"So you ready?" Raul asked.
Bell nodded as he continued to put on the armor Welf made him. It was silver with red accents. It covered all of his vitals on his chest and back. It also covered his arms and legs but still allowed him to easily maneuver if needed.
"Man, Welf really outdid himself here. It doesn't even feel like I'm wearing armor." Bell said.
Raul walked behind Bell and helped him secure his chestplate. "Yeah, it looks decent enough. Any idea what he made it out of?"
Bell shook his head. "Nope. But I know it'll be useful the further we go down. Oh look, we kinda match."
Raul was wearing armor similar to Bell's. Except his was black and a more medium type of armor. Strapped to Raul's left hip was his sword, and on his right was a small shield.
"So excited for your first expedition?" Raul asked.
"Hell yeah. I'm also a little nervous as well, but that's beside the point. You know how far down we're going?"
Raul ruffled Bell's hair. "Eh, don't worry, you'll be fine. You're a level five now, so half the monsters we're encountering won't be too much of a problem for ya."
Bell smiled as Raul was right. He was a first-class adventurer now, thanks to his fight with Revis. Adding on the incident with Kali and Ishtar. Revis was the tiny boost he needed to level up.
Normally, he would've wanted to get his numbers higher. But since he was about to leave for the expedition, he decided to level up in case something went wrong.
"Yeah. Feels weird being first class now." Bell said.
"Eh, maybe I'll get there one day. I'm close, but I still need a feat to level up. Wish I had a skill like yours that did it quicker."
"Yeah, my skill is kind of cheating, though." Bell chuckled.
Bell had told Raul about his skill as he knew Raul was trustworthy. The two had been up late some nights talking about ways they could prepare for the Long Night.
"Although I do feel like my skill has gotten stronger. I don't know why, but I feel like I leveled up faster than before."
Raul quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Maybe it's because the excilia is richer here?"
"Could be I don't know?"
Silence filled the room as Bell finished putting on his armor.
"So, ready to head to floor 70?" Raul asked.
"70? We're aiming for that floor?"
"Yeah, since we have more heavy hitters with us, Loki wants us to see if we can make it to that floor. It'll be tough, but I think we can do it."
Bell shrugged. "Well, let's get going then. I'll meet you at the entrance of the dungeon. Need to go pick up Welf and Mikoto."
Raul nodded and said goodbye as Bell left. Met and Silver were following him, and his swords were strapped to his sides.
The first stop was Welf's forge.
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"You sure you want to bring me along? I don't think I'd be much help." Welf said, packing forging materials.
"Oh, and why's that? Because someone else told you that?" Bell asked, sitting on a barrel.
"Well, yeah."
"Don't listen to them. Besides, most of Hephaestus's high smiths are coming anyway. I'll just say I'm bringing you and to deal with it."
Welf chuckled before throwing his pack over his shoulder. He grabbed his longsword and sheathed it on his back.
"Hey, Welf, why do you use a longsword? From what I've seen, you just swing it aimlessly."
Welf nervously chuckled. "Uh, well, I don't really know how to use a sword. It was just kind of the first thing that came to mind when I needed a weapon."
Bell nodded. "Uh-huh, and how long have you been using it?"
Welf gulped. "Uh, two years."
Bell cringed. "Alright, we'll need to find you a new weapon. Say, why not use a Warhammer? You're a blacksmith, so it'll be like using a normal hammer but bigger."
Welf put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, it could work. I'll have to try it out later, as I don't have one laying around. But I'll take your idea into consideration."
Bell smiled before hopping off the barrel. "Well, let's get going then. We still have one more pit stop to make before we meet up with everyone else."
Welf wondered what he meant but followed him nevertheless.
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"Please take care of her, Bell," Takemikzuchi asked.
Mikoto was standing next to him with Welf behind them. She was dressed in her normal purple kimono with a shoulder guard on her right shoulder.
"Don't worry, Takemikzuchi. She won't even go past floor 18, so she'll be alright." Bell answered.
"Still, I can't help but worry. She is like a daughter to me, after all." Takemikzuchi smiled.
"Lord Takemikzuchi," Mikoto mumbled.
Takemikzuchi laughed before hugging Mikoto. "Be safe now. We'll be sad if you don't come back to us."
Mikoto didn't say anything but nodded. Bell and Welf watched the scene in awkwardness. Met and Silver just looked at the scene, confused.
"He really seems to care for her," Bell whispered.
"Yeah, almost like a father and daughter saying goodbye to each other."
"Well, now I feel bad about taking her along with us."
"Eh, don't worry too much about it. She's not going too far down."
Takemikzuchi let go of Mikoto, and she walked to the two.
"I'm ready." She said.
Bell smiled and waved goodbye to Takemikzuchi. "Don't worry too much about her. I'll make sure nothing bad happens while we head down."
Takemikzuchi smiled and waved back, watching the group depart. Once they were gone, he felt a tremor under his feet.
"I hope that doesn't mean anything too bad. Good luck, you three, and stay safe."
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After picking up Mikoto, Bell, and his group made it to the entrance of the dungeon, where the rest of the expedition was waiting.
There was a crowd gathered in the streets as they watched this band of adventurers. Members from the Loki, Freya, Poseidon, Hephaestus, and Baldr familia made up the party of adventurers going on this expedition.
Such unity hadn't been seen since the days of Zeus and Hera. Whether Bell knew it or not, he had done this unintentionally.
"Woah, there's so many first-class adventurers," Mikoto said in wonder.
"Holy shit, they aren't pulling any punches with this. Welf added.
"Yeah, and you two get to be a part of this as well. We're making history today. Five familia's, six if you count Mikoto's going on one expedition. Such a thing has never been seen before." Bell smiled.
They pushed their way past the crowd of people gathered around the dungeon. Once they did, Raul waved them over, and they joined up with everyone else.
"About time you made it. We were just about to head down." Cruz said.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I know for a fact Delta and Beatrix wouldn't have left without me." Bell chuckled.
"Oh yeah, Delta's been scouring the crowd for you. Bete keeps trying to hit on her, though." Aki joked.
Before Bell could respond, something slammed into him and crawled on his shoulders.
"Bell! You're finally here!" Delta cheered.
Bell looked up while everyone else, minus Raul, stared in shock.
"Yes, hi Delta. You ready for today?"
Delta nodded with her tail wagging in excitement. "Yeah, Delta's ready to kill monsters and eat meat."
Bell chuckled. "Yeah, you'll have your chance to do a lot of that, too."
"Uh, Bell. Why is she on your shoulders?" Alicia asked.
"Because Delta just does this. Best to let it happen, or else she gets grumpy."
Alicia nodded but was still confused by the situation. The rest of the group didn't say much to this and tried to deal with it like it was normal.
However, a certain werewolf was jealous about the attention Bell was receiving. He'd be left to stew in his jealousy.
"Oh, looks like everyone's heading down," Haruhime said.
"Welp, time to follow them. Delta, you gonna get off my shoulders?"
"Nope!"
"Alright then"
Bell began walking to the entrance with Raul while everyone else followed. Mikoto walked with Haruhime but was a little off put by Bache's presence next to the renard.
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Welf and Mikoto were ahead of the main party, with the rest of the lower-level adventurers clearing the way so they could get some experience. They were on the 13th floor, the farthest down Welf had ever been.
He wasn't struggling as much as he thought he would since he was very close to level two. But having Mikoto back him up was certainly helpful.
"On your left," Mikoto called out.
Welf quickly turned and saw a Hellhound about to shoot fire at him. He quickly chanted and aimed his arm at the Hellhound.
"Will-O-Wisp."
The fire shot back into the Hellhound, causing its head to explode. Mikoto quickly cut down two more Hellhounds that were behind Welf.
"You know I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon," Welf said.
He sliced through several Al Mirages, causing them to turn to dust.
"Well, Sir Bell and I recently worked together on something, and I'm thankful for his help."
Mikoto threw two knives, which killed a dungeon worm.
"Yeah, he told me about that. Say I have some more throwing knives I made if you want them."
Welf kicked a Hellhound right into Mikoto's katana.
"That would be nice. How much are you charging for them?"
"Well, since Bell is the one who helped me get all the materials, and you're technically his friend. It's on the house this time."
Welf sliced off the heads of two Hellhounds before panting.
"How kind."
Mikoto flicked the blood off her blade and sheathed her katana.
"You know we make a pretty good duo." Welf panted.
"We work surprisingly well together, I will admit."
"A blacksmith and a samurai. What could go wrong."
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Back with the main group, Bell was still walking with Delta on his shoulders. He didn't mind her being there, but it had been nearly four hours since she attached herself to him.
"Hey, hey, Bell. Is it true you're level five now?" Delta asked, leaning forward.
"Uh yeah. You know my level-up was announced like a week ago, right?"
"No. But wait, that means you're almost as strong as me. Stop growing. I'm supposed to be stronger than you so I can protect you!"
Bell rolled his eyes. "Delta, I'm not a little boy anymore. I don't want to rely on you and Alfia my whole life."
Delta groaned. "Hmmm, but that means Delta won't be able to help you anymore! Delta likes helping you."
Bell smiled. "You can still help me. It'll just have to be in a different way."
Delta pouted. "I want you to be tiny again. Delta doesn't like it when you grow up."
Bell just chuckled and shook his head.
Further back, Bell's friends looked on in confusion.
"They seem awfully close," Aki stated.
"A little too close," Bache grumbled. She wanted Bell to carry her on his shoulders.
"Oh well, Sir Bell says he doesn't have any romantic attraction Lady Delta. He says she's more akin to an older sister. Haruhime said, equally jealous.
"Well, that's good for the three of you then. Means you have a shot." Cruz joked.
Alicia promptly elbowed him in the ribs.
"Fighting for your man, I see." Cruz wheezed.
Alicia went to elbow him again but was stopped by Narvi.
"Once was enough." She said.
Alicia pulled her elbow back and continued walking. Narvi grabbed Cruz's ear and pulled him closer.
"And you need to stop provoking her." Narvi scolded.
"Ah, the ear, the ear!"
Raul looked at the scene before sighing and continuing onwards. Aki caught up to him and, put her hands behind her back and leaned forward.
"You know, Raul. You haven't said much since we've descended."
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I'm just thinking about a brain puzzle Bell gave me." Raul said.
"Oh really? What'd he ask you? Is it another one of your guy things?"
Raul chuckled. "No, it's not that. He's been giving me these puzzles ever since he found out I was next in line for that captain spot. I'll admit some of them are hard."
Aki quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, so he's kind of preparing you in a way? Isn't that supposed to be Finn's job?"
"It is, but he hasn't taught me anything. Anytime I ask, he says he's busy and then rings his Tione bell so she can do something for him."
Aki frowned. "Well, that's dumb. Finn should be teaching you if you're supposed to take over once he's gone. Instead, he's trying to make his glorious prum race and leave us behind."
Raul's eyes widened. "Aki, what are you saying?"
Aki scoffed. "Please, Raul, it's obvious to most of us. Finn could give less of a shit about us if it doesn't paint him as a good guy."
Raul was shocked about what Aki was saying. Where did this come from? It seemed out of nowhere.
"Raul, we all know it's true. Remember back on floor 60 when those worm monsters came and spat acid at us? Finn wanted to stay and fight even while our weapons were melting. Gareth and Riveria had to drag him away while he was kicking and screaming about us staying and fighting."
Raul went to respond, but no words came out. Aki was right; Finn would've gotten them killed had they stayed on that floor.
"Look, I haven't said anything til now out of respect to our captain. But him not teaching you is the last straw. When we get back, I'm bringing this to Loki!"
Raul furrowed his brow. "Wait? How come you're comparing now that I'm involved?"
Aki groaned and facepalmed. "Never mind, Raul."
Aki walked away while Raul was left to sort out what she said.
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After another hour, the expedition arrived on floor 18. When Bell entered the floor, he had to stop and enjoy the sight.
Lavish forests stretching out as far as the eye can see. Waterfalls and a fake sun. Off in the distance appeared to be a village. Bell looked to the ceiling and saw shining crystals, which he knew mimicked the sunlight, thanks to Alfia's lessons.
The town of Rivira had already taken care of the Goliath the week before, so the expedition didn't have to worry about that.
"Alright, everyone, set up your tents and eat. We're spending the rest of the night here, and then tomorrow, we're heading deeper. Make sure to get plenty of rest." Leon ordered.
Everyone got to work setting up their tents. Since there were over 300 adventurers, some would have to share, but they didn't mind. They were making history as the Five Familia collation.
"Raul, hand me that spike," Bell said.
Raul did as he asked, and Bell hammered it into the ground. He stepped back and was glad their tent was set up. It was a medium-sized red tent able to fit ten people easily.
They weren't going to separate by gender as they weren't children and could control themselves. Of course, the high executives got their own tents and were allowed to be by themselves when sleeping.
"Oh man, this is gonna be like camping!" Bell exclaimed.
"You've never been camping before?" Cruz asked, setting down firewood.
"Does everyone forget I come from a snowy hell in the mountains?"
"Right, stupid question," Cruz muttered.
Bell rolled his eyes before tossing his sleeping bag into the tent. Once done, he walked over to the fire and started it with his magic.
"Well, that's useful," Raul muttered.
Once the fire was lit, everyone brought out their lunch and gathered around the campfire. On today's menu was sausage and potatoes.
"Eh, not the best food, but eat what you can when in the dungeon." Aki mused.
"I hate sausage," Narvi grumbled.
"Oh, they're not that bad. This food was my best friend when I was fleeing Rakia." Welf laughed. He was happy to eat sausage.
"I'd much prefer rice." Mikoto groaned.
"Hey, has anyone seen Lefiya?" Alicia asked.
"Probably off simping over, Ais," Cruz answered.
"Yup, sounds like her," Raul added.
Bell chuckled. "So I haven't seen this first hand, but how bad is it?"
"Bad. Like that girl lives and breathes Ais." Aki chuckled.
"Oh gods, that bad? I don't get what she sees in Ais. She isn't anything extraordinary, really."
"You're one to talk. You fought a level eight that was trying to kill you at level three and survived." Raul pointed out.
"You did what!" Bache yelled.
"Eh, it happened before I met you, so don't worry too much about it, and the only reason I survived was because Alicia saved my life, then Alfia. If that didn't happen, I'd have been a head on the sand."
Alicia furrowed her brow. "Wait, I saved you? How? All I did was get thrown off him and captured?"
Bell chuckled. "Alicia, you jumped on him at the right time. I was seconds away from getting my head cut off until you distracted him, and I maybe got a little angry when he hurt you."
Bell mumbled that last part, but everyone heard him.
Aki's tail teasingly poked into Bell's side. "Aw, look, Alicia. He's flustered."
Bell looked away from where while Aki continued.
"Go away, Aki."
"Nope"
Bell groaned. "Raul, come get your girlfriend away from me."
Raul blushed in embarrassment. "Wah, wait, no, she's not. We're-
Everyone laughed at Raul's embarrassment, and Bell was glad the attention was off him. However, once the laughter died down, a certain question was asked.
"Welf, you said you had to flee Rakia. Why was that?" Alicia asked.
Bell sat ramrod straight, and his heart started beating a little faster. He looked over to Welf, who was fidgeting nervously in his seat. He couldn't look anyone in the eyes, and he started sweating a little.
"Welf, you alright?" Cruz asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just, Um," Welf took a deep breath. "Alright, here we go. I fled Rakia because they were using me and exploiting me for their own gain."
Bell moved a little closer to Alicia, who was sitting next to him. She didn't seem to notice as her attention was on Welf.
"How were they exploiting you?" Narvi asked, a little intrigued.
Welf looked to Bell for help and was lucky because the twins came over.
"Hey girls, we're going to the stream to take a bath. Any of you want to join in?" Tione asked.
"Yeah, and white hair can come too if he wants," Tiona added.
"No, I'm good." Bell quickly said. He heard disapproving noises coming from his Grandpa back home.
"Aw, oh well," Tiona grumbled.
Luckily for Welf, Alicia agreed to go with them, as did the rest of the girls. Once they were gone, Cruz and Raul turned to Welf.
"So what has you so nervous about talking about your past," Cruz asked.
Raul elbowed him. "Cruz, not now. He's clearly uncomfortable talking about it."
"No, it's not that. It's just...how do I tell Alicia my last name is Crozzo?" Welf nervously asked.
Both Raul and Cruz winced when they heard that.
"I wouldn't say anything," Cruz said.
"Yeah, best if you don't."
"You're a Crozzo?" Leon asked.
Everyone jumped in fright and turned to the blonde-haired man who stood next to Bell.
"Oh great, you're here. Get ready for a lesson, everyone." Bell groaned.
Leon chuckled as he sat down next to Bell. "Don't worry, Welf, your secret is safe with me. But may I offer you a word of advice?"
"Uh, sure?" Welf answered.
"Don't let your family name carry you down. You obviously want to be different from them, that much I can tell. So my advice to you is to show your change through your actions rather than your words."
"Yeah, but I'm doing that. I'm refusing to make magic swords." Welf shot back.
Leon chuckled. "That's the easy way, young man. Sure, you can refuse to use your talent and suffer for it. Or you can rebrand the magic sword as a whole. Use it not for violence but protection."
"But how we he do that? A sword is a weapon." Raul asked.
Leon chuckled again. "Well, that depends on how you see a sword. Yes, a sword is technically a weapon. But it can be used as a tool for self-defense. It's all about how you look at it."
"So you want Welf to make a self-defense sword that can burn a building down in one swing?" Bell asked.
Leon laughed. "No, you misunderstand my meaning. Welf here has the chance to rebrand magic swords from weapons used by conquerors. To tools of defense against the monsters of the dungeon and the dangers it holds."
Welf sat there in thought with his hand on his chin. He now had two of the most famous adventurers in the world give him a goal for his magic swords. One to make an unbreakable one that doesn't leave its owner, and another that has him rebrand magic swords as a whole.
"But what if someone smuggled them out of Orario?" Cruz asked.
"That can happen. But why throw away a whole project just because of a few bad apples and mishaps?"
Welf remained lost in thought as Bell turned to him. "So what's your decision, Welf? I'll stand by you either way."
Welf was quiet a minute longer before answering. "I don't know. Leon makes a good point, and Alfia did as well. I guess in my anger for my family and my blood, I didn't think about the different possibilities. I'm not sure what I want to do now. A part of me wants to make them so I can protect my friends. But another part of me still hates my blood and what it's done. I don't know what to do."
"And that's fine. Decisions like these take time and are not something you should rush into. But this is just some advice from a teacher who likes to see young men like you grow."
Cruz and Raul looked to Bell.
"Uh, Bell, he doesn't seem like an annoying teacher." Raul pointed out.
"Yeah, I'd actually enjoy his classes if I went to school."
"This is one of the rare times I agree with him," Bell grumbled.
Leon chuckled before ruffling Bell's hair. "He just finds me annoying because I try and get him to join the education district every time I see him. He has yet to see me really teach."
Bell rolled his eyes while Leon kept his hand on his head.
"This still doesn't help with telling everyone else who I am. Especially Alicia." Welf pointed out.
"Don't worry about Alicia. I'll make sure she doesn't do anything to you." Bell comforted.
Leon smirked. "Oh, another girl I see. Tell me, Bell, was she on the roof that night? Do you plan on adding her to your harem?"
Bell looked away from Leon as the others snickered at him. "Shut up, Leon."
Leon didn't and proceeded to make fun of Bell for the next hour. His friends joined in as well.
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In a dimly lit chamber deep within Orario, a figure kneeled before Ouranus.
"Tell me, how is the coalitions expedition going?" The old god asked.
"It's going well, my lord. They've already arrived on floor 18 and have set up camp."
"Good. Very good. Does anyone suspect you?"
"Only one, my lord. He's the leader, so I can get rid of him. But he gave me a task to accomplish."
Ouranus stroked his beard. "And what would that be?"
"I must kill a high-ranking member of the coalition."
"Hmm, I see. Do you have any candidates?"
"I do, my lord. However, I'm forbidden from killing Bell Cranel. We have an order that he is off limits for fear of what the Silence will do in retaliation."
Ouranus sighed. "Very well. Pick your target and carry out your mission. All I ask is that you make it quick. Your cover is more important than a single life."
"As you wish, my lord."
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Night came on the 18th floor, and Bell had first watch along with Alicia. He was lying on the grass and using Met as a pillow. She didn't seem to mind, as she could easily handle his weight. Silver rested atop the Dire Wolf, who didn't mind his presence either.
"So, how are you enjoying your first expedition so far?" Alicia asked. She was sitting on a log by the campfire.
Bell sighed and looked at the crystals above him. "I'm enjoying myself. Kind of feels like a camping trip with friends. Which I didn't know how that felt until now."
Alicia giggled as she got off the log and sat next to Bell. She laid into Met, and she didn't mind. She just kept lying down.
"Did you not have many friends in Hearthome?" Alicia asked.
Bell shook his head. "No, there weren't a lot of kids there due to infertility issues, and all the kids that were there found me weird and off-putting."
"What? No, you're not. Those kids don't know what they're talking about."
Bell chuckled as Alicia had seem to come back out of her shell. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the false moon and fake stars.
"It truly is beautiful down here. Alfia's words don't even begin to describe the 18th floor."
"It is. I remember my first time down here. It was about six years ago now."
"Six years. Aren't you like my age?" Bell asked.
Alicia giggled again. "Bell, I'm 25."
Bell's head whirled around, and he looked at her. "There is no way you are 25. You look like you're my age."
Alicia laughed as she found Bell's confusion funny and cute at the same time. He also liked his compliments of her being younger than she actually was.
"I'm serious, Bell. Honest to God's truth, I'm 25."
Bell shook his head, a smile on his face. "Well, I'll admit when I've been surprised. Did not expect that."
Alicia and Bell laughed and fell into another comfortable silence. Bell was glad to spend time with Alicia. He hadn't really done it since Monsterphelia. She was fun to be around.
"Bell, can I ask you a personal question?" Alica asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Bell answered.
"That locket you wear. What's inside it?"
Bell didn't immediately answer. Instead, he reached into his shirt and pulled the locket out. Attached to the same necklace was the bunny charm Cruz got him.
Bell opened the locket and showed it to Alicia. "It's a picture of my parents before I was born. My mom is about eight months pregnant here."
Alicia took the pendant in her hand and looked at the picture. "Your mom looks beautiful, and is that Longclaw with your dad?"
Alicia handed him the locket back, and he put it away. "Yeah, he tossed it to Alfia before distracting the dragon. He said he wanted his son to have something of his. My dagger is my mother's."
Bell put his hand on Longclaw and smiled. Alicia leaned back more and liked Met's soft fur.
"My parents were farmers-
"What'd they grow leaves?" Bell joked.
Alicia smiled and elbowed him. "Not funny, and no, they grew carrots and potatoes."
"Were they any good at farming?"
"They are. We own the biggest farm in my forest, which has been passed down from generation to generation."
"Wow, that's impressive. So why did you leave?"
Alicia sighed before looking to Silver and back to Bell. "Because my forest is close to Dragon Valley. I despise the dragons coming from there, so I came to Orario to get strong enough to stop them."
Bell looked to Silver, then back to Alicia. "You don't hate Silver, do you? Cause he's a dragon as well."
Alicia shook her head. "No, Silver's different. He's a more pure dragon than the ones from Dragon Valley. He's also not a monster but a magical being. It's hard to explain, but he's not like the ones from the dungeon or Dragon Valley."
Bell nodded, still a little confused. "Got it, so he's not on your shit list."
Alicia smiled and nodded. "Yes, he's not on my shit list."
Silence once again fell between the two, and they let it stay for a while. They looked up at the crystals that mimicked the day and night. The reflection off them also mimicked the stars, and Bell was still amazed at how the dungeon could do something like this.
His attention was brought back to Alicia as he felt her grab his hand. Furrowing his brow, he looked down and saw she was. He looked back at her and saw her attention was still on the crystals above.
"Uh, Alicia?"
"Yes, Bell."
"You're holding my hand."
"I know."
"Oh. Ok."
Bell didn't say anything more and went back to looking at the crystals. He knew that Alicia holding his hand meant she liked him enough that she allowed him to touch her.
Which made his heart flutter a bit, as elves were known for their stinginess when it came to their skin. He was even further surprised when Alicia laid her head on his shoulder. He didn't have his armor on, as he should be able to handle anything this floor threw at him easily.
"Hey, Bell."
"Yeah?"
"Is it alright to tell you I'm a little scared for the rest of this expedition?"
"Yeah. To be honest, I'm a little nervous myself. So why don't we watch each other's backs until we reach the surface again?"
"I'd like that."
Silence once more filled the air, and the two didn't say anything more. They simply enjoyed each other's presence until their watch was up.
Well, another day, another chapter. Anyway, the expedition is starting off nicely. Hopefully, that'll last (yeah, right)
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the little bits of fluff, which seems to be most of what happened in these last chapters. I wonder what that could mean.
But that doesn't matter right now, and I'll see you guys later.
