freak asked for that, I'm super excited for it. It's quite the surprise but a welcome one nonetheless. I never would've seen this coming from you but I'll be ready for whenever this one-shot comes out.
Keep up the amazing work! Love your stuff!
Is what I would say if you didn't say it wasn't wrong to **** Wiene.
Author: Yeah, Grease, at this point you know damn well that me and Chalister don't do smuts in this story, so don't shame us! Lol.
About the flex part, he kinda flexed on everyone this chapter a bit, even if more got revealed than initially intended.
For the one shot, it's coming along slowly, but the enslavement part, you can thank that to rez. Sick freak xD. You'll still have to wait a while for that since I'm out all day tomorrow and can't write :D
Also, screw you for the last part. You people can be insufferable.
Stevenpiskunov2: So a few things I want to say and sorry if it ends up making thus review really long like some of my other ones have been.
First about me being the first one to understand the Assassins Creed reference, it makes sense others wouldnt get it as a lot of people know them as "The Assassins" and not "The Hidden Ones" it is still one of my favorite game franchises ever tho.
Second, with Bell finally getting the chance to clear up his name by getting a god to ask him, as ridiculous as this sounds, I feel like it may go down like that one show where if some one in a couple is cheating they test to see if the man is the father and they would either get the response "You are the father" or "You are not the father." So if people see the god says something like "He is telling the truth" it will definitely get mixed reactions from everyone, especially the people who actually believed that he killed his goddess.
And lastly (I think...) I know I have said something similar to this already but I do really love reading stories like this as they help pass the time. I always wished I would write like you and other great authors do. I actually have a story idea that I think many would like and like I said I wish I could write it but I was never able to as I am no where near close enough to being a good writer so reading fics like this is the closes I can get. I love reading whether it be books or fanfics as I will continue to do once this story ends and when the new one gets made.
Anyway that's it for this review and I'll see you in the next one
Author: Don't worry about the long review. I quite enjoy reading through them. Makes me smile each time. As for the first point, I can see where you're coming from. 'The Assassins' is a lot more known than 'The Hidden Ones', so you have a really good point there.
For the second one, you were kinda right. There were moment like the 'You're the father' in here, and I do hope you enjoyed it
As for the third point, I understand what you mean. I too take enjoyment in simply sitting down and reading stories. There is just something… therapeutic about it. It just calms me down and allows me to escape into those numerous worlds.
Also, I'd like to encourage you to actually write if you really want to. There is no shame in being bad at it at first. I was horrible in the beginning. My first chapter of Heroic will was horrific, and I have undergone six revisions of it leading to its current version.
Most of the chapters in Heroic Will are rewritten one way or another, though I stopped as I decided on a complete rewrite in the end.
Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is that you should write if you want to and feel like you have a good idea. That's how you learn after all and improve. With time, you may even surpass me! Anything is possible.
I'll also happily help you out if you want, give you tips or simply help you plan if you so want. We authors need to stick together and help one another.
If you decide to write, I'd recommend joining IreJasmines server (Author of 'The Cure' and 'Keeping it in the Family'. Myself and a lot more authors are there with a bunch of other people just chatting, messing with one another and having fun.
We help one another and simply enjoy our time there.
I wish you luck and hope you do take up the habit of writing. WE NEED MORE DANMACHI AUTHORS. There are so few of us at the moment it's almost criminal.
That's all for now though. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and to see you next time!
Ps: Chalister has taken some liberties with the story.