Chapter 2:
The next morning, there were four familia members awake earlier than the rest. Welf returned to his forge, already hard at work. There was no real reason to return to his work other than the fact that he wanted to check and make sure that everything was alright with his forge. Thankfully, everything was just where he left it. The next two were Ryuu and Mikoto, off to recruit help from the Hostess of Fertility for Mikoto's training. Finally, there was a boy, out to see a girl, to talk about their future.
Walking through Orario in the early morning, Bell was overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia. How many times had he made the same walk? Strolling through familiar paths on Daedalus Street, Bell was reminded of when he was chased through these same streets by a certain elven mage. He remembered chasing Weine through these same streets, and when he carried the Goddess from danger.
It was only a couple of minutes, but it felt like hours had passed when he finally began his ascent up the staircase of the wall of Orario. He reached the top and was greeted by three familiar people.
"Mister Argonaut!"
One was Tiona, who bounded over and tackled Bell in a hug.
"It is good to see you again, Bell Cranel. I take it you survived?"
Lefiya seemed equal parts happy to see him and angry that he showed his face. That was nothing new, though. The two of them seemed to be there for moral support, to keep Ais motivated enough to stay.
"…"
The last one was Ais, of course, and she was quiet. She looked anywhere but at Bell.
She mumbled, "Tiona, Lefiya…"
The other two took that as their cue to leave. Lefiya nodded, with what might have been a smile? Tiona was much more enthusiastic, pounding Bell on the back, saying that they would get drinks soon. Soon enough, there was just the boy and the girl.
Bell was looking for something to say, his eyes searching the floor. Then he was caught, two arms wrapped around his shoulders. He could feel Ais's body shaking, and she felt the tears on his neck and her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," was all she said. She kept repeating the same phrase over and over again.
Bell was shocked into silence. Ais had never been like this before. She just kept holding onto him and crying her eyes out. Eventually, she ran out of tears and just held him. Bell cleared his throat and wriggled in her grip, which caused Ais to startle. Slowly, she let go of Bell and wiped at her eyes and nose. Bell panicked then because his grandfather had always told him to carry a handkerchief for crying women, but he didn't have one! The ultimate faux pas was being committed!
She finally finished cleaning her snot, and she looked away, red dusting her cheeks. She mumbled out something that Bell couldn't understand.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ais, what did you say?" asked Bell.
Ais mumbled something again, but Bell could not hear. He leaned closer.
"One more time, please?"
"Do you want to sit and talk?" asked Ais, her voice clear. Her face had slid back into its usual mask, which made it hard for Bell to get a read on her. Nonetheless, he nodded, and the two of them sat on the rampart, overlooking the city. They sat in silence for a while before Ais spoke first.
"How was your journey?" she asked.
"It was exciting. I saw more of the world than I thought existed," he replied.
"Did you find that elf's goddess?"
"Yeah, we found Lady Astrea. She had restarted her familia and offered for Ryuu to join."
"What'd Ryuu do?"
"She said no, and officially transferred over to our familia."
The boy and the girl sat in a silence as thick as the morning fog. The boy was so careful with his emotions, especially after what he had just witnessed. The girl didn't know what to do with the feelings she was experiencing. No one had ever left her and come back.
"What else happened?" asked the girl.
"Well, I saw the Dragon Valley! It was so intense! We had to leave after a month because of…well, I don't know if I should say. Then we separated a bit for training. I know Lily and Mikoto went to train with some Goddess friends of my Goddess. Welf went with Ryuu to a land of magic and saw lots of incredible things! He told me he met a God who helped with his swords, and Ryuu trained with powerful battlemages!"
"What about you?"
"I went with Goddess Hestia to visit Haruhime's home. She wanted to see her father again, and we wanted to help her. That's where we met Otohime and Urashima."
Ais tilted her head, "Otohime…and Urashima?"
Bell nodded, "They're the newest members of our familia! Well, them and Elwin. They're all really great!"
Ais smiled. It was always nice to see Bell so happy about his family. She only knew little details of his past and understood how much family meant to him.
"Otohime is like this big ball of sunshine! Every time I hang around her for too long, I feel like I've been drained! And Urashima taught me how to fish! I didn't do too well the first time…but I got good at it! And Elwin is my potato puff buddy; he knows how to make them all on his own!" continued Bell, babbling on.
"Ooohhh," replied Ais. A potato puff maker was an essential familia member. She needed to talk to Finn about finding one of their own.
Bell nodded, totally understanding, then he continued gushing about his family, "They're all so great, and I'm so grateful to them for joining us."
They chatted for a while, Bell telling stories about his new members. There was much he didn't say, mostly because those weren't his stories to tell. In return, he asked Ais what he had missed the past year. Ais told him small stories of her adventures with her familia. They spoke about the expeditions she had gone on, what monsters she had seen in the dungeon, and how far she had travelled.
"The sixtieth floor? That's incredible, Miss Ais," said Bell.
Ais pouted; she didn't know why, but it bothered her before, and it bothered her now. She mustered up what courage and emotions she had and said, "Bell, call me Ais, not Miss Ais, please."
Bell blushed again, "Are you sure about that?"
Ais nodded, "Yes, I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"
"Are we?"
The words slipped out. Ais froze up, and Bell stiffened. The two of them had carefully avoided the events leading up to his leaving Orario.
Ais reverted to her emotionless state, "I apologized, didn't I? I am sorry, Bell."
"Ais, why didn't you help us?"
It was the question that had kept Bell up at night all year. The one thing he kept returning to was, why did Ais stop Loki Familia from intervening? If she hadn't, they might've not had to hide in the dungeon. Why didn't she try to defend him from Freya Familia? Did he do something to upset her? Did he make a mistake?
"Did I do something wrong?" asked the boy.
The girl shook her head, "I'm not allowed to talk about why, but I can help now."
"Training?"
To Bell, it was his best guess. That was the go-to; what else could she do?
Ais nodded, "and I'm going to talk to Finn and Loki. I want to help you this time."
Ais's words were severe but small. She was sincere in her desire to help. She also felt embarrassed and decided it was time to leave.
With a simple, "Goodbye" she jumped off the wall.
Bell scrambled to his feet at the sudden departure. He was confused about what happened. First, Ais cried, and then she was apologizing. She promised help but then jumped off the wall. Then Bell noticed that the sun was starting to rise, and the city was starting to come to life. He had to head home and talk to the others. It was his responsibility as the Captain to make sure everything was ok. He took off and ran all the way home as fast as he could. Just as he reached home, he ran headfirst into someone, and they both fell to the ground.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
His face was buried in their chest as he mumbled an apology. After what seemed an eternity of embarrassment, he looked up. When he did, he was met with an awfully familiar pair of sky-blue eyes.
"Ryuu!"
Now Bell was flying off the body below him. He prostrated on the floor and apologized over and over again. Ryuu was too stunned to respond, and Mikoto was about to pass out from how red she had turned.
"Master Bell! What are you doing?"
And now Lily was here. Hands-on her hips, she marched up to the gate and levelled her best glare at these battle-hardened adventurers. Ryuu never thought such a little being could frighten her, the only exception being the Braver, but now she had spent the last year bearing the full brunt of the Lilliruka Arde glare. Whenever she spent an above-average amount of money, she felt the glare. Every time she stood near Bell, she felt the glare. She felt it now.
Lily spent all of ten seconds taking the image in before she grabbed Bell by the collar and dragged him inside. She called out that there was a Familia meeting as she left.
Inside, most of the Familia was getting breakfast. Bell grabbed a potato puff. Hestia bid them goodbye as she rushed out of the house in her work uniform. As the rest of them settled around the table, Haruhime bustled around the dining room in her maid uniform. It was a little challenging to get back into the swing of things, but it was done. Everyone had their tea or coffee, and finally, they all settled in the main room to discuss their plans.
"Lily is going to the Guild today to report our return officially. Lady Otohime, Mister Urashima, Miss Ryuu, and Mister Elwin will be coming with me to register," said the little prum. It was not a request.
Bell nodded, "I'll come to. I want to tell Miss Eina that I'm back."
"Well, leave your equipment. Today is full maintenance day. The forge is back up and running, and I want to prepare for our return to the dungeon," said Welf.
Haruhime nodded, "I will stay home as well. I want to do a full dusting of the house and make sure that everything is clean."
"I will help Lady Haruhime and prep the bathhouse," added Mikoto.
That got the Familia snickering at the poor samurai girl. Her obsession with baths was well documented, and no one was surprised that she wanted to stay home to reacquaint herself with the bathhouse.
Lily coughed and played with her hands, "Actually, Miss Mikoto…Lily wants to know…your year is up, do you want to return to Lord Takemikizuchi?"
Mikoto sat there for a minute, thinking. Everyone else was holding their breath, waiting for her answer. Another minute later, she shook her head.
"I promised myself I would only return when my lord saw me as more than a little girl. Or that is one reason. The other is," Mikoto's lip turned up into the most beautiful smile, "I have become quite fond of all of you. I don't want to stop our adventure!"
There was not a dry eye in the house then. Later, Hestia would be unbelievably happy to hear the news. She would be jumping around for the next week in celebration. Takemikazuchi nodded in understanding when he heard and told her that he would wait for her. The members of her former Familia were happy for her, and they were not sad because they knew they would adventure in the dungeon together anyway.
After that touching moment, those staying behind got to work, and the rest made their way to the guild headquarters. Ryuu was at the back of the line, understandably nervous about registering as an adventurer again. When they had left, they had gotten a promise that there would be no problems on their return, but who knew what had happened since then. They found their way into the hall, and Lily took most of the Familia members up to the front desk.
Bell made his way to the receptionist counter and was about to ask for Eina when a head of pink hair holding stacks of papers spotted him. She gasped and slapped her hands to her cheeks, and in doing so, dropped all the papers she was carrying.
"It's the little brother!" she shouted.
In response to the absolute chaos she was creating, a voice rang out from the back. The door opened, revealing a familiar green-eyed, spectacled half-elf.
"Misha! What in the world are you doing?" asked Eina.
Misha pointed at Bell, "It's your little brother Eina!"
Eina looked where Misha was pointing, and then she short-circuited. She just stared at Bell, tried to stammer out some words, and tried to move. Eventually, her brain rebooted, and she jumped at Bell, wrapping her arms around him. She held him close, drawing a lot of attention. It took a minute, but she remembered where she was. The adventurers wolf-whistling at her, and Bell dying from embarrassment, helped remind her of decorum. She took Bell by the arm and dragged him over to a private booth.
She sat him down and took the seat across from him. It was a familiar sight for the two of them. Bell sat there awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say, but Eina beat him to the punch.
"When did you get back?" she asked.
Bell scratched his cheek and said, "Only yesterday."
Eina nodded, seemingly appeased that she hadn't been forgotten. Then she asked, "When can you tell me what happened?"
Bell titled his head in response.
Eina blushed, "I mean, I know that you'll probably be busy for now, but I want to take you to lunch. I want to catch up, and I missed you, so I want to know what happened."
Bell blushed in response and told Eina that he could get lunch in three days. It would be an excellent time to take a break. After that, Bell told Eina the most immediate plans and asked her questions about the upcoming tournament.
"How did they just…make an item to create a level up?" asked Bell.
"It most likely came from Fels and the Xenos…" responded Eina. In Bell's year away, Eina had moved up the ladder in the Guild. Since her last adventurer, Bell, had left Orario, Eina was free to get the rewards and promotions she deserved from her hard work. She was in the know now. She knew about Fels, the Xenos, Knossos, and everything else.
"But how?" asked Bell.
"By getting the Xenos to harvest high-level excelia from deep in the dungeon. Fels was able to create a machine to harvest the excelia straight from the monster stone and then compress it. The orb is swallowed just like the Xenos do," responded Eina.
"How do they get around the major event?" asked Bell.
Eina held up a finger, resuming her tutoring position that she used to hold over the boy, "Fels was able to fake it with Xenos events. The details are still a little sketchy, but the Xenos are close enough to adventurers that their major events can count in adventurer's stead. Thankfully, no one in Orario has the skill set to recreate Fels items, and it's such a difficult and time-consuming process that no one else has been able to do it."
Bell made an "Ohhh" sound and nodded his head, but then his shoulders slumped.
"I still don't understand. Why are the Xenos still so willing to work with us? Adventurers killed so many of them last year."
Eina nodded, "As far as I understand it, they figure this is the best way to help. By being the creatures that can help create the level-up orbs, they are making themselves invaluable. Regular adventurers can't do what they're doing."
Bell didn't seem like he enjoyed that explanation, but he accepted it. Then he asked, "Who won last year?"
"For the level twos, the doubles tournament was won by Chigusa and Ouka of Takemikazuchi Familia," that made Bell happy. Those two deserved the win, and it meant they had more powerful level three allies.
"Mord Latro of Ogma Familia won the single's tournament," continued Eina. That was a shock to Bell's system. Bell was happy but also amused. He wouldn't say Mord was a friend, but they were friendly to each other. So, all in all, he was happy for Mord for the level-up. It spoke to his renewed sense of adventure.
"For the level three's, if I remember correctly, the double's was won by a pair from Hermes Familia. Daphne of Miach Familia won the singles," said Eina.
Bell made an ahh sound of total shock. Daphne had given no indication of her rapid growth to become a second-tier adventurer. Eina nodded along, "It came as a surprise to everybody. She had just become level three, and to become level four at the tournament was outstanding. She said she had to keep up with her absent friends."
That put a smile on Bell's face. To know that his friends were always thinking about him was a wonderful thing to hear.
"And the level four tournament?" he asked, the final round still a mystery.
"Loki Familia, both times. The double's was Anakitty Autumn and Raul Nord. The single's was Lefiya Viridis," replied Eina.
"Lefiya! But she's a mage!"
To put it lightly, Bell was shocked. For a mage to survive to the finals of a duel at all was news, but for a mage to win!
"She is the successor to Lady Riveria. Her magical power is already quite extreme. All she needs is one spell, and even an opponent who is a level above her own would have lost. Although it was hard to get the one spell off, once she did it, the battle was over," finished Eina, "She said she had to do it to keep up with her rival. That said, the melee portion almost beat her."
"The melee portions?"
Eina nodded, "To thin the number of adventurers, they all go through an opening melee. The last sixteen standing progress to the main tournament. Otherwise, the tournament would take forever!"
Bell nodded; in the end, it all made sense. Except for that part about the rival, she had no idea who Lefiya had picked for her rival. What person had the magic power to keep up with The Thousand Elf? Whoever it was, Bell pitied them.
There only remained one question, "Why start this tournament?"
Eina sighed, "After Freya held the city hostage looking for you, everyone was reminded of how fragile the Guild's power is. This tournament, and its reward, is a good way to remind people that we're important,"
Eina smiled, "Also, it helps the adventurers that are stuck. Too many seem to give up at level two or three. The Guild is hoping that this tournament encourages adventurers to keep fighting, even if they do not become living legends. However, the best part is, since it's a Guild-sponsored event, we can choose which Familia are banned. Freya's been banned for the next couple of years."
Hearing that Freya wasn't able to give herself the win made Bell happy. He exchanged pleasantries with Eina while also arranging their lunch together. Eventually, he heard Lily calling for him to head home. They had plans to make, she wanted to start training for the tournament, and she probably wanted to start planning their next large expedition in the dungeon. Yes, Bell might be the captain, but everyone understood who the brains of the operation were.
All that future planning did nothing to dampen the excitement of the newly registered adventurers, though. Otohime was especially vibrant. Urashima looked on fondly, not that he would ever let his Princess know. Elwin's excitement was more subdued but still visible in the way he held himself. Ryuu was decidedly relieved at her reintroduced status. Apparently, there were actions taken behind the scenes to clean up her name. What was even more shocking was that a certain beauty goddess had been partially responsible. She had brought it up to Lily, but the prum just shrugged. In the grand scheme of things, it was a small, inconsequential detail. One act of kindness did not absolve Freya of her crimes.
When they got home, Bell grabbed Urashima and started to drill him for combat. Urashima was much more experienced in the art of duelling, but if he practiced with someone who was two levels above him, he would be well trained. Meanwhile, Mikoto resumed her training with Ryuu. They had started working with the other waitresses from the Hostess of Fertility and even contacted Aisha about extra assistance.
Haruhime was busy still putting their house back together. After a year away, there was much to be done. Dust and cobwebs had sprouted in every room. Meanwhile, mould had taken root in damp corners. It was a lot for one maid to take care of, and to be honest, Haruhime was very much out of practice when it came to maid work. She took it slowly, getting herself back into the swing of things, which meant that cleaning this mansion would take a couple of days.
Welf was also hard at work. He had to remove old equipment, replace it with new equipment he had found in his travels, and generally get things tidy again. Not to mention all the gear he had to repair. Bell's armour and knives were fine. For Bell, repairs mostly went to the armour because, of course, the armour was dented. Then, there was the mountain of weaponry that Mikoto decided to start to carry on her person. Then there was Mikoto's and Ryuu's armour; both sets were partially made of mithril. Not just their gauntlets, but their chest plates, greaves, and battle cloth. It was a headache to maintain.
Then there was Otohime's specially designed armour, made for easy removal, and her goddamned bisento. He still wasn't sure what the damn thing was made of, but it was impressive. Then there were the staffs used by Elwin and Haruhime, which he barely understood. Finally, there was Urashima. That was an extremely complicated set of weaponry to handle, let alone fix. Doing maintenance on that would take a day and a half at least.
Lastly, Elwin and Otohime started studying. Since they weren't participating in the tournament, they decided it would be best to study for their eventual trip to the dungeon. If everyone else was preoccupied with the tournament, it was on them to make sure the familia made enough money to stay afloat. Lily decided this was where she would be of best use; she knew the dungeon and could do little else while Welf was busy with repairs. She took the role of advisor and drilled her knowledge of the dungeon into their heads.
They then gathered for dinner, ate a meal with Hestia, returned from work, and then set about planning their next expedition. Three days passed in quiet succession. Then, they were ready. Welf had finished the gear, Haruhime had finished cleaning, and their new members were informed about the dungeon.
They decided, for the first excursion back, that they would all take part. After that, though, it would mostly fall to Otohime, Elwin, Ryuu, and Bell to journey through the dungeon, looking for magic stones and drop items.
Their first day back, it took a couple of hours to reach floor seventeen, but only because Lily wanted to take time to make sure that everyone could recalibrate. No one made any critical errors, but many minor missteps could spell their demise.
They came to the goliath room to find the battle with the Monster Rex in full swing. Adventurers from Rivira had taken up position and were all in a mad dash to finish off the floor boss. When they saw Hestia Familia, they called out for help.
Otohime had already jumped at the large beast. The Goliath swung one of its massive arms, trying to catch her in its fist, but with a swing of her bisento, she was able to sever some fingers. The Goliath jerked back like it had been lit on fire.
Behind her came Urashima, wielding long knives. He propelled himself into the air, stabbing into the beast's wrists. He let gravity and his momentum tear him down, bloody spraying from the mangled right hand of the Goliath.
The others rushed to the Rivira citizens' aid, cutting down the monsters that had spawned amidst the floor boss. Elwin ran between them, whacking this way and that as he began chanting his magic.
"Lady Otohime, Mister Urashima! Pull back now!"
The two adventurers, who had been duelling Goliath, jumped out of the way at Lily's command.
"Oh, spirited archer, who watches from the heavens. I implore thee to visit with thine shining arrow. I name thee Sagittarius: Celestial shot!" chanted Elwin.
He whirled his staff to point at the Goliath. When he finished his chant, a great arrow made of starlight shot from his staff, his magic circle flashing beneath his feet. The arrow shot straight and true, impaling Goliath through its midsection. While the beast stumbled back from the impact, Otohime backed up to give herself space. She took a running start and then leapt into the air, thrusting out her bisento as she went. Her momentum allowed her to pierce the skull of Goliath. The beast let out a shriek of pain as the level-four-powered attack caused it to collapse. It fell backwards, sending out a small shockwave when it crashed. However, it was not dead yet…
When it fell, Urashima and Mikoto were quick to sever leg tendons. The other adventurers joined in, hacking away until the great beast was dead on the floor. Otohime was caught up trying to remove her weapon from the Goliath's head when a gang of monsters ambushed her. A surprised eep was all she managed; then, a familiar green blur was there beating down the monsters. It was a matter of seconds before all that was left was dust and stones.
"Don't stop moving, and don't lose your weapon! Ever!" came the voice of her vice-captain. It was incredibly strict. Before Otohime could apologize, Ryuu went back to help Bell and the others dispose of the leftovers. Otohime's heart was heavy at her failure. She finally managed to yank out her polearm when her most trusted companion joined her.
"Please don't do that, Princess," said Urashima, "You put yourself in danger much too often."
"These people were in trouble, and no matter my position, it will always be my duty and privilege to help," replied Otohime.
She believed those words with every fibre of her being. Her upbringing as a Princess played a part in it, but the reality was that she had always been like that. It was why Urashima had followed her so far. The others joined them atop the corpse of Goliath, apparently overhearing the exchange. Before Lily or Ryuu could reprimand her again, Bell walked up to her.
He said, "I understand that, and if you hadn't jumped to help, I would have. Remember, though, don't jump alone. We're here to jump with you."
Bell Cranel thought he was a poor captain, but Otohime would have to disagree. Moments like these showed that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Those kind words didn't stop Lily from scolding her, though. The Princess took it all in stride, though; she knew she deserved it. The lecture was lessened because since Otohime had brought the beast down, they got to keep the magic stone and goliath fur. Stingy Lily was pleased by that development and let Otohime off with a warning.
After that, Bors came up to hug Bell. He said his hellos to Hestia Familia and offered to pay for their lunch. Lily was also too quick to agree to that, so they passed a pleasant lunch break on the dungeon's eighteenth floor. For Otohime, Urashima, and Elwin, it was the most incredible thing they had ever seen. The rest of the familia caught up with the old, grizzled leader of Rivira.
"To be honest, we've been expecting you for a couple of days now," said Bors.
"We wanted to start adventuring sooner, but it took longer than we thought to settle back down," replied Bell.
Bors nodded and swapped stories with Bell. The old man told Bell about what happened in the dungeon, while Bell told Bors about what was going on above ground.
Meanwhile, a certain smith was stuck beating off adventurers. They had formed a crowd, and they were all asking for the same thing.
"There won't be any magic swords for any of you! If I hear one more word, you can see a Crozzo sword in action!"
The threats did little to ward off the hawkers, though. Even if it had been a year, everyone still remembered the strength and power afforded to Crozzo magic swords. Welf's reputation hadn't dimmed in the slightest. He was not happy about this. He was so unhappy with the crowd that the rest of the familia quickly excused themselves to return to the surface. Bell was a little put off by the development; he hadn't had a chance to look for signs of the Xenos. While they were walking up, Otohime fell in step with Welf in the middle of the party.
"I want you to make me a katana, please," she said.
Welf nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. Your weapon is good, but you need a secondary weapon. In case you lose your spear-thing again. What do you call it again?" Welf gestured to her beloved polearm.
"Its name is Same No Ha, Shark Tooth," replied Otohime.
Welf smiled at that, "Alright, I'll make you a couple of extra teeth, then yeah?"
Otohime beamed in reply, her steps carrying much more pep. Her mother had raised her on the principle that every failure was a chance for growth, so there was no real reason to be upset.
When they reached the surface, Lily and Haruhime left to exchange the magic stones. Bell went to see if he could talk to Eina while the others made their way home to clean up. The girls changed out of their clothes and went to the bathhouse. Ryuu was still nervous about bathing with other people but had made great strides in becoming more comfortable with her Familia. She was close enough with Mikoto and Haruhime to give them awkward hugs now.
The ladies lathered up, and they relaxed into the heat around them. Elwin, Urashima, and Welf were on the other side of the wall. As time went on, the others joined them. Finally, Hestia herself popped into the bath. She wore her usual large childlike grin as she joined her beloved children in the bath.
"So, how was the first day back in the dungeon?" asked Hestia.
"It was a good trip; we were able to grab the Goliath stone because a certain someone jumped at it," replied Lily, glaring at Otohime.
Hestia added her look, which made Otohime sink into the bath. Hestia relented and sighed before saying, "Please, I know you have a job to do, but remember that I'm going to be here waiting for you to get back."
Otohime nodded and responded, "Of course, Hestia. I apologize, I just saw people who were in danger…"
Hestia sighed again, "I hate how that sums up the majority of my children. When did my Familia become like a bunch of heroes?"
It was then that Ryuu let out one of her small, gentle smiles. They were as rare as hen's teeth, but they were so beautiful.
"This familia reminds me of Astrea's. I love that we have a strong sense of justice and that we don't abandon others. It makes me happy with my choice to join," she said.
Ryuu didn't speak a lot, so her familia listened. Hestia giggled in response, "And we're happy to have you, vice-captain. By the way, have you and Bell figured out a rotation for who goes into the dungeon?"
Ryuu nodded, "We'll be bringing it to you tonight during the meeting."
Ryuu, Bell, and Hestia had agreed to meetings every couple of days to keep an eye on the affairs of the Familia. Lily still handled the finances, and Welf dealt with the gear, but the Goddess and her captains handled the big picture plans.
The familia finished their washing up, grabbed dinner, and then Ryuu, Bell, and Hestia went to the Familia's Office. Hestia had claimed an empty room for this exact purpose when they returned. She had moved a desk inside and started filling it with what they would need. Lily spent the most time in there, looking over the books, but this was the best spot for their meetings.
Ryuu leaned against the wall, as cool as ever. Bell sat in an armchair, hands under his legs, and Hestia was sitting on the desk across from him, swinging her legs like a child.
Hestia spoke first, "How are the new ones settling in?"
Ryuu shrugged, "As well as expected. Urashima is still cautious, but that's nothing new. Elwin is anxious, which is understandable. Otohime is still Otohime, bouncing around like a ball of sunshine."
That made Hestia chuckle, "That's good then. What about you, guys? How does it feel to be back?"
Ryuu tilted her head, "I think it's fair to say that it's strangest for me. I'm an adventurer again, which I like, but it's weird not to see anyone from the bar anymore."
"Have you talked to Syr, or Helun, or whatever she's calling herself yet?" asked Hestia.
Ryuu couldn't look her Goddess in the eye.
Hestia nodded, then look at her first child, "What about you, Bell? Did you speak to Wallenwhatsit?"
Bell blushed and nodded, "We were able to talk the one time. She said she was going to help us."
"What does that mean?" replied Hestia.
Bell shook his head, "I don't know, but I still trust her. If she says she'll help, she will."
Hestia nodded, "I trust her too, and I trust Loki, I guess. Or I trust Loki not to let Freya win. That said," Hestia looked at Ryuu, "My order is for you to go to the Hostess of Fertility and see Syr and Mamma Mia. I'm sure they're worried about why you haven't shown up yet."
Ryuu just nodded in response.
Hestia seemed satisfied and moved to the next topic, "How does it look like training is going?"
Ryuu nodded, "Well. Welf and Lily have created some solid strategies for the tournament, and Mikoto's progress is nothing short of incredible. She's absorbing the new techniques faster than we can teach her."
"Who's we?"
"Me, the waitresses, and Aisha."
"You've been working with the waitresses but still haven't seen Syr or Mia?"
Ryuu blushed, and Hestia shook her head, muttering something about stubbornness.
Hestia looked to Bell, "How's Ura doing?"
Bell nodded, "Well, I'm not sure how I'm doing as a teacher, but I think he's doing well. He was already incredibly skilled. I mean, he's not fighting at his full potential…but it's still good progress all the same."
"Good. Looking forward, our next expedition. Where do we go?" Hestia was now thinking long term goals.
Bell responded, "I've been talking with Eina, and she says that she can get us a mission for the thirty-fourth floor. Since me and Ryuu are level five, and the rest are level two's and three's, with one level four, we've been upgraded to B Rank."
Hestia snorted, "I'm sure little Miss Supporter is ecstatic about the tax hike."
Ryuu made a thin line with her mouth, "Floors twenty-eight to thirty-three are nothing like the ones above. They're desserts: no walls, just dunes and unbearable heat. The only refuge is scattered Oases that draw monsters. Not to mention, if we were to do it as we are now, we would need to recruit Lord Takemikazuchi's Familia and Lord Miach's. We need more higher-level adventurers, even if we win the tournament. I'm sure Aisha will want to join us, and all of it is welcome. The more people we bring, the more water we can carry."
"Is it that important?" asked Hestia.
"If I had to choose between a canteen of water or the largest magic stone in the world, I'd choose the canteen. The only saving grace is that the Water Capital is right above it," replied Ryuu. She had the most adventuring experience, years with a previous familia tucked under her belt.
Hestia nodded, "I'm guessing we'd need special clothing for the heat?"
Ryuu agreed, and Hestia pouted. That was a lot of valis to spend to get ready, especially if they were hosting the expedition for other Familias.
"The price doesn't matter. We need reputation and attention right now. We need to do whatever it takes to survive," said Bell.
There was the truth. They were banking on putting themselves in a place of enough attention that Freya couldn't launch her next attack. They were buying time to become stronger and forge stronger alliances.
"Anything else?" asked Hestia.
"I saw Lord Hermes on our first night back," said Bell.
That made Hestia scowl, "What does that liar want?"
Bell shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't talk to him. I have to think, though…he didn't tell people where we were this year. Maybe we can start trusting him again?"
Hestia scowled some more, "Maybe, maybe not. He's still the reason Freya found us. He's still the reason that the Xenos were attacked."
Bell looked incredibly conflicted now; Hestia nudged him with her foot, "I'll deal with Hermes, Bell. Ryuu, I want you to tell Asfi I want to meet with her God."
Ryuu nodded in response. She hadn't seen Asfi yet, but she was excited to speak to someone she considered an old friend. Hermes was a pain in the butt, but she trusted Asfi to get the meeting together.
With that, the Hestia Familia executives ended their meeting.
Hey, Zan here with another chapter. So, just to let you guys know, this story is about 100,000 words into it over on Archive, so while suggestions are nice (and I'm happy to see people commenting and reviewing) no that there is little to be done about much of the story already. That said, thank you to everyone who keeps following! I'll see you all next time!
