Chapter 36: Nebulous

Hit gritted his teeth and ran forwards, ignoring a strange sensation as he passed into the immense floor boss room. His face was illuminated in kaleidoscopic hues as it darted all around, searching for signs of a titanic foe.

Already knowing deep down where the creature was, Hit ran to the centre of the floor and gazed up. Goliath stared back at him, from behind a steadily healing wall of sorrow, which perfectly described Hit's emotions at the moment. The refractory period was now in effect, and it would take some time for Goliath to spawn again. It was as if Hit was experiencing Groundhog Day.

Hit tightened his fists and ran back, towards the odd sensation from before. He skidded to a stop, at the halfway point to the Labyrinth paradise below. The nebulous force seemed to falter and attempt to move past him but froze as Hit spoke. He uttered the words gruffly, hoping the culprits could provide some entertainment as punching bags. The blood vessels on Hit's forehead and eyes bulged, giving him a demonic appearance in the tenebrous corridor. Hit rarely ever become angry, in this world and the last; however, each surge of rage brought forth limit breaking power.

ゴゴ "Show yourselves, dregs." ゴゴ

The apparition stopped, fluctuated, and vaporised, revealing a sneaky band of intimidated-looking adventurers. Three members were garbed in eastern clothing and were the most on edge. The male of the trio wore a lavender, black, and gold Kamishimo, and stood towards the front. He glared at Hit, brandishing an immense battleaxe. On the other hand, the two women wore lavender kimonos, tied with red belts. One wore long red boots and was about to draw her katana; whilst the other stood at the back, carrying a large backpack of equipment. Her worried face was hidden by a long fringe.

Two people stood at the helm: a blond man wearing a feathered hat and salamander wool cloak; and a blue haired woman, wearing a white cloak. The man smiled sweetly, eyes closed, whilst the woman stared at Hit, at the ready. Her cyan eyes twinkled behind small glasses.

Another member stood to their side. Hit turned to face a familiar looking woman, who wore a green cloak, with a flower-shaped hood. Her svelte body was hugged by a white sleeveless top; and long slender legs were covered by tall brown boots. The lower portion of her face was hidden by a green mask, to protect her identity; however, Hit instantly recognised the suspicious individual as Ryuu Lion, despite her now blond hair. Hit would never forget a person's cadence or rhythm, essential for his fighting style and prior profession. "You." Hit narrowed his eyes at Ryuu, who tensed in shock.

The adventurers tensed and readied themselves for battle. This unknown adventurer had somehow seen past their veil, a magic item created by Lady Asfi Al Andromeda, one of the greatest Magic item creators in the world. As they got into their own battle stances, Hit entered his serious stance, radiating murderous intent.

'Were these people chasing that small woman? I'll have to buy some time. Perhaps I can forcefully awaken Goliath to separate them. Ryuu still seems more powerful than me; and the blue haired one seems to lag behind her.'

Suddenly, the man wearing a feathered hat stepped forwards, smile stretching to its zenith. His hands were held up slightly in surrender. "Now, now. Surely this is all just a huge misunderstanding. I assure you; we mean you no harm, my good man."

Hit stared at him for a few moments, and put his hands away, slowly. The blond man felt incredibly slimy, but was telling the truth. The sweat that dripped down his face, was indicative of his distress. Hit did not lower his guard, keeping an eye on the entire group. "Who are you? Are you chasing that woman?"

The man froze in place, but his fake smile grew into a genuine one, and laughter exploded out. Closed eyes opened into playful orange orbs. "What!?... you think we!? Pfft... GAHAHAHAHA!" He collapsed slightly and used his blue haired companion to stabilise himself. The noble woman looked incredibly confused and did not appreciate being used as such. The energetic stranger was lost in fits of laughter, for some time, as his stress melted away. Hit raised a brow at the behaviour and allowed the stranger to tire themselves out.

The odd man inhaled gulps of air and held his head with a shaky hand. "Huff...huff...S-sorry, that was just too damned funny! I mean, you were totally going to try and kill us, over a massive misunderstanding! I mean, who does that!?"

Hit huffed and crossed his arms. "I may have jumped to conclusions; however, your group is incredibly suspicious. Explain your relationship with that woman."

The man coughed. "I assure you, I am not involved with her in that fashion! That energetic lady is a dear friend of ours. We have been acting as her guides, helping her reach some lost children. We tracked them down, to the 17th floor, and became separated when Goliath spawned. She can be quite overreactive and stormed ahead. Unfortunately, we were forced to activate a special item to conceal ourselves. I'm most pleased to hear that she is safe and sound."

Hit relaxed and stuffed his hands away. "I suppose I did jump to conclusions. This has been a disappointing day..."

'Children? Then they are likely his... However, why would they be helping that petite woman? Is she from a different familia entirely, or a deity? Hold on... by lost children, does he mean Bell?'

The cheerful man laughed and walked jubilantly towards Hit, holding out a gloved hand. His companions gasped and drew their weapons fully. "Hermes. Nice to meet you, pal!"

Hit shook his hand briefly, allowing the adventurers to finally relax, somewhat. "Hit. You're a deity, aren't you?"

Hermes narrowed his eyes slightly. He had kept Hestia's identity a secret from this stranger, due to her being a lesser-known goddess. However, he did not hide his own nature, since it was obvious. Didn't this fellow recognise his face? Why was he asking him such a question then? Also, the name Hit was familiar. The boy had recently come up in his familia's information gathering exercises. This was the shadowy individual who defeated a crystal mantis on the surface: a rookie Loki familia member, known for his secrecy.

He was an abnormality. Hermes simply continued, hoping to gather some juicy intel. The being put on a dashing smile, and waltzed back to his group, throwing an arm around the blue haired woman's shoulder. "Oh? Yeah, I'm the god Hermes, and this lovely lady here is my Asfi. How did you come to that conclusion, if I might ask?"

Hit did not recognise either of their names, which was a clear error on his part. He would need to read through that never-ending list of familias, something he was putting off. "Only a god would appear so giddy down here. Not to mention how spurious your exterior is."

Hermes did a little twirl to show how jovial he was; to an uninformed onlooker, he didn't have a care in the world. "Yeah, I'm having a whale of a time down here!"

The god then leaned in to Asfi, whispering in a manner that could obviously be heard by all. "Psst.. Asfi, what does spurious mean?"

Asfi clutched at her face, with a gloved hand, and groaned.

Hit obviously was not buying any of this. They had a purpose down here. 'This god reminds me of Dionysus, to a far lesser degree. I can't let my guard down.'

Hit huffed, realising how jumpy he had been just now. There was no point in bothering with these people any longer. If they caused issues, he could always track them down, or simply ignore them. "Do whatever it is you're here for, I no longer care. The rest of the Loki familia will greet you." Hit then turned around and left the shocked onlookers behind.

Andromeda was not about to let him go so easily. She pushed up her glasses, causing them to shine brightly. "Wait. How did you see past our veil? Did you make a breakthrough on your second encounter with it?"

Hit halted and turned slightly, eager to leave. "Your presence was obvious from the start. I simply viewed you as unworthy of my time on the first pass." Scathing remarks made, he continued out.

Asfi maintained her stoic exterior, yet was quite offended. She had gained absolutely nothing from her questioning. All they knew, was that this young man was part of the Loki familia, which he had divulged himself. Hit had been in complete control of the conversation. Why did he feel so intimidating? She had only skimmed through a sheet with some of his details, and apparently he was a rookie.

Hermes wiped his brow, in an exaggerated fashion, and turned to face the weary band of travellers, ever present smile on display. "Phew... Well, that sure was something, huh guys?"

The Takemikazuchi Familia members did not allow themselves to relax, whatsoever. Kashima Ouka, in particular, felt rage and shame course through him. That man felt incredibly deadly; he was certain that Hit could kill him and his companions, if they were unprepared. "That aura... it reminds me of the first time I fought Lord Take."

Ryuu gripped her fists, making the leather gloves squeak. 'He's grown stronger. Far stronger than he should have.' She was still unsure if Hit was a threat; however, his aura of strength was incredibly worrying. He was a completely different person now, somehow around level 2, if her estimates were correct. The boy had returned to the hostess many times, and acted cordially; how had she not felt this increased power?

Hermes tutted and waved a finger, as if scolding some children... which he was, in the case of his Asfi. "Let's not get bogged down, you guys! We're nearly there, and little Hestia is waiting for us. So, let's go!"

His companions huffed and traipsed behind the god, able to see a faint cloaked silhouette far in front.

Hit returned to the 18th floor, feeling far calmer. The grassy field was much busier, with Ais, Welf, and Lili surrounding Bell, who was lying on the ground. The small woman, who rolled onto the floor, was currently straddling him, tears raining from her closed eyes. It was a lovely scene, adoration clearly evident on the woman's smiling face.

"Please step aside, Lady Hestia!" Out of nowhere, Lili performed a perfect suplex move on the woman, grasping under her arms and pulling 'Hestia' clean off Bell. The two short women collapsed onto the ground, as, despite the wrestling move being perfectly executed, Lili was simply too small.

The black-haired shorty shouted and fidgeted, attempting to free herself from Lili's strong grip. "How dare you interrupt our beautiful, touching reunion!"

Lili only tightened her grasp, forcing her twitchy captive to listen. "We all got hurt really badly on the way here! Master Bell needs to rest, OKAY!"

Hit thought this was a strange excuse. The boy was completely healed by now...

The fiery newcomer looked to her favourite child for support, but instead was incredibly annoyed to see her biggest rival, Ais Wallenstein! Since her arms were pinned, Hestia used a dainty leg to point at her mortal enemy. "HUH!? Wallen-whatsherface is here too!?"

Lili and her prisoner fell into a bickering argument, where they resorted to name calling, having exhausted their excuses. "That doesn't matter! Why are you here anyway, idiot!?"; "I'm here to see my darling Bell! Now get the heck off of me, you little cheat!"

Bell sweatdropped at the scene, but was simply glad his goddess was safe. Answers to his fervent questions could come later. The boy got up to intervene yet heard a soft voice to his right.

"Mr Cranel..." It was a blonde woman, wearing a flowery green cloak. Her features were instantly recognisable from such a short distance.

"Miss Ryuu!" Bell was quite shocked to see her; she was a waitress, right? Although, Ryuu's immense strength and speed could only belong to an adventurer. The elf shushed him, placing a finger on her mouth. She seemed a little tense, likely eager to be away from Hit. Opposites attract, and likes repel, after all.

To his left, two other individuals approached: Lord Hermes and Asfi Al Andromeda. Hermes introduced himself with a shining smile. "Ah! If it isn't the famous Bell Cranel! I couldn't wait to meet you. You can call me Hermes, pleasure's all mine." The now named individual extended a gloved hand, this time to a much less scary person.

Bell recognised his divine status and shook his hand, with a smile. Although, he was itching to find out why they were here. Did they truly come here to save him? "Thank you for coming, Sir."

Hermes used his other hand to show Bell an ok hand sign. "No problemo! Anything for my pal, Hestia." He then directed a pointed finger, back towards the way he came. "Besides, I think you should direct your gratitude over in that direction! They are the reason we're here after all..."

The Hestia familia trio gasped as they met eyes with the Takemikazuchi familia members, who had rather guilty expressions. Welf and Lili scowled at the people who had pass paraded them, a practice where someone dumps a hoard of monsters on another adventurer, to allow themselves a chance to escape.

Just at that moment, Finn Deimne arrived, looking quite surprised. "Well, well... We certainly have been getting a number of guests recently. You should not be here, Lord Hermes."

Hermes quickly pranced over to the pallum and bowed slightly. He had to show the current region commander respect. "Sorry, sorry! I just couldn't let my dear Hestia go down all alone! Let's all just keep this between us, hm?"

Finn glanced over at the prone Goddess Hestia, eye twitching in slight annoyance.

Hit noticed his gaze and gained confirmation; this was the brat's goddess. Hit had become quite adept at discerning gods from mortals; however, she felt so... human.

The pallum huffed and nodded his head. "Very well. However, I must at least ask you a few questions, before letting you loose."

Hermes grinned, pleased that he did not have to face any repercussions for his actions, as usual. "Of course, Braver!" The god then turned to Bell and his friends. "We'll all be over in a few, kiddo! Go along to your tent, without us."

Bell nodded, and retreated to his temporary shelter, holding hands with his goddess. Welf and Lili were quite glad to be away from those who had nearly killed them.

By this time, Gareth and Riveria had also arrived. Hit continued to stand off to the side, observing the situation. Hermes waved a hand at the newcomers. "Heya guys! Thanks for having us! Your buddy over there gave us quite the welcome! I'm still shivering..." The god pointed a thumb at Hit then rubbed his arms, as if he were freezing.

Finn looked over to his troublesome rookie, who had begun to march over. "Really now...Care to explain, Hit?"

Hit shrugged at the newcomers, who were not too pleased to see him again. "I was a little harsh".

Hermes coughed, and the Takemikazuchi familia members looked like they wanted to retort.

Finn quirked a brow. "Your reaction wouldn't have anything to do with Goliath, would it?"

Hit looked to the side, avoiding Finn's gaze.

Gareth groaned and walked up to the group. "Honestly, lad. Do ya want ta marry the thing!? Forget about it for now. Ya haven't even levelled up once, for Pete's sake."

The Takemikazuchi familia gaped at the statement; that was impossible! They themselves were level 2s, and recognised the danger Hit posed. Ryuu bit her lip; she was correct to be worried. What would happen when the boy levelled up?

Hit rolled his eyes, although, recognised that he was getting somewhat fanatical. "I wish to assess its strength. Monster rexes are completely alien to me." The boy then turned and melted into the shadows, going who knows where...

Hermes chuckled at the antisocial behaviour.

"Not too friendly, huh?"

Finn smirked and shook his head; he had dealt with many people like him. Although, Hit had a certain special quality. "You should have seen him a few weeks ago. He never met up with us for anything... Now, he's slowly getting more involved."

Gareth scratched his chin. "The lad still avoids Bete like the plague though."

Riveria smirked slightly, quite a rare expression for the royal. "I would not consider that a mark against him; in fact, such a tactic is usually for the best." Mercifully, Bete was not here to eavesdrop, since he was currently away, getting antidotes from the surface.

Finn chuckled. Riveria really hated when the werewolf called her a hag, crone, or old bag. "Oh, he's not all that bad... Anyway, moving on to my questions..."

Hermes, and the rest of the newcomers, endured a vigorous interrogation, causing them to be a little late to their peace meeting. Thankfully, the Takemikazuchi and Hestia familias ultimately managed to settle their differences, although Welf was still rather angry at Ouka. The tired adventurers left the meeting tent, on relatively amicable terms, and turned in for the night.

Hit decided to climb back up his tree, since it was quite dark, making spying on him difficult. Thankfully, all his treasures were exactly where he left them. Annoyingly, he would need to buy an overpriced rucksack from Rivira, the following day, to carry the majority of the stones back.

...

Below, one adventurer was having trouble sleeping, and marched up a nearby hill, gazing out at the dim landscape. Bell Cranel craned his head upwards, marvelling at the glittering sparkles above, somehow appearing like an inky canvas of infinite stars. The boy had marvelled at the daytime sky; however, the galaxies above were an even grander splendour. "I still can't believe this is really the dungeon."

"Everything okay?" Suddenly, a voice called from Bell's left. Looking over, with a gasp, he saw that it was Ais Wallenstein. If Bell wasn't so tired, he would have jumped up in fright. The girl had a slightly proud expression, pleased to finally be the one sneaking up on someone, and not the other way around.

Bell nodded at the girl, then went back to his stargazing. "Oh... I just, couldn't sleep... what are you doing out here, Miss Ais?"

"...I saw you walking around". Ais had grown quite curious when she saw the boy traipsing through the camp and forest. Ais shifted a little and looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I-I was worried about you... Bell..."

Bell wheezed in shock, and his entire body blushed crimson.

Thankfully, Ais was looking skywards. "...Sorry if that annoys you..."

Bell recovered from his over excitedness, and gaped at the strangely vocal girl. He had never heard Ais talk about her feelings before. "What!? No way, not at all! I'm glad you were worried..." The flustered boy then raised his hands to his head, worried his saviour might get the wrong impression. "I mean, No! Ugh... I'm not glad you were worried! I... oh, no..."

Ais smiled lightly at his amusing behaviour. "You know, Bell... You always seem so vexed..."

Bell gasped again, stress threatening to burst; however, he managed to calm himself down, and slumped a little. Ais let him recover; however, she wondered when she would have to say goodbye to him again. "When are you leaving?"

Bell stood straight again, glancing at Ais. "N-Not until after your group leaves... We're taking it easy tomorrow, since we're all still a little tired."

Ais' heart beat a little faster, although, she wasn't certain why, exactly. This meant the two could share an entire day together. "Good... that means we can visit Rivira tomorrow... Or do you not wish to see it?"

Bell sent a beaming smile to the girl, reminded that there was a whole city down here! Hit did not recommend it, but Bell couldn't pass up on a date with Ais! "Of course I do! I wonder what sort of place it is?"

"Hmmm... I wonder?" An extremely annoyed voice called from below Bell. Looking down, he met eyes with an innocent looking Hestia. She sent him a maidenly smile, yet the immense tick mark on her head betrayed her true feelings. "You better not be going behind my back, Bell."

Bell gasped and flung himself back, shocked at the sudden intruder. Hestia simply stomped up to him, maintaining her innocent facade. "I can't hope to imagine why you wouldn't invite me. I mean... Who. Is. Your. Number. One. Girl?..."

"...REMEMBER!?" Hestia lost her saintly expression and roared at her child, teeth somehow becoming serrated in her rage.

Bell closed his little eyes and attempted to assuage the God's wrath. "Okay, okay! Y-you can come as well!"

Hestia growled at him, proclaiming her dominance, then switched to her next target. "And as for you, Wallen-blabidiblah, I will never EVER, EVER let you go on a date with MY BELL, DO YOU HEAR MEEEEE!"

Bell blushed, mortified. "G-GODDESS!?"

"Master Bell's got a date!?" Liliruca jumped out of a nearby bush she was spying from, unable to contain her shock.

Hestia rolled up her sleeves, ready to square up for a fair fight this time. "You stay out of this, you little WORM!"

Lili snarled and took off her black gloves, raising her hands into fists. "GRRRR!".

Hestia stuck her hands on her hips. "Oh, you're approaching me? Instead of running away, like usual?"

Lili rocketed at her infuriating rival, ready to deliver a myriad of painful wrestling moves. "I CAN'T BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU, WITHOUT GETTING CLOSER!"

...

Far above, a previously sleeping individual woke up to squeals and screams. Their eyes shot open, making a sound akin to breaking glass. Blood vessels bulged all across them, indicative of sleep deprivation and indignation.

Hit quickly pinpointed the source of commotion, it was hard not to, and leapt down from his branch.

*CRASH!*

The dungeon floor cratered, as an explosive detonated right next to Bell's growing harem. They had not seen Hit fall, due to the use of time skip during his final descent. There was no strategy in mind this time, Hit merely wanted to scare the chittering bugs as much as possible. Hit stepped out of the dust cloud, red eyes blazing, ready to terminate anything in his path.

ゴゴゴ "Some of us are trying to sleep." ゴゴゴ

Hestia was left completely defenceless, as Liliruca disengaged from a headlock and ran off. The terrified deity stood up, shakily, and got into ridiculous fighting pose. "S-stay back, fiend! I-I'm warning you! I've got a Bell, and I'm not afraid to use him!"

Bell gasped and ran at the human meteorite. "M-Mr Hit!? I'm so sorry about the noise!"

Hit didn't seem very receptive to apologies, and merely stared down at the boy. Bell gulped and attempted to bring in reinforcements. "G-Goddess, this is Mr Hit, the one I spoke to you about!"

Hestia made an 'o' shape with her mouth, in realisation, and skipped in front of Hit, sizing him up. Now that Bell was at her side, she had absolute confidence in her safety. "So, you're this Hit guy Bell wouldn't stop talking about, a few weeks ago...". The fun sized goddess bowed her head a little, diminishing her height even more. "Thanks for inspiring him!"

Lili coughed from behind the trio. "...And thanks for saving us too, right, 'Lady' Hestia?" Despite referring to the goddess respectfully, the word 'Lady' was spat out in a rather venomous manner.

Hestia huffed, as if it pained her to oblige the request. "Oh, yeah. Cheers for saving the little homewrecker too...". Hestia was being quite childish, yet she truly loved her children. If only the worm would stop trying to steal her Bell!

This paltry act of gratitude only served to annoy Lili, who growled. "Grrrrr!".

Hit blinked at the nuisances piling all around him. 'I'm glad not to have joined this familia... I would have died from a stroke or heart attack soon after. How does the kid handle all this?' Hit huffed and turned around. "I merely fought him for selfish reasons. And those two were in my way. You can thank me by shutting up."

Hestia gasped, holding her chest in affront. "Ugh! Then I take back my gratitude, ya big meanie!"

Hit merely ignored the puny god and leapt away, from branch to branch. He did not ascend back up the immense tree, instead intending to take a detour, to protect the secrecy of his base.

Lili gasped, shocked at his speed, while Bell scratched at his cheek, a little disappointed that the meeting had not gone very well. "He doesn't mean it, Goddess... Hit just doesn't like being praised... or woken up, I guess. He never had to give me advice, or boost my confidence, or rescue Welf and Lili, but he did. He's a good person."

Lili yawned and her eyelids dropped, exasperated at the boy who stole her heart. "You see good in everything Master Bell... Honestly, if the devil rose up right now, you'd try to be friends with him first..."

Bell stammered at the accusation. "I-I'm not that bad!"

The sound of rustling bushes drew everyone's attention. "Personally, I'd offer up shrimpy as an appetiser for the guy, then hightail it outta here." It seems that Welf's sleep was also rudely interrupted, as he emerged from the darkness, rubbing his eyes.

Lili's tail puffed up in affront. "WHAT WAS THAT!?". The pallum attempted to drop kick Welf in the chest, who casually slipped out of the way, earning her some scrapes in a thorny hedge.

Author's Notes

If any of you were shipping Hit with someone, then I'm afraid Gareth beat you! It's canon now, no take backs!

Hit x Goliath! The ship has sailed! Wedding next chapter.