KS: Hey, I'm back, and so is this series. This will just show what the three members of the CDA are currently up to. All the good stuff will happen in the next chapter. When am I going to write it depends on how I'm feeling and how motivated I am. Anyway, enjoy.
There are a lot of strange things in this world. Things that seemingly go past logic and understanding. But nothing was more strange and wonderous than the time the gods decended from the heavens to live amongst mortals. It was truly an amazing event. These divine figures made the decision to no longer watch from above and walk next to their worshippers. And the place where it all happened was the city or Orario.
You're probably wondering why it was this city in particular. The answer is simple. It's the only city in the world that has a dungeon. You know, those depths with monsters lurking about and treasures? Yeah, that. A lot people come from all walks of life to Orario to explore the dungeon and make a name for themselves. Of course, it's a lot harder than it sounds what with the aformentioned monsters inhabiting it. It's really dangerous for anyone who has not made the necessary preparations.
But I bet you didn't know that the dungeon isn't the only place you should keep your wits about you. Orario can be just as dangerous as the dungeon itself if you're not careful. The city has all kinds of lowlifes and swindlers with intent on making life harder for people. When they're not scamming unsuspecting adventurers out of their hard-earned valuables, they're leaving them for dead in the dungeon. And that's not even the worst part.
Crime is rampant in the city, and the familia in charge of reducing it can only do so much to prevent it from happening. Solving the crimes, however, is another matter entirely. And that's where I come in.
I'm a high-class adventurer, but I'm also a high-class detective. Many people don't think of me such as such given my meek appearance, but you know what they say. Never judge a book by its cover. I'm the go-to guy for solving the unsolvable, and I take pride in what I do. Of course, I don't do it alone. I have some valuable allies on my side, and I appreciate their help.
So let this be known: should you an issue that can't be solved by normal methods, or nobody is willing to go out of their way to help you, the Cranel Detective Agency will always lend a helping hand and ear to whatever needs you require.
Bell rose out of bed, stretching his arms while yawning. He was in his black boxers, and his toned body was exposed to the air, along with a tattoo on his chest resembling a blood drop.
"Another day has come," he said. "Time to go to work."
He was about to get up, but a slender hand tightly gripped his wrist, preventing him from leaving. Laying next to him was a short girl with long black hair, sleeping soundly while most of her body was covered by the blanket.
"Goddess, I gotta go," he said softly. "I have to meet Ash soon."
"Mmm… don't wanna let you go," she muttered. "Showed up… late last night…"
Bell sighed. "The work I do isn't something that's easily resolved before sundown. I don't enjoy working the night shift, but sometimes it has to be done."
The goddess let out a small groan. "Come… back more often…"
Bell sighed again, then patted the goddess on her head. "Of course. I promised I wouldn't leave you alone."
Satisfied, the goddess released Bell's hand, allowing him to move off the bed. He went to the dresser and took out the clothes he intended to wear. He put on his pants, shirt, jacket and boots in a swift, yet professonal fashion. He clasped his pouch and knife sheath onto his belt and looked at his reflection.
"Perfect. Time to head out."
Before he did, he returned to his goddess' side and lightly kissed her forehead.
"I'll be back, Hestia. Just you wait."
He left the room, unaware of the smile the goddess had on her face.
"I'll be waiting… Bell."
Bell briskly walked down the streets of the city. It looked a lot more lively and colorful than it did at night. Many people were walking around, chatting with others or heading towards the dungeon. Just another day in the city.
"I better get going or Ash will go to the dungeon without me."
He broke into a quick run, making his way past multiple people. Orario was a city that brimmed with diversity, people of multiple races walking and/or talking with one another. Here, many people were drawn to the city for one thing: explore the dungeon.
Which is something Bell had intended on doing once he met up with his friend.
The Hostess of Fertility is one of the many famous spots in Orario. This pub was frequented by many an adventurer. Best known for its food, liquor and the staff (mostly the staff), it was a place beloved by all. And it was at the front of this building that Ash stood in front of with an oddly-bladed spear in his hand.
"I swear, if he doesn't get here in the next few minutes, I'm leaving his scrawny ass," he said to himself.
"You won't have to worry about that, because my scrawny ass is here."
Ash turned towards who spoke out to him, and it turned out to be none other than Bell, walking towards him with a small grin.
"Took your sweet time coming here," Ash deadpanned. "What took you so long?"
"Hestia got clingy again," Bell sighed. "She's always like that whenever I come home late."
"Not surprising," Ash said. "You were her only familia member before I came along, so of course she'd stick to you like glue. Though I can't say I blame her. That last case we were on took us a few good hours."
"A lot of things happen in the dark, Ash," Bell replied. "Which is why we have to bring them to the light where everyone can see them. Plus, we get a lot more money for it too."
Ash nodded. "Yeah, some people have been quite demanding of our services as of late. Who would have thought that private detectives would be popular in a city with a freakin' dungeon?"
"A mystery we will solve another time," Bell said. "For now, let's go and earn our keep. The monsters aren't going to slay themselves, you know."
"If they did, every adventurer in this town would be out of a job," Ash joked.
The two of them shared a laugh, only to stop when a girl with gray eyes and hair wearing a green maid uniform walked out of the building.
"Well, you two look lively today," she said. "Something I should know about?"
"Oh, hi Syr," Bell said with a grin. "Ash just made a joke that I couldn't help but laugh at."
"Is that so?" Syr asked with her own grin. "Did he ever tell you the one where he accidently-"
"Damn it, Flova, I gave you half my pay to keep a lid on that bit," Ash interrupted with a blush. "What do I have to do, give you the rest of it?"
"That, and you covering my shift tonight," Syr said with a mischievous look.
"Hell no," Ash said in annoyance. "I did that last time, and Mia rode my ass about it for a week. Find someone else to cover for you."
"I tried, but no one wants to do it," Syr pouted. "Not even Ryu, and I'm her best friend."
"Best friend," Ash scoffed. "What a nice way of saying 'tagalong'."
Syr poked him in the side in retaliation. "You be quiet now."
Bell laughed at their interaction. To him, it was like watching a younger sister mess around with her older brother and vice versa.
"This has been fun and all, but we really need to get going," he said. "Let's go, Ash."
"Yeah, yeah," the taller man replied. "We'll continue this later, Flova. Try to keep your ass out of trouble."
"Like you're in any position talk," Syr shot back. "That aside, have fun."
She waved them off as they walked to their destination.
"Time to get back on the grind," Ash said with a feral grin. "Those monsters won't know what hit them."
"They'll know exactly what hit them because we're the ones doing all the hitting," Bell said in a deadpan tone.
"I can say it if I want to," Ash replied. "It gets my blood pumped."
"Better to have it pumped than splattered all over you," Bell sighed.
Ash laughed loudly, knowing what his partner was talking about. "Oh yeah, I remember. You cut up that minotaur that was raging in the dungeon and got a literal bloodbath."
Bell sighed once more, reminiscing on the event in question.
A month ago
Bell and Ash were deep in the dungeon, collecting the magic stones dropped by the monsters they have slain.
"Man, the gods are smiling down on us," Ash said, picking up more of the stone. "Who would've thought we would hit the motherlode on the fifth floor?"
"It's quite simple, really," Bell said, picking up his share of stones. "The amount of monsters differ on each floor. The lower the floor, the more monsters there are. Sometimes, there will be either a large amount of low-tier monsters, or one mid-tier monster. It all depends."
"Not the kind of thing I'd hear from a detective," Ash chuckled. "You sure you're not losing your edge?"
"Of course not," Bell replied. "There's not a day in my life when I haven't been-"
Bell was hit with a sudden feeling of dread that made him pause. Ash immediately noticed and looked concerned for his friend.
"Bell? What's going on?"
The albino said nothing in response. He closed his eyes, then began to slowly breath in and out. Once he finished breathing, he laid down on the ground and turned his head sideways.
"There's a big monster coming our direction," he said.
"What kind is it?" Ash asked.
Bell kept his ear to the ground, picking up the faint vibrations that slowly became more prominent.
"This monster is nine feet tall and weighs 850 pounds," Bell said. "It should not even be on this floor. Unless…"
The vibrations grew stronger, and Bell got up from the ground, taking out his knife.
"Ready yourself, Ash. We're in for trouble."
Ash didn't reply, but raised his spear nonetheless. If Bell said that they were in for trouble, he had no reason to doubt him.
And soon enough, trouble did come for them. In the form of a raging minotaur, ready to kill them where they both stood.
"Okay, those bastards aren't supposed to be on this floor," Ash said, holding his spear towards the monster.
"My thoughts exactly," Bell said. "Someone or something drove it here. No matter. We'll deal with this and head back."
The minotaur let out a roar as it charged towards the duo with full intention of killing them. Unluckily for it, they were prepared for it.
As the beast charged towards them, Ash took advantage of its blind rage and dodged to the side while stabbing its leg, causing it to fall onto the ground. Bell took advantage and jumped on its back, stabbing every vital point with deadly precision, then swiftly cut open the nape of its neck for good measure, where he was immediately sprayed with blood. The minotaur let out a dying howl as it was reduced to dust, leaving behind a large magic stone where it remained.
"Hot damn," Ash said, picking up the stone and inspecting it. "This is sure to score us some loot." He looked towards Bell, who was mostly covered in the minotaur's blood. "And you should score yourself a shower."
"Not much point, really," Bell replied with a shrug. "I could show up at the guild and freak out Ms. Eina when I see her."
Ash couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you kidding me? She's going to have your ass if she sees you looking like you fled a murder scene."
"It's not murder," Bell corrected. "It's just monster slaying, as usual."
Both of them shared a laugh.
"Excuse me," a soft voice said.
Both of them turned around to see a beautiful girl with fair skin, long blonde hair and golden eyes wearing a white dress under light armor and blue leg-high boots holding a sword in her right hand.
"Hey, it's the Sword Princess," Ash said. "What brings someone like you here?"
The girl turned away with a guilty look. "Our familia was responsible for the minotaurs getting away." She looked towards them. "I just wanted to apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you."
Bell didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to the girl, carefully inspecting every inch of her equipment.
"U-Uh…"
When he finished, he moved back.
"I can see why those minotaurs would run off like that," he said. "I would be intimidated if I was faced with another high-ranking adventurer like yourself."
The girl blushed slightly from his compliment.
"Oh, where are my manners," he said. "My name is Bell Cranel. The thuggish man behind me is Ash Carbide."
Ash looked offended at being called thuggish, but said nothing on the matter.
"Nice to meet you," the girl replied. "I'm Ais Wallenstein, but I'm sure you've heard of me."
"Of course we have," Bell said. "Not a day goes by when I don't hear about the exploits of the Loki Familia and their Sword Princess. If I'm being honest, however, it's a bit tiresome."
Ais blinked before responding. "I suppose it is."
"Hey, Bell," Ash cut in while holding his sack. "We should head back and cash these rocks in."
Bell turned towards him. "Yeah, we should." He turned towards Ais again. "How about we meet again sometime? I'll let you know where you can find us."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Ais. Once he did, he and Ash made their way out of the dungeon.
"He's not like any other adventurer I've met before," Ais said, looking at the card she was given, ignoring the bloody thumbprint on the left.
"The Cranel Detective Agency? Is he a detective?"
Present time
"That was a fun day," Ash said with a grin. "Apart from Eina freaking out over you covered in blood and her busting our asses for going to the fifth floor, I'd say it was cool."
"Cool is not the word I'd use," Bell deadpanned. "She lectured us for a damn good hour. I can't get her griping out of my ears."
"She griped because you were so nonchalant about going into a lower floor," Ash reminded. "I don't see the point. You're Level 2, last I checked."
"And you are Level 1," Bell added. "Obviously, she was scolding me because I put you in potential danger, bringing you down to a lower floor."
"There was no real danger," Ash said. "We took care of that minotaur like it was nothing. She's always worrying over nothing."
"If that's how you feel, then I won't stop you," Bell replied in a serious tone. "Just know that beneath all her nagging, she worries and cares about us. We should should show her more appreciation for doing so."
"Can't you just say you want to bed her?" Ash asked, noticing the bewildered expression on his companion's face. "Come on, you must think she's hot too. Those glasses go well with her figure."
Bell spurted for a few seconds, then turned away. "Let's just go to the dungeon."
Ash chuckled. "Whatever you say, bud."
"Thank you, come again!"
Hestia waved off another customer, satisfied that she making strides to earn money for her familia. While she was more than grateful towards Bell and Ash for supporting her financially with their detective work, she wanted to help out as well. She is the goddess after all.
"This is going great," she cheered to herself. "Business may be slow, but its all worth it in supporting my children. What kind of goddess would I be if I let them do all the work?"
She stood faithfully at the potato stand, waiting for another customer. She had been at this for a while, so she was quite patient.
"Got any more for me? I could use some."
Hestia perked up and saw a woman walk up to the stand. She was around her height, but she yellow eyes with slits, long pink hair tied in a ponytail which back up longer tufts resembling large cat ears, nearly overshadowing her own. She wore a long white jacket with the lower part unzipped, revealing her stomach, and red shorts with a large bell hanging on the belt.
"Alright then," Hestia said with a smile. "How much do you need?"
"Ten," the woman said. "And load them up with whipped cream and cinnamon."
Hestia blinked at the woman's bizarre order, but went through with it nonetheless.
"Tell me something," the woman said. "Do you know where I can find the Cranel Detective Agency?"
Hestia nodded while covering the potatoes with whipped cream and cinnamon. She figured she wasn't just any regular customer, and wanted the services of her two children.
"You'll find the base of operations at the old church in the poor district," she said. "I happen to live there myself."
The woman tilted her head, looking at Hestia. While her current attire didn't really suit someone of her status, she chose not to press the issue.
"You don't say. I'll be sure to drop by later on."
"Glad to hear it," Hestia said, handing her a basket of the calorie-laden potatoes. "That will be 500 valis."
The woman reached behind her and took out a sack of coins, twice the amount she was asked for, much to Hestia's surprise.
"T-This is-"
"Trust me," the woman interrupted while taking the basket. "You need this more than I do. I'll be on my way now. Catch you later, Hestia."
The goddess looked in shock at the large sack of coins, not realizing the woman called her by her name.
"What work does she do to get this much?" she asked herself.
KS: Lady fortune smiles in Hestia's path. And it looks like things are going to get interesting, what with that woman showing up out of the blue. Have a good night, folks.