A few hours had passed since the two brothers had left the hostess. The ridiculing and insults of Bete still linger in Bell's mind, stinging like a fresh wound. He curses himself for being so naive to think he has a chance to stand next to Ais out of all people.
They breathe heavily after killing a hoard of frog shooters. Bell lays on the ground and stares up at the roof of the dungeon, while Leo grabs a few magic stones for emergencies. Bell's fist clenched at his sides as his red eyes hardened.
"I can't forgive myself. I wanted something to happen without doing anything myself." Bell says through gritted teeth, Leo glances over to see Bell slowly stand up on his shaky legs. The roof of the dungeon cracks open, revealing a dark purple mist as it falls onto the ground all around them.
War shadows form, their large, glowing red eye glare at the two adventurers. Bell tightly holds his knife as he looks around. Leo gets into his fighting stance since he left his greatsword at the church.
Bell is the first to make a move; he growls in frustration and charges towards a nearby group of warshadows. Leo follows suit and joins the charge; he cocks his arm back and slams his fist into one's head.
Seven hours later...
The sun barely peaks over the horizon, now lighting up all of Orario. Nearby stalls slowly start bringing out the items required to feed the hungry adventurers. Two people slowly exit the dungeon after spending all night and into the early morning in there; Leo has Bell's arm drapped over his shoulder but has a small smile on his face even if they are both exhausted.
"Leo, I want to get stronger." He states, his voice shaky, feeling his inner turmoil. His brother chuckles quietly and walks forward while keeping Bell up.
"We'll get stronger together; we're going to show all of Orario who we are."
Bell doesn't respond, but a small smile graces his lips as he lets Leo's words sink in. The journey back to the church is tiring; it takes longer as both trudge slowly along. It takes them close to a half of an hour to see it down the street.
A silhouette of Hestia can be seen as she's leaning up against the wall; she has a depressed look on her face, thinking the worst.
"They didn't come back last night; maybe they're never..." She trails off when she hears the sound of faint footsteps; her eyes widen as she turns to see Leo helping Bell walk towards the church.
"Bell, Leo!" She shouts in surprise as she runs towards them. The brothers look up to see her running towards them and smile.
If anyone other than Hestia had seen the twins, they'd have alerted some guards to get them to a hospital. Bell has cuts along his body, his clothes are torn, and fresh blood drips down, blinding him on the left side of his face. Leo is worse; his shirt and leather jacket are missing, exposing his torso; he has large cuts all over it, with blood slowly dripping down onto the street below. His face has minor brusing with scrapes, but both boys's smile tiredly at their goddess.
"Goddess. We want to get stronger." Said Bell as he slowly gives into sleep. Leo smiles as he easily picks up his now-sleeping brother and carries him towards the church. Hestia follows close behind and opens up the doors as they head downstairs.
"He's getting stronger, isn't he?" Hestia speaks to Leo for the first time in a while. Leo gently sets him down on the couch and walks off to grab a nearby bucket. "Yeah." He says this quietly as he grabs a nearby rag and soaks it in the water.
He removes it from the water and slowly begins to clean Bell from all his wounds and the blood that covers him. Hestia smiles, seeing Leo's care for his brother. She stands off to the side and watches. "Hey, Leo. I can do this for Bell if you want to rest." She says quietly, and Leo shakes his head gently as he wrings out the blood into the bucket.
"It's fine. After all, he'd do the same—no, he has done the same." He states this as his eyes glaze over with a look of nostalgia as a memory comes back. Hestia can feel it through their connection of her blessing—a feeling of regret and anger she's never felt from Leo eminating off him.
"You're still hurting from that day, aren't you?" She asks quietly. A feeling of sadness fills her heart seeing one of her children silently suffer. Another feeling fills her heart: regret. She was so blinded by her love for Bell that she forgot to pay attention to Leo. He looks over at her and smiles to try and change the subject.
"I'll be okay; don't worry." A bitter white lie left his lips. Hestia could feel it but decided not to push him for the truth.
A few hours pass...
Bell's eyes slowly open to see his brother sitting on the floor in front of the couch. He has his eyes closed, and the faint sound of his breathing causes him to smile.
"He's been sitting there since you two returned." Hestia says with a small smile, and Bell slowly sits up and rubs his eyes. "What time is it?" He asks, confused slightly. Leo opens his eyes at the sound of Bell's voice.
"Still morning. We got back as the sun was rising. How are you feeling?" Asked Leo as he cracked his stiff joints, Bell stifled a yawn and got off the couch, cracking his back.
"I feel refreshed. Oh crap, I forgot to pay Mamma Mia for dinner last night!" He says, panicking. Leo chuckles as he climbs to his feet. "Don't worry, I paid for our meals. You should give an apology for running out last night; you barely ate any of the food she made you."
Bell looks down and nods his head in shame. "Okay." Hestia walks over, sits on the small couch, and smiles up at the two children of the familia. "Let me update your statuses before you leave for the day." She says patting the two cusions on both of her sides. Bell goes first, takes off his shirt, and lays flat on his stomach.
Hestia straddles the back of his legs as she pricks her finger with a needle, drawing blood. His status appears from his tattoo once again as the numbers move quickly, trying to find the correct combination. Goddess Hestia is taken aback by the numbers and gasps in surprise.
"Is something wrong, Goddess?" Bell asks curiously; she quickly regains her composure and smiles at him.
"No, nothing's wrong." She states before quickly closing his status back into his familia tattoo. She quickly gets off him, allowing him to stand up and put on his gear for the day. Leo kneels in front of the couch with his back towards her once again. She does the same thing and has a similar reaction as she studies his stats.
"Would it be okay if I told you guys about your status today?" She asks, pushing Leo's stats back into his familia tattoo.
"I don't mind, do you, Leo?" He asks his brother as he buttons up a clean shirt. Leo shakes his head as he walks towards his gear. "That's fine; I don't mind." He says grabbing a shirt from his pile of gear.
Hestia takes a quick breath to calm herself and nods with a satisfied smile. "You both went up 100 points in total." Leo comically falls over from the sudden information and hits his head on the bookshelf near him. Bell, with one leg in his pants, hops around before falling over at the sudden information.
"O-Our status has gone up that much?!" Bell shouts from the floor as he quickly gets up and sits across from Hestia. Leo rubs his head and stares wide-eyed towards them. "You're not messing with us, right?"
"No, I'm serious. You two are growing at an incredible rate right now. It's like a growth spurt." She explains without her natural carefree smile, the aura that surrounds her is deadly serious, causing Leo and Bell to share a look.
"This is my personal opinion, but I think both of you have talent. You'll become strong, for sure. And you want to become stronger yourselves."
"Yes." Bell said it with a serious look. Leo smirked and squeezed his hand into a fist. "Don't think you're ditching me; I'll be right along with you." Bell glances over at his brother, smirks towards him, and nods. Hestia looks down at the ground with a worried look; she doesn't like that Bell is getting stronger because of Ais.
"I respect your desires. I'll support you and help you; I'll lend you my powers. So promise me, you won't be rash anymore. Please, don't leave me alone!" She says looking between the brothers.
"I promise to look out for Bell." In an instant, he turns his head and looks at him with a knowing look. "Why am I getting singled out?!" He shouts, confused, and Leo lets out a laugh.
"Trouble seems to find you wherever we go!" Leo said this while chuckling. A tick mark grew on Bell's forehead as he angrily looked at his brother. "You're one to talk! Especially that time when grandpa taught you how to woo women from other races!"
Leo rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought he was full of it! You remember how he was? I didn't think it would actually work!" He says that, with a slight red hue on his face, Bell gave him a flat look. "Tell that to the bunny girl."
Leo's eyes widen as he gasps at the sudden statment. "God's above; we were eight! How was I supposed to know that touching a bunny woman's ears is a sign of love and only allowed by their future spouse?"
Hestia watches the brotherly argument surprised; Leo, who's usually not one to be easily embarrassed, has a red face; Bell has a mischevous smirk as he leans close to Leo as he whispers something in his ear, making his eyes widen.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? DID GRANDPA TELL YOU?!" Leo shouts, flustered, and Bell lets out a chuckle as he wags his finger. "That's a trade secret, I'm afraid."
Hestia laughs and holds her stomach from the interaction between the two; it takes a few minutes for her to calm down. "It seems I was worried for nothing; I feel fine now that I see you two acting this way." She says this before standing on the couch to look down at both of them. She places her hands on her hips.
"And so, Bell and Leo, I'll be gone for a few days, starting tonight. Is that all right?"
The two brothers share a confused look before looking back at their goddess, who has a mischevous smile on her face as she looks at them.
"I'm sorry, I ran off earlier without paying or eating what I ordered." Bell says, bowing deeply to Mia Grand, owner of the hostess. Leo also bows alongside his brother, confusing him.
"I'm sorry too; I broke one of your glasses. Not to mention almost starting a bar fight."
Mia Grand looks between the two boys with a stern look before breaking out into a smile.
"I'm glad you have the guts to apologize like a man instead of running; your brother here already covered the bill last night, so it's no big deal. But if you don't pay in the future, I will hunt you down for the valis." She says, glaring at the twins, Bell flinches and bows again as he starts to sweat.
"I'm really sorry!"
"Don't apologize anymore, Bell. I'm happy you're both back; you're going back into the dungeon today, right?" Syr asks, looking between the two. Leo raises his head and nods. "That's the plan."
They watch as the waitress pulls out a wrapped lunch once again and holds it out for Bell; she has a bashful expression on her face. "Here, I made you a lunch."
Bell holds up his hands and tries to politely decline. "Oh, I couldn't..." He trails off as she blushes suddenly. "Please take it. Can you not?" Leo sighs and nudges his brother forward with a slight push. Bell turns to see him with a knowing look and sighs, defeated. "Thank you. I'll take it."
Syr giggles and skips away. Leo watches as she disappears into the kitchen, but his eyes are drawn to an elven woman with golden-blonde hair. She has a neutral expression on her face. She can be seen looking back at him. Surprised, he waves towards her with a friendly smile. She returns with a nod as she sets dishes on the counter.
Mia smirks towards Bell and leans closer to the two of them. "Make sure to thank Syr. The staff here is pretty rough, and that includes me. We only forgave you because she asked us too." Leo lets out a small chuckle and pats Bell on the shoulder. "I think you have a soft spot for us."
She hardens her look and slaps him on the head. "Don't push your luck, punk." Leo rubs his head to try to ease the pain. "Are all dwarfs this strong?!" Mia smirks at that and looks at Bell's expression to see his faraway look.
"Kid, there's no point in an adventurer pretending to be something he's not. When you're just starting out, put all your energy into surviving. No matter how pathetic you feel or how people laugh at you, if you come back alive, you win."
She puts her hands on Bell's shoulder and spins him around. She quickly grabs Leo by the head and turns him around before gently placing a hand on both of their backs.
"That goes for both of ya. Now that you've made me tell you this, I'll never forgive you if either of you gets killed." She says it quietly before pushing them forward. "Now go; we have work to do, and you're in the way."
"Okay, see you later!" Bell says cheerfully, and Leo chuckles and jogs along with Bell. "I knew you had a soft spot for us! See you later, Mamma!"
With Hestia, she had arrived at the place where the God's banquet was being held. She's currently stuffing her face with as much food as she can get her hands on. While doing that, she was looking out for someone that she needed to speak to.
"Good evening, Hestia." A soothing voice called out to her, the small goddess turned to see an extravagant-looking woman in a nice dress. She has long, flowing white hair, and her looks are godly.
"Freya.." She says, with a piece of bread in her mouth, the goddess of beauty smiles down at her. "Am I interrupting?"
Hestia swallows the food in her mouth and looks off to the side with a pout. "I just don't like dealing with you." Freya giggles and smiles down at her. "I love that about you."
The distant sound of someone running towards them catches their attention. Looking behind Freya, a woman wearing a black and red dress with her hair styled into a high bun,.
"Oi, Freya!" She calls out as she speeds towards the two, and the goddess of beauty smiles at seeing Loki. In the blink of an eye, she appears next to them with her carefree smile. "Heya, Shrimp!" She says this towards Hestia. The goddess of hearth and home looks up at the goddess of trickery with an unintressed look.
"What are you doing here?"
"What? Am I not allowed to come here without a reason?" She says with a slight glare towards the small goddess.
"That's fine; I'm just surprised you could find a dress that fits considering how flat you are." Said Hestia.
"I'm surprised you could find a nice-looking dress with how poor you are." Loki taunts back, a tick mark grows on Hestia's head, and she glares up at the goddess of trickery.
What happened next after that was a spout of insults thrown back and forth until Loki grabbed the small goddess by the face and started to pinch and pull her cheeks as hard as she could. Hestia, in pain, kept shouting insults at her, making fun of her for her flat chest. After getting fed up with the small goddess, she dropped her to the ground before stomping away with an angry expression on her face.
"You guys were at it again?" A familiar voice calls out to her, and Hestia turns to see her old friend from heaven, Hephaestus.
"Hephaestus! I'm so glad I came! I wanted to see you!" She shouts with a large smile on her face.
Hephaestus is a goddess wearing an elegant red dress matching her hair; the right side of her face is covered by a large eye patch, but she is still a beautiful woman regardless. She looks down at her friend with an unintressed look, but curiosity is in her eye.
"See me? Listen, I'm not lending you even one more vali, okay?" She says leaning with a serious look. Hestia looks at her friend with a pout. "How rude! Do I look like someone who'd treat her friends like walking piggy banks? Besides, I have my own familia now." She states this with a large grin.
"That's right. Bell and Leo, was it? The humans with white hair and red eyes. Well, a lot of gods change once they have a familia, but..." She trails off as she takes a sip of her wine glass. A man in a nice suit leans towards Freya's ear and whispers something, causing her smile to widen ever so slightly.
"Hephaestus, Hestia, I'll be leaving. There's something I wanted to check up on, but that's done." She says while staring at Hestia that the small goddess looks at her confused. Freya smiles and crosses her arms. "And I've already had all the fun I wanted with all the men here."
Most of the men, discouraged at not having a chance with the goddess of beauty, dispersed as quickly as they appeared. She begins to walk away with her extravagant smile, with the two men she entered with walking a little behind her.
"So, why did you want to see me? Depending on what it is, I may decide to never speak to you again." The smithing goddess says it with a seriousness that makes Hestia stutter. "I-I know. Please, I want you to make a weapon for Bell."
Hestia dropped to her knees, lowering her forehead, and pressed it against the ground. Hephaestus is taken aback slightly by the sudden pose her friend is doing.
It's now nighttime in Orario, and the brothers can be seen window shopping as they look at some gear that's over 800,000 vali's. Bell's face is pressed up right against the glass as he stares at one of the daggers that has an intricate handle holding dwarven steel, which is the blade.
"Oh, it's you two, Bell and Leo." A familiar voice calls out to them from the quiet night. Turning, they see a kind-looking man with long, flowing blue hair. He has a paper bag in his hand, but a smile plasters on his face as he looks at the two brothers.
"Lord Miach! Sorry, I know I'm not going to be buying anything."
Miach's smile widens as he tries to ease the young adventurers worries. "There's nothing to apologize for."
"Wasn't the banquet today? Didn't you go, Lord Miach?" Leo is curious since that's where most gods and goddesses went.
"I was invited, that's true. But since my familia is so small, I've been busy preparing my goods. Leo, Bell; I'll give you these." He says that as he pulls out two blue vials, Leo pulls out his pouch full of Vali's and goes to hand him a handfull to cover the cost.
"Your money isn't necessary. I wanted to gift these to the both of you. You each get a vial."
"But.." Miach smiles warmly at the two hesitant adventurers. "Don't worry. I'm just brown-nosing a good neighbor. It's also my way of asking you two to keep patronizing my familia."
"T-Thank you." As Bell gently takes the potions from the kind god, Miach pats him on the shoulder and ruffles Leo's hair.
"Bye," he says as he walks off down the street, disappearing in the midst of adventurers and town people.
The two brothers share a look before they decide to head back to the church for the night.
"Hestia, will you stop already?" Hephaestus said, staring at her friend, who was still groveling for her to make one of her children a weapon.
"Not until you make my Bell a weapon. He's working so hard, and I'm such a useless goddess." Hestia says as she berates herself for being useless to her children, Hephaestus looks at her friend with pity.
"What exactly are you supposed to be doing, anyway?" She asks, confused as to why she's on the ground with her face on the tile. "Prostrating myself. Takemikazuchi told me about it; it's the ultimate technique for apologizing and begging."
The smithing goddess heaves a sigh as she grabs a nearby feather pen and dips it in some ink before resuming her writing. "He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. Hestia, will you tell me why you're willing to go this far?" She asks, setting the feather pen down and standing up.
"I want to help Bell!" She says it without hesitation. "And what of your other child? Leo?"
"I'm not sure. Bell is his source of strength, and he pushes himself to make Bell better. They've both found a goal, and now they're trying to follow it together. It's a long and harsh path; it's a dangerous path. So I want the power to help them! A weapon to cut open the way for them! Ease Leo's burden of watching out for Bell!" Hestia explains with an emotional voice. Hephaestus looks down at her friend and just lets the words digest in her mind; she also sees if there's any lie in what she says. There's a little lie hidden under all the truth.
"That's not the whole truth, Hestia. What aren't you telling me?" The smithing goddess says trying to get all the information out of her.
"I love him! I want to show him my love! He's always been there for me, and I can't do anything for him. He gives me everything, and I do nothing for him. I'm his god, but I can't do any of the things a god should do. I hate not being able to do anything." The small goddess says, in frustration, A small smile appeared on the smithing goddess's face, seeing how much her friend had grown.
"Trying to change, huh? All right, Hestia. I'll make your weapons for your children's sake."
Hestia looked up at her with genuine happiness and tried to hug her, but her legs gave out under her after staying in the same position for a few days. Hephaestus quickly caught her before she hit the floor. "Just so we're clear, you're paying. Even if it takes decades or centuries."
"Yeah! I know!"
Hephaestus let her friend go and walked towards the wall where she had her tools on it. "So, what kind of weapons do your children use?"
"My Bell uses a dagger. Before Leo got his greatsword, he used his fists." Hestia said before seeing that Hephaestus removed her hammer from the wall. "Wait? Are you going to make it yourself?" She asks excidedly, and the smithing goddess looks over her hammer before turning to her friend.
"Of course. I can't get my familia involved in a private matter between you and me; you're going to help me." She said as she walked towards a bookcase near her desk, she pulled one of the books, revealing her personal forge.
The very next morning, the two brothers are walking down the main street towards the dungeon.
"Goddess said she'd be gone two to three days. I wonder if she's coming home today." Bell questioned no one in particular. Leo shrugs his shoulders as he looks up at the clouds.
"Don't know. Let's hope she had fun, though." He says Bell looks at him with a small smile and nods his head in agreement when a faint voice calls out to them.
"Hey! Wait up, white hairs! I have a request, nya!"
They turn to see the cat waitress from the hostess calling out to them. She notices them looking at her now and bows. "Good morning."
"G-Good morning." Bell says as he bows back. Leo waves with a smile. "Morning!"
"I need to ask the two of you a favor, Nya!" She says it cheerfully, and the brothers share a look as they walk towards her. As they approach, she holds out a purple and gold purse.
"So what I want is for you to give this wallet to that airhead, Syr." She says with a little of her cat slang, Bell and Leo stare at her blankly; she lost them after 'So'.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I follow." Leo said as he ran a hand through his hair, confused. Bell nodded in agreement. "Me neither."
"Anya." A voice announces its presence, and they see the elven woman walk around from the back, holding a washbasin of towels.
"That's not a good enough explanation; both Mr. Cranel's are confused."
"You're so dumb, Ryuu. They can understand that I want him to take Syr her wallet, which she forgot when she skipped out on her shift to Monsterphilia." She says it in regular fashion this time around.
"That's the situation." Ryuu says, turning back to the two brothers.
"I see.." Bell says, sweatdropping still at the way Anya speaks, and Leo still looks lost at what she said.
"Bell, you're the lead on this one. I still didn't understand her." Leo said as he whispered in Bell's ear.
"Syr, of course, did not skip out on her shift. She took a vacation day for the festival; she's probably in trouble without her wallet. Please help, Mister Cranel's." Said Ryuu. Anya leans forward and smiles at the two, but she quickly appears behind Leo, places both hands on his buttocks, and gives it a firm squeeze.
"Nice and firm! You have a nice ass, Nya!" She says it coyly as she squeezes it a few more times. A slight red hue appears on his face from the forwardness of the catgirl, but he tries to play it cool. Bell starts laughing uncontrollably while Ryuu's ears heat up from seeing the sudden lewd act her co-worker did.
"Anya, please keep your hands to yourself. You're making Mr. Cranel uncomfortable." She says trying to get the pervy cat under control. A mischievous smile appears on her face as she leans up towards his ear and speaks in a sultry tone.
"I think he likes it~" Leo gently removes himself from her grip and stands next to Ryuu; his face is slightly red from having his behind gropped.
"C-Could either of you tell us what Monsterphilia is?" Leo asks quickly. Anya appears by his side and tries to grab his behind again, but Ryuu sprays her with a bottle of water.
"Monsterphilia is a huge festival held once a year by the Ganesha familia!" Anya said, covering her ears from the water. She glares slightly at Ryuu, but the elven beauty speaks. "They take over the whole coliseum for a full day and tame monsters brought from the dungeon in front of the whole crowd."
"It's a really harcore spectacle, more or less." Anya finishes once again with a large smile on her face.
"Is that safe? I mean, with all the regular people watching? What happens if a monster gets free?" Leo asks curiously. "There are adventurers in the stands, and also, Ganesha's familia is stationed all around the colosium." Ryuu explained.
"Intresting, what do you say, Bell? Are you ready to check this Monsterphilia out?" He asks his brother, and the young adventurer nods his head with a smile. "Yeah, let's go!"
"Remember though, we gotta find Syr and return her wallet." Leo reiterates their mission for the day before they can enjoy the festival.
"Thank you, Ms. Anya, Ms. Ryuu. We're off." Bell says as he starts walking towards the colosium, Leo smirks and follows after him, but turns and calls out to Ryuu.
"Thanks again for that lunch, Ms. Ryuu; you're an amazing cook. You'd make a great wife someday." Leo says, smiling at the elven beauty. Her face and ears heat up from the sudden compliment, and she looks towards the bin full of towels she's holding.
"T-Thank you. It's important for adventurers to eat and fight without having hunger pains." Leo smiles and gives a small wave as he follows after Bell.
"See you later."
She watches as the two brothers disappear in the large crowd of people that are enjoying Monsterphilia.
Freya was watching the people of Gekai, the children. Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Animal people. A few adventurers were standing around to protect the non-familia people that have come for Monsterphilia.
The goddess of beauty scanned the sea of children with her sharp eyes.
The faint sound of footsteps approaching her caught her attention, the sound of the door handle rattled as the person she was waiting for entered the room. She stopped examining the sea of people on the street and turned to greet her guests.
"Yo! Sorry to keep you waiting. There were a lot of people on the street, making it hard to traverse." Loki said as she entered the room, with Ais acting as her guard.
"It's not a problem. It does seem like there are more children running about than last year." She says, glancing out at the street, Loki takes the seat across from her.
Freya continued to smile as she sat down, not reacting to Loki at all. The two of them had an air around them when they spoke; it was friendly but like rivals who had known each other for a very, very long time.
"What are you planning now? Did you take a liking to some familia's child again and decide to go after them? Jeez... all you're doing is sowing the seeds of conflict, you sex-obsessed goddess." Loki says, pausing before taking a small sip out of her drink. Freya's smile grows a bit from being found out.
She's come to find out that Loki is one of the people who can read her like a book. Loki heaves a sigh as she looks at Freya's face, knowing what that smile means.
"So which child is it you're after?"
"A child who's so terribly forlorn, he'd cry at the slightest provocation. The other isn't afraid to get his hands dirty to protect those close to him; if provoked, he'd fight anything without care for the consequences. They are so pretty—ethereal, almost. A color I'd never seen before" Freya says the smile on her face gets bigger just talking about the two people that caught her eye.
"It was truly a coincidence that I saw them. They just happened to wander in my field of vision." She trails off as two familiar white-haired young adventurers run through the crowd.
She pushes her chair back and stands up, confusing Loki. "What's wr-"
"Sorry. I have somewhere to go."
"What, you can't just..."
"Let's meet again later."
Freya smiled down at the goddess of trickery before turning on her heel and walking out. Loki watches the door close behind her and stares at it briefly, confused.
"What's her deal? Hey! She left me with the check!" Shouted Loki in annoyance.
The two brothers are walking with the flow of people; everyone is exploring Orario and enjoying this year's Monsterphilia; they scan each person in hopes of finding Syr, but it's close to impossible to pin point her.
"It's gonna take a long time to find Syr with all these people." Leo said, glancing at Bell, and his brother nodded in agreement. "You might be right. I've never seen so many people in one place; it's amazing." Bell says, looking around with a large smile.
"BELL! LEO!" A voice calls out to them, they look around till they see their goddess running towards them with a large smile.
"Goddess, what are you doing here?" He questions, and Hestia gains a bashful look and kicks some dirt. "I missed you, I guess."
"I missed you, too." Said Bell, stunned to see Hestia out and about, Leo shakes his head, feeling like a third wheel.
"I knew it! You and I share an incredible bond! Let's go on a date, Bell!" She says dragging him away from Leo. She stops suddenly and reaches in the purple sash she has wrapped around her torso and hands a pair of gloves to Leo.
"What's this?" He asks, looking down at them. "A gift from me to you. Now, Bell, if you want your gift, we're going on a date now." Said Hestia, as she started dragging Bell away again, he shot his brother a look that read, 'Help me, please'.
"Right, you two have fun. Guess I'll look around." Leo says, shrugging his shoulders, not wanting to feel like a third wheel.
Leo stepped back into the bustling streets of Orario, his eyes wide with wonder as he took in the sights and sounds of Monsterphilia. The air was alive with excitement, the vibrant colors and exotic creatures captivating his senses as he ventured deeper into the heart of the festivities.
His first stop was a sprawling market filled with stalls selling all manner of goods, from intricate trinkets to exotic foods. The aroma of grilled meats and savory spices wafted through the air, tempting his taste buds as he weaved his way through the throngs of people.
As he explored the market, Leo couldn't help but marvel at the variety of wares on display. There were brightly colored masks adorned with feathers and beads, mysterious potions brewed from rare ingredients, and ornate weapons forged by skilled artisans.
Next, the young adventurer stumbled upon an area with a large stage where performers dazzled the crowd with acrobatic feats and dangerous stunts. He watched with a small smile as jugglers twirled flaming torches through the air, contortionists bent their bodes around deadly sharp objects, musicians filled the air with enchanting melodies.
A few of Ganesha's familia stand guard in front of the monster-holding area under the colosium. The faint sound of footsteps approaching them puts them on edge; from within the darkness, a hooded figure emerges.
"Who goes there?" One of the men calls out, keeping his guard up. The hooded figure stalks forward without uttering a word.
"Only the familia of Lord Ganesha is down here; please return to the surface." The other guard tries to give the stranger a chance to turn around and leave. Its as if a trance was placed on them as their eyes widen.
They caught a glimpse of the hooded figures faces, causing them to blush uncontrollably. The sound of cheers above is drowned out by their own heartbeats. The sweet smell of vanhilla fills their noses as the hooded figure stops in front of them.
"My, what a pair of handsome guards~' A soft femenine voice speaks up from under the hood, and the mysterious woman grabs the edges of it to reveal her long, flowing dark silver hair and a smile only a goddess could pull graces her face.
"G-Goddess Freya?! What are you doing down here?" One stutters out, entranced by her unbearable beauty. She giggles, causing their hearts to skip a beat. One of the guards passes out right there.
"I came down here to see some of the monsters Ganesha has planned for the colossium. But I find something more intresting~" She says as she licks her lips, That was the final stray. The man's eyes roll in the back of his head as he has a look of pure ecstasy on his face.
"Too easy." She says this with a smile as she pulls up her hood and walks into the large storage room full of monsters. The glowing red eyes of monsters peer through the cracks in their crates and bars as they stare at the person.
Some growl in anger at being held captive, wanting nothing more than to break free and rip this hooded figure to shreds. Her eyes travel around each of the cages and crates that cover the large room; near the entrance of the room is where the upper-floor monsters are held, like Kobold's, Dungeon Lizards, Frog Shooter's, and War Shadow's.
As she walks deeper, she starts seeing the medium-level monsters: Orc's, Imp's, Bad Bat's, Hard Armored, an Infant Dragon, and Silverback.
The goddess of beauty's smile widens at seeing two monsters. "You're perfect." She says this in her soothing voice as she pulls out a ring of keys. She opens one of the cages and gently caresses the monster's face.
"It's no good... I planned to simply watch their growth for a while, but" She trails off before whispering to the beast as she uses her charms to make it do her bidding.
She steps back and watches as the large monster roars before running out of the holding area. Freya looks deeper into the large cage to see another monster of the same race, but it's slightly different. Instead of white fur, it's completely covered in silver; multiple scars cover its face and body, telling her that the creature has seen combat with a large force.
It growls angrily as she walks towards it. She once again reaches her hand up to his face and gently caresses it while using her charm. "Chase after the lone boy with white hair and red eyes; show him your strength, and he'll show you his." She finishes with her soothing voice, and the eyes of the monster glaze over at her beauty. A deep, menacing growl escapes its mouth as she unlocks the chains holding it down.
Leo had been given an exotic treat that only showed up around Monsterphilia. The merchant from a faraway village smiles as he sprinkles spice over a blob of toasted bread. He hands it to the young adventurer with a smile. "Here you go, son. Is this really your first Monsterphillia?" The old man asks, and Leo nods his head with a small smile as he takes the treat.
"Yeah, me and my brother have only been in Orario for a little over three weeks now. I didn't even know about this till I saw all these people." Leo says, motioning to all the people around them, and the old merchant chuckles.
"My grandson was the same way. He was always too busy adventure-seeking to take in his surroundings. Oh, forgive me. I almost started rambling." The old man says with a smile, Leo chuckles before taking a bite of the treat he bought from the man.
"Wow, this is good." Leo states, savoring the flavor, and the old man laughs with a wide grin on his face. "My wife came up with it by accident; we call it Fried Dough."
Leo nods his head and quickly devours the treat. "Man, that was delicious."
The young adventurer was so engrossed in his conversation that he failed to notice the large, dark shadow looming overhead until it was too late. With a deafening roar, a monsterous hand wrapped its hand around him and started slamming him into everything it could as it carried him down the street.
With each slam, his body was wrecked with pain. With another deafening roar, the large monster launches Leo with ease, as if he weighs nothing. He soared through the air before slamming into the ground. A quiet groan escaped him as he finally got a look at the monster that had grabbed him.
It was a silverback, but different; it was actually silver all over instead of its usual white fur. But this one had battle scars all over its body. Leo slowly climbed to his feet as his body throbbed all over. "That sucked."
The creature turned to face Leo, its eyes blazing with feral rage as it bared its teeth in a menacing snarl. Leo's heart began to beat loudly in his chest as he brought his fists into his fighting stance.
With a primal roar, the Silverback charged forward, its massive fists pounding the ground with earth-shaking force. Leo braced himself for the impact, his muscles tensing as he prepared to meet the creature head-on this time.
As the Silverback closed in, Leo sprang into action; his movements were sluggish as he recovered from earlier's abuse. He threw a heavy punch towards its stomach but nailed it in the thigh since it was bigger than him.
The creature staggers back from the heavy blow as it lets out a loud roar of pain. It brought both of its hands together and brought them down like a hammer. Leo quickly crossed his arms to try and block it; the brute force from the impact had shattered his guard and the ground underneath him.
The silverback quickly throws another punch and lands it against his stomach. All the air was forced out of his body, along with bile mixed with spit as he threw up the contents of his stomach. The familiar feeling of weightlessness fills him as he's launched again through the air before slamming into the wall of a nearby building.
Leo starts to cough as he desperately tries to breathe oxygen; he barely has time to react as the silverback appears once again. He quickly dropped to the ground and rolled sluggishly out of the way as the monster ran through the building, destroying it.
"My body won't stop shaking." He says this through gritted teeth as he stands on shaky legs. Another roar in the distance catches his attention. Glancing to his right, the faint silhouette of two people runs from a large white creature as it leaps after them.
"Is that Bell and Goddess Hestia?!"
A shadow looms over him as the silverback tries to take advantage of his distracted opponent. It slams a fist into Leo, landing a heavy blow to his body and sending him sliding across the ground. He tenses his leg muscles and stops himself.
'Why am I still shaking?!' He thought in anger, and his whole body once again shook as the looming feeling of death stared down at him.
"Listen well, Leo." The distant sound of his grandfather's voice echoed in his mind as the silverback rushed him again. This time, he met it head-on and threw a few punches.
"Fear is a powerful thing, Leo."
Leo and the silverback began trading blows; each shot rattled his bones, causing blood to drip down his chin. A growl of frustration leaves Leo as he throws a punch. It hits the silverback on the thigh, staggering him back.
"It has the power to paralyze us, to cloud our judgment, and to make us doubt ourselves. But it is also a teacher, a guide that can show us our weaknesses and help us grow stronger." An older man smiled down at a small boy who was crying in frustration.
" I... I got scared, Grandpa. When we were fighting those monsters, I froze, and because of that, Bell got hurt. It's my fault, and I can't stop thinking about it. I don't ever want to feel that way again. I want to be stronger, so I can protect him." A young Leo spoke with a shaky voice, and his grandfather reached out, placing a weathered hand on Leo's head.
"Is that what scared you, seeing Bell get hurt?" He asked gently. Leo nodded his head as tears of frustration fell down his face. "I don't want to be afraid anymore, Grandpa. I want to be brave, like you."
His grandfather kneeled down and gently placed his hands on Leo's shoulders. "Bravery is not the absence of fear, Leo," he said gently. "It is the ability to face it head-on, to stand tall in the face of adversity and do what must be done, even when every fiber of your being screams for you to run."
'I remember now..' Leo thought as he was pushed back when a large fist slammed into his chest. He skidded across the rough stone street as a blazing inferno light up behind his eyes, and the lower part of his back began to burn with warmth.
"I'll get stronger!" Leo shouts in rage as he rushes forward. Both let out a primal roar as they collided.
Ais slashed an oger with ease; she flicked her wrist to clean her rapier of any blood before sheathing it.
"Way to go, Ais. Handled with ease, like always!" Loki said, picking up the magic stones and walking towards Ais. "Good job!" Said the goddess of trickery as she tried to reach for Ais's butt, but she walked away, making her slip and fall.
"How many monsters are left?" Asked Ais, walking up to Eina.
"We've asked other adventurers for help, but there are probably three or four more..." Said Eina.
A couple loud roars were heard in the distance, and a cloud of smoke was rising up.
Seeing and hearing this, Ais quickly took off in that direction, leaving everyone else behind.
"Oi, wait for me, Ais!" Yelled Loki as she chased after Ais.
Suddenly, something crashed into one of the stalls behind Eina and her friend Misha. They turn to see a bloody, battered, and bruised Leo lying in the rubble.
"LEO?!" Eina shouted, shocked, and the two guild employees quickly rushed over to check on his wounds. The young adventurer coughs up some blood as he shakily rises from the rubble.
"Don't move! Your wounds look serious!" Shouted Eina, she held out her arms to try and prevent him from moving, but a defensing primal roar echoed through the area.
Leo shakily stands up with a look of pure rage. The silverback roars as it rushes towards him, destroying all the stalls in its path. Leo tenses his legs and charges forward with a roar of anger as the two clash again for the final time.
The burning feeling enhances an uncomfortable warmth, as if boiling water were placed on his lower back. His red eyes glow with a burning determination to beat this strong monster single-handedly.
Eina watches with wide eyes as Leo and the silverback trade blow after blow, blood splattering the ground when either land a hit. The young adventurer growls in frustration and quickly ducks out of the way of a punch. He turns his body and kicks the large monster's knee.
"RRRRRAGHHHHHH!" The silverback let out a roar of pain as its knee snapped out of place and fell to its knee, unable to stand on its now broken leg. Leo quickly unleashes a barrage of punches, but it blocks all the damage with its large arms.
"Faster, I need to go faster!" He shouts through gritted teeth; his arms feel like lead as exhaustion slowly starts to take over. The burning feeling intensifies as it gets unbearable. He roars at the feeling as he keeps hammering away at the silverback's arms.
Clumps of silver fur begin to decorate the ground as the battle rages on, and the sounds of well-placed strikes echo around Orario.
"Isn't he level one?" Misha questions, as she watches him take on a mid-level monster. "Yeah, he and Bell are both level one." Eina says her eyes hold a worried look as she watches him swing with reckless abandon.
And then it happened: Leo landed a well-placed strike, and he landed the decisive blow against the silverback, sending the creature crashing into the ground with a deafening roar. With a triumphant shout, he finally stood victorious over his fallen foe, his chest heaving with exertion as he felt the aftereffects of the fight of his life.
"He did it. It should be impossible for a level one, but he beat a silverback." Misha was surprised, and Eina was too shocked to utter a word. Leo pulls his hand back through the chest of the silverback and takes a few shaky steps as he slowly begins to walk.
Eina quickly ran over to him and slinked one of his arms over her shoulder to hold him up. "Leo, you need medical treatment." She says.
Leo's breathing is ragged as he stands with Eina's support. "I-I need to find B-Bell." He says it quietly.
"I'm sure he's fine. You need to worry about yourself right now." She says a distant roar catches their attention. He gently removes himself from Eina and stumbles forward as he walks in the direction of the noise.
"Leo, you need to rest! You're hurt!" She shouts as he continues to walk. Each step is slow and sluggish, but he keeps moving.
"I-I can't rest, not yet. B-Bell is still out there." He said, Eina watched with a worried expression as he slowly trudged on. He takes one final step before his legs give out from exhaustion. He falls face first onto the ground as everything around him becomes blurry.
Before he lost consciousness, in the distance he saw a large smoke cloud before succumbing to the darkness.