"It's nice to see your familia is back Lady Astrea, hopefully the wider public will be more accepting of Gale's return."
A nice breeze came by as if to grace the woman's words, sweeping through a garden of flowers as two figures were talking, sat in a white garden chairs enjoying tea in the afternoon...
"It's been too long since we last talked Riveria, Cooperation with Loki was made infinitely easier than it should have been with you around."
"Well... She is not bad goddess... Just that she need to control herself better." The high elf said disappointed.
"That sounds like the Loki I knew... Pffffft." Astrea broke into a gorgeous giggle. She really missed the people of Orario, especially her allies...
Riveria was often sent on more "diplomatic" missions for the Loki familia. Being trained for this situations she was the obvious pick, and it was interesting for her to meet new people, which led to the alliance their familias had in the past...
"Though we should talk about something else, which, as unpleasant as it is, needs to be discussed..." The chestnut haired goddess said.
"Why is it that the Loki familia never said anything... Or objected to the bounty placed on my last child?" Riveria should have known that wad coming, still, from the tone Astrea adopted, she seemed more careful than angry, as if trying to remain partial and being too weary of her emotions.
"The choice was not mine... Rest assured that was the case... Though I will admit that I've feared you were going to ask me that when we met at the guild a week ago... I tried to help Ryuu but... She shut herself off... I helped cover her up, but..." Riveria told the truth, of course, Ryuu was
"That's enough, none of it was a lie, so I can believe you at least had the best intentions in mind." Astrea said, her expression not betraying what she had in mind, though a goddess of justice seldom lies anyway.
"Well..." The elven royal seemed to ponder the reaction, but took it in good faith, Astrea was an ally before, and is still, hopefully, a friend... She couldn't deny their familia any more help, that would be the least they could do... The capture of so many evilus generals... the sending back of almost all their gods... though mainly attributed to the Loki and sometimes Freya familia, they were all achieved thanks to the courage of Astrea's girls. "If you need any help, please ask. restarting might be difficult, specially with so many enemies as you have gathered in the past."
"Not a problem, though my new child does possess it's flaws, he is indeed quite capable of defending myself, and I do believe that Ryuu hasn't gotten any rust herself." She said, with full confidence in their capabilities. Yet she would not completely deny the offer. "If need ever arises, then I will gladly call upon your help." Astrea said it with intent, she was sure to need it, be it far into the future or right now, she knew that caution was not to be ignored.
"Great to know. But speaking about your new recruit, who is he? I was intrigued when you made such a change to your familia's old rules."
"Bell... His past is unfortunate as it could be, though I will not betray his trust in me. Now, what I can say is that he is hard worker, his drive is honestly far surpassing that of even Alise, once he starts to level up, I am sure that he may become far stronger than my old familia."
"That is interesting, if Alise had reached level 6 she could certainly beat most of the Loki familia fighters, not that Loki would ever admit it."
"Oh yeah, she would never even have the thought, still with his dungeon progress skyrocketing the last few days since we registered him, it's impressive, perhaps more so now than ever."
"Now? I'm not sure I follow?"
"Simple, adventurers stagnated, just like..." Her eyes widened a bit, recalling something from Bell's story... A rather IMPORTANT detail. "... Just like Erebus said... All those years ago..."
That was peculiar, Riveria knew from second hand his agenda, mainly because Astrea familia had shared a report to the guild, but that was never public knowledge, she could have forgotten it and would never revisit those words, if it wasn't for what Astrea said right now. Coming to think of it... She was right, even their rookies were left behind in levels compared to their seniors.
"So where is he at right now? In dungeon floors, I mean."
"I cleared him all the way up to five, yet it wouldn't surprise me if he was in the sixth right now..." She said with a sigh, like a worried mother, at the end...
.
.
.
Slash to the side, another feint, parry the claw and thrust- No! A punch was thrown instead, brutal and vicious, the haymaker seemed to disorientate the warshadow, then the white haired adventurer burst forth in savage speed, his sword then drove deep in the crystal-like eye of the monster shattering it and leaving only the corpses of monsters already defeated behind, then came the truly gruesome, but rather calm part.
"That was fun..." Bell said between breaths, truly the dungeon had been extra hard today, he was already feeling hungry... So hungry... And, to his displeasure... He realized how he was starting to stare at the magic stones he was collecting... There wouldn't be any problem right?.. Just one... I-I... I hate this... He thought, yet still cleaned up one and ate it, daring not to dwell on the satisfaction it gave him, neither the sense of dread that gathered within him... It hadn't been the first time he did it, but... He never liked it, it reminded him of WHAT he was... And what his nature truly is... How it made different to others, and honestly... Paranoid that those he met would be disgusted should they ever discover, he even doubted Astrea that night when she hadn't come back, but he was understanding enough... After all, what he was didn't change who he was.
He was Bell at the end of the day... A kind human who was quick to forgive people and perhaps too trusting at times, though he was working on that, due to how his entire... Species? Needs to be a secret, one that he was learning to keep with Astrea, there were many ways to evade a god's lie-piercing gaze, the truth was easily hidden in a clever game of works, not that he could do much right now.
"That should be enough for this dive..." He giddily said out loud, this meant one thing... He could go even further, despite what Astrea said, despite what his advisor said (though he appreciated Eina's input in the last few days) Bell did it for himself... It was a promise he had made, the sooner he became stronger, the sooner he could finally met the... "Others like him" as Ouranos put it. It interested him like no other thing ever did, like a calling born out of the desperation and alienation that he was burdened with, Astrea cared for him and tried to help him with his mental health of course, he was young and to many effects traumatized. She saw how scared he was of other people, he was a monster hybrid, he became one of mortal kind enemies, the monsters, so to hear that there was somewhere that even a freak like him belonged... It did a lot to give him hope despite his condition.
That was why he went down further, despite ignoring Astrea's advice, he went on to the sixth floor...
He saw nothing out of the ordinary for the first few steps through, the winding corridors got bigger, the greenish light was still there, yet something was weird... I was expecting more monsters... Perhaps they were wiped by a higher level part? if so why did they not respawn already... He was beginning to feel anxious... The dark was easily dispelled by his eyes, a blessing that he was granted by his monstruous nature, yet that was barely enough to calm him, Astrea was wise in having Ryuu speak to him about the traps that sprouted in the dungeon, they were always heralded by the calm before the storm, and could be prepared against by a vigilant adventurer.
Yet he couldn't prepare against the next moment, quick shining claws stuck to his ankles drawing blood as shadows moved in the dark, so effortlessly camouflaged that even Bell couldn't discern between them.
He quickly kicked the claw away, thankful that the off balance creature was still getting up, he rushed towards it and stabbed it's core, rendering it no more than dust, yet a blow was trade for another blow as a kobold had slammed both hands against Bell's head in a powerful heavy hit, that forced him to drop his sword, he was pushed into a very bad spot. The pounding in his ears was incessant and he was unsure how to leave that awful situation, but before he could do anything the Kobold continued in an onslaught of claws and bites, slashes and lunges towards the poor boy.
He was on the ropes, he would die if he didn't get to his knife, and he couldn't allow that, he wouldn't be snuffed out so easily... No... He would not let his story end so quickly... He would persevere, if not by his wits and intellect, his knowledge and technique... Then he would have to rely on his bare instincts... The voice deep in his head whenever he fought... The whisper that accompanied him during his mad struggle in the forest, that he hid ever since being captured...
He raised his arms, crossed together to shield him from the beast's attacks, cuts littered them even though they were protected by leather vambraces, which were now shredded... He couldn't allow this to go on... So he screamed:
"GET THE HELL OUT!" He shouted, pushing away the Kobold and surrounding monsters almost by his voice alone, he glanced at his hands and was surprised to find them slowly recovering and, on top of that, bone white claws covered by slight dark purple cracks that seemed to surge with his emotion... T-transformation?! NO! I can't spare this any thought not until I'm safe! He lunged at the monsters and enemies that surrounded him, all too surprise to see the tables turn on what was supposed to be an ambushed, even their primal shrieks of pain didn't rally them back against their enemy, for they had awoken something far worse inside Bell, a force that the dungeon itself relied on to survive.
Sharp claws that could cut all his enemies to thin ribbons were sticking out of his knuckles, covering his fingers in a sharp exoskeleton... He used his natural weapon almost in am instinctual level, and that was scary to think, Bell was proficient in his weapon, though mainly through Ryuu's spartan level of training, he was a kind person who, if not to protect others, would never pick up a sword, so one might not realize at first the difference in his stance.
Feral was the best word to describe it, no longer was the young man there, instead, only a creature remained, though he still maintained all mental faculties, he was still himself... Just working under that damned instinct... The one of a juggernaut, the defender of the dungeon... And his familia's doom.
Blood was spilled on the walls, the magic stones he took from the monsters no longer went to his bag, they only served to feed him strength for his frenzied fight, the enemies pilled up, yet the monsters were slowly dying off.
Wave after wave, dodging claws and counter poking with his own, sidestepping landforms thrown at his direction, his opponents retreated after a while and, in spite of a few injuries, Bell had to hold himself back, blood pumping and adrenaline on his veins, to venture deeper was too risky, and he would not break Astrea, neither his advisor Eina's, trust.
So he stopped, panting and tired, he looked at his hands, the claws were still there, and he was beginning to panic...
H-How can I... Is there even any way to... Make then... Go back.
He tried anything, hitting then in the wall, tensing the muscles... Nothing worked, and to add to his desperation... He could hear someone coming.
The steps were calm and regular, definitively an adventurer... Yet that calmed him no more than a minotaur charging at him. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and once he saw a ripped chunk of his shirt... Bell settled upon a horrifying idea...
.
.
.
Filvis watched around the entrance to the middle floors, an elf with red eyes and dark hair... An accursed one... Yet, her similarities with a certain adventurer stops not at the color of their eyes...
She too was a creature ever since the 27th floor... Though she was a natural born one... Her death was violated by the dungeon and she reborn... With magic to indicate that division in her soul.
She had orders to check on certain entrances to the underground labyrinth, the man made dungeon, Knossos... Yet she still didn't understand why it had to be her, she was already scouring the lower floors as Ein, there was little to no reason for her to come here, though her duty was done either way.
"And now that this is done... There shouldn't be anything else..." She silenced her voice and thoughts. Expecting, but hoping not, to hear the voice that haunted a creatures life...
She walked impatient, there were no calls, no signs of monsters too... Nothing, she would be clear to return to Dionysus, and that was all that matters.
The outskirts of Rivira and the under resort were long since left behind, Filvis didn't rush but thay meant little, an adventurer's speed was much more than the average person, and even a light walk could outpace a normal jog, still she wanted little to do with the cave around her, all she wanted was to go back.
*What was that?* She heard it, the signs of fighting, at the 6th floor no less, she was overdue to see someone in the dungeon, as her trip was unusually silent, she didn't bother running though, she had no reason to believe anything out of the ordinary was happening.
When Filvis arrived at the battle scene, she saw something peculiar... A white haired adventurer, he turned around and she saw something...
His left hand was almost slung in a makeshift cast that covered his hand, the blood on the rest of his body painted a pretty convincing picture. His hair was messy and his clothes were ripped to shreds even if some armor protected him.
Though his right hand... It's skin was ripped from the knuckles to the fingers, nothing a good potion wouldn't fix, but a weird wound to have. His mangled digits held a weird set of talon-like claws... "That's a weird drop item, never seen any like that. Are you alright?"
She didn't knew why she even bothered asking, perhaps she was curious about the unusual drop item, maybe she just felt attracted to him because of some weird connection or just plain old pity.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm just fine..." His face said otherwise and he wasn't good with lying. "Just bit more than I could chew, thank you for asking though." He said, pulling out a vial from his belt and trying in vain to open it up with his teeth, Filvis couldn't just stand there, and tried to help...
"Allow me, I'd hate to see another adventurer get and infection."
He handed her the vial, and as she poured out the contents in his hands he felt like asking: "So, miss, I don't believe I have heard your name?"
"Oh..." She was actually surprise, perhaps now that she could think it over it was rare for her reputation to not be known.
"Call me Filvis, Captain of the Dionysus familia, and you are?" Once she was done, she could see his face much clearer, almost reminded her of someone she saw in the past...
"I'm Bell Cranel, dungeon captain of the Astrea familia." He was named that, ever since they officialized Ryuu's return, and since she barely entered the dungeon, save for emergencies and the monthly visit to their old familia's grave.
That changed too much, She couldn't just pass up the opportunity... With the return of the gale wind... I can feel it... "She" wants it too... No... "She" wants it too much... What's her obsession with you?
"Please, allow me to help you, Astrea familia did good to the city, it would be a shame if something were to happen." Filvis tried then, to make some sort of friendly gesture, besides, the Astrea familia wouldn't have any suspicion on them... Though there would be a problem were they ever to meet Revis.
"Oh, I guess I can accept, the help then, Miss Filvis." he grabbed his weapon with his free hand and prepared to go up, while the elf just anxiously looked at him, hiding her worries, but that encounter could be problematic, just like that damned sword princess...
The party had no problem going up, after all, a single level two could already go up and down the first floors freely with almost no risk, at least the talk was enjoyable, Filvis seemed to like Bell for some reason, he was almost the exact opposite of her, he was a pure and kind hearted individual, he just had some sort of aura that seemed to calm even "Her" whispers... She... Actually enjoyed it. And she didn't know why... Yet that was fine for now, although she didn't exactly liked why she was helping him...
She insisted on walking Bell all the way to the stardust gardens, skipping the guild and any healer weirdly enough, his injuries seemed to slow him little, in fact, she could barely see the cuts through the blood on his skin almost like he was slowly regenerating, not unlike when she consumed the cores of monsters, though that sometimes happened to small cuts thanks to the falna and healing potions, when they reached the front door, they bid each other farewell and Bell entered the house...
He didn't last through the front door... He ran through the halls, crying in his room... He unwrapped his fully functioning arm and could just stare at it, afraid and alone... Though not alone for long, his breakdown attracted the attention of his goddess, who slowly opened the door to his room to see Bell, he sat at his bed, afraid of what how she would react to it... And to his surprise... She did wasn't scared, nor angry, nor did she threw him out... What did happened, was a serious conversation, one that needed to happen:
"Shhhhhhh... You don't need any explanation, I don't care about what you think I should know about, calm yourself first." Astrea whispered, grasping his clawed hand, she knew the obvious, his condition was beginning to manifest, yet that didn't meant he himself was a monster, she knew... No, she hoped... That he would be able to retract it or learn to control it, her eyes scanned near the mangled hand, and the claws that she saw thrown on the bed, she understood what he did, and why he looked so broken...
Astrea sat there, serving as the pillar that Bell needed, once he did calm down, she could only smile at the sight: His claw seemed to retract back into skin, leaving nothing but a light scar in his flesh, nothing that would give away his identity, nothing that would scare him... Not anymore, which made it easier for Bell to speak about what happened..
"So, this Filvis, was she the one that helped you? I'll be sure to thank Dionysus in person then, though I think we have a new problem in our hands... Bell I think it's time to tell Ryuu... You have been training for a few weeks, and I'm sure she would accept you."
"... I... I don't know... I'm... Scared... And... I don't want to... I don't to risk it..." He said through sobs and hiccups, Bell was just child, he was 14 years old, of course he would be scared, he lost so much... Yet Astrea was right, sooner or later they would have to tell Ryuu, and the sooner the better... Ryuu had all the right, after all, she is helping him, so much already, be it with the training or the advice and besides... M-Ms. Ryuu deserves to know...
The silence before Bell's decision was deafening, his resolve building up before he could raise his head and voice to look at Astrea with relative pride in his decision and strength: "Yes, she deserves to know that, and if I might learn to... Control this changes... At least in combat... I know that I will need help."
Astrea would never leave him alone in a vulnerable moment, she knew that he was scared and needed support, and she also knew that Bell would have to learn to open himself up, at least to those that can be trusted... So that meant that they would indeed tell Ryuu... The question was when? "If you wish Bell, we can leave the discussion for tomorrow, I can see how exhausting the day was for you." Astrea offered him the rest he very much needed, though she knew that he probably would not be sleeping well at night... "Thank you lady Astrea... A-also! S-shouldn't we contact Fells about this?" "Indeed, I will send him a letter later. He is the only one who can help us regarding your body, though I suspect that we may already have the tiniest of notions a out your claws." She said, pointing to his hands that, though they now had small almost bone-like scars coming from them, no longer displayed the harsh talons that they once did. "I... Didn't even realize..." He whispered... Shocked by just how deep he was into despair.
.
.
.
"Lady Astrea? Why did you call me?" Ryuu asked her goddess, she had just entered her office, and was surprised to see the goddess of justice's serious expression, and Bell's distraught face was even more worrying, the poor rookie was sweating bullets... The air in the room was far too serious for the usual briefing, and since they wouldn't be engaging in fighting crime until regrowing the familia, this meant that something bad happened.
"Ryuu, take a seat. We need to talk about something... I will also ask you to refrain from any harsh or quick judgements, Bell..." She looked at her child. "There is no need to be afraid, just tell her the story, I will speak only when necessary."
"Miss R-Ryuu... I... I will start with a bit of context... Astrea told me about... A case that you and the familia h-had worked on long ago... An Evilus project called... L-Lady Astrea! What was it... Again..?"
"Project cross breed." She then quickly shoot a glance to Ryuu hope to Gauge her reaction, the results were expected... She didn't like to be remembered of the horrible case, an entire laboratory full of "failed experiments" In the end they never even caught the mad man who performed the operations... Though they did jail the woman responsible for supplying their "lab rats" the manager of an orphanage in Daedalus street...
"Lady Astrea, did something happened? I don't... No, I can't believe that the project survived... Not after what we did to the place, and... After what I did to... evilus... Right?" She seemed much more distressed now.
"The... Project, was moved to outside of Orario... They began to source the people from other places..." Bell spoke, shocking Ryuu, who was still wondering what could be the reason for the meeting.
"Indeed, Ryuu, your efforts really undermined evilus' power, though the remains still operate in the shadows of places that adventurers don't exactly look for... As a result, victims of these horrible people have began to increase in numbers... Yet they would be hardly getting any help or justice from the authorities." Astrea continued.
"But then... Why even continue? The project didn't have any success, and even the notion of a human and monster hybrid is... Ridiculous."
"They didn't have any success... Until now..." Spoke Bell, who seemed to shrink in his seat, not knowing how would Ryuu react, terribly afraid that she would want him gone from the familia, Praying that it wasn't the case...
"BELL?" She took a while to reflect... She understood the message and why she had been, called... She knew now why Bell seemed to be so reserved, and could probably guess the tragic story that Astrea spoke about in the past... She hadn't met Bell for long but they were quick to develop an almost sibling like relationship... She could only feel pity for the boy and vowed to help him in any way possble...
.
.
.
This is the end of the chapter, I have to say I feel sorry for this fic, but I can't seem to get much progress with it... Anyway I await your reviews, specially this last scene with Ryuu. Also, I had made a cover for this long ago, kinda forgot to add it...