Chapter 43:

Otohime did not think that things were going well. They had made their way down the right passage, the sounds of monsters growing closer, and had almost broken down into a sprint. The level two's and three's had been scooped up by the level four's and five's, which had taken away access to their weapons. The only people who could fight were Ryuu up at the front and Otohime, who had dropped to the back. The Dragon Princess gladly took over as the rearguard, looking out for her fellows and quickly cutting through any monsters that got the drop on them.

It just made sense to Otohime as well. Her bisento had the most extended reach, and she was the strongest of the level four's. Of the people in the party, the only one stronger than her was Aisha. And Aisha was busy carrying Lulune so the dog girl could focus on the map.

So, Otohime had dropped back and started killing monsters. She chose not to focus on how bad the situation was getting. Instead, she just focused on what she could. Her current mask fell away, and the old one slipped on. In a detached kind of way, she killed monsters and crushed magic stones. After the incident with Scipio, Lili had made it very clear to not leave any magic stones lying around. To do so meant letting the enemy get stronger. Magic stones were crushed, piles of dust blew away in the wind, and the Dragon Princess ran forward. She fought so hard and for so long, slowly losing track of her surroundings, that it wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she stopped.

"Get your filthy hand off of me!" screamed Otohime, bisento at the ready.

She was met with total silence and the blank stare of her vice-captain Ryuu. Otohime came to her senses to find everyone staring at her.

"Oh, Ryuu…um…silly me, haha," said Otohime, scrambling to cover.

"We've reached the cells of the Xenos," replied Ryuu. "You should go sit while we break everyone out. I want you in the middle, protecting the others." Ryuu turned her head. "Elwin, you will move to help Aisha in the rearguard."

That was all the elf vice-captain had said before she turned back to the cells. And she was right. Without Otohime noticing, they had found the Xenos that were their friends and were now breaking them free from the cages that held them. The others pointedly ignored Otohime as she sat on a rock and hung her head in shame. As always, she was the embarrassment. She felt more than heard Urashima's presence.

"You did nothing wrong," said Ura.

"No, but I did manage to cause quite the scene," replied Oto, playing with the ends of her hair. "I will apologize to Ryuu when this is all over."

There was a moment of silence. Oto dreaded what Ura would say. She looked up to find him looking at her. There was no judgement, just contemplation.

"May I hug you?" asked Ura.

Oto paused but eventually nodded. Next to her, Ura crouched down and wrapped his arms around her. She felt herself lean into him.

"You don't want to fight a war, do you?" he asked. "You've seen enough of that."

She nodded. "Things get so intense. And then I get so intense…you know I don't want to be like that, right? That I don't like to be angry?"

Urashima had to know this. Oto needed him to understand this part.

Ura smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Of course, I know that. You're the kindest person I know, and it means so much more because you always have to fight to get there." Slowly, Ura pulled her up. "You literally have an inner demon to fight and repress. So, if you slip every once and a while, that's fine because me and everyone else will pull you back on your feet."

While the two of them talked, the Xenos had been freed. Lyd had clasped arms with Welf, and now the large group of almost fifty fighters began to make their way back to the top. Otohime took up position in the middle, and since they had so many to protect going back, there was no carrying necessary. The real trouble was just how many monsters were attacking them. It was a constant barrage, going from floor to floor.

In the middle, thankfully, Otohime was able to keep her head. This was a war, but she wasn't going to lose herself like earlier. The captured Xenos would falter every once in a while, days of captivity weakening them. In those moments, Oto would help them up, and they would continue. Apparently, though, they could not go back the way they had come. The group stopped at one of the branching passages.

"There are too many monsters coming back through the main passage," said Ryuu. "We'll need to go through the center hall."

"Won't that take us in the middle of their camp?" asked Elwin. "Where they'll have a horde of monsters waiting for us?"

Ryuu nodded. "That means that when we get there, we have to hit them hard and hit them fast. Anything less than a full-speed blow through means death." Ryuu looked at Oto. "Do you want to do it?"

Oto shook her head.

Ryuu nodded again. "Ok, so then I'll be taking the point. I'll use my magic to clear a path, and everyone else just has to focus on going forward."

The others nodded, and then they resumed their run through Knossos. Monsters got in their way, monsters were killed, and the journey continued. But Oto knew that their pace couldn't last. Eventually, they'd get overwhelmed. That was the nature of small groups like theirs. But Otohime kept those thoughts to herself. Now was not the time for pessimism.

With the Vice-Captain:

As Ryuu led the charge, she considered her options. With her new level six capabilities, she just might be able to blow through the main camp of the Sun Seekers in Knossos. The only problem was that she didn't know if the other Xenos who were injured and recovering would make it through. For them, Ryuu would need to continue the distraction for much longer, and if that happened, she would run the risk of dying in the melee. In the end, though, it wasn't much of a choice. It came down to her life or the lives of others, and Ryuu chose the one that protected the most people. She just hoped Syr wouldn't be too angry with her.

"In the sky of a now-distant forest," chanted Ryuu.

She would charge in to cover everyone else. That was the way it had to be.

"I respectfully speak to you, my War God."

Wait…hold on a second…someone else was chanting.

Ryuu looked over to find Mikoto staring right back. There was understanding in the young samurai's eyes and a challenge to. Ryuu saw the set of the Black Crow's jaw and knew it would be pointless to argue. When she charged, she would have a partner, all because Mikoto had predicted that Ryuu would throw herself away. While the thought made Ryuu happy, she had it to shove it down for the moment. They were just about to reach the main cavern. In a burst of light, they found their way into one of the larger rooms, and it was full of young Xenos. Freshly born, some of them looked on in shock.

"Intruders!" shouted a siren, soaring in the sky. "Quickly, get the little ones away from here! Warriors to your battle stations!"

Ryuu ignored the noise, though, as she continued her chant. Around her, older Sun Seekers shepherded the young away into homes of a kind. And while they did that, more monsters poured in. The collars were now a familiar sight for everyone in Hestia Familia.

"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy."

When she finished, she held the spell back. She ducked and dodged around her enemies, waiting to see if her Familia would make it to the other side. She saw them taking the Xenos around, going for the long way. Ryuu looked over at Lili and waited for the pallum's signal. Lili raised her fist, and then Ryuu let loose.

"Luminous Wind!" screamed Ryuu.

There was a flash of light, and then an explosion of green wind blasted out. Monsters smashed into the wall, and cries of pain rang out through the cavern. Hestia Familia and their allies had to shield themselves from the brunt of the magic. It was a momentary reprieve, though. So, Ryuu readied her blades. She would fight off what she could.

"Futsunomitama!" declared Mikoto.

A sizeable purple circle glowed on the floor. And from the ceiling came a glowing purple sword. All around Ryuu, the monsters and the Sun Seekers caught inside fell to the floor. They had been crushed and pinned in place. Ryuu stared over to where Mikoto stood in front of their friends and allies. The young samurai smiled through her apparent pain, struggling to keep the monsters in place. Ryuu smiled in return and realized that she was able to move. She could understand the most straightforward explanation that her higher status had made her immune. That, or Mikoto, was good enough now to shape the magic around her. Either way, Ryuu was grateful for the opportunity. The monsters were stuck in place, so she could go on a killing spree.

"That's enough!"

The Siren that had called out before burst from the magic, shrugging it off like it was nothing. Which meant that it was stronger than Mikoto. It could possibly rival Ryuu. So, it quickly became priority number one. The elf switched directions, bunching her legs up beneath her. She flew over the ground and crashed into the Siren with a great push. Ryuu's short swords clashed with its claws.

"How dare you attack our home!" shouted the Siren.

"How dare you kidnap our friends?" retorted Ryuu, with a quiet fury.

Ryuu reversed the grip on one of her blades and brought it down into the Siren's shoulder. The Siren let out an ear-screeching rend, which made Ryuu let go of the Xenos in pain. She fell to the ground, clutching her ears and head. Around her, monsters and other Xenos did the same, clutching their heads. She watched as Mikoto barely held her spell in place. Until the Lyger Fang attacked her. He came from a tunnel swinging with a long sword and a dagger. Mikoto had to jump away, katana quick-drawn from her sheath. The spell broke, and the monsters went on the attack.

"Everyone move, now!" shouted Lili.

The pallum's voice carried over the cavern. The Xenos that were their friends moved first, practically sprinting out of the place.

"This way," screamed Lyd. "We'll head into the Dungeon and then make for the surface!"

Hestia Familia and their allies moved to cover the Xenos's tracks. Four main fights were going on. The Xenos were fighting the monsters, Mikoto was duelling with Sherkan, Hestia Familia covering the rearguard, and finally, Ryuu started fighting the Siren independently.

The elf had the tactical advantage and was more acrobatic and quicker on her feet. The Siren was more robust, though and had better defences. Their speed was just about equal. But one thing Ryuu had over the Siren was her magic.

"Wind blade," shouted Ryuu.

An arc of green shot out, slicing away at one of the Siren's wings. The monster fell, spiralling out of control as it had been clipped. This gave Ryuu the space to breathe and plan her next move. What she needed most of all, though, was to buy time. This Xenos was obviously in charge and easily the best fighter here. If Ryuu kept her occupied, her friends would make it out.

"What is your name?" asked Ryuu.

"My name is Frei, and I am the den mother of these monsters," replied the Siren.

The name Frei set off all the bells in Ryuu's head. She only had a second to consider the possibilities, though, before the Siren was upon her. Its claws came swinging at her head, and Ryuu responded with a quick duck. She was still using her short swords, which she swung into the beast's side. Careful to angle them away, her blades left a gash along Frei's sternum. The Siren pulled away, flapping into the air, but that would not do. Ryuu needed to keep the monster's attention on her. So, the elf launched herself into the air with her new level six strength. She hit the Siren like an arrow, grappling with it in mid-air.

While they fought, Ryuu tried to listen to the sounds of battle. By the sound of it, Welf and his magic swords were doing the heavy lifting. Most of the party was almost through the room while Mikoto duelled the enhanced lyger fang. Ryuu's lack of focus cost her, though, as the Sun Seeker she fought threw her across the cavern, where she slammed into a wall.

On the ground, Mikoto recognized this lyger fang as her one-time opponent, Sherkan. Surprisingly, he had not grown stronger, but he was more skilled and ready for many of Mikoto's tricks. His defence was solid, and she had almost no opportunities to break through. Instead, the two of them danced around each other, causing quite the spectacle. Anyone who got in their way was removed. Neither wanted to be interrupted.

As Mikoto brought her blade down in a driving slash, Sherkan caught it in one of his paws. It cut into his skin, but the Xenos just grimaced before giving his mighty hand a twist so strong that it yanked Mikoto's blade away. As the Black Crow tried to jump back and reassess the situation, Sherkan jumped forward, tackling her to the ground. Mikoto fell backwards, using the momentum to go into a roll where Sherkan was up in the air. Placing her hands on the floor, she gave a mighty kick that sent the beast flying away. Mikoto used the opportunity to check her surroundings.

Ryuu had been thrown into a wall but had recovered enough to resume her duel with the large golden Siren. Something about how it moved sent a shiver down Mikoto's spine. Her brain was shouting that this was déjà vu and that she had seen it before.

"Focus on me, human!" shouted Sherkan.

Mikoto screamed out in pain as one of his clawed paws tore into her back. She instinctively arched away, pivoting on her left foot so that she and the tiger were facing each other again. Mikoto had no katana, so she brought out her spear for the extra distance.

"Oh, how wonderful, you brought a toothpick or me! I shall use it to clean my teeth of you!" shouted Sherkan.

"I hear much boasting but see little to prove your power Sherkan," replied Mikoto.

The tiger monster growled before charging her again. But this time, Mikoto was ready, her spear caught him in the chest, and she was able to lift him over her head and slam him into the ground. As the great beast howled in pain and for help, Mikoto brought the butt end of her spear up and slammed it into Sherkan's temple. He crashed into unconsciousness.

"Mikoto! We have to leave!" shouted Haruhime over the battle.

The Black Crow lifted the lyger fang onto her shoulders before taking off in the direction of Haruhime and the others. She sprinted as fast as she could while still carrying a massive monster and joined her friends as they left the large cavern. Mikoto noticed that the Sun Seeker Xenos were mostly only injured as she ran. Very few of them were dead. That said, there were still dozens of piles of monster dust. The Black Crow got some funny looks for the monster she carried on her back.

"They took a prisoner of ours', we take one of theirs," she replied.

The others just shrugged while Welf ran over to take Sherkan off her shoulders.

"Much appreciated, Sir Welf," said Mikoto. "Now, I must go and help Lady Ryuu."

Before anyone could stop her, Mikoto turned around and ran back into the cavern, grabbing her katana off the ground as she went. The monsters on the floor were regrouping and began to chase her down. In response, she hopped and dodged around her opponents. She did everything in her ability not to get hit.

While Mikoto was running, Ryuu was fighting. She and Frei had both scored their fair share of hits, with lines of red crisscrossing each other's torsos.

"Lady Ryuu!" shouted Mikoto, charging in.

She ran to her mentor's side, and the two of them stared down the Siren. Again, Mikoto was hit with a sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen this monster before. Then the Siren took to the sky. Apparently, that was the hidden signal of the Sun Seekers. They all backed off and started to retreat deeper into the manmade Dungeon. Mikoto watched it fly away before Ryuu took her hand.

"I believe that's our cue to leave," said the elf.

The two of them raced after their comrades. Mikoto and Ryuu quickly fell into a guarding position. As they ran, Mikoto shoved a potion into Ryuu's hands.

Ryuu shook her head. "I'll be fine. We should save this for someone who needs it."

Mikoto narrowed her eyes in response and glared Ryuu into submission. The elf tossed the potion back and swallowed it whole with a shake of her head. The cuts and bruises on her body vanished.

"We could have turned and fought," said Mikoto when Ryuu was done. "We had surprise on our side, and I'm sure Sir Bell and the others are on their way." She looked back at the room. "We could have taken it."

Ryuu shook her head.

"We don't know what's waiting in the Dungeon. Not to mention the wounded that we have with us. Better to get everyone out of here and retake Knossos and Rivira at the same time," replied Ryuu. "Besides, even with Bell on his way, we'd be most likely outnumbered."

Mikoto sighed but nodded. She understood the plan, even if she disagreed with it, but decided that she would leave the tactics to the tacticians. As the party fled from Knossos, they ended up in the Dungeon.

"We're on the tenth floor," cried out Lili. "Everyone, make for the exit!"

"I can hear echoes of fighting," added Lyd. "Be ready to force your way through!"

The party burst upwards and almost crashed into the middle of a fight. Adventurers were fighting monsters; Sun Seekers were there too. Ryuu recognized many of the adventurers to be from Loki Familia.

"Everyone, ignore the fighting and keep going," said Lili. "We need to make it to the top and get Mister Lyd and the other Xenos out of here!"

With the Captain:

While this was happening, Ais and Bell had worked together to get all the way into Knossos on their own. They entered a bit higher up, based on a map that Ais had borrowed from some members in their Familia. The two of them cut down monsters like they had fought together their whole lives. In her head, Little Ais was ecstatic about the development. Outwardly, though, Ais was careful not to let her emotions interfere with the fighting. They did what they could to try and track down the rest of Hestia Familia. Of course, they didn't realize that most of Hestia Familia were on their way out.

The way that Bell was doggedly pursuing his Familia has Ais a little worried. It felt like they were just fighting to fight without having a real purpose in mind.

"Where are we going, Bell?" asked Ais. "What's the goal right now?"

"I have to make sure everyone's ok," replied Bell.

The two stopped in a corridor, catching their breath and checking their weapons. Ais stopped when she heard Bell and frowned.

"…do we need to take such a risk, though?" asked Ais. "Your Familia is strong. Besides…we might just be messing things up."

Now, Ais wasn't just saying this to say this. The Sword Princess spoke from years of experience as a problem child. She had run away from home, disappeared on her Familia executives, and caused widespread mischief whenever she did what she wanted. She thought it was with good intentions whenever she did, but she later realized that it was really her being selfish. It was also Ais not trusting her Familia to do right by her. She was being impatient and immature. Bell was not in the same situation, but she did see some similarities.

"Ummm…Bell, I think we might need to think about this," said Ais. "Maybe we should slow down?"

Bell shook his head.

"I need to make sure that everyone is ok," said Bell. "I need to make sure that everyone is safe."

Ais took his hand.

"They will be safe, Bell, but I think we might not be anymore," she replied. "We should try and get back to the surface."

Bell shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ais…but I have to do this. You can leave if you want, but I need to make sure that everyone will be ok."

Ais nodded. If Bell was going to keep moving forward, then she was too. That was the promise the Sword Princess had made. Come whatever happened, she would stand at Bell's side and keep him safe. Even if she disagreed and thought Bell was a dummy, she would still protect him.

The two of them fought their way through Knossos, monsters being turned to dust in their path. Bell led the charge, which meant that it was Ais's duty to cover his weak spots. And it was then that she discovered that her bunny was entirely too reckless. He took too many risks and left too many openings. After this all finished, Ais would have to make some severe corrections to his technique. And possibly give him a lap pillow punishment….

After they finally found their way to the depths of Knossos, they made the startling discovery that the manmade Dungeon was, in fact, empty. The cages were open, and piles of monster dust were sitting everywhere. Even the magic stones had been crushed. Ais decided that the best way forward was to glare at Bell. She chose the path of silent judgement, and she gained a certain sense of satisfaction when she saw how Bell flinched away.

"Can we leave now?" she asked.

Bell nodded in shame. The two made to leave, but they found a gargoyle standing in their path when they turned around. Its white claws had a pale layer of blood, and it had little bits of flesh stuck in its teeth. The monster's marble skin seemed to shimmer in the pale artificial light of Knossos. Slowly, it stepped forward and began to spread its wings.

"What are you doing here, humans?" it asked.

Bell raised the Hestia Knife in a ready position. Ais followed suit, placing one foot back and pointing Desperate at the gargoyle's chest.

"I came to make sure my friends were safe," said Bell. "And they are, so I can leave and so can you, and no one has to get hurt."

"You misunderstand, though," said the gargoyle. "I want you to get hurt! I want you all to get hurt!"

It barrelled forward, claws outstretched and looking to pierce the skulls of its enemies. Thankfully, Bell and Ais were alert and ready for the fight. Its large rocky arms just barely missed them. Instead, it used its tail to help slow down to enough to turn in place.

Ais and Bell, who had jumped up, were now stuck in mid-air free fall. There was nothing they could do to dodge. The gargoyle pushed off the ground, leaping at its enemies. It crashed into Bell, directing its anger towards him. The gargoyle had heard the stories from King Typhon and chose to focus itself on what it saw as the origin of its problems.

Ais fell to the ground, heart pounding at the sight of Bell in danger. The two crashed to the ground and seemed to wrestle. The monster won. She dashed forward as the gargoyle used its enhanced strength to grab Bell by the head and slam him into the floor. Then it did it again. Before it could do anything worse, Ais lunged and stabbed Desperate into the monster's shoulder.

The gargoyle reared back in pain, its stony tail whipping around to hit Ais in the chest. The force was so great that she had to let go of her blade. Thankfully, that was enough time for Bell to get to his feet and back off.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

These monsters that he kept running into, these Sun Seekers, they all felt important to him. Scipio, Horra, and now this gargoyle.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"My name," said the gargoyle in a low rumbling voice. "Is Garess, and I will be the one to kill you, Bell Cranel. You can count on that."

It focused its beady eyes on Bell, and he swore that he had felt the same stare before. The way that the monster held itself made one thing apparently clear, it hated Bell Cranel with all its being. But underneath all that, Bell sensed familiarity. The two of them knew each other or had known each other once upon a time.

"Are you….one of the reborn Sun Seekers?" asked Bell. "Did you have a life before?"

Garess just growled. "It will come back to you, Bell Cranel. Just remember what you did and what it cost us all."

There was a sloshing sound as Ais finally snuck up on the gargoyle. Her sword came free of the Sun Seekers' skin, blood dripping down the side of it. Garess barely noticed the pain, though, and simply took flight.

"I'll be waiting for you, Bell Cranel, on the eighteenth floor! I'll be waiting for you in the ruins of that town you enjoyed spending time in!"

With that, Garess vanished into the shadows of the ceiling. Ais and Bell watched them go as blood dripped down from its recent wound. Then, it stopped, and the two of them stared. There must have been a secret passage that Garess used to vanish.

"Are you alright, Bell?" asked Ais. "It thumped your head really badly."

Ais walked over and examined his head. She ran her hands through his hair. While she usually enjoyed the feeling, this time, she was worried. Thankfully, she felt no blood in his pretty snow-white hair. But she did feel a large nasty bump which made her worry. So, Ais tried to push it back down, where it belonged.

"Ais, Ais…ow ow ow ow," said Bell louder and louder. "Ais, please stop! AIS!"

Finally, the Sword Princess stopped pushing. She pouted as she looked away.

"But the bump is still there…and it hurts you."

Bell rubbed his head, which was now sore from all of Ais's pushing. He felt the large bump sticking from his head and half-glared at Ais. The problem was that her face was contorted into an adorable pout. So, he could barely keep himself angry before he just sighed and said that they should leave. Ais smiled at him as they went.

"Hey, Bell," said Ais.

"Yes?"

"If you need to rest your head, my lap can be your pillow," finished Ais.

Bell's face turned a cute shade of red that made the Sword Princess smile even more. The halls of Knossos were almost eerily quiet. They ran into small squads of monsters and the occasional weak Xenos, but the two of them avoided conflict. They weren't looking for a fight, and if Bell was being honest, his head was still kind of shaky. Garess's attack had left him disoriented and with a massive headache. The last thing he wanted was to wander around underground for too long.

Finally, they found one of the entrances onto Daedalus Street. Bell brought out one of the keys he had been given, replicated by Fels, and walked out onto the street. The sudden sunlight only made his headache worse and made the pain sharper. Thankfully, there was no one else around. So, the two of them hobbled onto the streets.

"We should head to Babel," said Bell. "And make sure that the others are alright."

Ais frowned. She wanted to rush him to the Dian Cecht Clinic and strap him to the bed. She wanted to have Amid personally take care of the big bump. Unfortunately, she recognized the stubborn set to his jaw. She had seen it before in herself. There was nothing to do about it, so she just walked beside him and tried to shield him from the evil sunlight.

About a half-hour of walking later, they made their way to the center of the city. All around, members of the Guild and other adventurers were running around. Bell was relieved to see his Xenos friends standing off to the side. They were one and all busy staring up the bright blue sky in wonder and awe. The Guild had sectioned off the entire area and tried to corral the Xenos towards a building where they could hide. Adventurers from Loki Familia stood by to stop citizens from charging into the square and seeing the monsters in broad daylight. And up at the entrance to the Dungeon was a different kind of chaos.

"We must head back into the Dungeon," said Ryuu, a look of fury on her face.

"Master Bell is in there!" added Lili. "He might be in trouble! Lili and the others need to make sure he's ok!"

"Are you asking us to just leave our Captain in there on his own?" asked Welf, anger boiling on his face.

The rest of Hestia Familia threw in their condemnations. Ais and Bell walked forward, and Bell felt increasingly horrible about what he did.

"Um, excuse me, everyone?" he asked.

No one heard him, so he said it a little louder.

"Everyone! I'm right here!" shouted Bell.

The members of Hestia Familia all collectively stopped to turn and stare. The silence broke, and suddenly Bell was being crowded. Ais happily backed away and allowed Bell to face the full force of his Familia's love.

"Where were you, Master Bell?" asked Haruhime.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Welf.

"Sir Bell, where did you get that bump?" added Mikoto, reaching out to feel his head.

Slowly, the questions quieted down as everyone chose to wait for an answer. Bell shuffled his feet and kept his eyes trained on the ground.

"Well, I followed you all into the Dungeon…to make sure that everyone was safe," he replied.

Lili narrowed her eyes. "You followed us to keep us safe? That seems a little sudden. Lili appreciates the gesture, but Lili also thinks there was another part to it."

Bell didn't respond right away, so Ais spoke up in his place.

"He wanted to make sure everyone was safe, including the Xenos," she said.

Bell looked at Ais, incredulous, while she just smiled back. He would thank her later for the truth. Deep down, Ais knew that Bell hated lying. So, she helped him along.

"So…you didn't trust us?" asked Otohime. "Did you think that we would fail?"

"No! Not at all!" replied Bell, shaking his hands. "I just…wanted to make sure everything…."

"Was done correctly?" volunteered Urashima. "So, you thought we might mess up?"

Bell looked away, and Lili rolled her eyes.

"Well, we're gonna go take care of the Xenos we rescued. Master Bell, you should go to the Dian Cecht Clinic for the bump on your head," said the Dauntless. She looked behind him. "Lady Wallenstein, can you take him there?"

Ais nodded happily, dragging Bell behind her. He watched his Familia stare after him, feeling just a little horrible.

I'm back! Projects and classes are done folks, so I'll be able to start focusing on this a bit again. By the way, for those who don't know I'm writing a Christmas fic at the moment. Is it Wrong to Celebrate Christmas in the Dungeon? New chapters every day, a lot of snippets being written. I hope you all enjoy!

Review Responses:

haziqsaffari2: Thanks for the comment! dropped off a bit because of work and school, but I want to get some stuff done. It is the 1 year anniversary of this fic first being posted after all!

Kingdiamond: Definitely not one of his strong suits

Tranadar: Happy to see you comment again! Here is the next update!