Chapter 45:
The Twilight Manor was incredibly busy. Preparations were moving at full speed to enter the Dungeon and wage war against the Sun Seekers. Lili observed this all as she walked through the gates. Some members recognized her and waved her forward, telling her to find the Captain. When Lili asked where he was, they told her that he would be in his office. So, Lili made her way up the stairs. She had to be careful a couple times because adventurers were just about running into her and knocking her on her ass.
From what Lili could see, everyone was at work. Gareth was checking over equipment, and he was sending out notices with runners from Loki Familia. The large dwarf was starting to gather all the members of his vanguard unit. Across the manor, Riveria looked to be doing the same. Lili liked that they were doing this. The tanks and the mages were the two units that absolutely had to cooperate the best. If the defence couldn't work together, they would all fall apart. And the mages had to work together so that none of them would overexert themselves and that they wouldn't all suffer mind down at the same time. Hopefully, the other troop leaders that Lili and Finn had chosen would follow the same line of thought. But that wasn't Lili's focus right now. She was still fuming at Bell. His decision to chase them down into the Dungeon meant that he didn't trust her or her plan. Lili was furious with him. She was supposed to be the strategist, but Bell just subverted her authority and acted on his own. Later, she would calm down enough to talk to him but now was not the time.
When she reached the door to Finn's office, Lili stopped to take a deep breath. She put aside her feelings for the moment and got ready to move to the next planning phase. She knocked at the door and heard a voice from inside telling her to come in. So, she reached up and pushed the door open. Inside, there was a surprise. Finn was there, which she expected, but Anakitty Autumn was also there, sitting on the couch. The cat woman's ears were twitching, and her tail lashed back and forth behind her. She saw Lili, and her eyes lit up in curiosity before turning back to Finn.
"What's this about, Captain?" asked Aki. "I thought we were supposed to be reaching out to and assembling our units?"
Finn nodded. "Yes, that was the plan. But first, I want to make sure that you two are acquainted." Finn gestured to Lili. "The Dauntless is going to be my adjutant in this war, but I will not always be around."
"What is Mister Finn talking about?" asked Lili, moving to sit on the other side of the couch.
Finn gave a dark grin. "At some point, me and all the other first-class adventurers in this little army of ours are going to have to go deeper than the rest of you can follow." He pointed to the table where a map of the fiftieth floor sat. "At this point, the rest of you will be setting up a base. And then me, Riveria, Gareth, and every other level five and six will be heading down deeper. Our mission will be to find the Sun Seeker's king, Typhon." He looked the two women in the eye. "You must hold the line in our absence."
Aki frowned. "You're taking all the level fives?"
Finn chuckled. "No, I'm leaving you, Raul, and Hippolyta." Finn looked to Lili. "But I will be taking Bell Cranel and your Vice-Captain, the Faeries Princess."
Lili nodded, studying the map. "So, there will be eight from Loki Familia, the eleven members of Ganesha Familia, Master Bell and Miss Ryuu, and Miss Tsubaki. That's twenty-two first-class adventurers…quite the fighting force."
"And I'm almost afraid that it won't be enough," replied Finn. "Without proper intel, we don't know what's down there…." Finn started to study the map. "Not to mention that these floors are not well documented. Even with everything the Guild has given us, we still know woefully little."
Aki joined the study session, mentally planning how to set up camp. "And I'm guessing Freya Familia is out of the question?"
Finn smirked. "Naturally, in fact, Freya volunteered to guard the city while we are gone."
Lili snorted. "If that wasn't evidence of her working with the Sun Seekers, Lili doesn't know what is."
Aki nodded along. "Still, though, if her Familia is out here, then they can't make trouble for us down there."
When Finn saw Lili and Aki discussing the ramifications of Freya not participating in the war effort, he felt his lips twitch. The pallum watched the two in silence as they debated tactics before coughing into his fist. That made the two women stop, both going red in the face when they saw their leader staring. Finn shook his head.
"Nothing to worry about; actually, I'm quite glad that the two of you are getting along," said the Braver. "It fits well with the plan for the fiftieth."
Both women tilted their heads and narrowed their eyes. They were very familiar with Finn's so-called 'plans' and the kind of trouble they could cause for others. And even though he was now a level seven, Finn felt a twinge of fear at that moment. His condolences went out to Raul and Bell both.
"It's nothing as sinister as what you two are thinking," explained Finn. "I just plan to leave the two of you in charge of our punitive army when the rest of us leave for below the fiftieth."
As if in slow motion, Aki and Lili's eyes both widened. The two opened their mouths in protest, but Finn raised his hand to stop any of their arguments.
"You've got the reputation to control everyone; Aki and Lili will be there to fill any of the holes you might miss while strategizing." He looked them both in the eye. "I need you two to work together on this one. That's the only way we make it through all of this, you got that?" Finn sighed. "This is a war, and I can't be everywhere. I need people I can trust."
Aki and Lili sat there in silence. The cat woman had nothing to say, but eventually, the young prum pulled her hair in frustration.
"Why is Lili stuck here." Her words turned unintelligible. "With all these heroic like….URRRGGHHH!" Finally, Lili stopped and looked over at Finn. "Fine, Lili will do it because Lili is the Dauntless and Mister Finn's rival."
Finn smiled. "Alright, sounds fair to me. And you Aki?"
The cat-girl frowned. "I mean, not like there's much of choice, is there? It's do or die time, right?"
Finn let out a dark chuckle. "Yes, I suppose so. That all said, can I count on you for help?"
Aki nodded. "As long as Raul actually stays with me at camp, and you don't try and pull some sneaky trick."
Finn faked hurt. "Would you really think that I would do that?"
"Yes."
Both Aki and Lili replied in the affirmative, and Finn chuckled.
"You two are already in sync, wonderful. Well, I'm going to check on the state of things, including our supplies. Meanwhile, you two can continue to chat and get to know each other," said Finn, already heading out the door.
"Bye, Master Finn," replied Lili.
When he was gone, the two adventurers sat in silence. They had no idea what to say to each other and chose to focus on what came next.
"Have you been in contact with your unit of adventurers?" asked Lili.
Aki nodded. "Everyone except my second in command. She's in your Familia, isn't she? The one that turns into the dragon?"
Lili rolled her eyes. "You're talking about Lady Otohime. Yeah, but don't let that part intimidate you. She's pretty calm most of the time." Lili's lips turned downwards. "But something happened today when we were in the Dungeon. I need to speak with her about it." Lili looked Anakitty in the eyes. "But I think you should judge her for yourself. She's that kind of adventurer."
Aki nodded along. She was the kind of adventurer that made it to first-class status. Someone like Tiona, Tione, or even the Sword Princess. Anakitty was looking forward to meeting the Dragon Princess now. Something about her struck a chord in the more seasoned adventurer.
"What do you think we'll be doing on fiftieth?" asked Lili, musing aloud. "I mean, besides stopping monsters from coming up, is there really a point?" She looked at the maps. "Unless…we need to stop something from going down?"
Aki was pulled from her thoughts. Her cat ears twitched as her gaze focused upon the pallum.
"What do you mean, stop something from going down?" she asked.
Lili pointed to the floor entrance. "The fact of the matter is, why would Mister Finn leave so many adventurers behind?"
Aki shrugged. "Most of them wouldn't survive past floor fifty anyway. Safer for them to stay on a safe floor."
"But even with all those first-class adventurers, Mister Finn is going to be massively outnumbered." She looked up at Aki. "When you went to fight the demi-spirit, didn't he take a bunch of level fours with him as supporters? Why leave us so much firepower if we were just dealing with stray monsters?"
Aki studied the Dauntless, not saying anything. Lili continued to ramble.
"Unless there was another attack?" said Lili. "After all, these are Xenos. They know how to move between Dungeon floors better than us. If Mister Finn and all the first-class adventurers are busy with the fight in front of them, then they'd be completely taken by surprise. He needs a rearguard, enough to stop an army."
Lili then shuffled through the papers lying on the ground.
"It would also make sense why all the units had level fours for commanders. They would be able to continue leading without the others around," said Lili. "All we would need is a couple heavy hitters of our own for the Sun Seekers Captains." She traced a line on the map, her eyes reading the list of adventurers in their punitive army. "Then, Mister Finn gets to charge forward, unfettered from the problems that surround him, while we take care of the bulk of the Sun Seekers armies." Finally, she gave a feral grin. "Ahhh…but that's only part of it, isn't it? That's not the actual strategy."
Now Aki looked really confused.
"What's the actual strategy, then?" asked Aki.
Lili tapped the spot that Finn had marked for the adventurer camp. It was nestled among some rocks, as well as being high up. It was a solid defensive position but with nowhere to retreat. They could be quickly surrounded.
"We're bait. Rather, we're a distraction," replied Lili. "We're a hungry morsel for the Sun Seekers to eat up."
Aki couldn't fathom it. Her Captain was using her as bait for a trap? Finn was going to sacrifice them all?
Lili saw her face and chuckled. "You misunderstand. Finn is playing to the monsters' expectations." Lili sat back. "To them, we're all just a bunch of disgusting, pathetic adventurers. We're not going to put up much of a fight. Obviously, Mister Finn disagrees. So, we offer ourselves up as a supposed treat…."
"When really we're a poisonous meal," finished Aki.
Lili nodded. The two women, now understanding their purpose, got to work. They had just been issued a challenge by the Braver himself, and they weren't going to back down.
With the Aspiring Hero:
Back in his hospital room, Bell tried to absorb the information he had just received. His grandfather, apparently, was Zeus, the deity. Which all seemed to match what he had been told beforehand. Still, that was a lot of information for a fifteen-year-old to process. Hestia was outside his room, waiting for Ais and Loki so he could tell them about this earth-shattering news. Finally, Ryuu was here, saying that two of the leaders of their enemies were actually the reincarnated versions of their old friends. The whole thing was enough to make Bell pull out his hair.
Finally, there was still the fact that he knew that almost everyone was probably pissed at him since he ran off without trusting them about the mission. Things were definitely not going his way today. In fact, things were going so horribly that even the forehead kiss from Ryuu had done little to lift his spirits. Ryuu still remained in the room, looking over him, but she also stood off and allowed him to think on his own issues at the moment. That was when there was another knock at the door. Ryuu went to answer it, and after a minute of whispered words, a blushing Otohime poked her head in the doorframe.
"Ummm…hello there, am I interrupting anything?" she asked.
Ryuu shook her head. "No, in fact, I think it's best if you come inside and that we all had a chat."
Bell felt himself frown. "Wait, did something happen?" He looked to Otohime. "Did you have to turn into the dragon? Is something wrong?"
Otohime shook her head. "No, there was no dragon or anything malicious like that. But I, uh, had an incident?"
Ryuu snorted. "So, that's what we're calling it, then."
Oto almost flinched a little, and Bell cocked his head. Short of them running into a dragon, he had no clue what would cause the usually sunny Otohime to be so bashful.
"I kind of slipped up and turned back into what I used to be," explained Otohime. "It wasn't on purpose or anything, but it just kind of happened? And then I almost attacked Ryuu…but that was an accident too!" She turned towards the elf. "I'm sorry, again."
Ryuu gave her Familia member a tiny smile. Then, surprising Oto and Bell, she reached up to ruffle the young woman's hair.
"It's alright. If I'm being frank, I've had the same kind of reaction in the Dungeon." The elf frowned. "But I do want to make sure that you are ok. And if that you can't continue that you don't push yourself just to fight." Ryuu looked over to Bell. "And it's also your call. After all, you are our Captain."
Bell tried to shift himself in his bed to sit up. He wanted to actually have a conversation right now and not just feel like he was trapped in some rinky-dink infirmary bed. So, he struggled to sit up, and the women in the room politely ignored his struggle.
When he was finally sitting up, he looked over at Ryuu.
"Ok, but I feel like I'm missing things. What actually happened?" asked Bell.
Ryuu sighed before launching into an in-depth explanation of everything that had happened in Knossos. As the elf talked, Bell studied Otohime. The girl in question would occasionally flinch and twiddle her hands like a child who knew she was in trouble.
When that finished, Ryuu looked over at Otohime, studying the girl. There was no accusation in her eyes, though, just worry and fear. Bell could understand it. By its sound, the girl Ryuu described was not the Otohime he knew. This was something much more violent and angry. But Bell also remembered how everyone had told him that he didn't realize Otohime as well as he thought he did.
"How are you feeling now?" asked Bell.
Otohime shrugged. "I'm fine now. It's not like it's an illness or something; it's more just that being in that situation, with all the fighting, brought up some bad memories." She frowned. "I don't like war. Even if this war is for a good reason, I don't want us to forget that it's still a war." Something flashed behind her eyes. "War is war, and that's never good."
Bell and Ryuu stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say next. Finally, Bell decided to probably take the reins on this conversation. He wanted to be more like a Captain, after all.
"Ryuu, can you give me and Otohime the room?" he asked.
The elf nodded, saying something about checking up on the rest of the Familia. She also left Bell a warning to rest, or she would be back, and she made a special note to tell Bell that she often took things too far. Ryuu left, and Otohime remained alone with Bell.
"So, we both messed up then?" asked Bell, giving a sheepish smile.
Otohime snorted before nodding. She walked over to sit on the bed and lightly flicked Bell's nose.
"At least I didn't have to go to the hospital for my stupidity." She sighed. "Bell, why did you run into Knossos? I can get going into the Dungeon with Loki Familia." Oto smirked. "You are a horrible liar after all."
Bell looked away, letting out a puff of air. "Do you know why I work so hard to be an adventurer? And why I want to be a hero?"
Otohime nodded. "I mean, originally, weren't you looking to pick up girls and start a harem?"
Bell spluttered and turned red. "No! Well…I mean, that was one of the reasons, but it's different now!"
Oto chuckled. "I know, I know, so what is it now, then?"
Bell looked at his hands. "I want to help people, and I want to save them. I don't like seeing people in pain." Bell turned towards the door. "Someone saved my life, and I've wanted to be like them ever since. They're the kind of person I want to be."
Otohime nodded along. "So, you ran off to save us? Bell…we can look after ourselves, you know?"
Bell smiled. "I know that you can look after yourselves…but what if something happened and I wasn't there to help?"
Otohime snorted again. "Not everything needs you to be there, Bell. Do you think that we can't look after ourselves? Don't you remember how your Familia survived the Water Capital?" Otohime raised an eyebrow. "Or what if this wasn't about saving us and about saving the Xenos?"
Otohime watched Bell stutter in his movement.
"Oh, I think I get it now. You were afraid we wouldn't be able to save the Xenos, right? And you wanted to be there because you felt guilty about how they saved you last time?" said Otohime.
Bell's mouth dropped. "Of course, I felt guilty! They died for me, and I couldn't save them! How should I have reacted? Should I just let them die again?"
Otohime shook her head. "No, but what about us, Bell? We were there to save them. And we did it too. But you didn't believe that it would happen."
Bell didn't respond at first.
"It isn't like that," he said eventually. "I just…I get so worried all the time for people." Bell's shoulders fell. "Being a hero and trying to save everyone, it's just so hard…." His eyes became wet. "And I can't seem to do it…I can't save anyone!"
Otohime frowned. "Bell… haven't you saved a bunch of people? Like Lili, Hestia, Haruhime, Ryuu, and me? And a bunch of other people?"
Bell shook his head. "But you're all still in danger!" He looked up, tears in his eyes. "You're all in danger because Freya wants me." He raised a hand to rub his eyes. "I thought I did, but I was being stupid and naïve. I haven't saved anyone because being near me puts you in danger." His hands clenched into fists. "I'm a failure of a hero."
Otohime stared at him before erupting into a fit of laughter and giggles. Bell looked up, entirely confused about what was happening, and just watched the former Princess laugh. Part of him was offended, but she waved a hand.
"No! I'm sorry, Bell!" Otohime tried to compose herself. Still smiling, she reached out to ruffle Bell's hair. "You are such a wonderful, sweet boy, you know that, right? Terribly naïve and optimistic, but also incredibly sweet, with a heart the size of a mountain." She sat back and looked him in the eye. "Maybe being around you means we're in danger, but that's our choice Bell. We get to choose what we do with our lives. Just because we do that doesn't mean you're putting our lives in danger." She sighed. "Bell, I want you to listen to me. I feel like we've all been telling you the same thing right now, but this is all Freya's fault. She's the one putting us in danger, not you. If something happens to us, or the Xenos from the Sun Seekers."
Bell's lips curled. "But being a hero means keeping people safe."
Otohime shrugged. "Great, but you also can't do it all yourself. There's an old saying, Bell, 'no man is an island.'" She flicked him again. "Stop trying to do this all on your own." She levelled him with a look, and Bell felt himself wither just a tiny bit. "If I find you trying to protect me or save me, I want you to stab me instead."
Bell nodded once and then looked to the door.
"What do I tell the others?" he asked.
Otohime smiled. "Bell, we're not actually angry. We get why you do these things. It all comes from a place of love, after all. We just wish you treated us as partners and Familia, and not just people to protect and save." She giggled again. "That said, I'm not gonna stand in Lili's way when she comes for you."
Bell winced, already imagining the pain he was going to endure. Before the conversation could continue, there was a knock at the door. Hestia poked her head in, already with a frown on her face.
"Oi! Ryuu just told me what happened!" said the tiny Goddess.
Otohime winced. "Well, now I'm pretty sure that I'm in trouble."
The Goddess stomped over, grabbed Otohime by the ear, and then pulled. Otohime took it all in stride, and she allowed for herself to get hauled away. Behind Hestia was Loki, Ais, and Ryuu. The three followed the tiny Goddess, and even the Goddess of Tricksters looked confused.
"Alright, Itty Bitty, just what in the world is going on here?" asked Loki.
Hestia stopped her reprimand to Otohime. Then, the Goddess of the Hearth pointed at the Dragon Princess and looked over at Bell. Her first child nodded, and Hestia launched into her theory about Bell's grandpa. The whole time, Loki's face did not change. All she did was nod along. However, Ais's face took on a tone of surprise that no one had ever seen. Her eyes switched back and forth between Bell and Hestia. When Hestia was done, she looked at Loki.
"So, you were in Orario when Zeus was, does it check out?" asked the Goddess.
Loki shrugged. "Honestly, I can't say. It sounds about right, but Zeus was only here for so long." Loki sighed. "Honestly, the best person to ask is someone like Hermes. He would know better than me." She ground her teeth together. "Doesn't help that the snake isn't here, though. We could always check with the Guild, though. Ask that half-elf that we know."
Bell smiled. "That's right! Eina will know something, I'm sure!"
Ais pouted. She wanted to be the one that knew something.
"Well, I'll see what I can find out," replied Hestia. "Ryuu, Otohime, would you mind coming with me and keeping me safe?"
The two nodded before Loki jumped on the opportunity.
"I'm coming too then! I want to know what's going on!" said the Trickster Goddess. She looked back to Ais. "You can stay and keep track of the rabbit!"
Ais felt her heart start thumping erratically. Spend a moment alone? With Bell? Her mini-self was jumping with joy at the opportunity.
"I get to stay…with Bell?" asked Ais.
Loki nodded. Hestia smiled. "Yes, you get to stay with Bell and keep him safe." Her eyes narrowed. "But no funny business, got that?"
Ais nodded seriously. There would be no funny business going on here, that was for sure. She was just going to stay with Bell, and when he went to sleep, she was going to lay his head in her lap. Then, she was going to run her hands through his hair. She looked over at his snowy-white locks. Soon, they would be hers.
The four women left, and Ais stood by his bed.
"Do you need to take a nap?" she asked.
With the Maestro:
Freya was in Folkvangr, for once. She chose to be around her Familia today. She had not been expecting that plan from the Braver. She had not been expecting anyone to outsmart the Sun Seekers so quickly. But it left her with a smile on her face because of a certain elf's reactions.
"My plan was spot on," grumbled Hedin. "Obviously, those lousy monsters are the reason it failed. I made the perfect plan for them." The white elf was pacing back and forth. The rest of the executives watched, and Freya was quite amused by the situation. "I did my best to help them, but if they failed to execute my instructions to the letter, that's on them."
"Counterpoint," began Alfrigg.
"You were outsmarted."
"By that pallum."
"From Hestia Familia," finished the last Gulliver.
Hedin turned to glare at the collected prums. He opened his mouth to retort but stopped when he heard giggling. The rest of Freya Familia looked over to find their Goddess sitting on her throne with a smile on her face. It was such a rare sight that they all stopped to look in wonder.
"Now, now," began Freya. "Acting like a petulant child will get you nowhere, Hedin. Better just to admit that you lost and move on." She looked to the side. "Isn't that right, Ottar?"
The boaz nodded. "Yes, Lady Freya."
Hedin frowned. "Yes, of course, Lady Freya. But what are we supposed to do, now? Those damnable adventurers are going to be on the attack much earlier than we had planned." He sat back at the table with the other executives. "I doubt that the Sun Seekers will be able to kill as many as we wanted." He frowned. "This is going to make things much more complicated. Especially since we're on guard duty now." The elf steepled his fingers. "Finding a way to interfere will be that much more difficult."
"Are you blaming the Goddess?" snarled Allen. "Listen here, trash, if Lady Freya wants us to guard the wall, then there's a good reason for it."
There was more giggling from Freya; she waved Allen off his attack. The Goddess did not seem to care that her plan was not panning out the way she had planned. If anything, she appeared to be even more delighted than before.
"It's alright," said Freya. "All this proves is that my Odr is even more remarkable than I first thought."
No one pointed out how it had probably Finn and Lili that had caused the disruption.
"Besides, I have seen his soul. It has started to shine again, just the way I want it to." Freya's eyes flashed. "I will not interfere now, and neither will the rest of you." She looked out over her children. "You are too strong. If you join this fight on either side, it will all be ruined." Freya looked at the wine in her glass. "Besides, with everyone else down below, we can move forward with the next part." She looked at Hedin. "We can start to even things out on the surface."
Hedin and the rest of the executives listened to Freya's words. The only one who wasn't listening was Ottar. His mind was elsewhere. He would follow Lady Freya till the day he died, but there was still one question on his mind. Maybe it was because of his simple-mindedness, but his brain could only ask why? Why was Freya so intent on putting so much into capturing Bell Cranel? The farthest she had gone before was for Hedin and Hogni, but that had been exceptional circumstances. Why was she doing so much for this boy named Bell Cranel?
However much he tried to dismiss it from his brain, though, the question was there, niggling away. Ottar knew that there was no point in wondering, but he couldn't help himself. Because there was a much more difficult question in his brain. One that he would never dare to speak aloud. The thought that kept him going was simple, why weren't any of them enough?
Ottar was shaken from his troublesome thoughts when the Goddess's sharp voice cut through.
"I will make this clear; no harm comes to Ryuu Leon." Freya's eyes were slits. "If I hear that one of you has harmed a single hair on her head, that will be the end of our time together. I will evict you from Orario."
The rest of the executives leaned back, almost as if they had all been attacked at once. Ottar found the situation curiouser and curiouser. Ever since Bell Cranel and the elf had left, the Goddess had shown more and more emotion. More things seemed to frustrate her and set her off. It was a side that was new, even to him.
"Ottar," began Freya. "I believe it's time you started calling our allies together. If that Trickster Loki wants a fight, then I'll give her one."
"And what about that tiny piece of trash?" asked Allen.
"Hestia?" Freya tilted her head. "I'd prefer for her not to die. But if she stands in my way, remove her." The Goddess waved a hand in dismissal. "I don't think she'll be a problem, though."
"And what about the rest of her Familia?" asked Ottar. "They are growing."
Freya smiled. "They will be the first to go." Everyone else nodded, except Ottar. "But enough of this. We will deal with them when the time comes."
With the Wanderers:
The pair of them had finally settled on an old house in Daedalus Street. It had been decided that it would be the perfect place for her to start spinning her web. The woman sat down and started chanting under her breath. As she did, a magic circle formed underneath. And as always, the old man stood watch. He would protect her till she was ready, and then she'd be able to defend him. They would be prepared to make a difference in the coming battle. Just like Hermes had told them.
The City:
As the sunset over the Dungeon City, people did not stop moving. The opening salvos had been fired from both sides. The Braver decided that he would not sleep for the next couple of days, and his adjutant joined him. The final plans were in motion, and the prologue was over. The war was beginning in earnest.
Hello all! Sorry that this took so long! Holidays, amiright? All that aside, as that chapter implies, so we shall go to war! I hope you enjoy what's to come! I've been planning it for a while!
Review Responses:
Whitewolf: Happy you like her!
mairsarmy321: Happy you enjoyed the Hestia bit! And the twin is a totally new creation by me, with more from her to come!
King Damage: Nah, was a totally platonic kiss. But Ais is going to be hesitant still.
Tranadar: And they will keep on coming
BChuggs: Iris and Bell won't be that different, but there will be some notable differences in personality. More on that later!
